Rock That Card

"I love rock & roll" is what my card today says. I love this image from Kenny K, called Rock Chick. I got to play with her for the newest Craft Your Passion challenge starting today.
After coloring Rock Chick, I framed her in cardstock, distressed the edges with Tim Holtz Tattered Roses ink, and added a tiny piece of leftover sticker.
I had fun creating my card background. Some Prima patterned paper sets the mood, and various trim and stickers highlight her passion.
What's your passion (besides paper crafting, that is)? I love to listen to my iPod, bike, read and water color (just not at the same time).
Whatever it is, enjoy what you do. And if you love to create, hop on over to Craft Your Passion challenge blog for another Anything Goes challenge this week. Kenny K Designs is the sponsor this week, and you can have a lot of fun with his images!!
The party is in its final days, so if you've just visited my blog, go back to my April 1 post. I have some amazing prizes from sponsors and favorite designers, including Creative Bug Design, Ike's Art, Simply Betty, Decosse's Dynamite Doodles, Stampin Up, Stamping Bella and Queen Kat Designs. In addition, I have some great product from Making Memories, Fiskars, Lawn Fawn, Penny Black, K&Co, Martha Stewart, and a score of others.
In order to maximize your chances of hauling in some great prizes, please start by FOLLOWING MY BLOG, if you haven't already. Next, please help to spread my Birthday Blowout celebration by PLACING MY PARTY BADGE in your blog's sidebar with a link to my blog. Lisa from Decosse's Dynamite Doodles created this badge especially for me and I love it!! O, I forgot one last thing. I ask you to HAVE FUN! That's why we craft, isn't it? LOL

Challenges I am Entering:

Crafting When We Can - Sing Me a Song (I Love Rock & Roll by Joan Jett & the Blackhearts)

Lil Patch of Crafty Friends - Anything Goes

Cupcake Inspirations - Photo inspiration:

Kenny K's Krafty Krew challenges - Anything Goes (optional twist Steampunk)

Extra Fries?!

Well, I just booked our family vacation and we're headed to swim suit country. Which leads to spending what little free time I have on my spin bike. I'm up to 30 minutes, part (a very small part) of that time at 30 mph. So when I wanted a killer sentiment for my card, I was compelled to use the one I did. I think it's hilarious!
Today I colored up a Sweet Pea image called Spa-de-ha-ha by artist Lynne Stansbery. Don't those women look like they're having a fabulous time? The feel of this card is in sync with my Birthday Blowout celebration this month. If you haven't already, go to my original party post and read how you can be one of many winners of such prizes like digi goodies from Ike's Art, Creative Bug Designs, Decosse's Dynamite Doodles and Bugaboo. I also have crafting products from Stampin Up, Simpy Betty and much much more.
ALL my Followers who comment there will receive a special digi paper from Decosse's Dynamitr Doodles, and everyone who wishes me a Happy Birthday on that original post will receive the Ike's Art digi image I colored up for the card there. So you're already a winner just by Following my blog, wishing me Happy Birthday and placing my Birthday Blowout badge on your sidebar!! Woot, Woot!

Are you going on vacation this summer? Where are you going? If you have no plans, where would you go if you had the time and the money?? Comment today for your chance to win!!

Other Challenges I am Entering:

Sisterhood of the Snarky Stampers - J is for Just Kidding

Crafty Catz - 2 or More Patterned Papers

Sister Act - Anything Goes
Sweet Sketch - (I turned mine 90 degrees and tilted the image)

Tuesday Throwdown - Friendship

Lisa's Birthday Card

Hello all!  My name is Lisa D. and I'm here to talk a little bit about the lady of the hour herself, Pat!  

I originally met Pat back in the fall of 2013 through my challenge blog, the Path of Positivity.  At that time she had been entering challenges for a couple months and had been chosen once by the Voters as a winner and once by the team as our Most Inspirational choice.  We started talking at that time and she let me know how much she enjoyed participating in our challenges.  We as a team were always thrilled to see not only her creations but also what she had to say on our theme each month.  Often during the month, I'd receive a message from one or more of our team members stating,  "oh you have to go and see what Pat has written" because she always had something so positive and incredible to share in her posts.  This is one of the things that drew me to her.  We were very fortunate to procure Pat as a full time team member in January of 2014.   Since joining she has added another role to her job description as she writes for a special column we have called, "Ponderings Along the Pathway".  If you haven't read any of her positive reflections then you are truly missing out on something incredible.  I was also lucky enough earlier this year to have Pat come on board the team for the 12 Months of Christmas Challenge that I co-coordinate with Monica Taylor.  It is great having her on both of my teams.  I can always count on a thoughtful project and post from her. 

