Summer's Blooms Leave Us Wanting More

I love Progressive Freebie challenges, and the Outlawz Freebie Challenges has a new challenge and a new sponsor. You know how it works- if you created a project using the August image, you will receive the image I used for my DT project today. If you didn't you can still join in. Just go to Nice Crane designs and purchase this cutie pie called Flower Child 4 and link your creation up with us and you will receive the next month's image for free (and so on and so an...).

I created a tag card, covering it with CTMH paper from my stash (who am I kidding, it's ALL from my stash LOL). After coloring her, I popped her out and framed her with a large flower. I found a quote I like for a Thank You card, then plunged into my bin of flowers and had my way with them. I finished off my card with a bit of wide ribbon and more flowers and it's ready to head out to a very generous woman who offered up a few weeks of her summer off by volunteering in several programs offered by my church. She'll be back in just a couple weeks to teach this Fall as well.
Meanwhile, check out all the lovely images at the Nice Crane store, and soak up some inspiration at the Outlawz Progressive Freebie this month. Then join us for some fun!!
Challenges I am Entering:
Crafting with an Attitude - Anything Goes
Creative Knockouts - Flower Power
Southern Girls challenges - Flower Power
Digi Galore - Anything Goes
World Wide Open Design challenges - Anything Goes
Cheerful Stamp Pad - Remembering Summer
That Craft Place - Mixed Media
The Shabby Tea Room - ABC-1 2 3/Inspiration from Photo

Cupcake Inspiration challenges - photo-inspired

Altered Art Project for Craft Your Passion

I love surfing my local Goodwill store. I found a combination cork board/dry erase board for 49 cents! I guess the price fixer couldn't handle the psychedelic look of the frame, but it inspired me to make an altered home organizer.
My daughter is attending community college for her first two years, and often she's at class before I go to work (and vice versa). We needed a way to communicate our daily plans, reminders, etc. Her  phone doesn't get a signal while she's there, so now we can leave messages and love notes to each other.
I used a digi image from Stitchy Bear called Hippie. After coloring her with Copics, I fussy-cut her out and popped her onto some fun patterned paper from Color Bok. Another piece of a different sheet from the same paper stack gives a nice border to the bottom of the cork board part. I used buttons to make stick pins for messages, receipts, etc. As you can see, our message board is up and running, and working great!
Craft Your Passion challenge blog has a new challenge today, and their challenges are always ANYTHING GOES (my fave kind of challenge). Why don't you check out the inspiration at the challenge blog, leave a little love and play in this week's challenge?! Stitchy Bear is this week's sponsor, and she has zillions of cute, sassy images to color up!

Other Challenges I am Entering:

Lil Patch of Crafty Friends - Anything Goes

Scrappy Hands - Family (a way of keeping in contact with my teen daughter)

That Craft Place - Anything Goes

Kraftin' Kimmie - Peace & Love

2 Creative Chicks - Anything Goes

Altered Eclectics - Anything Goes (no cards/ATCs)

Crafting Musketeers - Cute

Recycle, Re-purpose & Re-invent - Anything Goes (must re-use something; My thrift store find)

Rhedd's Creative Spirit - any theme/must be altered art.mixed media
Not Just Cards - Anything Goes

Time Flies When you're Crafting

Time flies when you're having fun, like water coloring or crafting or spending time with the grandkids. I've had a broke-down clock for months, and was waiting for inspiration to strike. Well, it did over the weekend, and here's my finished project.
I took off the glass cover and removed the hands and broken guts, then used a newly-released digi image from Squigglefly. It's called Angel & Birdie by the ever-talented artist Sandra Caldwell. After coloring the image with my trusty Copics, I fussy-cut my angel and adhered it to the clock face. The sentiment went on next, and then I threw on jeweled flowers. I sprayed a protective sealant on it and it's now hanging in my kitchen.
There are some awesome digital images released this month at the Squigglefly store. The challenge blog, whose challenge this week is to "round those corners," offers up plenty of inspiration to crafters, and the chance to win free digis when you link your own "rounded project using a Squigglefly image.

