It's a "Girl's World" at Mo's!!

Happy Thursday!! Guess what? Just a little more than 6 months 'til Christmas!! aacck!! Now, having said that, you'd think I'd have made a Christmas (or at least a "winter") card for this fortnight's challenge at Mo's DP2 Challenge Blog!! Au contraire! I did not! hehe!

My very sweet and talented DT sister, Mau, is our hostess . . . and she's chosen a very "girly" theme . . .

"It's a Girl's World!"

And here's what I came up with . . .

This very clean & simple little card features a sweet little Mo Manning image called Summer Girl!! You can find her HERE in Mo's online store!! There's also a "Summer Boy" image HERE . . .and two ethnic images HERE and HERE.

Here's a close-up of this cutie . . .

And a side view . . .

My Card "Recipe" . . .

Image printed on "Bee" White Cardstock

Kraft paper (my stash)

Digital DPs: "Sandcastles" by Mary Frances for Nitwits

Sentiments, twine, ribbon, brads: My stash

Oval & Scalloped dies: Nestabilities

Oceana Border die: Memory Box

Ultra-fine "Sand": Flower Soft

Shiny gel on lenses & popsicle: Glossy Accents

Shin Han & Copic markers; pencils

Copic Markers used to color this cutie . . . 

Blues: B26, 23, 21, 14, 00

Reds: R24, 22, 21, 20, 01

Yellows: Y38, 35, 32

Skin Colors (these are my "go to" skin colors) . . . 

Shin Han YR 133 & 132

Copic E000, 0000, & a little E13 for darkest shadows

Shin Han R139 for cheeks

Hair Colors (these are my "go to" hair colors)

Shin Han BR 95, 97, 107

Copic E15, YR20

Here's a peek at the inside . . . 

And . . . one more, sort of "artsy" angle . . . 

Please be sure to pop on over to Mo's DP2 Challenge Blog to check out the fabulous projects created by Mau and the rest of my talented Design Teamies! Then, please join us for this fortnight's "It's a Girl's World" challenge!

Oh,  and don't forget, Mo is awarding (selected at random) one $5.00 shopping spree at her online store for every 25 challenge participants! What an easy and fun way to get some new Mo images, right?!

Thanks for stopping by! See you soon!! Hugs . . . .

"Tent Card" Tutorial...

Hey there!! So nice of you to stop by for a visit!! Today I have a fun little tutorial for you . . .  it's sort of my version of a "Tent Card". . .using Mo Manning's very sweet "Elke and Bear" image . . . available HERE in Mo's store. So . . . let's get started, shall we?

First, you'll want to gather your supplies. Here's what I've pulled together to get started:

• Cardstock . . . my cards are always 5.5" x 5.5" . . . so I started with a piece of cardstock measuring 5.5" x 11".
• You'll also need a smaller piece of cardstock measuring 5.5" x 4".
• Designer papers of your choice.
• Spellbinders Nestabilities (or other cutting dies of your choice). For this card I used Square & Lacy Square dies.
• Tape (I always use Sookwang (a.k.a. Score-tape) and glue. 
• And, of course, scissors, markers, embellishments, etc.

• Score the larger piece of cardstock it at 5.5" and fold (so that you have a 5.5' x 5.5" card base).

• Next . . . score the smaller piece lengthwise at 1" . . .  2" . . .  and 3". Then fold into "valley and mountains". 

• Now . . . and this can be tricky . . . you're going to want to secure this to your 5.5" x 5.5" folded "tent" . . . take a close look at this photo . . . you'll want to turn it over so that the "peak" of the mountain is in the middle . . . 

• Here we go . . . do you see how the peak of the mountain is pointing up towards the peak of your tent? That's how it should look. Now tape or glue one side only (we'll do the other side later) into place on the inside of the "tent" card . . .  

• Are you still with me? Now comes the easy & fun parts! Cut your Designer papers at slightly smaller than 5.5" square so that you can layer . . . and decide where you want the "window" to go. I centered mine (more or less!) . . . 

• And run it through your cutting machine . . . 

• Now . . . secure your DPs to one another . . . 

• And secure the layers DPs to the front of your tent card!

• I always like to add a little border to my "window" . . . so I used a Lacy Square die one size larger than the window . . . and placed the die I used for the "window" centered in the middle like this . . . 

• Then I ran it through my cutting machine! Next I simply assembled the pieces around the "window" of my card like this . . . 

• Next . . . decorate the inside. For this one I layered coordinating DPs to the inside of the "tent" . . . 

• . . . you'll see this through the "window" when you're card is done!

• Next . . . "fussy cut" your colored image (I'm "old school" . . . I still use a scissors!) . . . 

•  . . . and secure the image to the "window". I just glued this one into place . . . but you could use twine or little metal rings to make your image "swing" in the window.

