31 Days of All Hallows Eve - Day 31 - Today's the Day!

 Today is Halloween! Or is I put it in my original poem, Hallowee! I hope everyone has a good time, safe and courteous and reaping in the candy!! Today I created a hybrid project, which is a mix between digital and paper crafting.

I pulled together several images that were free clipart, adding them to a paper from Rucola Designs, paper #7 from her Dead or Alive paper set. I printed them twice so that I cold cut out the figures and add them with dimensional tape. I added highlights with a white gel pen, and outlined th figures with black marker.

The poem is an original by yours truly. I was complaining to my daughter that I had lost my mojo (here, mojo, pretty please come back, mojo) regarding Halloween crafting. Shocking, isn't it? She suggested I write a Halloween poem, since I've been working on an e-book of Haiku poetry. What I came up with today is not Haiku. It's an adaptation of the little kids' poem called Five Little Pumpkins.

To qualify as a craft project, I needed to first write the poem, then use it on a papercraft project. I used Photoshop Elements 2022. The text is called Viner Hand ITC Regular. I cut out the cats, mummy, ghost and flying witch with my special scissors that I use for what I call "fussy-cutting". It's shaped like tweezers and about the same size. I can get into really tight places as you can see.

I hope you've enjoyed my series of 31 Days of All Hallows Eve. I promised one lucky person who visited and commented on my posts a prize. It's a culmination of all my coloring pages/Zen doodling I've drawn. Some have been published on this blog; others have not seen the light of day. I am putting together a coloring book early next year. I'll let you all know who won this prize during November. 

Challenges I am Entering:

Crazy for Cats - Anything Cats Goes/Meow-o-een

Creative Fingers - Anything Goes

Most Magical Time of the Year - HAlloween/Christmas

Classic Design - Anything Goes

If You Give a Crafter a Cookie - Mostly Black

 

Fluff or Feathers

This month the Path of Positivity challenge blog offers an optional theme of Furry and/or Feathered friends. I was inspired to make this card for my granddaughter.  She lives in Florida, and when I went down to visit her and the rest of the family earlier this year, I discovered she had a hedgehog for a pet! My daughter is envious. She would love one, but we already have a senior dog who needs lots of love and attention, so she’s had to shelve that dream for now. And, to be fair, the llama is there because it is my spirit animal...

I used Copics to color an image from Oddball Art Company. It’s from their (free) newsletter subscription. Every month you get a Creepy Cute Chronicles free digital image in your email, along with access to inspiration and tutorials. This digi is from CCC#42.
So, my card is a hybrid, mixing the hand-colored image with the tools in Photoshop to pop him onto a photo I took last summer at my trailer. Then I printed it out and embellished it. I think my card really ties in with how we're all feeling at this time. Social distancing means less physical hugs, and my hedgehog has enough problems with hugs as it is! 
It also is a reminder that many people are scared or "prickly" due to the pressures brought on by these historic times. Just because someone is cranky, doesn't mean they are always cranky. Give them something to lift their spirits, or  at least wish their families good health.
Meanwhile, you can visit the Path of Positivity challenge blog for a bit of acknowledgment, encouragement, inspiration, or maybe just something pretty to look at. The theme of Feathery or Furry Friends is an optional one, but here are the rules:

In order to be considered eligible for this month's prizes, your projects/posts must be positive, inspirational, motivational or encouraging in some nature. Prizes this month include:

• A $10 gift certificate from Oddball 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.

Stay healthy, and happy crafting!

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)

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:

It's Day 10 at Scribbles Designs' Raise the Hoof 12 Days of Christmas

You may have heard of Olive the Reindeer. There has even been a boo written about her. Well, this is NOT about that Olive. This Olive is a real diva. She blew into Santa's reindeer village a long time ago. Her dream was to meet the one and only Rudolph, have him fall madly in love with her beauty and charm, and they would lead Santa's sleigh together (which would ultimately lead to a few Christmas movies with her name in lights).