Tagging an Anything Goes Challenge

I made a tag today using my two fave products--Tim Holtz and an image from Art by Mi Ran. The challenge is again Anything Goes, and there's plenty of inspiration at her blog!!
I started with an embossed tag and piled on the distressed ink, then stamped a line of music. Bits of leftover lace and part of a broken necklace went on next.
After I colored Mi Ran's image, called "Patsy," I adhered her onto my tag with dimensional tape. I finished it all off with a flower with a tiny pearl spray and some organza ribbon tied in a pretty bow.
This scene I created reminds me of the old black and white classic movie "Casablanca." There goes Humphrey Bogart off in the distance while Lauren Bacall has to pick up the pieces in a classy way.
Or then again, it could be a movie starring Mae West. An interested gentleman pausing in the doorway, while Patsy asks him if that were a pickle in his pocket or if he were just glad to see her.
So many scenes play in my mind just from this one tag showcasing this gorgeous image. What does it do for you??
Art by Miran is sponsoring a challenge at "Love to Create Challenges" blog, where the theme is Fussy and Fancy  OR  Clean and Layered Challenge. I THINK MINE WOULD FALL UNDER THE fUSSY AND fANCY THEME, DON'T YOU?!

 

Christmas in July

I have a very good start on my Christmas cards for December, and I owe it all to the DigiStamps4Joy Progressive Christmas Card Challenge and this month's Christmas in July challenge over at SBP Challenge Blog.
Today used FREEBIES (don't you love freebies?!). My image, called "Irresistable Bling"  was given to me by DS4J just for joining in their progressive challenge last month! You get a free image each month you link up your card with them using their last image given out.
My paper is another free giveaway from Decosse's Dynamite Doodles offered as incentive to create for the SBP challenge. DDD is this month's sponsor and she's giving away some great digital papers, sentiments and embellishments to FOUR lucky participants!
So after I printed out the paper and created my card base, I printed out my image and colored it with Copics. Aren't those mischievious cats cute?! My sentiment is vellum from Daisy D's and I used some leftover rub-ons to frame the words, then colored in just the holly berries to coordinate with the colors in my tree as well as the baker's twine I used to embellish my card.
Want to get a headstart with your Christmas cards? Join in the SBP Christmas in July challenge through July 14 for some great prizes! Don't forget to check out the DS4J progressive Christmas card challenge, too!

Teal is my Go-To Color

Teal is my go-to color, and that's what I used to create this card for the new Anything Goes challenge over at Art by Miran challenge blog. I found some gorgeous patterned papers while cleaning out my closet and used a piece as my card base. Using Copics, I colored this pretty image called "A Rainy Day" and framed it with black cardstock. I then framed it again with embossed Coredinations paperand popped it on my card.
I used an adhesive flourish border, a line of pearls a flower and a ribbon bow to complete my card.
This is one of my favorite images from Art by MiRan. I think I'll give this to hubby for a Father's Day card!

A Little Fairy Gratitude Goes a Long Way

I went to sleep last night with a Tim Holtz Distressing Technique Book in my hands.  I snagged it at a garage sale last weekend for a buck and boy, am I glad I got it!  I don't normally do the big "distressing, collage, more is better" kind of style, but...


closed card

 I woke up with this idea for a card.  I used to make a lot of trifold shutter cards, but hadn't lately, so that was the base for my "experiment".  I knew I wanted to use one of my Fairy stamps from Crafter's Companion.  AND I wanted to try out my new Crafter's Companion Ultimate Tool for all that scoring and folding and cutting involved.  With all those ideas in mind, I begin to build, and I mean BUILD, my card into what you see here.  The scoring, cutting and folding was a BREEZE using my Ultimate Tool.  If you don't have one, you can use a ScorPal, but it is so much easier to have everything at your fingertips! After selecting patterned papers from my leftover stash, which I promised myself I would cut in half by end of year, I ransacked my desk, my cubbies, my drawers, my tins--anywhere I could remember putting small embellie leftovers.
I colored my Fairy, which is from the Fairyopolis Fall Collection, (coordinating colors with my papers), using COpics: E00,08,35; Y15; YR07,61; YG03; G94 & RV00.  I also used Apricot and Butter Zig brushables. 

I used Stickles on her wings and dots of Liquid Glass on the fruit on the branches and in her hand to make my fairy shimmer.  I also added a mix of colors of Flower Soft to the "vegetation" in her hair (see close-up).

