Un-Forgetable Frogs

 

Hello, crafters! Today I feature a couple of deck decor items. Whenever I see a lonely frog figure in a thrift store, I often buy it to paint or alter it and put it somewhere in my garden, yard or on my deck. These two fearless friends are standing on front my deck, although I took their photo while still in the house. I used one of my paintings on wood as a background. 

I inherited both of them from my neighbor across the street, with whom we became fast friends. Unfortunately, she passed away and her daughter offered them to me as she cleaned out her mom's house. I gladly accepted them as a remembrance of Sharon. She had an artists' eye.

When I got them, they were not painted at all, For my little amphibian, I sponge-painted his body with a couple of greens and a little gold for texture. I gave him black arms, legs and head while keeping his eyes a shimmery green.

As for my garden-loving frog, I painted her a bright green and gave her facial features. Her watering can was black so I gave it a rusted, coppery look. I was going to use hot glue to give the illusion of water trickling from the can's spout, but decided against it. The base on which she stands is almost the same color as my front deck so it blends in with the stair step she's on...

Challenges I am Entering:

  

On the 23rd Day of Christmas Crafting...

 

I think I've finally pulled myself of my card-making rut. I've made seven cards this month alone. There were two last month, and I made a wedding card in May. I haven't been making cards for quite a while now, but Pat got her groove back (mostly because she recovered all her hundreds of digital images that were backed up in the Cloud but couldn't access until recently).

This holiday card uses designer paper, two die cuts and a few snowflake stickers on dimensional dots.  I just reached my hand into my magic bag of die cuts for the holidays (eyes closed) and pulled him out. This time I matched the papers and embellishments to the snowman die cut...

Do you draw out or plan your cards ahead of time?  Do you base them on the images, the papers, the embellishments, or does it just come together as you're playing with your crafting supplies? I have to admit when I make a card I have no plan, no diagram, no sample to work off of. Often, an image will inspire a greeting or quote (usually funny or punny). Other times, I will search for the right image for a particular quote. Unless  I'm challenged to create something with specific parameters, it's like trying to catch a fish in your hands at the local creek. Whatever I catch shows me how to cook it.

Now that the craft fairs are a thing of the past (month), I'm tapering off new crafts so that I can pack away items to sell at next year's fairs. I'm also planning on decluttering my stash, in order reclaim my basement as a family area (mostly for entertainment). Once it's clean, organized and uncluttered, I plan on hosting a brunch for neighbors and friends. Maybe make the theme a "Board Meeting", as in everybody bring their favorite Charcuterie board to share. There are plenty of Pinterest posts to inspire a few friends to try something new...

Welcome to the 31 Days of Halloween - DAY 14

 

I finally broke down and made one of those quaint road crossing signs I'm seeing everywhere on Pinterest. It actually turned out cuter than I thought it would. I dug into my bin of wood pieces and puled out a bag of thin wood pieces about 6"x2.5". After painting them with acrylic paints, I used my Posca markers to letter some of the "mysterious destinations" and also sticker letters for others. I made six, but the ones pictured here are my favorites.

I also dabbed on some Tim Holtz alcohol inks to "age" the signs so they look a tiny but weather-beaten. Instead of spending an hour looking for the "perfect stick" to attach them, My eyes spied a very old 12" ruler that had seen much better days. I hot glued my destination signs onto it and it looks pretty cool up against one of the bushes, half in and half out of the sun.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas Halloween here at the Martin homestead. Do you decorate for this Autumn holiday? Do you make cards and send them out to neighbors and friends? Or do you just wait until Thanksgiving and Christmas to let your creativity soar? In my neck of the woods, Halloween is getting to be as popularly decorated as Christmas. 

Challenges I am Entering:

Daisy Chain - Autumn and/or Halloween

Halloween & Other Occasions - Halloween

31 Days of All Hallow's Eve - Day 1 - Autumn canvas

Hello, my peeps! Starting today, I will feature crafts, decor, haunted tales, cartoons, etc. all with a Halloween vibe. Be prepared to be inspired and a little spooked by my offerings. Today, I created wall decor for my home, altering a wooden box/sign from the Dollar store that was an Easter decoration, now bringing in the Fall season. 

I used some of my leftover stash of papers and adhered it to the front, after peeling, scraping and sanding the original clean. Searching through my Halloween craft supplies, I found the sticker letters spelling FALL and added them after placing a line of pumpkins from my ribbon/trim stash.

I finished off my project with tiny leaf die-cuts and a button (the tree). This was a very simple project that took me more time looking for the supplies than to put it together. Don't you love that kind of project? LOL

I will be showcasing a new make every day in October, some cute like this one, others bringing out the creepy, spooky vibes. At the end of the month, I will randomly pick someone who has left a comment on any of my blog posts and send them a digital copy of my new coloring book. This book features a lot of my Zen doodles as well as others I have not published. Being digital, you can print and reprint on any kind of paper repeatedly!