Poor Olive! She strutted around, teasing all the other reindeer. She even had her nails polished a bright red to match Rudolph's nose! She was a true coquette, very popular with the bucks. She didn't have any doe friends, but she was so busy trying to get close to Rudolph that she didn't notice.

Of course, Rudolph was in love with Clarice, and nothing could pull them apart. Try as she might, she got nowhere with Rudolph, and only got Clarice angry with her. And when Clarice is upset, Rudolph is upset. And when Rudolph is upset, Santa is upset. Olive's attitude and actions produced a domino effect, with her being the domino, or reindeer, to topple the hardest.

Olive knew she had to change, or at least set her sights on another buck. She's still on Santa's turf. She hasn't made up her mind yet, but loves to flirt and have "fun with the boys." The does are okay with her, as long as she stays away from the bucks that are already committed to other does. That's fine with Olive. After all, there were plenty of bucks on the tundra, and there was plenty of time before she had to settle down...

Welcome to Scribbles Designs' Raise the Hoof 12 Days of Christmas holiday celebration! Today is Day 10 and Olive is today's new release! Each day from December 1 - 12, Scribbles is releasing a Christmas digital image. For more information on the celebration, click HERE to go to the main blog.

My card is a hybrid, a mix of digital and hand-colored images and embellishments. Here's what went into it:
Image: Olive from Scribbles Designs
Papers: Marta Van Eck Winter Scene Paper 9; Eena's Creations Winter Overlay 17; Decosse's Dynamite Doodles Black paper from Naturally Cool Paper Kit.
Elements: Digi Dewy Christmas Day Holly Sticker 2; Santa's Reindeer free clipart from Wilson Info
Wordart: Mandy's Lovable Designs Classic Christmas Red & Green Banner

Winter Fun at Scribbles Designs Challenge Blog

Like the seasons, the challenge themes over at Scribbles Designs change, too. Today begins a new challenge, WINTER IS COMING. So I got to play with a Scribbles Designs digi image called Snowman Snapshot #840. I made a special hybrid card for my granddaughter, Bella. This is a card she can put in her scrapbook. She is about three years old in the black & white photo.

I popped a patterned paper from Decosse's Dynamite Doodles behind my Bella and the snowman, then framed them both with a leftover piece of paper from Creative Memories. I finished off my card with a small bow I made.  

paper from DDD

This WINTER IS COMING challenge at Scribbles Designs Challenge Blog runs from today for a whole  month, so you have plenty of time to create for your chance to win free digis from the Scribbles Designs Store. Just don't forget to link up your projects at the main blog! See you there!

Ike's Art Sponsors Your Scrapbook Place Challenge Blog

Time for a new Anything Goes challenge at Your Scrapbook Place blog. This month's sponsor is the fabulous Ike's Art. Today, my DT make uses a digi image called Coffee Cup 1, from the  "I LUV Coffee" Set at Ike's Art Store. 

After digitally coloring the image and printing it twice, I placed the the images onto a little "scene" I digitally made, placing it all onto layers of die-cuts and handmade papers. I finished off my card with a line of jewels and one of satin roses. You can't see it in the photo, but I did use Stickles to shimmer up the steam coming from the coffee. Here are the details of my card:

Image: Ike's Art Coffee Cup 1

Digital Elements: Pixel Scrapper's Janet Scott's Yellow Room Paper from Oh Baby Baby PS June 2014 Blog Train; Sunny Faith Rush's Lacy Floral Border; Tina Shaw's Back to School Flowers; and Sheila Reid's Yellow Polka dot Grunge Paint from Outdoor Adventure Kit.

