Save the Earth Fantabulous Cricut Crawl

Welcome to and the SEVENTH Fantabulous Cricut Crawl...Fantabulous Cricut's version of a Blog Hop!

In honor of our Home Planet, Mother Earth, we're having a "Save the Earth" Crawl...each Design Team member will be featuring an original Upcycled-Themed Project that includes at least one Reuseable/Recycled Item along with at least ONE Cricut Cut.

I'm the  first designer on the hop today and want to thank you all for joining us today!!!  If you came here from  FCCB, you're in the right place! If you've just happened across my blog and would like to play along with our Fantabulous Cricut Crawl, start with FCCB so you can catch a sneak peek of all the projects as well as to see how to win some great prizes along the way!!!

Make sure to check out each DT member's blog for some awesome inspiration! There will be PRIZES along the way at our DT members' blogs, AND there will be a Grand Prize up for grabs at FCCB for one participant that submits a "Save the Earth" project at FCCB!

How fun is that?

For my project I decided to finally make the dog treat holder that I've been saving this plastic beef jerky bin for, forever!  I have lots of pics and I'm sorry to bore you with them, but I couldn't find an easy way to photograph a cylinder! ;) LOL  I have pics from start to finish so I will post them here and list the details below for anyone who's interested.  If you want to get on over to the next stop on the hop, I don't mind, but be sure to read about how to win some blog candy from me! ;)

 Top of Jerky Bin to be converted to Dog Treat Holder

 Yep, been meaning to make this project for about a year now LOL 

 Karen Foster paper, cut down to size

 Closeup of label - Tim Holtz Coredinations Cardstock w/Kraft Core from Nostalgic Collection, Quickutz Embossing Folder, sanded down with emery board to show the polka dots (notice the Kraft core peeking through?)

Full shot of label with paw prints from This & That Cricut Cartridge, Font from Martha Stewart BDay Cake Cartridge 

 Notice the cute texture behind the "Doggy Treats", used A2 Quickutz Polka Dots embossing folder

 Added a couple of paw prints

I left a space in the back to see how full the treat bin is at all times so we don't run out! ;) 

I just had to add ribbon to the top and then I thought this adorable dog collar sticker from Karen Foster went perfectly with it!  The "newsletter" stickers for my dogs names are also from Karen Foster.

Full Deets:  I used Karen Foster Designs Dog Scrapbook Kit for the background doggy treat paper, and all of the stickers (dog names (Oso, Lexi, and Bella) and collar).  For the first time in a long time I did NOT use pop dots because I wanted this to be pretty, but practical and pop dots would cause hangups.  I did decide to add some nice deep red ribbon from Stampin' Up to finish off the sides of the lid as well as using Offray ribbon in black for the top and bottom of the 3 1/2" x 12" label that has the paw prints and "Doggy Treats" on it.  I loved distressing the Tim Holtz Kraft-Core Coordinations card stock with my emery board from Basic Grey.  The Kraft core came through so nicely!  Sorry for the dark photos there... It's 2:00 AM and I couldn't find the right lighting. :p  I inked the edges of everything with Cat's Eye ink from ColorBox in Dark Brown and/or Blackbird.  I used red tape, ATG, Craft Essentials Glue (Joann's), and Adhesive Tech for my adhesives.  I was really wanting to use my glue gun (for the first time), but I was too lazy to get it out and mess with it.   For the paw prints, I didn't cut them deep enough on my Cricut, which worked out well because it gave me a guideline instead to color in the paw prints and add some details with my black Zig pen and white gelly roller.  I also used my black Zig pen to outline the "Doggy Treats" letters because they just weren't popping against that red background.  I used the other side of the Tim Holtz paper for the letters themselves and I used Cricut Craft Room to design them, moved them til they were touching and welded them.  Much easier than adding letter by letter, right? ;)  Ok, now that I've bored you with all the details, on to the good stuff! :)

Blog Candy:  I will be offering some blog candy today and all you have to do to win is please become a follower and leave a comment.  In your comment please note if you are an old or new follower and leave a way for me to contact you please in case you are the lucky winner!  I only give candy away to people who take the time to become a follower and hopefully a friend!!! ;)  Winner will be randomly drawn.  I will give everyone a full week to enter so I will post the winner next Tuesday!

