Time to Relax at the Path of Positivity

When I come home from a stressful day out, the first thing I do is turn on some music. It's time to wind down, relax and end my day on a good note. Relaxation is the optional Twist this month at the Path of Positivity challenge blog. The guest sponsor is Decosse's Dynamite Doodles, whose papers are featured on my card today. After choosing a Scribbles Designs image, I used cardstock to frame "Carlos Carl" after coloring him with Copics.

Then I went through my library of digital papers, most of which have come from Decosse's Dynamite Doodles. I chose the Sunburst patterned paper from A Taste of Summer paper kit, then a pink textured paper to frame the whole card. I chose 2 tiny frog stickers, a couple of black jewels and a bit of ribbon for embellishments, and printed a play on the words Buenos Noches, which in Spanish means Good Night. I wanted to give one of my friends a smile to relax her, as well the Peace & Calm CD set I bought her. She's gone from part-time to full-time work, and her days are hectic. What she needs is a smile from a friend (in my card) and a little relaxing mood music (in the CDs).

The challenge runs throughout the month. All projects that are positive, inspirational, motivational or encouraging in some way qualify for this month's prizes. The theme is just what it is - an option to inspire you. Here are the prize details:

from our guest sponsor, Decosse's Dynamite Doodles, 

 for a person chosen in a random draw based on all qualifying entrants.

ONE digital image or sentiment (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.

Don't forget to link up your cards, layouts, mixed media or other art to the Path of Positivity challenge blog for your chance to win! Good luck and happy crafting!

Oddball Art Sponsors the 12 Months of Christmas

Hello, crafters! It's time for more inspiration for your growing Christmas card stash. My DT make for the 12 Months of Christmas uses a digi image from Oddball Art Stamps by Lizzie Love. It's called #392 Whimsical Christmas Wendy from Oddball Art Stamps by Lizzie Love, the guest sponsor for the month.
After coloring the image with Copics, I framed her with coordinating squares of Decosse's Dynamite Doodles papers from A Touch of Frost Paper Kit and  An Eclectic Christmas - Gold & Silver Paper Kit. I popped it all onto a piece of Kraft paper and started adding bling - rows of jewels, glittery snowflakes and Stickles here, there and everywhere.
The optional twist at the 12 Months of Christmas is Sparkle, Glitter & Bling. The twist is optional, so 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 a $10.00 gift certificate to the Oddball Art Stamps Store. However, if you would  like to win the Christmas Paper Kit offered at the main blog, you need to follow the theme.
So, whether you pour on the glitter, Sparkle or Bling, or create without them, don't forget to join in the fun at the 12 Months of Christmas Blog. Challenge runs until the end of the month.

Challenges I am Entering:

Classic Design Team Open - Anything Goes

Country View - Textures 

Fabrika Fantasy - Anything Goes

Merry Little Christmas - Anything Christmas Goes

Sparkles Christmas Forum - It's Snow time!

New Challenge at Scribbles Designs Challenge Blog

The optional theme over at Scribbles Designs Challenge Blog is to "use a sentiment". My DIL is a photographer, Camille T Photography, and she took this amazing photo of her daughter (former cheerleader) accomplishing an awesome jump on the beach. It just so happens that I found the perfect sentiment in the Scribbles Designs Store. It reads:

"Funny how in Dreams 

your feet never touch the Earth"

I printed out the sentiment, cut it out and placed it on the photo. Then I used some deliciously colorful patterned paper from Decosse's Dynamite Doodles from her Bokeh Paper Kit. Want to hear a funny story about this card? I decided to make a set of four of them and bagged them for a recent craft fair. The set didn't sell, but my girlfriend, (who just happens to be the other grandmother to the girl in the photo), saw the cards and bought them! She was delighted when I told her who the girl was.

When you create this month, don't forget to link your card or project up at the Scribbles Designs main blog for your chance to win free digis from the Scribbles Designs Store. Good luck and happy crafting!

