PagesPat's Ponderings

Sunday, June 16, 2019

Everything is Peachy Keen at Oddball Art Challenges

 Today's card was inspired by this month's challenge at Oddball Art Stamps. The theme is called "Powdered Peach Scones" and is a photo inspiration.
I decided to pull the color peach and the sweetness of a huggable hedgehog for my card. After coloring the hedgehog with my trusty Copics, I photographed him and popped him onto a photo of ripe delicious peaches. I framed him using Oddball Art Stamps Torn Paper Frames set.
I printed this arrangement 3 times, cutting sections out of 2 of them to give the card some dimension. I thought my sentiment perfect for my friends in Georgia (USA). Aren't peaches the state fruit (or is there even such a thing??)? LOL
Card created with:
Oddball Art images: Creepy Cute Chronicles #36 & Ripped Paper Frame 3
Ink: Copics
Papers: Pixel Scrappers' Jan Clark's ITP paper 16 & Marisa Lerin's patterned paper 303
Font used: Petunia
Challenges I am Entering:
Oddball Art June Challenge - Photo Inspiration (above)
Corrosive Challenges - Anything Goes
Your Next Stamp - Pets
Happy Craft - Anything Goes


Saturday, June 15, 2019

You Can Smell the Gingerbread at the 12 Months of Christmas

There's another challenge at the 12 Months of Christmas. The optional TWIST is to feature gingerbread on your card, Everyone who enters 2 or more cards wins a free digital paper from Decosse's Dynamite Doodles. This month's guest sponsor is Beccys Place. I've used 2 of her Christmas freebies to create my card.
The GINGERBREAD TWIST is optional. Prize Info For This Challenge is:

a $10.00AU gift voucher to the Beccy's Place store to one random winner.

One free digital paper from Decosse's Dynamite Doodles to everyone who links up a minimum of two cards to the challenge. Cards can be anything goes for this prize. 
The set of six digital papers called Gingerbread Cookies, will also be offered up as a prize to one individual who has followed the twist. 

Images: Beccy's Place Joy Gingerbread & Jolly Gingerbread (FREEBIES)
Papers: DDD SC1-C patterned paper, YBnP Pepermint pp & CCF Strawberry pp
Elements: PS Sheila Reid's Peppermint Flair 
PS Mandy's Lovable Designs' Classic Christmas Red Bow
PS Jessica D's Winter Day Mug
PS  Janet Scott's Christmas Day Glitter Teal Ribbon
PS Pauline Thompson's Brad 1
PS Melo Vrijhof's Art Journal Tag Shape 27
Font: AR Decode

Dare to be Square at Scribbles Designs Challenge Blog

It's time to dare to be SQUARE at Scribbles Designs with a project that is SQUARE. I created a square summer card featuring words to live by:
It's not just an accessory,
It's a way of life.
I'm talking flip flops! Some people (my daughter) practically lives in them all year 'round (until the first snowfall). What better place to wear them at is the beach? Sigh! Chicago may have beaches along its Lake Michigan shore, but nothing beats the ocean.
Anyway, one of my favorite techniques to use on a card is torn paper, but I haven't used it in quite a while. I'm glad to say it's back in the forefront of my creativity. Don't the papers look like water lapping at the shore? 
I used #848 FlipFlops from the Scribbles Designs Store to create this card, along with the torn paper, the paper sun I punched out from patterned paper, as well as the sentiment I created and framed. With the busy patterned paper as a background,I kept my embellishments simple, using a strip of jewels to depict the sparkling water just beyond the edge of my card. What do you say, ready to take a dip? Of do you want a little more time to bake in the sun? LOL
 Whether you follow the optional theme, or "do your own thing", remember to link your project up at Scribbles Designs Challenge Blog for your chance to win free digis of your choice at the Store
Good luck and happy crafting!

Wednesday, June 12, 2019

The Most Unusual Friendships are often the Strongest

One of my best friends is a woman with whom I worked. Our personalities were complete opposites. I felt we had nothing in common until each of our oldest children developed behavioral issues that sent them to temporary live-in care and us into a vortex of worry, doubt and fear.
I am proud to call this woman one of my very best friends. Through our shared experiences with mental health (ours and our kids) we bonded so strongly that almost 20 years later, we are still tight.

My card today reflects this friendship, and how I feel about our relationship. She feels that I have supported, cared for and loved her so much, and I feel the same. She's going through a rough patch right now, dealing with issues of loss recently. Besides the phone calls and the emojis added to my texts, I want to send her this card. We both have dogs, and both are allergic to cats, so my creation is very much in tune to us.

I featured a Sandra Caldwell image from her Babycakes DND Etsy Store. My cardstock haf a perfect circle in which to frame my Copic-colored image, but I made an error in cutting out my image. Men will use Duct tape; crafters will use Washi tape!! I love the geometric feel of this card.Just a little (okay, a lot) of jeweled bling to make it shine and I finished off my card with my sentiment.

