Bah! Humbug! Challenge --- Pretty In Pink

Here I am, just under the wire for the 15th Bah! Humbug! challenge.  This week the theme is "pretty in pink".  I just happened to have this image already colored, so it was a quick composition.

The little darlin' Willow from Whiff of Joy is colored with Copics and I made quick work of the card with a sheet of dp from a DCWV stack of a couple of years ago.  I really like pink and green together, so it was no surprise that Willow's scarf is colored in green.  The stick-on foam snowflakes were found in the kids craft section of Oriental Trading Company and the ribbon from my stash.  The pink paper behind the image is embossed with the ornaments Cuttlebug folder.

Aaahhhh.  Another Christmas card done!  I wonder if I'll get my shopping done as early as my stack of cards.... hmmm.  Probably not --- I'd rather be making cards than shopping!

I hope you are having a great week!  Anytime is a good time for Christmas cards, so hop on over to Bah! Humbug! and check out the DT's festive creations.  A new challenge will be posted on Friday..... join in the fun!

Sweet Sketch Wednesday --- Warning: Chocolate OD Possible!!

I am so proud to be part of the Busy Beauties DT.  Not only is this the most loving and supportive group of ladies, but also multi-talented!  This week we are sponsoring the Sweet Sketch Wednesday challenge.  I have to admit I had not visited this challenge blog before, but now it is a favorite!  More talent and inspiration is in store when you hop over to take a look!

Here is their fun sketch for this week:

And here is my card for the sketch.  I did warn you about the chocolate, now didn't I?  I love this tower of cakes!  The image is Busy Beauties "Eat Cake" and I just had to color it in shades of chocolate.  I wonder if that has anything to do with the bag of assorted Hershey's kisses I just bought?  Hmmmm?

The cakes are colored in with all the shades of chocolate I could find in my Copics stash!!  The luscious strawberries and pretty red bow provided the accent color.  I have had some sheets of the chocolate icing scrapbook paper in my closet for years and this was the perfect time to break it out!  Yummmm!  The ribbon is a nice woven that had the perfect color combo.  I love it when a card comes together!

Inside the card is a simple Mother's Day sentiment on a nice layer of chocolate icing!

I'm so glad you stopped by today and I hope you hop over to Sweet Sketch Wednesday to check out their creations and to play along. 

Busy Beauties Welcoming Spring with a Blog Hop and a Twist and Shout!!

Busy Beauties are geared up for Spring and to show how fired up we are for the beauty of the season we have TWO EVENTS going on today!  Yep --- TWO!  First ......a blog hop!

We’ve got a “SPRING” in our step today and NEW Busy Beauties Boutique images in our hands, and are delighted to have you along for the hop! If you are just starting out, please be sure to hop back to Carolyn’s blog so you don’t miss any of the fun! If you are arriving here from my dear friend Heather's blog then you are right on track.

My card for the blog hop features the lovely "Tea Time" and "Tea and Cookies" images that I used for a Mother's Day card.  The images are colored with Copics and mounted on bright spring dp from Daisy D's.  I love to use silk flowers on the cards and a lovely charm is irresistable.  On the inside..........

........... you will find the image "Tea and Cookies".  These images are so sweet and I can think of dozens of card types to use them on.  Oh, but there are so many more new images!  In a minute I will tell you who is next on the blog hop........

But don't go away yet!!

We hope you’ll join us for a TWIST & a SHOUT! The “TWIST” being our new GO GREEN WITH A TWIST Challenge (in honor of Earth Day) at the Busy Beauties Creation Station! And the “SHOUT” being a RELEASE PARTY over on Paper Craft Planet this SATURDAY AT 8 P.M. EDT. We'll bring the Party Favors! *wink, wink*

I made a special birthday card for the GO GREEN WITH A TWIST CHALLENGE.  My lovely Grandma Browning was born on this date in 1900!  She would love that Earth Day is on her date of birth!  I don't know anyone who could grow prettier flowers or more delectable vegetables in her garden! 

This card is a recycled front with the addition of the new BB image "Spring Flowers", colored with Copics.  I know Grandma would have loved this card!

The sentiment on the inside is just what I would say to her on this, her 110th birthday.