You will get these five stamps if you are the winner! :)  Aren't they cute?  Of course, I got a set for myself too! ;) LOL  

Now it's your turn! Let's see your Upcycled-Themed projects! Make sure to include a Cricut Cut somewhere on your project and please note what cartridge(s) you used  so we can count you in for the prizes!

Next stop... Amy's blog, Redheaded Crafter. Go see what she has in store for you today... And when you're done, make sure to link up your project to FCCB's Fantabulous Cricut Crawl post to be entered into the contest!

Happy Crawling!


P.S.  I will be drawing winners from my St. Patty's Day hops this week.  So sorry for the delay, my friends!!! I just got some new goodies in to share with you so i hope it was worth the wait!!! ;)

Dilly Beans Friday Challenge - Pastel Palette (A Little Late)

Hi Sweet Friends,

It's time for another Friday challenge from the awesome Dilly Beans Challenge Blog!  I'm sorry I'm so  late in my posting.  I am going to put the projects I've made here as I finish them up.  I have one to share with you right now and will have either one or two more later today!  Since I am late in my posting, Megan might not have these up yet on the challenge blog, but I would encourage you to go there anyways and see the amazing projects the DT has created.  They are seriously pretty!  (I've already peeked.) ;0)  I would also highly suggest visiting the STORE as Megan has lots of darling new images for sale and  a great SALE going on until May 1st!!!  OMG, I can't wait to get all the new ones!  Wish me luck on becoming a DT member!  I'm still pushing for it. ;)

The first project I have is one that I had given you a sneak peek of during the Easter challenge for Dilly Beans.  I have it all finished up finally and it fits our Pastel Palette challenge perfectly! :)

#392 Amalia Easter Bunny

For this project I used the Amalia Easter Bunny from Dilly Beans, an egg cut from Doodlecharms (Cricut Cartridge), butterfly brads, an adhesive pearl gem, and purple polka dot ribbon from Creative Charms, paper from Stampin' Up and my stash, twine from My Craft Spot.  I colored my image with colored pencils and finished off the project by inking the edges with dark brown Cat's Eye ink.  

Thank you all for stopping by today!  I hope you enjoy my project.  It was super fun to create, now I'm off to the next one! ;)

XO ~ Amy Jo

P.S.  Since you're here, leave a comment! ;)

FCCB Challenge Me Monday's #107 - April Showers (LATE POST)

Hello my sweet and wonderful friends!  Thank you all so much for hanging in there with me and leaving such nice comments for me.  :)  Sorry I've been so out of touch!  Same ol' Fibro stuff going on and just hanging on over here by a thread, but your support truly keeps me going!  I appreciate all my new followers too and thank you for following!  I apologize to my friends for not keeping up with responding to your comments and emails.  Please know, I do receive and read every single one and I will be getting back to everyone slowly, but surely. ;O)  It is super important that you know how much I love you all!

I have a fun, albeit late little project for you today that was actually supposed to be for last week's FCCB challenge, April Showers.  I got it done a few days after it was due and just decided to post it on the Wednesday Winner's post instead.  I am going to go ahead and enter it into a few challenges since I've posted it now. :)  I hope you enjoy it and I apologize for the crummy photos.  Without the flash it looked too dull and with the flash it looks too glossy, but I will post all the pics anyways, but keep in mind, it's much cuter in person. ;)  I actually made this for a friend of mine who is going through a very rough time.  I'll post the deets below for those that are interested. ;)

 Cricut Cartridges:  April Showers, A Child's Year, and 3 Birds on Parade

 Sentiment stamp is from CTMH and punched out with a Creative Memories double-punch.

 With Flash

Glossy Accents and Stickles

DEETS:   I was super excited to use A Child's Year for the first time, for the background shape of this card. There's some great shapes on that cartridge!  I used 3 Birds on Parade for the bird/umbrella/raindrops and April Showers for the clouds that I welded.  I designed it all in Cricut Craft Room.

All cardstock used was from my stash and most were from scraps!  For the background I really wanted it to look like rain coming down and found an awesome stamp in my collection that was perfect for this!  Notice all the white swirls in the background?  I don't know the stamp set off-hand, but if anyone wants to know what it is just leave a comment and I'll look it up for you. ;)  I also used a CTMH stamp set that I bought online and I am in love with this set!!!  I'm in bed at the moment and can't remember the name of it either, but again, am happy to look it up. ;)

I did a lot of little doodles and extras on this card with gelly rollers, ink, Glossy Accents, and Stickles.  I decided the bird looked too plain so I gave him a funky little 'do and some eyelashes too. ;)  I popped things up with foam dots to add some depth and there ya have it!  