Card Base: DCWV

Roses: Paper Temptress

Misc. Embellishments from my stash

Make It Masculine at Scribbles Designs Challenge Blog

Last month at Scribbles Designs Challenge Blog, crafters were asked to "favor the feminine." This month the challenge theme is to "make it Masculine." I've been creating Thank You cards recently, and I am still a few short for an event I held recently. I got creative with a Scribbles digi image called #F 117 Life Preserver. I used Photoshop to create a scene from a photo of myself and a digi paper from Decosse's Dynamite Doodles. After printing it, I colored my life preserver with Copics and added a few coastal bird 3D figures embellishments. The border is a digital element from Pixel Scrapper Melo Vrijhof's That Teenage Life Kit. 

 The scenic paper from Decosse's Dynamite Doodles is from her Chasing Rainbows Paper Kit.

My three photos are of my card folded, standing open and flattened open. And yes, I didn't have a more appropriate photo of myself, so that is a bottle of wine in my hand as I "flounder in the sea." Anyway, I know just who to send this card to...

There are two weeks left to link up your card or project, whether you create with the optional theme or not. Hope to see you at Scribbles Designs Challenge Blog!!

Laughter is the Best Medicine

After many months being unable to leave the house for a long period of time, I have rejoined my card swapping group. The theme for the month was "Get Well" cards, so I created 20 of them with one of my favorite images from Bugaboo, Chicken Soup.

I adore the chicken sitting in its own pot of soup, ready to minister to the sick. I think she's one feather short of a working brain. If you can't read my sentiment, it's:

"Heard you weren't feeling well.

It's never a good idea to self-medicate.

Just saying."

I feel that laughter is the best medicine, and besides, I love to create a funny/punny card. Evidently, so do a lot of people. Everyone at the club meeting adored them! It feels good to say, "I'm ba-ack!"
So, every thing on my card was pulled from my stash. Those tiny red flowers actually came from my girlfriend's mom, who moved into an assisted living residence and gifted me with her craft supplies  last year. I had bought the jeweled flowers in bulk who knows when, and am still working on that stash.And I guess I have a fear of running out of paper, because if I never buy another piece of paper for the next two years, it would not affect my crafting at all (pitiful, isn't it?). I need to join Paperholics Anonymous!

Challenges I am Entering:

Catch the Bug - Anything Goes

Use Your Stuff - Anything Goes

2 Crafty Critter Crazies - Anything Goes with a Critter

Crafting Circle - Anything Bugaboo Goes

That's all for today.  Happy crafting!

New Challenge at Ike's World Challenge Blog

Welcome to the challenge midway point at Ike's World Challenge Blog! The theme is Anything Goes, with an optional theme of Mythical, Mystical or folklore. Ike came out with a set of images covering some of the Greek gods, and I fell in love with this one. She is Athena 2 and you can find her HERE. There are 2 versions - one with a background, and one without. I chose the one without because I wanted to use another image called Greece 3 for my background. It's part of a set of 4 images called Greek Views 2 World Tour Series.

I created a hybrid card,mixing my Copic-colored image of Athena with my digitally created background. I used Photoshop Elements to make the lines of my Greek View background more transparent, popping it onto cloudy patterned paper and embellishing it digitally (well, except for the jewels I sprinkled on the card).

Digitals from PixelScrapper.com: 

Janet Scott’s Back to Nature Clouds Patterned paper

 PS Pauline Thompson’s Eroded Hues Glitter

 PS A Janner Gold Border 001

You have one more week to enter this challenge at Ike's World Challenge Blog for your chance to win free digis from Ike's Art. My personal goal is to own every image she has. It's difficult, because she's always drawing new ones every month! But she is also generous with her images, so make sure you stop by for a new freebie. You never know when they will pop up!

See you there!

Challenges I am Entering:

Crafty Catz - AG or Ladies Day

Crafty Girls Creations - Anything Goes

Fabrika Fantasy - Add pearls or Gems

House of Cards - Add Text and/or Colors

New Series of Challenges at the Path of Positivity

Today I offer a card inspired by one of the greatest sculptors in the world, Michelangelo. You may think it strange to pair the famous statue of David with the infamous character from Bugaboo Stamps, an image of Stella. But this fall at the Path of Positivity we are asked to "Surround Yourself with Positivity" in the form of the ARTS! Each month for the next three months we're asked to explore the positive influence of three different artistic concepts: Art, Literature and Music!