Do you know why leaves change colors in the Fall? While chlorophyl keeps them green in Spring in Summer, the chemical decreases its production as cooler temps appear in the shorter days. According to Science Notes, leaves also contain flavonoids and carotene (orange and yellow) as well as lycopene and anthocyanin (red and purple). As chlorophyl decreases, these chemicals show their true colors. When the temps lower, leaves lose their bright colors, turn brown and brittle and then die. 

The Four Seasons - Anything Fall Mood Board

Challenge Up Your Life - Autumn Leaves

Creatalicious Challenges - Anything Goes w/option Autumn colors

Getting Ready for Christmas at Ike's World Challenge Blog

OMG I can't believe 2019 flew by so fast! Here it is, 22 days before Christmas! I may still have a ton of things to do, but one thing I have finished is making my Christmas cards for the year. I mailed some out just after Thanksgiving, and the rest are for family and friends I'll be seeing throughout the next 3 weeks. Whew!!
This month Ike's World Challenge Blog asks crafters to create something on the lines of "Getting ready for Christmas." I  like a well-decorated home for this holiday, so I created a card featuring a previous year's Christmas freebie image from Ike's Art Store, which just happens to be a lovely table decoration (it doesn't go on the dinner table since that will be over-weighted by platters of holiday fare).
Since both my image and my patterned paper are design busy, I kept embellishments at a minimum. After coloring my image with Copics, I added a little Stickles for sparkle, a few tiny jewels for same, and some faux stitching that makes a nice homey border.
How did you do on your holiday cards? Did you make your goal? Are you short a bit? I may just have an excess this year! I'll either save them for next year, or find more people to give them to. That's using some Christmas spirit, isn't it? LOL
Don't forget to link up whatever you choose to create with the main blog for your last chance to win your choice of free digis from Ike's Art (last chance in 2019, that is!). Happy Holidays to all the lovely and talented ccrafters out there!

Turning Green at the Path of Positivity

The optional challenge this month at the Path of Positivity is "Shades of Green" and there are two fabulous guest sponsors whose images the DT (one of them ME) get to play with:

Ike's Art

and 

Scribbles Designs

My card today uses a digi image from Ike's Art called Stitchy Cats. I decided to use a die that I bought at a CHA Convention, the only time I know that came to Chicago. I printed my image in green ink so I could color it minimally. I couldn't resist the greeting inside:

"you smile, I smile

You hiss, I hiss,

You cry, I cry,

You jump off bridge,

I gonna miss you!"

In order to be considered eligible for this month's prizes, ALL creations must be positive, inspirational, motivational or encouraging in some nature. There is a Random Draw prize of a $10 gift certificate from Scribbles Designs.

You do need to follow the theme if you want a chance to win the prize for the project chosen as Most Inspiring, which is a $15 gift certificate from Ike's Art.

You've got the whole month to create and link up your project with the Path of Positivity. If you choose to create in shades of Green, you have the chance to win either or both prizes! So good luck and happy crafting! 

Challenges I am Entering:

Whoopsi Daisy - AG w/optional Monotone

2 Crafty Crazy Critters - Anything w/a Critter Goes

Crafty Animals - Anything Goes

Die Cut Divas - Anything Goes

Oddball Art - Anything Goes

The Path of Positivity Looking for Shades of Green

Good evening crafters! I hope the day has been kind to you. This month, the Path of Positivity Challenge Blog invites you to create in Shades of Green. There are two sponsors that offer gift certificates to their stores as prizes:

Scribbles Designs is offering a $10 gift certificate 

for one random-draw winner. Remember, all entries must be positive,

uplifting or encouraging in some way.

and

Ike's Art is offering a $15 gift certificate 

for the project deemed MOST INSPIRING

by the DT

My card offers a fun view of Christmas with Ike's Art digi "Frosty's Christmas Trees". What could be more GREEN than trees at a Christmas tree lot? (unless everything's covered in snow) Luckily, Frosty has a clear day with just a dusting of snow on the ground. But he better sell fast, as there are blizzard warnings out!

Do you buy a real tree for Christmas? We used to, but my nose can't take the fresh heavenly scent of pine or spruce or whatever the lots have for us in Chicago. So I try to get a good, natural-looking artificial tree that will last for years to come.

Your card or project doesn't have to be related to Christmas, as you can see at the Path of Positivity blog. Of course, whatever you create, have fun, and don't forget to link up for a chance to win those terrific gift certificates!

Scribbles Goes Green This Month

Welcome to a brand new challenge at Scribbles Designs challenge blog. The theme is Go for Green, which I thought was a perfect time for me to create a new layout of Wilson. No, he's not an Irish Settler, he's a Silky Terrier. But We like  to give him a photo opp for each holiday.
I've been creating a lot of digital layouts lately. I would like to send them all out to be printed and bound into a book (or two or ten). While I LOVE paper layout pages, especially chunky ones with lots of memorabilia, they takes up LOTS of room in my house. I'd like to have them all out to pick up and look through now and then, but there's only so much room. I think the books would be a good investment.
If you scrapbook, have you ever made your pages into a bound book? Which company did you use and would you recommend them? Still considering where to get my pages...
Anyway, my layout uses three digital images from Scribbles Designs: F81 Shamrock (FREE), F109 Shamrock Balloons,  and F110 Leprechaun Hat. All my papers are from Decosse's Dynamite Doodles: Chasing Rainbows Patterned Paper Kit, Glitterati Glitter paper in Gold and A Grungy Christmas Textured Paper Kit in dark blue.
I used a couple embellishments from Pixel Scrappers Pauline Thompson: Glitter Scatter 2 and Sheila Reid: Painted Heart Set 1, Brush 6. And my layout is complete...
Now it's time to go green and create something to link up to Scribbles Designs challenge blog for your chance to win  free digis from the Scribbles Store. I can't wait to see what YOU create!