Thanks so much for stopping in today and since you're here, why don't ya leave a comment?  I'd love to hear from you! :)

XO ~ Amy Jo

Challenges I'm entering:

Victorine Stamps - #32 Anything Goes
Papertake Weekly - April Showers

Teacher Thank You Gifts Blog Hop - April 15th

***For my latest Guest Design post for Dilly Beans please click HERE.***

Hello my lovely friends!  Thanks so much for stopping by today and joining us for the Teacher Thank You Gifts Blog Hop hosted by the talented and lovely Dena of The Unknown, Entertaining Mind of Miss Dena Jones.  If you've arrived here from Jamie's Blog, then you are in the right spot!  If you just happened upon my blog today please start at the beginning with Dena so you don't miss out on any of the fun and prizes!

Teacher Appreciation Week this year begins on May 7th and ends on May 11th.  If you're looking for some teacher thank you gift ideas, you've come to the right place!  Each of the designers in today's hop is sharing a wonderful gift idea for a teacher.  We hope you have fun hopping with us while picking up some great ideas!

For my project today I decided to make an altered composition notebook to go with a card that I had posted last year (shown below) so I can sell them as a set!  I have no kids and no teachers so I have no need for these items, but nonetheless I had so much fun creating them!  If you are interested in purchasing them, please let me know.  They will be added to my STORE if I don't hear from anyone. ;)

 Card from last year's FCCB post.

Inside of card.

For details of the card please go to THIS POST.

For the notebook, I thought the background of the notebook could actually look pretty cool without having to cover it with paper so I just added to it rather than covering it up completely. Please click the pics for enlargement.  I used the Makin' the Grade Cricut cartridge as well as the Imagine More Cards cartridge (for the notebook paper).  I was stoked to find out that Imagine More Cards had a perfect notebook paper print because it comes in handy for so many projects!  I will post further details below the pics if you are interested.

 Full Cover

 Vellum tag in bottom right corner

Details:  Wow, I used a lot of little elements here.  Let's see if I can remember where they all came from! ;0) LOL  - I used several elements from this package I won from Julie at A Little Bit of Bling (note the stickers on the left.

From my stash I used, an apple & class notes sticker from Sandylion, a scrap of ribbon, shiny red brads and blue and red cardstock.  I used Lime Green Stickles for the leaf and stem of the apple, Colorbox Blackbird ink for the edges, Bo Bunny buttons and Doodlebug twine.

Thanks so much for joining us today!  Now you are off to Cely's Blog to see what she has created for us today.

XO ~ Amy Jo

P.S.  If you're here, please leave a comment!  I love to hear from you all!

Kristin's $100 Giveaway

Since you're here, I'd love it if you would scroll down one post for my latest Guest Design creations for Dilly Beans. Thanks!!!

$100 giveaway??? I know, right!!!  OMGoodness,  well this is what drew me to Kristin's Blog, but once I was there I was AMAZED at her work!  She has some major talent and wicked skills!  ;0)  Seriously friends, check out her blog, become a follower and post about this giveaway to be entered to win.  While you're there scroll over some of her previous posts.  Trust me, you'll be happy you did!  I know I'm inspired!  Thanks Kristin for the chance to win and for sharing your amazing creations with us!!!

XO ~ Amy Jo

P.S.  Tell her who sent ya! ;)

Dilly Beans Friday Challenge - Shades of Pink and Black

Hi Friends,

I am so sorry I haven't been able to do a whole lot of anything this past week.  I have had a migraine since Easter and it is just not letting up!!!

I'm super excited about my 2nd Guest Design post for Dilly Beans Challenge Blog and actually got two cards created late last night!!! Just in time for the challenge. ;)  Our challenge this week is "Shades of Pink & Black".  For this challenge I have used the #352 Heart-Flowers Border, #348 - Amalia's Daisy, #374 Flowers & Love, and #263 Zombie Girl with Bow.  I hope you enjoy my cards and will join us on the Challenge Blog!

Click on any of the links above to go to the Dilly Beans Store!

