VivLyn Designs

Bee-utiful!

Isn't this little guy a cutie?  It is a free digital stamp image from Dustin Pike.  I downloaded it and printed it on SU's Whisper White...won't do that again.  WW doesn't do well with Copic markers, in my opinion, and they are my color of choice.  It's not bad except for the black stripes and I don't like how they turned out.  I will print this image again on a different cardstock and see how it colors then.  The printer ink never bled, so that was good.  I printed out three of this bee and three of another freebie of a bear on the moon.  I took one of the other images and cut out the umbrella, colored it and popped it up on dimensionals.  I added Crystal Effects on the boots, rain drops  and water puddle and then added extra fine glitter on his little wings.  The sentiment is from Amuse.  My background paper is from Memory Box Glitterati papers.  The ribbon is from Sharon Johnson.  At the top of her blog is a tab for Stamp Simply Ribbon Store.  She has all kinds of beautiful ribbon!  Check her out!

Cluck, Cluck

This is a free image from The Graphics Fairy, but for the life of me, I couldn't find it to highlight it for you.  There were three different images with chickens.  On the right side of the image in back is also from The Graphics Fairy and it is a vintage yearly egg log sheet.  I copied both, printed and cut them out.  I mounted on the image on a black Nesties scalloped rectangle.  The paper I used for the background came out of a booklet with Valentine papers and I stamped SU's Chicken Wire background stamp (retired) on top.  The sentiment was printed out on my computer and that, the background and the egg log sheet were all distressed with Rangers Distress Ink in Vintage Photo.  I also used a match and burnt the corner on the egg log sheet on the upper right side.  I did it over the kitchen sink in case I needed to drop it fast.   I used a length of SU's old Cranberry Crisp ribbon and added three buttons.  I cased the card from a lady who used the same image and posted it on The Graphics Fairy's blog, etc but couldn't find it to link it or give her the proper credit.  It's fun finding free images that many of the sweet people in blogland are willing to share and there are several out there. 

Feeling not so hot again today.  I was able to get an appointment with my doctor but until next Monday.  Hopefully we will find out what this is and get me back to feeling well.  I'm missing out on some beautiful Spring weather but feeling yucky!

Vacation Time....

not for me but for this cute couple!  This is one of the many cute images from the Crafty Secrets Heartwarming Vintage Creative Scraps Travel sheet.  I mounted it on brushed copper cardstock from SU and then on dimensionals.  The background paper is from the Crafty Secrets Heartwarming Vintage Radiant Paper Pad.  I tused the street guide part of an old map and cut the flowers out with my Big Shot and distressed it a little with Rangers Distress Ink in Vintage Photo.  The vintage maps were downloaded, reduced in size and printed out.  After I cut them out, I distressed the edges with Vintage Photo Distress Ink.  I received the fabric brad with the word GO on it from a friend, so dabbed it also with the Vintage Photo Distress Ink. 

Click on this image to see the flower and maps up closer.  They're so cute!

The weather has been so nice the past couple of days but quite rainy.  I can hear it raining out now.  I love the sound of rain.  Have a great week, my friends.

A sweet friend that I *met* through this wonderful blogland, sent me a sweet package full of vintage things and it included this dress form stamp by Stampabilities.  It is so cute, I had to use it right away.  I stamped the image and the backgound behind the image with my VersaFine Vintage Sepia.  The background and sentiment are both from an Inque Boutique set called Victorian Dressmaker.  The sentiment says "Dressmakers Corner".  The flower is made with multiple punched flowers out of an old dress pattern and I used an old button with the shank cut off for the flower center.  I cut the sentiment out with a Nesties tag die and added a sewn button at each end.  The image and the card is backed with SU's brushed copper cardstock.  Thank you so much, Joyce, for the package and this stamp, I love it!!

   

You can click on these images to see them up close better.

 

I hope everyone had a Happy Earth Day!!

CSSC65 Card Challenge and ON TIME

I can't believe I finally hit the challenge on the day it was posted!!  The CSSC65 challenge is using PBJ - pleats, buckle and jewels.  The image is, of course, from the Crafty Secrets Heartwarming Vintage Creative Scraps Girlfriend sheet.  I love the images on all the sheets, so I'm sure you'll be seeing a lot of them!  The background paper is from the CSHV Pastel Paper Pad.  I used an old recipe and pinked around the edges to mouted the image on.  This was my first attempt to make pleated ribbon.  It's all right but certainly not what I had pictured it would look like.  The ribbon I chose is because of the dotted cake, so it worked out!  The buckle is an old Stampin' Up! Hodgepodge Hardware in pewter.  The lady has a pin on her dress and I just covered up the pin with a bigger one!  Boy, her drink certainly looks good or maybe it's the glass I like!!

Another rainy day here and I read another book yesterday.  This is great weather for reading but decided to get some other things done today.  I'm feeling better now, so need to make up for things that were put on hold.

Red Hot!

I love the look of this card.  The image is so sexy in the red and black, so decided to carry it through the card design.  This is another of the images from the Crafty Secrets Creative Scraps Girlfriend sheet.  I raised the image on dimensionals on a black Nesties scalloped rectangle and then added a Pure Poppy scalloped rectangle under that.  All of the paper I used is by PaperTrey Ink...even the black and white background.  The ribbon is also PTI Pure Poppy satin.  I offset the background on a piece of Pure Poppy.  I added a wine glass charm on the ribbon since she looks like she's having such a good time!

Click on this image for a look at the sentiment!  It's great!!!  What a great birthday card this would make for a girl friend!  I have just the person in mind!!!

