Make It Colorful

It is Thursday again, so that means another wonderful challenge over at Card Crafter's Circle (http://cardcrafterscircle.blogspot.com/). This week's theme is "Make It Colorful." We'd like to see your super fun creations -- the more colorful the better (grin). I always like cards with lots of happy colors, and even more right now as the winter grays seem to be predominate everywhere. I definitely prefer the spring time with its warmer temps and lively blooms burting forth. Ah well, since I don't live on a tropical island, guess I must take each season in its turn.

We are fortunate to once again have as our fantastic sponsor the the uber-fabulous... Bugaboo Stamps! Our randomly drawn challenge winner will receive their choice of 7 Bugaboo images... what an awesome prize because Bugaboo offers some absolutely darling images!

My image is the BBrat Girl Cupcake Sitter (http://www.bugaboostamps.com/BBrat-girl-cupcake-sitter_p_310.html). Isn't she a cutie? I colored her with my Copic markers on Cryogen card, then fussy cut her out. Using card cut at 6"x6", I created an easel card. I covered the packground with green dotty paper. The dots are raised and have a bit of sparkle to them. The lower half is a piece of DP from DCWV. The design includes several strips of candies, jelly beans, and cherries (the latter is seen when easel is standing). Those are all slightly raised with a bit of sparkle. All the papers work to create a nice, colorful and shimmery effect.

I placed a doily (Cheery Lynn die) on the green dotty paper and a small yellow ribbon at the point where the two papers meet. Using pop-dots, I lifted the little Cupcake Sitter for dimension and "sat" her atop the ribbon. I added three pink pearls at three points on the doily and then stamped the sentiment, using pink ink, onto a scrap piece of the Cryogen, cut it out and placed it beside my little image.

I am entering this card in the following challenges:

http://stamp-n-doodle.blogspot.com/
http://critterchallengeblog.blogspot.com/

http://heartsonginspirations.blogspot.com/

http://kaboodledoodles.blogspot.com/

New Year - New Card

This is not my first card for the new year; however, it is the first card I can share right now (grin). I've been busy getting "ahead" by making the cards for the next several assignments for the Card Crafter's Circle DT. Can't wait for you all to the see the darling images that our various sponsors have provided for us. We have some super creative people sponsoring the Card Crafter's Circle. You really need to stop by weekly (if you don't already). In addition to weekly challenges, wonderful prizes, and different designer sponsosr, there are also some really great tutorials for you to view. The location is: http://cardcrafterscircle.blogspot.com/ so do pop over there after you leave here.

Since I am now about three weeks "ahead" for my DT cards, I decided to make this little card for myself. Valentines is closer than we realize, so I've made this little card into a Valentine card. I used one of the adorable Magnolia images, and coloured her up in Valentine colours using my Copic markers. I did not particularly want to fussy-cut her, but since she had been stamped on a piece of scrap card (with funny bits already sliced out), there was no room for even the simple dies to "fit."

As seems to be my "norm," I started with a white card base. The dotty background paper is from a 6x6 We R Memory Keepers pad that one of my dear giflfriends gave me for Christmas, The solid pink strip is from my stash and has embossed hearts (which were part of the paper design). I added a lacy doily cut with a Cheery Lynn die (DL102, French Pastry) and some lovely flowers from Wild Orchid Crafts. Lastly, I added a small sentiment under the flowers (simply Valentine) which I stamped using pink ink. The stamps are by Spellbinder and have a variety of words as well as little boxes and circles in which to place the words.

So there you have it. A fun little project for a quite chilly (for the south) afternoon. (Have I mentioned that I am so NOT a winter person? If not, well now you know (grin)!)

Card entred in the following challenges:

http://magnolia-licioushighlites.blogspot.com/

Last Card for 2011

Is it just me, or did this year seem to go by exceedingly fast? It really is difficult to think that a new year will begin in just a little over a day from now. Three years ago, on New Year's Eve, I said good-bye to my Mother as she slipped peacefully away in hospital. It seems, in many ways, as if it was only the other day but here it is, three years later. So many days have past.

So, we must look forward and not backwards as we anticipate another year. What will 2012 bring? There will be blessings and joy. There will be sadness. There will be laughter and also tears. It seems as if each year is the same in so many ways and entirely different in so many other ways. Yet, I look forward to a new year coming. I look forward to finding out what the new year will bring. I rejoice in the opportunities and challenges that await.

So enough "Auld Lang Syne" and melancholy. On to my last little card that I've made for 2011. This little card is for no particular reason except that I was in the mood to create and already had the LOTV image coloured up. Isn't she a cutie? She makes me want to throw caution to the wind and dance (and believe me, at my age, it would be throwing caution to the wind - ROFLOL). I have a sign up in my craft room that reminds me to "Dance as if no one is watching." Well let me assure you, it is best if I dance when no one is watching (LOL)!!

