Double Dog Dare Challenge March 2013 - Spring!

It's March and Spring is in the Air when a young man's fancy turns to fishing and a young girl's fancy turns to a new wardrobe!!! Ok, maybe not but there are so many things out that there to symbolize Spring Has Sprung ....

We have a talented group of crafters participating today to show their interpretation of SPRING . . . .

1. Lynne ~ http://slasewcraftiness.blogspot.com/
2. Anita ~ http://www.anitaandbugs.blogspot.com
3. Miriam ~ http://miriamscreations.blogspot.com
4. Janet ~ http://ladyluvbug.blogspot.com/
5. Vicky ~ http://crafting-vicky.blogspot.ca/
6. Edwina ~ http://edwinascreations.blogspot.com/

We have a fabulous sponsor:

Miriam's Crafting Supplies, https://www.facebook.com/MiriamsCraftingSupplies?fref=ts. She has super pearls, bling, and great additions for your crafting projects. She will be giving away 10 set of pearls, rhinestones and/or dew drops of your choice to someone who leaves some bloggie love for all the ladies along the way!

When I think of spring, I think of flowers, so for my project I made a garden. It's nice to have a bit of spring while it continues to snow...

 The background is made on a 8 by 10 canvas with a decorative napkin and tissue paper for the sky. The clouds are made from bunched up ivory tulle (available at Miriam's Crafting Supplies).

 The base is a cigar box which I took the top off of and then covered the sides in paper, filled the inside with floral foam and covered the top in fabric. I then cut out two sections of picket fence found on Bird's Cards. I wrapped twine around the them for vines and added some bronze tone leaf charms (available at Miriam's Crafting Supplies [MCS]) and silver leaf charms as well as a few yellow mulberry paper flowers I ordered from my friend Adele Garcia.

 Along the inside of the fence are flowers made with various methods on stick pins and ground cover flowers that are buttons and sunflower pearls (both available at MCS). The light purple flower with the butterfly charm (available at MCS) on the top left is made from ivory tulle and stamped with Colorbox ink. There are also flowers made with ric rac, lace and burlap (all available at MCS). 

Some are made directly on the pins, others were made separately and attached to the pins afterward. The stick pins are also available at MCS.

 Here is a top view of just the garden, you can see the fabric that is the pattern of a brick path well here. Some closeups of the sections of flowers - - -

Your next stop along the way is the fabulous Janet who will be bring more spring fling your way!!!!!!

I am entering this project into the following challenges:

Party Time Tuesdays #112 - Color Inspiration Challenge 
Cuttin and Stampin #11 - Color Challenge

Spring Card for Red Carpet Studios Challenge

Red Carpet Studios has a weekly challenge, this week it's "Leprechaun" which entails making a card with at least two shades of green. Here is my card:

It is made on a green A2 flat, aka a single layer card, with green ric rac, green ribbon, green pearls, and a handmade flower made with green ribbon. In the center of the green flower and green ribbon are buttons available at my supply shop. Normally the pearls would be available, but I'm currently sold out of most of my greens. I also made a birds nest with copper wire and beads. The tutorial for making it can be found on the The Frugal Crafter's blog. The sentiment was written and printed but me and pop dotted with foam dots that I sell. Thanks for stopping by!

Beautiful Burlap Blog Hop

     Welcome to the Burlap Hop, if you have come here from Robin's blog you're on the right track, if not head to Jessi's blog and start at the beginning. She is offering an amazing giveaway, the details will be on her blog, but here is a list of what you could win!

1 yard of red 2" burlap ribbon
1 yard of white 2" burlap ribbon
1 yard of mint green 1"
1 yard of 1.5" jute ribbon in natural
1 yard of your choice of colored 3/8" jute ribbon (see her etsy store)
And pick 2 colors of jute twine (see her etsy)

This was my first time working with burlap. Jessi Buehrle was nice enough to send me some. It is such a fun texture to work with. I wish I could have thought of something more creative to do with it, but I ended up making flowers. After making them I couldn't decide what to do with them, so I put magnets on the back (available in my supply shop).  The buttons in the center are also from my shop. I made two flowers by my tried and true method of making long narrow strips, layering ever smaller strips of different material, sewing loosely in and out of the bottom, then gathering. I also attempted to make a rolled flower. I have never had great success making them look the way I'd like them to... Ah well...

The line up for our hop today is:
Jessi -http://www.mylifeinartsncrafts.com

Jearise - http://lorbysworld.blogspot.com
Robin S. - http://scrapandchat.blogspot.com/
Miriam ~ http://miriamscreations.blogspot.com
Cicily - http://www.pinkdalmationscrapper.blogspot.com
Lluvia- http://sweetbirdmemories.blogspot.com
Robin - http://cutonedesignsbyrobin.blogspot.com/
Lori - http://www.scrappinmystressaway.blogspot.com/
Zoe- http://www.craftyx.blogspot.com/

So, head on over to Cicily's blog to check out another great project! Thanks for stopping by.

