My blog is called "Creative Smiles" because my designs are the result of incorporating mistakes. With fumble fingers that drop whatever they are holding - repeatedly, it takes a lot of giggles, smiles and creative patience during my crafting process. xx

Friday, May 10, 2013

The Hibiscus Are Blooming!

Update: May 11 -- "At the Beach" blog hop winners are posted at the SNS blog HERE.

Note: My May Blog Candy is at the bottom of the Beach post.




I have a really fun card to share today. 

In fact, I am excited because it was made specifically with the following ten challenges in mind! All Right -- Confession Time -- Usually I create a card for a particular project or for ONE challenge, and then hope to submit it to several other challenges if the theme is suitable. 


(hanging head low in shame...)

With that in mind... 

Thank you, Challenge Hostesses, for fresh inspiration.

It was especially beneficial since I used lots of "old virginal stuff" in my stash (some which was decades old), and also brand new items which had not been used, too.

Oh yes! And even "normal" other stuff which is used all the time (smile).

I found some pretty green Rick Rack in my stash. It must be from the 1950s because it was from JC Penney and was 13¢. The wrapper said it is "color-fast and is suitable for boiling" hahaha. I don't even recall that my mom ever boiled clothing - do you?

Not sure if the Rick Rack was my Mom's or my Great Aunt Agnes'. Did you inherit "stash" from previous generations, too?

After adhering the rick rack, a little SNS Dimensional Glue was dotted helter-skelter above and below the green trim and Green Iris Glitter was applied. It's an icy transparent clear glitter which has tints of green in it.




The wrapper was FINALLY taken off many years' old Cranberry Crisp Grosgrain ribbon to trim the panel on the base.



This card was also the first use for the Spellbinders Adorning Squares and IO lace border dies.



Below are listed five of the challenge photos:



Sparkle N Sprinkle's May Color Challenge:

Each of those colors was utilized!

Have you tried USArtquest's Prills yet? Those are relatively new to my stash, and I used them as the stamen in the hibiscus blooms. Jack liked that particular adorno (that's what he calls embellishments).

At Beccy's Place - the May challenge is an "Anything Goes" as long as you use a Beccy Image. With over 40 fabulous freebies available, that was easy! I chose her gorgeous hibiscus flower branch. It has been printed whole, and then partially four more times to fussy cut flowers for the base of the easel card.

Beccy's hibiscus is available uncolored, and also in two beautifully shaded color motifs. To grab all 3 versions of this freebie click here: Beccy Muir digital image Hibiscus


For All Beautiful Cards 'tic tac toe', 

I played diagonally with:

Designer Paper
Flowers
Glitter




And a "grid" by Crafty Bloggers Network -

In more than one direction:

  • Die Cut, Flowers, Ribbon; 
  • AND Ribbon, Stamps, Gems-Bling; 
  • AND Flowers, Stamps, Stitching


Cupcake Craft Challenges' interesting Sketcharific.

My card is 5.5" square, and is an easel card using their awesome sketch.

There are more fabulous, inspiring challenges I was inspired by grocery listed at the bottom of my blog post.




And now... 
A Fumble Fingers Moment brought to you fondly by...

Moi!


A fumble fingers moment: After dropping both the Antique Linen AND Willow ink pads (at different times, mind you) on the base sentiment, I decided to texturize to cover up the messes. Since this is a common occurrence, I am a pro at fixing these types of boo boos, by smooshing a little VersaMark on the affected area and then embossing with Sparkle embossing powder to cover the blunder. Can you see the booboo? The same EP is used around the edges of both images. 


It's a great way of "distressing" with bling 
(is that contradictory? to distress with bling?)

 Here is the closed card:


Close up using the Mango Prills and "Sparkle" Distressing:



Products Used:

  • Sparkle N Sprinkle "Sparkle" embossing powder
  • Sparkle N Sprinkle Green Iris Glitter G1068
  • Sparkle N Sprinkle Rosy Red Glitter G1036
  • Sparkle N Sprinkle Dimensional Glue
  • Sparkle N Sprinkle 3/4" Double Sided Tear-ific Tape
Beccy Muir digital image Hibiscus

Dies:

  • Spellbinders Adorning Squares S4-389
  • Spellbinders Labels Thirteen
  • Impression Obsession Lace Border DIE018V
  • Memory Box Tender Leaves


Ribbon-Trim-Embellishments:

  • Recollections Ivory trim on clearance 
  • 1950s Green Rick Rack from JC Penneys for 13¢ (LOL from my mom or great aunt), 
  • SU Cranberry Crisp Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon
  • EK Tear Drop Jewel-Gem Brads
  • USArtquest Prills Mango

