Spring into Action

As the days grow longer, the weather has become increasingly more pleasant. As I was putzing around the Guild Hall grounds, trying to get things cleaned up after the melt I noticed some geese flying overhead, returning from their trip to the south. The biggest sign that Spring was on the way however, was when I spotted a pink flower fairy fluttering around the garden, gracefully planting seeds that would bloom into a rainbow of colour in a couple months.

This week the theme at Wicked Wednesday is Spring is in the Air. Make an ATC with a springy theme for a chance to win a prize from our sponsors, A Day For Daisies and Nana Vic’s Digitals.

For my first ATC I used an image from Nana Vic’s Digitals. I coloured it using Prismacolor pencils and inked the edges with Distress Ink. The sentiment was stamped with the Crafty Secrets “Couple of Cuties” set.

This ATC will cheep into the following challenges:

The Corrosive Challenge #220: Our Animal Friends

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge: Lions and Lambs, Oh My!

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: Spring Pinterest Inspiration

Try it On Tuesday: Hats

For my second ATC I used the A Day For Daisies “Curly Flower Fairy” image and coloured it using Prismacolor pencils. The leafy things I stamped using the Lawn Fawn “Critters Down Under” set. I then cast a sparkle spell using my Wink of Stella wand to add some glitter to the leaves and the fairies wings.

Click to en-biggen and see the sparkley spell.

This ATC will spring into the following challenges:

Craft Your Passion Challenge #253: Anything Goes

Kraftin’ Kimmie Wonderful Wednesday

Little Scrap Pieces Show It Off Saturday

Love to Scrap Challenge #50: Anything Goes

~ Guild Master Crystal

Skip to the Loo

After gathering our supplies and casting some protection spells, the Guardian of Glitter and I set out to the Floundering Reef. We bought passage upon a trading vessel and headed to the harbour to catch our ride. Before we left I asked the Guardian of Glitter numerous times if she had to use the restroom and she assured me each time she already had and was fine. Of course as soon as we got to the harbour and were waiting to board the ship, she suddenly had to pee. 

I started this card by cutting the shape using the Art Philosophy cartridge and stamping the toilet from the Unity “AH Crap” set. I coloured the plunger and toilet using Distress markers and then paper pieced the tank top and lid using the same paper I used for the background. The “father” was stamped with the Crafty Secrets “Favorite Fellas” set and the bottom sentiment came from the “AH Crap” set. I used some thread in the background for visual interest and +130 binding XP points.

On the inside I stamped the image using the Unity "Crappy Day" itty bitty and the sentiments using a couple other Unity stamps. 

The envelope was stamped with the Unity “Heavy Chevy” stamp, tying in the triangular like thingies in the background paper.

This card will swirl into the following challenges:

Craft Your Passion Challenge #218: 3 or More Embellishments

Love to Create Challenge #120: Anything Goes

Naughty or Nice Challenge #5: For the Men

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge: Anything Goes

Unity Friends With Flair

Being that there was no proper water closet at the harbour, the Guardian of Glitter was forced to relieve herself in some nearby bushes while I stood guard.

“Sorry,” she apologized sheepishly as she came from the bushes, tightening her leather armour.

I shook my head and we made our way to the ship, which was almost done loading their wares, and set to head out to the Floundering Reef. Our search for the Lady Commander of Copics was now officially underway.

~ Guild Master Crystal ~

Bookmark of +70 Holding

Today has been a rather gloomy day at the Guild Hall. Outside rain is covering the lands, making embarking on an outdoorsy quest undesirable. My direwolf has spent the day curled up next to the fireplace, refusing to step foot outside in the sopping weather. I decided to use the gloomy, lazy day to research some new spells using some of the dusty old tomes in the library. Before settling down to read though, I headed off to the crafting chamber to create a bookmark to not only lift my spirits while searching through the boring texts, but also hold my place when my reading was interrupted, which is most assuredly would be. 

I find bookmarks the perfect way to use up scraps of designer paper, which is exactly what I did with this one. After cutting up the paper to make this card, along with some other crafts that have yet to be posted, I was left with scraps that weren’t really usable for much. It became the background for this vintagey bookmark. I decided to use one of my favourite stamps from the Crafty Secrets “Coffee and Tea” set for the top of the bookmark. (I’m in love with that vintage lady head). The sentiment I stamped using the Dylusions “Quintessential Quotes” set.   

I then used my Your Story and laminated the bookmark to protect its vintagey goodness from spills etc, earning me +104 shield exp points.

This will be holding its place in the following challenges:

Lunagirl Moonbeams Challenge: Divas

Tammy’s Scrappin’ Corner Challenge #64: Vintage

Love to Create Challenge #67: Read All About It!