 Zombie Girl with Bow

3 different digis used here - Amalia with Daisy, Hearts & Flowers Border and Flowers & Love (the words)

For my projects today I used a few different mediums; Copics, colored pencils, Zig pens, Stickles glitter glue,  Creative Memories pens and my white gelly roller .  The first project is made with two different zebra print cardstocks from Recollections.  I used the black/white zebra print for the background to frame Zombie Girl and the pink on pink zebra print for the main part of the card.  It's nice because when it opens, it's a solid pink inside so you don't have to put another layer on the inside of the card if you don't want to!  I used two strips of ribbon from my stash to put behind the framed digi stamp and then added some Making Memories gunmetal brads for a little "rock 'n' roll" bling. ;)  I also added some black rhinestones to polish it off.  For the image itself, I used several shades of pink, along with silver, black, gray tones.  I drew the little spirals with my zig pen and added a little shading to the bow with a silver Creative Memories gelly pen. I added some more eyelashes to her upper lids and added some doodles to the heart hanging down from her.  

For Dilly Beans images I don't like to clutter up the card with lots of embellishments and additions because the images are so great that I don't want anything to detract from them.  That's why these cards seem more simple than some of my other creations.  The images are so much fun to color and for a while I was trying to be so perfect with it, then I decided to just PLAY!!!  That's one thing we should all remember from time to time. ;)  I've decided that my imperfections make it my own, you know?

If you haven't been to see the team's projects yet, OMGoodness you are in for a special treat.  These ladies are so talented and I always get inspiration from their projects. I would also like to say a quick thank you to the teammates who stopped by to say "hi" last week.  I really appreciate it. ;)

For my second project I used a hot pink cardstock from Recollections as the card base and added a polka dotted background from Echo Park.  I inked my edges with Blackbird Cat's Eye ink.  I had colored my Hearts/Flowers border with Copics and my white gelly roller and placed it next, using a Zig 2-way Glue Pen.  Then I decided to use Stickles on the Amalia's Daisy image rather than coloring the flower traditionally.  I used Fruit Punch and Silver Stickles for her flower and used a combo of Copics/Zig Pens for coloring her hair, face and adding polka dots to  her dress.  I decided to pop her up off the border and added the sentiment "Love Grows in my Garden" with pop dots as well.  I'm very pleased with the combination of these digis.  I thought they were perfect together! ;)  Hope you enjoy them as much as I have. :0)

Thank you all so very much for stopping by today!  Since you're here, please leave a comment.  I'd love to hear from you!

Thanks again to the lovely ladies of Dilly Beans for letting me join in on their fun!  Don't forget to check out the challenge and link up your projects too!!!

XO ~ Amy Jo

Challenges I'm entering:

TPE - #143 - Flowers (Card #2)
Use It Tuesday - #29 - Anything Goes - Everything listed in the details (body of the post) is from my stash!
Forever Night - Freaky Friday Wicked Challenge (Card #1)

Hippity Hoppity Easter's On Its Way! - Blog Hop April 7 & 8th

*PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR THE "ALL SPORTS BLOG HOP"*

*PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR MY GUEST DESIGN POST & CHALLENGE FOR DILLY BEANS*

Happy Easter everybody and welcome to Day 2 of the Hippity Hoppity Blog Hop by Lisa of HoneyBearz Designs!  You should have arrived here from Cindy, but if you just happened upon my blog today be sure to go back and start at the beginning, as this is a 'HOP' after all! ;0)  We are so happy you could join us today!

I'm super egg-cited to show you some of the Easter projects I have been working on.  Everyone that knows me, knows how much I love a great holiday just for the excuse to make some more cards or crafts. I found some great inspiration on the hop yesterday and decided to try out my very first side-step card.  OMGosh, I had soooo much fun making this!  I wasn't feeling well and almost didn't do it, but I had an image in my head and just had to go through with it.  I'm so very happy I did! :0)

Details for this project are below the pictures.  (Click the pics for enlarged images.)

Fort this card I used the Cricut Craft Room software.  I love that program when it works! ;)  I have no problem on my Expression, but my Imagine is another story. ;p  I used Create-A-Critter, Doodlecharms, Ultimate Series Creative Sampler, and Kate's ABCs (for the first time!).  I think I need to get a Jukebox for the Cricut because switching out four cartridges and waiting for them to load takes a while.  Not all of them can link to the Cricut Craft Room for some odd reason.  Does anyone out there own a Jukebox and if so do you like it?

