An Early Mother's Day Gift

My mom taught me several things as I was growing up, but the most important thing she taught me was a love of books. There were no boundaries when it came to reading, no "you're not old enough yet's."

So to celebrate just one of the many things I love about her and am grateful to her for sharing with me, I made her a bookmark. She doesn't have a Kindle, a Nook nor does her phone allow those kind of app's. She likes hard covers and paperbacks. And since shes just as busy as I am, she needs a bookmark to keep her place in between readings.
I colored up a free digi image from Tiddly Ink called Annie, using my Copics and some Sakura diamond gel pen for a little sparkle. Then I fussy-cut her and placed her on a piece of patterned paper I found while rummaging in my re-discovered box of paper.
(Sad note, peeps: While organizing my craft room before my granddaughter's sleepover this weekend, I discovered yet another photo storage box stuffed with papers. I need serious therapy!)
Anyway, I trimmed the bookmark with thin gold stickers, added some silver outline flowers, stamped a few butterflies and popped on a vellum punched butterfly.
To give it more character, I used a Stampin Up punch to cut a rounded slit in the top of the bookmark to slip onto the top of a book's page. In the photo, it's behind that half-moon sliver. Above that, I punched a tiny hole and slipped a tassel to the top. Since it will sit between book pages, I needed to keep it clean and simple.
And the first of my handmade presents is finished. Eek, I am running out of time, too! Catch you later, crafters!

Challenges I am entering:

Crafty Catz challenges - CAS 

Simply Crafting challenges - CAS

Stempelsonne challenges - Anything Goes

Inspiration Destination - Anything Goes

Wonderful Wednesdays - Anything Goes

Clear It Out challenges - Use your stash

Tiddly Inks challenges - So Sweet (although the image doesn't have a sweet treat, the book behind it is a Bailey Cates Magical Bakery Mystery called Bewitched, Bothered & Biscotti)

Get Creative challenges - Mother's Day

Stamps & Fun = Creativity - No Cards (bookmark) eine lesezeichen

Warm Fuzzies Coming Your Way at Your Scrapbook Place

A new month means a new challenge at Your Scrapbook place, where all challenges are Anything Goes. This month's sponsor is Imagine That, and I got to play with a digi set called Pandas. This set includes
  - 2 panda bears in color & outline JPG & PNG (+ a shadow version)
  - 2 fuzzy word art, color JPG & PNG
  - 1 bamboo word art, color & outline JPG & PNG
  - 5 digi papers, (6"x6", high quality 300 ppi)
  - 5 solid sentiments, JPG & PNG

I colored my pandas with Copics and fussy-cut them out to place on my card base. Keeping to my promise to use papers from the box on my table and my stash of embellies, I created my base with patterned paper, a die-cut frame, some ephemera from China, and a few pearls. Isn't that sentiment fun?

Who doesn't like an Anything Goes challenge? Come play at Your Scrapbook place challenge blog this month. Prizes are from Imagine That for a random winner.

And as always, crafters, have fun!

Other Challenges I am Entering:

Digi Choosday challenges - Anything Goes

Clear It Out challenges - Anything Goes-must use stash

Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes

Cards in Envy - When Nature Calls

Marker POP challenges - Anything Goes
Mema's Crafts challenges - Anything Goes 
Muse challenge #116 - Inspiration card (I pulled the color combo of black, white, green & blue from the inspiration card)

Be Crafty & Craft - Anything Goes
Card Mania challenges - Pearls & Swirls
Craft & Smash challenges - Animals
Crafting Musketeers - Use a Die-cut 
Natalie & Amy challenges - Animals
Naughty or Nice - Friends (nice)
Imagine That! - Anything Goes w/Imagine That image

Persevere in This Month's Challenge at the Path of Positivity

I think that the quote, "When life hands you lemons, make lemonade" is the strongest argument that perseverance is what changes a failed attempt into success. And perseverance is the theme of this month's Path of Positivity challenge.
Personally, I persevered in my attempts to master Adobe Photoshop. Of course, I am still a virtual newbie, but I managed to make this 100% digital project using a DeeDee's Digis set called Lemonade Stand. Besides one of the several colored digis, I used both patterned papers. The sentiment comes from the fonts in Photoshop, and the brads and golden yellow background paper are from Decosse's Dynamite Doodles.
The sponsors and prizes for this challenge are:
*A $10 gift certificate from Ike's Art, one of our guest sponsors this month, for the post or project that the DT deems most inspiring of the bunch.

• A $25 gift certificate from Deedee's Digis, one of our guest sponsors this month, for a person chosen in a random draw based on all entrants.
• One digital image from Creative Bug Digital SnapShots for each person chosen as a DT Delight.

