Mo's Digital Pencil Challenge #69 --- A Valentine in Non-traditional Colors

We've all had fun making Valentine cards for the past few weeks.  It's been great fun to see all sorts of sentiments, images and color schemes.  Mo's challenge this week takes the direction of non-traditional colors --- no pinks or reds. I already had most of my cards already made, but in thinking about my sis-in-law who is a teacher, I realized I had one more V-Day card in me.

Meet Trinity, one of Mo's school kids.  She is holding a shiny red apple and declaring "I love my teacher". The dp is from the DCWV Nana's Kids stack. The sketch is the SC317.  I had already colored her so the apple and backpack are in red, but I think I can get by with that since the rest of the card is anything but red!

Trinity is colored with Copics. Of all the school kids, I can really relate to Trinity, her blonde hair and glasses and the saggy socks.  Yep, that would be me a "few" years ago.  Oh, and don't you just love the apple button?  It's from my stash.  Sure wish I could remember where I got it.

If you are a teacher, let me just say a big "Thank you" for all you do for our country's kids!  It takes a special person to be a teacher!  This Valentine is for my sis-in-law and all the teachers I had in school. 

Mo's Digital Pencil Challenge --- Love is in the Air with Buttons and Bows and Lace

Valentine's Day is just a week away and I think I have about as many cards ready as I did for Christmas!! That's as it should be; after all, expressing love is good any time!  Well, Mo helped us out this week with the Love is in the Air challenge, adding buttons and bows and lace to our projects.  I just couldn't help but make two cards this week using "Shy Valentine Jason" and "Shy Valentine Nessa" from Mo's Shop.

First, here is Jason:

I love the dp of old-fashioned valentines like we gave out when we were little kids. For a "boy" card I couldn't bring myself to put lace on it, but this woven trim looks just fine.  The plaid bow picks up all the pretty colors of the paper and the red buttons are very fun.

I colored Jason and his big heart with Copics, really laying on the rich red! I love Copics' reds! (You should see the back of the image!)

Next is Nessa:

The card measures 5" x 5" and the entire border is punched with MS punch around set. This is why I love MS punches so much -- the matching border and corner punches are inspired! The lace came from one of our many antique stores here.  The button is actually a hard plastic button! I looks crocheted, doesn't it?  I probably shouldn't have covered it with the ribbon.

Nessa is also colored with Copics and I went for a nearly-monochromatic scheme.  I also deviated from the rich red, but love the corals just as much!

I hope you enjoyed visiting my blog as much as I appreciate you being here.  For some truly inspiring ideas be sure to visit Mo's challenge blog. That design team is one of the best in the blogosphere.

Sassy Cheryl Challenge L-O-V-E!

What's L-O-V-E got to do with it?  Well, everything, especially with Valentine's Day just 18 days away! So Sassy's challenge this week has us busy making all sorts of cards to give to ALL the folks we L-O-V-E so much!  With her fun and loveable selection of digis the possibilities are endless!  I chose this shy pair of lovebirds for my project this week:

I don't know about you, but I think this ponytailed little miss made the first move here!  The little guy appears to be prepared, tho'... see the Valentine card in his pocket?  Oh, I remember those childhood crushes!  I don't think we ever really get too old to have a crush on someone.  I'm not embarrassed to admit my crush on Colin Firth!  Who do you have a crush on?  Hmmm?

This image is colored with Copics and cut out with the new Nesties Wonky Squares die.  The papers and matching embellies are from Making Memories "Love Story" stack that I found last year. The pink and black plaid is so fun.  I could see giving this card to a guy.  Hmm, I wonder if Colin would like it?  **wink**

Thanks for stopping by.  I'm glad you were here!  Now, for more inspiration for cards for your honeys and crushes hop on over to Sassy Cheryl's to see the fantabulous projects from the design team.

Copic Colour Challenge #51 and Mo's Digital Pencil Challenge #18

Two of my favorite challenges had very similar themes this week, so I am showing two cards in one post today!   

The first one is the Copic Colour Challenge blog.  This week the colors are:

(I substituted RV22 for the pink)

The illustration is the sweet "Sugar" from Mo Manning.  There is so much great detail in the image and I didn't want to detract from it, so I kept the layout simple.  I had so much fun coloring all these yummy cupcakes and the adorable fairy.  But I have a very strong craving for butter cream icing!! Along with the Copics I used silver and clear Copic Spica markers.  This is the first time using them and I love the way the glitter flows.  My Nesties made the die cuts.  The DP pink is from My Mind's Eye Laundry Line collection.  The blue glitter paper came from Walmart.  The corner brads are from Michael's Recollection accents.  The sentiment charm says "Wish" and I think this card would be perfect for a birthday.