March Calendar Girls 2013

Welcome to our March Calendar Girls' Blog Hop. Its absolutely amazing when you do a google search the interesting facts you may find. Such a find is special and unique occasions throughout the year!!! These unique holidays are our inspiration. As Neil Sedaka sang in his song "Calendar Girls" - "March, gonna march you down the aisle".

The hop starts with the beautiful and very talented Janet at http://ladyluvbug.blogspot.com/. The entire line-up is available just in case you get bogged down with all the holidaze and craziness!!!!

You won't want to miss a single calendar event!!!!

The line-up for February includes:
Janet ~ http://ladyluvbug.blogspot.com/
Lisa ~ http://handmadewithlove-lisa.blogspot.com/
Miriam - http://miriamscreations.blogspot.com
Jearise - http://lorbysworld.blogspot.com
Amanda ~ http://thescrapoholiccandyshop.blogspot.com/
Edwina- http://edwinascreations.blogspot.com/
Lynne - http://slasewcraftiness.blogspot.com/
Kimberly ~ http://scrappingrookie.blogspot.com
Anita ~ http://www.anitaandbugs.blogspot.com
Vicky ~ http://crafting-vicky.blogspot.ca/
Vicky (my 2nd card) ~ http://sansdesign.blogspot.ca/

March Occasions We Wish to Share:

• National Woman's History Month -  Janet
• Irish American Month - Lisa
• National Craft Month - Miriam

1 National Pig Day - Jearise
1 Peanut Butter Lovers Day - Amanda
3 National Anthem Day - Edwina
3 Peach Blossom Day -Anita
4 Hug a GI Day  - Janet
5 Lily's 2nd Birthday - Lynne
11 Johnny Appleseed Day - Michele
12 Girl Scouts Day - Lynne
12 Plant a Flower Day - Kimberly
13 Ear Muff Day -
14 Learn About Butterflies Day ~ Amanda
14 Popcorn Lovers Day - Lisa
15 Incredible Kid Day - Lisa
16 National Quilting Day - Lisa
17 St. Patrick's Day - Kimberly
18 Goddess of Fertility Day - Miriam
20 International Earth Day -
22 National Goof Off Day - Vicky
23 National Chip and Dip Day -
25 Waffle Day -
26 Make Up Your Own Holiday Day - Lisa
28 Something on a Stick Day - Jearise
30 National Take a Walk in the Park Day -
31 Easter - Jearise, Amanda, Kimberly, Lisa, Vicky

Lynne will be going through her stash and sending one lucky winner a surprise package to someone that remarks and gives bloggie love on each of the participants.


For my first holiday I had National Craft Month, so I decided to make a card to honor all my crafty friends. I wish I could send one to all of you, but I can't... so here it is for all to see:

I decided to put a little of everything on the card: yarn and some knitted twine (on nails), some lace, a few beads (given to me by my friend Jenny Alessi), both on a string and on a pin. Also on the pin is a charm from my craft shop (it's a key). There are some buttons, a svg of a pinwheel from SVGCuts.com (one layer of the many layered freebie). In the middle of the pinwheel is a flat backed pearl from my shop. Also some paper flowers, lace and buttons. The sentiment I made using a font that I found here and the heart is from here.

The other holiday I chose to make a project for is Goddess of Fertility Day. I made an altered canvas.

The image of the Goddess's I found here, then I printed them on a thin card stock. The Klimt reproduction and the sunflowers are both napkins. They are adhered to the canvas with Mod Podge. 

 I decorated the ladies with various items including some dew drops, rhinestones, and red sunflower pearls from my supply shop as well as items that I had in my stash. You can also see a tree charm that came from my shop, as well as a jute cord that I used the put around the edge of the picture. The tree is another symbol that come up when you search for fertility.

 Here is a close up of the left side where you can see the "vine" I made with thin green ribbon and put flowers on. You can also see the bird charm that, along with the bee on the sunflower napkin, makes the birds and the bee(s).

This flower I received in a swap from Eve Jansen-Brand (blog here). I added the button in the corner.

Your next stop along the way of the calendar is Lorby's World. Thanks for stopping by and mark your calendar again next month to see what Holidays to Celebrate on April 13, 2013, for the next Calendar Girls Blog Hop!

Red Carpet Studios "The Wedding Singer" Challenge

Have you checked out the Red Carpet Studio blog yet? If not, get over there and do it! Lot of great inspiration and fun. This week's challenge was to make a wedding or anniversary card. I decided to make an anniversary card. Now I'll be ready for my anniversary in November, as long as I don't lose it before then.

The red and yellow balloon is a file from the Summer in Paris Cricut cartridge that a friend of mine made for me. The other balloon, the large watch and the flower are all premade embellishments from a pack I got as a RAK. The watch charm in the top left, hanging from the twine is from my supply shop. 

The sentiment that I put on the inside of the card I put together just for this card. I used the Metro Retro NF font found here. I will be putting this sentiment up at my supply shop later this week, like my page to download that, and others (for free)!