Sketch Challenge - Unity Style!

Welcome to my World Record Breaking Blog Hop post! Start your inspirational Blog Hop HERE!

It is also Lauren's Saturday sketch challenge rewind where we take any previous sketch and use that to make a card on the last Saturday of the month. This card uses the sketch from March 7.

Here is my card, using my BRAND NEW fabulous 1,2,3,4 Thousand Calorie Cupcakes stamp, and Marvelous from Unity of course.



The cupcakes have Liquid Applique for the frosting and crystal effects for the cherry. The cup is coloured with a silver marker to give the illusion of a metallic wrapper.



Before you go on to the next blog, the fabulous www.mamaolie.blogspot.com, be sure to check out my birthday blog candy in the post below.

And now, my favourite quote:

Well behaved women seldom make history.
- Laurel Thatcher Ulrich

Hop on over to Mamaolie now!!

Belated Birthday Blog Candy

Yesterday (March 25th) was my 30th birthday. I am really excited to be 30, and I want to share that excitement with all of you, so I am offering BLOG CANDY!!!

This candy will be available for one week from my actually birthday (closing on April 1). I will ship anywhere, so please join in the fun!

Here is what you can win:



A package of 6*6 Everyday Blessings paper from PTI, some unmounted singles from Unity, and some assorted Primas. (sorry about the picture, there's no natural light here yet. I may retake this photo later in the day)

If you want to win, please tell me your favourite thing about spring. Here in Saskatchewan, we had 4 months of terrible weather, and we thought it was finally warming up, but we got another few inches of snow last night, so I can't wait for spring!

For every 25 comments I receive I will add to the stash.

The rules:
Only one comment per person, and your comment MUST relate to spring.
If you link to this blog candy on your blog, post another comment with the link and you will get another entry. (I will verify all links to make sure they link back to this post)
Contest closes at midnight on April 1, and the winner will be announced April 2.

I am in Toronto at meetings that weekend, so the package will be mailed out to the winner on April 6.

Any questions, please send me an email.

Good Luck!

Birthday Blog Hop

The challenege issued this month for the blog hop was:

March Blog Hop

Background building sets have rapidly become one of Papertrey's signature traits. For this month's Blog Hop, we want to see all of your very best backgrounds. They can be multi-colored or monochromatic. Simple or elegantly detailed. They can be created with a set originated for that purpose or a reinvention of images that were not. Be sure to include a separate photo of your completed background BEFORE you add it to your project so we can see it in all its glory!

I didn't have as much time as I would have liked to make a card, but I *did* get something done.

Here is my paper.



I stamped the Thank You in versamark, and clear embossed it. Then the flowers were stamped in Guava, sky blue, and eggplant. The background is sponged with barely banana, then I took a paper towel and "buffed" the entire image to make the words pop off the page. It didn't work as I had imagined it, but it turned out okay.

Here is the card I made.



Here is a close up of the words.



I want to add something more to it, but I don't know what. Perhaps a focal image, or some more embellishments. I will re-visit this card tomorrow and see what I can do. I really like the background as the focus, but it is still missing something.

Also, be sure to stop by tomorrow for BLOG CANDY to celebrate my birthday. Today is actually my 30th birthday, and I want to share the love with everyone. Come back for your chance to win some stamps, paper and embellishments.

Sketch for Ethan

Today's sketch is a very special one. Lauren & Mackenzie suggested that all of the sketch team make a card to send to Ethan. Ethan is Alicia's son and his cancer has relapsed. She is a absolutely wonderful person, and another member of our Saturday sketch team. Mackenzie and Lauren thought it would be nice to make something to let Ethan and Alicia know we are all thinking of them, and I totally agree.

Here is the sketch from Lauren.



And here is my card.



I don't have very many "boy" stamps, but I think this astronaut from the now retired All Mixed Up fits the bill. This is actually the first time I have used this set.

The stars are punched from the small star punch from Stampin' Up!, and then embossed with three layers of glassy glaze.



The helmet has crystal effects on it to make it look more like glass.



I hope Ethan likes this card I have put in the mail to him. If you want to send a card, please let me know and I will give you his address.

Don't forget to check out the rest of the sketch team.

Lauren Meader
Maria Levine
Dawn Easton
Kirsten Dubosque
Kristy Vernon
Kim Gasper
MacKenzie Bruckler
Kendra Wisenbaker

Blog Candy round up

Some of these blog candy opportunities end today, but some are open until the end of the month. One even has an opportunity to win a SLICE!!

Go visit these amazing blogs for inspiration, and a chance to win!

http://lifeonelayoutatatime.blogspot.com/2009/03/how-about-some-new-big-giveaways.html

http://stampingeek.blogspot.com/2009/03/blog-candy-time-its-my-birthday.html

http://countryheartandhome.blogspot.com/

http://heidishappystamping.blogspot.com/2009/03/birthday-blog-candy.html

http://karinhoeve.blogspot.com/

http://jeannettespages.blogspot.com/

Cool Caribbean comes out to play

I {heart} Cool Caribbean cardstock from Stampin Up, and I was really sad when it retired. I have a couple of packs, but I am always scared to use it because I don't want it to be gone forever. Today, for Lauren's sketch challenge, I decided to pull some out of retirement.



This is the great sketch we had to work with. I have lots of ideas for this sketch, but I only had time to pull off one card.




Remember that the sketch is just a starting point for inspiration, and you don't have to follow it exactly.

This image was coloured using my SU markers, and Julie Buhler's technique on watercolour paper.

Please grab your stamps, and join in!

Here is what the rest of the sketch team made this week:

Lauren Meader
Maria Levine
Dawn Easton
Kirsten Dubosque
Kristy Vernon
Kim Gasper
MacKenzie Bruckler
Alicia Weimen
Kendra Wisenbaker