The second card is for the Mo's Digital Pencil Challenge.  The theme this week is to use the colors pink, white, and red and to include a heart. 

The illustration is Mo Manning's "Sunday's Child".  She is just so cheerful and seems to be shouting out "Happy Valentine's Day!"  I used Copics RV22 and R29, primarily.  Her dress and flowers are coated in Copic clear Spica markers. The papers are from various scraps in the colors red and pink, plus a heart-shaped doily.  Now here's a little secret:  I rubbed the sentiment onto a piece of acetate, covering the front of the card.  The acetate has a slightly rough texture on the underside, which created a little extra sparkle in the photographs.  Here's another secret:  this card is for my DH, if he ever gets to come in off the road!!

Thank you for taking a look at my cards today!  I appreciate your time and comments.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Whiff of Joy Challenge #65 --- LOVE!

Once again I have 2 posts in one day!  There are so many fun challenges and new images to color I just keep my little fingers busy. Besides, it is cold and snowy outside so I'm staying off the roads this week.

Valentine's Day will soon be here and Whiff of Joy's Challenge #65 has a LOVE theme to get those cards and gift projects ready! 

I've been making quite a few Valentine cards in the past couple of weeks, but this one just might be the the most colorful!  Willow is colored with Copics, though primarily the coral and peach shades.  That combination worked so well with the June Bug DP from Basic Grey.  This is the first time I layered more than one patterned paper in Nesties die cuts beneath the image.  In fact, I used part of an oval die cut under Willow's legs to look like a seat.  I like the "texture" created by the patterns.  The flower, ribbon, brad and jewels are from my stash. 

Not only does Whiff of Joy have this new challenge going on, but have you seen the new City Girl stamps?  Talk about cute!  Oh, and their first 2010 stamp kit, Birdie Love, is up for pre-order.  So, whatcha waitin' for?  Hop on over to Whiff of Joy to get all the news AND to see the DT's great projects this week!

I'm so glad you stopped by!  Have a happy and safe weekend.  If you are in the middle of the winter storm area please be safe.  Cuddle by the fireplace and partake of your favorite warm beverage!

Mo's Digital Pencil Challenge #17 --- "Wood" or "Would"

Happy Friday, everyone!  I hope you have a great weekend planned. 

Mo's Digital Pencil Challenge this week is very creative!  I think it is the first time I've seen homonyms/homophones used in a craft challenge.  The challenge is to use WOOD or WOULD (as in "would you be mine").  Clever, eh?

I love the image of the "Love Birds" and made this card to send to my aunt and uncle.  They are 88 and 89 years young (neither one look at day over 70!) and have been love birds for over 68 years!!  I chose this image for the challenge because it has the WOODEN bench and it just oozes the Valentine sentiment "WOULD YOU BE MINE" , right down to the blue birds!

The illustration is colored with Copics.  I used the cheerful June Bug DP from Basic Grey and added the rhinestone swirl with red jewels.  The sentiment is a rub on. 

Thank you so much for stopping by today!  I hope you have the time to hope over to Mo's Digital Pencil to see the design teams beautiful projects.  You might want to check out the participants' cards, too, and add one yourself!

Whiff of Joy Challenge #64 --- Gio's Sketch

Here it is Wednesday already!  Wednesday brings one of my favorite challenge blogs:  Whiff of Joy!  This week the remarkable Gio has a sketch for us.  I've been coloring lots of images for Valentine's Day and one of my favorites is Melinda Blowing Kisses.  I turned the sketch 90 degrees and had lots of fun with lots of goodies!

Melinda is colored with Copics.  The papers are all from my scrap stash.  For the corners I couldn't wait to use my new Martha Stewart extra-wide border punch.  Each corner is one punch pattern of the "Floral Vine".  I added more heart kisses with sparkly stick-ons.  The photo doesn't show it well, but the XOXOX is a metal charm that I framed in black card stock cut with the Nestabilities dies.

Here is Gio's sketch:

If you think her sketch is terrific, wait till you see her card and all the others from the DT!!  Hop on over to Whiff of Joy Challenge Blog for a look!  Don't forget to play along --- there's a great prize this week!

Thanks for stopping by!  I hope you are having a wonderful week.

Busy Beauties Valentines

It's been awhile since I posted a Busy Beauties image, but you will will be seeing more soon!  That's right!  Carolyn and Thomas have been busy with new releases.  Stay tuned for more! 