Friends of SpeedyTV Challenge #74: Bookmarks

Stampotique Designer’s Challenge #102: Transparent

Simon Says Stamp: Anything Goes

The Octopode Factory Friday Challenge: Lovely Ladies

The Cheerful Stamp Pad Challenge #61: My Kind of Gal

With my newly crafted bookmark in hand, I headed to the library with a fresh mug of steaming coffee. I pulled some of the ancients texts from the dusty shelves and settled into one of the creaky wooden chairs. I was immediately distracted by the Lady Commander of Copics coming in and asking if I wanted to play a round of Qwirkle. Good thing I had my bookmark to hold my place!

~ Guild Master Crystal ~ 

An Inventive Scam

Today the Lady Commander of Copics was telling me of a bizarre machine the mad inventor was trying to sell her when he was in the village. A device that he claimed would replace the sending of letters by raven and owl. He said it would allow your voice to travel over the countryside to distant realms and talk with people instantly. It sounded a little farfetched to me - black magic maybe. 

I created this CAS card using the Unity “Hello Friend” set. I inked the edges of the panel using a combination of Tea Dye and Antique Linen Distress Ink to give it an aged effect, earning me +194 vintage exp points. Some brown-ish buttons threaded with some earthy cord finished off this super CAS creation.

On the inside I used the same Distress Inks around the edge of the paper to age it approximately 42 years  - a fine vintage if I do say so. I then stamped the sentiment using the MFP “Be Wild & Free” set. The vintage lady came from the Crafty Secrets “Coffee & Tea” set.

On the envelope I stamped...an envelope...I really don’t know what got over me...anyways...it is an aptly named Unity stamp -  “Scripted Envelope.” I still don’t know what I was thinking...

This CAS card will call on the following challenges:

Simon Says Stamp: Happy Mail

MFP SpeedyTV Simple Salutations Challenge #43: Monochromatic

Challenges 4 Everybody Challenge #19: Anything Goes

Crafting For All Seasons Challenge #51: Monochromatic

Simon Says Stamp and Show: Inspired By (I heard the Pink Floyd Song “Comfortably Numb” on the radio which starts out “Hello, Is there anybody in there?” It made me think of this stamp set which I had bought awhile ago and had yet to use. I don’t even like Pink Floyd, but it got me to ink up a virgin stamp, so I guess it worked out - lol.

I asked the Lady Commander if the inventor had actually demonstrated this mystical device. She said he couldn’t as the person “on the other end” would also have to be in possession of said device, and as he hadn’t sold one yet.....sounds like a scam to me.

~ Guild Master Crystal ~

This Spells Trouble

You may recall the succubi we vanquished last fall, and how difficult that battle was. I foolishly thought we had seen the end of these terrible creatures, but I was gravely mistaken. The Lady Commander of Copics and I were cleaning out some of the old rooms in the catacombs, when I came across one that was filled with ancients texts. As I am invariably drawn to books, I soon found myself sitting on the cold stone floor of the room, open texts strewn about. When the Lady Commander came to see if I was done with that room, I was in the same position, more books piled around me. “Have you been sitting there, reading this whole time?” she asked, incredulously. I looked up at her, guilt written all over my now dusty face. “And I suppose there’s nothing from this room that you’re willing to part with?” she asked, picking up a nearby wordsmith tome. “Look at this junk,” she said, idly flipping pages. Suddenly, a succubi burst forth from the pages, shrieking and advancing towards us with outstretched claws.

I started this card by making the background. I spritzed some blue and red Dylusions spray ink on a piece of paper, making a right mess of my desk. After that was dry I used the Dylusions “Letter Jumble” stencil and sprayed it with some black Dylusions spray ink, staining my hands black. I tore a page from an oooooooold dictionary (like I had this dictionary when I was in elementary school) and stamped the Stampotique image onto it. I really like that stamp, but it is probably my least used out of my Stampotique lot. I specifically chose the dictionary page that had words like “grumpy, gruff, grumble, growl”, because I thought it went well with the sentiment. That was stamped using my shiny new stamp set - Dylusions “Say It How It Is”. Distressed the heck out of everything, added a couple brads and some cordy string and called it done.

On the inside I stamped the sentiment using one of my Stampotique stamps. The coffee cup I stamped on some leftover paper from that dictionary page using the Crafty Secrets “Coffee and Tea” set. I added a little border using the Dylusions “Further Around the Edge” set. I’m not sure exactly what I will use this card for, or who the recipient will be, but it makes me laugh.

On the envelope I stamped some more of that border to make the envelope all matchy match.

