Celebrate with a Shaker

The Male Room has a Monochrome challenge  As I was editing my card photo, I realized that my first Male Room challenge was #9!  They are now up to challenge #164.  Great staying power for a great group!    

I participated in the Scrapbook & Cards Today Crop & Create back in March, and one of my favorite sets was from Concord & 9th.  I used their turnabout stencil with 3 different shades of blue to create the polka dots.  Balloon die to make the shaker opening, and stamped the sentiment so that it showed through the shaker filled with clear and white sequins.  Love this!!!

You're The Best

Been really missing baseball and sports in general.  Especially the kids.  

I used an old SU! baseball stamp, a Paper Pumpkin sentiment, and some old Karen Foster paper.  Sharing with The Male Room's Sport challenge and the Inspired By Summer sketch challenge.  What else represents summer sports more than baseball :(.

Trick or Treat (a bit early!)

A lot of my projects are donated to Cards for Soldiers, and must be shipped out months in advance.  I am working on fall cards now that summer is here!

I inked the background with Distress Oxides, and layered the die cut over the inking.  Anyone recognize the die cut?  I bought it as part of a lot, and it wasn't labeled.  Sharing with The Male Room's Landscapes Challenge.

Card Redeux

So I made this card, and thought, why do we only use circles for the bokeh technique?  Why can't I use hearts instead?

I used Chipped Sapphire, Stormy Sky, and Tumbled Glass Distress Oxide inks for the background.  To make the stencil, I punched some different sized hearts into a piece of mylar.  I changed out the and matted it with white instead of pink to make it more masculine.  I like this version even better than the original!  Shared with The Male Room Heart This challenge.  

2 Posts in 1 Week!!

Trying to get back into the crafting groove one challenge at a time.

I hadn't used the bokeh technique in quite a while, and thought it fit in well with the Color Throwdown challenge this week:

Also shared with The Male Room Heart You challenge.  Older Fiskars sentiment, Chipped Sapphire, Stormy Sky, and Tumbled Glass Distress Oxide inks, paper from my scrap bins.

Another Christmas in July...

The Male Room has a Christmas in July challenge:

The one on the right was my first attempt.  Meh.  The solid deer didn't do it for me, too plain.  I die cut the one on the right from white paper embossed with silver, and was much happier.  Since the red and white paper was so busy, I skipped the sentiment and added a silver strip of washi tape and a white grosgrain ribbon.  I love it when I can incorporate ribbon into a masculine card!!!!

Be sure to check out of Out of this World challenge over at Word 2 Craft By!!!

Love is in the Air

I wanted to share my Valentine I made for my husband. 

 He loves shaker cards!  I am sharing this with The Color Throdown #350:

And The Male Room:

Love is from Lawn Fawn, the hearts are from a Spellbinder background die in silver, black glitter, and red foil.  Come play along with the Words 2 Craft By Kindness challenge!

Nature

The Male Room has a nature challenge - create a masculine project with a nature theme. 

Lovely as a Tree, Ms Sparkle paper, Distress Oxide ink, not sure of the sentiment designer.   

Baby Swing Card

I love this Echo Park baby paper.  So much that I bought every pad from our area Tuesday Mornings!!  I use it most often to make the shaped baby books, but it is perfect for this baby card!!

Sizzix swing card dies.  Sharing with The Male Room - Wild & Free and The Paper Craft Challenge Crew's Fancy Fold challenges.

I have been missing from the blogosphere for a while - even neglecting my Words 2 Craft By i-team privileges.  All is well.  I was able to spend a long weekend with my brothers and sisters on Lake Erie.  The very next weekend, my husband, son, and son's girlfriend left for a week at the beach in South Carolina.  A few hours after our return home, our son left to go back to college.  In between, I tried to work as much as possible to make up for the time I was spending away.  What a whirlwind!!

Here Fishy Fishy!

The Male Room's challenge this round is Fish/Fishing.   I love to use the Hero Arts layering stamps with Oxide Ink.

