Twin Gardeners

How about this?  This is my second post today!  That's because I have been making lots of cards this week.  I have a new outlet for selling my cards and since my stock was getting really low I've been really busy! 

During my downtime I did quite a bit of reorganizing and found some images that I had colored quite some time ago.  I can't waste a good image and, in this case, I have two Sarah Kay images that I had planned to use together.  They didn't fit on one project so I did two using the same "Chloe's Closet" (Making Memories) coordinating papers and embellishments.  

I am so into anything SPRING!  Can you tell?  Gardening is not something I am any good at, in fact it's a waste of good seed, dirt and water for me to even attempt to grow any kind of plant!  But I totally love and respect gardeners, otherwise I would probably starve!  These little cuties are all set to sow the seeds and nurture some yummy veggies!

This was colored with Copics well over a year ago.  I can see some things I would do differently now, but still not bad.

And here is the other half of the twin set.  I have so much of the "Chloe's Closet" set that I don't know if I will ever get it all used up!  But I had fun with this one, scattering pieces and trying to come up with random balance.  

Once again, Copic coloring.  As I recall, the inspiration for the color combo was a picture of a frilly bedspread in blue and yellow calico prints.  

I didn't have a particular sketch or challenge in mind with these, but I'm glad you stopped by for a look!

Copic Colour Challenge #55 --- Warm Gray, Bush, Cool Gray

As promised, here is my second post for today.  The Copic Colour Challenge #55 is a great color scheme this week. 

This is a beautiful color combination and, I must say, quite a challenge!  But I think I pulled it off.

Using the adorable artist by Sarah Kay, I colored her using the basic color theme.  I did have to substitute the BG96 Bush, but came close.  So here is the complete list of Copics:

Pants: W7, W5

Smock: BG75, BG72

Easel: E44, E71

Bear: C7, C3

Skin: E00, E000

Hair" E41, E53

All of the paper is from an Autumn Leaves mega pack called The Manhattan Collection.  The colors of the papers and punch-out embellishments are a perfect match for the color scheme.  I've had this paper for a long time and was so excited to be able to use it here. Everything but the pearls in the corner came from that pack.  The layers of rectangles were cut with my Nesties.  Here's a close-up:

You know, this may be one of my favorite color themes since I started with CCC!  I have lots more of the DP to use, too!  I hope you enjoyed your visit here.  Thanks for stopping by.  Don't forget to hop over to CCC for a look at the DT's projects!  Hey, hop on board with your own project, too.  I'll come see it!

Copic Colour Challenge #52 --- Grey, Pink Green

This week's color combo for the Copic Colour Challenge is one of my favorites: 

I love the simple joy in this Sarah Kay image.  The color combo is perfect for this, especially with the DP from the Basic Grey Two Scoops collection.  I do have to admit to a little bit of a goof-up in the colors.  Instead of the R11 Pale Cherry Pink, I accidently picked up the RV11 for the apron.  After the coloring was done I used the R11 over the apron anyway.  The results are still pretty.  The stunning flowers are new from Prima at Michael's.  Embellies are a string of white flat beads and a little sticker that says "Simple Joys". The left edge is punched with Martha Stewart, revealing a coordinating piece of the DP on the inside.

Thank you for stopping by!  I hope your week is off to a great start!

Colour Create Challenge 36 --- Kraft, Blue and White

The Colour Create Challenge this week is to use Kraft, Blue and White.  The possibilities are endless!  Add to that the bonus of textures.  That goes without saying --- one of my favorite things!  So, using this adorable Sarah Kay image I added buttons for flowers and the Bloom Dots Cuttlebug embossing folder for more texture.. 

The image is colored with Copics and cut out with rectangle Nestibilities.  The scalloped Nestibilities die was used to cut the perfect frame from Basic Grey Marrakesh collection. Buttons are from my stash and the stems are simple twine.

To see some really amazing cards be sure to hop over to Colour Create.  The DT and participants are so talented!

Thank you for stopping by!  I hope your day is blooming with good things!

Barb

In God We Trust

Sunday Sketch and Stamp Challenge #18 --- My Sketch!

