Murray and Her Easter Chick

Easter is just 38 days away, but Murray by the Saturated Canary, is already on the hunt for eggs and chicks.  It's no secret that I am ready for spring and this card nearly shouts it!    

The card stock is DCWV Lemon Flower mat stack. The image and the frame are cut with the Nestibilities Labels Eighteen.  The flowers are Prisma and the leaves are Spellbinders Shapeabilities Foliage dies.  The lower border is a combination of three Martha Stewart border punches: flowers, picket fence and tulips. 

I colored the image with Copics and this time I did color it to match the papers! 

Here is a close up of the three border punches. 

So, for two days in a row I have posted twice!  I'm having so much fun!  I hope you are, too, as the weekend nears.  Thanks for taking the time to stop by.

Sugar Nellie's Simply Adorable Rebecca

I just can't resist the Simply Adorable girls by Sugar Nellie.  The fact that they are digital from Funky Kits is another plus.  This is Rebecca.  She is so pretty!

I didn't have a particular sketch or occasion in mind when I created this card.  It will be another one going into the new shop and I like to leave my cards blank on the inside for the buyers to personalize them. For this card I used the gorgeous Tradewinds matstack by DCWV.  The large flower is by Prima, as are the smaller flowers alongside.  The leaves are Spellbinders Shapeabilities "Foliage".  The rhinestones are Michael's Recollections and the little butterfly is a Martha Stewart punch. 

These images are so easy to color.  I used Copics, but with a light touch so I didn't cover the lovely shading in the sketch.  

Thanks for stopping by again today.  The weekend is nearly here already and I hope you all have a great one.

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!

Sassy Cheryl Challenge #103 --- No Embossing!

Sassy Cheryl has put together quite a challenge this week --- no embossing!  What?!  No embossing??  But... but... well, ok.  It is a challenge after all!

Now if this card doesn't bring on day dreams of spring I don't know what will!  This is Cheryl's new digi "Sally Sits In Wonder".   With a couple of lady bugs for company she certainly looks content!  I used matching double-sided scrapbook sheets from my stash for all the dp pieces.  The little flowers are punched from scraps of the same paper.  The green lattice is a Martha Stewart large border punch.  I followed the rules and skipped the embossing; there's not even a scored line to be found.  But for texture I did distress the edges of some of the pieces.

I colored the whole scene with Copics, using the colorless blender to push the blue ink in the sky for clouds.

I think most of us are definitely ready for spring to arrive, even though winter has been pretty mild in most of  the northern climes of the U.S.  Thanks for stopping by today and be sure to hop over to Sassy Cheryl's to get more inspiration from her very talented design team.    

Queen of Hearts

The characters from "Alice in Wonderland" are funny, crazy and colorful.  They make great subjects for artistic interpretations and Krista at The Saturated Canary has created a Queen of Hearts who is beautiful, sassy and a blast to color! 

I stretched my usual card size to fit a #10 envelope.  After all, variety is the spice of life, right? The card base is black card stock with a cream card stock behind the red dp from a valentine collection.  I accented the black swirl with a few red rhinestones.  The little swirls on the right side of the image were taken from the larger piece, but would have been hidden under the image.  It's a shame to hide a pretty swirl and they added just the right touch to balance the layout.

The image is colored with Copics.  I didn't write down all the colors (I forgot again) but I did remember to make a note of the colors I used for her hair:  B12, B18, C9 and 100.  I love coloring with reds --- such a rich color!

Thank you for stopping by today!  I hope you are having a happy and creative week!

Mo's DP2 Challenge -- Sentiments

It's been so long since I entered Mo's DP2 Challenge, but I have several new images so I'm ready to go!  The challenge this week is "My Sentiments Exactly" which is, basically, anything goes as long as there is a sentiment.  Since I often don't put sentiments on a card until I know who I'm sending it to, this was a bit of a challenge .... well, not really once I got the card made.

I just had to use this little cutie "Winter Fairy Halla" before spring officially arrives.  The sentiment I came up with was "Sending you winter kisses" --- easy peasy!  The dp is from my stash of single sheets.  The background looks like snow falling and the middle one looks like frost on a window.  Both had a touch of lavender in them, so that became my choice for the accent color.  The lavender glitter paper coordinates with the glitter ribbon and the Stickles in the image.  I love this net flower, soft and delicate like a snowflake.

The image is colored with Copics and accented with Stickles.  Oh, this image is so cute!

Thanks for stopping by today!  I appreciate the time you spend here.  Be sure to take a few more minutes and hop over to Mo's DP2 challenge to see the fantastic projects by the design team. 

