Congratulations Smarty!

Hi everyone.  Today I have a card to share with you.  I am happy with the way it turned out and had a lot of fun coloring it.  I love to color and continue to practice to improve my shading.  I love to challenge myself.  Whenever I feel unhappy about something I have created, there is a song that pops into my head from Sesame Street.  Do any of you remember this one?  "Practice, practice, do it again.  Over and over till you get it!"  Those are the only words I remember but I remember them often and it reminds me not to give up.  So here is my card.

These stamps are from the April Kit of the Month by Unity Stamp Company.  I never have a concrete plan when I start stamping.  When I saw the candy stamp, it brought back childhood memories of the "Smarties" candy that is still so popular today.  I thought it would be fun to color.  So I stamped the first image and decided I wanted a pile of candy, so I used the masking technique which you can find here.  I love using this technique because it gives so much dimension to the images and it challenges me to practice even more.  If you haven't ever tried masking, you should give it a try.  You might like it.  Challenge yourself to try something new and step out of your comfort zone.  You may be pleasantly surprised.

I am entering this card into the the Unity Kit of the Month sketch challenge.  You may use any KOM with the sketch they provide for the challenge.  I am also entering it into the Unity Color Challenge, pink, green and off white.  I hope my shade of green qualifies.  I know it's a stretch, but I could blame it on the computer, right?

I think this would be so fun to use as a congratulatory card for someone's graduation, or good report card and of course candy is always cause for celebrations.  I hope I have inspired you to try something new.  Have a great day!  As always, I appreciate your visits.  Thank you for stopping by!

Hugs and smiles,

Janice

CottageCutz Spring Release Blog Hop

Hello friends.  So happy to have you hopping with us!  If you have arrived here from the very talented Cindy Haffner's blog, you are in the right place.  If not you will want to start at the beginning of the hop, The Scrapping Cottage blog, so you don't miss out on any of the fun and inspiration.

For my card today I used the CottageCutz Flower Shop die.  I tend to make cards with scenes.  I chose to cut the images from patterned paper.  I used Bo Bunny Sweet Tooth collection, 6x6 paper pad.  Your paper choices really make a difference in the final design of you card.

I used some Tea Dye distress ink by Tim Holtz.  I added some shading to the door and window with copic markers.  The clouds were hand cut and the edges highlighted with Copic G00.  There will be some prizes, chosen at random for 3 lucky winners.  Leave a comment on each blog to increase your chances of winning.

This is just a sample of the gift certificate you might win.

The next stop along the way is the very talented designer, Carol.  If you get lost along the way here is the complete line up.  Have fun and good luck!

The Scrapping Cottage Blog-http://scrappingcottage.blogspot.com/
Lorie-http://thethinkinspot.blogspot.com/
Cindy-http://cindyhaffnerscorner.blogspot.com/
Janice-http://stampingwithjanice.blogspot.com/
Carol-http://chocolatecraftsandbearsohmy.blogspot.com/
Kelly-http://sandcastlestamper.blogspot.com/
Cheryl-http://sweeetdesignsbycheryl.blogspot.com/
The Scrapping Cottage end! http://scrappingcottage.blogspot.com/

Happy Hopping!
Hugs and smiles,
Janice

Cherry Sweet

Here is a card I made with my April 2012 Kit of the Month Unity Stamps.  If you are a regular visitor here, you know how I LOVE cherries!  I used the cluster of cherries to create my background along with the sentiment, you make life Sweet.  I also used the sentiment, sweeter than ever.  The larger cherry image is from the set Mix Up of Cuteness.

  Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful weekend!

Hugs and smiles,
Janice

All White Elegance

Good morning all!  This is my first time posting since Blogger has changed everything up.  I hope it all goes smoothly.  I was happy with the old way.  Guess I don't like change much.

Here is a card I made with the Filigree Butterfly Trio die.  I apologize for the poor quality photo.  The card has been mailed, so I couldn't retake the photo.  It looks much better in hand.  I also used the CottageCutz Picket Fence Border.  I love this fence die!  I weaved the sheer organza ribbon through the fence and tied a bow.  I used a floral embossing folder for the background.  I hope you all have a beautiful day!

Hugs and smiles,
Janice

Shabby Chic Tuesday

Hello friends!  I have a few cards to show you today featuring Shabby Chic Stamps.

I used Mother and Child stamp on both cards.  The card on the right is the original stamp.  The card on the left was masked and stamped with Peachy Keen faces.

For this card I used a background stamp, Meshed Up, stamped with Memento Rose Bud ink.  The flowers are from the Shabby Chic stamp set.  The butterfly is from the Easter Blessings stamp set.  You may check out the Shabby Chic blog here.  Thanks so much for stopping by.

Hugs and smiles,
Janice

Peachy Challenge 13 Anything Goes

Hi all!  Here is the card I made for the PK challenge 13, Anything Goes.  I used PKSC-04.  I chose to use a more vintage style color palette.  So many possibilities with this set.  In fact all of the Stamp Club kits are packed with a ton of stamps!  Love them!  Here is my card.  The papers are by Memory Box.

Thanks for stopping by!

Hugs and smiles,
Janice

Not Just an Easter Bunny

Hello friends! Today's card features the CottageCutz Easter Basket Bunny. I love this little bunny so I chose to use it as an all occasion card. It doesn't have to be used for Easter. I replaced the Easter basket with a crocheted flower from Stampin Up.

I cut the bunny with white cardstock and colored with Copics. I also used the Butterfly Mini, Scallop Three Edger, and the Scalloped Doily. I hope you all have a wonderful day!!

Hugs and smiles,
Janice

A Drawing by my Niece

My niece was here visiting colleges and stayed with us while she was here.  She lives in CA so it was a little cold for her here in MA.  She is so sweet and we really enjoyed having her here.  Here is a picture of Kati.

She drew this beautiful picture to thank us for having her stay with us.  Not only is she beautiful, but she is also an artist!  I love the picture she drew for us.  The flowers are so PRETTY!  Thank you Kati!  We love you and you are welcome to stay with us anytime.

Thanks for stopping by.
Hugs and smiles,
Janice

Peachy Keen Stamps April Release Party

Hi friends!
Here are 2 cards that I made for the PKS April release party.  You can read all about the challenges at the Peachy Keen Connection.  There are still a few hours left to play along for a chance to win some awesome prizes!

This is for the APRIL#1 challenge to use the color peach!

This is for the APRIL#2 sketch challenge.

Thanks for stopping by!
Hugs and smiles,
Janice

Easter Blessings

Hello friends!  What a beautiful sunny day we are having in Massachusetts!  Hope you are having a beautiful Spring day!  Today's card features this adorable Bunnies die and Filigree Egg die.  The bunny was cut from white cardstock and colored with Copics.  I cut some ovals for the smaller eggs and wrapped them with twine then added a few bows to finish the card.

Happy Easter tomorrow!  Happy Spring!

Hugs and smiles,
Janice