PagesPat's Ponderings

Monday, January 21, 2019

Inspired while on the Path of Positivity

What inspires you to  create? Is it the list of challenges on Paper Play? A new image from your favorite store? A favorite quote, a catchy tune or something someone says to you in passing?
When I started crafting, I met a great woman online who inspired me to explore more than I was doing at the time. My style exploded, my techniques expanded and suddenly my comfort zone had no boundaries.

Her name is Holley Barnhart, and if not for a brilliant surgeon, she would not be around to share and inspire anyone, let alone me! So once a year she celebrates her "new life" with a blog bonanza. I am so happy for her, and so happy that she is in my life. Thank you Holley.

The Path of Positivity is always pointing the way toward positivity, acknowledgment and encouragement. This month's optional theme at the challenge blog is INSPIRATION. What better way to feature this theme than by using a unique, limited image from Ike's Art called "Holley's Brain."

I created a mixed media canvas with whatever I could find in my scrap pile that I felt matched Holley's personality and soul. Then I took a picture of it and mailed it to her as a thank you for helping me become the artist that I am today.

In order to be considered eligible for this month's prizes at the Path of Positivity, ALL creations must be positive, inspirational, motivational or encouraging in some nature. Prizes this month include:

A $15 gift certificate from Ike's Art, our guest sponsor for this month, for a person chosen in a random draw based on all qualifying entrants.
ONE image (value of $5 or less) from Scribbles Designs, for the post or project that the team deems most inspiring of the bunch based on all qualifying entrants.
One digital image from Creative Bug Digital SnapShots for each person chosen as a DT Delight.

Challenges I am Entering:
Bleeding Art - Anything Mixed Media Goes
Not Just Cards - Anything Goes
Rhedd's Creative Spirit - ANything Mixed media Goes
Splashy Mix - ANything Goes

Tuesday, January 15, 2019

Sheepski Designs Sponsors the 12 Months of Christmas blog

I don't know about you, but this last Christmas depleted my stash of Christmas cards. So once again I need to build it up starting NOW, so I don't have to rush toward the end of the year. My first holiday card of 2019 features a digi image from Sheepski Designs called Snowboardin'.

Sheepski Designs is the guest sponsor at the 12 Months of Christmas Blog,
 where the theme is Anything Goes and the optional TWIST this month is"Anything but a Rectangle". I don't normally like making a circular card, but this cute snowman inspired me to create my DT card today. After coloring him with Copics, I used dimensional tape to pop him onto my paper and framed it all with a paper doily.

My embellishments are simple. I used a border die to get the tiny snowflakes that I placed around my snowman. Then I used some Stickles to give them and the background some shimmer. Finally,  I used white flocking powder to circle around the edge of my paper circle.

At the 12 Months of Christmas Link-Up Blog, you don't need to follow the twist to link up your cards and earn a free paper each month or for a chance to win THREE images from this month's sponsor, Sheepski Designs. BUT if you DO follow the twist you'll have a chance to win this month's featured digital paper pack, Candy Cane Flavors Mini Kit. So start that stash for Christmas 2019 and don't forget to link up at the 12 Months of Christmas Blog.

Challenges I am Entering:
Crafty Gals - Snow Much Fun
Cute & Crafty Christmas - Anything Christmas Goes
The Sisterhood of Crafters - Make it Sparkle
Card Mania - Baby It's Cold Outside
Merry Little Christmas - Anything Goes
Sparkle n Sprinkle - Anything Goes w/loose glitter, embossing powder or flocking

It's Birthday Time Again at Scribbles Designs!

Did you know that birthday calories don't count?! I didn't but Carl here, a digi image from Scribbles Designs, swears that it's true. I don't really know if I can trust him though. I haven't kissed  many frogs looking for my prince, but those I have remained frogs. Very untrustworthy (and slimy).