This card will shamble into the following challenges:
Stampotique Designer’s Challenge #88: Use Text
Paper Playtime Challenge #4: Sentiment Stamps
Love to Create Challenge #54: Wrap It Up
Simon Says Stamp and Show: The Stamp You Love (but don’t use)
Spark Your Creativity Now! Challenge #6: Anything Goes
Divas By Design: Anything Goes
Simon Says Stamp: Anything Goes
Cute Card Thursday Challenge #258: Something Old (that dictionary page is from my old elementary school dictionary - at least 22 years old!)
MFP SpeedyTV Simple Salutations Challenge #34: Anything Goes

As the succubi stumbled closer, I reached for the dirk I was wearing on my hip. Angela stood gaping at the demon, the wordsmith tome from whence the creature had emerged, still clutched in her hand. As soon as the creature was within striking distance I drove my dirk through its gnarled neck, black liquid gushing over my hands. As the demon crumpled to the floor my sister and I looked at each other and at the same time declared, “Dibs out on cleaning that up!”

~ Guild Master Crystal ~

You're in a Latte Trouble, Jack!

We hadn’t forgotten the transgressions of Captain Jack Java and through various sources had finally tracked the pirate to Hortons Hills where he was hiding. We packed along some high level summoning spells and extra elixirs to help us cast them. I didn’t want to take any chances of him successfully escaping the battle - we needed to finish him off fast. Hortons Hills is vast so the Guardian of Glitter cast Glitter Guide to point us right to Jack. As soon as the battle started I summoned Latte Anya for +9999 damage! It immediately drained all my mana, so I had to spend the next few turns replenishing whilst the other guildys cast their summoners.

This card was all about recycling. A while ago my lord husband had mistakenly purchased the incorrect size of coffee filters. Rather than just tossing the box in the recycle bin, I kept them (because I’m a hoarder like that). Well - I finally got to use one. I cut a square out of it and stamped “Latte Anya” from The Greeting Farm on it. The panels beside her are both part of a Second Cup coffee sleeve that I had also rescued from the recycle bin (good god, I’m saving garbage now!). I stamped the sentiment using the My Little Shoebox “Garden Party” set and a stamp from the Crafty Secrets “Coffee and Tea” set. This card earned me +112 earth elemental points for being a good citizen and recycling.

The inside was decorated with the Dylusions “Bordering on the Edge” set and a ‘lil coffee bean from the Crafty Secrets “Coffee and Tea” set.

I used that same bean on the envelope (mostly because it’s too cute not to use it!).

This recycled concoction will be brewing in the following challenges:
Speedy TV Simple Salutations Challenge #27: Card Using Coffee Tea or Cup
The Greeting Farm’s FFF: Thank You Card
Spark Your Creativity Now! Challenge #5: Anything Goes
My Craft Spot Challenge #82: Anything Goes
Retro Sketches Challenge #46


Thankfully, we managed to dispatch Captain Jack Java rather quickly and he wasn’t able to escape battle, which he attempts ever second turn or so. The Lady Commander of Copics did come away with an injured leg, but it will heal. That vile pirate will no longer be bothering the Crafters Guild. Quest complete.

~ Guild Master Crystal ~

I'll Have a Large Espresso of Thanks

Today the Lady Commander of Copics and I needed to send out some thank you messages to the residents of Java Fields. They had recently gifted the Guild Hall with two score bags of coffee beans. I don’t know the purpose of this very generous bestowment, but we are nevertheless grateful, as we are going through more coffee than usual this year. As such, we went to the crafting chambers and brewed up some perky thank you messages to send by raven to Java Fields (haha, puns).  

I stamped the vintage lady using the Crafty Secrets “Coffee and Tea” set. I wanted to use the “punny” thank you stamp from that set, but couldn’t decide what to stamp it on. I finally decided on using the steamy cup from the Winter Frolic cartridge. I thought the cup would add a little something-something to the card. However, after cutting it out and stamping the sentiment, it looked kind of “off” to me. Oh well. POWER THROUGH! The background paper I dug out of the bottom of my paper stash where it’s been sitting for about two years. I grunged all the pieces up using some Distress Ink and assembled the card.

I left the inside blank, other than the little coffee bean stamps from the Crafty Secrets set, so there would be space for a personalized thank you note.

This grateful creation will be perking up in the following challenges:
Friends of Speedy Challenge #54: Thank You Card
Simon Says Stamp and Show Challenge: Embrace the Old
MFP Speedy TV Simple Salutations Challenge #27: Card Using Coffee, Tea or Cup
Penny’s Paper-Crafty Challenge #109: Anything Goes
Divas By Design: Anything Goes
Challenges 4 Everybody #11: Anything Goes
Dream Valley Challenge #48: Anything Goes
Pause Dream Enjoy Challenge #1: Use Ribbon
Spark Your Creativity Now! Challenge #5: Anything Goes
The Corrosive Challenge #165: Out with the Old (that background paper is 2 years old!)

