The March Hares

I'm playing with some overlapping themes today for Rogue Redhead Designs, LLC.  You will find my blog post there.

It's still March, so I used this month's color prompts of purple, green and gold.

It's our third month for the Holiday Inspiration Club.  This month, we're encouraged to make our own backgrounds.

I decided to venture into the world of washi tape.  The green roll was a store bought item.  I made my own washi tape for the purple and gold strips using Rogue Redhead Designs stamps onto soft white ultra matte sticker paper sold for this very purpose at redleadpaperworks.com.

This bunny stamp set is so adorable.  You can find Beatrix Potter A Winter's Tale in the Rogue Redhead Designs, LLC store under "other manufacturers".  Bunnies would be my favorite animal -- especially to craft with--  so you know I had to get this stamp set-- I love the Beatrix Potter rabbits in their little coats--so vintage---and you know I love vintage!!!!

Even though they're winter bunnies, I decided these two could also pass for spring bunnies.  Where I live, we always need a coat or jacket until mid May.

I also used:  s.e.i. card stock, Ancient Page Plum Wine ink, Ranger Wendy Vecchi Tree Branch Archival ink, Stampin' Up Watercolor Pencils and Whispering White card stock.

Entering these challenges:

So here is the dilemma:  this card is so generic, including the sentiment I chose, that I think I can use it for Christmas, Easter, Mother's Day or any other occasion where someone "needs a hug".  That will explain my mixed bag of challenge entries:

Simply Create Too Challenge 58 Easter or Use Bunnies closes in 12 days
C.R.A.F.T. Challenge 252:  March: What is the Weather Where You Are?  closes in 4 days
DL.ART Challenge 129  :  Thankful Thursday Challenge: Bunny  closes April 8
The Sisterhood of Crafters:  Animals:  due April 6, winner announced April 8
Whimsy Stamps Inspiration Challenge:  Easter, Bunnies, Chicks closes in 10 days
ABC Christmas Challenge:  F is for Friends and Family  closes in 3 days
Crafty Bloggers' Network:  March challenge:  Nature (my second entry)
Make My Monday:  For Mums
Clear It Out Challenge Blog:  Colour Challenge: Green   closes in 3 days x
4 Crafty Chicks Challenge 187:  Spring closes in 4 days
As You Like It Challenge:  Your Favorite Animal and Why
Country View Challenges:  March Paper Chase ( my second entry)

First Day of Spring!

Welcome Spring!  Bring us some warm weather and sunshine!

Here are three tags I made with Gecko Galz' March products as my design team samples.

The tag bases are from my Gecko Galz teammie, Heather Hudson who has her own digital images on My Artistic Adventures Etsy.
I had used 3 of these tags for my 3 French Hens post a few days ago.  Since I printed all 6 tags, I used the other 3 for my Gecko Galz project.

I fussy cut images from three different Gecko Galz collage sheets, all released this month:
Retro Girls:  girl with goose
Hip Hop Easter:  bunny with umbrella
Touch of Easter:  children with chicks

For something a little different, instead of grass or ribbon trim, I grounded the images with torn paper.  I've used this technique eons ago and was reminded of it when I saw a recent internet post. Do you ever have paper scraps left over?  Sometimes I make a printing booboo lining up my images on the computer screen and waste images because they end up being overlapped on the paper.  Other times I need a part of an image and have the rest left over.  Those leftovers are exactly what I used on these tags.  You may recognize them as bits from other designs I've used recently---BINGO cards, Christmas trees, and baby clothes--all from My Artistic Adventures.

Here are a couple of ways to enter a chance for prizes at Gecko Galz:

A Gecko Galz website challenge: 

For this months customer contest we are  asking you to create an Easter inspired paper
crafted project. Show us your Easter designs.  The only rule is you must include one
product from Gecko Galz, can be one of the free products, stamps, collage image paper
the limits are endless to your imagination.  And what will the winner get?
A Jodi Lee gift pack plus a $25 shopping Spree from Gecko Galz.
Just email a picture of your project by March 31st to geckogalz2014@gmail.com
or go to our blog site and enter your link!
And On April 1st we will announce our winner 

A Gecko Galz blog challenge:

HIP HOP EASTER CHALLENGE. 
We are asking you to grab the banner above and place it on your blog site, facebook page, or pinterest page then leave a link in the comments at Gecko Galz blog HERE 
On March 31st we will award one of you a copy of the prize that our challenge winner gets ($25 shopping spree with Gecko Galz and a Jodi Lee prize pack) so simple to be a winner! 

