I Was Framed!

I played with a fun digital image from Squigglefly today and made a Halloween card for one of my grandkids. I have five of them (grandkids), so I have to work all month to make sure they each get one with a little treat-no tricks from grandma!

The image is called Daisy Clown by artist Tam Hess. I colored her with my trusty Copics and then framed her with a die-cut and embossed oval frame. I embellished simply with a couple star-shaped buttons as well as a tiny pumpkin button. I just cut off their hanks (loops?) and adhere them with glue dots.

I also added a couple vellum candy corn stickers. I replaced the image's eyes with teeny tiny google eyes, then highlighted the whole image with white gel pen.

I think Halloween is my second favorite holiday, right behind Christmas.

The new theme at Squigglefly Challenge blog is to "frame it." I think I did the theme justice, don't you? LOl What are you going to frame for this week's Squigglefly challenge? Don't forget to use a Squigglefly digi image for your chance to win free digis!! Go check out all of Tam's digi images!
Challenges I am Entering:
Craft Your Passion - Halloween/Sweet Treats
My Craft Creations - always Anything Goes
Simon Says Stamps Monday Challenge - Treats
Card Mania Challenge - Buttons
MarkerPOP Challenge blog - Anything Goes using markers

Have a crafty day!



Anything Goes at the Outlawz Greetings Challenge This Week

I love an Anything Goes challenge. The Outlawz Greetings offers an Anything Goes theme on the last Monday of every month. This week, Inky Impressions is the guest sponsor.

My digi image is called Angelica's Giant Pumpkin. Isn't she cute? I colored her with Copics, distressed her with inks, then popped her onto a die-cut frame. My sentiment is a leftover from my stash-last one! I embellished with sparkling leaves and pearls. But my card is not your usual one-fold card!

I made a Z-fold card so it stands up and makes an awesome presentation. Z-fold cards are super easy to make. Just fold your paper as you would for a regular card, then fold back the front face of your card. Stand it up and look at it from above-it should look like a backwards Z!
Here's another view of my card.

So what's not to love about the Outlawz Greetings new challenge? It's Anything Goes, and to a crafter, the sky's the limit! Come join us!

Challenges I am Entering:
Love to Create - More Than One Fold
Cheerful Stamp Pad - Fall colors
Paper Makeup Stamps - Pumpkins

ARE YOU READY TO P-A-R-T-Y!!!!!!

Hope so, because we are having a huge party at the Outlawz!! Yes, you read it right!! A party! At the Outlawz!! 
We are just about to 3000 members! Woohoo!! And we hope that by the end of our celebration we will have our 3000 members and be on our way to 4000!!
The Outlawz ladies have been working hard and have a boatload of sponsors, lots of prizes, and some fun and games for you, too! I believe there is also an extra challenge or two!!
If you are here at this blog, then you have the opportunity to participate in our SCAVENGER  HUNT!!
Yes, each of us listed below has placed a clip art image on our sidebar! Write down what you see because on the OUTLAWZ  MAIN PAGE,  you will see a  black "PARTY!"  tab at the top under the Outlawz banner.  Follow the links to get to the Scavenger Hunt as well as the other activities that are going on.
 Let’s get started!
Here is the list of 14 DT members along with their blogs. Just visit each one and write down the Party clip art that is on the sidebar. You will  need this to complete the hunt!
If you get lost along the way, go back to the Outlawz Party tab and resume!
 

Sandra - 

Cara          

Peggy         

Penny O       

Linda W      

Andrea         

Pat M       

                                                               Ina     http://littlebitsofcraft.blogspot.com/

 Janet 

Alex         

Linda O      

Kathi       

Charlene  

Darcy       

And here are the items you are looking for. They should be easy to find. Look on the blog sidebars near the top!
Pumpkins,  Party Balloons, Fireworks, Party Girl, Color Star, Party Penguin, Penguin Painter, Dancing Couple, Party Animal, Party Mask,  Party Hat, Party Bunting/Banner, Party Confetti, Party Gnome.
Complete instructions for entering the Scavenger Hunt is on the Outlawz Main Page  PARTY! tab.  
Have fun!!!! And don't forget to see what other activities are going on during our Party Week!!

FALLing for new Squigglefly Challenge

My card today is brimming full of Fall, which happens to be the new Squigglefly challenge this week! Make a project about Fall or Halloween.
I used Angela Charles' cute image "Pocket Girl." First I layered my card base with patterned papers from my stash drawer. Then I colored my girl with Copics. The sentiment is from a SU set, which I framed with a die cut paper I decorated with homemade shimmer mists.
Since I'll be mailing this card out, I needed flat embellishments, so I sprinkled sequins on the page, and the card was complete!
Squigglefly Designs has come out with some amazing digis this month, so if you haven't checked them out yet, click HERE.
Now for some fun--make a card or tag or altered art piece or canvas or scrapbooking layout with a Fall or Halloween theme AND a Squigglefly image, and you'll be in the running for free digis.