In the middle of the night, some coffee crawlers emerged from the bags of beans. It seems the residents of Java Fields had some ulterior motives after all! The Guildys were able to quickly dispatch the vile creatures, but now we were left wondering what we had done to bring upon the wrath of Java Fields. This reeked of Captain Jack Java. Time to find that pirate and make him pay...

~ Guild Master Crystal ~

Perk Up - We Killed the Evildoer

Welcome to the Guild Hall. Pay no mind to the mess. We just returned from a rather urgent quest to quell the malicious plans of Professor Kendall, an evil alchemist who was developing a serum to reanimate corpses into flesh eating zombies. I shudder to imagine the catastrophic mayhem that would have caused. I managed to roll a +12 and snipe him using my Dusty Concord Crossbow, allowing the Lady Commander of Copics to swoop in wearing her +50 Boots of Leopard Speed and steal the serum whilst the Guardian of Glitter cast Sparkle Strike, creating cover for us to escape. After that exhausting endeavor, we decided to head back to the Guild Hall and recharge on some java.

I started this card by stamping The Greeting Farm’s “Latte Anya” which is was brand new - package hadn’t been opened, stamp untrimmed and uninked. I stamped her onto watercolour paper and coloured her using Distress Markers and my trusty Hydra Brush which I seem to be getting well acquainted with. I then used the polaroid stamp from my brand new Lawn Fawn set: “Say Cheese,” which my Lord Husband bestowed upon me this Christmas (much to my delight). The sentiment came from the Crafty Secrets “Coffee and Tea” set. I used that same set to stamp the coffee bean on some kraft paper to make it look patterned. I added some buttons to the side, which are probably my favourite embellishments to use (even if they do make a card have +83 puffiness). Lastly I used the Lawn Fawn “My Cup of Tea” set to subtly stamp the cups at the bottom.

The inside sentiment and beans are both from the “Coffee and Tea” Crafty Secrets set. I also did a little embossing on the sides with a border embossing folder and the Cuttlebug. Although the picture looks blurry, the font of the stamp is actually like that...weird...

I stamped more beans along the bottom of the envelope to make it all match and earned myself +62 combo exp points.

This snapshot will develop in the following challenges:
The Greeting Farm’s FFF: Something New
Simon Says Stamp and Show Challenge: Totally Mad (no rules) Tea Party
Penny’s Paper-Crafty Challenge Blog Challenge #108: Use your favourite embellishments
Pixie Challenge: It’s All New to Me
Cute Card Thursday Challenge #250: Something New
Simon Says Stamp: Something New
One Crazy Stamper January “Anything Goes” Challenge
Spark Your Creativity Now! Challenge #5: Anything Goes

Well, time to clean the equipment and drink some tonic potions to mend our wounds. Another quest complete.

~ Guild Master Crystal ~

Toast 'n Coffee

Today while the Guardian of Glitter and I were battling our way through the Dungeon of Terrors we came across some interesting spoils. Some elixirs, a sack of coins, a few higher level swords and, more importantly, a magical coffee bean that is said to be extinct. No one has laid eyes on this particular bean in over half a century. I carefully wrapped the bean in my teal handkerchief so we could examine it further upon our return to the Guild Hall. It’s hard to study a magical find when you are trying to slay giant poisonous spiders at the same time.

I dusted off my Lawn Fawn “Love ‘n Breakfast” set that I haven’t used in ages and paper pieced the super cute toaster and toast. I stamped the sentiment from the same set above the cute trio. I used the Tim Holtz “Odds & Ends” set to stamp the blank tickets then pulled out the “Coffee and Tea” Crafty Secrets set to fill the blank tickets.

The inside was stamped with the “Coffee and Tea” set, except I used the My Pink Stamper “Font-abulous” set for the word crafts. This card was mailed to none other than my sister, The Lady Commander of Copics, as we hadn’t gotten together to “play crafts” in a while...and it’s always fun getting something in the mail other than bills!

This bitterly toasty card will be entered into the following challenges:
Pause Dream Enjoy Challenge #45: Food & Beverage
Paper Playtime Challenge #88: Autumn Colors
Lawnscaping Challenge #45: Dusting ‘Em Off (Love ‘n Breakfast set) 

Back at the Guild Hall, I placed the magical coffee bean on my workbench and went rifling through my drawers for a magnifying glass. The little bean slowly blinked and was suddenly staring up at me with large chibi eyes! Next it unfolded its arms and legs which had been tucked in so tightly they looked to be part of its body. This was truly an amazing find! The Guardian of Glitter and I shall spend the night studying this interesting creature and seeing what secrets this 'lil bean holds.

~ Guild Master Crystal ~