Throughout the past year our 'work' relationship has blossomed into something more.  As time has passed I have come to learn more about Pat and I can honestly say that I am fortunate and blessed by the relationship we have developed.  While we have never met in person, I can truly call Pat my friend. You can count on her to cheer you up with something funny or just to listen if you're having a hard day.  When I found out that she was planning a birthday bash, I just had to jump on board as one of her sponsors and of course as a cheerleader!  My life has been truly enriched since Pat has come into it and I hope that yours has as well.

As those of you who've been following Pat for a while now know, she is a talented writer and also makes really wonderful projects with a focus in mixed media art. If you are new to her blog, it would behoove you to spend some time looking through past posts and creations.  I'm sure you'll find many things to inspire you. 

So before I go I just want to say "Happy Birthday Pat".  May you have a fabulous birthday on the 15th and continue to be blessed throughout the year to come!  Here is a special digital 'card' that I have made for you in honour of your special day!

Credits:    Images...Nicecrane Designs

               Sentiment...Create with TLC

               for all the details, check out the post on my personal blog, by clicking HERE.

Dearest Lisa,

You are one of a kind (in a good way). You truly inspire me and other to stretch their creativity, step out of their comfort zones, and relish in all the positivity in the world.

Thank you for the lovely write-up and for my special birthday card. It is gorgeous!!

Hear that, crafters, time is ticking away. There are only a few more days to go back to the initial post and comment there, Follow me, and place my Birthday Bash badge on your sidebar, in order to be guaranteed prizes for this celebration! 

Today, if you have time, click on the ponderings link and read my write-ups. Which one strikes a chord in your soul? Leave me a comment with your answer for today's prize, the Heartland mini set containing 12 items...
 .

Spread the love, please! Who doesn't like to win free stuff, especially free crafting stuff!! LOL

Have fun today!

Warmer Days and Chilly Nights

We're on the final stretch of my Birthday Blowout Celebration. As soon as all the winners are announced after April 15, I will start getting the prizes packaged up and sent out to everyone. Meanwhile, I wanted to talk about nicknames. A person can go through life never receiving or giving themselves a nickname, while others gather and lose them throughout the lives.

When I was born, I was called Daddy's Little Deduction, because at that time in the U.S., April 15 is called Income Tax Day, and everyone who works must file their income and expenses with the government by that date. I was called Patty by my cousins and sisters when I was growing up, and till hear it come out of their mouths every now and then. Then there's my BFF, Janie, who lovingly called me Chicken Liver Pate. I still to this day do not know how she came up with that one!

Do you have a nickname? If you've had more than one, what's your favorite? Leave me a comment today with your answer for today's prize giveaway.

Today, I found a colored image stuck in one of my stash files of patterned papers and decided to create a quick card with it for today's Birthday Blowout celebration. The image is from Whiff of Joy, an oldie but one of my faves. It fits well with these early days of Spring, where I wake up to the promise of warmer weather, but the hours after dinner cool off more than I'd like. A mug of tea is still a comfort on these chilly evenings.
I found a piece of patterned paper in my stash from a DCWV paper stack. I used a Diamond Dazzle gel pen to fill in the lines of flowers on the paper to give it a little shimmer, as well as some shimmery satin ribbon from Martha Stewart. I stamped and punched out my sentiment, using it as the center of my flower embellishment.
Winner Announcement: The winner of the April 4 Blog Post prize as been posted. ThE Random.org snapshot is on that post. The winner is:  SUSAN SLOMSKI
Congrats, Susan! Send me your email address. You're getting a surprise in your inbox. Go check out the April 4 post to see what you won!!
That's all, crafters. Don't forget to leave a comment today and for the rest of the celebration. I have lots of prizes to give away! LOL

Never More...

It's overcast today, and I feel in tune to the weather. So I created a darker project than I usually do. I am having so much fun with my backgrounds from the Doll House and my images from Ike's Art. This is a mixed media canvas, done both digitally and with paper, ink and whatever happened to be lying on my craft table.

The image is Poe Bust from Ike's Art. I placed it digitally on a background paper by artist Marta Vaneck called Scene Papers #03. I cut out the window and added a piece of some Tim Hotlz collage paper. I inked and embossed the extra raven from a set from QKD. The quote is of course from the poem The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe. Other patterned papers used are from Close to my Heart.I painted the foam core base a fire engine red and wiped gently for a textured look, although my papers almost covered it all up!

I sprinkled on some flowers, jewels, bow and brad, and was compelled to add a feather (from a stranger, tap-tap-tapping on my own window sill, perhaps?).

My craftiness knows very few bounds. I like  to make cards, layouts and ATCs, and dabble in water colors and mixed media and altered art. In celebration of my Birthday Blowout Blog Candy games, I'd like to ask you today:

What do you dabble in? What have you not tried yet but would like to? Leave me a comment about your craftiness for today's prize package. And as always, have fun crafting!

