How could I possibly resist a washi tape challenge???
Love the Moxie Fab World and their fun challenges, including the current washi tape challenge. I made this card as a thank you for some wonderful support a friend extened toward me.
Washi and a stache - it was a fun card to make! :)
Hello blog friends! I have loads of cards to share today, but they come with a purpose and a chance to win some a•muse|studio goodness! :)
I'd like to introduce you to Joshua...
A good friend of mine recently shared Joshua's story with me. Joshua is the awesome nephew of a good friend of his. His story truly resonated with me.
Joshua is 10-years old and lives in Puerto Rico. Only a little younger than the kids I teach every day, so maybe that's why I paid attention. Or maybe it is his HUGE smile with those dimples!!!
Or, maybe it was his heartbreaking description of his last chemo treatment, "Joshua said that he felt like he was burning inside"
And the realization that he is half the size of his twin brother. I just want to sweep up this little guy and make everything better. If I saw one of my students go through this, I would be utterly heart broken.
Joshua's family describes him as a little warrior. His story can be found here. It is both uplifting and humbling.
So it is with a big heart that I ask you to help Joshua in some way if you can. I plan on making him a special card and ask you to do the same if you can. I'm sure something happy is just the medicine he needs. I'm told he is particularly fond of cars, especially "tricked out sports cars" and loves police officers (since his father is one). What boy doesn't? LOL
So - I'll make this worth your while! Make a card for Joshua and send it to me (just send me an email jillscards@mac.com for my addy) by June 1st and I'll enter you in a contest to win one free a•muse|Studio Stamp set (any set your heart desires). I'll also enter your name in my contest If you post this card challenge on your blog and/or facebook page (leave a link in the comment section of this blog post). In fact, if you do all 3 I'll enter your name 3 times! Let's see if we can't send this warrior lots of love! I'll randomly select the winner on June 2nd.
So thank you for opening up your hearts to Joshua :) Here are some of my favorite cards I have made that I think might do the trick to cheer him up. I'll be making him a special one this weekend. Please send him some love :)
Hope this offered you some inspiration!
If you are in a position to make a donation to help with his medical expenses, the family has set up a special bank account.
Comité Pro-Fondos Joshua Rodríguez Hernández
PO Box 1586
Aguadilla, PR 00605
Or, donate directly to the bank at:
Banco Popular (1-888-724-3650)
Account #050-29870
I'm so excited! I actually had a little bit of free time tonight to play! :) Tonight was the Fall A Muse Pajama Party - a night of chatting with friends over the internet, crafty inspiration from our fabulous hostesses, and crazy 30-minute card making. I didn't have enough time to make cards for all of the challenges, so I just picked the two that fit cards I needed to make for some special people.
My first card is for Katie's challenge: a color challenge based on the colors of the Dirty Dancing movie poster (light pink, dark pink, and black). I thought this was the perfect opportunity to make a funky card that included some special New York stamps given to me by a friend.
Who wouldn't love a quirky pink city with pink taxi's, right? :)
For my second challenge, I went with Glenda's Breakfast at Tiffany's challenge. This made me so happy because I *LOVE* this movie. Haven't seen it in ages, and this is a good reminder that it's about time I see it again. It was one of those movies that, for me, really reached me and made me think about life. I think it should be mandatory movie watching for any young woman :) Here's my take on it:
A little elegant, a little spunky, a little martini ;)
Thanks to all the hostesses for the fun challenges and the chance to connect again. It was much needed therapy!
Card Recipe (for both!):
Stamps: Cityscape, one of a kind, hostess, tiny martini, and inner princess HC by A Muse. NYC set by Yellow Owl Workshop
Paper: blush pink, white, and onyx shimmer couture damask by A Muse
Ink: A Muse pigment ink and Versamagic midnight black
Copic: BG10, BG15
Other: Washi tape, red and pink twinkle stickers by A Muse, eucalyptus polka dot sheer ribbon by A Muse
For A Muse products click here
I'm alive!!! Really, I am! LOL
I hope that all of you out there in blog-land can be patient with me - this will be a challenging year! I am finishing up my course-work for my graduate degree and started my thesis this month - eek! I'm just hoping too keep my head above water and come up for a little crafting every now and again.
Speaking of crafting, I had the perfect opportunity for that a couple weeks ago as I celebrated the birthday of one of my besties.
We had a fabulous dinner
Fabulous dessert
Truly, a fabulous time with the birthday girl and our wonderful friend, both of whom I am so unbelievably grateful are in my life! We are all in the grad program together, so needless to say, a girls night out once in a while is much needed therapy! How much do I appreciate these girls? The sky's the limit! :)
I chose this card layout for the challenge this month over on the A Muse lounge! Check it out :)
Card Recipe:
Stamps: rocket and the sky's the limit by A Muse.