All the papers and cardstock are from my stash so I don't know the paper lines, unfortunately.  I used several layers for everything and I'm so pleased with the effect.  I decided to try out a bit more doodling than usual too and I think it turned out well.  I used a brown Marvy Memories pen.  I inked the papers with my Cat's Eye ink in Dark Brown and stamped the "Hoppy Easter" sentiment (Making Memories) with Basic Black by Stampin' Up.  Of course I added lots of pop dots and some blue/white twine from My Craft Spot.  I cannot  believe how quickly this card came together!  Normally it takes me forever to make a simple card and with this being my first side-step, I was amazed!  I hope you all like it as much as I do. ;)

Thanks so much for joining us today, sweet friends and be sure to head over to Shelly Lynn - KC Croppers as she is the next stop on this bunny hop!  If you get lost, I have posted the entire lineup below.

1. Lisa Pontious ~ http://honeybearzdesigns2011.blogspot.com/

2. Kristy - http://scraptasticalkreations.blogspot.com

3. Scrappin Madge - http://www.scrappinmadge.blogspot.com/

4. Ashley - http://theglamoroussideofscrapping.blogspot.com

5. Haidee- http://created2bunique.blogspot.com/

6.Cindy - http://www.cindys-greencricut.blogspot.com/

7. Amy Jo - http://lv2scrapandfibrofacts.blogspot.com - Me

8. Shelly Lynn - http://kccroppers.blogspot.com - Next

9. Liz - http://scrapiliciouslife.blogspot.com

10.Jamie - http://thesassyprincess.blogspot.com

11. Diana - http://daisylovecreations.blogspot.com

Happy Easter Everybody!!!
Amy Jo

P.S.  I will add the challenges I am entering later...

All Sports Blog Hop - April 7th & 8th

***PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR THE HIPPITY HOPPITY BLOG HOP***

***PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR MY GUEST DESIGN POST FOR DILLY BEANS & CHALLENGE***

Good morning fabby friends and sportsters!  Welcome to Day 1 of the All Sports Blog Hop hosted by the talented Carla of Racin Crafts!  If you've arrived here from Lluvia then you are in the right spot!  If you just happened upon my blog today, be sure to go back to Carla's Blog as you don't want to miss out on any of the awesome projects and prizes for this hop!

This is a two day blog hop so please come back tomorrow to see all the projects the talented ladies in this hop have made. Make sure that you comment on everyone’s posts and follow everyone to be eligible for the Candy that was donated by our fabulous sponsor Ginger Snap Scraps  make sure you hop over and say hello there too.

First off, I must tell you, I don't have a sporty bone in my body and neither does anyone in my family!  Ok, well, maybe my oldest brother, but that doesn't really count. :p  LOL  My hubby (thank goodness) and I are simply not sports fanatics; however, if there is a live game in Denver, of any type, we'll pretty much go to it just for the beer and food!  ;)  Ok, well, maybe not the beer so much anymore, but hey!  It's fun anyways! :0)  My favorite sport is figure skating with hockey being the next one.  I still can't figure out all the rules of football and I'm certainly sports-challenged!  At this point you're probably asking why I'm in this hop... Just because I'm not into sports doesn't mean I don't like making projects that are sporty!  I have tons of awesome stuff in my stash so I figured this would be the perfect reason to use it! :0)

For my project today I have created a altered notebook for my father-in-law.  Apparently he loves all sports so I thought this would be perfect for him!  I used a notebook that I won as blog candy from the lovely Ellen, of Card Monkey and a kit I received (for FCCB originally) sponsored by Boys Rule.  Friends from Canada, that site is for you!  The owner is awesome and her kits are super generous!  If you have boys or any men in your life, these kits truly do rule!!! :0)

My project is super simple, but I think it's quite fun and perfect for Dad-in-law!  I cut out the star-badge thingy (it's 2:00 AM, brain isn't working) on the Cricut previously and then I used two chipboard dies that were included with the kit.  The paper for the badge thing is from the kit as well and so is the awesome brown twine.  It's like leathery, not fabricy.  Hmmm...like my adjectives here?  Whew, it's been a reallllllyyyyy lonnnnnnnggggg day! :0) LOL  Forgive me... ;)  The "Dad" letters are from an awesome shiny brown alphabet from the same kit.  I love how puffy they are!  I inked my edges and there you have it!

Thanks so much for bouncin by to see me today!  Now you're gonna roll on over to Laurie!  Don't forget to come back tomorrow!