Challenges I am Entering:

Quoth the Raven - Tic Tac Poe (Flowers, Poe & Feather)

Craft My Life challenges - Wings
Love to Scrap challenges - Stripes or Dots
Ike's World challenges - Things with Wings
Try It on Tuesdays - They Who Have Wings

Just Kidding

You know, for a crafter who doesn't feel comfortable with a purple color palette, I am creating an awful lot of cards these days using same color. I think it's because I have a monster by its tail-meaning I am trying hard to clean out my stash of papers, and I just happen to file my leftovers by color. I pulled a piece of purple out a week ago and it's still on my desk.

Anyway, today is Wednesday, April 8, and we are halfway into my Birthday Blowout celebration. It's time I called some winners!

First of all, everyone who wishes me a Happy Birthday on my initial party post (HERE) will receive the awesome digi image from Ike's Art that she made for my celebration. I m leaving that post open to newcomers to add their wishes before the end of the party, April 15.
And of course, every Follower will receive the lovely Birthday Balloon Paper from Decosse's Dyanmite Doodles.
The winner of the 100 FOLLOWER goodie bag prize is:  Linda Weber!! The Random.org snapshot of the pull is on the poSt HERE.

Congrats to you, and thank you all for your support!! More prizes to follow. I have a closet full! LOL
My card today features a sweet sexy image from Bugaboo called Sassy Birthday 2, colored with my trusty Copics. I added a few handmade flowers to coordinate with the flower patterns in my papers. I printed up the sentiment and punched it out, and placed the second half of it on the inside.

Challenges I am Entering:

Bugaboo - April Anything Goes

Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers - J is for Just Kidding
Creative Card Crew - Handmade Flowers
Fan-tastic Tuesday challenges - AG w/Twist: Die or Punch
Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes

Let the Sun In!

Rise and shine, crafters! I have a mixed media project to "shed some light" on my Birthday Blowout Blog Candy today. For those of you just joining me, from April 1 through April 15, I am celebrating another trip around the sun by thanking all the crafters whose art I have admired and been inspired by. I'm doing that by offering some awesome prizes and blog candy throughout those two weeks, and you can go back to the very first post to "catch up."
All I ask is that you are or become a Follower of my blog, display my Party badge in your sidebar, and if a question is asked that day, that you answer it. I may ask you your preferences in technique, or maybe to check out a sponsor's store for your favorite image or paper.
So today I decided it would be fun to try a new technique. One should never be averse to stretching out of our comfort zones. Betty from Simply Betty created a YouTube video of a project using melted crayons. Not the drippy ones on canvas, but ones you cut into small shavings and add to a surface to give it new color and texture. You can click HERE to view it.
I started with broken crayons (slated for the trash can at the school I work at) in various shades of yellow, orange and pink. Do you see that off-white sun shape next to the foil? I got that sorry looking piece of acrylic from a Goodwill Store for 49 cents! It originally had a mirror in it, but hubby dropped it on the way into the house! Silly man, he was going to throw it away (gasp)! I let hi clean up the broken glass and remove any leftover from the base, and locked myself in my craft room (mwa-ha-ha).

I shaved those outcast crayons with a manual pencil sharpener. After a base coat of yellow acrylic paint, I used adhesive glue spray and dropped and mashed in my pink shavings. I heated the whole thing with my heat gun, then did the same for the yellow and orange. I think in doing the pink first, I lost a lot of it, and didn't have enough to add to it. Next time I will hire, I mean ask, my daughter to start shaving the crayons I need to use a couple days before I plan to start the project, using a hand sharpener took some time!
After I got the melty, textured look I wanted, I held a white crayon over my sun and let a few drops fall randomly for a little highlighting. Then I sprayed everything with homemade shimmer mist, giving it a subtle shine.
The most difficult part of this project was deciding what to place in the center. I found a great quote from the book Anne of Green Gables and misquoted it for my project, which reads, "Life is new every morning, and I feel as if I washed my very soul in that bath of earliest sunshine."
Once the quote was in place, I embellished with a ring of pearls around the sentiment and a ring of Stickles around the diameter of my sun. Too plain! So I added a butterfly and a flourish of pearls, then balanced my "canvas" with a flurry of white flowers. And I like it!!
I hope you do too, and you make that decision to step out of your comfort zone and try something new.
Now on to today's prize. I have a rubber stamp from Simply Betty from her Teen Scene collection that I want to give to someone today. So why don't you go check out her YouTube video (link above) and leave her some love?! Let me know you've done this, and you will be in the running for one amazing stamp!
Thanks all for stopping by !!

Challenges I am Entering:

Altered Eclectics - Anything Goes (no cards/ATCs)
Recycle, Re-purpose & Re-invent - Anything Goes
2 Creative Chicks - Anything Goes (no cards)
Rhedd's Creative Spirit - Anything Goes (mixed media)

Scrapbooker PhD - Focus on the Sentiment
Decorate to Celebrate #97 - Anything Goes
Artistic Inspirations challenges - Anything Goes w/a Twist of Flowers
All Crafts challenges - Anything Goes (no cards)