Releasing myself...

Do you ever just make those self releasing cards? You know the ones where you aren't so concerned with the result as much as just throwing yourself into the process whole heartedly...Here's two from me to you.



This first card uses a new technique for me and its applying Alcohol Inks no my embossed acetate pretty nifty huh! On a few other squares I stamped with Stazon just for the sake of trying it out.

The second card though it seems simple was a labor of love. I created this patterned paper by layering up chalk inks. I then set myself free to detail to my hearts delight by adding white with my Souffle pen adding glitter and metal foil but for the kicker,I glued those tiny glass marbles onto my card. I had some leftover acetate embossed and inked squares left and I knew if I didn't use them I would lose them!

Unscripted # 3 yippie!

First I'd like to say this sketch at Unscripted Sketches is my favorite so far thank you Sharon for creating this, you rock! I also want to say thanks to another Unscripted DT Steph who inspired me to go outdoors to snap some picts, what's good for people is great for cards!



My card centers around the rain vs. flower ideology, I have these terrific paper packs by K&CoMPANY called Daydreams and Que Sera Sera aren't the umbrellas adorable? The flip side of the paper has tiny raining clouds, too fun! The sentiment April showers bring May flowers along with the word Rain and Grow are from an old Close To My Heart acrylic set called Spring. The center stamp of a lined circle and the blue flowers are from two See D's stamp sets Doodle Flowers and Narrative Elements. Finally the copper eyelets and single brad are from my big box-o-embellishments from We R Memory Keepers and the twill ribbon from Close To My Heart.

To create this card I cut a 5 7/8in.x 5 7/8in. piece of colored cs and topped it with a 5 3/4in.x 5 3/4in. piece of patterned paper after I cut a 2 7/8in. circle out of the upper center with the circle Coluzzle(remember those?) I then added a 1 5/8in.x 5 3/4in. black piece of cs to the bottom of the card allowing the colored cs to show and layer another 1 3/8in.x 5 13/18in. of green patterned paper onto the black cs notice I have the green butted down to the bottom edge of the black cs to allow for the thicker black band on top. Now for the fun stuff, I stamped with Archival Black ink the center image(fortunately in fit perfectly inside my cut circle), the word grow in the right hand corner, the word rain on two strips of green patterned paper scraps then the flower twice on the cloud paper and on the same colored cs I initially used in the very beginning, as well as stamped the foliage image 4 times(twice on the actual card and once on a green scrap and one more on an umbrella scrap and did some cut and paste techniques. I used Black Stazon to stamp the sentiment on twill( I find this works best to prevent the ink from seeping on ribbon) cut up twill and layered onto the colored cs scraps and affixed to center. I cut and glued some more and finally added the eyelets and brads and affixed the whole enchilada to a white 6in.x 6in. base card. Whew, so there you have it, now go out there and make us something that only you can for this weekends challenge I can't wait to see what you come up with! Beth aka BR-T

Sunny places...

It is just beautiful out this morning the sun is shining the birds are singing and laying eggs already! I can still hear mother robin out there scolding me for sticking my camera too close for comfort. She has three beautiful blue eggs in her nest, I am excited for the big day! I shared this with my children and implored them not to touch the eggs or they will break. My father showed me a nest as a child but I just had to touch the eggs and broke them all, my father was very upset with me for some time, I still feel bad about it....

Ok these are my favorite bulb flowers they are called Fritillaria or Snake Head, they are checkered how cool are these!


So due to my lack of time at the craft table lately I created a combo card: The sketch is from Mojo Monday # 83 I know it's not exactly the sketch, I have a hard time not deviating from the plan!
Cute Daisy May wants the use of glitter I put prisma glitter on the windows in attempt to create the illusion of reflection, sure let's go with that! I also used the Cuttlebug Challenge site for this card using home sweet home as the theme of the card. Well, I'm off to enjoy this amazing day with my youngest son Oscar. Have a terrific Friday and don't forget to create and stop on over to Unscripted Sketches tomorrow for a terrific new sketch!BR-T

How uplifting!

Sarah from Sarah's Paper Tray you really made my day thank you for this fun award! If you have never been to her blog site it's well worth the push of a few keys because she rocks! Recently she created the most beautiful card that took my breath away it's her Wed April 22nd posting with 3-d butterflies it's a must see!
The award is given to Weblogs that catch your eye.
The rules are....

1. The winner can put the logo on her blog.
2. On your blog, link the person you received your award from.
3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs
4. Put links of those blogs on yours
5. Leave a message on the blogs you've nominated.

Robin at Oh Scrap Seriously folks this lady can do a lo like no other and her cards are truly amazing!

Steph at Where did all my Money go? ok not only are here cards just phenomenal how she photographs them is stunning!