• Next . . . simply finish taping/gluing your little "mountain & valley" cardstock to the inside of the tent.

• Here's how it will look when you're done securing the smaller piece of cardstock. Remember . . . mountain peak UP!

• Now . . . add sentiment, embellishments, etc. And . . . VOILA! A cute little "Tent Card"!!

I hope you've enjoyed this little tutorial. If you have questions, please email me at BabyNurseVA@aol.com. Until next time . . . 

A New Challenge at Mo's

Hellooooooooo!! And a very happy Thursday to you!! It's time for another fun challenge at Mo's DP2 Challenge Blog!! My very sweet and talented DT sister, Nela, is our hostess . . . and she's chosen a perfect theme for this time of year (this time of year North of the equator, that is!) . . .

"Summer Flowers!"

And here's what I came up with . . .

A little "Tent Card" . . . featuring a darling Mo Manning image called Elke and Bear!! You can find her HERE in Mo's online store!! Isn't she precious?! Here's a side-ish view . . .

My Card "Recipe" . . .

Image printed on Cryogen White Cardstock

Very Vanilla Cardstock: Stampin' Up

DPs: "True Love" by Basic Grey

Sentiment: Inky Antics

Twine & pearls: My stash

Classic & Lacy Square dies: Nestabilities

Flowers: Wild Orchid Crafts

Shin Han & Copic markers; pencils

Copic Markers used to color this cutie . . . 

Greens: G46, 43, 40, 28, & 20

Peachy colors: R22,21,20, 00

Dark pinks: R89, 85, 83, 81

Tree fruit: YR 68, 65, 61

Browns: E35, 34, 31, 30

Skin Colors (these are my "go to" skin colors) . . . 

Shin Han YR 133 & 132

Copic E000, 0000, & a little E13 for darkest shadows

Shin Han R139 for cheeks

And . . . one more pic . . . 

Please be sure to pop on over to Mo's DP2 Challenge Blog to check out the fabulous projects created by my talented Design Teamies! Then, please join us for this fortnight's "Summer Flowers" challenge!

Oh,  and don't forget, Mo is awarding (selected at random) one $5.00 shopping spree at her online store for every 25 challenge participants! What an easy and fun way to get some new Mo images, right?!

I'll be back next week with a new Tent Card Tutorial!! See you soon!! Hugs . . . .

Tutorial: Twisted Easel Card

Hello everyone!! I thought I'd post a little tutorial on how I make "Twisted Easel" cards. They're super easy . . . and fun . . . and so much fun to give and receive!! Be forewarned . . . there are LOTS of pics!! OK . . . So . . . here we go . . .

1. Gather supplies. For this card, I'm using Mo Manning's "Ruby" available HERE in Mo's online store.
   
2. I always make my cards 5.5 x 5.5 inches square. (If you prefer 6 x 6" cards, just adjust accordingly.) You'll need two pieces of card stock. One that is 5.5 x 11 inches. The other that is 5.5 x 5.5 inches. Take the larger of your two pieces and score it at 5.5 inches. Fold this in half. 
   
3. Now comes the tricky part. Open up your folded card stock. Decide which way you want your card front to face . . . and score one side of your card from corner to corner (on the diagonal) . . . 
   
4. Fold on the diagonal. (Are ya with me so far? Great!!) . . .
   
5. You've just created your Twisted Easel Card "base"! See? Cool, huh?! Now I set that aside. Don't worry, we'll come back to it momentarily . . . 
   
6. Next . . . I begin decorating the front of my card. So, take the 5.5 x 5.5 inch square piece of card stock and decorate just like you would any other card front! (NOTE: I always use Score Tape/Sookwang Tape when assembling my cards.)
   
7. Here's the front of my card . . . semi-decorated! (I'll add more shortly. You'll see!) . . . 
   
8. Now you'll want to attach the front of your card. This is the crucial step!! . . . 
   
9. Once again, check to be sure you know which way you want your card front to face. Then position your partially decorated card front to the appropriate corner of your base. Double check before securing to base!! . . . 
   
10. It should look like this when you've completed this step! . . . 
    
    
    
    
11.  Next I decorate the card base . . . often times I'll even decorate the inside and back surfaces (this mostly depends on whether or not I can find matching/coordinating papers!) . . . 
    
12. Here's how it looks from the front . . . 
    
13. Next . . . I attach the sentiment on the base using foam dimensionals. They raise the sentiment up a bit so it can act as a "door stop" for the folded top of the card! Soooooo clever, eh?!
    
14. Okey dokey!! Time to add my colored image and embellish! This is my favorite part!!
    
15. Here's what this cutie looks like from the other side . . .
    
16. And, last but not least, an "artsy" angle . . .
    

And there you have it! A darling little "Twisted Easel" card!! I hope you enjoyed this little tutorial . . . and I hope you'll try making one of these (if you haven't already!) Thanks so much for stopping by! See you soon! Hugs . . . .