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Folk lore abounds on St. Patty's Day.

I recently learned that my hubby's (therefore my children's) family tree has roots in Ireland through an ancestor named Honora O'Flynn from County Kerry.  If you do an internet search, you will discover her fascinating story, including being captured and brought to the American colonies.  Irish luck got her here safely.

Here is my tag of an Irish lass, perhaps Honora as a young girl..  Background BINGO card is from Heather Hudson's My Artistic Adventures Etsy.  (I'm on her design team.)  The little shamrock queen image is a freebie from Lunagirl Moonbeams.  I converted it to a ping file and placed in on the BINGO card before printing.  This is a digital hybrid because after printing, I added glitter with green and clear star pens, trim and  flowers from my stash..

I'm entering this first tag in
Simon Says Monday Challenge:  Lucky

Feeling Crafty March Challenge:  Use a digi and bling   It's hard to see the bling but there is a row of shiny beads on top of the ribbon.  I used the Clear Star pen to add glitter to all the shamrocks on her dress as well as the two flowers.  I used the green glitter pen on top of all the shamrocks she's holding and the leaves on her bonnet.

Lunagirl Moonbeams challenge Shabby Green.  I get two entries for using a Lunagirl image.


Karen, on her Lunagirl Moonbeams challenge blog, posted a nice synopsis of  St. Patrick's Day facts and lore HERE.  I was particularly interested in Karen's statement,  "The name Ireland is the anglicized version of Eire, from the name of the Celtic goddess Eire or Eriu (Ireland = Eire's Land)." 

Since Lunagirl Moonbeams is sponsoring the Digitally Sweet Challenge, I used one of the Lunagirl images (that looked to me like a goddess) from the Shabby Green digital collage sheet along with other elements from the collage sheet (butterfly wing and sheet music).  

The green background patterned paper and the shamrock are from Gecko Galz digital images.  The black borders and word Erui are from my PSE software.

I'm entering this make in
Digitally Sweet Challenge 79:  Black and White and One Other Color.  I get two entries because it is totally digital. x

Three French Hens

It's time for the mid-month Christmas challenge at My Artistic Adventures.  We're up to "3" on the Twelve Days of Christmas so I went with the traditional Three French Hens.

Feel free to create any Christmas make as long as you use something digital from Heather's My Artistic Adventures Etsy and you use the prompt  "on the third day of Christmas my true love gave to me" or three of anything.  Heather has lots of examples on her blog.

I was thinking about cooking a great holiday dinner using farm fresh eggs and chicken.  Of course, there will be gifts in kraft bags topped with special tags.

I used Heather's Creamy Shabby Chic Victorian Vintage medium tag bases.  I wanted sedate yet sophisticated patterns that you'd find in a French country kitchen.  These tags fit the bill perfectly.  I like that there are several different background patterns in this set, adding variety to the same French hen that I printed three times.

I added the free hen image from the Graphics Fairy website.  I converted her png file to a clear background so that I could place in directly onto the tags before printing them.  I colored the leaves with a green marker. I printed on white paper the scroll "Le Poulet", fussy cut and glued on top.  The tags are edged with black marker, and vintage green ribbon tops them off.

Be sure to visit Heather's My Artistic Adventures blog to see more makes from the design team and the entry qualifications for this challenge #6.  Can't wait to your entry linked up there!

I'm entering my gift bags in:

ABC Christmas Challenge:  E is for Enclosed (boxes or gift bags) 
I WON!!!  Prize and Top 3 !!!!!!

Crafty Bloggers Network March challenge:  Nature
Crafty Hazelnut's Craft Challenge March Extra Anything Goes
Cheerful Stamp Pad:  Anything Goes

Carnival Cupcake Toppers

My design team make as seen HERE.
The RRD009 Carnival Dreams stamp plate can be found in the Rogue Redhead Designs store on special HERE
In addition, this month's color theme at Rogue Redhead Designs is purple, green, and gold.  You're encouraged to create something in these colors and share it HERE

Here are my carnival cupcake toppers:

Since they will last about as long as the cupcakes, I did some simple stamping with the wide variety of images in this half plate and used pencils and a gold pen to decorate.  A circle punch and scallop punch made adhering to the lollipop sticks an easy make. Baker's twine and curling ribbon add to the festive look.