Lisa's Stampin' For Sanity the name of her blog alone is worthy of many awards! Her cards are too good to miss!

Erica's From The Heart has a fresh new look to it and her cards utilizing many amazing Close to My Heart products keep me coming back for more!

Betty from Scrapped Into A Friendzy her card are amazing, the detailing she puts into her cards is awe inspiring!

Grace from Th-INK-ing of You is spiritually uplifting and we need more like her for sure!

Though my list could go on and on my # 7 is....
Rosanne from A bit of life, Scrapbooking, and cooking... she is well versed and paints a wonderful picture of things that move her, also check out her April 16 Welcome Spring Card It it Awesome!

There are so many amazing posts out there and we were all given an amazing gift we cannot take for granted or assume it's our own doing. Be well and make something! BR-T

Check it out...

Cuttlebug anyone? Check out the Cuttlebug Challenge site May 1st-3rd they will be having a spa retreat online and you can win some super prizes! If that's not enough, they have some great challenges as well!

And they play...

We took the kids to a wedding tonight, the ceremony nearly drove them mad but when we got to the reception we took them off their leashes so to speak and they had a ball! I love watching kids dance because they move about so freely and play so well with the other children though they have never crossed paths before. I lost that somewhere along the way, never to be found at least not in the sense of the young ones that is. My card is a combo card as well as a tribute to the free spirited ones in the world. Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge is to create a scene and Stamp Something is to Use Green, Yellow and Blue as the main color palette for their challenge and let's not forget about Cuttlebug Challenges who needs a number! Remember they play and so should we!

Unscripted Sketch Challenge # 2...

Hello all, I hope your Saturday is treating you well! I cannot believe a whole week has flown by so quickly... Well Sharon certainly came up with another terrific sketch this week at Unscripted Sketches , wouldn't you agree!?! The possibilities are endless ans the sky is the limit folks so jump on the creative express and show us your handiwork. I stopped by and saw some amazing creations from those who participated and I'd like to thank Angela, Betty, Susan, Erica, Patricia, Karen, Patti, Sarah, Kelley and Alecia for being the first to get involved, YOU ALL ROCK!
So here is my card for this sketch, more flowers but that's really all I can think about at the moment, I love spring so much! Most of my favorite flowers bloom but once a year, but that is what makes them so majestic, if you snooze you lose...I chose a birthday card because Spring is all about rebirth and it seems all my friends and family have birthdays this time of year. So to all of you who have Birthdays on the horizon here's my Birthday card to you. This is a 6x6 sized card, I love this size, to me that little extra room to work with is great! To create this card I started with my white base and stamped a single style flower around the edge of the card in black ink. The next layer up I cut a 5x5 black matte and topped it with a 3 1/2x 4 7/8 piece of patterned paper then another sheet of plain Tulip card stock about 1 1/2 x 4 7/8 and glued on three flowers to create my own patterned paper. I added ribbon and a few embellishments to this layer as well. The top layer starts of with a black matte which is 3 7/8 x 4 7/8, I added the flip side of the bottom layer of patterned paper, don't you just love it when they create one sheet with 2 sides! I cut out several flowers which I stamped onto the patterned paper, which can be a real time saver.I cut them up and affixed them to the end cap of the card for some dimensionality.I placed a few more flowers on top which I colored in with my kids Crayola Watercolors they are fun to use, on top of the card added a sentiment and a few more dew drops and there you go. Have a terrific day and go forward and make something! BR-T

It's almost here...

I so love Satudays, who doesn't? To celbrate I thought I'd take on The Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge # 27, OK is this sketch hot or what!?! I couldn't wait to bust out my Elegant Paisley set from See D's as well as my large classic and scalloped rectangle Nestabilities. I flipped the sketch on its side to better accommodate all the activity going on. I used Close To My Heart card stock and inks and some lovely crystals for that little somethin -somthin. Of course when all was said and done I realized I used the wrong color palette! Not exactly orange and brown is it, life goes on...



Have a great weekend and don't forget to stop by Unscripted Sketches tomorrow for their second sketch which is really fun! Beth aka BR-T

don't stop too long...

Have you noticed when you feel like you are on a roll, but you stop to take a breather it messes things up? It's time to get back on track for me with so many aspects of life it's overwhelming! Of course my best stress reliever is paper so here I did a quick card for Mojo Monday sketch # 82. This is a standard 4 1/4x 5 1/2 card, I got into the habit of making 6x6 cards that little extra allows for so much more, to me anyhow...

Pinky Tuscadero...