Now, on to the rest of the hop...........

Your next stop is the always amazing Karen! When you reach the Busy Beauties Creation Station you will find more details about the hop, the challenge, and the release party!

Thanks for bopping & hopping with us, and we hope to see you for the TWIST and SHOUT!

Bah! Humbug! Challenge --- Santa Paws!

Wow, talk about making up for lost time!  I have yet another card to show you today.  This card is for the Bah! Humbug! Santa Paws challenge this week.  This was very fun; all we had to do was make a card with a cute, cuddly critter on it --- Christmas critter, that is.  I found this Mo Manning drawing called "Not Even A Mouse".  I love this cuddled up cute critter!  He (or she) is cradled in a tea cup with a tea bag for pillow.  All are colored with Copics.  The papers are scraps from past Christmas cards and the ribbon is a versatile edged-stitch woven ribbon from Michael's.  The buttons were in a bag of Christmas embellies, but I can't remember where I got that. 

What an adorable image and it is sure to be used again and again this coming Christmas!  Thanks to the lovely ladies at Bah! Humbug! I now have more than a dozen cards already made for Christmas!  Come join the fun!

I must give credit for the sketch to Cheri at Graphicat Creations.  She is one talented lady and I loved this sketch of hers. 

Thank you for stopping by today.  I hope you come back tomorrow because there will be twice the fun!  Busy Beauties Boutique will be hosting a blog hop with new releases AND announcing a new challenge!  You won't believe you eyes!

Mo's Digital Pencil Challenge #27 --- Peggy's Sketch

The challenge this week at Mo's Digital Pencil is this great sketch from Peggy. 

I am working on my stock of Mother's Day cards this week, so I chose the adorable "Sorry Shanna".  You might notice her resemblance to "Sorry Shawn" that I used yesterday.  They are both such cuties.  This time I colored the image with a dry brush and Distress Ink pads.  Dress:  tattered rose; hair: scattered straw; flowers: worn lipstick; shoes: walnut stain; stems, grass, leaves: pine needles.  The dp is from Daisy D's.  I found some antique lace that I wove pink ribbon through and topped it off with a feather butterfly.

The greeting on the outside of the card and the sentiment on the inside are computer-generated.

Thanks for stopping by and taking a look.  For some real inspiration be sure to hop over to Mo's Digital Pencil challenge blog.  Oh, my goodness!  The DT's cards are amazing!

Two Cards..... Two Challenges: WOJ and CCC

After a very busy weekend I treated myself to a 3-hour nap today.  I'm not a napper, but it really was rejuvenating because I was able to get into the studio and finish two cards for two of my favorite challenges.

First is the Whiff of Joy Challenge #75 using the colors yellow and green with an additional color.  I added pink to the mix. 

This image from last year's WOJ summer kit is colored with Copics YG23, Y08, and RV25, primarily.  The dp is from my scrap pile and had all the colors I wanted for this warm, summer card.  The flowers are Prima "Got Flowers" (there's a LOT of flowers in that little jar!), the label sentiment from KI Memories, and the embossed flowers are Cuttlebug border folder.  It's all topped of with little pearls and delicious ribbon from the Target dollar bin (can you believe it?!).  I don't know about you but I am craving lemonade right now!

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Now for the Copic Colour Challenge #60.  It's a great color combination that lent itself well to a card for a little boy to give to his mama for Mother's Day.

I didn't have the exact Copics so I used B91, E49, and Y21, primarily.  I was really surprised to find this dp in my scrapbook stash.  It contains all of these colors!  The image is a cutie from Mo Manning called "Sorry", and I think he also works well for a Mother's Day card.  The ribbon is from the Michael's dollar bin (gotta love those dollar bins!) and the sentiment is computer generated.

What mama could resist this little face?

So many cards to make......... so little time!  No more 3-hour naps for me!

Thanks for stopping by!  Your time and comments are so appreciated.  I hope your week is fantastic!

Happy 1st Birthday, Sunday Sketch and Stamp Challenge and Blog Hop!

This is a very special post for Sunday Sketch and Stamp!  We are celebrating our 1st birthday! This year has gone by so fast and we have had so much fun, not to mention 25 tremendous sketches!