September will kick off this new series of challenges with Art! One of the best parts of having computers is having access to the works of the artistic masters at our fingertips! Anyone can Google famous artists from 'sandro Botticelli and Claude Monet to Pablo Picasso and Frida Kahlo, and see their works! Open the newspaper and check out political cartoons and comic strips. Ride the subway and discover artistic graffiti. The world is full of sand painting, wood carving, sculptures, pottery, glass work, metalwork, quilts, etc,

Michelangelo's statues are very realistic and very detailed. It is a measure of his talent to discover each fine detail on each part of his statues. My image's character, Stella, is a feisty broad who tells it like it is. She enjoys going to the Art Museum (we have a great one in Chicago). I thought she would be the perfect match between David and my sentiment. I know a few women who have felt something similar when strolling through the museum. Not judging!! I think ALL art should move a person, but each person should be moved uniquely. My card details are further down this post.

While this challenge is Anything Goes, if you would like a chance to win the prize for the Most Inspirational Creation, use ART as your inspiration and share your project with "how ART inspired you to create it" by linking it up at the Path of Positivity challenge blog. 

Keep in mind, you are thinking about how different kinds of art affects us as individuals.  It’s not really about doing something “visually" art-related. For example, any positive image that reminds us of any piece of art, or creating in the style of a famous artist on your project.

If you do follow the optional theme, be sure to add FT after your name so you will be included in the draw for the prize for Most Inspirational. Also please leave a comment describing how your creation relates to the concept of art and what you learned about yourself along the way, if it isn't clearly written somewhere in your post.

In order to be considered eligible for this month's prizes, ALL creations must be positive, inspirational, motivational or encouraging in some nature. You don't need to follow the optional theme if you simply want to have a chance at the Random Draw prize of a $12 gift certificate from Bugaboo Stamps, one of our guest sponsors this month.

 You only need to follow the theme if you want a chance to win this month's sponsored prize of a $15 gift certificate from Lunagirl, provided by the second of our guest sponsors this month.

Card Details:

Core-dinations Teal Cardstock

Core-dinations  (Lavender) Cardstock

DCWV Abstract Paper Stack, teal mix

Neenah Teal cardstock
Various leftover embellishmets

Digital details:

Bugaboo Image- Stella Still Hot

Michelangelo's David photo from Google free clipart

Pixel Scrapper Jan Clark's ITP Paper 23

Pixel Scrapper Sharon Dewi Stolp's Paint Spray Stars

Decosse's Dynamite Doodles Button 04

Yellow-Gold Metallic Gel Pen

Challenges I am Entering:
Bugaboo - Anything Goes
Fabrika Fantasy - Add Pearls or Gems
Love to Craft - Anything Goes
World-Wide Open Design Team - Anything Goes (must be a DT make)

Finding Faith, Hope & Love on the Path of Positivity Challenge Blog

The last twelve years have been rough. One of the biggest lessons I have learned is to treasure every minute with those you love. Yesterday is history, and the future is not promised. We only have today, we only have this moment.

Taking this lesson to heart, I won't wait until September 21, my wedding anniversary, to celebrate my marriage to hubby Bill. I tell him I love him every day. And today I created a card for him, an early anniversary card, if you will. He will be getting quite a few of these throughout the year.