I had found some lace at our church's rummage sale this summer, and got quite a haul of different colors and designs for my money.  I distressed the cream colored lace with Brown ink and attached it to the front panel of my card, then adhered my fairy image onto it with dimensional dots.  I also had to use adhesive Dots so that the image would stick and stay stuck to the lace!

Okay, using the ideas mighty Tim gave me in his book, I started adding (and taking away) tiny embellishments--jewels, buttons, bows, leaves, fibers, clips, etc--onto the many faces of my card.  I even stamed a few sparkly stars here and there, then added Gold Pearl Ex for a subtle glow.

I printed the sentiment "Thank you fairy much" on my computer, adhered it, and then took a deep breath and stepped back.  I don't think it's too awful for my first attempt at "throwing everything but the kitchen sink onto a card" technique.  I actually kind of like it!!  It's a nice way to usher in Autumn, although I'm probably a little too early (but hopeful for some cooler weather).

I like this card because it is a Thank you card and I'm always in need of them, the design lets me stand it up for a 3 dimensional display, and Crafter's Companion Challenge Blog has a new challenge for August, and I will be entering this in their new challenge.  The challenge runs through the end of the month, and everyone is welcome to come and play in it!

Thank You Never Looked So Good

I learned a new (to me) technique today!! I stamped and colored my Crafter's Companion Popcorn the Bear images, and then heat sealed them onto a pillar candle!! I love the look of it and will remember how easy it is around Christmas time!!

Meanwhile, Crafter's Companion Challenge Blog has a new challenge for August, practically a free-for-all! it only asks that you use one of their images, and use a thank you theme on your project! The hardest part of the challenge was choosing which stamp set to use on my project! LOL I decided on Popcorn the Bear "Thanks a Bunch" stamp set, and stamped popcorn, the sentiment and a couple flowers onto lightly colored mulberry paper, then used Copics: E00,35; G00; BG15,72; YG03; Y17; YR61 & RV13 to color them all. Following an excellent tutorial on SCS, I heat embossed the images onto a white pillar candle I picked up at WalMart for $2. I love the way the candle is smooth and doesn't show that I put extra layers onto it.

WARNING: Learn from my mistake!! Make sure the candle is RIGHT SIDE UP!!! I finished off my candle and then discovered I had stamped my candle upside down! Boohoo!! But the girl scout in me came to my rescue, and I used a knife to pull the wick through the bottom of the candle, thereby saving the day, my project and my pride!!


You have all month to play in the Crafter's Companion Challenge Blog, so have fun!!

I am doubly happy to add my project to CRAFT YOUR PASSION challenge blog, as this week's challenge is sponsored than one of my fave companies, Crafter's Companion, so my project is so very appropriate, although I will mention you don't have to use a sponsor's product to join in their challenges!

Crafter's Companion Sketch Challenge

What fun it is to be a guest designer for Crafter's Companion Challenge Blog!  Their challenge for July is to use this sketch.

This month's fabulous prize is every single stamp set from Crafter's Companion's brand new Humphrey's Corner collection. That's 6 separate stamp sets!!! These images are so fabulous, you will absolutely love them. I won a secondary contest in June with a prize of two stamp sets of my choice, and one of them is from the new Humphrey collection. You can see more of the stamp sets HERE.

I decided to switch up the sketch used for this Challenge a bit for my second project.  I kept the main theme of ever-widening circles, but decided on making a bookmark instead of a card.

The design of this bookmark lets you place it in the corner of a page (as shown) since the two straight edges are adhered together. I took some creative license with the sketch and placed the sentiment inside the first circle, along with the image. Both are from the Crafter's Companion stamp set by Sheena Douglas called Faith, from the A Little Bit Sketchy collection. I colored the image with Copics: E35,71; Y17 & YR02,61. I used my leftover stash of patterned and cardstock papers to make the bookmark, stamped the sentiment and image with CTMH Black ink (it is very Copic-friendly) and cut the circles first with my Creative Memories circle cutter, then edged them with Fiskars edging scissors. The main thing to remember in making bookmarks is to keep them as flat as possible so they don't mess up the pages of the book you are reading.
I would love to hear what everyone thinks is a good summer read, as I am always on the prowl for new books to read. Currently, I am in love with mysteries from Joanne Fluke (great recipes included) and Carol Higgins Clark (awesome sense of humor and timing).
Meanwhile, check out Crafter's Companion Challenge Blog for their July challenge and you could be a winner!!

