GAAAHHHHH!!!

Ok - I was fighting all morning to try to get slide.com to recognize my log in and post my slide show to my blog.  It's not cooperating, so I went shopping.

I bought a lot of tropical decorations for my "Tropical Heat Wave" party next month and I broke down and bought my first webber grill!!  I feel like a big girl now!!

Go Bananas #5

Here is this week's sketch!

I had a great time playing with the swirls and heart on this one!

Anna Banana

Top Banana Design Team Samples

Laura did the bride Bella, Karyn did the Magnolia on the Heart and Anna Banana did the Vellum Heart.

WOW Wednesday! Whiff of Joy Guest Designer Call

For today's WOW! I have entered the Whiff Of Joy Guest Designer Call.

I really fell in love with this sketch - I rarely make square cards so it really takes me outside of my comfort zone!

I liked the look of this so much I proceeded to make a 4.25 x 5.5 layout with the same elements!

They are both too cute!!

XOXO 

Anna Banana

The recipe for this card is as follows:

Stamps:  Squaky Clean - Whipper Snapper Designs

So Sweet - The Angel Company T-2347

Punch:  Giga Scallop Square, Marvy Uchida

Ink: Palette - Noir

Vibrance - Blue

Paper: Colored Cardsotck - DCWV

Bubble Patterned Paper - It Takes Two #LLS86

Prismacolor Pencils & Odorless Mineral Spirits

Prima Flowers

Marvy Brush Marker - Ice Blue

Prisma Glitter

3-D Dots

Ribbon - Wrights Designer Classics from the Dollar bin at Michael's Crafts

Scrap Works - green round "hugs"

Go Bananas #4

Happy Tuesday!

It's time to GO BANANAS with my sketch challenge!

If you participate in the challenge, post to your blog with "Go Bananas#4" in the title and leave me a comment with your blog address.  I'll grab your picture and feature it in my slideshow!

Let all your friends know about the challenges - I'd love to have more people play along!

XOXO

Anna Banana

Go Bananas #4

Monday Madness

This is the top flap of the card with the penguin on it open.

I took the opportunity to create something for the Our Creative Corner challenge for my Monday Madness card!

Their challenge was to create something with embossing on it.

Here is the recipe for my card:

Stamps: Inky Antics - Penguin on Ice Cube, The Angel Company - Enjoy The Moment from "It's The Little Things" set TA-2878

Paper - DCWV textured cardstock, metallic blue paper - source unknown

Ink: Noir- Palette, Blue-Vibrance

Cuttlebug Embossing Folder - Snowflakes

Ribbon - Offray silver metallic

Prismacolor Pencils

Royal Blue Rhinestones

Prizma Glitter

Friday Free For All

I created these coordinating ATC's for a swap.  The technique is called Diptych.  The images need to be connected in some way, but still be able to look ok as stand alone ATC's.

This is my 6th or 7th attempt and is the first one that actually didn't end up in the garbage can.

These were more challenging than my weekly challenges!!

Anna Banana

Thursday Things

Well, here is my first "things" post.

I have been a little obsessed with the VW Beetle since Memorial Day Weekend.

My husband brought home the prettiest little yellow one for a long weekend test drive, and due to a little indecision we missed out on getting it by 5 minutes.  Well, ever since then I have been lamenting the loss of Daisy (it's tradition among VW owners to name their bug), and he promised me that when the new TDI Diesel models come out, I could get one!  WOO HOO!!!

I am a bit eccentric, for those of you who don't know me, and I have decided that I want a pink beetle.  Not pink like the Mary Kay cards, but hot bright bubble gum pink!

I have ordered a few stamp sets with VW Beetles in them lately and here is the first one that I have had a chance to ink up and color in.

You will see a few more as I get them in!

Anna Banana

Wednesday WOW!

I made a card for a challenge. I think that this is a WOW! card so I thought I would share it with you!  I have used patterned paper from my scrap basket.  The stamp is from Archivers - their $1.99 spot Archivers branded stamps.  The ribbon is a pink polkadot scrap from a ribbon swap years ago!!

I did use glitter - you can't tell, but there is orange glitter on the frosting and polkadots, pink glitter on the cake cup and polkadots, green glitter on the candle and polkadots and crystal glitter on the flame of hte candle.