A Card for My Grand-niece

My adorable grand-niece Sienna turned 5 years old --- nearly 3 weeks ago!  Yep, I'm a bit late with her card and gift.  I don't think she will mind, though.  A present is a present!

This is one of Saturated Canary's newest digis and she is just precious. Those big blue eyes and flowing blonde hair (of course, my choices in coloring) remind me of Sienna. The card is pretty simple, just using two designer papers from the Watercolor Bouquet stack by K & Co. layered on Bazzill cardstock.  The flower is a combination of stray silk flowers held together with a pearl brad.  The border is a MS punch.

She is colored with Copics and it is so much fun to color these images. 

Well, this is the second posting day in a row, after being off for awhile.  I would say I'm on a roll!  It made me so happy to see so many visitors yesterday.  Many thanks for your visits and comments.  Your encouragement is so appreciated.

Design D.I.V.A.S. Oldies But Goodies Blog Hop Is Back for 2012!

It's the third Wednesday of February already which means it's time for the Facebook chapter of the Design D.I.V.A.S. to have our Oldies But Goodies (OBD) Blog Hop.

 This is when we use neglected and forgotten items from our stashes.  The Design D.I.V.A.S. is a private Facebook group, which is a branch of the Original Design D.I.V.A.S. on the Splitcoaststampers website. The acronym for the D.I.V.A.S is, Divine, Inspirational, Virtuous, Artistic (or annointed) Sistahs. This is a very talented and supportive group, which I'm blessed to be a part of . Thank you for stopping by and we hope you enjoy the hop!  

If you arrived here from our talented Maria's blog Maria Matters then you are on the right track. To start at the beginning jump back to Cindy's Antics where you are sure to love her project! 

Now, on to my project.  This is the first project I've done since before Christmas!  I really needed a break for awhile, but I haven't exactly been laying around eating bon bons!  My studio has been under a new austerity program and many unused and neglected tools and materials will be on the auction block.  But I did keep enough to meet the criteria of 6 months of collecting dust.  Today I used a an image that I had colored months ago.  This is Joy by Sugar Nellie.  Also, the DP is from the DCWV At Home stack which I haven't used since last spring, about the same time I used the Martha Stewart Butterfly border punch along the bottom.  

I didn't get this done in time to take a photo with natural light so I'm not very happy with the color density.  But, I think you get the general idea.

Here is a close up, and the colors are more like real life.  The image is colored with Copics.  I love these images with the shading detail.  Coloring is minimal, which isn't easy for me to do sometimes.  But the lighter touch with the Copic is all that is needed for this adorable image.  There is a new element in this project.  I used the Nestabilities Labels 18 for the image and background.

The butterfly is made from the large and small MS punches.  Rhinestones swirls add a bit of bling.

Aaahhh!  It really did feel good to work on cards again!  I have a new outlet to sell my cards so I'd better keep at it!

Thanks for stopping by today. I hope you are enjoying the hop!  Now, off you go to see what out talented Sue has for you at Sue's Sentiments.  

The Good News Is.....

The good news is that I have been doing some coloring today, a good sign that my mojo is returning.

The bad news is that I "twanged" (my term for not quite a sprain, but more than a twinge) my hip when my bad knee gave out while I was putting my pants on.  Despite recommendations to the contrary, I continue to put my pants on one leg at a time --- while standing up.  Doesn't everyone?

The result is that I can't sit or stand for long periods of time, let alone finish reorganizing my craft studio.

Many thanks to all my pals who have sent me words of encouragement while I've been taking a break from crafting.  It seems I am not alone, either.  But, daily scanning through Google Reader is working to light the ol' creative spark again.

Hope to be posting again soon!

Happy 2012!

Happy New Year, everyone!

I am taking a bit of a sabbatical while I sort out where my true passions lie.  I have been trying to do too many things because my creative side went into overdrive then it over heated, and evenutally overwhelmed me to the point where I just froze up.

Hopefully, I'll be back in line and on line in a couple of weeks.  Encouraging words and advice are most definitely welcome!

Love and hugs to you all! 

A Christmas Prayer for All My Friends Who Visit Here

I pray your heart is merry

I pray your joy is bright

Throughout this special season

Of peace and hope and light!

--- Jennifer Byerly

My son and new daughter-in-law will be arriving in a couple of days. We will be enjoying treasured Christmas traditions as well as making new ones.  I hope that you all will have family close and that your celebrations will be warm and joyful. 

Thank you for all your visits and lovely comments and support this year.  I'm blessed to have met so many wonderful and talented friends here in our blogging community.  Until 2012...........