Think drink coasters and candy toppers too!

Early Easter Wishes

Getting in under the wire at the Heartwarming Vintage / Crafty Secrets March Linky Party HERE.

I purchased an adorable digital set called Take It Easy and got as a bonus this great printable box and card front.  So I quickly printed out the page, assembled the box and made a quick card.  I embellished the cotton tails and some of the flowers with my glitter star pen and then added some glitter flowers and a ribbon bow.  Super quick and fun and oh so vintage.  And just in time to post for the Linky Party.

Happy Mail

Happy a lot of snow missed us.
Happy the sun and warm temps are to arrive later this week.
Happy with a little shimmer to bring in the sun.
Happy with clean and simple.
Happy this sentiment perfectly fits my snow/sun concept.
Happy this is mailable--it will fit through the slot and not require extra postage!
Happy to get my badge from Stampin' Royalty Stamp Challenge for my January entry (see my sidebar).
Happy to make it under the wire to enter this challenge.....

Entering this in Stampin' Royalty Challenge 216 Clean and Simple

This time I used a sentiment from Rogue Redhead Designs LLC (Winter Women stamp plate), DCWV card stock, Brilliance Pearlescent Sky Blue ink which I heat embossed for the sentiment; Stampabilities Nestabilities die cuts.

Tip:  if you can't find paper to match, ink it up!

I had great difficulty trying to snap a pic in order to get the embossed words and glittery leaves.

The Babies are "March"ing In

Welcome to another My Artistic Adventures Blog Challenge.  This time around our theme is "St. Patrick's Day" or "Spring".

Here is my back story:  I thought my son would be born in February but he held out until March.  I thought his son would be born in March but came the last week of February.   Both were in-between saints--a tad bit too late for St. Valentine and a tad early for St. Pat.  I remember the hospital staff put a St. Pat's themed sign on my door with my son's name on it.   Fast forward to this week's MAA challenge (and the birth of my grandson), and you've got yourself my baby St. Pat's creation in green.  (With a blizzard arriving, I'm using my Ott lite.)

I used My Artistic Adventures digital collage sheets from the Etsy shop.

Victorian Lt Vintage Green St. Patrick's Day postage stamps


Vintage Baby Girl Boy Twins Sweet Green Baby Onesie Card Base


Victorian Vintage Chic Lucky Irish Bingo Cards


I used the postage stamp for a bib and cut diapers from the second pattern to layer on top of the card base.

Entering These Challenges:

Digitally Sweet Challenge 77:  Anything Goes with Broken Box Stock (sponsor)

As You Like It Challenge:  Fave 3-D Texture Item and Why (entry 1)
I consider myself a "paper crafter" and like to layer paper and add ribbons or lace for a vintage look.  In this case I added a bow, ric rac, felt trim, and buttons tied with twine, in addition to layering the papers.  Both cards in this post qualify, but I think I can link only one???

Really Reasonable Ribbon Challenge #90:  Show Me the Green and Ribbon

Country View Challenge:  Paper Chase


And to add to the excitement, my nephew and his wife are expecting twins (a boy and a girl) any day now. These babies are really marching in.  Yet to make the blue one,  here's my spring colored baby pink card: Be sure to check the Etsy shop for the pink version as well as the blue one.

I punched a scallop circle from the extra pink polka dot onsesie and placed the image on top along with some pink pearls.  Then I added the ruffled crochet trim all around underneath it.
My dt teamie Carol came up with the idea for ruffles on the backside.  Too cute--just had to follow her lead.  I added a row of tiny ribbon roses above 2 layers of ruffled crochet trim and topped it all with a pink bow.

Entering These Challenges:

Crafts 4 Eternity:  Texture

Aud Sentiments Challenge:  Any Sentiment for a Girl  Woo hoo!  I made the Top 5!

It's All About the Vintage and Beauty:  Use Lace

All Sorts Challenge 48:  Spring is Coming

Simon Says Stamp Blog Wednesday Challenge:  Anything With Pearls

Paper Sweeties March Inspiration challenge 17: Polka Dot Love

The Craft Room Challenge:  Color Challenge 


Thanks for stopping by.  Be sure to visit the other design teammates to see their samples and then join in the challenge!  Links to the blogs are found at My Artistic Adventures blog.

Linking up to Make It Monday #181--a linky party to share and inspire.  I'm #40 in the link up.