TAWS BE Inspired with 3 Girl Jam!

Welcome to the 3GJ/TAWS Cross Promotion Double Challenge Blog Hop!

The goal of this cross promo/double challenge is to introduce you all to 2 awesome companies, gather inspiration from both design teams and have the opportunity to enter 2 fun challenges!

I am on the design team for The Alley Way Stamps . For this week, we are teaming up with the design team at 3 Girl JAM which is owned and operated by the talented Julie K Bling and her 2 daughters. They make the most beautiful hand dyed crinkle ribbon and fun flair buttons - you can check out my button card here.

Every 2 weeks TAWS has a new challenge based on a fun photo called "Be Inspired" and 3GJ has their own challenge using 3GJ Crinkle Ribbon, so for this challenge the design teams are using the TAWS photo AND some great ribbon!!

I can't say that it originally occurred to me to make a masculine card with this luscious ribbon - but I think it works - and here's the inspiration photo that led me in this direction.

 

YOUR challenge will be to come up with a project using THIS photo, a stamp and ribbon. Remember the photo is for inspiration ONLY - be creative, use your imagination and show us what this photo inspired you to create.

Need some inspiration?

We hope you will hop through the line-up and see all the gorgeous projects the DT’s have created.

You should be coming from Jovan. If you started with me - you might want to head back to the TAWS blog to start at the beginning.

Your next stop is OmaGloria.

Here's the entire line-up for today!

TAWS~ http://www.thealleywaystamps.blogspot.com/

Jessica~ http://chick-n-scrap.blogspot.com

Jessica B ~ http://jessicascraftshaque.blogspot.com

Arielle~http://snappystamper.blogspot.com

Julie Odil- http://muddypawsinkyfingers.blogspot.com/2013/03/im-hoppin-cross-promotional-mini-hop.html

Jovan- http://www.cardsbyjovan.com/

Kim~http://joyfulcreationswithkim.blogspot.com/

OmaGloria - http://omascrafts.com

Alison~http://www.stretchnbubbles2.blogspot.com/

Rebecca D- http://bloomingpink.blogspot.com/

Abby Henderson- http://scrappin-abby.blogspot.com/

Christine~ http://kartenchaos.blogspot.com/

3GJ Challenge Blog~ http://3girljamchallenge.blogspot.com/

At the TAWS blog and the 3GJ challenge blog, you will find out more about their individual challenges and have the opportunity to link up to not just one challenge but both challenges for the chance to win some awesome prizes!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

PRIZES:

1. Just hop though our mini hop and leave comments
2. Enter BOTH challenges (if you don't own any TAWS there are freebies here)

Prizes are TAWS stamp sets and a Bundle of 3GJ Crinkle Ribbon.

Thanks for hopping with TAWS and 3GJ.

We look forward to seeing all your projects!

• Stamps: The Alley Way Stamps Love Knots, Doodle Frames (sentiment)
• Paper: Papertrey Ink Scarlet Jewel, Kraft
• Ink: Papertrey Ink Scarlet Jewel, Kraft
• Accessories: 3 Girl JAM crinkle ribbon

CAS(E) this Sketch with a Bumble Bee!!

This is my second post today!

It's time for this week's CAS(E) this Sketch!  I went even more literal than usual this week with pretty much an exact use of the sketch.  I've convinced myself that it is actually more of a challenge to use the sketch exactly as is.  It is NOT a lack of creativity!!

My card came about because of that little bumble bee.  I just got this cute die by Elizabeth Craft Designs.  It also comes with wing piece that has the wings back more so you could add a number of them to a card and they would all look different.

My colors came from Dynamic Duos - just PERFECT for my bumble bee!

I hope to see you at CAS(E) this Sketch this week - even though I took the sketch literally - this sketch allows for a whole lot of variety.  Just check out the design team cards to see what I mean!

• Stamps: Papertrey Ink Simple Sentiments
• Paper: Stampin' Up Garden Green CS and dsp, Daffodil Delight CS and dsp
• Ink: black
• Accessories: Cuttlebug embossing folder, Stampin' Up scallop border punch, Elizabeth Craft Designs bee die

Easter Blessings Bunnies

I am experiencing definite mojo problems.  The two simple, simple cards that you are going to see here took me about 24 hours to make.  Obviously, not in total!  But I had just gotten the sweetest bunny dies and the CASology challenge this week is bunnies - easy peasy!!  NOT so much.  There are three bunnies in the die so I started with a trio of bunnies.  I tried them in kraft, in white, in bright polka dots.  I tried them in windows, on stitched squares, with and without embossing, with flower and sun punches.

Then I had one of those lucky accidents.  I use Elfa mesh drawers for storage.  All of my stamps are unmounted in CD cases and they fit perfectly.  6x6 paper pads fit perfectly.  During the night, the heavy top drawer bent and dropped and then the whole thing pancaked.

After some frustration and perhaps some choice words - enough so that I didn't take a picture of the avalanche - I just spent the last two hours re-organizing.  Not a bad thing.  I got rid of a few things.  Then I took the time to put the things that I used the most in the easiest drawers to get to - I think I am going to like it.  Everybody should experience an avalanche!?

The really, really lucky thing was that when my Papertrey sets had spread all over the floor - the top set was one I had totally forgotten about - Bitty Background Basics.  The light bulb went on - brightly - I set it aside and after I had finished picking everything up - these cards were born in about 5 minutes.  (In fairness, the bunnies and leaves and grass were already cut and the sentiment had been selected!!)