TUTORIAL: Entering challenges using a Facebook post!

Hello everyone!! I've had several requests to write a little tutorial on how to enter challenges from a Facebook page post. This works with PCs and laptops . . . but not with iPads (I have no clue how to enter a challenge with my iPad! Sorry!) (Note: I have an older version of Microsoft . . . so, if you have a newer version, I'm hoping my instructions will translate to your version!)

OK . . . here we go . . . .

1. 1st be sure you have saved a photo of your card/project to a file on your computer. (I keep all of mine in a "Pictures" file.) And write your post on "Bronte & Bella's Clubhouse" in Facebook..
2. Now . . . move your cursor up to the top of the page to that long link at the top. It starts out with https://
3. Left click and the entire thing will become highlighted in blue.
4. Right Click and you'll see a "drop down box" . . . scroll your cursor down to the word "Copy" . . . and Left Click on Copy.
5. Minimize or leave that page and go to Mo's Challenge Blog. At the end of the current Challenge post you'll see a little blue box that says "Add Your Link" . . . place your cursor over that blue box and Left Click on that. Another page will appear!
6. Now move your cursor to the first box that says "Link" . . . Left Click. Now immediately Right Click . . . scroll your cursor down to the word "paste" . . . Left Click. You have just pasted the "https:// etc." link that you copied from Facebook
7. Now you'll get a message in RED. It says "Could not find any images. You can still upload your link. Here's how." DO NOT WORRY!!
8. Now just fill in the next box down . . . the one that says "Link Title" . . . this is where you put your name!
9. Now . . . fill in the next box down with your email address. This will not be posted publicly. . . but we need it in case we need to contact you for any reason.
10. Keep scrolling down . . . you'll see a box on the left side that says "Upload" . . . place your cursor over that and Left Click. An Orange Box will appear that says "Click to upload a file" . . . Left Click on that box. 
11. That should take you to your pictures file! (Are ya still with me? Great!! We're almost done!)
12. Place the cursor over the photo of your card/project. Double Left Click on the photo . . . and VOILA! the photo will magically appear on the link page.
13. Now . . . right below your photo, you'll see two blue boxes Select and Crop. Place your cursor over Select . . . and Left Click. Now another photo of your card will appear on that page . . . a little above and to the right.
14. Scroll down a bit more and you'll see a big blue box that says DONE. Left Click on that.

*** In a few minutes, a thumbnail sized photo of your card/project will appear on Mo's Challenge Blog. Now . . . when the Design Team ladies click on your card, they'll be taken to your post in Facebook . . . and they'll be able to leave a comment!!

I hope this helps. If you have questions, please email me at babynurseva@aol.com and put "Challenge Question" in the subject line. Have a great one! See ya soon!!

Happy Mother's Day!!

Happy Saturday! I hope you're having a fabulous weekend so far! I've been in my studio rearranging and organizing. I've found it works really well to just move the clutter into the hallway! Out of sight, out of mind! LOL!! Soooooo . . . since tomorrow (May 11th) is Mother's Day here in America, I wanted to send good wishes and warm hugs to all the mothers out there!! And . . . I thought I'd post a card I made for my sister to give to her MIL!

This sweet "gardener" was created by my friend, the very talented and super cool artist, Mo Manning! The image is called "Sadie" and is available here in Mo's online store. Here's a close-up . . .

So, here's the deal . . . since my last Mo card was verrrrrry "Clean and Simple" . . . I thought I'd make this one "Fussy and Complex"! hehe!! It's one of my faves . . . a "twisted easel" card. Here's a full view . . .

And a bit of a side-ish view . . .

My Card "recipe"

Image printed on Cryogen metallic white cardstock

Wisteria Wonder & Very Vanilla cardstock: Stampin' Up

DPs: Graphic 45 "Secret Garden"

Labels 18 Nestabilities by Spellbinders

Fence & grass dies: Magnolia

Corner die: Joy Crafts

Sentiment stamp: Hero Arts

Flowers: Wild Orchid Crafts

Charm, pearls, & ribbon: My stash

Butterfly punch: Martha Stewart

Markers used to color this Mo image:

Skin: Shin Han - YR133 & 132; Copics - E000, 0000, & E13 for darkest shadows

Cheeks: Shin Han - R139

Hair: Copics - C6, 4, 2, 1, 0

Blues: Copics - B91, 93, 95, 97, 99

Greens: Copics - G46, 43, 40

Shirt: Copics - R35, 32, 20

Flower pot: Copics - E09, 07, and R02

Purple apron: Copics - BV13, 11, 00, 000

And one more pic for good measure . . .

And there ya have it! My not-so-clean & simple "Mother's Day" creation!! I hope you've enjoyed your visit! Sending happy hugs . . . until next time!