How Does Your Garden Grow?

Happy Summer, crafters! Today brings a new challenge to Scribbles Designs Challenge blog, and we want to see how your garden grows (at least in your crafting project). I created my card using a digi image from the Scribbles Designs Store.called Tomato Doodle.
After coloring my images, I framed them with cardstock and popped them onto my card face, which features patterned paper from Decosse's Dynamite Doodles from her Bokeh Paper Kit. Don't you love that sentiment? I found it at Pixelscrapper.com. It's word art from Melo Vrijhof's Veggie Patch collection. I embellished with the following:
 Pixel Scrapper Melo Vrijhof’s Thankful Harvest Elements Rope 2 & Pixel Scrapper Janet Scott’s Paint Stamp Template 207 (heart)
This challenge runs for a month from today through the 14th of August. Get your inks out and strap on your garden gloves and let's see what you can create that shows us how your garden grows.

Challenges I am Entering:

A Bit More Time to Craft - Anything Goes

Doodle Pantry - Anything Digital Goes

Naughty or Nice - Anything Goes

Southern Ridge Trading - Memories of Summer

It's Christmas in July at Ike's World Challenge Blog

 While December 25th  is still a few months away, here in the States we celebrate Christmas in July because that's when the stores start selling ornaments, decorations and holiday lights. I kid you not, I went to Hobby Lobby and they were clearancing out their summer items to make room for their Christmas inventory!!
Well, Ike's World Challenge Blog has a new challenge this fortnight, and it is Christmas in July, crafters' style. Create a card, canvas, layout or other artsy project with Christmas in mind for your chance to win a gift certificate to Ike's Art Store.
I got to play with a digital image called Christmas Pixie. I love coloring her up in Christmas colors and decorating my cards with her. It's one of my favorite images! Did I mention that if you use an Ike's Art image, you get double chances of winning.AND Ike always offers a FREEBIE at the start of each new challenge. Why don't you check out the blog and double your chances of winning?!
Whatever you do this week, have fun!

Challenges I am Entering:

Catch the Bug - Christmas in July Tuesday BINGO grid (I chose the bottom line going across)

Holly Jolly Christmas challenges - Inspired by a Song  ("Have a Holly Jolly Christmas")

Crafty Boots challenges - Christmas in July

Get Creative challenges - Celebrations

Doodle Pantry - Anything digital image Goes

Lucky Me

Here's to me, and here's to you,

And here's to love and laughter-

I'll be true as long as you,

And not one moment after.

-Irish Toast

Top o' the mornin' to ye, crafters! We've reached the midpoint in Ike's World Challenge blog's Lucky Me challenge. I created an over-sized tag using the Ike's Art digi image called Saucy St Patrick's Day. The designer paper is from K & Co, and I used leftover cardstock stickers and ribbon/fibers to finish off my tag.
He will be surprised when he wakes on March 17th to see this tag hanging o'er his part o' the bed we've shared for most of 40 years now. I really am a lucky person to have held his love for so long.
You have one more week to link up your lucky creations for your chance to win free digis over at Ike's World Challenge blog.
Here's an Irish crafters' blessing from me to you:

May your images be clean

and your inks never dry.

May your Muse not dessert you

as the years pass on by.

Challenges I am Entering:

As You Like It challenges - Favourite Occasion & Why (One of my fave holidays is St Pat's Day. He is my patron saint, and I like to pass along the Irish heritage they have from both sides of the family)

Craft for the Craic - Luck of the Irish

Top o' the Mornin' to You

Top o' the mornin' to you all, peeps! I couldn't resist a Spring holiday card using this fabulous digital image from Rick St. Dennis. She's called "Colleen" and is available at his store. I colored my Irish maiden with Copics, then cut almost all of her out with the Scalloped Oval Spellbinders Nestabilities die before popping her onto some glittery green paper with punched corners. I also framed her with lace and ribbon. My sentiment came from QKD. Some Skittles and a handmade shamrock made out of punched hearts and inked twine.
Today finds us with a new Anything Goes challenge at Craft Your Passion challenge blog. So how about a St. Paddy's Day card, or whatever your little heart desires, and come play with us this week.
Before I go, I leave you with the Irish blessing on my card:
  "May your home always be too small to hold all your friends."

Other Challenges I am Entering:

Naughty or Nice Challenges - Make Green a Central Focus

Sisters of Craft - Anything Goes

Lil Patch of Crafty Friends - Anything Goes
Order of the Opus Gluei - St Patrick's Day
Cupcake Inspirations - Photo Inspiration
Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers - L is for Leprechaun