Here we are at Sunday Sketch and Stamp Challenge #18 and it is my turn! Yeah! I've had this ready for awhile, but before I reveal the sketch and card, I want to thank everyone who participates in the SS&S Challenge. I didn't get to comment on all of them this month but I did take a look. Awesome projects, as usual!

On a sadder note we are saying "so long" and many thanks to our very talented guest designers: Mira, Claire and Vicki. They have added such amazing creativity and we love them bunches. Please take an extra minute or two to pay them a visit. I'm sure we will be seeing much more of them. Thank you, ladies! You are all spectacular!

Now, on to the sketch for this challenge. Since we are just around the corner from Christmas and New Year's, this challenge will be up for three weeks rather than the usual two. So, even with all the celebrations, family fun, and food, we hope to see just as many --- if not more! --- participants. Challenge #19 will be posted on January 10, 2010.

It is my pleasure to present the sketch for Challenge #18:

Does it look like fun? Well, I liked it when I did this card. I hope you have fun with it, too. Are you surprised it isn't a holiday theme? I've done close to 200 Christmas cards so far, so I couldn't wait to use this Sarah Kay stamp I bought last month. Isn't he just the cutest? I also have the new "Farmer's Market" stack from DCWV and love all the patterns in it. Also, this paper is 70% recycled materials. That's a good thing! The reverse side is a nice cream color.

List of ingredients:

Image: Sarah Kay

Coloring: Copics

Designer Papers: Farmer's Market from DCWV (yes, I believe those are beets, maybe radishes)

Border punch: Martha Stewart

Buttons and twine

I hope you enjoy the sketch. Most of all, I plan on seeing your project over at Sunday Sketch and Stamp. Thanks for stopping by my blog and the other designers' blogs.

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Happy New Year to everyone!

Barb

In God We Trust

Two Sarah Kay Christmas Cards

It is Thursday already! Where does the time go? Especially this time of year when we are pulled in so many directions.

I could make Christmas cards all year long! In fact, I just might so that I am ahead of the game next year. The easel cards are also my faves! I saw many members of my family at Thanksgiving, so I hand-delivered their Christmas cards. This one went to my one and only baby sister. I just couldn't resist this Sarah Kay image.

The image is colored with Copics and the dp is from the Signature Christmas collection by My Mind's Eye. Prima flowers make up the big bouquet. My little Sis deserves bunches of flowers every day!

This card went to my beloved aunt and uncle. The vintage look is one of their favorites and the dp from K&Company was the perfect accompaniment for the sweet image. Don't ya just love that hat! The glittery gold poinsettia is from floral picks I've had on hand for awhile. I just removed the stem and replaced the center with a lovely pearl brad. The poinsettia on the inside was cut from gold metallic card stock with the Nestabilities dies.

The image is also colored with Copics. This little girl was so much fun to color.

Thanks for stopping by! I hope all your holiday plans are coming together with great joy and togetherness.

Barb

In God We Trust

Believe It Or Not, A Non-holiday Card..........

I've taken a little break from the holiday cards. This adorable Sarah Kay "Picnic Time" image was just begging to be colored and placed on a sweet vintage card.

She is colored with Copics. By the way, I don't mention this often enough, but I use Memento Tuxedo Black ink on Papertrey cardstock whenever I use my Copics. No bleeding, no blurring, and no ink on the marker tips.

The papers are from my scrapbooking stash and the flowers are Primas. I used the Martha Stewart punch for the left side border and my treasured Nesties die cuts for the image background

Thanks for stopping by! Now, back to the beautiful holiday cards. Lots more to make!!

Barb

In God We Trust

Whimsical Wednesday Challenge --- Easel Card

As I was visiting favorite blogs this morning I stopped in at Sandra's at Paper Funtastics. She is a multi-talented artist; be sure to stop by and see her latest creations. One of her posts was an easel card for the Whimsical Wednesday Challenge. I like challenges and I love the easel cards, so, since I have a couple to post today, I thought I would join in this challenge and share it with you as well.

Both of these cards are made with the gorgeous dp Signature Christmas by My Mind's Eye. Pieces left over from one went into the other. No point in wasting such beautiful paper! The flower embellishments are all from a Prima collection. For the bases of the cards I used Bazzill 12x12 card stock, nice and sturdy and wonderfully textured.