I inked up the background, and added the seaweed in the same colors.   I "flicked" water on the background to create bubbles, and added Glossy Accents to the bubbles.  The goldfish were fussy cut and popped up on the base. It was quite time consuming, but worth it for a friend's 80th birthday.  We spent many happy hours together at the beach.  Love you, J!

Inspired by a Movie

The Male Room challenge is "Inspired by a Movie".  Can you guess my movie?

Art C die cut, Unity sentiment, stash paper.  Your choice on the movie.  Bambi?  The Deer Hunter? Reindeer Games? 

She Blinded Me With Science!

That 80s song has been running through my head since I saw The Male Room Space/Science challenge.  While the music came easily, the project did not!!  I was trying to make some donations for Cards for Soldiers, love but not girly.  Here is my first attempt:

 I really like this one, but not sure it is masculine enough for The Male Room challenge.  For my next attempt, I tried to make the background look like outer space. 

While the second is not girly, I still like the first one better.  Image and sentiment from Unity, stash paper on the first card, and Distress Oxide in on the second.  What do you think?  Would a man send the first card to a woman?  Or a woman send it to a man?  Let me know in the comments. 

Come play along with us at Words 2 Craft By for our Phenomenal Women challenge!

Masculine Vellum

The Male Room Challenge #74 is to create a card using vellum. 

I embossed the vellum with Darice Deer in Forest, and colored with metallic sharpies.  I tried to color with Inka Gold, but it didn't work out so well, and the sharpies worked out better than anticipated.  Yeay!

There's plenty of time left to play with us at Words 2 Craft By for our Abundance challenge!

Happy Birthday!!!

Love this Paper Studio mat stack:

I hand cut the ties, made a metal paperclip hanger, hung the hanger on a metal brad, added a Unity sentiment, and layered everything on some yummy burnt orange cardstock.  Funny, I have at least 3 different purchased hangers, and none were the right size!!!!  Sharing with The Male Room Use Metal challenge.  Come join us at Words 2 Craft By for our Autumn Flowers challenge!

Comfort & Healing

I just love fall - my favorite colors are seen everywhere!!

Distressed Inks in the masked, gradient area, SU! image and sentiments in Chocolate Chip, sequins from an old SU! Paper Pumpkin. Sharing this with The Male Room Technique (Masking) and Creative with Stamps Leaves challenges.  We have a new challenge going over at Words 2 Craft By - Imagination & Learning!!

Wheels

Here is another project outside of my comfort zone.  

Momenta card stock dry embossed with a writing folder.  Dear friends are welcoming a baby boy into their family.  This little guy will have the best dads ever!  I am sharing with The Male Room Wheels challenge. 

Come play along with us at Words 2 Craft By for our Mardi Gras challenge!

One in a Million!

The Male Room Challenge #44 is Star Trek or Other Space Series. 

This sure doesn't look like much, but there is a lot going on here!  Stormy Sky and Chipped Sapphire inking, Garden Floral Stencil from Memory Box with Viva glitter-paste.  I'm sending this to my son, a college freshman needing a little encouragement. 

Male Room - Buttons

The Male Room challenge is to use buttons.  Thanks to my Mom, I have enough buttons to last three (or thirty) lifetimes.  I wanted to play with some non-traditional Christmas colors, and I am so happy with this result!!

SU! Loads of Love image and sentiment, DCWV Christmas paper from 2015, Operation Write Home sketch #45.  I mixed different watercolors until I came up with the right teal for the truck and added grey button hubcaps.  My siblings tell me our Dad had a truck this color in the 1950s. 

Father's Day

The Male Room Challenge this time around is Father's Day. 

McGill tag punch, older SU! alphabet, DCWV paper embossed with Sizzix Diamonds texture plate, the "Day" is a Sweet Stamps partial sentiment.  The grey suede strip was too thick for mailing, so I ran it through my Big Shot - problem solved!

Two in One Day!!!

OK, I have been better at creating than posting, lately. 

Lovely as a Tree heat embossed in white, inked with Chipped Sapphire and Broken China Distress Inks, highlighted with Perfect Pearls, accented with a navy ribbon, and mounted on navy card base.  This will be a thank you note. I am linking this up with The Male Room #23 - Christmas or Holiday.