How do you fix something that wasn't supposed to end up the way it did? Washi tape? Ink? Do you change your card to fit the error, or start all over again? Let me know!! and as always, happy crafting!

Challenges I am Entering:
Through the Craft Room Door -  Anything Goes
Show Us Your Pussycats - Furrything Goes
2 Crafty Critter Crazies - Anything Goes w/a Critter
Fabrika Fantasy - For the Boys/Men
Sheepski Designs - For Someone Special


Wednesday, June 5, 2019

Everything is Peachy Keen at Oddball Art Stamps

This month the optional theme at Oddball Art is Powdered Peach Scones.
I colored up an oldie but goodie from the Oddball Art Stamp Store. It's called Penelope Image #3. After using my Copics, I fussy-cut her off the page and onto my card base. I tried to incorporate as much peach as possible, although the challenge is Anything Goes. I found the very last of my small peach bows to add onto my border, and "highlighted" my doodles top and bottom with a light peach.
I love the sentiment I created using Flaemische Kansieschrift font.
I decided to give my sentiment a bit of a border with leftover trim, and my card is finished. This is just the beginning of the monthly challenge at Oddball Art Stamps by Lizzie Love. Did you know that if you sign up by email for her weekly newsletter, you'll get a free digi every Friday?! Everyone likes FREE, especially when it comes to Oddball Art images!
Happy crafting!
Challenges I am Entering:
Oddball Art June - AG w/optional Powdered Peach Scones pallette
Colour Crazy - Anything Goes
Creative Fingers - Anything Goes
Time Out - Photo Inspiration

Tuesday, June 4, 2019

More Than One Fold at Ike's World Challenge Blog

Today I decided to try my hand at a swing card. I haven't made one in forever, and while I was cleaning out my craft area (again) I found a template for this kind of card, so I took a swing at it. Since the theme over at Ike's World Challenge blog is "more than 1 Fold, this was the perfect time to try it out.
I used a digi image of an elephant silhouette, from the African Animal Silhouettes Set. I changed the black silhouette to a rusty dark orange, then used Photoshop to print the first part of my sentiment onto the image itself.
I cut and folded my card base according to the template, then cut the patterned paper from Decosse's Dynamite Doodles to fit. My elephant image was adhered to the front piece, and I printed, cut out and adhered the second part of the sentiment to the back.
Then I added the bling around the image and sentiment as well as the front of the card. And it works! It swings! Yay me! LOL

When you create something this month, don't forget to  link up with Ike's World Challenge Blog for your chance to win a gift certificate to the Store. Good luck and happy crafting!
Challenges I am Entering:
Crafty Cardmakers - Masculine
Make My Monday - Kinetic
613 Avenue Create - More than one Fold
2 Crafty Critter Crazies - Anything Goes
Classic Design Team - Anything Goes
Crafty Animals - Anything Goes
Fabrika Fantasy - For the Men/Boys
World Wide Open Design Team - Anything Goes



Saturday, June 1, 2019

Finding Flowers at Scribbles Designs Challenge Blog

This month the optional theme over at Scribbles Designs Challenge Blog is FLOWERS!
My DT card today features both image and paper from the Scribbles Designs. store. The image is called F21 Daisy, and pssst it's a FREEBIE. The digital paper is also from Scribbles Designs and it's called Flower 3 Patterned Paper. After printing out the paper and framed sentiment twice, I popped the second sentiment onto the first with dimensional tape. I decided to highlight the sentiment on my card today, using the Daisy image to embellish around the framed sentiment. A few jewels make the center of my daisies sparkle.

I have a neighbor who prides herself on her beautiful flower and herb garden. Every summer her front yard is blooming with color and smells wonderful. I swear she has ten green fingers instead of one green thumb! This card is for her, as she has helped me the last couple of years with my vegetable garden. She's the best kind of neighbor to have - a good friend!
So now it's your turn to creating and linking a project to Scribbles Designs Challenge Blog for your chance to win free digis from the store. Good luck and happy crafting! 

Sheepski Designs Sponsors Your Scrapbook Place

Here comes another Anything Goes challenge at Your Scrapbook Place. This month's guest sponsor is Sheepski Designs, and my DT make today uses a cute image from the store.
I made what I would call a CAS card. I have trouble with them, as I don't like to leave a lot of white space. So I covered half my card with patterned paper, and bordered each side with faux stitching in coordinating colors.
I cut out a plush rug for my kitty to sleep on, nice and cozy. I blinged up my card with a couple strips of adhesive jewels, and added a hand-lettered sentiment. AND managed to leave the rest of the card alone!! CAS cards will never be easy for me, but I'm taking it one step, or rather one card, at a time.
Meanwhile, Sheepski Designs is offering a gift certificate to the store to one random winner. In order to qualify for the prize, you must remember to link your cards to Your Scrapbook Place. You have the whole month, so good luck and happy crafting!
Challenges I am Entering:
Jo's Scrap Shack - Anything Goes
Crafty Animals - Anything Goes
Happy Craft - 2nd Chance Anything Goes