This month Scribbles Designs Challenge Blog celebrates its birthday, so their challenge theme is to feature birthdays. While Carl normally feasts on flies and other flying insects, I guess he couldn't resist a little zero calorie birthday cupcakes. After all, he is one of the original crew of images that Scribbles Designs started with.

Big things are brewing at the birthday celebration at the main blogAlong with the regular prizes there will be two or three additional prizes. Plus, anyone who leaves a comment on MY personal blog will have a chance to win the image I used on my project. So make sure you link your cards or birthday projects (anything goes) and check out this months posts. You don't want to miss any birthday goodies!!

While you can buy Carl in the Scribbles Store, the individual cupcakes I colored and used on my card are offered as freebies! One  more reason to check out the blog...

Challenges I am Entering
Craftyhazelnuts Patterned Paper - Anything Goes w/patterned paper
Digi Doodle Studio - Happy ANything
Happy Craft - Anything Goes
Love to Craft - Anything Goes

Thursday, January 10, 2019

Give Peace a Chance

I was inspired today to  create a Christmas card for  my 2019 stash, which was depleted last month. I absolutely adore this digi image from A Day for Daisies. It's called Placing the Stars
http://adayfordaisies.com/stamps/fairies-nymphs/placing-the-stars and I've used it before.
Today I colored my image with Copics, adding some shading with colored pencil. I've been doing this often now, using both markers and pencils to get a deeper depth tp my images. I used 2 patterned papers from Decosse's Dynamite Doodles for my background from these Paper Sets:
I printed out my image (with its blue background) twice, cutting out the image and the patterned paper bow and adhering them to the first layer with dimensional tape.
Then I popped it  all on a piece of cardstock with stitched edges. To finish off my card, I gave the ribbon, angel wings and edges of the blue frame some shine with Stickles. I had some extra tiny stars die-cut from a border die. My sentiment goes (I think) perfectly with the image: Star light, Star bright, A wish for Peace on Earth tonight. If only...

Challenges I am Entering
ABC Christmas - Anything Christmas Goes
Cute & Crafty Christmas - Anything Christmas
the Sisterhood of Crafters - Make It Sparkle (gold & Stickles)
City Crafters - Give Peace a Chance (paper-pieced bow)

Monday, January 7, 2019

Get Inspired on the Path of Positivity


The Path of Positivity Challenge Blog is offering an optional twist on its Anything Goes theme: focus on INSPIRATION. If you would like to challenge yourself, create a project to uplift and/or motivate someone in your life. However, remember that the optional twist is just for fun.

This card is for my neighbor. She adopted a dog around this time a year ago. He is a rescue, a cute senior beagle (except when he howls). LOL She had lost her husband a few years ago and decided to fill her empty house with barks and dog hair. She also got cuddles and licks and unconditional love.
Using an Ike's Art image called "Kindness", I colored it with Copics and placed it onto a card front created from embossed and stitched metallic paper. The greeting didn't show up well against that background, so I crimped some red (for love) to back up the words, "Happy Adoptiversary!" I helped my image pop out from the background paper by using dimensional tape and a die-cut snowflake peeking out from behind it.
So I made this card to celebrate her dog's Adoptiversary! We rescued our dog, Wilson, a senior Silkie Terrier, three years ago. He's one of the family now, and we couldn't be happier. If and when we're ready to adopt again, my daughter and I agreed to look for another senior dog. It makes your heart melt to see their blank stares turn into looks of love after they know they have found what it is to be loved and cared for (again or sometimes for the first time). Don't we all need just that?
If you're trying to decide if you're ready to get a dog, please consider adoption from a shelter. They have dogs and cats from 4 weeks old to seniors, playful to mellow, all of them just looking to be loved and to love in return. Go ahead and, "make their day!" 
And if you're interested in playing along with the challenge at the Path of Positivity, please note that ALL projects must be positive, encouraging or uplifting in some way (so make sure you mention you are following the theme this month).
 Prizes this month include:

A $15 gift certificate from Ike's Art, our guest sponsor for this month, for a person chosen in a random draw based on all qualifying entrants.