The image on this card is the wonderful Sarah Kay Christmas Magic. I love the Old English look of this charming couple. They are colored with Copics and mounted on Nestabilities oval die cuts. And that exquisite ribbon along the bottom is from a box full of ribbons my mom gave me. (Isn't she sweet!) For the "door stop" I cut out the "2425" from scraps and 3D attached it.

The image on the second card is the adorable Henry Mouse with a Large Tea Cup from Whiff of Joy. I actually put hot chocolate in this mug and Henry is generous with the marshmallows! Copics was again my coloring of choice. The ribbon is a wonderful plaid woven that just happened to be a perfect match for the papers and Prima flower. Don't ya just love it when pieces just come together?

I am just crazy about the easel cards and folks I have shown them to love them as well. I think I will be making more in various sizes and shapes. I don't know who the original designer is, but I am eternally grateful!

Thank you for stopping by today! Please be sure to check out the Whimsical Wednesday Challenge and the fantastic designers there.

Barb

In God We Trust

My First Easel Card --- And I Am Hooked!!

The ingenious easel cards are all the rage right now, and with good reason: they are a fabulous way to display our treasured projects, cards that are "Made For Keeps"! So, I set everything else aside today to make one. The multi-talented Jacqui put together a terrific tutorial at the new Whiff of Joy Inspirations and Tutorial Blog. If you don't have this site on your favorites, now is the time to grab it. Go ahead.... I'll wait. Just be sure to come back here!!

After I took advantage of the WOJ tutorial, I realized I didn't use a WOJ image, which would have been the PC thing to do. But, everyone knows that my WOJ stamps will find their way on an easel card very soon! Promise!

So, here I have this adorable Noel Charity image from Sarah Kay, colored in Copics and mounted on two die cuts using Nestabilities Labels 4. The dp is from the Christmas Cheer collection by K&Company, which seems to be the first stack I turn to for a vintage-style holiday card. It worked really well for the easel card. The plain colors card stocks used for the base and layers are from my stash. I kept the embellishments to a minimum so this gorgeous dp wouldn't get covered up. Three simple Prima flowers with pearl centers, and a strip of satin ribbon -- that's it!

Of course the easel card would be a flat card if there wasn't something to hold up the face card. Something like a door stop, for lack of a better term. Once again I turned to the K&Company collection of goodies and found this very vintage (and sparkly) 3D sticker. Voila! Easy-peasy!

Thanks so much for stopping by! I hope your weekend is giving you lots of time for family, fun and creativity!

Barb

In God We Trust

Quiet Moments

Well, tonight is a bit of a break from Halloween and Holidays. I love this Sarah Kay "Quiet Moments" so much. This is the first time I colored it and I loved all the details. Just that much more depth to put into it! And, of course, I used Copics --- lots of Copics!

The papers are bits and pieces of scrapbook papers for a soft collage look. And I love the Prima flowers on just about anything! Add a touch of ribbon and a butterfly charm and this card is a nice quiet moment for friend or family member.

Thank you for stopping by!! I love visitors and really appreciate your comments.

Barb

In God We Trust

Sunday Sketch and Stamp #13 --- Clare's Sketch

I've been looking at all the fantastic projects from the last Sunday Sketch and Stamp challenge and, I must say, I am blown away by all the creative uses of the sketch and the beautiful projects! It was a fun sketch for me to put together and so much more fun to see so many renditions of it. Thank you for participating!

Now on to Sketch #14 from our lovely Clare! She also gave us a sketch that is fun to work with and a real keeper! I know I'll be using it again!

My card features Sarah Kay's "Joy Noel" stamp. I love the rich colors of winter so I colored her in velvety teal and copper. I'm in the Christmas mood already because I have so many cards to make, but I know this sketch will look great in any theme!

Materials:

Image: Sarah Kay "Joy Noel"

Colored with Copics: Skin E000, E00; Hair E08; Coat & Hat BG18, BG78; Dress E07, E41, E37; Shoes E37; Mailbox B29, B39

Cardstock: Glimmer copper

Ribbon: from my stash

Flowers: Prima

Gold medallion and accent: Spellbinders Lattice Pendant set

And here is Clare's wonderful sketch. As you can see, I stretched it. You can do the same, or rotate it, as long as we can see the original sketch. Give it a go! Join us at Sunday Sketch and Stamp!!

