Essentials By Ellen Meets Hero Arts and a few other challenges!

There is a new challenge in blogland! Laurel Beard, a designer for Essentials by Ellen wrote the following on The Classroom blog:
It’s a challenge where we invite one manufacturer to contribute a design that combines Essentials by Ellen stamps/dies with their product to inspire our readers!
For the first challenge Jennifer McGuire was invited to play and to represent Hero Arts.

This is the first card I made for the challenge.  I used Hero Arts Shadow Inks and white detailed embossing powder.  The flowers and sentiment are from Essentials by Ellen's Bold Blooms set.  I think I need a new Versamark pad - my embossing didn't come out very well.
I am submitting this to the Colour Me Card Challenge - Monochromatic using orange:

to Virginia's View - All Things Embossed:

to Happy Little Stampers CAS challenge - Sponging:

Thanks for coming by!

Just a Note...

I needed to make 60 Thank You notes for the volunteers at my temple.  My temple's name is Shir Ami which means "song of the people" so I thought this Sizzix flowery treble clef embossing folder was perfect.  The sentiment is from a retired Mark's Finest Paper set and I curved it on the acrylic block before stamping it.
Timing of these is perfect...this week's CASology challenge cue word is Note:

Thanks for coming by!

ATCAS #21 MUSIC

Welcome to this week's ATCAS challenge.  I am hosting this challenge and I chose the code word: MUSIC.

 We have a wonderful sponsor:  The Paper Nest Dolls

Please head over to the ATCAS challenge blog to see the awesome samples from the rest of the design team and to upload your Clean and Simple MUSIC card.

The fairy silhouette is an image from Layers of Color.  I embossed some white card stock with the Cuttlebug Allegro embossing folder and cut out a circle and a square with my Nestabilities.  I made the A2 card a bit narrower than normal so I could have the wings extend past the card and still fit in an envelope.

Thanks for coming by!

FBW249 Emboss It!

Welcome to Flutter By Wednesday 249.  This week our challenge is to use embossing - dry or wet and don't forget to include a butterfly or fairy!  I used Post-it notes to mask off the card front leaving the panel down the left side open.  I stamped the Hero Arts butterfly with Versamark and then embossed them with clear embossing powder.  With the Post-It notes still on the front I used my fingers and rubbed and blended gelatos over the butterflies.  I stamped the Unity sentiment with Versafine Onyx Black after removing the Post-It notes.
Go to the Flutter By Wednesday blog for more inspiration and to link up your creation!
Thanks for coming by!

ATCAS #5 Heart

Welcome to a new challenge for Addicted To CAS (ATCAS)!  Challenge #5 is hosted by our awesome CAS cardmaker Loll and she has selected the code word HEART for our challenge - just in time to get us making Valentine cards!  This week our challenge is sponsored by

so go over to the ATCAS challenge blog and get the full details for this challenge!
I made this card so that it can be used not only for Valentines Day but also for an anniversary or just because!  I used my Crafts Concept Heart embossing folder for the card front.  The rhinestone Heart is a sticker from the Michaels $1 bin.  I cut out a banner with a Spellbinders die and stamped the Hero Arts sentiment on it with Memento ink.
I hope you get a chance to play with us!
Thanks for coming by!

FBW#223 - White on White

Welcome to Flutter By Wednesday #223.  This week's challenge is one of my favorites - white on white - and be sure to include a butterfly or a fairy.  I love the elegance of all white cards!  I started out with die cutting two of the Memory Box butterflies and bodies and glued them together to create a thick die cut.  I did the same with the Cheery Lynn Fancy Flourish die cuts but cut off the leaves first.  I wanted an embossed background but it couldn't be too busy or the butterfly would be lost so I picked my Sizzix lattice embossing folder and used a Tim Holtz Oval Diffuser on top of my folder so that the middle didn't get embossed.  I then adhered the butterfly to the flourish and then glued a few parts of the butterfly and flourish to the card front.  The little butterflies are from a Spellbinders Circular Butterfly die that I thought I would use but didn't.  I stacked three of them together for dimension.  I added a pearl to the butterfly as a little bit of bling.
I can't wait to see what everybody makes this week!  Just remember to include that butterfly or fairy on your project and link it directly to the Flutter By Wednesday blog!
Thanks for coming by!

ATCAS #4 Embossing

Well I hope you all enjoyed the holiday break and are ready for a new Addicted to CAS challenge.  For this next two weeks Karen is our hostess and she chose Embossing.  Our sponsor for this challenge is Uniko Studio!

Please let me introduce you to 

Beverley from Uniko Studio

Uniko Studio is a small company based in the North East of the UK. Uniko Studio specialises in surface pattern design & clear stamps for the hobby market. Uniko Studio will feature high quality photopolymer stamps designed & manufactured here in the UK, and if things go well we will branch out into other crafting supplies.

Beverley has been kind enough to offer a fabulous prize - digis from her store!  Please check the Addicted to CAS blog for all of the details on how to win some digis!

 Now on to my card:

I made a set of these holiday cards to raffle off for my temple's fundraiser.  I thought they were good for any of the winter holidays (Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa...).  I used Nestabilities to cut out the square and then embossed it with the Cuttlebug dove and olive branch embossing folder.   I matted it with shiny gold card stock.  I used an EK Success border punch on the bottom of the front side of the card and used my Scor-pal to score some lines.  I cut a thin strip of the gold cardstock to adhere to the inside of the card front.

I hope this card has inspired you to play along with us at ATCAS! For even more inspiration go to the ATCAS blog to see what the other DT members created!  Then link your design up directly to InLinkz on the ATCAS blog for a chance to win the prize from Uniko Studio!

Thanks for coming by!

FBW222 and Dynamic Duos #34

It's Wednesday so that means a new Flutter By Wednesday challenge!  This week is an open challenge which means anything goes as long as you have a butterfly or a fairy on your project.  We are also being sponsored this week by Bugaboo Digi Stamps!  Go to the Flutter By Wednesday blog to see the details regarding the prize for one lucky random winner and don't forget to check out the beautiful projects from the rest of the FBW DT!!
Bugaboo was kind enough to give each FBW designer a choice of a digi stamp to use and I chose the Flower Bubble Tag.  I imported the digi stamp into my Silhouette Cameo, sized it to fit a card front and used the Print and Cut feature to print it onto card stock and then cut it out with the Cameo.  That was a first for me with this machine - wow it was cool!
After I cut the tag out I colored the outside frame with a Spectrum Noir marker and then used my blending tool and some distress inks to color the tag.  I punched a hole at the top and put a ribbon from my stash through it.  Before attaching the tag to my card I embossed the card front with a Sizzix butterfly border embossing folder at the top and bottom.  The tag is adhered with foam squares.

I am submitting this to the Dynamic Duos Challenge #34: Melon Mambo and Island Indigo
 Thanks for coming by!

Seize the Birthday!

I just found a new challenge in blogland...

Seize the Birthday blog can be found here with an introductory challenge.

Here is my card:

The balloons are embossed with a Darice embossing folder and then colored with Spica glitter pens.  I embossed the PaperTrey sentiment with silver embossing powder.
I am looking forward to the first challenge on this new blog.

Thanks for coming by!