Circle Easel Card

I am extending my love for easel cardsinto the shaped card realm!  This kind of card is so easy, I can foresee a bunch of easel cards coming out of my craft room, in many different shapes and sizes. 
Today I used a Hambo image called Cool Dog digi from Hambo Stamps, along with Cool Cat digi from the same company.  The challenge at the Hambo Hoedown is to make a circle-shaped card, so of course I had to try the easel kind, and I like what I did! 
]I cut my circles with my Creative Memories Circle cutting system, adjusting a couple of the circles with Fiskars edging scissors.  I used leftover patterned papers AND cardstock (I'm trying ever so hard to use up my stash by the end of the year).  I cut out each image and used dimensional dots to pop them out from the sea and the sky.  I sponged some ink in blues and greens from SU's Kaleidascope Lagoon ink pad, then smudged some dots of Stickles for a shimmery effect.  The little fishies are from a broken bracelet (never throw anything away, that's my problem).
There was just too much blue, so I added a sinking sun in the middle of these BFFs so it looks like they're toasting the sunset.
The sentiment was typed in Word and reads "A friend is a life raft in the Sea of Adversity", which I popped up a bit on the inside of the card so that when opened, my card will stay open as the bottom of it butts up against the sentiment.
If you like the Hambo images, you can see more at the Hambo Store.  Lucky you, the Cool Cat digi is FREE! So start your collection if you haven't already, and join the Hoedown for a chance to win prizes.  Every player gets a free digi image, too!
Other challenges I'm entering:
The Pixie Cottage - Wet & Wild
Craft your Passion - Anything Goes

Dog Gone It--Hambo's Got Another Challenge!

I think my new favorite card to make has to be the easel card. I don't know why I didn't start making it when everyone else was! It's so easy to make, and fun to display. I made this one from two pieces of cardstock, one 4x8" and one 4x4", and scored the longer piece at 2" and 4".
I used a digi image from Hambo Stamps called Dog house Blues. I love their images, thay're so much FUN! You can see all of them HERE.
This week at the Hambo Hoedown, the challenge is to use this image or any other of theirs and incorporate a dog tag, dog bone, or metal charm! I used cardstock to build my cardbase, then tore a piece of leftover linen paper and some green grass patterned paper to make a background scene for my doghouse. I colored the image with Copics: E35,37,71; C1,3; B93,97; Y17; V04 & RV00,13,34. I wrote in the sentiment Dogone it! and adhered it onto a metal charm, and printed the sentiment Hope You're Feeling Better, which comes from the digi-image set, and placed it onto my bottom piece with pop dots, which holds the card in place like an easel.
It's dog-gone easy to play along in the Hoedown, and every player wins a free digi image!! So trot on over and start having FUN!

In The Good Old Summertime!

Today’s card features a summer theme, and is entered in the Squigglefly Challenge Blog "In the Good Old Summertime" challenge. Love of country, freedom and democracy are symbolized by the colors red, white and blue, while reminiscing on summer block parties. I remember 4th of July parades and watermelon and softball games and horeshoes and water hoses and biking along at the end of the paprade. And what better character to ring in the ideals of American freedom than the all-American bird, the Turkey!!! After all, isn’t it rumored (possibly by Mr. Perdue himself) that the pilgrims shared some turkey legs with the native American Indians long ago?