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Seasons Greetings and to a prosperous and blessed New Year! 

Sassy Cheryl's Challenge #93 --- It's Santa!

Just 16 days before the Big Buy starts his annual trek around the world, jumping down chimneys, chomping on cookies and stuffing stockings!  Paying tribute to this bearer of glad tidings is Sassy Cheryl's Design Team with the challenge theme "It's Santa!".

I think I have finally caught on to the clean and simple style of cardmaking, but now my challenge is FLAT cardmaking.  I have lots of cards to mail so I really need to keep them within the one-stamp per envelope range. I do so love layers and embellies, but those will just have to be saved for those cards hand-delivered or attached to packages. With the card for this challenge I managed to keep it flat and with a minimum of embellies that could get into the hands (or noses) of little ones.

I used Jen del Muro's December sketch for this card.  Her sketch is below and I will enter this in her challenge, too.  It's a great sketch and I turned it on its side to accommodate the shape of the image.  All of the papers are from the Jolly and Bright mat stack by Recollections at Michael's.  The shapes are all cut with Nesties dies --- what would we do without them?

Santa is colored with Copics and I used Stickles for the dots on his coat and the swirls.

Now, what would Santa do without his elves?  Since I was making all these clean and simple FLAT cards I thought I might as well show them off here, too.  It's not often I have so many new cards made in such a short time! 

Gotta love Cheryl's new character Polly and she is all decked out to help Santa.  I just can't bring myself to color her pigtails anything but red/orange!  The papers are from the same Jolly and Bright mat stack.

She is also colored with Copics.

Noah is a helpful little elf, handing out the ornaments for the tree.  This card is really simple with the circle die cuts creating an ornament-type layout.

Again with the Copics and dp from the Jolly and Bright mat stack.

Now, this one was really simple!  The Christmas Tree Elves, looking very much like the Marx Brothers, are taking more ornaments to the tree.  The background dp is from the Jolly and Bright mat stack. (I don't know why this is so dark, but the paper is really bright and pretty.)

I embossed the Nesties die for the border around the group.  They are all colored with Copics and I used Stickles to add the sparkle to the ornaments.  I really love this image and just might make a couple more cards like this.  It is so simple and festive.

All of these images, and so many more, are available at Cheryl's store here.  

In case anyone was counting, this is my third post today.  Whew!  I do have more cards to make yet, but will probably have a bit of a break from posting for a couple of days....... maybe ;-)

Thanks for stopping by.  Be sure to pay a visit to Sassy Cheryl's Challenge Blog to see some very fun Santa cards by the design team.  

Sketch and Stash Challenge 76 --- Chrissie's Sketch

[Yes, indeedy, this is my second post of the day!  Scroll down for first ever Sugar Creek Hollow entry.]

It's been awhile since I entered the Sketch and Stash Challenge, but when I saw my lovely friend Chrissie's sketch, I just had to take part.  I love the sketch and had just the right new image to use on it.

The rich deep reds and greens come under my favorites for Christmas colors, especially when I am wanting a vintage look.  The Christmas Cheer stack by K & Co. has been my go-to selection for a couple of years, but I am down to just a few sheets of it now.    All the dp on this card is from that stack.  The ribbon is velveteen and the flower is from Prima.  

A new-to-me site is Waltzing Mouse Stamps and this image called "Harriet" is a freebie from the digital products section.  They have a super selection of stamps from which I already have quite a long wish list!  I colored Harriet with Copics and layered it on Nesties die cuts.  

Here is Chrissie's sketch.  The next new challenge will be on December 19, so you still have time to jump in with your project.  Be sure to check out the design team's projects, too! 

Thanks for stopping by again today!  I hope you are having a wonderfully creative week!

Sugar Creek Hollow Challenge --- Non-Traditional Christmas Colors

This is my first entry for the Sugar Creek Hollow Challenge.  My uber-talented friend Peggy is one of the new design team members and when I saw that this challenge features vintage, shabby and primitive designs, I was hooked!  So I hope to be here every week!

For this week the challenge is non-traditional Christmas colors. This gave me the chance to use a piece from a package of K & Co. Vintage labels and to try an easel card made from the Spellbinders Label Ten.  

I like how this came out.  Label Ten is so pretty and the large size makes it just right for a non-rectangular shape.  I used Kraft card stock for the base and layered on the light blue and a crackle dp by The Paper Studio.  The tag with the reindeer is from the package of K & Co. tags.  It has just a touch of gold glitter on the borders.  The poinsettias are little silk picks I found at Michael's and the pearl swirls are Recollections by Michael's.  