In the meantime, I've been working on Valentine cards these days and BB has adorable images for the LOVE-liest day of the year.  Here is  Rosey and Randy who look like they are definitely ready to exchange Valentine cards! 

These little darlins' are colored with Copics. The card is made from shimmery red card stock. I made the card for a type 10 envelope for something different.  It also gave me a chance to show off this beautiful new deep border punch from Martha Stewart.  Have you seen all the fabulous new punches and other products from MS?  Wow!  But I digress... the little paper heart doilies that I found in the Target $1.00 bins make a romantic background, surrounded by Mulberry Street paper flowers with fun brad centers.

Thank you all for stopping by!  It's midweek already and I hope it's a good week for you.

Whiff of Joy Challenge #16 --- Valentine Card

The Whiff of Joy Challenge for this week is Valentine Card. Since I had already posted some Valentine cards earlier I made a new one for this challenge. It gave me a chance to try a different style of coloring, too. Instead of using Copics (which I love) I used water color pencils, which are terrific, too. Just one rule for me, though: except for the hair and skin I could use only one color. So I selected carmine and my Koi Waterbrush. I also went even more vintage on the card design using some ephemera and more embellies.

Here it is! I'm liking it the more I look at it, but I did edge out of my comfort zone. What do you think?

I do want to thank two amazing cardmakers who were my inspiration for stepping out of my comfort zone to try something different. Tina at Tina's Kreativblog creates beautiful cards and papercrafts using interesting embellies, always accenting her main image, never drowning it out. And Aija at Kerttulin Paja whose coloring technique is nothing short of superb, uses just one or two simple colors with amazing depth. Thank you, ladies! Be sure to look at their wonderful blogs --- you'll be glad you did.

Now, for some details of the materials I used in this card. The paper and scroll are from Basic Grey collection pack; the rose picture is from a collection of ephemera; and the flowers, pearls and clip are from my stash of odds and ends. I used my Cuttlebug and Nesties to cut and emboss the hearts and long scalloped rectangle.

Thanks for stopping by! Please let me know you were here with a comment. I always return the favor.

A Few More WOJ Cards from the "Assembly Line"

Well, the term "assembly line" isn't really fair to the creative process. About the only thing I do at one sitting is stamping a bunch of images then spending hours coloring to my little ol' heart's content! Then each image is carefully matched to the papers and embellishments. Unless I am following a sketch for a challenge, each card takes on a life of its own. That is the essence of art in any form, don't you think!


So, this precious little Lizzie fit beautifully with the delicate flowers and swirls of the DP, with just a touch of light teal to frame the lovely sentiment I cut from a piece of DP. The hearts and corner swirl are cut from Cuttlebug dies and Nesties and made the perfect cuts for the image and scalloped border. Lizzie is colored with Copic Sketches and accented with simple pearls.


Angel Melinda love to blow heart kisses, and they just get bigger and bigger as they spread around the world. (Heart stickers from Walmart) This card is simple thanks to a portion of a double-sided piece of Daisy D's cardstock. A touch of glitter paper cut with the scalloped rectangle Nestie frames Melinda. A bit of glitter on her wings and outfit and she is ready to spread her love to someone special. (I'm not real happy with the photo quality here. The glitter paper washes out the bright hues of the Copic Ciaos used to color Melinda's flowing hair and red jeans.)



Teenage Lizzie appears again here, but this time colored in pink and lavender Copics. Scraps of DP and glitter CS surround Lizzie with soft hearts and sparkle. Gentle flowers and pearls are perfect embellishments for lovely Lizzie.



Here Angel Melinda likes big pastels to go with the butterfly sketch on the Daisy D's DP. The card is simple and sweet, just like Melinda.

Well, I have more colored images to match up to more beautiful papers. So there will be more cards to come!

Thank you for stopping by! Leave me a note, too. I always visit bloggers who take time to say hello.

Teenage Lizzie Valentine

This is a portion of another Daisy D's two-sided cardstock. It presented me with a different color scheme than I am used to working with. The aqua and white glitter cardstocks add fun pizzazz and the red glitter stick-on hearts pull the red glitter on Lizzie's candy box and the ribbon together. The aqua and white hearts are Cuttlebug diecuts, as is the lattice trim at the top. Lizzie's furry coat inspired the addition of just a touch of feather for texture. This week is the first time I have used the feathers in the cards and it's a fun embellishment! I am very happy with this finished product.

... and Lizzie's close up!

I still have a few more cards to post this week, then I will be moving on to some new and fabulous stamps I just got in the mail!