One Little Bit of Amazing (CSI #156 GDT)

What a thrill it is to be a Guest Detective this month

at CSI: Color, Stories, Inspiration!

Because 2Crafty is the main sponsor this month, us 2Crafty DT girls

have been asked to play along with one of their case files.

CSI Case File challenges may seem a bit daunting at first, 

but they're fairly simple to participate in.

One has to basically take inspiration from the image, using the colour scheme,

 while following a few basic requirements, adding 2 pieces of evidence and 1 testimony.

This is the layout that I created using lots of 2Crafty chippies:

As you can see I stuck pretty close to the scheme, adding lots of bright coral pink, yellow green with touches of gray, white and tan.

I used several pieces of evidence: text print, leaves, flowers, mixed media background, brackets and cursive font.

My testimony consisted of using "a little bit..." as part of my title and journaling.

Now let's take a look at some close-ups of the layout and chipboard used.

I created the title mixing up alpha stickers with some "Scrabble Tiles" and

'amazing' from the "Mini Word Set 1".

I also used the " " which I painted white and
decorated with some pink Stickles along the bottom.

Amid some paper blooms, I sneaked a couple chipboard flowers painted in pink,

one from the "Flower Frames" set... 

and one cut from the "Corner Oriental Flower".

I also included a couple of the beautiful "Leafy Silhouettes".

Hopefully you will be encouraged to play along with this fun challenge

over on the CSI Ning Site for the chance to win some gorgeous chipboard!

2Crafty chipboard products used today:

Tender Love (February SOS Sketch Challenge DT Reveal)

I'm sharing today my DT take

on the Scrap Our Stash February Sketch Challenge 

which went live on February 15th!

Look at the pretty sketch designed by

SOS Guest Sketch Designer, Lisa Hidy.

The challenge is to use the sketch as inspiration

along with this beautiful colour palette.

You must use 3 or more colours from the palette 

and the only other colours you can add are black, white or kraft.

The sketch and palette put me in the mood for LOVE!

I went through my stash and picked some papers from My Mind's Eye 

and then mixed match different embellishments, 

like flowers, wood veneer and handmade butterflies from Reneabouquets. 

The picture was taken in 2008 when I was maid of honor 

for my childhood best friend's wedding.

Yves was my date! :P

Find out more about the Scrap Our Stash challenge HERE

and link up before February 27th!

Life Is Fabulous (Off the Rails Scrapbooking GDT)

I'm very excited to be the February Guest Designer

over at Off the Rails Scrapbooking!

Off the Rails challenges are posted on the First of each month and run the entire month.  You can find out more by clicking HERE.

Let's take a look at this month's challenge:

And here is the layout I was inspired to create:

As you can see, I stayed real close to the colour palette and was inspired by the Eiffel tower image.

This picture was taken by my friend Christine on her trip to Europe a few years back.  I simply modified it in Picasa using the 'tint' option, turning it into a pinkish/purplish shade to match the mood board.

Thank you so much to the girls at Off the Rails Scrapbooking

for having me join in on their fun this month!

And I am SUPER excited to announce that they have asked me
to stay on as a regular DT member so I will be back with you in April
to share with you more OTR Scrapbooking projects!

If you'd like to play along with the February challenge,
click HERE to link up.  Deadline is the 28th!

My Creative Sketches February Sketch!

I participated this month as GDT for My Creative Sketches.

What a pretty sketch that MCS has to offer you this month!

And this is the layout that I made based on it,

using the February Limited Edition kit

from My Creative Scrapbook.

Here's to hoping that you'll play along for a chance to win a fabulous prize!

You have until March 14th to link up right HERE!

Scrap Around the World February DT Reveal

The mid-month reveal for Scrap Around the World has just gone live,

so I am back today to share with you my project based on the February mood board.

Let's take another look at this fresh & mysterious board, 
designed by Татьяна Сидоренко (Tatiana Sidorenko) from Belarus!

Click HERE to view the first of the month reveal and HERE for today's mid-month reveal.

You will see some amazing inspiration from all the DT ladies.

Here is my canvas based on this dreamy mood board!

I started off with a burlap covered canvas
as I found that it went well with the natural earthy feel of the mood board.

The picture is of my 2 nieces and their cousin
all dressed up as flower girls for their older cousin's wedding last Summer.
I find that they look just like fairies of which the mood board reminded me.

Most of the beautiful chipboard pieces used
on my canvas come from 2Crafty Chipboard,
one of the main sponsors of this challenge:
Flying Birds
Leafy Shrub Set 2
6" Circle Revolution Frames
Element Set 1

I also used several beautiful flowers from Prima, Petaloo and Bo Bunny.

I did a bit of stenciling on the base of my canvas and then
dabbed on some white paint for my usual white wash signature effect.

As you can see, my main inspiration from the mood board
was the colours - love the different shades of green!

Find out all about the challenge HERE and

make sure to familiarize yourself with the challenge rules beforehand.

There are awesome prizes up for grabs from these sponsors:

2Crafty Chipboard
7 Dots Studio
Creative Embellishments
UmWowStudio
13@rts
 Studio75

Scrap-Unlimited
Mixed Media Place
Danafix France
 DT member Tusia Lech
SCRAPS OF ELEGANCE KIT CLUB

There is also a Follower's Competition Prize
every month sponsored by SA Crafters.