Going in Circles at Outlawz Greetings Challenge

I get such a laugh when I check out what's new at Dr. Digi's House of Stamps.

Take the image with which I created my card today. The image is called Howdy Pilgrim, and as soon as I saw it, I knew I had to have it! Of course, sentiments or captions also set the tone of a card, and I found one on The Quote Garden. It's supposed to be a heart-warming cheer for the pluck of pilgrims, so on my card, with Howdy Pilgrim, it takes on a whole new meaning, doesn't it?
I used patterned paper from  DCWV paper stack, then colored my image with Copics and distress inks from Tim Holtz. Since this week's Outlawz Greetings Challenge is to incorporate CIRCLES on your card, I added a few buttons and a shiny jewel. The large colorful circle was made by punching out five circles, folding them in half, then adhering them side-by-side, so that when placed on my card, they fan out into a globe of Fall colors.
I hope you play in this week's challenge at the Outlawz!! Show us how we send you "round & round" in your crafting time!!

Squigglefly Grab Bag Special

Need inspiration? Need more digis? Check out the Squigglefly store this week. Not only will you find both there, but they have a fantastic special promotion going on:

No tricks, just treats this weekend!  For every $1.00 spent in our store this weekend ( 10-18-14 through midnight central standard time 10/19/14) you will be entered into a drawing to win a  grab bag of 10 Halloween images!  Winner will be announced on the Squigglefly blog and on Facebook on Monday, October 20th.

Bugaboo Challenge is Magical

Today's card features a Bugaboo digi image from the Harpot collection, one of my favorites! This one is called "The Gentle One."
I colored him with Copics, and as I colored the hair, I discovered my ink was running sketchy. But I liked what it did to the image's hair-kind of mixed black and grey, so I left it as is.
My sentiment is a phrase from a quote I found on The Quote Garden and printed in Microsoft Word.
Bugaboo offers a challenge this week with a Fall theme.
Nothing says Fall like the magic of turning leaves. It's as if Mother Nature gives up the beauty of the trees with a final and triumphant burst of glorious color so we can remember her colors when winter casts its grey and white spell over the land.
I embellished my card with patterned papers, pearls and leaves, simple but the papers are very busy.
Go check out the Bugaboo Challenge blog-with all their inspiration, I'm sure you too will catch the bug and want to play along this week!!

Altered Journal for POP Challenge

I so love the guest sponsor for the Path of Positivity's challenge this month. Sparkle & Sprinkle has the most beautiful images with which to play, and today I played!!
I used their image called Danielle-Hat Lady and altered a notebook. My sentiment reads "It's easy to stand with the crowd...it takes courage to stand alone."
This sentiment is perfect for the plans I have for my altered notebook. I don't understand why people wait until January 1 to "make resolutions" to improve their lives. How many of us change our life plans once the school year begins? I for one work at a private school and am the program assistant for the night classes we offer. Our year started in late September, and my work load and my hours changed drastically (I'm going to miss those Fridays off).
I like to start my "new year" with, not resolutions, but a journal of new experiences I encounter, experiences that will make me stronger, healthier, even more courageous. So why not celebrate each little victory (last year I went ice skating for the first time on my life) by keeping track of them all in a beautiful journal that I altered with this lovely SNS digi image?
I colored my stylish lady with Copics, then fussy-cut her and Mod Podged her onto this beautifully-decorated journal. Then I wanted to inspire myself to take bold steps and giant leaps along the path of courageous new experiences by adding the sentiment. I also added embellishments in the way of the black flourish border, the butterfly charm and the bird outline. Not too many, as I want to take my journal along the path with me and capture the moments of courageous adventure immediately, so I couldn't make it too bulky.
Now that's it's done, what should I try that's new and interests me? Maybe I'll take a Yoga class (or Zumba?). Maybe I'll take a road trip all by my lonesome. Maybe I'll forget my fears of how I look and attend my high school reunion (don't ask, let's just say there will be a lot of grey-haired ladies and balding men). Whatever path I take, wherever the path leads me, I will take my courage and my little adventure journal with me. I hope we meet along the way!
But before I start, you should know the wonderful prizes that are offered with this Path of Positivity Challenge:
Sparkle N Sprinkle is the sole sponsor for this challenge:  They are offering up three prizes for this challenge, which will be:Three digital images for the post or project that the DT deems most inspiring of the bunch.

