Summer's coming....or maybe it's here!

Welcome to another beautiful day!  Our daytime temperatures are going to be in the 70's again today.....unbelievable for March, but I'll take it.  We had a dream winter this year, with hardly any snow or really cold temperatures.  I'm sure it's because I bought snow tires this year, and a bag of salt to put by the front door.  It must work like insurance, or preventative medicine.

So how about a card that fits the weather?  This is an image from The Stamping Bazaar, and a great image for a little guy.  I've kept it very simple with no extra embellishments, just some stickles and layering with my Nestie Labels Eight die.  The middle layer uses the same paper as the background, but I added some distress inks to give it an watery look.

Thanks for visiting, and with luck you are having some great weather too!  Enjoy!

A few challenges to inspire you:

Totally Papercrafts - #108 Male Card

Polka Doodles - #11 Animal or Bird

Birthday Sundaes - Animal Birthday Card

The Stamping Boutique - #30 CAS

Papertake Weekly - Bingo (die cuts, free, glitter)

Crafty Ribbons - #15 Birthday

2 Sisters Challenge- #83 Spots n Dots

Sundays with Crissy - #27 Animals

Bearly Mine Challenges - #27 Dots

My Mums Craft Shop - #49 Let's Get Digital

Hoop It Up

It looks like we are in for a beautiful day today!  The sun is shining and it's not to get too hot...perfect.  It's looking good for our long weekend for Canada Day too! 

Well,  I'm sure all those driveway hoops will be seeing a lot of action over the summer vacation.  All those basketball enthusiasts getting ready for the big time!  

Once again, I've coloured with Prisma pencils and OMS, sponging the background with Scattered Straw DI.  No embellishments, as it is meant for a boy.....just a bit of faux stitching to finish it off.

Supplies used:

Image:  Shane Playing Basketball (The Stamping Bazaar)

Paper:  Cosmo Cricket (Wanted pack)

Tools:  Nestibilities die - Labels 16

Thanks for visiting, and have yourselves a super-duper weekend!

Now, for some fun and inspirational challenges:

Crafts 4 Eternity - #25 Sporty Theme

Creative Inspirations Challenge Blog - #62 Stitching

Kaboodle Doodles - #73 Going in Circles (or dots)

Crafts and Me Challenges - #41 Birthdays

The Paper Shelter -#20 Anything Goes

Little Miss Muffet Challenges - #12 Reds, Oranges & Yellows

Forever Friends - Birthday Challenge

Digi's With Attitude! Challenges - #32 Anything Goes

Crafter's Companion - #13 HERE COMES SUMMER

Wags 'n Whiskers Rubber Stamps - #57 Summertime

What a Cutie

Happy Friday everyone!  The sun is shining, it has stopped snowing and I can spend some time crafting.  Everything else is on hold, because today we're getting a new range hood installed in the kitchen.  One of my husband's hobbies is gourmet cooking....which is absolutely wonderful....but we definitely need a better exhaust fan that vents to the outside.  This is no minor project, as our brick walls are two layers thick, and the installation requires a ladder as it's not at ground level.

So....here's my card using something New.  This is the Josie in a Hat image, from the Stamping Bazaar, which I won in their challenge over Christmas.  It was a delight to colour, and could be used for so many occasions.

Other supplies used:
Tools:  Nestibilities - Beaded Circle Die, Martha Stewart -  border punch
Medium:  Prismacolor Pencils
Other:  Distress Inks, Liquid Pearls

I do hope that you too can find some time for crafting today  Check out the challenges below for some inspiration, and thanks for visiting and leaving me your lovely comments.  Have a great weekend!

Challenges that I am entering:

The Stamping Bazaar - #11 Use Punches

Winter Wonderland - Paws for Thought

Paper Sundaes - #51 Circles

Cupcake Craft Challenges - #124 Something New

Pear Tree Designs - #31 Circles

The Crazy Challenge - #49 Animals

Kaboodle Doodles - #49 Do It With Digis

PaperPlay Challenges - #2 Cutie Patootie

Stampin for the Weekend - #54 New and Blue

You Can't Catch Me.....I'm the Gingerbread Man

Well, I needed just one more card, so this time I thought I would try a sketch challenge.  I also wanted to use this 'Gingerbread Plushie' image, which is still available as a freebie over at the Stamping Bazaar, for their current challenge.... All That Glitters.

Now this is the sketch I've used for inspiration, #37 from the Sketch and Stash Challenge Blog.  This week their challenge is Your Choice of sketches from their sketch catalogue.... and they have some lovely prizes!

So without further adieu....
Supplies used:
Paper:  Basic Grey (Eskimo Kisses line), gold metallic and
red cardstock.
Tools:  Martha Stewart punches, Marianne Designer Doily die
Coloured with: Prismacolor Pencils
Other:  Glamour Dust (fur on hat), stickles, gold metallic pen (doodling), gems, ribbon

And a couple of additional challenges:
Paper Sundaes - #49 Cut It Out
Bunny Zoes Crafts - #7 Sparkle and Shine
ABC Christmas Challenge - Z is for Zero Time Left (X is for Christmas)
StampInsanity - Happy Holidays Your Way