Finally, I doodled around the edge of the pink and hot green card stock with archival safe colored pens.

Hope you like it!

Anna Banana

Go Bananas #3

Here is today's Go Bananas challenge!

I really enjoyed doing this one!  I found the shirt stamp at my local dollar store!  I thought it was 

so neat cause my hubby always wears Hawaiian shirts in the summer!

I hope you really enjoy this week's challenge!!

Please link your creation back to my blog so I can add you to my slide show! 

No color or theme, just an open sketch challenge!

Top Banana Designers:

Anna Timm

Karyn Campbell

Laura Murphy Ogden

Go Bananas #3 Slide Show

Tripple Challenge from Stamp Something

The Stamp Something blog is having a challenge and I participated!

I was kind of inspired by my previous wedding card when I created this one.

The challenge is to use 3 layers, 3 colors and 3 embellishments

My three layers are patterned paper by paper adventures, vellum, and the punched paper with the image.

My three colors are burgundy, white vellum embossed with the Cuttlebug Birds and Swirls folder and the green leaves of the bouquet in the Stampin' Up image.

My three embellishments are ribbon, glitter on the veil, dress accents and flowers and tiny white brads.

I just LOVE how sweet and simple this card is!

Anna Banana

Here is my entry:

If you subscribe to my blog...

Please re-sign up using the Feed Blitz subscription to the right.

I have removed myself from Feedburn.  There was nothing wrong with it- it is just easier to use the Feed Blitz subscription widget.

Thanks and sorry for any inconvenience!!

Anna Banana

Go Bananas #2

Tuesday will officially be the home of the GO BANANAS challenge!

The sketch shown in black and white is the guideline for your creation and below it are the

 samples that my Top Banana Design Team and I have come up with to inspire you.

Participation Guidelines:

1. You have until next week Monday to link your creation to my blog.

2. Please post a comment with a link back to your blog so we can all admire your art.

3. Enjoy stepping outside of your comfort zone and trying something new!

Top Banana: Anna Timm

Quite frankly, I think it is just a bit too much yellow, now that I look at it, but I still like it.  That is what these challenges are for, after all.  I tried something new, and next time I would contrast the embellishments a little more with the background.

It was a challenge to get the colors to pop on the yello

w card stock.  I used my Prismacolor pencils and odorless mineral spirits to blend the colors into the texture of the cardstock.

Top Banana: Karyn Campbell

Top Banana: Laura Murphy Ogden

Be Amazing

I created this for a home page contest on a Yahoo group that I am on and I did not come in first, but I liked creating it!!  Congrats to the winner - she will be getting the card.

I got the Bella image from someone and thought that with the 4th of July fast approaching, this would be a fitting color combo!

I used a very sparkly glitter paper for the background, a line of crystals (not plastic - actually cut glass flat-back crystals that really sparkle), Be Amazing stamp from The Angel Company and some eyelash fiber at the bottom. Oh - don't forget the crystal inside the punched star!!

XOXO

Anna Banana

Go Bananas #1

This is going to be a weekly challenge.  I thought I would post my first challenge on the first on the month to start things out right.

I have gotten together a "bunch" of designers who have my "Top Banana" seal of authenticy!

These talented ladies have graciously agreed to create some samples with me for my Go Bananas challenges.

I am hoping that these challenges will take us all our of our little boxes and expand our minds to the possibility that going bananas every so often can

 get the creative juices flowing!!

In the future I hope to offer a-peal-ing blog goodies but that will be down the road.

I would love it if you posted your submissions in the comments with a link back to your sight so I can see what you were inspired to do.

I am working on getting a slideshow for displaying everyone's creations, but it's proving a bit more difficult than I had thought it would be.  I blame it on my Mac.

Happy creating everyone and GO BANANAS!!

Anna Banana

Top Banana: Anna Timm

Top Banana: Karyn Campbell

Trendy Cow

I made a thank you card for my friends that let us spend the weekend at their place so we could attend a wedding in Chicago.

For our wedding in 2000, they gave us a card with a "trendy cow" on it.  So I decided to send her a trendy cow from Wisconsin :)

Anna Banana