Nautical?

This week, the Paper Smooches SPARKS challenge is a colour one:

Kim calls it "nautical", I do have some Paper Smooches sailboat images, so of course... I went in a totally different direction.

I thought this little puppy would be perfect in kraft, and the size of the scene seemed made for a tag. I kind of like the mini-tag sentiment! I was going to colour in the dog's collar, but decided I preferred it just the way it was. I may change my mind later. :D 
P.S. Jessi reminded me to enter this tag into the Moxie Fab World Gift Tag challenge! Thanks, Jessi.

Supplies: white & Stampin' Up kraft & real red cardstock, My Mind's Eye patterned paper, Paper Smooches Woofers and Tweeters stamps, Versafine Onyx Black and Memento Paris Dusk inks, pop-dot tape, May Arts navy jute twine

Crafty Wild Creations

Wednesday already, so it's time to introduce a new challenge at Crafty Creations Challenges. This week's theme: BORN TO BE WILD! Use a wild animal image or wild print as part of your creation. Our generous sponsor this week is Whiff of Joy. At first, I was planning on using a giraffe stamp, but then remembered a Unity stamp that hadn't seen ink yet:

Watercolouring AND paper-piecing? Wow, practically mixed-media. :P I am rather pleased with my elephant's colouring, and love the understated font of the sentiment. I even managed a perfect dot of Enamel Accents for his eye, and the pom-pom and his tail simply called out for some Stickles.  
What wild items do you have tucked away in your craft supplies? 

Supplies: white & teal cardstock, My Mind's Eye Lime Twist Fly a Kite patterned papers, Unity It's a Party stamps, Versamark, Versafine onyx black, Memento grey flannel & tangelo inks, clear embossing powder, watercolour pencils, Lil' Inkers stitched sentiment flag die, black Enamel accents, frosted lace Stickles, pop-dot tape

Sunday SPARKS

I so meant to participate in the Paper Smooches SPARKS challenges every week. That was before a minor bicycle accident either caused or coincided with a serious loss of motivation. Well, I decided I needed to get back in the habit. This week is a sketch challenge:

I have a feeling it's just me, but I looked at those banners, and immediately thought... squirrel! Okay, not just any squirrel, the hanging squirrel from the set Hang-Ups. I used the digital version, and manipulated the hanger a bit in Word.

(Sorry about the shadows... my camera battery was dying, so speed was of the essence) 

It's so good that Kim always says you can interpret the challenge "loosely". :D I'm not always a fan of browns and blues together, but for this card, it just seemed to work. I decided to make it a get well card, although another option would be a birthday card... "still hanging in there?" or something similar. ;) 

Supplies: white & Stampin' Up kraft cardstock, My Mind's Eye Cowboy patterned paper, Paper Smooches Hang-Ups squirrel (digital version), Basic Grey Olivia paper ribbon, black Enamel Accents, EK Success 1" circle punch, pop-dot tape

Friends with Flair and Flowers

Happy Friday! And for Canadian friends, happy Victoria Day weekend, our unofficial kickoff to summer. It's Friday, it's Unity's weekly Friends with Flair blog hop, and I think it's an end to an extended period of missing mojo. ;)  

What better way to kickstart some creativity than a new Unity {be inspired} challenge? I used both the colour palette and the sketch to create this little spring hello card. It also gave me a chance to use one of my newer Unity sets, Tulips and Daisies. I bought it during a weekend sale, of course, and so far I'm assiduously avoiding the current AMAZING sale. I'm also linking to this week's Simon Says Stamp challenge, Flower Power, and to CASology's challenge cue, "bloom". 

          

Supplies: white & Bazzill Basics tan textured cardstock, watercolour paper, Pink Paislee Spring Jubilee & Crate Paper On Trend patterned papers, Unity Tulips and Daisies & (?) hello stamps, Memories black ink, watercolour pencils, Marvy-Uchida corner-rounder punch, pop-dot tape

Old and New

This week at Crafty Creations Challenges, we are asking you to use something old and something new! Our sponsor is Inky Impressions, and I used a (new) sentiment from their store, paired with an (old) image from Paper Smooches to make a gift tag:

While I was on the old/new theme, I decided to look at it another way. I looked through my collection of previously stamped, die-cut and patterned paper scraps, and combined a few to create a new card: 

The diecut daisies, embossed panel, and patterned paper are all "old"; the ribbon is being used for the first time. 

I've shown two different ways to interpret "something old, something new"; I'm sure you can come up with more! Remember to link up your creation by next Tuesday evening.

Supplies: (tag) white cardstock, Simple Stories Summer Fresh patterned paper, Paper Smooches and Inky Impressions images, Prismacolor pencils, hole punch, paper raffia ribbon, pop-dot tape; (card) white cardstock. watercolour paper, Recollections patterned paper, Simon Says Stamp fresh daisies die, Cuttlebug Swiss dots embossing folder, tumbled glass & peeled paint distress inks, Creative Memories corner-rounding punch, May Arts ribbon, pop-dot tape