Spring has Sprung!

The Ways to Use It challenge on SCS is all about spring and new beginnings! We are to use something new...that's at least a month old and never used before. For me, it's the corrugated card base that is new.  I recently bought a box of 5 1/2" square crimped kraft cards (say that 3 times really fast - lol!) at Michael's and decided to change the shape and die cut it with Spellbinders' Labels Eight Nestabilities.  I sponged some white pigment ink over the base.  The sentiment and cross dies are from ODBD April release.  Daffodil image is an older ODBD stamp that I always love to use for spring creations and it was colored with Copics. 

STAMPS: The Cross (ODBD), Daffodil Corner (ODBD)
PAPER: X-Press It Blending card, Metallic copper CS, Scrap designer papers for flags (? source)
INK: Memento Tuxedo Black, ColorBox Frost White
ACCESSORIES: Ornamental Crosses die (ODBD), Oval Nestabilities (SB), Fishtail Flags Die-Namics (MFT), Avery Elle sequins, Labels Eight Nestabilities (SB).

Color Throwdown

Are you ready for some yummy spring colors? Check out Joan's awesome inspiration photo and play along with us for the newest Color Throwdown Challenge!

I started by using 3 Tim Holtz distress markers - Mustard Seed, Broken China and Peeled Paint -  and scribbled on some watercolor paper.  I spritzed with water and used a small brush to spread the color and came up with this background.

After the watercoloring process, I took a TCW Mini Climbing Vine stencil and added white modeling paste.  Love the subtle texture that paste adds to a card!  I used Jennifer McGuire's trick of adding Glossy Accents to a sentiment die - love the fun, glossy look for another texture element!  Then, it was floral arranging time with WPlus9's Fresh Cut Florals stamp/die set.  I added a wee bit of yellow Stickles to the flower centers.

For more inspiration, you'll want to check out the rest of the design team's creations below.  We're so happy to welcome Jeanne Jachna from A Kept Life as our April guest designer!     Congrats to our Star Stamper for the week - Deborah Frings - from Deb's Gems!   
     

Barbara Anders - Paper Pursuits

                                              Broni Holcombe - Splashes of Watercolor 
                                                   Joan Ervin - Stamping With Passion
                                                          Lori Tecler - Inking Aloud

Melody Rupple - A Paper Melody

Monika Davis - M.A.D. Stamper

Tammy Hershberger - Stamp Happy

Vickie Zimmer -  Smitten   
Wanda Cullen - Cullen-ary Creations (you are here)
  Jeanne Jachna - (April Guest Designer) - A Kept Life

Can't wait to see you in the gallery!  Remember, you could be our next guest star stamper for the following week's challenge if you play along!

Release Day at ODBD

Hooray for the arrival of April!  It's an eventful month for my family in many ways and for stampers, it means there are new stamps, papers and dies being released at Our Daily Bread Designs!  I have two projects for you which highlight The Cross - a new sentiment stamp set, a new Ornamental Cross die set that has all kinds of layering possibilities, and a Chalkboard Collection paper pad.

For my first card, I have metallic gold cardstock peeking through the Daisy Chain Background die and also through one of the cross layers from the Ornamental Crosses die set.  I embellished with a leafy flourish from the Fancy Foliage die set - adding several of the tiny flowers (also part of the new cross die set). 

If you're into the trendy chalkboard look, you will love this new paper pad!  The sentiment is die cut from one of the designer paper pages.  The silver glitter cross is another of the many crosses in the Ornamental Crosses die set.  

If you are liking these new products... here is how YOU can win some new ODBD goodies...

Three winners will be randomly chosen from the comments left on the designers' blogs to receive a $15 gift certificate to the ODBD store, to be used toward the purchase of ODBD stamps.  You have until April 2, 2014 at 9:00 p.m. EDT to leave your comments!  The winners will be posted on the ODBD blog on April 3rd, so be sure to check back there to see if you won!