XO ~ Amy Jo

Hippity Hoppity Easter's On Its Way! - Blog Hop April 7 & 8th

*PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR THE "ALL SPORTS BLOG HOP"*

*PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR MY GUEST DESIGN POST & CHALLENGE FOR DILLY BEANS*

Happy Easter everybody and welcome to Day 1 of the Hippity Hoppity Blog Hop by Lisa of HoneyBearz Designs!  You should have arrived here from Cindy, but if you just happened upon my blog today be sure to go back and start at the beginning, as this is a 'HOP' after all! ;0)  We are so happy you could join us today!

I'm super egg-cited to show you some of the Easter projects I have been working on.  Everyone that knows me, knows how much I love a great holiday just for the excuse to make some more cards or crafts.  I've been piddling around with digis as you all know and I bought some of the awesome limited digis from Simply Betty Stamps.  For those of you that do not know Betty, she can use all the support she can get right now, as she is struggling with a teenage son diagnosed with and fighting cancer.  OMGosh, can you even imagine?  I know how expensive cancer treatments are and every sale we help her with goes towards her son's treatment.  Ladies, this is a great way to help out a wonderful person with an amazing heart and amazing talent.  I am a HUGE fan of Betty's and I'm sure you will be too!  I ask that you go to her store and check out all of her amazing designs.  A lot of these are limited edition digis and once they're gone, they may not come back!  Get 'em while you can & while you're there, sign up for her newsletter and check out her blog/Facebook Fan Page.  It's the best way to keep up with the sales and knowing what's coming out and going back into the "vault".  I just happened upon there and was soooooooo lucky as the digi I used for today's project was only available for two or three days!!!  I couldn't resist!

I hope you will enjoy this project as much as I did, making it! ;)  I used Zig pens and colored pencils, notice she is holding a chocolate bunny with his ears bitten off! ;)  Click the pic for an enlarged picture.  I also used a white gelly roller for some highlights. :)

For this card I welded two oval shapes together with my Sure Cuts A Lot 2.0 software and used a scalloped oval from Clear Dollar Stamps or Clearly I Stamp.  I used a deep purple cardstock from my stash for the card background and the scallop, along with background paper from Stampin' Up (if you visit Jill, please let her know Amy Jo sent you).  I used pearls from Creative Charms.  They're having a HUGE sale right now!  I inked the papers with my Cat's Eye ink in Dark Brown.

Thanks so much for joining us today, sweet friends and be sure to head over to Shelly Lynn - KC Croppers as she is the next stop on this bunny hop!  If you get lost, I have posted the entire lineup below.

1. Lisa Pontious ~ http://honeybearzdesigns2011.blogspot.com/

2. Kristy - http://scraptasticalkreations.blogspot.com

3. Scrappin Madge - http://www.scrappinmadge.blogspot.com/

4. Ashley - http://theglamoroussideofscrapping.blogspot.com

5. Haidee- http://created2bunique.blogspot.com/

6.Cindy - http://www.cindys-greencricut.blogspot.com/

7. Amy Jo - http://lv2scrapandfibrofacts.blogspot.com - Me

8. Shelly Lynn - http://kccroppers.blogspot.com - Next

9. Liz - http://scrapiliciouslife.blogspot.com

10.Jamie - http://thesassyprincess.blogspot.com

11. Diana - http://daisylovecreations.blogspot.com

Happy Easter & please come back tomorrow for new projects!!!
Amy Jo

Dilly Beans Friday Challenge - Easter

Good morning all my wonderful and thoughtful bloggy friends,

How much I love you all - old friends and new friends, alike.  I have been overwhelmed by your kind words and honest replies to my posts lately.  Bless you all.  I still want to write a follow-up post, but have been very happily busy actually crafting a little more lately so that comes first for now.  I haven't forgotten I need to draw a blog candy winner for the St. Patty's day hop as well.  Sorry for my tardiness!  To my friend, Leanne, I have not forgotten about you either and to several of my friends, I have cards to get out to you as well.  It's all here on my mind, I just haven't had the cooperation with my body yet, but I'll get there and want you all to know I never forget the kindness you have all shown me in so many different ways, be it cards and gifts or comments and emails.  I appreciate it all. :)

First off I just have to say thank you to Megan for her sheer awesomeness and amazing talent that inspires me to no end!  Thanks for giving me the opportunity to join your team for the month of April and possibly more. ;)  And thank you for being so incredibly sweet and understanding when it comes to my Fibro.

