PagesPat's Ponderings

Wednesday, May 30, 2018

Mari Digis Sponsors the Outlawz Greetings Challenge

I can't believe I left this post in draft! I've been away from the Outlawz Monday Greetings challenges for quite a while now, and this week got a Guest Designer spot in their Anything Goes challenge, which started Monday! Well, better late than never!
My card features this cute digi called "Ballerina" from Mari Digis Store, who is sponsoring this week's challenge. With her tattoos, boots and streaked hair, I thought this cutie was not your average ballerina. So instead of creating my card with pastels or lots of pink, I wanted a definite tomboy look to it. Regardless if your dancer is a tomboy or a girly girl, my sentiment rings true for everyone.
So you have until Sunday night (again, sorry for the short notice) to create any type of card you wish, as long as it has a greeting or sentiment on the front (hence the name Monday Greetings challenge). Remember to have fun, and happy crafting!!
Challenges I am Entering:
Crafty Creations - Anything Goes
Crafty Gals Corner - Anything Goes
Creative Moments - Anything Goes
The Crafty Addicts - Anything Goes

Monday, May 21, 2018

Choose Your Own Colors at the Path of Positivity

Can you believe that May is almost over? This year is especially flying by so fast! That's why it's so important to wake up from your daily grind and take a moment to live in it. Look around you and enjoy the colors, breathe in the smells of new growth and blooming flowers,  and listen to the birds sing to each other.
When I go walking with my dog Wilson, I sometimes pretend I'm on a scavenger hunt, only the list is empty until I fill it. Will I find a black squirrel today, hear a woodpecker, watch a busy bee drink from a flower? Can I identify the flowers in bloom (most times no, I'm not a flower gardener)? At these times, I am not worrying about what to cook for dinner, where I put the checkbook or whose turn it is to clean the bathroom. I am in the moment, and it is my zen time (except for diligently picking up whatever Wilson leaves behind).
What does all this have to do with this month's challenge at the Path of Positivity? Nothing, I just wanted to share with you the secret to my sanity, and my positivity. Along these mindful walks, I also drink in a multitude of colors, which (here it is) segues into the theme at the Path of Positivity's Challenge: Choose Your Own Color(s).
I have a secret I want to share with you - I don't have one true favorite color. I am an eclectic lover of color. I never met a color I didn't like (well, I don't consider greige a color, what is that anyway?).  So when it comes to such an open-ended challenge like the one offered at the Path, I took the word "choose" to heart. I guess if I had to pinpoint the colors in this card, it would have to be shades of yellow, orange and purple - good solid summer colors.
I got to play with a digital image from one of two guest sponsors this month, Sheepski Designs. Andrea's store has grown so much in the last year or two and her designs are awesome. I chose one called Butterfly Curls. I am STILL trying to get my printer to behave, so my card today is 100% digital.
I started with a personal photograph of my daughter's summer garden, where she planted flowers especially pleasing to butterflies. I toned down the opaqueness and placed it onto a paper I made using Photoshop's Magic Paintbrush, which makes the background look like it's against a wood fence. I added the pre-colored image of my butterflies (damn printer) and then wrote out my sentiment in a font called Leathery Soft. To finish off my card, I framed it with Pixel Scrapper Sunny Faith Rush's Mellow Yellow Frame 1.
I CAN'T WAIT TO PRINT THIS OUT!!

Meanwhile, let me tell you about the challenge at the Path of Positivity:

You get to Choose Your Favourite Colour(s). Whether a single color or a small selection, it is up to you. You can also use some different colors if you'd like but if you would like a chance to win the prize for the Most Inspirational Creation, over half of the colours in your project must be based on your your Favourite Colour(s)! You can choose to color your image(s) and/or use your choice of colored papers and embellishments. Just make sure that the majority of your project focuses on the color(s) that you love the most. 
If you do follow the optional theme, be sure to add FT after your name so that we include you in the draw for the prize for Most Inspirational.
You will also need to let us know somewhere in your post exactly what your Favourite Colour(s) are.  Without this information, you won't be eligible to qualify for the MI prize. 
Additionally, though completely optional, we'd also love to find out how your Favourite Colour(smake you feel, if you'd like to share that with us. What kinds of feelings do these colours evoke in you? You can write a sentence or two in the body of your post, write a sentence at the bottom of your post next to the link up for this challenge, or simply leave a comment on this post if you'd like.

Remember, 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 THREE digital images of your choice from SheepSki Designs,

one of our guest sponsors this month. You only need to follow the theme if you want a chance to win an additional sponsored prize of a $15 gift certificate from Lunagirl,
the second of our guest sponsors this month, for the project chosen as Most Inspiring.

That's it in a nutshell! Create with color, share with us at the Path of Positivity, and have FUN with your favorite colors!!



Tuesday, May 15, 2018

Make It Masculine at Scribbles Designs Challenge Blog

I don't know why, but I don't have a lot of cards I can give to the men in my life. Honestly, I have more girlfriends and family members than guys, so that may be the reason, but I should still keep a few cards on hand. Sine I'm still building my stash of Thank You cards, I thought this Scribbles Designs image, called Hammer, would be perfect for the sentiment I am using.
Usually I embellish with flowers and flourishes and bows, so I had to scrounge around and came up with a few brads. I tore the paper  to give it rough edges, and  also doodled my own patterns on it to break up all that empty space (I can't call it white now,can I?).
Besides this gem of an image from the Scribbles Store, I printed Sharon Dewi Stolp's Bricks Paint Spray onto the sentiment (you can just barely see it). The fonts I used are Big Book & Due Date.
The challenge theme over at Scribbles Designs is MAKE IT MASCULINE, so you need  to feature a guy or gear your card toward guys if you want a chance to win free digis from the Scribbles Store.
Happy Crafting, and good luck!

Tuesday, May 1, 2018

Favoring the Feminine at Scribbles Designs Challenge Blog

For my DT make today, I am following both this month's challenge theme at Scribbles Designs, which is to feature or create for, a feminine, as well as my own mission to build up my stash of Thank You cards.
I love this cute digi image from the Scribbles Store. It's called Bunny Bum, and goes perfectly with my grateful sentiment of "Thanks for having my back." My life has been turned upside down these last few months, and if it weren't for a load of wonderful caring people, I would be lost. I have had quite a need for thank you cards lately. I want to make sure I always have extra on hand.

While surfing through my stash of craft supplies, I came across an envelope that was beautifully decorated but oddly shaped. So I cut out some of the decoration and used it to set the garden scene on my card. After that, it was just a matter of finding the right colored cardstock and tearing some for texture. I paper-pieced my image, using Copics to give it dimension before popping it into my "garden". I kept my card simple with some faux stitches along the edges and my die-cut sentiment.

The challenge at Scribbles Designs goes through the 14th of May, so don't forget to link up your card or project to the main blog for you chance to win free digis at the Scribbles Store!! Good luck and happy crafting!
Challenges I am Entering:
Cardz for Guys - World Book Day (The Velveteen Rabbit)
Tuesday throwdown - critter crazy
Crafting from the Heart - Anything Goes