Challenges I am Entering:

CCC Digi Designs - Summer

Daisy Chain - Summer

Sognando Scrap - Travel/Holiday (to the Beach)

Treasure Island Inspiration

Today I played around with my Copics and my digital papers and created a hybrid card. I love to make these because while they look chunky they are flat when printed out for easy inexpensive mailing.
I chose to color up a Scribbles Designs' digi called Treasure Chest. I also colored one of two images from Oddball Art, the Pirate flag in the background being held up by a skeleton. After  coloring my images, I popped them onto a scenic paper I created in Photoshop called "Spooky Beach." If you like it, I have added it to the bottom of this post. If you snag it and use it, please give credit to "Patacake Designs" by Pat Martin.
I used Crazy Killer font to create my sentiment before adding it to my card. I was inspired by the book Treasure Island, which I enjoyed reading when I was younger and just this year passed it along to one of my grandkids.
Here's the paper I promised you. Have fun with it! I hope to see it out there in Blogland::

Spooky Beach Scenic Paper by Pat Martin, Patacake Designs

*****

Challenges I am Entering:

Tales from the Craft Room - Summer Fun

Cards 4 Galz - Summer Fun
 Shopping our Stash - Base it in a Book (Treasure Island)

Anything Goes at Catch the Bug

This month the challenge theme at Catch the Bug is ANYTHING GOES! I'm still working on my Christmas cards, so my project features two holiday-themed images from Bugaboo: FURBAC Front Steps & BUGCAT Christmas Topper.
To give my card dimension, I printed my image three times. After coloring my front door scene, I used dimensional tap to add two extra Copic-colored images of the cats. I also colored and cut out an extra door's ribbon.
Once the card had all its layers, I added papers to frame and embellish it. I added a few sparkly snowflakes and a row of jewels, with a sentiment sticker on the door to finish off my holiday card. I can't believe I'm so close to reaching my holiday card stash goal! A special thanks to Bugaboo Stamps for offering a Christmas in July daily challenge last week. I won some awesome digis from the store!

Challenges I am Entering:

 Catch the Bug - Anything Goes

12 Months of Christmas - Sparkle, Glitter & Bling

Crafter's Castle - AG w/optional Any Occasion (Christmas)

My Time  to Craft -  Christmas in July

2 Crafty Critter Crazies - Anything Critter Goes

Crafty Animals - Anything Animal Goes

Merry Little Christmas - Anything Christmas Goes

Sheepski Designs - Animal Madness

Hats Off to You at Ike's World Challenge Blog

Welcome to a new challenge at Ike's World Challenge Blog. This month the optional challenge is to create a project featuring Hats. My DT make includes three images and one patterned paper from Ike's Art store!
While I did some creative computer work for this hybrid card, I also used my trusty Copics to color Mr. Poe's bust and Top Hat . He is really stylin', no lyin'! LOL
Of course, I like to use (or create) puns whenever I can, so my sentiment should make you groan a little.  Puns are under-appreciated, I think.
No matter if you are inspired by the optional theme, no matter if you create altered art, a scrapbook page or other mixed media project, just don't forget to link it up to Ike's World Challenge Blog for your chance to win images from the store.
Good luck and happy crafting!

Ike's ArtImages: Poe Bust, Top Hat & Coffee Cup 1
Ink: Copics & white gel pen
Papers: Ike's Art Poe Paper & PS Digi Dewy's For the Love of Chocolate patterned paper
Font: Verve

Challenges I am Entering:

Relaxing at the Path of Positivity

Welcome to a new challenge at the Path of Positivity blog. Although the challenges are all Anything Goes, the optional twist is RELAXATION. Create something that would encourage someone to relax.

I used papers from A Taste of Summer Paper Kit, created by Lisa Decosse of Decosse's Dynamite Doodles. 

I colored an digi image called Fab Four from Babycakes DND by Sandra Caldwell.  Do you like the Beatles' music? My hubby was a big fan. He even created a Beatles channel on Pandora. He could relax best with their music. My girlfriend loves the Beatles, too. Her birthday is next month, so besides getting a blast from the past, she will enjoy this card and not stress too much over another birthday!

There's a famous quote that says, "Music hath charms to soothe the savage soul". It's a proverb that  comes from the play The Mourning Bride, by William Congreve, an English author of the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. Music plays a very important part in everyone's lives. For instance, have you ever watched a scary movie and turned the sound off? Way less scary!!