A little closer look at the top half of the card.

The sentiment is a stamp from a Cornish Heritage Farms collection. 

I just might use this as a decoration here at home instead of mailing it out.  I know just the place for it!

Thanks for stopping by today!  I have been busily making cards this week so there will be more posts to come.... maybe even another one today!  If you haven't visited Sugar Creek Hollow yet, be sure to hop on over.  You will love what the design team has to inspire and excite us this week!

Bah! Humbug! #47 --- Cute Christmas Critters

When the last Bah! Humbug! challenge of the year is upon us, Christmas is not far behind.  And this week is the last BH challenge of the year --- Yikes!  But if it wasn't for Ann and Max and all the guest designers during 2011 I wouldn't have nearly as many cards done as I do!  For the last challenge of 2011 the ladies of Humbug Hall have us seeking out Cute Christmas Critters.  I'm glad they specified "Cute" or we could see another invasion of the ugly spider critter from last September!  EEK!

So, what would Christmas cards be without a House Mouse stamp or two?  There are so many and they definitely qualify as "Cute"!  

I was going through a stack of stamps and images I had already colored and found this angelic pair that I colored last year.  There was even a sticky note attached reminding me to do white-on-white with candy cane ribbon.  So, that's what I did!  Dotted Swiss embossing on the bottom layer and a Nesties frame around the image which is mounted on a piece of red card stock.  And a simple candy cane bow with Martha Stewart snowflake punch.

I colored them with Copics, but I don't remember what I used to make them shimmer.  I just love the humor in this scene and I get the feeling that the bugle is not only loud but off-key as well!

As sad as it is that we won't be seeing Bah! Humbug! for a few weeks, they will be returning in January with even more challenges to get our creative juices flowing for 2012.  In the meantime, hop on over to take a look at the inspiration by the design team and participants.  

To Ann and Max, thank you for another great year!  Love and hugs and Merry Christmas!

Sassy Cheryl Challenge #92 --- Winter

Today has been a very wintry day and there is the threat of a rain/snow mix tonight.   For southern Missouri that often means ICE.  We have to drive to Fayetteville, Arkansas tomorrow morning, but hopefully we will encounter only wet roads.  In this part of the country there is not a single road that is straight or flat.  That makes for s scenic drive --- on good days.

All of this fits well with Sassy Cheryl's challenge this week --- WINTER.  

Cheryl's image "Winter" just says it all!  Getting all bundled up in boots and mittens and a muffler to run outside and catch the snow flakes of the first snowfall.  Paper like Michael's Recollections and snow flakes from a Martha Stewart punch help to put that first scene of winter right in someone's hands. 

The image is colored with Copics and the snowflakes are Stickles.  

I'll soon have all the cards made that I will need for Christmas and holiday greetings.  Then I'll move on to the next few seasons and should stock up on birthdays and other sentiments.  But in the meantime, I'm loving all the new winter and holiday images by Cheryl.  Be sure to hop over to the challenge blog to see what the amazing design team has created.  

Thanks for stopping by!  If you are experiencing winter weather, please drive safe and keep warm!

Mo's DP2 Challenge #111 --- Great Outdoors

This week Mo's DP2 Challenge is sending us outdoors!  This time of year there are lots of things to do outdoors:  building snowmen, caroling, searching for the perfect Christmas tree, sledding, and all sorts of winter activities.  (Can you tell I'm in the winter/Christmas frame of mind?)

I am actually getting in on the challenge pretty early this week because I had just made this card but hadn't gotten it posted yet.  I used Mo's new image "Shall I Play for You".  When I think hear the song "Little Drummer Boy", which I love, I think of the little lad standing near the manger, softly drumming, his only gift to give the child.  

When I made this card I had imposed my own challenge --- sepia with one color.  I always think of little toy drums as red in color, so that became my theme. The card base, border bunch and corner punches are made from Kraft paper; the punches are Martha Stewart.  The dp are scraps and worked really well with the Kraft.  The card is simple, no bling or flowers.  I know a couple of little boys who will like this and they are young enough that I wouldn't want to put on little pieces that could end up in little mouths, noses or ears!

The image is colored with Copics.  Those corner punches, as I mentioned, are Martha Stewart.  I really like the way these punch out and fold over, giving it a clean photo corner look.

Well, as I said, Mo has lots of images to meet the challenge of the "Great Outdoors", so if it is cold and wintry where you are, you can warm up your work space if you build a card with a beach scene or a backyard barbeque.  However you do it, there is plenty of time to get in on the fun at DP2 Challenge!  You really have to see what the DT came up with, too!

