Rainy days and Mondays Always Get Me Painting...

Keeping my hand in watercolors is easier than mixed media, due to time constraints, and my time is definitely constrained. So here's a pretty 5x7 piece I created and matted.
I've seen so many projects with "birds on a wire" that I had to try it myself. I like the colors I used, and the sentiment is perfect. But I think I should have waited for the paint to dry before doing my birds, as they are no longer black. What do you think?
No digi images, no DT project today, just my simple water color. I'm still in the crafting game, as time allows! Hope you get some too!

Challenges I am Entering:

Connie Can Crop - Water colors
Make My Monday - Lazy Days of Summer
Creative Fingers - Anything Goes
As You Like It - Fur or Feathers? (feathers)
I chose feathers because every day as I drive from place to place, I see the black birds sitting on wires, exactly like countless projects I see online. I had to try it once, so I created this water color)

Anything Goes at the Outlawz Monday Greetings

Today brings us a new challenge at the Outlawz Monday Greetings. And they also have two sponsors-that's twice the prizes offered this week! My first card uses the digi "Wine Bottle w/Glass" from Angie's Cards & Digis. My sentiment was inspired by the theme song from the movie "Cabaret." However, the theme this week is Anything Goes!
After coloring my image with Copics, I added a little dimension with white gel pen. My papers, die-cuts and embellishments are all pulled from my magic bag of leftovers (magic because it seems to be bottomless). I think my color scheme of pink, green and ivory work well here, don't you?

Challenges I am Entering:

Crafting when We Can - Based on a song (Cabaret)
Corrosive challenges - Girls, Ladies, Women (girls' night out)
Great Impressions challenges - Ladies Night

Crafting with Friends - Anything Goes
Cute Card Thursday challenges - Add a Quotation (misquoted from Cabaret)

My second card today uses a digi image from Creative Bug Designs, also sponsoring the Outlawz Monday Greetings this week.

I colored an image called "Look at Me, Lolly." I love that he's peeking through a hole just to greet us! I found this fabulous paper (again, stash is endless) and popped him smack in the middle of the "rays" of sunshine, thereby inspiring me to continuously hum "Hello Sunshine" by Aretha Franklin from 1968.

I adhered tiny jewels around my circle of sunshine and added some sequins for sparkle. After adding some fiber for texture, I die-cut my song-inspired sentiment, and my card is complete. Now if I could just get the song out of my head...

Challenges I am Entering:

Not Just Cards challenges - Anything Goes
Crafting from the Heart - Anything Goes

Time OUT challenges - Celebrations w/optional die-cuts or fussy-cutting)

Although my art today was inspired by songs, the theme at the Outlaw Monday Greetings is ANYTHING GOES, so go create and link up with us for your chance to win this week! 

Rockin Around the Christmas Tree with Rick St Dennis and the Outlawz Greetings Challenge

The days are counting down! Just eleven more days until Santa shows everyone if you've been nice or naughty. While Santa, I'm sure, is so very busy getting ready for the big night, he still takes a break now and then to "Rock around the Christmas Tree" with Mrs. Claus. LOL

Today starts a new challenge over at the Outlawz Monday Greetings blog. The theme is to put some music on your project, and this week's sponsor is Rick St Dennis. 

I played with this cute Christmas image called Christmas Couple. 
After coloring with my trusty Copics, I fussy-cut the couple out and placed them, well, not under the mistletoe, but close enough. Everything on my card is leftover from last year except for the image. I think I have enough stash supplies left for another year of crafting without buying anything new!! Yikes, I need to join a twelve-step program. Maybe I'll head a new chapter of Crafter's Anonymous. If not, I'll just have to enable some local crafters by giving my stuff away!
Meanwhile, back at the Outlawz, we'd really like to see your "musical" projects this week. Carve out some time to craft and join us as we head into Christmas. 

Challenges I am Entering:

A Gem of a Challenge - Anything Christmas Goes

Crafty Friends challenges - Christmas

Craft for the Craic challenges - Christmas Cheer

Fussy & Fancy challenges - Happy Holidays

Spring Puts Music in My Heart

I love to listen to  music, especially when I craft. I have an old 2nd generation iPod with pver 1200 songs and jam while I ink, sing while I stamp, and croon while I color! That's why I love this gorgeous digi image from The East Wind for my DT card for Craft Your Passion challenge blog.
The East Wind is this week's guest sponsor, and my image is called Spring Melody.
Craft Your Passion offers weekly challenges that are Anything Goes, and I took the theme to heart. I used leftover patterned paper from my stash, then popped my Copic-colored image onto my card front after framing it with a die-cut paper doily. The circles of musical notes have been punched out from more leftover papers, while I printed and punched out my sentiment. A sprinkling of "negative" die-cuts from the doily embellish my card, along with a few golden yellow pearls.
Now it's time to get your Anything Goes mojo to work and come play at Craft Your Passion's challenge this week!!