Additional Adhesives: Aileen's Quick Dry Tacky Glue, Dimensionals, Xyron, USArtquest PPA
Cardstock: KandCompany Classic K Margo, Ivory, White, Cherry Cobbler
For Color Swatch "Seeds" Copics: R35, RV32, RV29 (flowers), E00, YG03, YG06 (leaves)
Ink: Salmon, Willow, Antique Linen Dye Base, VersaMark
Computer-generated sentiments

Fabulous Challenges this card is submitted to:

ABC - #27 Tic Tac Toe (DPs by K&Company, Flowers by Beccy Muir, Glitter by SNS)
Cupcake Craft Challenges - #241 Sketcharific
Sparkle N Sprinkle - May Color Challenge (used all the colors)
Lady Anne's Challenge - May - Easel Card Challenge (5.5" square)
Marker Pop Challenge - #22 May Flowers (all flowers were colored with Copic Markers)
Beccy's Place - May Challenge - Anything Goes (Beccy's Hibiscus flowers)
Created with Love Challenges - #40 Mothers Day (feminine card per Chris at CWLC)
Clear It Out Challenges - Use Two designer papers (3 were used)
Mema's Crafts - May Flowers
Crafty Bloggers Network - #11 Tic Tac Toe In more than one direction:

  • Die Cut, Flowers, Ribbon; 
  • AND Ribbon, Stamps, Gems-Bling; 
  • AND Flowers, Stamps, Stitching


Thanks for stopping by today! Your visits and comments are always appreciated.
Hugs Always,

62 comments:

Brenda said...

Another fabulous project!!! Love your little boo boo fix - makes it more special.... I have some old hem lace from back in the 60s and 70s along with some old seam binding! Found more at an estate sale with 25 cent price tags on it... nice that's it's back in style as decorative ribbon now!!! A little ironing and voila!

Jacquel said...

Wowzers! Your card is truly beautiful & I love all the detail you've added! Thank you so much for playing with us this week @ ABC Challenges & hope to see you again soon!!!

Barbara Bruder said...

What a fabulous card. All of your elements are so complimentary to one another. Thanks bunches for joining us at the Sparkle N Sprinkle Creative Challenges this month.
Barbara - SNSCC coordin.

Shona Erlenborn said...

Two blog posts in one week. You're putting me to shame. This is absolutely stunning Donna. Love the stitched vintage look with the gorgeous hibiscus flowers and prills. I'd have called this prills and frills! You amaze me all the time, I think you must be lying about your fumble fingers - they've been nothing but nimble in this card! Awesome job.

pam said...

wow gorgeous creation Donna, love the vintage look, beautiful image and stitching, fabulous colours and glitter
pam

Chris Hanselman said...

Donna, what a wonderful card. I love it so much. Thanks for taking part in our Mother's Day Challenge at Created with Love Challenges.
Happy Mother's day to you

~~Chris

Abfabdesigns said...

Wow wow wow what a creation you have made ,so much detail ,you are one cleaver Lady .
Stunning Dahling
Big hugs xxxx

Sue said...

WOW!!!! This is stunning Donna. I love the images and sentiments, gorgeous colouring and your attention to detail is amazing. How lovely to use that old rick rack. I have a button tin inherited from my nan but I cannot bring myself to use any of them!!
Good luck with the challenges, it's a winner in my book!

Sue said...

Sorry, pressed enter before I finished!
I hope you have a good weekend
hugs Sue xx

Jean Bullock said...

This is such a beautiful card. I didn't see the boo boo.

Chris Boldovici said...

Fab card. Thanks so much for playing in out Mother's Day Challenge at Created with Love Challenges.

Chris B

Verna Angerhofer said...

Your card you made is gorgeous. And, someone once told me that there were no mistakes, just some new opportunities! I think your opportunity is the perfect remedy for that situation.

Bernardine Cuttino said...

Oh, DE, this is stunning, the details are striking and eye catching. Beautiful design and colors. Simply a remarkable card.
Have a great weekend.
Hugs

Stampsnob. said...

No matter the reason you made this card it is beautiful and I am glad you are sharing it with us........Lis

Lady Bug Stampers said...

Donna this is beyond fab! I love all the detail you put into this card I know it takes time but the result is fantastic and so worth it. thanks so much for playing along with us at Created with love Mothers day challenge.
Linda K. DT

McCrafty's Cards said...

Wow Donna,this is so beautiful I like the flowers the colours the fringing, the sewing and the beautiful sentiments.
Kevin xx

Beebeebabs said...

Beautiful card!!!

Anonymous said...

This is such a gorgeous card, De. I love hibiscus and have a large plant in my flower bed. Covering the boo-boo is excellent and I would not have seen it if you had not mentioned the boo-boo.
Eleanor @ craftsbyej@aol.com

Debi said...

beautiful!

Gail said...