Remember Lavern And Shirley? I loved that show as a kid! After I created this card forTaylored Expressions Challenge # 63, I thought of the infamous Pinky. Who Knows! So for this card I used yet another of my new sets from See D's I love that flamingo. I used textured cs from CTMH and what is great about this product is it's a few shades lighter on the flip sight, cool huh? I used a single crystal and applied White and gray Souffle to the floral images. Of course I couldn't stop at the single floral image as in the sketch, but that just me shining through! Thanks for stopping by and have a great evening! Beth aka BR-T

It's only the beginnig...

I have a few Daffodils springing from the ground and I am so excited to know it's only the beginning...I love flowers and being in the garden letting the dirt embed under my fingernails. I love the snakes even though they surprise me at times and all the amazing insects I come across, I guess you could say, I'm no girly-girl and I'm glad for it!
This card is a tribute for whats to come. I used more See D's stamps, have I mentioned I got eight sets for $32 dollars at Sonshine Crafts, that is a deal for sure! They aren't clear however the image is on the back of the stamp so you know where it is in relation to the paper. They are sticky backed to use with your acrylic boxes. Check them out!!! I don't own Copic's and may never but what I used were my Close To My Heart reinkers to me this is very cost effective and you can mix them up for altering shades, I just place a drop or two on a larger acrylic block and add water as desired and use either a water brush or a fine paint brush, I know you can see brush strokes but I'm ok with that!

Mojo Monday # 81

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Mojo Mondays has a fantastic sketch for the week and finally I finished my attempt in the wee hours of Sunday. It's very bright and busy to say the least. The funny thing about this card is I used my kiddo's art supplies, I painted the flowers with Crayola's watercolors. I noticed the other day with several of my sons paintings that the paints put off a sheen when dry, it looks really cool! I used a See D's stamp set called Flora Doodles it has a terrific variety of flowers which I used to create my background papers and all the flowers seen.The black ribbon is by Celebrate It and the dew drops by The Robin's Nest I really seem to be using those a lot lately.

Good Afternoon and Happy Saturday

This is the day! Roll out the red carpet and bust out your creative moves, Unscripted Sketches has it's premiere sketch posted yeehaw!


Now I don't know about you but I feel a deep sense of pressure being a designer for this challenge blog, what if my creation isn't good enough... we all have out off days or mojo-less-moments, but that is what makes the days all the more empowering when out creative juices are spilling out all over the table.
My take on our first challenge utilizes another bargain set from Hero Arts Long Bracket Messages. I used Close to My Heart inks and card stocks, The Robin's Nest Hyacinth collection of dewdrops, a bigger white brad from Spare Parts and some funky fiber from who knows where.

Sneaky stripes...

Man do I feel like a slacker, I cannot believe I have not posted since Sunday! I'm back at school taking evening classes twice a week for EMT Basic. It's very challenging but I feel this is how I can give back to the community.
My card's inspiration is from the Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge which wants stripes. The other inspiration is I got a bunch of new stamps today by InqueBoutique's See-d's collection. I get another package tomorrow of re-inkers and colored cards stock, life is good!

And away we go...

Jenny and Sharon have been really working their tails off this last week to get things ready for our big debut this Saturday April 11th. We the Unscripted Designers, have been given our first challenges to work on which we will display on Saturday! I encourage you all to join us this weekend and play along too! Beth aka BR-T

This is me...

OK, so it's not really new, but to me it is and I love it! It's the same set from yesterdays post just in a more familiar realm to me. I cut a few of the stamps up to give me more options. This card utilized a lot of cut and paste I love working in a labor intensive fashion it calms me... I know I'm also behind the times but those dew drops are fascinating aren't they?!?
I want to mention this scrap site I'v just discovered called Sonshine crafts they are having an amazing 50-75% off sale on selected acrylic stamps. I got 8 sets each with at least 10 stamps and another bottle of dewdrops for a real deal, go check it out! So back to the card at hand, All products except the white and gray souffle dots, are Close to My Heart I enjoy their products a lot, I understand all their inks, markers, card stock, patterned papers and My Acrylix stamps are made here in the USA, lets hope that doesn't change any time soon!

Gotta wear shades...

Cute Card Thursday Challenge # 54 wants to see bright and bold Citrus Colors. So I dusted off my Watermelon, Sunny Yellow, Citrus Leaf & Orange stamp pads by Close to My Heart as well as a fabulous stamp set I recently bought called Adorning Corners and did this little number. It's probably one of the simplest cards I made,probably because I'm not comfortable using these eccentric shades. I did it none the less!

Goodies...

Yippie, I won some goodies from Stamps and Smiles for playing along last week on their challenge, how great is that! Speaking of challenges, I've compiled a list of to do's and must get started asap, I've got the sleepies so a few sodas may be in order!
Our Unscripted Sketches sight will soon be ready and I am quite excited, I know you are too! Have a great afternoon and I will have a card post later today! Beth aka BR-T