Way too long!

I can't believe it has been so long since my last post - I have been sick this whole time and I still have a hacking cough...hopefully that will be gone soon - this is getting old!

I DID make some Valentines items that I never got to posting, so they will come late ... but better late than never... right?

This first one is the card I made my husband.  We always blow kisses to each other when we walk out the door.  The inside says "Muah...whooh!" (sound of blowing a kiss).

He loved it when he opened it :)

I am trying to get a good pic of the altered mailbox I made ... I'll post that later if I can get it to photograph clearly.

Anna Banana

Go Bananas #17

Go Bananas Sketch 17.

I hope you play along and take the challenge to create a card using my sketch!

If you do, please leave me a comment and let me know where your card is posted so I can see what wonderful creations you come up with!

This is our last week with my Guest Top Banana Christine.  She has done a FANTASTIC job with the sketches!

I am postponing asking anyone new to be a guest designer until after the new year.  My schedule is pretty intense between now and then - here is a sample:

October - I have three choir concerts

November - a baby shower for my sister, family birthday party, a trip to Australia

December - recording a CD for the Choir, two choir concerts, my anniversary, two work Christmas parties. my birthday, Christmas, New Years

That is all on top of trying to make christmas cards, getting day to day stuff done and sleeping!

I am sure you can understand why I am putting the guest designer on hold.

For now, here are our takes on this week's sketch:

Top Banana: Anna

Tiy can't really tell, by the photo, but there is glitter around the edges of the snow cat, there are really tiny rhinestones on the mat around the cat and on the scarf I used liquid applique, which puffs up when heat embossed.

Top Banana: Christina

Top Banana: Karyn

SBS 24 Challenge #5

This cute little witch was given to me by Karyn!  I can't remember where she said the witch is from.  I made this as a swap for halloween, and it fits perfectly for the SBS 24 Challenge this week with the theme of Halloween!

Anna Banana

Santa Card

I was in my craft room and made this one just because!!

I picked up the stamp at Michael's a few weeks ago...if you need to know who it is by let me know -I'm not going upstairs right now to find out :)

Here is what I did:

 I colored the image with prismacolor pencils adding a little blue into the hair to make it look really wintry.  There is white fun flock on the hat and glitter on the snowflakes.  I put some crystal glaze on the glasses and it looks amazing in person - I couldn't quite capture it with the camera.

There are 4 pixie pillows in blue on the corners and the silver ribbon is from Offray.

The blue paper is from Archivers and the metallic blue paper is a scrap from my basket.

The snow flakes are flat back embellishments from the Christmas department that I glued on and I doodled the white all along the card.

Anna Banana

SBS 24 Challenge #4

Here is my card and the original sketch:
  

This was a sketch challenge for the SBS 24 group that I am part of.

I had fun making this one!

Anna Banana

Go Bananas #16

Here is this week's Go Bananas Challenge!!

Hope you participate!  Drop a comment in my blog if you do with a  note where I can see your post - I love being inspired by what other people do!

Top Banana:  Anna T.

Ok - so I learned a new lesson this week.  When designing sketches, make sure you have the tools to create what it is that you sketch!!

I don't yet have the rectangle scallop dies that I have been wanting, I didn't have scallop scissors that I could make work and the punches I have all make the corners turn out dorky.  So for my last ditch effort (I spent 3 hours last night trying to make scallops) I decided to draw the dang things on the card to fit the sketch!

I actually like how they ended up turning out, but it was a lot of sighing and wasted paper to get here!

All the stamps are from Hero Arts, Paper from DCWV, Red, white and black glitter, white and red fun flock on the hat and boots and the punch is from Martha Stewart.

Top Banana: Christina W.

Top Banana: Karyn C.

SBS 24 Challenge - Harvest/Autumn Theme

I was able to take time off from making baby invites last night - mainly because I ran out of flowers for the invitation fronts!

In those vast 12 minutes of spare time, I was able to create this little card!

I got the stamp in a bargan bin at my local Stamp store for $2! Couldn't pass that up - even this is a little out of my style.

I used watercolor pencils and a damp cotton swap to color it in and I mounted it on all scraps of card stock from my scrap basket.

Anna Banana

CBC 38 - Clip Belli Challenge

Over on Chrissy's blog she hosts a weekly challenge that I was able to participate in this week.

This Weeks Belli Challenge is to use CLIPS...You can Paper Clips, Mini Library Clips, hodgepodge clips, etc. Create ANY kind of project using a clip you have!

I happen to have a whole slew of these little clothespin clips that have been waiting to be used, so I came up with this:

The stamp is from Firecracker Designs.  The patterned background paper is a scrap from The Angel Company and the card stock is from Archivers.

Go Bananas #15

Thanks for being patient with me on this week' Go Banana's Challenge!

The ladies really outdid themselves on this one!!  I LOVE both the fresh, trendy designs they used!  Great Job!!

Here is this week's sketch:

Top Banana: Anna Timm

I like this card except for the bows.  They were a good idea when I started, but I just don't like how they cover the words Merry Christmas. 