Today I am super excited as it's my first Friday Guest Design spot for the lovely Megan and the talented gals at Dilly Beans Designers & Friday Challenge Blog.  As I mentioned in my earlier post, Megan had said I could do up to four projects for each challenge and believe it or not, I have actually accomplished that task (at least for this first challenge, still working on the others)! ;0)  My first two projects for the Easter Challenge are some of Dilly Beans' (DB) cute country style images.  The second two projects are some of the darling people images that are available in the STORE.  Okay, well one is actually not quite a person, it's a zombie bunny, but she has a personality all her own. ;0)

Let's get on to the projects, shall we?  Don't forget to click on the pics to see them in a larger format for better details.  Project details are listed below each individual project.

 Project 1 - Outside of card

 Project 1 - Outside Closeup

Project 1 - Inside of Card

For Project 1 I used the Posie Bunny digi stamp from DB, colored with Copics.  I'm very happy with the way this turned out.  I just decided to kind of play around with them and see what I could do.  I made the bow a peachy color with some lovely peony colored polka dots and I am just loving the way the floral bouquet turned out.  I had so much fun with this image!  I purchased a lot of my Copics from Fluorishes, LLC.  They have great sets of three or four Copics that won't cost you an arm and a leg, and it's a wonderful way to build your collection!  

The card itself, is cardstock from Recollections and the printed papers are from my stash.  I used a random basket rubber/wood stamp that I had on hand and stamped the image onto patterned paper, which I also used for the background of the inside of this card. I then fussy cut around the basket and also the inside of the basket.  I wanted the bunny to show through, so I cut out a window in the purple cardstock as well. Then I popped up the basket with some pop dots. I used a clear Easter egg stamp (all over) to make the background on the front of the card.  I stamped it, using a rainbow pad from Joann's.  The "Happy Easter" scroll stamp is one I found in the $1 bin at Michael's, inked with Stampin' Up Basic Black.  Perfect for many projects! I then added a bow to the basket from Really Reasonable Ribbon.  I always love buying my ribbon from them.  Fabulous company with great prices!  

For my second project, I decided to make a card that went with Project 1, so I used many of the same elements.  Again, please click the images to get a better idea of the details/colors.  The background of this card is actually a minty green from Recollections.

 Project 2 - Outside of Card

 Project 2 - Inside of Card, Left Side

 Project 2 - Inside of Card, Right Side

Project 2 - Inside of Card

For Project 2 I decided to use the "Hatching Chicky" from DB stamps.  I printed it out on white cardstock and OMGosh I was soooooo amazed at the line thickness and quality of these (all DB) images when I printed them!  I used my Copics again to color the egg and the chicky and used several different colors in the same family for both the egg and the chick, with a touch of gray for some shadowing.  This is a perfect image for Easter, as well as for many other occasions if you want to use it for one of those "Hey Chick" or "Popping up to See You" type of cards.

For this one, I used a green patterned paper from my stash to stamp the basket on and then I outlined it with my black Zig pen (did the same for Project 1) just to make it look a little sharper.  I fussy cut the basket and the window again with a craft knife (mine's from Doodlebug) and it surprisingly wasn't nearly as difficult or time-consuming as I thought it would be!  I popped up the basket again and then I added some orange Offray ribbon for the bow to finish it off.

Again, I stamped the background of the front of the card with that same clear egg stamp and I used two different shades of Martha Stewart ink.  Love the way it looks in person.  Sorry the pics don't quite do it justice.  I also inked around the edges of the card with the MS ink as well.

For the inside of the card I wanted to create my own sentiment so I used some darling stickers from Bo Bunny.  Can look up the exact sheet if you would like. ;0)  Behind the chicky I used a gorgeous paper from Stampin' Up because I just really wanted the yellow chicky head to stand out.  I love the combo of those colors together.  I inked my edges and then added the same Michael's stamp and the Dilly Beans Hatching Chicky image.

The 3rd Project was created using the first image I fell in love with from Dilly Beans, the Zombie Bunny.  OMG, I just LOVE her so very much!!!  I am so incredibly happy with the way this one turned out and I hope you will all love her as much as I do.  :0)  This is so out of my normal realm of images that I use for my projects and this is just the beginning of this style.  I have many more that I'm working with from DB and I have finally decided that it's ok to create things I love, without having to have a specific person in mind to send them to.  It took me a while to grasp that concept! LOL  

I decided to keep this project super simple and just let the image shine.  I went over paper after paper and layout after layout and decided that simple was simply  the best. ;)  Again, click the pics for a large image!  The colors are soooo fun!