To celebrate our first year we have a special blog hop and challenge.  The blog hop will run for the next week and you will find the details at Sunday Sketch and Stamp, which is the first stop on the hop.  For the next two weeks, our normal timeframe, the challenge is to choose one (or more) of your favorite sketches from our first year.  You will find all the sketches at our Photobucket album here. Good luck choosing!  I would love to do them ALL again! 

I decided on sketch #3 which was Sem's fabulous sketch:

This is so versatile and fun!  Here is my new card with this sketch:

The image is from the new Whiff of Joy "Blooming Spring" collection.  It's a great choice for a young man's card.  A handmade birdhouse -- a sure sign of spring! This image is colored with Copics and the DP is from my stash of scrapbook paper.  I used Kraft paper embossed with my Cuttlebug and added the striped and measuring tape woven ribbons, all have nice texture.

Just for fun, here is the card I did with Sem's card waaaay back last May!  See what I mean?  Versatile and fun!

If you are playing along with the blog hop, you should have come here from our talented Arianne's blog. If you haven't, you can go back to the start at Sunday Sketch and Stamp to get in on all the fun! Your next stop is at creative Ger's blog.

Thank you so much for stopping by.  I hope you celebrate with us and choose a favorite sketch or two.  We'd love to see your projects.  And many thanks to all of you for joining us this past year.  We hope to see many, many more friends join in for our second year!

A Dragonfly for Luck

During my recent hiatus I missed a few of my favorite challenges, even though I had the card pieces laid out and ready to assemble.  One of those cards was for the Whiff of Joy Challenge #72, a beautiful sketch by Bev,  and I cased Paola's nifty idea to made this into an accordian-fold card. The papers are from Heidi Grace Designs -- love these colors!

The stamps are from the new Blooming Spring collection, only available at retailers.  The images are so lovely and really put me in the mood for all things garden.  This bird bath is colored with Copics W0, W1, W3, W5.  The water is B12, B16, B18.  Various shades of YG and G for the vines climbing the stem.  I love dragonflies and sometimes I think I bought the kit for this cutey!  He is colored with Copics G0000, G00, V0000, V000, V01 and coated with Spica gel pens lilac and clear.  Rhinestones add more glitter and complement the swirls in the dragonfly's wings.

Thanks for stopping by today.  I know how busy your weekends are.  Be sure to stop by the Sunday Sketch and Stamp challenge blog tomorrow.  We are celebrating our 1 year anniversary and have some fun things in store for you!  You just might see some more spring in bloom here ;-)

A Peek At Where I Color.......

The photos of the tags in my previous post were taken at my new coloring place and sparked some interest in what my Copics are stored in and how I have them set up.  Since I love my coloring space I thought I'd give you a peek into my world. 

This drafting table is a very old one my brother gave me.  It has the old fashioned crank on the sides to keep it tight and wobble-free and it is all solid wood.  My studio is already quite full with work spaces so there wasn't room there.  But I like to color while watching my favorite TV shows and where I can be with Jerry when he is home. I'd been coloring on a little table in our upstairs living room, but that just wasn't attractive when company popped in! So, I was able to add this table to our downstairs tv-pool room, which is much closer to my studio.  (It also helps to keep me away from the refrigerator upstairs!)

I laid self-stick shelf liner on the table surface to protect it and use a magnetic precision mat (the quote in the center of it is "Fast is fine, but accuracy is everything." --- Wyatt Earp.  LOL)  Any mat would do, I just happened to have this one stuck away, not being used.  It has little magnets for holding pieces in place.  That will be handy for masking and tracing.  I have an OTT Lite curved over the work space.  There is no better lighting!  Alongside the table is a small 3-tiered cart with my PrismaColors, Distress ink pads and accessories.  Basically, this is a surface strictly for coloring.  I have another area in the studio for stamping the images.

A closer look at the Copics set-up:  quite a few but not nearly enough!! The cases are clear plastic made for the Copic Sketch.  They are available for the Ciao, also.  Here are 5 cases, each holding 36 markers.  I have been able to get these at Hobby Lobby, but only one or two at a time.  One of my favorite places to shop, 7 Kids College Fund, has the whole variety.  The 36 marker case is $5.29 there.  I keep my cases open (the lid fits on the base) and laid on their sides.  This is best for the markers, anyway, and really easy for me to see the colors.  Yes, they are in numerical order --- it's about the only thing I have this well organized at this point!  I love my coloring space!