• Three digital images for a person chosen in a random draw based on all entrants.
• Three digital images for a project or post that best displays the concept of courage in a creation meant for a breast cancer survivor (since it is breast cancer awareness month).

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.

Black & White Plus 1 Equals a New SBP Challenge

I made this card for a fun challenge that SBP Challenge Blog offers from today until the end of the month. Don't get me wrong, I love to use color! But sometimes it's fun to step out of your Crayola box and do something different. Where's my +1 color? If you look closely, you can see the very subtle nail polish my fingers are wearing!! It's Copic #V000.
I used zebra-print paper for my background. After die cutting my image, I framed it with a black Copic-colored paper doily before adhering it to my card front. The sentiment is two parts. The front reads, "Oh Snap!" and the inside reads "I forgot your birthday!"
Both image and two-part sentiment are from Lynne Stansbery of Squigglefly Designs. Squigglefly is our very generous sponsor for this new challenge. AND they sponsor their own challenges at their own Squigglefly challenge blog,
I hope you get a chance to play in the SBP Challenge this month. Show us what YOU can do with Black & white +1!!

That's a Fact, Jack (o-Lantern)!

I love Halloween, don't you?! This week Squigglefly Challenge Blog offers a perfect challenge for the season--Use pumpkin(s) on your project.
My image is a very mysterious jack-o-lantern, a Squigglefly October new release from the very lovely Sandra Caldwell. The image is called "Peeking Jacko" and he looks too cool for that cat!
I colored him with my trusty Copics, adding a little shimmer to his shades, which gave the whole image a lot more dimension. Then I ripped the image's edges, distressed and inked the edges and popped him onto my card face, which is two diagonally-cut patterned papers adhered to black cardstock.
A couple Halloween stickers finish off my card and I'm ready to send to one of the grandkids!
Got some extra pumpkin paper, stickers or images lying around, waiting for a challenge? Try out the Squigglefly Challenge blog this week. If you use a Squigglefly image, you could win free digis!!

Outlawz Embossing Challenge

Today brings another challenge from the Outlawz Monday Greetings group.

The challenge is to use embossing on your project. I chose to use VersaMark ink and white embossing powder to decorate my card and print my sentiment.
I got to play with an adorable digi image from one of the Outlawz sponsors this month, Lacy Sunshine. She is called Rory Princess Gwendolyn. Besides being too cute for words, I also chose it because my daughter, whose nickname is Wendy, is named Gwendylyn!
After coloring my princess with Copics, I adhered her to my card front and then cut her out as seen. Above is the card as it looks coming out of the envelope.

Next is a view of the card standing up. I love the presentation it makes upright. I embellished simply with a spray of flowers befitting her little royal highness.
Check out all of the lovely image offered by Lacy Sunshine, then pullout your embossing powders or plates and come play in the Outlawz Greetings Challenge this week! For some lovely inspiration, check out what the DT have created for you!!

Challenges Entered:
Craft Your Passion -  hope/love/encouragement theme

I LoveSpooky Challenges

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays, at least when it comes to crafting. Not only do I have massive amounts of Halloween-themed images and stamps (and embellishments and papers), but I like to use every day images and turn them to the dark side (Luke, I am your father...).
Anyway, I wanted to show you a cards and a sweet project for some of this week's blog challenges. 
I love Edgar Allan Poe and his writing, so here's a card I made using a digi image of which I've only left the "bare bones" from which my scary verses peek through.

I decided to print out Edgar's deliciously twisted poem, The Raven, as my starting point, highlighting some words and phrases to spotlight the mood of my card.

  Then, to show off that background, I fussy-cut the image so that all you get is his outline, and you can see the poetry through his body (yes, i know I could have printed him onto the words, but I didn't think of doing that until both were already printed out and I'm not one to waste paper and printer ink).  I filled in the white around the image edges with Spectrum Noir marker in grey.

Not your average color-in-the-lines-of-a-digi-image card, but I like the look of it, and I hope you do too!

Next, I mixed up non-traditional colors on an Ike's Art digi image called an Ike's Art digi image called Vaguely Goth.Whoever thought to use punky pink with gothic black to say Happy Halloween, right? But as you can see, it works (at least for me). This card is going into the SBP Halloween Challenge blog post. Ike's Art is the guest sponsor, and she has generously offered five digital images to a random participant!