 Project 3 - Outside of Card

Project 3 - Closeup of Image

Alrighty, for this lovely little Zombie Bunny I just had the best time coloring her!  I used a lavender/grey tone for her face, with olive green eyelids.  I used yellow and orange shades on her hair and her jacket is pink with purple.  The carrot has two shades of orange and two or three shades of green.  Her background has two shades of green and I used the colorless blender to give it a fun effect.  I decided to leave the black/white border as is and I fussy cut around the whole image. 

I didn't want to do anything to detract from the image so I chose papers that bring out every color.  I was stoked to see that I had papers that, to me, were so perfect for this project.  The three strips are all from Stampin' Up. (SU)  I tell you, I just adore their paper lines!  Stop over and say hi to Jill and please tell her Amy Jo (Courchaine) sent you!!!  She is a wonderful consultant!

The background of the card is again, that same mint green cardstock from Recollections and the layer on top of that is another green print I had in my stash (note it is the same line as the yellow from the Posie Bunny card and the green from the Hatching Chicky card).  I decided I wanted to distress it a bit so I used my emery board and roughed it all up, as well as inking it with my Martha Stewart ink.  I inked the actual cardstock as well.  The strips of SU paper were inked with Rust SU ink.

The inside of this card is still in progress...  I need some help here.  I want to make up a quirky "Little Bunny Foo-Foo" type of poem/sentiment, but haven't quite figured it out yet.  Doesn't she look like a perfect Little Bunny Foo Foo?  I mean, she was a little demented right? ;0) LOL  Thing is, I couldn't decide if this darling Zombie Bunny should be Little Bunny Foo Foo or if the Amalia Easter Bunny in the next project would make a better Little Bunny Foo Foo.  I'm almost thinking the Amalia one is too sweet to be dubbed that title though.  Help me decide friends!  I would LOVE to get your input and then I'll show you the inside after WE decide. ;)  Check out this next project and let me know what you think!

Sorry friends, got in a flare before I could finish Project 4 and decided instead to use it for one of the upcoming Dilly Beans challenges.  Look forward to that post later this month!!!  Here are the details (a teaser for you) of the project as well as a picture of the image I will be using for this project that way you can help me decide still for the Little Bunny Foo Foo question. :0)

 For Project 4 I used the brand new Amalia Easter Bunny!  OMG, did I squeal when I saw her in the store!!!  I'm not kidding, I emailed Megan immediately and said I MUST have her! LOL  Oh, I just fell in love with her darling little bunny body and I hope you all will too.  I did this one in colored pencil and I am very happy with the simplicity of that.

Again, I decided to "match" her to the Zombie Bunny card and will likely use the same paper lines and general colors for her.  I colored her in colored pencils and by no means, do I have any idea when it comes to shading and highlighting, but I still love her just the same.  (Hence the need for some classes here.) ;0)  I decided I didn't want to fussy cut her as close as I have been doing the other images because I thought she would look lovely with just a small border around her so I cut her with my scissors and just eyeballed the distance.  I'm very pleased with this effect!

Alright friends, now it's your turn to link up your projects at Dilly Beans Challenge Blog for your chance to win some free digis!.  I thank you all so very much for stopping by today and please do leave your comments.  Don't forget the Little Bunny Foo Foo conundrum!  Also, even if you don't enter the challenge at Dilly Beans Challenge Blog, I would love for you to stop by there and check out the amazingly talented designers work and leave some love there too and become a follower if you like what you see.  Tell them I sent ya!  One thing you really don't want to miss is the Dilly Beans Store so you can purchase some of these awesome images.  Megan's store is huge!  She has so many images, I was truly stunned!  Can't wait to hear what you all think & please come back here and tell me what you purchase if you do make a purchase!  Maybe, oh just maybe a little tiny bribe here I will do... ;0) -- If you purchase something from Dilly Beans and come back here and leave me a comment telling me what you bought, I will choose one or two random winners to pick out a card I have made that they would like to have.  It doesn't have to be these, it can be any one from my blog postings (as long as I still have them - or I can make a duplicate if you find one you really want).  How does that sound?  :0)

Have fun shopping and creating, my Darlings!

XO ~ Amy Jo

Challenges I'm entering:

Zombie Bunny Card - Beyond the Burtonesque Dolls - Rotten Eggs for a Wicked Easter Challenge