Pickle Post #42 - A Muse Studio Challenge - Hot Diggity DAD!

TO VIEW MY BLOG CANDY - CLICK HERE. Check it out - there's crafty fun stuff to be WON!

Hi there! How are you today, friends? :)

I am a little behind on my post for the current A Muse Studio Challenge, but I always say better late than never! The challenge theme is Father's Day. I have said before that masculine cards are NOT my forte', but I like the challenge. It makes it that much harder because my dad is not the easiest to create for. I aim for humor when I create for Dad and I thought my card turned out rather cute... *ahem* FUN. :) Here is what I created!

My Father's Day Card:

So my dad is a 'grill king' - this is what I call all men who master the art of the grill! He is not a hot dog eater, but 'Here's To The Burger King' isn't an A Muse sentiment YET. :) Still - isn't it fun? Gotta love the ketchup red and mustard yellow chevrons! I stamped this on kraft because it is eternally masculine AND I didn't have to color the hot dog buns. There is a method to my madness. :) The yellow pennant seemed to fit in perfectly. Since A Muse doesn't have 'Dad' as a sentiment, I took another stamp that said Happy BirthDAy and used the letters to create it as well as the exclamation point. Ah, the art of crafty improv!

Here is the inside of the card:

See the beer foam? That's Le Pouf, a dimensional 'paint' that puffs when you heat it! LOVE that stuff - great for Santa hats and snow on Christmas cards, too! :)

Stuff I Used (All A Muse Studio Products):
Stamps - Hey, Man!, Say It With Style, Birthday Greetings (letters used for DAD)
Cardstock - Kraft,Buttercup, Cherry
Ink - Papaya, Cherry, Memento Tuxedo Black
Copics - hot dogs Y17, R24 beer E33, E37
Other Stuff - Cupcake Toppers Dies, Le Pouf Dimensional Paint

I hope you will enter your Father's Day creations into the challenge - you don't have to use A Muse products, but if you do, you get two entries per link! So come on over and join in the fun for your chance to win some A Muse goodies of your very own!

Thanks so much for stopping by! I really appreciate you being here! :)

Pickle Post #41 - Picklelicious Candy for My Blog Birthday!

Hi there! Happy Sunday to everyone! :) It's my Blog Birthday TODAY!

Hard to believe it's been a year since I embarked on my blogging journey. To thank all of you for your sweet comments and kind support, I am giving away some 'Share Crafty Love & Pickles' blog candy! :)

My goal has always been to increase my base of crafty friends (I do consider my followers as my friends!) and just have fun with my blog. I don't want a center stage spot in the crafting world - I just love being a part of the crafting world! Making new friends and sharing creative ideas with other artists is most important to me - cuz THAT is what we are - ARTISTS.  :) And who doesn't love some kudos along the way?

I would be over the moon if you would help me spread the word and meet new friends by posting my candy to your blog or wherever your crafty friends are. I am opening this to my international friends because I have many of them too! :) Hooray!

If I can double my follower base in the next 30 days, everyone will get double the chances to win! If you can't follow me through Google, you can sign up for my posts via e-mail - let me know if you follow or subscribe to my posts in your comments. If you post the candy to your blog or somewhere else like Facebook to give your crafty friends the chance to win, please leave me a comment and that will give you extra chances as well.  

Sharing the candy will help you win! I will choose the winner on Sunday, July 8.
I will post birthday cards throughout the next few weeks to celebrate, so watch for those posts as well.

I just really appreciate each and every one of you - there are so many things I have learned because of YOUR shared creativity. This blog would not exist if it wasn't for all of YOU inspiring ME each and every day!

Thank you for your love and support this past year! Here's to many more! Happy Blog Birthday to ME. :)

Pickle Post #40 - In Sunshine & In Shade

Hi again! Today I am staying indoors to avoid the lovely summer heat here. 

YIKES - the forecast for Phoenix is 102 degrees. So there's no better time to get some crafty things done, right? All while enjoying the nice air conditioning in my craft room! :)

So if you are somewhere there's rain or chilly weather (like Alaska LOL), here's a little card to brighten your day! It's another simple card with the focus on the sentiment using A Muse products. I have a special friend in mind for this one.

My Friends in Sunshine & Shade Card:

I used my circle Nesties and nice bright cardstock to create this happy little card. I think I will make another one where I emboss the little orange sun on the front and use some different colors, but this one still makes me smile. :)

Stuff I Used (all A Muse Studio Products):
Stamps - Sunshine & Shade (sentiment), Calendar Fun (smiling sun)
Cardstock - Buttercup, Orange
Ink - Bellini, Memento Tuxedo Black
Other Stuff - Spellbinders Circles & Scalloped Circles, White Pearls (colored with Copic marker YR09)

So please enjoy a little sunshine cuz we have more than enough! :) Thanks for stopping by!

Pickle Post #39 - Just a Simple Hello

Hello again! Another post in the same week?? :) I even surprised myself!
I am in a creative mood and trying hard to keep it going! 

Nothing fancy today...just another simple card I created with the sentiment as the main focus using my A Muse Studio stuff. Both of my daughters have moved to far away places recently and I have been in the mood to create cards to send to them. Kind of a delayed empty nest syndrome of Mama missing the kids. :)

My 'Hello' Card:

I am loving blue and yellow together - maybe it's a sun and ocean summer thing? :) Simple layers, embossed polka dots, a scalloped border and a tiny bouquet of yellow flowers. Such a colorful way to say hello, don't you think? 

Stuff I Used (All A Muse Studio products):
Stamps - Say It With Style, Calendar Fun
Cardstock - Sugar, Buttercup, Sky, Cobalt, Navy
Ink - Navy, Buttercup, Lime
Other Stuff - Scallop Border Dies, Medium Dots Embossing Plate

Thank you for stopping by to say hello! :)

Pickle Post #38 - My Sentiments Exactly

Hi there! Time flies when you are busy... and always behind. :)
It's been a while since I posted and I am taking advantage of the long weekend to catch up!

This week, I am the hostess for the current challenge at the AMuse Studio Challenge Blog. My theme is Let's Get Sentimental and use a sentiment as the focal point for your card or creation. I hope you will join us over at the Challenge Blog - you now have two weeks to enter your creations and if you use AMuse Studio products, each entry gives you two chances to win! Please come on over and join us!

So we all know I am very challenged when it comes to creating simple stuff - my creative brain wants to add more rather than less. :) I am actively practicing the 'less is more' mantra and I hope you enjoy what I created.

My 'Miss You' Card:

Sweet and super simple! I used my favorite polka dotted paper and kept it neutral so my sentiment would stand out. I love my new AMuse Studio dies so I had to use them. Since I can't just leave simple alone, I added a glittered heart with a sparkly rhinestone heart. My creative brain told me to do it LOL! I really love the way it turned out!

Stuff I Used (All AMuse Studio Products): 
Stamps - Say It With Style, Calendar Fun
Cardstock - Sugar, Cranberry, Black & White Petite Polka Dot
Ink - Onyx, Versamark
Other Stuff - Vintage Dies 2, Cranberry Glitter, Clear Heart Twinkle Sticker, Clear Embossing Powder, Simple Stick Powder 

I have a couple other cards I created with this theme in mind - I will share those over the next week.
I still have that surprise I promised coming up soon - my Blog Birthday is just around the corner! :)

If you are in the U.S., I hope you are enjoying your long Memorial Day weekend! 
As always, I appreciate your sweet comments and thank you for stopping by today!