The One with a New Batch of CARDS Challenge Cards

Here are the next five cards for the CARDS challenges I make up every week on the Create: Blog!

Challenge for 2.23.12 - Girls Night Out

GNO CARD

Note: What's important about March 23rd 2012? That's when The Hunger Games movie comes out! That definitely calls for a GNO.

How to: Stitch a border around a pink checkered paper card base using brown thread then stitch three sets of three crosses on the edges. Die cut concentric flowers from white cardstock, layer them together with foam adhesive, push a yellow fabric brad into the middle, then adhere it to the card off-center. Tuck green felt leaves under both sides of the flower. Stamp the date in brown ink on a chipboard banner and tuck it under the flower. Trim a gray tag and adhere it under the banner then place blue "GNO" alphabet stickers on top. Add a dash of small and large pearls over the right side to finish.

Supplies: Cardstock, patterned paper, paper leaves, chipboard banner, tag, date stamp, adhesive: American Crafts; Fabric button: Crate Paper; Felt leaves: Fancy Pants Designs; Pearls: K & Company (small), Pebbles (large); Alphabet stickers: October Afternoon; Floss: DMC; Ink: StazOn; Sewing machine: Brother; Thread: Coats & Clark; Die cut machine (Cameo), flower dies (Silhouette): QuicKutz
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Challenge for 3.1.12 - Quilt-Inspired

HAPPY BDAY CARD

How to: Punch a bunch of 1" squares from patterned paper then trim them all in half diagonally. Arrange the triangles in a pattern inspired by a quilt then adhere them across a green cardstock card base; trim any excess. Set an epoxy brad or epoxy wooden button on the center of each paper cluster. Tuck a chipboard sentiment banner under the epoxy brad and add yellow mini alphabet stickers below to finish the sentiment. Tuck two banner stickers under one of the epoxy wooden buttons to embellish.

Tip: To make arranging and moving the trio of paper clusters easier, I adhered them on scrap cardstock first and cut around them so they were like die cuts.

Supplies: Cardstock, patterned paper, epoxy brad, wooden epoxy buttons, chipboard sentiment banner, banner stickers, adhesive: American Crafts; Mini alphabet stickers: Cosmo Cricket; Square punch: Marvy Uchida
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Challenge for 3.8.12 - Confetti

SURPRISE CARD

How to: Die a star from white cardstock then trace and cut it out from a piece of transparency packaging material. Punch star confetti from a bunch of patterned papers and set it aside. Start stitching the stars (the transparency on top of the cardstock) onto the center of a yellow cardstock card base using aqua thread; before going all the way around, stuff the confetti into the star pocket then finish sewing. Sew a straight line from each "dip"of the star to the card edge. Add lines of pearls and jewels beside the straight line stitching. Die cut a banner from blue patterned paper, layer a chipboard star on top, notch the ends of an orange sentiment sticker, place it on the star, then adhere the entire banner to the center of the confetti star.

Supplies: Cardstock, patterned paper, chipboard star, sentiment sticker, transparency packaging material, adhesive: American Crafts; Jewels, pearls: Mark Richards; Star confetti punch: Martha Stewart Crafts; Die cut machine (Cameo), dies (banner, star) (Silhouette): QuicKutz; Sewing machine: Brother; Thread: Coats & Clark
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Challenge for 3.15.12 - St. Patrick's Day

KISS ME CARD

How to: Drop two colors of green spray mist across a a cream lined paper card base. Die cut a shamrock from green cardstock. Punch scalloped borders from a bunch of green patterned papers then use the borders to cover the cardstock shamrock; trim the excess. Place a line of glue around the edge of the shamrock then carefully press green baker's twine into the glue; let it dry completely. Die cut a banner from cream cardstock, set a green chipboard bow in the middle, then place green mini alphabet stickers on either side of the chipboard bow to make a sentiment. Add a light green baker's twine bow on top of the chipboard bow, accent the baker's twine bow with a green pearl, then adhere the entire banner across the middle of the shamrock. Use a strong adhesive to glue the shamrock to the front of the card.

Supplies: Cardstock, chipboard bow, adhesive: American Crafts; Patterned paper: American Crafts, Crate Paper, Echo Park Paper Co., Scenic Route Paper Co. (lined), Studio Calico; Pearl: Pebbles; Mini alphabet stickers: Cosmo Cricket; Baker's twine: The Twinery; Spray mist: Studio Calico; Scalloped border punch: Fiskars; Die cut machine (Cameo), dies (banner, shamrock) (Silhouette): QuicKutz

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Challenge for 3.22.12 - Vintage Floral Paper

BEST. DAY. EVER. CARD

How to: One of my friends/In-House Designers at American Crafts has a new blog called Nifty Swank.  Her most recent post was a collage of vintage floral designs that I melted over:

 I am SO into vintage florals right now. So I printed off her image and then punched a butterfly from each circle. Adhere the butterflies in a 4 x 3 grid on the front of a gray cardstock card base. Take off one of the butterflies to make room for a sentiment later. Stitch a line using aqua thread down each row of butterflies then slightly bend up the wings. Embellish the center of a few of the butterflies with a trio of pearls or an epoxy wooden button. Punch a butterfly from white cardstock, stamp a sentiment on it in brown ink, then adhere it to the empty space using a pop dot.

Supplies: Cardstock, epoxy wooden buttons, sentiment stamp, adhesive: American Crafts; Patterned paper: Printed from http://niftyswank.blogspot.com/2012/02/vintage-florals.html by Clairice Gifford; Pearls: Mark Richards; Ink: StazOn; Butterfly punch: Martha Stewart Crafts; Sewing machine: Brother; Thread: Coats & Clark

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Anyone can play along with the challenges - so please do!