I found the perfect sentiment, too. It's one I used when I made my son's wedding invitations. Both he and his wife loved it. It goes perfectly with the digi image from Pattie's Creaations that I hand colored with a combination of Copics, colored pencils and glitter pens. Because my craft supplies are boxed up, I created a hybrid card. I photographed my hand-colored image and created my card using digital papers and elements:   

Hybrid card uses:
A hand-colored Pattie's Creations Seashell Border 1 with

Decosse's Dynamite Doodles Chasing Rainbows Falls PP, Bokeh Multicolor 1 PP and A Grungy Christmas Blue
DDD A Tag Grab Bag Bow 2
PixelScrapper Janet Scott's A Mother's Love Heart Border Doodle 2

My card was created for this month's challenge theme over at the Path of Positivity. June's theme is all about FAITH, HOPE & LOVE. They especially want to see wedding, anniversary and engagement cards. Of course, the challenge theme is optional, but in order to have a chance to win the prize for the Most Inspirational Creation, we want to see you create a wedding card, an engagement card or an anniversary card that reflects the concepts of faith, hope and/or love. Please remember to type in the letters FT after your name when you link your card up so we know you followed the theme. You don't need to follow the optional theme if you simply want to have a chance at the Random Draw prize of three images from Pattie's Creations, one of our guest sponsors this month. You only need to follow the theme if you want a chance to win this month's sponsored prize of a scrapbooking kit from Décosse's Dynamite Doodles, provided by the second of our guest sponsors this month. One digital image is given from Creative Bug Digital SnapShots for each person chosen as a DT Delight.

Fall into a New Challenge at Scribbles Designs

Halloween Night

Spiders and goblins and bats, oh my!

Witches on broomsticks, tonight they fly.

A walk in the woods on Halloween night

Will send you off running and screaming in fright…

(If you make it out, that is, mwahahahaha……)
c Pat Martin

Autumn is finally here and with it comes my favorite holiday -- Halloween. The new challenge at Scribbles Designs is Fabulous Fall. Anything to do with the Fall season is up for grabs, so grab your earth tone colors, light up a pumpkin-scented candle and create for your chance to win free digis.
For my DT make, I created a hybrid card. I so love to create cards with paper and digital parts, I just can't stop playing with them! I colored the Scribbles Designs images (Spooky Cat, Pumpkin Stack & #8105 Tomb) with Copics before using Photoshop to place them into a scene. When I was satisfied with the card, I printed it out and added a button---just because! LOL
As Halloween approaches, there will be lots more holiday-themed projects I'll be featuring here, so I hope to see you again. Meanwhile, I can't wait to see what you create for the Fabulous Fall challenge over at Scribbles Designs. Happy crafting!

Card Details:

Images: Scribbles Designs Spooky Cat, Pumpkin Stack & #8105 Tomb

Digital elements: Krysty Scrap Designs' Boring evening Scenic Paper 11; PS Elif Sahins' Bootiful Wordart 1; PS Melo Vrijhof's Thankful Harvest Rope 2.

Let's Be Friends on the Path of Positivity

There's no better way to celebrate a new season than with old friends. This month at the Path of Positivity Challenge blog the theme is FRIENDSHIP, and Sparkle n Sprinkle is the very generous guest sponsor. 

I got to play with my favorite couple. The image is called Old Friends, which I colored up with Copics. Then I fussy-cut the image and played with it in Photoshop to create a hybrid card, using all these goodies:

Image: SNS Old Friends

Papers: Decosse’s Dynamite Doodles Twelve Days of Christmas Gold Star Patterned Paper 

& Heartland Blue Glitter Hearts Patterned Paper; Mischief Circus’ Holliewood Dramatic Backgrounds Paper 8.

Sentiment is a quote from Oprah Winfrey, printed in  Draughtsman font.  

Do you have a friend who will ride on the bus with you? Send her a card, and don't forget to link up your creation at the Path of Positivity challenge blog for your chance to win some awesome prizes:

SPONSOR & PRIZE INFORMATION: 

Sparkle N Sprinkle is the sole sponsor for the main prizes of this challenge. They are offering up two prizes for this challenge, which will be:

• $15.00 worth of digital images for the post or project that the DT deems most inspiring of the bunch.
• $15.00 worth of digital images for a person chosen in a random draw based on all entrants.

There will also be:

• A small selection of digital designer papers from Décosse's Dynamite Doodles for one lucky person who leaves a comment on posts published during the challenge time-frame.
• One digital sentiment for every single person who enters the challenge.