There is one other charming bunny in the die set that didn't make the cut on these cards - I got them here but they are also at Impression Obsession and other stores.

• Stamps: Verve Egg-stra Special (sentiment), Papertrey Ink Bitty Background Basics
• Paper: Papertrey Ink Aqua Mist, Spring Moss, Sweet Blush
• Ink: Papertrey Ink Aqua Mist, Sweet Blush
• Accessories: CC Designs Mistletoe Die, Martha Stewart grass border punch, Impression Obsession Bunny Set, Stampin' Up Pink ribbon, Papertrey Ink Kraft felt, misc white felt

Girls can be Super Heroes too!!!

I hesitated in making and posting this card because you have to a very specific recipient in mind.

Personally, I grew up playing Batman and Robin.  (As much as I hate to admit this, I was born in the 60s - so that Batman and Robin I grew up playing was based on the really corny television series - not the dark Batman that everybody knows now.)  After we all got tired of running around the neighborhood in capes, rescuing very confused dogs and a squirrel or two, we went inside and dressed up our Barbie dolls.  So the idea of a pink Caped Crusader card makes total sense to me!!

Besides, yesterday I posted a Ka-Pow card for a boy so I had to give the girls equal time!


The cute flair buttons are from 3 Girl JAM.  You will be seeing more from them on Friday when we have blog hop to show you their fabulous Crinkle Ribbon.
The sketch is from Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge.

• Stamps: The Alley Way Stamps Ka-Pow
• Paper: Papertrey Ink Raspberry Fizz, Stampin' Up Basic Gray dsp, Simple Stories Snap Color Vibe
• Ink: Memento black and copics
• Accessories: 3 Girl Jam Flair buttons, My Favorite Things Fishtail banners, Martha Stewart Fine Crystal Glitter

An Explosive Birthday!!

Last week was new release week for The Alley Way Stamps  (TAWS) and I showed you two sweet cards with butterflies and caring sentiments.  But, there was another set released last week that is entirely different!

And I actually decorated my inside - I NEVER do that - but I had to include the fun coordinating sentiment.

I'm probably never going to do this set justice.  It needs layers of craziness.  Does anybody remember the old Batman television show?  I know...I'm seriously dating myself.  It was crazy with those BAM, POW bubbles all over the screen.  The rest of the design team has done an amazing job with this set - definitely check out the Pinterest board for Ka-Pow!
I used the sketch from this week's sketch at Seize the Birthday - it's masculine week!

• Stamps: The Alley Way Stamps Ka-Pow
• Paper: Making Memories Giggle Kids, Stampin' Up Real Red
• Ink: Memento Black and copics
• Accessories: Making Memories Giggle Kids puffy stickers

A Fab Friday Mood Board Monday!!

There isn't even a hint of creativity in this card - not a hint!!  I saw the WPlus9 Monday Mood Board and sorta thought I wouldn't play along because it's all lacy and I don't have WPlus9's lace sets.  But I re-read it this morning and it talks about pink and metal.  I had just cleaned out my embellishment box and come across big metal butterflies.  Then I remembered the sketch at Fab Friday...ding...ding...ding!  The sketch has a big butterfly.  So I took the sketch 100% literally and added a big butterfly.  So...not an ounce of creativity.  (But I like it anyway!)


I LOVE this sentiment - the saying AND the fonts!! Here's WPlus9 Monday Mood Board:

Here's the sketch from Fab Friday:

• Stamps: WPlus9 Quite Like You
• Paper: Stampin' Blushing Bride CS and dsp
• Ink: Versamark
• Accessories: Graphic 45 Metal Butterflies, Martha Stewart adhesive die cut doilies, PSX Detail Platinum embossing powder, My Favorite Things fishtail dies, Papertrey Ink Sweet Blush button, Timeless Twine Bubblegum Pink

A Merry Freshly Made!!

It has been a BUSY week at my house.  I've been working on a paper for one my classes - I haven't had to research and write professionally in over a decade - my brain hurts!!  My kids seem to have needed extra taxi service this week with a variety of activities.  My youngest has the lacrosse game of the century this morning.  And my oldest has been totally immersed in preparing for a tryout.

Let me tell you about this tryout - because thoughts, prayers and crossed-fingers are needed!!!  Andrew is trying out for the Casper Troopers Drum Corps! He is passionate about marching band and these "professional" corps would be a perfect fit for him. He wasn't planning on trying out this year because he's actually a sax player and has had to switch to baritone as corps are all brass. He thought he would need another year of practice but the Troopers are short on baritones. Fun connections too - a group of my high school friends played in the Troopers (a very long time ago) and I have recently learned that the husband of a friend played in the Troopers in the SAME year as my high school buddies!!  We believe that Andrew is good enough, so it will be crushing if he doesn't make it. If he gets in, he is gone the entire summer rehearsing and literally travelling the country!  If you have no idea what I am talking about - here's a "best of" video - you can see the amazing quality and precision.  It's long - so just take a quick peek - and you'll see what I am talking about.




So on to what you are really here for. I am feeling really rusty this morning - so I went to a couple tried and true challenges to help me out.  
The sketch is from Freshly Made Sketches.

And everything else is from the bottom row of the Merry Monday challenge.

• Stamps: Technique Tuesday Jingle All the Way
• Paper: Simple Stories Snap Color Vibe
• Ink: Stampin' Up Tempting Turquoise
• Accessories: Papertrey Ink Hawaiian Shores button, Cuttlebug embossing folder, Stampin' Up snowflake punch, Crystal Stickers Glitter Domes