Regardless of what they ate, MY turkey is full of patriotic feelings (probably because he knows the entrée doesn’t include him).
The digi-image comes from Squigglefly and is called “Thy Cart Overfloweth”. I colored it with Copics: E35,71; C1,3; R05,29; B93,97; G21 & YG03. I printed two images and cut out the core body of Mr. Freedom as well as the spilled apples, colored and glitzed it and adhered to the first layer of the image with pop-dots, sticking a toothpick flag (originally for cupcakes and cheese cubes) in his left appendage (let’s face it, it’s not a hand). I used blue round brads with tiny pearls attached to the centers for the wheels of the cart, then cut the whole thing out with specialty scissors. I then framed it on blue cardstock, and centered it on a border-stitched piece of red cardstock and a leftover piece of patterned paper.
I embellished with some leftover card candy from a swap (thanks, Maureen!) and now I have a card for the Fourth of July picnic, when we celebrate my daughter’s birthday and our country’s freedom (some people looked out the hospital window at the fireworks and cried ooh, ahh…I cried aaaahhhhh, it’s coming!!!!) Evidently she was the first child born in the area on that Fourth of July!
Anyway, enough about me. You should mosey on over to Squigglefly and check out the new challenge #105 HERE for more details!
Want more challenges?  How about these:
CRAFT US CRAZY - Red, White & Blue
CRAFT YOUR PASSION - Anything Goes
CORROSIVE CHALLENGE BLOG - Use the colors RED & WHITE
STAMPING SCRAPPING CHALLENGE CENTRAL - Red, White & Blue - I used Copics to color my image

Loving Everything I get from Crafter's Companion

I am a guest designer for Crafter's Companion Challenge Blog!! I was asked to complete two projects for the July challenge, and here is my first card. I used one of the SWALK images called Get Well Soon that you can find here. This month's challenge is to create something using a sketch they provide.
I used my Creative Memories circle cutter to cut out the image and extra circles, stamping the Get Well Soon sentiment on the edge of one of them. I colored the image with Copics: Y17,11; YR02,04; YG03; G94;B93 & E00,35.
My papers and ribbon and embellishments are all from my stash, which I have vowed to reduce and use up by end of year (I know, I'm hopelessly optimistic). The teddy bears on the inside of the card are from an old piece of embossed patterned paper out of which I cut several teddy bears already!
I am enjoying myself immensely, creating with my Crafter's Companion stamps! In fact, I just ordered more! To see the lovely selection of rubber and acrylic they have, click here. To join in the July Challenge, click here.

Have a wonderful holiday weekend, and keep cool!

Somebody Squealed...

...that Hambo Hoedown was offering another challenge: use wire, twine, yarn, fiber, ANYTHYING BUT RIBBON OR LACE! So here is my latest creation, a birthday card that any swine would love, but especially the swine behind these bars. I'm using Hambo Stamps Pig Inmate- digi image, colored with Copics and adhered to the inside of my card. The front has a window cut, on which I placed a leftover piece of DCWV Green Stack patterned paper and the first part of the sentiment from Hambo, "Somebody squealed..."

On the inside is my image and the second part of the sentiment, "...that it's your birthday."
I used black wire strung vertically across the open window to keep my little piggy in its cell. The only thing that keeps him happy is his rainbow-colored uniform (in celebration of Gay Pride today).
So swing on by the Hambo Challenge Blog. Every participant is a winner!

Funny Birthday Card

Hambo Stamps has a very cute digi-image, Laughing-digi, that I made into a step card for their challenge at the Hoedown this week. I printed the image, complete with sentiments, twice, and colored both with Copics: E00,13,37; Y17; YR61; V000; RV34; BG10,72; C1,3 & 100.
I used the sentiment "You're How Old?" on the first step, the laughing people on the second, and a combo of both with the sentiment "HaHaHaHaHa" on the last step. The challenge was to use this image with the color combo of RED, TEAL AND WHITE. Check out the Bacon Bits' inspiration cards and the challenge HERE. If you like this image, you can find it HERE.

Tri-fold Shutter Card

I love the look of an unusually-folded card. I fell in love with tri-fold shutter cards a year ago, and it is still one of my favorite cards to make and amaze. There are numerous tutorials on YouTube and SCS, and if you have a ScorPal, it makes creating this card a piece of cake!
I used my ScorPal and scored a 5.5x12" piece of cardstock at 2, 4, 8 and 10" horizontally, and scored then cut vertically at 2" and 3.5" 2" from each end. After folding my score lines, I then embellished the card. That mirror butterfly really makes the card shine, I think! I gave it to my hubby and he loved it! Mission accomplished!!
My card is entered in the Crafty Catz Weekly CHallenge, which asks for Fancy Folds. I think this qualifies! They're offering a gift voucher to The Paper Shelter for one randomly selected winner, so check them out!

Hurray for Dad!