I already shared with you all the details about each prize on my sneak peek
earlier this month, but you can see them all again on the SATW blog right HERE along with the mid-month DT reveal featuring yours truly. :)

The deadline for this challenge is SATURDAY, February 28th.

 

Deer Birthday Card (Simon Wednesday Challenge)

As promised, I'm back to share another card inspired by

this week's challenge on the Simon Wednesday Challenge blog:

ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL

I cut out the deer using my Silhouette Portrait 

and added a little wood veneer from Prima.

Thank you for joining me today!

I'll be back tomorrow with my Scrap Around the World DT Reveal.

Giraffe Birthday Card (Simon Wednesday Challenge)

This week's challenge on the Simon Wednesday Challenge blog is

ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL

I have created 2 cards that I will share with you throughout the day, starting with this one:

As you can see, there are lots of animals on this card, with the big giraffe as the focal point.

The collection used is vintage My Mind's Eye, Alphabet Soup.

Come back a bit later to see another card, 

created for the Simon Wednesday Challenge!

Happy Valentine's Day(featuring MCS February Main Kit)

Don't miss out on my January Blog Giveaway Winner Announcement

+ February Blog Giveaway Reveal right HERE!

To celebrate this day of LOVE,

I saved this project from my DT reveal for My Creative Scrapbook

to share with you today.

It's a Valentine Heart Gift Box 

created with the February Main kit!

One of my favorite parts of the Main kit is the vintage paper from the Authentique Crush collection...

and those adorable tags from Crate Paper.

If you want to subscribe to My Creative Scrapbook kits, visit their blog now!

Happy Valentine's Day to you all!

Scrap-Utopia's February Blog Giveaway (+ January Giveaway WINNER!!!)

The winner of my January Blog Giveaway is announced below!


It's Friday the 13th, and we all know what that means!!!

GIVEAWAY TIME

On the 13th of January, I shared with you my desire to pay it forward

this year (well, at least for a few months!) and give back to you,

my fabulous and loyal blog followers.

So for the next few months, and maybe even for the entire year, 

I will be hosting a giveaway on the 13th of each month.

Some months, the prize might be bigger than others, 

but nonetheless, I'm hoping that you will enjoy participating.

Before I announce the winner of my January giveaway, here is my  

February Giveaway

This prize package includes: Simple Stories Year-o-graphy collection kit (including papers, sticker sheets and clear overlays); Unity Stamp Company Spirit of Summertime stamp set, Prima stencil, Imaginisce Roly Rosies, American Craft Thickers, Glitz Design rub-ons, Flourish with a Bling, Daisy Bucket Designs stamp, silk flower pack, large & medium doilies, assortment of embellishments (flowers, feathers, leaves, wood shape, ribbons and trims)

How to win, you ask?

It's easy!

 You just have to follow these 2 simple rules:

1. Be a follower of my blog by clicking on the Google Connect Followers Gadget on the top of my blog.

2. Leave a comment on this blog post.

You are welcome to share a picture of this giveaway

on your blog, in a post or on your sidebar, or share with your friends on Facebook.  

Just make sure to link back to this post.

However, doing so is not mandatory to win.

If you like my creations and would like to also follow me on Facebook, 

on Pinterest and on Instagram, I would be very thankful. :)

This giveaway is open internationally.

You have until midnight EST on March 12th to enter!

I will randomly pick a winner who will be announced right here on my blog on March 13th
(another Friday the 13th!)

just in time for the reveal of my April giveaway.

The winner will then have 2 weeks to contact me

or else I will have to pick a new winner.

Good luck to you all!

--------------------------------

Before I go ahead and announce the winner of my January giveaway,
let me thank all of you who have participated!
I had a total of 32 eligible entries,
and it put a smile on my face each time I saw a new comment being posted!

So with no further ado...

I woke Sugar up from precious nap time to help me pick a winner.
As you can see, she was not overly excited about the whole process.

***DRUMROLL PLEASE***

Sugar couldn't even wait for the winner to be announced
before getting on with her cat nap!

  

The winner of my January giveaway is:

Beatrice Lawson

Congratulations Beatrice!

Please contact me at nicutopia(at)hotmail(dot)com, including

your full name and shipping information so that I can send these goodies your way!

Pink & Purple Birthday Card (LCOM Sketch #109 Challenge)

A quick post today to share with you a card

I created inspired by the Sketch #109 challenge

at Let's Capture Our Memories.

It is my first time participating in a LCOM challenge, and I am sure it will not be my last.

Because I was short for time this month due to many DT requirements,

I decided to only play along with the card sketch, but take a look at the LO sketch

designed by Shirley Mascarina that is also fabulous.

Here i the card sketch which inspired my card below:

I used some vintage My Mind's Eye on my card

and several flowers from Prima and Petaloo.

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Remember to join in on my January Blog Giveaway!

You have until February 12th (tomorrow), midnight EST.

I will be announcing the lucky winner on February 13th,

followed by the reveal of my February giveaway!