ONE image (value of $5 or less) from Scribbles Designsfor the post or project that the team deems most inspiring of the bunch based on all qualifying entrants.


One digital image from Creative Bug Digital SnapShots for each person chosen as a DT Delight.

You have until February 3rd to link up to three projects to the first challenge of 2019 at the Path of Positivity Challenge Blog!  Go for it, crafters!

Challenges I am Entering:
Get Creative - Anything Goes
2 Crafty Critter Crazies - Anything Goes w/a Critter
Happy Craft - Anything Goes

Tuesday, January 1, 2019

Scribbles Design's Year in Review

It's midway through the last challenge of 2018 at Scribbles Designs Challenge Blog. The theme is "Year in Review" and crafters have until January 14th to  link their projects at the main challenge blog. If you choose to follow the optional theme, you can pick out any of the 11 previous (2018) challenge themes for your project. This is a win-win opportunity here, as  one of those themes is ANYTHING GOES.
I chose to create a card with the May "Make It Masculine" theme. And what a paper, am I right? The paper is called Clockworks and is from Decosse's Dynamite Doodles. I love this big old pattern of the inner and outer workings of a clock, with all its gears and gizmos.This  concept of time can be used in birthday, friendship, even sympathy cards, as well as many other projects.

The image I used for my card is Scribbles Designs' #800 Treasure Chest. I colored my image with colored pencils to get that weathered look just right. Here's where digital and handmade come in: I digitally placed on my paper a couple shapes (heart & star), then printed it. I printed the treasure chest twice so that I could cut out parts of the second image to give it more dimension. 
I love using Scribbles Designs' Treasure Chest with the sentiment above: There is no greater Treasure than a  Good Friend". What a perfect pairing, right? Since this card is going to a veteran I met at the VA hospital, I kept the design simple. 
So that's MY take of the Scribbles Designs Year in Review. Are you going to play along? You have 14 days in which to capture your Muse and shake some inspiration from her (kind of like pixie dust) and link it to the challenge blog. Happy crafting! 
And a Happy New Year to you, too!
Challenges I am Entering:
Craftyhazelnuts Patterned Paper - Anything Goes w/patterned paper
Not Just Cards - Anything Goes
Sheepski Designs - New or Old (Old Friendship)
World Wide Open Design Team - Anything Goes as a DT  member


Welcome to IKE'S WORLD CHALLENGES 2019


Looks like Ike's World Challenge Blog is going through the alphabet, starting the year off with an optional theme of ANIMALS. So I got to play with an Ike's Art image called "Magician's Hat + Bunny" I found a cool quote on Pinterest (and of course couldn't follow up to the author):
Always believe that something Magical is about to happen

This is a New Year's card for my girlfriend, Janie.She and I are having an old-fashioned sleepover this New Year's Eve (and hopefully not a hangover for New Year's Day). We're mapping out 2019, with goals, journals, helpful hints, etc. We used to do this every year but life got busy and we dropped it. .Now we're back, ready to get healthier, get organized, de-clutter and simplify.

About my card: After coloring my image, I digitally popped it onto Decosse's Dynamite Doodles Blue Glitter Textured paper. I have squares on my mind, so made everything but the embellishments matching in shape. And everything is from my stash as almost every project I've created this year has been. I really am trying to downsize my craft supplies. I'm like a craft hoarder (but an organized one).

So, as this year comes to a close, and a New Year starts,I hope everyone sees a prosperous and healthy year, with plenty of time to craft and relax, spend time with friends and family,  and find yourself in a better place. Happy crafting!

p.s.(DON'T FORGET TO LINK UP YOUR OWN PROJECT FOR A CHANCE TO WIN DIGIS  FROM IKE'S ART STORE)

Challenges I am Entering:
2 Crafty Critter Crazies - Anything Goes w/a Critter
Love to Craft - Anything Goes