Into the Woods with Scribbles Designs

Hey, crafters, I'm here with a reminder that the newest challenge at Scribbles Designs Challenge Blog is now at the halfway point. The theme is Woodland Animals, and if you use a Scribbles Designs image you double your chances of winning. Don't have any? Check out the FREEBIES.
My card today is a hybrid, mixing paper-crafting with digital papers and elements. I printed and colored up a Scribbles Designs digi image called Bunny Bum (several times, as you can see). Using Photoshop Elements, I added my images to patterned paper and used a couple more papers and elements to finish off my card. Here are the details of my project:

Copic-colored Image: Scribbles Designs’ Bunny Bum; 

MischiefCircus’ Holliewood Dramatic Scenes Paper 1 & Pixel Scrapper KakleiDesigns Back to Nature Blog Train Patterned Paper 8;

Pixel Scrapper Tina Campanale's Dear Dad Border 1; 

Font: Cleaver’s Juvenia Shadowed.

What will you create for this Woodland Animal challenge? Whatever you make, don't forget to link it up with Scribbles Designs Challenge Blog. Happy crafting!

Discovering Confidence along the Path of Positivity

Have you ever noticed that the most confident people know their talents and skills and have figured out the best way to use them? Everything we have and who we are is within us, if only we could recognize these treasures. But like buried treasure, they have to be dug up through experience and self-awareness. We have to remove doubt and disbelief in order to gain the confidence to use what we have.

This month,, the Path of Positivity challenge blog offers us the theme of Confidence with which to be inspired. I created a hybrid card with two images from Scribbles Designs. They are colored with Copics and then popped onto a digital scene I created in Photoshop. I also printed out my sentiment, whose second part is on the insode of my card, which reads:

"The second greatest challenge is nowing how to use them"

The following is what went into creating my hybrid card:

Images: Scribbles’ Designs Treasure Chest & Sand Bucket

Papers: Decosse’s Dynamite Doodles’  Grungy Christmas Brown Textured Paper & A Taste of Summer Sunburst Patterned Paper

Pixel Scrappers:  Janet Scott’s Ripped Paper Border Template & Many Thanks Shadowed Bunting; Melo Vrijhof’s Thankful Harvest Elements 2; Marisa Lerin’s  Coastal Seagull Metal.

Font: Hotline Bling

Scribbles Designs is one of two sponsors this month, offering crafters a $10 gift certificate to the Shop!

Our second sponsor is Ike'sArt, who offers a $15 worth if digital images from the Shop/

There will also be:

• A small selection of digital designer papers from Décosse's Dynamite Doodles for one lucky person who leaves a comment on posts published during the challenge time frame.
• One digital sentiment for every single person who enters the challenge.

Confidence can inspire a college graduation, someone starting a family, owning a new home, getting promoted, retiring...the list goes on. So, what inspires you to create with Confidence, about Confidence? Show us at the Path of Positivity Challenge Blog this month!

Color Theme at the Outlawz Greetings Challenge

Today brings a new challenge to the Outlawz Monday Greetings, and it is a COLOR challenge: use Blue, Green & Red on your project this week. This week we have two generous sponsors, Robyn's Fetish

and My Stitch Back in Twine

I created a hybrid card using Copic-colored digi image called Mermaid Darcy from My Stitch Back in Twine, and a digitally-produced background for her. The background uses:

Pixel Scrapper Amanda Brown’s Hollister Crab Sticker; PS Janet Scott’s Winter Arabesque Ripped Paper, Strawberry Fields Sun Doodle & Work Day Red Dots Paper; PS Sharon Grant’s Fall Beach Vacation Embellishment 11; PS Melo Vrijhof’s Summer Splash Teal Zentangle Paper.  
 So, what's om your craft table this week? Hope there's some red, green & blue supplies so you can join us for this week's COLOR challenge at the Outlawz Greeting Challenge.