Thanks for stopping by today!  Have a terrific weekend!

Bah! Humbug! Challenge #46 --- Fabric

My goodness, the weeks are flying by!  Here it is Wednesday already and I just realized I haven't made a card for this week's Bah! Humbug! Challenge.  The ladies of Humbug Hall have thrown another great challenge at us.  This week they are looking for fabric! 

 Now the first thing I thought of was to stitch some lovely material onto a card base and add a stamped image, or something.  But my sewing machine has been packed away for years and is probably frozen from lack of use anyway.  It would be just as useful sitting at the bottom of the Humbug Hall moat!  But I have this gorgeous piece of fabric that I want to use sometime, somehow....  

So I cut off a chunk and wrapped it around a piece of heavy cardboard.  I didn't realize how much would be covered by the image, so I guess I will just have to keep that fabric handy and use it for another project.  Any hooooo.... The stamp is by Northwoods from 2005 and it is such a pretty wreath.  I don't know why I haven't used it before!  To keep it all pretty simple I embossed the stamp with gold embossing tinsel on red card stock. Then placed it on a piece of very glittery gold paper.  The bow is fabric trimmed with gold and wired so it stands up nicely.

Here's a close up of the stamp.  I added a just few red rhinestones. 

I don't know that this card will remain intact.  The fabric isn't taking to the adhesive well, and the glitter paper doesn't seem to want to hold the red card stock, either.  It could just fall apart on me.  Well, then I will just have to use the card parts in other ways!

Thanks for stopping by today, but for some solid inspiration and gorgeous projects hop on over to Bah! Humbug! for a look at the DT's offerings.  You won't be disappointed!

DP2 Challenge #110 --- Elves, Fairies, Santa, or Snowmen

Happy Monday, everyone!  I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday and much success with your shopping trips!  The countdown is on to Christmas!

This week's challenge at DP2 is much more challenging than it would appear.  Why?  Because Mo has recently created the.most.amazing digis of Elves, Fairies, Santa, and Snowmen!  The challenging part was choosing which one to use!  I finally decided on the craziest Santa I have ever seen --- Ragged Santa!  

He is just soooo jolly and cool, even in his ragamuffin clothes.  I stayed with the traditional colors here, but I have seen him colored so beautifully in a variety of hues.  True to my attempt to use up old papers and scraps before buying more, I used, well, old stuff!  Even the buttons have been in my button drawer for a couple of years. Evergreen punches (Martha Stewart) and red rhinestones finish off the cluster of buttons and twine.

The image is colored with Copics, my favorite rich reds!  A bit of gold metallic gel pen on the bell and silver on the belt and shoe buckles.  Pretty easy layout, all in all.

There are so many more gorgeous elves, fairies, Santa, and snowmen over at DP2 Challenge.  Be sure to hop on over for a look-see.  Thanks for stopping by! 

Bah! Humbug! Challenge 45 --- Bags and Boxes

Bah! Humbug! Challenge is the best friend any crafter could have for Christmas preparation!  Every week of the year the ladies at Humbug Hall challenge our creativity and by this time of year we have healthy stacks of cards and paper crafted projects.  Now what better friend is there than that?  Keeping Christmas alive all year long while giving us a head start every week we participate.  This week they are getting serious and jumping right to the gift wrapping phase of holiday preparation!  The theme is Bags and Boxes.   To be honest, cards are more my bag, but I shouldn't let myself get boxed in a rut (ugh, sorry, had to do it!).  Actually, another favorite blog gave me an idea as well as a trip down memory lane.  

For this project I made a box similar to the one featured at Whiff of Joy Tutorials and Inspiration this week. It reminded me of the little paper boxes we made in elementary school, usually out of smaller sheets of construction paper.

This project allowed me to use a 12 x 12 double-sided patterned paper that would normally go untouched for the smaller card projects.  This sheet is from the popular Christmas Cheer collection by K & Co.  I am quickly running out of this stack, but not to worry.  K & Co has beautiful new ones on the market.  I just can't get them till I use up what I have....... well, we'll see about that! ;-)

I used really glittery wired ribbon around the top edge of the box and for the handle.  It is stiff enough to stand up on it own.  Pearl brads hold the handle in place.  

The sticker on the front is a coordinating piece in the collection. This project was so easy!  Done in fifteen minutes!! It took me longer to get photos of it!

This handy little box pales in comparison to the gorgeous projects by the Bah! Humbug! DT so be sure to hop over for even more inspiration!  Thanks for stopping by!