Kind of droopy all day today and haven't feel very well the past couple of days.  I decided to lay on the couch and read a book.  Another of my Kathy Reich's novels...once I start I can't put it down until it's done. 

Crafty Secrets CSSC64 Challenge

I did much better (meaning I wasn't a week late) this week on the challenge over at Splitcoast Stampers Crafty Secrets Forum posted here.  This one didn't make me think as hard as the last one...as if adding bling is hard ;)  I used one of the images from the new images from Crafty Secrets Heartwarming Vintage Creative Scraps Girlfriend.  Check out all the cute images and witty sayings.  Of course, you can always add your own by just trimming the image down.  I liked this one the way it was!  The background paper is from Basic Grey's Two Scoops pad.  The challenge was to use two different ribbons which I did.  The pink is a wider grossgrain and the brown a little narrower...both are from my ribbon drawer that has tons of odds and ends of ribbons.  It's nice to use some up, so I can buy more!!  I had the flower punched and misted with Glimmer Mist Vintage Pink for my challenge yesterday and that was one of the things I took off but I thought it went great on my card.  I added a Jenni Bowlin Self-Adhesive Vintage Button for the center and that did the trick!  I bought them in every color and so glad I did now.

A beautiful day here and I can hear lawnmowers.  We live in a condo complex so there are numerous mowers going at the same time.  I love the smell of freshly cut grass!!  Awww, Spring!!  I hope everyone is enjoying Spring where they live.

Crafty Secrets Card Challenge CSSC56

I am really late on this challenge, but must have torn this apart five or six times until I liked it.  The CSSC56 Crafty Secrets Challenge was for Vintage Bling!!  I used an image from the Crafty Secrets Heartwarming Vintage Birds & Botanicals Images & Journal Notes.  I love this little poem and the baby birds are so sweet!  I started out with a Crafty Secrets Sweet Chips Square Album page and covered it with Basic Grey paper.  I then misted it in Glimmer Mist in different areas in Frost, Garden Fairy, Vintage Pink and Pearl.  The image is mounted on a piece of chocolate cardstock and punch with Fiskars threading water punch.  I wove some salmon color grossgrain through the holes and added a crystal at the bottom, put a crown brad in the upper left corner and then outlined the image in double sticky tape covered with Martha Stewart's Antique Silver glitter.  After it was finished, I mounted it on dimensionals.  Then it was on to other embellishmenta and that's where I was having trouble.  I liked the Prima flower but it was too big so I took off the bottom layer of petals and sprayed it with Glimmer Mist, too.  I had a large clip-on earring on the bottom left but hubby didn't like it, so ended up with the buttons and had to fit my feather in there somewhere.  You can't have birds without feathers, right?

Click on this image to see a closeup of the poem.  It is so sweet!

I think Spring is very close.  I noticed some trees budded and a few daffodils.  Yippee!!!

 

Polka Dot Bunny

I made these cards last year but never mailed them to anyone.  I'm so bad!!!  After I took pictures this year, I mailed this one to my cousin.  The bunny is by Lockhart Stamps and I don't remember who makes the sentiment stamp.  I love the little polka dots on him!!  If you click on the image, you will see it better.  The flowers are from Michael's and are in the wedding section in a little plastic paint pail.  The whole pail is white flowers and I colored these with my Copic markers and added some Liquid Pearl in the center. 

This card is made using an image I received from Splitcoast Stampers Wish RAK group.  I colored it with my Copics and then used White Fun Flock on the bunny!  I added some small aqua ric rack and a silver Easter egg charm.  I think the background paper is from Imaginisce, but can't really remember.

I did my grocery shopping today and went to Michael's because I had a 50% off coupon that I HAD to use.  I can't waste a coupon like that.  Truthfully I don't remember what I purchased since I really didn't need anything.  HA!!

A Change of Pace

I used to be a Stampin' Up! demo but left  when I discovered so many other companys out there that I *needed* to buy from.  I was my one and only SU! customer, so I did what was most logical for me, I left the company.  I still like SU products and really liked this one in their latest catalog called Branch Out.  The set comes with the bare tree and these splotches that looked like flowers to me, snowflakes, a tire swing, a bird, a bird house and gardening boots.  I stamped the tree in VersaFine Vintage Sepia on PaperTrey Select White.  The blossoms on the tree are used with SU's markers colored on the stamp in different shades of pink.  I stamped the bird in blue.  The sentiment is from Crafty Secrets Clear Art Stamps Card Sentiments set and stamped in VersaFine Vintage Sepia and cut out with my Nesties circle and used the Nesties pink circle for the outside.  I added 3 Dew Drops to tie in with the bird's coloring.  The background paper is from the Memory Box paper package called Brandywine.  I added a small tab of ribbon on the left side and sewed it in place with my sewing machine.  I like my Springy looking tree.  We don't have any around here looking like it yet but it is a little early. 

Click on this to see the image larger. 

This has been a strange week for me.  I decided to read a book, Kathy Reichs' Deja Dead, on Tuesday and stayed up until 1:30 AM and then went to bed.  After tossing and turning until 4:30, I decided to get up and finish the book.  Then went back to bed at 8 Wednesday morning and got up about 2.  I made some Anna Banana Bread (recipe here) and two loaves of white bread.  Wednesday I was up until around 2 AM, took a couple Tylenol PM's and slept until 4 PM today.  I need to get on a schedule since I can't seem to get anything done with these hours!  I'll have to get up earlier tomorrow.  I'm meeting a couple of girl friends for lunch and then running errands.  It's thundering out now and I can hear the rain hit the window.  I love that sound.