One word springs to mind WOW ,I love eveything about your card .The sparkle and sprinkle stuff is amazing ,I must admit I've never heard of it before.

On another note thanks for your kind comments on my bad day ,It's the first time I've posted something personel,I'm not in the habit of ranting like that.

Danielle Vincent said...

Wow - I am thoroughly impressed! Way to use some of your old stuff in such a beautiful fashion. That tassel trim does look old - I'm amazed at how nicely you incorporated it. thanks so much for joining us this week at ATS&M.

Desire Fourie said...

Absolutely gorgeous. Love the tassles at the bottom.
Hugs Desíre {Doing Life}

Dawn said...

Your card is so stunning!!! Beautiful rich colours, gorgeous die cuts and wonderful embellishments. I love how you've cut out the pretty flowers to frame your sentiment. LOVE the stamens; think I need some of that :) I would never have guessed the glitter was covering up a little blunder - it looks gorgeous.

Hugs, Dawn

brenda said...

This is just beautiful Donna and has such a lovely rich feel to it with the colours and pretty braid.

Hibiscuses struggle in the UK and we have never managed to get a decent one going in our gardens despite trying so many different locations. I think we are just too wet and cold.

B x

K8 said...

WOW, stunning card!! Love everything, it´s perfect! The coloring are so great, thank you for join us at CWLC this week, hugs Kate DT

Wendy L said...

Sucha beautiful card, great detail, perfect for our challenge at Lady Annes this month, xxxx

Carol Hurlock said...

Donna this is truly magical. I love how you cut out the flowers and arranged them at the bottom to coordinate with the beautiful focal point. Distressing the edges and adding sparkle gives this a wonderful vintage feel. I am so captivated by this enchanting card....and look at all those challenges. Just awesome.
Bear Hugs,
Carol

craftin-dawn said...

Very pretty! Lovely image! Thanks for joining us this week at Created With Love Challenges for our Mother's Day Challenge!
DawnD

KarinsArtScrap said...

it's a beautiful flower card Donna.
beautiful coloured too.

greetings karin

Monica said...

Hi Donna,
You are a pro at fixing boo boos - lol and look how WONDERFUL it turned out ultimately. Such a pretty image and yes, I remember JC Penny as a young 14 year old. I had a summer catalogue from them and had just learned how to sew so I used to use the catalogue for inspiration. Such fun...
I love the background of this card and the flowers with their stamens look just so beautiful. The sparkle on your cards brings a sparkle to my eyes. There is something about glitter that makes the heart happy, doesn't it - maybe it reminds us of fairies and pixie dust?
Thanks for sharing this very Asian work of art.
Much love,
Monica

Anne Temple said...

Wow! Love this and love the colors (reds are my favorite anyway). Now I NEED some of that sparkle embossing powder. Love the effect! (I still couldn't detect your boo boo.)

Sue said...

Another dazzler, Donna. What a beautiful creative card! Love the colors and all that glitter. Had to laugh about the rick rack, I have some too still in the package from my Mom's sewing drawers and it is marked 10 cents! Has to be 50 years old! Love how you fussy cut all those beautifully colored flowers too. Stunning!!

Hugs
Sue

Sharon said...

This is a stunning card Donna. I love the beautifully coloured flowers and the sentiment is lovely. Fab design also.
Hugs Sharon. x

Cammy404 said...

Donna,
Wow!!!! Your coloring is fabulous!! I loved the image but mostly what you did to it. Beautifully done and pure perfection! Another beautiful artwork by Ms. D :)
I had to go and snag the freebie after I saw your card! :) Thank you!!
Cammy

Liza said...

Gorgeous work Donna, I love the sentiment and the blingy finish. Thanks for your kind words on the Cupcake blog re my creation this week and thanks for joining in with our challenge.

Liza x

Wendy H said...

Gorgeous card Donna. Love the easel design. Great image and colours. Good luck with the challenges. Xx

Wendy H said...

Gorgeous card Donna. Love the easel design. Great image and colours. Good luck with the challenges. Xx

April said...

Such a beautiful card, Donna. You did a great job as usual!

Louise said...

Lovely take on the sketch,such a pretty card,thank you for joining us at Cupcake this week.
Louise xx

karin said...

What a wonderful Card you made ! Love it.
gr.
Karin

Paper Creations by Shirley said...

Wow Donna I don't know what's more gorgeous, the card or your photos ! Well I guess the gorgeous card helps make beautiful pictures, but your photography is excellent. LOVE this creation, so beautiful & feminine with glorious layers, sparkle & colours. The hibiscus image is also beautiful. Great work! Hugs, Shirleyx

julie_woolston said...

Beaitiful card, lovely detail.
Thank you for joining us at Lady Anne's Challege.

Hugs Julie xxx

Lindsay Craftymonster81 said...