Challenges I am Entering:

Sister Act challenges - Anything Goes

Cute Card Thursday - Summer Colors

CMD challenge blog - Movie/TV show inspired (Ich mag den Film Pitch Perfect und nicht kann warten um die Fortsetzung zu sehen)

Have Faith in Your Dreams while on the Path of Positivity

'tis the month for making Christmas gifts, and I created this mixed media canvas for a friend's daughter who has always dreamed of being a musician. Not a music teacher, but a member of an orchestra. She is in her senior year of college, and has been working hard, playing violin and flute, entering contests, winning scholarships, and just this year sending out her portfolio all over the country.
But times, they are difficult, and there isn't a lot of call for violinists or flautists just out of college. She is, of course, taking education courses so that she'll be able to teach, but she still has faith in her dreams.
I do, too. I have watched her grow from a spirited child struggling with the bow to a mature and caring young woman, pouring her heart and soul into her music. I have faith that wherever her path will lead her in life, music will be the biggest part of her journey.
Today's canvas showcases the theme of FAITH, an important part of my life, and the theme for this month's Path of Positivity challenge blog. I used a digital image from Fresh Brewed Designs called Daydreaming. I also used a sentiment from Decosse's Dynamite Doodles, my go-to place for sentiments!

The sponsors and prizes for this challenge are:

• A prize package of a $7 gift certificate to the Pickled Potpourri Designs store (good for any digital product) for the post or project that the DT deems most inspiring of the bunch.
• Three digital images from Fresh Brewed Designs for a person chosen in a random draw based on all entrants.
• One digital image from Creative Bug Digital Stamps for each person chosen as a DT Delight.

There will also be:

• 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.

So, what's your creative take on the theme of Faith? Come show us at the Path of Positivity challenge blog. Everyone can use a boost during this holiday season. Whether you come to share some positivity or to find some, all are welcome!

Sing Along with the Outlawz Greetings challenge This week

Here's my card for this week's newest challenge from the Outlawz Greetings.

The challenge is to use music on your project. I used musical patterned paper to frame my image. It's called Emma the Caroler by this week's sponsor, Fred She Said.
After coloring her with Copics, I fussy-cut her before popping her on my musical patterned paper. I added beautifully-foiled reindeer stickers to my card, along with die-cut snowflakes. I stamped my sentiment, which is required on the Greetings challenges.
There's a lot of inspiration over at the Outlawz-come check us out!
Other Challenges I am Entering:
A Gem of a Challenge - Anything Christmas
The Corrosive Challenge blog - Anything Goes
I Love to Create Challenge blog - Create a Scene
Come & Get It Challenges - Merry Christmas
That Craft Place Challenge blog - Christmas
Imagination Crafts Challenge blog - Anything Goes

My Heart is in My Art

Ink colors my fingers,

And glitter coats my hair.

My craft room’s like a crime scene

With Copics everywhere.

I seem to’ve lost my scissors

I should clean, but where to start?

It really doesn’t bother me

‘cause my heart is in my art.

House Mouse Goes to School

With all the cool school supplies on sale this month, it's easy to snag some great deals on items to be altered, like this mini composition book.  It measures 4.5x3.5 inches and is perfect to showcase a House Mouse image like this one.

I belong to a crafting group on PaperCraftPlanet called House Mouse & Friends, and there is a swap going on for group members.  I finished mine and wanted to post it here.  I think the image is called "Morning Song" but I could be wrong.

I colored it with Copics and fussy-cut it so that it would fit on this small canvas.  I covered the notebook with some fun music sheet patterned paper and added some upholstery ribbon to the spine.
I distressed my page with distress ink and acrylic paint.

I added some leaves so that my tree stump would be anchored to the scene.  A couple musical acrylic stickers added to the song theme I had chosen, and then i stamped the sentiment "Just a Note."

A couple pebble stickers completes my altered mini composition notebook.  I had fun with this, and if I can get to Staples, will purchase more to alter!  This one is a little bigger than theirs, but it cost a dollar for just one, and Staples offers a pack for a dollar--nuff said! LOL

Whatever you do, whether scrapbook, make cards, sew, paint or make altered art, do it with a song in your heart!!