New Challenge at the Path of Positivity

Howdy, y'all! I was going to say Aloha, but I just came back from a dream beach vacation. It wasn't in Hawaii, it was in Texas! There is a great escape waiting for you at South Padre Island, TX, where my family and I just spent 9 days. We sat in the sun, rocked in the shade, swam in the pools, walked along the shore, laid back in the hammocks, and generally did nothing but that! It was the most relaxing vacation I ever took, and it was sorely needed.
The greatest part about it was that we saved up for it all, and whatever part of the flights down there and the cost of the hotel, we paid off completely when our bill came in. Now THAT is a great achievement for us, so I created a tropical escape card for this month's ACHIEVEMENT challenge over at the Path of Positivity challenge blog. 
There are two lovely guest sponsors this month:

Robyn's Fetish

and

Kitten Scraps

My hybrid card uses papers and elements from Kitten Scrap's Summer Fish Fun Kit by Nathalie MacKay ©2008. I created the sea complete with waves using Photoshop, added many elements from the kit, and used Sweet Pea font.
What have you achieved that inpsires you to create this month? Or who inspired you? Why? Tell us, photograph the resaon or create a card, canvas or other form of art that showcases the theme of achievement for your chance to win the following. 

SPONSOR & PRIZE INFORMATION:

• 3 Digital Stamps from Robyn's Fetish, one of our guest sponsors this month, for the post or project that deems most inspiring of the bunch.
• A $20 gift certificate from Kitten Scraps, one of our guest sponsors this month, for a person chosen in a random draw based on all entrants.

There will also be:

• A small selection of digital designer papers from Décosse's Dynamite Doodles for one lucky person who leaves a comment on posts published during the challenge time frame.
• One digital sentiment for every single person who enters the challenge.

Happy crafting! 

Christmas Card Stash Keeps Growing

One more Christmas card goes in my Christmas stash. I have a nice pile of holiday cards, thanks to the 12 Months of Christmas Link-Up challenge blog. My DT card today features a digital image from The Stamping Boutique called Natalie. The optional theme this month is Non-Traditional colors, and I used pink and blue Bokeh papers from Decosse's Dynamite Doodles for my non-traditional colors. I also used gold paper from the Glitterati glitter paper kit from DDD as well.
This is a hybrid card. I printed and colored my cards with my trusty Copics, then popped the image onto the card face. I then used Photoshop to add my sentiment, a little lace edging on my image and those stars. The nice thing about my card is that when I print the finished card, it can go into the envelope and no extra postage will be needed as my embellishments are flat. I can also print this up several times to send out to lots of friends. It's a win-win.
You have until the end of the month to link up your Christmas cards at the 12 Months of Christmas blog. Create with the optional theme and you could win a prize package from The Stamping Boutique! Good luck and happy crafting!

Ppinky Dolls at the Outlawz

Hello, crafters! A new challenge brings us this cute digi image from Ppinky Dolls, May's sponsor for the Outlawz Progressive Freebie challenge. The image is called Fifi-isn't she darling?
After taking a freebie coloring workshop over at Kit & Clowder, I have been experimenting with different media on the same scene. I created this background with oil pastels, something I've never used before. My hybrid card is a mix of Copic-colored image, oil-pastel painted canvas background, and digital paper from Lozzy's Square Time paper pack called Square 30. I printed my sentiment in Photoshop, then printed out my card on glossy cardstock. Then I added a few paper brad-centered paper flowers.
If you have been playing in the Outlawz Progressive Freebie challenges, you are lucky as this is your next free digital image with which to play!If you want to come along and play, sign in or register with the Outlaw Challenges. They offer a different challenge for every day of the week.
Happy crafting!

Challenges I am Entering:

Simply Create Too - Ladies Only

Aud Sentiments - Animals & a Sentiment

Digital Delights by Louby Loo - Anything Goes

Little Red Wagon - Sunshiny Days

Double D Challenges - April Showers Bring May Flowers