Finally, I created a Candy favor for the upcoming holiday candy free-for-all at my house. I colored a Bugaboo digi image called Halloween Skelekins - Sitter with my Copics, cut her out after giving her a little magical shimmer and framed her with black card stock. I popped her onto Halloween patterned paper, added a few freaky embellies and then filled a long tall bag with candy and put her on top to guard it.

I'm entering her into this week's Bugaboo Anything Goes challenge cause she's so adorable.

I hope you get some time to craft, and whatever you craft, have some (spooky) fun!!

Take Courage while on the Path of Positivity

This month, the Path of Positivity challenge blog takes you down the path of courage. Are you a courageous person? I don't think of myself as particularly brave. However, I have been known to do some things that make me appear courageous. I'll tell you a little secret...
Half the things I do that seem courageous are because I'm totally clueless as to what I'm getting myself into!
Leaving home at 18 and joining the Army to make $328 a month, 2000 miles from my family and committing myself to three years to the U.S. government? Not courageous, clueless! Sometimes it's better to be clueless about what lies ahead than to know every little thing that could and probably would go wrong. I don't know that I'd even get out of bed if I had to deal with all my fears, known and unknown, each morning!
But my canvas reflects the inspiration I get from nature. Who am I to fear what's ahead when the trees offer such courage in the face of a long cold winter? If they can put their fears aside and face the coming change with a burst of brilliant colors, waiting courageously for new life in Spring, then who am I to hesitate. That's why my favorite color is October, and October is my hero!
I created a 12x12 mixed media canvas using "Wisps of Autumn," a lovely image from the Path of Positivity's guest sponsor, Sparkle & Sprinkle.
Sparkle N Sprinkle is the sole sponsor for this challenge:  They are offering up three prizes for this challenge, which will be:

• Three digital images for the post or project that the DT deems most inspiring of the bunch.
• Three digital images for a person chosen in a random draw based on all entrants.
• Three digital images for a project or post that best displays the concept of courage in a creation meant for a breast cancer survivor (since it is breast cancer awareness month).

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.

Have you stepped along the Path of positivity? It is a unique challenge blog designed to inspire, nurture and provide support for the soul by creating a positive path to follow, one project or post at a time! This month's guest designer is Julie O. from http://muddypawsinkyfingers.blogspot.com. Go check out the wonderful project she made for this month's theme of COURAGE!

It's Party Time at the Outlawz Greetings CHallenge This Week

And I am ready to party hearty with a pretty little steampunk image from The Stamping Chef  called Cogsley Copperpot.

I had so much fun! making this card. First I colored her with my trusty Copics, then distressed the edges of the image and backed it with cardstock. I found some Tim Holtz patterned paper that I paired with handmade patterned paper I sprayed with my own homemade shimmer mists. Then I embossed the handmade paper with a gears embossing plate (I've been dying to use it for a while now). I also distressed another embossed paper and as I was doing so, the corner pulled apart from the rest! So I used it in the top right corner.
After adding die cut and sticker gears, I finished off my challenge card with a catchy sentiment. All cards entered into the Greetings Challenge at the Outlawz needs to have a sentiment on the front. Hope to see your card there this week!

LEAF It Up to Squigglefly to Offer a Great Challenge

The challenge theme this week is Leaves, and Squigglefly offers some great new releases this month! I got to play with Cheryl Grant's The All American digi for my card today. I colored her with Copics, then rubbed some sky blue ink into the background.
I placed a beautiful piece of leaf-decorated vellum over my white cardstock, then highlighted a die cut chipboard leaf to hang over both my image and my hand-written sentiment.
Now it's time to leaf you with this bit of advice: Use a Squigglefly image and use leaves somewhere on your project and you could win free digis!!
In the meantime, happy crafting!

Time to Get Your Spooky On

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays, at least when it comes to crafting. That's why I love SBP's Challenge blog theme this month - Halloween!!  Ike's Art is sponsoring the challenge, and she's offering five free digis to a random winner. Woo hoo!
I played with an image from Ike's Art called Genie.

Isn't she adorable? I colored her with Copics, framed her with gold paper, and popped her onto DCWV Once Upon a Time patterned paper. My sentiment is a two-parter. Here's the inside

LOL! One year my sister wore a genie costume to a Girl Scout Halloween party at which I was the leader. I saw some disapproving looks from some of the moms, but I think they were just jealous that she could wear it "so well."

Anyway, I hope you get a chance to check out Ike's Art amazing images, and to play along at SBP's Halloween challenge. Ike's Art Challenge blog has a freebie for crafters to play with. PLUS, their theme is Ike's Art Around the World. I'm entering this card as my "Ike's Art in the Middle East" (Turkey maybe?) LOL One lucky winner will receive a free digi of her choice.