Easter Dogwood Blossoms

Oops, I thought I had this set to auto publish on Blogger and I'm not quite sure what happened.  This week's MFP's Simple Salutations is to make an Easter card.  I chose to use the Dogwood Blossoms set since mythology states that the cross was originally a dogwood because it was such a hard wood.  The blossoms are in the correct shape too.  The sentiment is this month's new "He is Risen" set from MFPs. The flower was fussy cut out and then popped up on some recycled rubber.  Scraps of DP make up the background.  I love any layout that uses up scraps!

Easter Surprise

This week's Sketch with a Twist is to make an Easter or Spring card.  Mine actually is both.  The second I saw this layout, I decided I wanted to make it a gate-fold card.  The chipboard butterfly is acting like a tab to hold down the pink card flap.  If you open it up, it says, "Happy Easter."  The giver then still has space to write their message on the inside of the card as usual.    The pretty DP is in fact part of an envelope liner I'm recycling.  The flower image is from MFP's Lots of Words set.

Here Comes Peter Cottontail

Easter is just around the way so I wanted to pull out this adorable stamp before it's too late for another year.  Actually, this image has already been sitting coloured for a year, too pretty to waste.  This card is going to a co-worker.  All the paper, the paper ribbon and the label were a gift.  She'd used some of the supplies for a portfolio page for some graduate work but she's not a crafter and wouldn't use the rest.  I figure I'd give her the card as a thank you for the supplies since I still have quite a bit left.  The card is busier than I usually do but the paper is so pretty that I quite like it.  The label does actually match the pink paper in real life, I'm not quite sure why it looks more red here.  There are stickles on the eggs to give them a bit of pop.

Challenges this Card Meets:
The Pixie Cottage - Sketch and Cuddly Critters
Creative Card Crew - Spring
Cute Card Thursday - Happy Easter
Delightful Challenges - Easter
Friends of SpeedyTV - Easter
Mark's Finest Papers - Square Card
MilkCoffee - Flowers
Moving Along with the Times - Cute and Cuddly
Oldie but Goodie - Easter
Saturday Challenge - Vintage or Shabby Chic
Simon Says - Anything Goes
Stamping with the Dragon - Spring

Hoppy Easter

This week our sponsor at For Fun Challenges is Di's Digital Downloads. I just loved this bunny couple the second I saw it. They are just so adorable. The card will definitely be going to DH this Easter. I coloured the image with my prisma pencils since I wanted a soft effect. It's been way to long - I have to work on my shading. The sentiment is on the left to cover a booboo where I had not cleared all the colour from my blending stick and it left a brown smudge in my sky. Thank goodness for layering. The sentiment is computer generated.

Challenges this Card Meets:

Joan's Gardens - 1) nature (I used bunnies), 2) circle dies, 3) the colours red, orange and green, 4) patterned paper with lines (my orange piece has what looks like scratch marks on it.)

Creative Inspirations - Easter

Creative Inspirations - Easter (Yes, it's a different challenge blog)

Critter Challenge - Punches or Dies

Delightful Sketches - Easter

Crafty Catz - Furry Friends

Sentimental Sunday - Easter with a Sentiment

Sunday Sketch and Stamp

Pear Tree Design - Easter

Happy Easter

I wanted to make some Easter cards this week which gave me the perfect excuse to borrow this Heartfelt Creations stamp from a friend. The scrolled image is so beautiful that I wanted to keep the card very simple to not detract from it. The cross was stamped in Versamark and then embossed in gold. I coloured the inside with Almost Amethyst. The flower at the centre is also a Hearfelt Creation's stamp called Posy Patch with a matching Spellbinder's Die set that I borrowed at the same time. The ovals was cut with my Creative Memories oval cutter and matted on Pale Plum. I am so going to miss both these colours when I run out. The background was made using my SU French Script backgound stamp to reinforce the writing on the cross. I then used half pearls just to add some bling to flowers and the cross.

I was going to stamp Happy Easter on the inside but I think I will leave it blank for now. Looking at it, I realized it would also make a wonderful sympathy card for someone who was religious.

Challenges this Card Meets:

Creative Inspirations - Easter

Creative Inspirations - Easter (Yes, it's a different challenge blog)

Critter Challenge - Punches or Dies

Delightful Sketches - Easter

Papertake Weekly - Truly Dimensional (My Flower)

Pear Tree Design - Easter

The Best Things in Life are Chocolate

When I saw this image by Whimsy Doodles, I just knew that it was the perfect chocolate bunny. Personally I normally eat the ears off first but I wanted to be sure everyone knew it was a chocolate easter bunny so I used my scalloped circle Nesties to make the teeth marks. The sentiment was printed from my computer. Inside the card says Happy Easter. I thought it would be a good pick-me-up for a friend. I am the world's worst chocoholic. It's a good thing there is no 12 step program for chocolate addicts.

Challenges this Card Meets:

Cards for Men - Easter

Creative Inspirations - Easter

Delightful Sketches - Easter

Do You Stack Up - Scallops

Phindy's - Easter

Bella Easter Wishes

I'm in a real purple and green kick, which is strange. I almost never reach for purple but the Easter basket seemed to work in purple and it just snowballed from there. Oh well, it fits with this week's Bellarific Friday Challenge to make an Easter Card. The sketch came from this week's Critter Sketch Challenge. I will definitely use this one again.

Now I really should get back to work. Must finish my paperwork this week!

Additional Challenges this Card Meets:
The Pixie Cottage - Easter
Simon Says - Anything Goes
Paper Sundaes - Stripes
Tuesday Throwdown - Use Scraps (I'm using up my big pile of green scraps. I still haven't cut a base yet.)
Fab N Funky - Make it Girly

Happy Easter

I love the Dustin Pike images but often don't have time to colour them. I just got new SU markers though and wanted to put them through their paces. I would love to get some Copics but this is such a big improvement over the Crayola, I was using that I'm thrilled. Normally I use Prismas but I love the vibrancy of markers.

The DP is from a large package from Coscto that DH gave to me for Christmas. Squares and image are distressed at the edges with close to cocoa to make them stand out since I used pastels in the paper and images and wanted them to stand out a bit. It's also hard to see but the sky and the grass on the image are also sponged in bashful blue and certainly celery.

I really debated putting on flower embellishments but decided that by leaving them off, I could keep the card CAS and more child appropriate. I can now give it to DS from a certain bunny on Sunday.

Challenges this card meets:
Inspirational Card Sketches - Challenge 60
Dustin Pike - Easter
Charisma Cardz Challenges - Animal Magic
Colour Create Challenge - Your choice of pastels with an Easter or Spring theme
Everybody Art - Spring
Fussy and Fancy - Easter
Lexi's Creations - Easter
Papertake Weekly - Anything Goes
The Pink Elephant - Pastels