Next time I would use something less dimensional or something smaller.

Top Banana Guest Designer: Christina Wernstrum

Top Banana: Karyn Campbell

Baby Shower Invites

So I'm gonna be an auntie!

I'm planning the baby shower - which is proving to be very difficult.

My sister is due any time between January and March (Hi-risk pregnancy) so we need to plan the shower sooner than later.  I am going to Australia at the end of November, so we only have just days over 4 weeks to plan this shindig. and to top it off, I'm plannng everything for two hours south of where I live. It's kind of nuts.

Anyway, she is having a boy and I have done the invite and the favor bag ... take a look!

Go Bananas #14

Here is this week's Go Bananas Challenge.

This week is also Christina's Debut as a guest Top Banana Designer!!

I am so pleased to have her on the team - she did a fantastic job!

I hope you all participate, and if you do, please leave me a comment with your blog address so I can go check it out!

Anna Banana

Top Banana: Anna T.

Top Banana: Christine W.

Top Banana: Karyn C.

Go Bananas #11 Design Team Samples

Go Bananas Design Team - Karyn:

Go Bananas Design Team - Anna Banana:

I just LOVE this little cat!!  I wish I knew where it was from!  I made this card at a make and take last month and it is just so cute!!  I had to do a close up of the little guy and show you that he is, in fact, glittered!

This is one of the cards i will be giving Kirby for his Birthday:)

Anna

Thursday Things

Hey There,

Today for my Thursday Things I have to share this adorable card that I made for my upcoming wedding anniversary (Oct 21).  I know I'm really early, but since my hubby doesn't look at my blog, and it's just too cute, I had to share today!

I got the mouse stamp from my friend Karyn!

The hearts are from two different mini clear stamp sets.

The words "Falling for you" are from a fall scarecrow clear stamp set and just fit so perfectly here!!

I used Prima flowers and some sticky back gemstone embellishments.

The ribbon is from Big Lots - it was bulk in their craft section.

The card stock is all from my scrap basket and the green was run through my cuttlebug with the paisley embossing folder.

Have a great afternoon!

Anna Banana

Go Bananas #10

Go Bananas Sketch

Anna Banana's card:

Karyn's card:

Laura's Card:

There has been a change!  The Go Bananas Challenge will move to Wednesday, since I could never get it posted on Tuesday!

I hope you participate, and if you do, post to me and let me know and I'll post your card on my page too!

XOXO

Anna Banana

Monday Madness

It's a bit crazy today, and I think the card says it all - better late than never - I'm off again - see ya later!

Anna

Friday Free For All

Well - Here is the card I gave when I gifted the Hideous Chicken last week - surprisingly, there are no chickens on it!!  Go figure!

I'm making this short cause I am starvin' and need to go get lunch - I used SU stamps, scraps of paper from my scrap basket, a tag from the office supply store, misc beads from a "bucket of beads", a scrap of ribbon I colored with my ink pad, I ran some paper thru my cuttlebug with the houndstooth pattern and I colored the image with my prismacolor pencils.  Oh - and my ink pads are palette inks!

Anyhow - I hope you are all having a good Friday!

XOXO

Anna Banana

Go Bananas #9

Well - I have had a terrible time getting myself to get the Go Bananas challenge up this week.  I was thrown off by the short week and wasn't able to create a single thing the whole weekend :(

Then I had a horrible headache brought on by the weather, but I went to my craft room and took the challenge anyway!

I don't know that I actually like my card - chalk it up to the headache or whatever, but I'm not sure the leafy vellum works with the cuttlebug embossed paper.  I colored the scarecrow with my aquacolor crayons and a water pen, and I did a little hand doodling around the oval.  Not sure I like that either. 

Anna's Card:

Thanks to my design team - Karyn Campbell and Laura Murphy Ogden - for their great samples!

Karyn's Card:

Laura's Card:

Weekend stuff

Go Bananas Challenge:

I guess I should just make the challenge on Wednesdays since it always seems to get pushed back a day!

Anyway, I will have the challenge up tomorrow along with the Design Team samples.

Hideous Chicken:

This weekend was the housewarming and we delivered the Hideous Chicken (see earlier post for more details). 

Julie actually claims that she likes it!!  We ended up telling her that it was a gag gift, but she said that she liked everything about it... except that it was a rooster.

We will see if it gets re-gifted to me at Christmas :)  HAHAHA!!

Contest Winner!

I created a card as an entry in the home page contest for a group that I am in - and I won!!  ... 

But I was the only one who entered!  Oh well - I still like the card!

The theme was "Fall Foliage".

Here it is:

Anna Banana

Saturday Something

This pretty card comes on the tail end of summer.  I see everyone getting ready for Fall, back to school and halloween, and I am just not ready yet.  For us in Wisconsin, we had areally long winter with a lot of snow and very little sun, followed by a relatively cool summer.  I am just NOT ready to get back into the cold, so I am keeping the summer in my Blog for a little longer!

This is a Faux Silk technique done on the heart.

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