Thanks for stopping by and taking a peek at my creative space.  I hope it will help with some of your organizing challenges.  Please leave a comment about your coloring space.  I love looking at "where it all happens"!

Bah! Humbug! Challenge #13 --- Tags and Labels

After a couple weeks of a much needed break I am ready to get back to doing one of my favorite things:  cardmaking!  I still have a full plate of projects, but that is a good thing!

Today started off with a wonderful surprise:  I won the Spot Prize over at Bah! Humbug!  This is a generous and random drawing for loyal contributors. BH one of my favorite blogs, not just because Max, Irene and Ann are fun and creative ladies, but because I am getting a good jump on Christmas projects each week!  I don't know what the prize is yet so I will be eagerly watching my mailbox then will post my pressies.  Oh, I'm like a kid at Christmas!

Now, on to the challenge for this week:  labels and tags. Tags are the last thing I think about at Christmas so while wrapping presents I end up slapping on leftover stickers. Tacky!! Ugh!  I actually found that making tags was a bit challenging at first, trying to make them fancy, sort of like miniature cards.  Then I went through my scraps from the K&Co Christmas Cheer collection and the wheels started turning!

I made four tags in about an hour.  The first two took 55 minutes; the remaining two took 5 minutes! 

These two tags started with a couple of bird sets that I colored a very long time ago with water color pencils --- way back before I discovered Copics!  But they are so cute and I don't like to throw anything away.  Taking bits of the scrap DP and some pretty ribbons I now have two pretty package tags.  There are spaces for the To/From on the backs.  Now these tags took so long because of the creative mode. 

While going through the scraps I found this great portrait of Santa that was too large for a greeting card.  But, cut just right and folded in half and voila! --- a tag!  But wait!  Here's a nifty scrap of DP with music for "We wish you a Merry Christmas"!  Snip, fold, punch --- another tag!

I promise that the presents for Christmas and Holidays 2010 will not have tacky stickers!  In fact, why not make a couple of quick tags at the same time as the cards?  Hmmm? 

Thanks for stopping by today and for checking on me while I was away.  Your visits and comments are much appreciated.  Now, spread the love and hop on over to Bah! Humbug! for a peek at the DT's projects and the participants, too.  Even better, join us!  You never know when you might get a nice surprise along with having fun!

Busy Beauties Wonderland of April Releases AND a Brand New Blog!

If you love digistamps and Alice In Wonderland as much as I do then you just have to drop through the rabbit hole and explore the new releases over at Busy Beauties Boutique!  This is really easy --- and FUN --- with a blog hop today.  At the end of the journey is a magical and beautiful new blog home for all the Busy Beauties in the blogosphere! 

For the blog hop click here to begin the journey at Catherine's magical blog.  If you just absolutely cannot wait to see the new blog --- and learn about the inaugural CHALLENGE and PRIZES then take this shortcut.  But, please hop over to the Busy Beauties' blogs for amazing inspiration and creativity.

I wasn't able to join my BB sisters in the hop, but you'll be seeing some of the Alice In Wonderland magic here soon!

Sunday Sketch and Stamp Challenge #25 --- My Card is Finally Up

Ahhh!  A little breathing room for a few minutes!  I hope you all had a wonderful weekend and joyful Easter!

Our Sunday Sketch and Stamp challenge was postponed a day in order for all of us to observe the holiday and spend time with family and friends.  For this fortnight we have Maggie's terrific sketch and a chance to win these digital Sentiments Birthday Spots from Crafts 4 Eternity:

Here is my card:

I used the C4E digistamps "Best Wishes" spot and the C4E "Bride and Groom".  The image is colored with Copics and Spica Glitter pens.  I just think this is such a cute image and the sentiment spot accented Maggie's sketch perfectly. 

Thank you for stopping by and be sure to hop on over to Sunday Sketch and Stamp.  The DT has put together some fabby cards and you could win these convenient and versatile sentiments!