There will also  be:

• One digital image from Creative Bug Digital Stamps for each person chosen as a DT Delight.
• One digital designer paper (made to order in a few different ways) from Décosse's Dynamite Doodles for one lucky voter who leaves a comment.
• One digital sentiment for every single person who enters the challenge

Other Challenges I am Entering:
DeeDee's Digis challenge blog - NSD CASE-ing challenge
(cased off of Pippa's layout; I chose this to continue the "drinks" theme but with lemonade)

Come & Get It challenges - Female

 Sisters of Craft challenges - Anything Goes

Lil Patch of Crafty Friends - Anything Goes

Seeing Dots at the Outlawz Greetings Challenge This Week

Hello, lovely peeps!! Today starts a new challenge at the Outlawz Greetings, and they want to see dots in front of their eyes (I see them all the time LOL). I have used a cuter-than-cute image from bugaboo called "May Word." Bugaboo is this week's sponsor and you can find all kinds of cute at the SHOP.
Keeping my promise of using papers out of the "treasure box I recently re-discovered in the back of my craft closet, I found an embossed pice of yellow cardstock and went from there. Using contrasting colors of purple and green, I cut my Copic-colored image out and popped it ontom the yellow paper, adding paper, silk and jeweled flowers to embellish. I also found some very stiff lilac wired ribbon that I used to "hold" my large flower. I think the green card base coordinates perfectly, don't you??
This was a fun card to make, and the biggest reason I craft is to have fun. Come join the challenges at the Outlawz Greetings every Monday morning for some fun and inspiration.

Other Challenges I am Entering:

Catch the Bug challenges - Anything Goes
4 Crafty Chicks - Anything Goes

As You Like It challenges - Favorite Embossing Technique (I love the dimension and texture I get using my embossing folders on all sorts of paper. My card started with the embossed cardstock and went from there)

Crafting by Designs - Anything Goes

Crafty Gals Corner - Stripes or Dots

Inspiration Destination - Anything Goes

Ruby's Rainbow challenges - Anything Goes

Wonderful Wednesdays - Anything Goes

Word Art Wednesday - Anything Goes
CMD Challenge blog - May
Creatilicious Challenges - Embossing (dry)
Life in Details - Flowers
Our Creative Corner - April Showers Bring May Flowers
Sugar & Betty's challenges -Anything Goes
Stamp & Create challenges - May Flowers
MarkerPOP challenges - Anything Goes

Just a Quickie

First, I haven't forgotten my lovely Blog Followers and promise to send you all the prizes promised. Life has been hectic but it's settling down a bit and I will get to you all. Please be patient.

Second, check out my newest 100% digital creation. I am learning a lot in Photoshop, but still have a lot more to learn. However, I really like this new card, using textured paper, sentiment and elements from Decosse's Dynamite Doodles and a digi image from Ike's Art.
I'm entering this in both Ike's World Challenges (no patterned paper) and Decosse's Dynamite Doodles Blog (a mini challenge for National cardmaking Day) tonight before I go beddy-bye.
Good night, crafters. Sweet dreams!

The Eyes Have It!

No matter how many books I read on my phone or Kindle, I still prefer the weight and smell of a

good book in my hands, paperback or hard cover! So today I made a bookmark using a digi from Bugaboo Stamps. This little fella is called Frog and is colored with Copics. I fussy-cut him out and made a "flap-over" bookmark out of a paint strip. I had to keep the embellishments down to a minimum in order to lie flat in a book, so I added a few sequins and hand-wrote the sentiment, " This book is absolutely Ribbit-ing."      When the bookmark is placed in my book, my frog's "bug eyes" peep out over the top of the book, like in my photo.

I'm entering him in this month's Catch the Bug's Anything Goes challenge. 

Other Challenges I am Entering:

Crazy for Challenges - related to vision or eyes

Less is More - Opposites on the color wheel (green & purple)

Ppinky Dolls Sponsor May's Freebie Progressive Challenge

Happy May Day!! With a new month comes a new challenge at the Outlawz Progressive Freebie group. This month our generous sponsor is Ppinky Dolls, and this lovely is yours if you played last week with the free digi given out to all participants. If you haven't jumped on the band wagon yet, you only need purchase this image from Ppinky Dolls Etsy Shop. It's called "Another Gift." Once you enter it into the challenge, you will receive the next month's image free. As long as you keep entering the challenges each month, you'll continue to get the each month's images FREE.  Who doesn't like free, right?
I colored my image with Copics, placing a tiny flower on her head. She sports a sprig of mistletoe on the original image. I found a negative piece of die-cut paper that I thought would be perfect for my card, and placed dotted patterned paper behind each flower cut-out to coordinate with my card base and coloring.
I embellished simply with a sentiment tag and a feather and my card is complete! Check out the Outlawz Progressive Freebie for lots of inspiration. If you like what you see, come play with us!!

Other Challenges I am Entering:

Cute Card Thursday - Use a sentiment
Crafty Gals Corner - Stripes and/or Dots
The Color Throwdown - Pink, Green & Aqua (I added yellow to the mix)
Alphabet Challenges - F is for Friendship
Brown Sugar - Anything Goes
Simply Papercraft challenges - Anything Goes
Daring Cardmakers - Choose 3 Elements of Inspiration piece (color scheme, blond girl and toy)