The family is on Dad Patrol. He needs anything from down the stairs, there they go for him! Garbage needs to go out? My son will run it out! Feel like pork chops tonight? They're in the oven by the time he gets home from work.
AND we all give him special cards on his day, too. Of course, the family comes to me for the cards, and so here is one from my son. He said dad does so much, he juggles work and bill paying and driving all over, so I took that juggling theme to heart and colored a Dustin Pike digi-image.
I cut out the birthday party hat and the cupcake that he was originally holding and replaced the cupcake with a a fishbowl, which was a lonely, leftover sticker that I popped onto white cardstock and outlined in black. I used the following Copics to color my elephant: C1,3 & RV00. That's all! and colored him twice, and popped out his trunk with some dimensional dots. I handwrote the sentiment with White Gelly Roller pen from Sakura, and added a couple of blue, shaped paper clips, and pasted the image against a diecut yellow starburst.
CHALLENGES:
Delicious Doodles - Father's Day/Masculine theme
Stamp, Scrap & Doodle Saturdays - FATHER'S DAY
Paper Play - FATHER'S DAY
Crafts & Me - STAMP SOMETHING

Another Summer Day, Another Summer Card

It is HOT, HOT, HOT outside today. That's why I'm in my craft room, to cool off and PLAY!
SO I played with another new stamp set from Crafter's Companion, "Thanks a Bunch" starring Popcorn Bear. I can see a lot of my wages chasing after all the Popcorn stamp sets they have at the Crafting Companion Store.
So their Challenge Blog is offering a June Challenge, looking for Summer projects using any CC image. You can enter more than once, so I made a second card for their June challenge. Wait til you see what the prize is for one lucky random winner! But before you check out their blog, let me give you the deets on my newest card:
I made a 6x6 card with coordinating bookmark. I colored my Popcorn Bear image with Copics: E00,13; Y11,15; YR16; G00,02; BG05,10,15 & 100(BLACK).
I put some shine to him with Red and Icicle Stickles, and used Stickles to create some background glitz. The sentiment on the bookmark is from the same stamp set.
Okay, run along and check out the Crafter's Companion Challenge Blog, and if you fall in love with their stamps like I did, I'll see you around the store's website! have fun!
CHALLENGES:
Craft Catz - BOOKMARK

Do You Like Pina Coladas?...

Whew, what a week! Things are really flying at work, busy, busy, busy, but good busy, really getting things accomplished, projects finished, files archived, etc. Just glad summer office hours give me Fridays off!
And to start my extended weekend with a bang, I made this nifty card for hubby, a kind of teaser leading up to our dream vacation in Cozumel.
That great digi-image is from Hambo Stamps, called Three Ties digi-image. It comes with three different ties, but I chose the tropical one to color and make this card. I colored it with Copics: E00; Y15,17; B2,4,12; G00,21,94 & BG15. I added texture by crimping some of my background paper and shine with Yellow, Waterfall & Crystal Stickles, as well as Clear Star Gelly Roll pen. I embellished my card with leftover vacation stickers from my stash.
I've entered this card into the Hambo Hoedown #19, which asks for the use of a Hambo image PLUS a sketch, which you can find HERE. Hop on over to the hoedown for the challenge guidelines--everyone who plays is a winner!
CHALLENGES:
Craft Your Passion - ANYTHING GOES
Spoonful of Sugar - #155 HERE COMES SUMMER
PaperTake Weekly - ANYTHING GOES
Craft Us Crazy - Masculine/Father's Day

What Holiday Is It?!

I love to color images! Whether they are generic or specific, you can still bend the rules with just a little coloring and embellishing. Take this card, for instance. I used Squigglefly’s Cranky Witch digi-image, but I didn’t follow the well-worn path and make a Halloween card with it. I decided to make a Valentine’s Day card instead.
A few pinks and reds, a heart, and a Valentine sentiment, and my cranky witch is the object of adoration on the day of love.
The Squigglefly Challenge Blog has a new challenge this week: Make a card using an image for one holiday, but change it up and make it into a different holiday! You should see some of the inspiration projects there!! I guarantee you will take a look at your stamps and digi images with a new eye!
OTHER CHALLENGES:
CRAFT YOUR PASSION - Challenge #61 – Anything Goes