Beautiful, I love the rich colours and the layout and that tassel trim is fabulous
Lindsay xx

Leslie Miller said...

Wowee! Gorgeous! I love the softly shaded and sparkled edges. I've never heard of Prills, but I sure do like the way they look on your Hibiscus stamens. Every detail of your design is just fabulous! I inherited my Mom's button collection and some Mrs. Wright's lace hem tape. The hem tape makes wonderful lacy ribbon.

Beccy said...

Wow, what a great card Donna and not a single boo-boo in sight that I could see! I loved your story about the 1950s ric rak... I have some old stuff in my stash but that certainly predates anything I have! Great job.
Cheers,
Beccy

Candy's Creations Blog said...

Beautifully done! I thought I was the only one who inherited craft stuff from past generation and covered up mistakes with gliter, distressing, flowers, etc. Really enjoyed this post! lol

Mema's Crafts said...

Wow what a gorgeous card with all the embellishments and detail that compliment each other. We at Mema's Crafts appreciate you taking time to stop by and play with us. Come back real soon.

Eret said...

WOW! Donna, your card is truly amazing. Your distressing with bling looks stunning. You're really good fixing the boo boos. I didn't notice any on your card. Your card is absolutely perfect. Love the ribbons and all your beautifully colored cut out flowers. So gorgeous easel card.
You asked do I use PC or Mac. I have PC. All my sentiments are made in PhotoShop. But it can be easily done in Word too.
Enjoy your week.
Hugs
Eret

Unknown said...

Wonderful card De using a Beccy's image, coloured to perfection. Thanks for joining in the challenge at Beccy's Place and good luck...
luv aNNie DT member for Beccy's place

Patty Gorka said...

This is just amazing, Donna! You always do such lovely work :)

When you have time stop by our challenge blog, I have your card featured in our winner's post today!

http://abcchallenges.blogspot.com

Maria Matter said...

absolutely stunning...boo boo and all!

Planetsusie said...

Well Donna - I peered very closely and couldn't see a boo boo! lol. This really is a beautiful creations and I love the background to your card as much as the image! Just gorgeous.

Thank you so much for joining us at Lady Anne's Challenges this time, I hope you join us again in the future.

Hugs to you Sue Pxxx

DT member Lady Anne's Challenges
Lady Anne's Stamp anything Goes Challenge.

NanaConnie said...

Absolutely magnificent, Donna! Fabulous use of the colors. Love your story about the green rick rack. I have things like that hiding in my stash, and yes, I did inherit many craft/sewing related things from both my mom and my great aunt, not the least of which are rick rack and hem tapes. Old patterns, too, priced at 25 cents! I love your coloring on the hibiscus images. Don't you just love Beccy's artistry? She's fantastic.

Amy Martin said...

Wow... I am almost at a loss for words because this is so very Beautiful. You really did very well on matching it up with the different challenges. I am paying very close attention to you. And learning so much from you. The Hibiscus are so pretty and your details amaze me everyday. HUGS>

Emily Thubbron said...

Donna, this is a spectacular card. So very pretty. Thanks for joining us at Beccy's Place this month.

Emily, DT
Beccy's Place

Shelby said...

What a lovely easel card! Your coloring of those gorgeous flowers is wonderful and just love the die cut you've used.

Shelby

Nikki Craft said...

Wow! what a wonderful post..... I really enjoy reading your posts...I'm just sorry I don't visit a little more often.... More hours in the day are need:) Your card is stunning by the way :)
Nikki x

Shea said...

Another stunning creation, and no, I don't see any booboos. I just see perfection and gorgeous eye candy. I love the concept of distressing with bling and won't wait until I drop an ink pad to try it. You are always so creative and I ALWAYS gain so much inspiration from you and your creations. Plus I love how you write!! Hugs!

dmbennett said...

Beautiful Donna. Love all the sparkle and detail you added. Thanks for playing with us at Sparkle n Sprinkle challenges.

Dawn

Lady Anne Milnes-Howard said...

Such a stunning card, I love everything about it, the colour, the beautiful Hibiscus flower which you have coloured so beautifully. The tasselled cord at the bottom. Thank You for sharing with us at Lady Anne's Challenges. I hope we see you again soon.
Love ~ Lady Anne xx

Lady Anne's Blog

Lady Anne's Challenge
Lady Anne's Stamp Challenge
Lady Anne's: NanaVic's Challenge

Candy's Creations Blog said...

Congrats on being the winner at MarkerPop!

Karin said...

Wow, what a stunning card! Your coloring is just amazing and I simply love that trim! I doubt those flowers look as good in real life as they do on your card :) Sorry it's taken me this long to see it, but thanks for playing along with the Sparkle N Sprinkle challenge this month!