Thanks for stopping by and please join us during the next fortnight by posting your projects on the challenge blog. And, by all means, pop over and see the DT's gorgeous creations! We are introducing our three new guest designers and their talent is off the charts!

Barb

In God We Trust

Mojo Monday #84

It's time I get my Mojo Monday #84 card posted! In case this adorable Sarah Kay Country Girl looks familiar, it's because she is one of my favorite Sarah Kay stamps, and she is just so much fun to color. I colored her with my Copics and I love to get as much depth as I can. Such rich markers! The DP is all from DCWV Blossoms and Butterflies with a little sanding around the edges.


This was an easy and fun sketch to do. If you haven't joined in the fun yet there is still time before the next great sketch comes out on Monday!

Thanks for stopping by and I hope your weekend is relaxing and fun!

Copic Creations #2 --- Blue Jeans

Copic Creations Challenge #2 is coloring/blending/shading jeans, which I have been doing quite a bit of lately so I had this adorable Country Girl from Sarah Kay ready to go. I love coloring this image (as I do all of them) with Copics because of the opportunity to shade for depth and highlights.

I just started coloring with Copics in November '08 and was immediately hooked! The Copic Creations blog is so terrific because of the tutorials offered by the DT. Be sure to check it out!

I apologize for the shadow over the card. The lighting wasn't cooperating and I wanted to show the embossing on the white CS. Thus the close-up below.

This challenge is up until April 30 so you have plenty of time to join in! Oh! --- there is a terrific prize, too!

Embossing on smaller white rectangle by Cuttlebug embossing folder. Grid on card base was done with Scor-Pal at one-half intervals.

Another Favorite Sarah Kay....

This is going to be a very busy week with my brother and his fiance coming this weekend, cleaning house, and doing taxes (yep, I procrastinate out of fear!). I still want to get entries in my favorite challenges and maybe a surprise or two this week!

The card I have today is from a sketch I found on Tina's Kreativblog back in February. Do you hang on to favorite sketches? I have enough to keep me busy for months! Anyway, this sketch was Stamp with Stampavie Challenge #31 and I love the slight angle of the background layer. It does create a bit of an optical illusion, especially with geometric DP. But that is half the fun, right?

So, here is "Puppy Love" and I love this puppy because he reminds me of my three Shih Tzus! Margeux is colored with my beloved Copics and layered on papers from the gorgeous Basic Grey Marrakesh collection. The brads in the upper right corner as well as those in the flowers are from the Marrakesh collection, too. The little puppy is offering a key to Margeaux, so I finally had a chance to use one of the hand-wrought iron keys from my embellies stash.

Here is the sketch. If you haven't used it yet, I recommend it. I'll probably use it again!

Busy week and all, I'll try to get back with something new every day. Yep, I'm hooked!

Thanks for stopping by!

My First Sarah Kay Images!

OK, I couldn't resist these adorable Sarah Kay images any longer!! And I am so happy I added these to my family of cute kids.

I chose the Country Girl because she reminded me of being a little girl from Iowa with opportunities to spend summers in the country. With spring upon us I just had to go bright with the colors, so I used my Copics lavishly, then added the nearly neon plastic flowers I found at Paper Wishes. After mounting those on the sparkly DCWV Blossoms and Butterflies DP I added this delightfully crazy colorful ribbon. The little embroidered chick adds a touch of Easter to the card. I had so much fun coloring this image and composing the card.

Meet Margaux! This image is very dear to me because I spent many hours standing at an easel back when I was doing oil paintings. Oh, how I miss those days! Taking colors from the DCWV Blossoms and Butterflies DP I colored Margaux with my Copics then spread some blue Shimmerz on her hat and jeans for a touch of glitz. The felt butterflies came from Oriental Trading. The inside verse is from Ralph Waldo Emerson and seemed to be perfect for this card to "My friend". I love these sweet girls and have more colored and ready to grace more cards!

I'm so glad you stopped by! Your comments and input are so important to me and I like visiting your blogs, too. So much talent out there!