Moms hum or sing lullabies to their babies, dancers move to the rhythm without thinking about it, just letting their bodies move with it. When I'm winding down, I turn on the soft acoustic sounds of a piano or guitar. When I want to get off the couch and move, it's rock or pop. As the kids always said on American Bandstand, "It's got a good beat I can dance to".

You have all of August to create something positive and link up with the Path of Positivity challenge blog for your chance to win prizes. All positive, inspirational, motivational or encouraging projects qualify for this month's prizes:

• The A Taste of Summer Kit, a digital scrapbooking kit from Décosse's Dynamite Doodles, 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 based on all entries.

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

 Good luck and happy crafting!

Challenges I am Entering:

Archi-Scraps - Music

Classic Design Team - Anything Goes

Creative with Stamps - Dad or Masculine

Pearly Sparkles - B is for..."Beatles"

The Creative Crafters - Anything Goes

Dare 2B Artsy - Anything Goes

When Life Gives You Lemons...

Today I created a card for the new challenge at Oddball Art. Their theme is "Sweet Lemon Sour", and I think this is perfect for a summer theme! I used a digi image from a stamp set called Sweet Lemon Sour, available to Premium Newsletter members at Oddball Art  Co. It's really a treat to use this digi, as  I actually won  my Premium membership during an Oddball Art contest!

I printed my juiicy lemon directly onto my background sunburst paper - four times! I colored my lemons, then cut out two of them to give it dimension on my card. I also cut out my sentiment and my framed lemon, adhering them all on top of each other with  dimensional tape.

I actually tried a "new-to-me" technique on this card - I had never used thread and needle before today! I sewed the X's (kisses) using Baker's twine. My Gram would be so proud of me, as she taught me needlepoint, crewling and crocheting when I was young. For the O's (hugs), I used puffy paint.

I don't know if the photo shows it, but I used yellow and pink Stickles for the lemon "meat" and the lips. I like to sparkle up my cards!

Although the digi stamp set comes with an  original sentiment, I thought I would put my own unique sentiment to work. I created it in Photoshop using AR Herman font in pink and yellow and framed it before adding the second layer onto my card.

So there you have it, crafters! The challenge at Oddball Art lasts through the end of the month. Good luck and happy crafting!

Challenges I  am Entering:

Oddball Art - Sweet Lemon Sour
Crafty Calendar - August
Crafty Friends - Summer  Colors
Just Us Girls - Summer
Brown Sugar - Anything Goes
Colourific Challenge Corner - Anything Goes
Sweet Stampers - Summer
Creative Crafters - Anything Goes
Worldwide Open Design Team - Anything Goes

Summer Lovin' at Scribbles Designs

 Following the challenge theme of Sizzling Summer over at Scribbles Designs Challenge Blog, I created a set of coasters. To keep them together and organized, I colored up a Scribbles Designs image called Farrah Flamingo. She is one of my favorite characters in the Scribbles Designs Store.  I used apiece of patterned paper from Hobby Lobby (I had to dig deep for this one- my Hobby Lobby store closed several years ago). After using Mod Podge to initially adhere the paper to the paper coasters, I sealed them with Liquitex Gloss Varnish so that they would be water-resistant for those hot summer days when I want to put down my iced tea (or Sangria, Mudslides or Frozen Margaritas,  etc.).

Once I had four coasters, I used a piece of ribbon and hot glued my Scribbles image, colored with Copics and embellished with jewels, onto the ribbon. The coasters fit into the ribbon and I have a pretty way to show off  my coasters, as well as use them.

Even in the summer, I still drink my morning tea, and I can use my new coasters for my mug of caffeine as well!
Remember, the theme at Scribbles Designs is always Anything Goes, but if you choose to  follow that option, you have a chance of getting your project in the Scribblers Hall of Fame. Winners there have a chance to win $10 worth of digis from the Scribbles Store. Just don't forget to link up your project with the main blog!

Challenges I am Entering:

2 Crafty Critter Crazies- Anything Goes w/a critter

Bleeding  Art -Anything mixed media, altered art, etc.Goes

Happy Craft - Anything Goes

Sheepski Designs - Animal Madness

Sweet Stampers - Summer