Here are links to the rest of the designers' blogs:

Chris * Sandee * Grace * Stacy * Dawn * Julie * Lori * Cathy * Sabrina * Silke * Wanda * Angie * Audrey * Lisa 

Mojo Monday

Another month comes to an end with this last Mojo Monday challenge!  I'm trying to encourage spring to get here and stay here by using my favorite spring colors - pinks and greens!  Loved Julee's fun sketch for the tall and skinny (this card is 3 1/2" x 5 1/2") challenge!  I paper pieced the sentiment and the flower.  I added some Copic shading to the flower with RV23, then brushed the petals with a Wink of Stella clear glitter brush marker.  A few enamel dots finished this clean and simple design.  

For more inspiration, check out the first 7 thumbnails on the Mojo Monday blog, OR...you can visit each mojomaker's blog listed below:

Debbie Carriere

 Julee Tilman (Owner)

 Marisa Ritzen 

  Mary Fish

  Sarah Bigelow

  Teresa Kline

STAMPS: Wonderfully Made (Verve)
PAPER: True Friends (Carta Bella), White
INK: Versafine Onyx Black
ACCESSORIES: Enamel dots, Oval Nestabilities.

Viva la Verve

It's been awhile since I've played along with the Viva la Verve sketch challenge, so decided to remedy that when I saw Stacy's fabulous sketch!
I already had this gray panel made with modeling paste applied over a hexagon stencil, so that was my starting point.  I love the colors in MME's Breeze 6x6 pad and thought it would coordinate well with the gray.  The leaves were stamped in Certainly Celery ink and die cut with Verve's Elegant Leaves die.  A tiny library clip and enamel dot added the finishing touch.

STAMPS: Notebook Paper Plain Jane (Verve), Hope Blooms (Verve)
PAPER: MME Breeze pad; So Saffron, Smoky Slate, White
DIES: Elegant Leaves and Rounded Scallop Frame - both by Verve

Bunnies and Blooms

This card is a "threefer"...i.e., made for three different challenges:
SCS Free 4 All Challenge - Use circles in the background.
Colour Q Challenge 
Sketchbook Saturday Challenge - sketch by Chupa.

I had happy mail earlier today - several stencils from Simon Says Stamp and
some new stitched dies by Lil Inker Designs!  I picked Tim Holtz distress inks that were close to the Colour Q colors and stenciled the background using TCW's Mini Well Rounded stencil.

Here's my enabler's list:
STAMPS: Rainbow and Clouds Sentiments (Lil Inker Designs)
PAPER: Bermuda Bay, Smoky Slate, White, Calypso Coral, Groovy Guava
INK: Peacock Feathers, Spiced Marmalade, Weathered Wood, Dried Marigold - all distress inks by TH
ACCESSORIES: Stitched bunny and floral dies by Lil Inker Designs; Buttons by SU, A2 Curved Borders One by Spellbinders; TCW Mini Well Rounded stencil.

Cardabilities Sketch

I couldn't resist this fabulous sketch over on the Cardabilities blog! I love corner clusters and took the color cues from this SU designer paper.  The design is pretty straight forward with no special technique involved.  Here's what I used...

STAMPS: Off the Grid (SU)
PAPER: Fresh Prints (SU), Real Red, Baked Brown Sugar, Coastal Cabana, Early Espresso, White
INK: Baked Brown Sugar
ACCESSORIES: Sizzlets Little Leaves die by SU, Leaf Flourish Die-Namics by MFT, Hello die by Simon Says Stamp, Rolled roses and daisy Die-Namics by MFT, Enamel dots by Recollections.

Thanks for stopping by...I'm off to bed after 3 hectic evenings at work helping students fight a norovirus that has hit our campus!  I've decided our safety manager needs to add another alert color to our emergency protocol and that's the BROWN ALERT! LOL!  Holding my breath that my immune system carries me through this all without getting sick myself!