You gotta kiss a LOT of frogs....

Here is my entry for this weeks TCP Tuesday challenge. Leigh O'Brien was this weeks "Hostess with the Mostess" and she gave us an awesome color challenge to use. The challenge colors are below and they are simply divine together.

I made this card with a co-worker in mind. She is all of 21 years old and she is getting harassed by her family who keeps asking her why she isn't married yet (at one point, they even asked her if she was gay). All I know is that at 21, I was a L-O-N-G way away from wanting to settle down and get married. When I think of the caliber of the guys out there that were in my age group? NO WAY! I just don't understand why her own family is making her feel bad (she was actually in tears talking to me). My advise to her was that she needs to kiss a lot of frogs before she will eventually find her Prince Charming and that she will find him some day. I'm hoping that this will bring a smile to her face.

I inked up "Frog Prince" and stamped him multiple times on Shimmery White cardstock. I masked off his crown using good old post it notes and used my handy dandy Stamp-a-ma-jig to get the placement exactly right (with the right tools, I can do ANYTHING....LOL)! I colored in the frogs using a few of the Copic markers that I do own and then added a little Diamond Stickles to their little frog bellies for a little shimmer. I then watercolored the background of the frog panel with Soft Sky reinker and then matted with Old Olive cardstock. The "Frog Prince" main focal image was also colored with Copics, but he also received a little extra treatment with my Copic Spica glitter pens (to make him really stand out from the others). I doodled a little dot border around him to make the image pop a little further. He was matted with a Ruby Red scalloped heart.

The card base is Soft Sky that has been stamped with the Linen background with Soft Sky ink. I then overstamped the background with the "Balls" stamp from TCP. I just love the soft, textural feel that stamping these two backgrounds adds to the card. I cut off about 3/4 of an inch from the right side of the card to add a little visual interest. I then made a scalloped edge with my corner rounder and added some Ruby Red eyelets using my Crop-O-Dile. Inside the card reads "Frogs. Princes. I've kissed them all". How very true this is!

And speaking of a handsome prince.....here is a picture of my oldest son at his Kindergarten graduation! He may be a little young for my co-worker, but I know that he'll make someone very happy someday (after all, his mama is raising his right!)!




Thanks for stopping by! I'll be posting some ATCs that I've made in the past few weeks within the next few days. I hosted a TCP swap and I was really pleased with the ATCs that I came up with (but I want my fellow swappers to see them first).



Card Recipe:
Stamps: Frog Prince, Balls (both from The Cats Pajamas), Linen (SU)
Cardstock: Shimmery White, Soft Sky, Ruby Red, Old Olive
Ink: Black Staz-On, Soft Sky
Other: Aquapainter, Fresh Favorites I eyelets (SU), Pewter Hodgepodge (SU), Soft Sky stitched ribbon (SU), Nestabilities (sm and lg rectangles, plain and scalloped hearts), small corner rounder, Crop-o-dile

Yankee Doodle Sprinkle

ETA: Kitty wanted to know how I got the colors so perfectly placed on Sprinkle. I actually stamped Sprinkle twice. Once in Brilliant Blue and once in Basic Black. I cut out Sprinkles little vest and glued it in place with my Quickie glue pen. Sprinkles hat was also cut out and popped up on a dimensional. I used Christmas red stickles over the blue striped areas of the hat (the red covers the blue beautifully) and added diamond stickles to the stars in the hat. Hope this helps!

ETA2: Hey, I just saw that you can click on the picture to make it bigger on this particular card. So you CAN see all of the bling and sparkle. Don't know if I did anything diffeent or if it has always been this way. LOL!

I made this for Leigh's challenge on her blog for The Cats Pajamas. Leigh is the hipster hostess this week and has an awesome sketch for us to try! Leigh is always such an inspiration, and if you don't already visit her blog, I encourage you to do so.

I'm hosting an ATC swap over on Splitcoaststampers for fellow The Cats Pajamas lovers. I've been playing with my Patriotic Sprinkle stamp for the ATC that I'm creating and couldn't resist using her this week (after all, who can resist Sprinkle when she is all dolled up in Red, White, and Blue?). I didn't follow Leigh's sketch exactly but I think it still works. I just couldn't bear to cover up all that gorgeous Doodlebug glittered cardstock and the intricate lace cardstock from KI Memories.

Spinkles hat and vest were both stamped in Brilliant Blue and then cut out carefully. I then stamped Sprinkle in Basic Black on a Shimmery White circle that was cut out with my Nestabilities. The hat is colored with Christmas Red and Diamond stickles for some serious sparkle power and popped up on a dimensional. Her little bow tie also has some stickles too. The fireworks were colored with my Copic Spica glitter pens.

I wish the picture would show all of the beautiful shimmer and sparkle! Thanks for stopping by!



Card Recipe:
Stamps: Patriotic Sprinkle, Frisky 4th, Fireworks (all from The Cats Pajamas)
Ink: Basic Black, Real Red, Brilliant Blue
Cardstock: Shimmery White (SU), Ladybug, Blue Jean, Lily White (Sugar Coated cardstock Doodlebug Design), Stars Lace Cardstock (KI Memories)
Other: Star Brads (retired SU), star punch, key tag punch, Circle Nesties, Copic Spica glitter pens, Christmas Red and Diamond stickles, silver cord (retired)