Paper: kitchen blueberry and blueberry solid by A Muse
Ink: Versa Magic chalk ink aegean blue, A Muse black dye ink
Copic: boo, b32, b34, yr14
Other: A Muse twinkle stickers, Spica black, A Muse orange polka dot sheer ribbon
For A Muse products click here
Just a quick one today as the beginning of the school year is leaving me with no free time (astonishing how it all vanishes so quickly)! I really needed to make a fun birthday card for a special someone, and I was inspired by the new challenge this month over on the A Muse Lounge (Challenge #20: A Sketch Challenge). I picked this card by Krystie as my inspiration. It's a fun layout :)
Be sure to hop on over to the A Muse lounge to play along!
Card Recipe: Stamps: tiara (retired) and inner princess by A Muse. Paper: white, pink shimmer couture solid, and pink shimmer couture damask by A Muse Ink: StazOn Metallic silver (so fun!) and Versamagic midnight black Other: A Muse twinkle stickers
Summer is just around the corner and the signs are popping up everywhere. Turns out, a pod of orca's was spotted of the LA coastline this past month. Apparently this is quite the sight to see, and a bit unusual for us. We typically get gray whales, but my whale friends tell me that seeing different types of whales is a sign of summer for us! (And yes, I really do have whale friends. Or should I say, friends of mine that are really really really into whales, LOL.) So to commemorate the occasion, I thought I would make a card with A Muse's fun little orca stamp as my contribution to A Muse's summer fun inspiring ideas today!
I had a little fun making water splashes with my Copic Airbrush system! Just a little effect I wanted to try :)
Card Recipe:
Stamps: orca and fun in the sun by A Muse.
Paper: lime and ocean blue by A Muse
ink: A Muse black dye ink
Copic: B02
Other: black grosgrain stitch ribbon, lime twinkle stickers, and clear twinkle stickers by A Muse
With the end of the school fear fast approaching (thank goodness! LOL), I have a lot of friends looking for ideas for teacher appreciation gifts. I thought this would be a cute way to dress up a gift card.
I simply wrapped the card in paper and tied the ribbon around it. Easy peasy.
I will admit, though, that my favorite things from students have always been thoughtful notes. I fact, I even got one last week from a former student - that was a big surprise and so sweet. Makes all the long days and hard work worth it :)
Card Recipe: Stamps: solid apple and for a special teacher by A Muse. Paper: cranberry, green, and grass petite gingham by A Muse ink: A Muse black dye ink, Colorbox magenta Other: black polka dot sheer ribbon by A Muse, pink colored pencil (I didn't ink the middle left side of the stamp so I would have that white space, and just went over the edges with a little pink colored pencil).
Oh yes, a day at the beach, now that's my kind of day. I think my favorite time though *has* to be sunset when when the wind starts to die down, the sky lights up fiery red, the air cools, and pelicans are hungrily dive-bombing into the water with the hopes of nabbing that fish. So perfect!
Sometimes I'm lucky enough from this vantage point to see a boat sailing on by. The boat, from my view at the shore, is a silhouette. I colored the boat in with my black Copic to get that effect and sponged on some ink to make the sun a fiery red. I don't have any of the great new cobalt paper by by A Muse yet (check out the A Muse blog for a peek), but I used two of my other favorite blues to finish off the scene.
I think this would be a great day at the beach! :)
Card Recipe:
Stamps: saiboat and lost without you by A Muse.
Paper: blueberry, navy, and papaya by A Muse
ink: A Muse black dye ink, Memento tangelo and potters clay
Copic: 110
Other: orange crush grosgrain stitch ribbon A Muse, water boundary border punch by Fiskars
Feeling that summer itch yet? I know I am! With only a couple weeks left in the school year, my life is absolutely crazy right now! I'm longing for lazy afternoons by a campfire, maybe actually reading a book for fun, and sipping a fun drink in my collapsable camping martini glass (oh yes, I am quite proud to have one).
So needless to say, I don't have a lot of free time right now for the crafty goodness, which is a bummer since this week A Muse is sharing some fabulous summer inspiring ideas. Therefore, my goal today was to make the quickest summer card I could ;) It's funny how very fast cards can turn out pretty cool.
Simplicity is good sometimes!
Be sure to check out all of the inspiration over at A Muse and on the blogs of the creative team (links to the right)!
Card Recipe:Stamps: Campfire and a warm hello by A Muse.
Paper: classic white and petite gingham chocolate by A Muse
ink: Memento rich cocoa
Copic: y02, lemon and orange spica
Other: orange colored pencil
The caterpillar was up to no good feeding on poor innocent seedlings in the garden. Suddenly, karma bit him in the keister when he surprised the skunk!
Fortunately, the butterflies were able to safely evacuate. ;)
Hope you've been enjoying these woodland critters inspiration cards! There's more inspiration to be had over at the A Muse website and on the blogs of my fellow Muses. Enjoy!
Card Recipe: Stamps: scent-sational day, skunk, tiny butterfly, caterpillar, sun, seedlings, and clouds by A Muse Paper: Yellow gingham and lime band notecard by A Muse ink: A Muse black dye ink, Memento lilac roses, and Colorbox chalk lime pastel Copics: W2, Y13, and RVO9 (to color sheer ribbon) Other: A Muse stamp positioner! This card was all about masking!