My image is coloured with Copic markers on X-Press card and cut into a rectangle shape. My base card is white (5.5x5.5 square) on which I've adhered blue card and then my patterned paper. I have this random stack of 8x8 paper that is not in a pad, and I don't know where I acquired it. I thought it was a gift from a friend, but it is card weight, and she tells me the paper she sent me was paper weight, not card. Consequently, I cannot tell you the manufacturer as it is not printed anywhere. I cut a strip of matching paper (also from that random stack) which I layered on the same blue card and adhered onto the top. The little flower border along the bottom is cut with a Martha Stewart border punch. I added some flowers (Wild Orchid Crafts), some pearly dots, some ribbon and a freebie "ticket" sentiment that I found on the web. (Again I have to apologize -- gosh, I've spent a lot of this entry apologizing -- but despite the fact that I try to save my freebies with the name of the designer, this one doesn't have it, so I cannot give credit where it is due.)

My idea for this little card was something fun and uplifting -- a joy to make and (hopefully) a joy to receive. As the new year approaches, may we all be blessed by God's Grace. May we enjoy each day to the fullest. May we "Work as if we don't need the money; Love as if we've never been hurt; Dance as if no one is watching." Happy New Year!

Anything Goes

I have to try to get it through my head that Thursday is Friday (LOL)! What? Have I gone completely off my rocker? No, I have to remind myself that the challenge blog for which I'm a DT posts new challenges on Australian time which is a day ahead of the US -- hence, it is already Friday in Australia even though it is several hours away from midnight here in the US. Since I'm "supposed" to post my card on my own blog in conjunction with the Card Crafter's Circle post, then I've got to get my wee brain regimented to remember that Thursday is Friday -- see, quite simple, right?

Anyway, after all that babbling, here are the details for this week's challenge -- simply make a card for any theme you'd like. Yes, this week's challenge is "ANYTHING GOES." Our generous sponsor this week is Daisy Doodles. The prize for our random winner this challenge is their choice of three (3) Daisy Doodles images!

For my card, I used Pip the Penguin (http://daisysdigidoodles.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=47&products_id=189). He is found under the Christmas section, but I don't think he looks so Christmasy. He looks as if he is just having a grand time hitting the slopes. I colored my little guy using Copic markers and cut him out in a circle using a Spellbinder die. I then took my scalloped circle Spellbinder die and cut another circle from red card. The blue snowflake paper (sorry I can't tell you the manufacturer) was sewn to a piece of solid blue card. The red snowflake piece is adhered over the blue and all are adhered to a white card base. The large snowflake is cut on the Cricut and the smaller ones are cut from a die. The large snowflake has a smaller pearlescent snowflake in the center, and then I place icey blue gems in the center of all the flakes. I used white satin ribbon (have to have ribbon on my cards - grin) and attached a silver snowflake charm to the bow. The inside of my card reads, "Snow what's up friend? I've been thinking about you."

There you have it. Do check out our sponsor's store at http://daisysdigidoodles.com/store/index.php?main_page= and do join us this week at Card Crafter's Circle challenge blog http://cardcrafterscircle.blogspot.com/ as we'd love to see your lovely art work.

Challenges entering:
http://www.4craftychicks.blogspot.com/
http://simonsaysstampschallenge.blogspot.com/
http://thepapershelter.blogspot.com/
http://stampinfortheweekend.blogspot.com/2011/12/challenge-23-anything-goes.html
http://meljensdesignsdt.blogspot.com/2011/12/challenge-90.html
http://cutedaisymay.blogspot.com/
http://littlemissmuffetchallenges.blogspot.com/

My Favorite Mo

The challenge for this last week over at Mo Manning's blog (http://mosdigitalchallenge.blogspot.com/2011/12/challenge-115-favorite-2011-mo-project.html) is simply to submit a favorite card using one of Mo's darling images. That, it seems, isn't as easy a task as it sounds. I looked through my cards, and it seems that everyone that I did using one of Mo's images was a favorite. It was just so easy to make a charming or pretty card. I would look at one image and think, "that's it" only to go to the next one and think, "no, that's the one." However, I kept coming back to a birthday card that I made for a special friend.

This image made me smile the very first time I saw it, and the simplicity of my card is appealing to me. My friend loved the card, adding more warm fuzzie feelings for me.

Other cards in contention include:

And also --

Miss Bossy, above, is one of my all time favorite images (notice I said "one of" as most of Mo's are my "favorite" at one time or another). This image has lent itself well to numerous sentiments (from thank you to get well). Using the "Listen Up" on the front, I've been able to personalize the inside to fit the occassion.

Well, I could go on and on, but most of my cards have already been viewed once on my blog, so won't do a repeat of them all.

I'll enter my little House Cleaning Fairy in the "favorites" challenge over at Mo's.

Ciao for now!

One Last Christmas Card

This will be the last Christmas card I'll post this year. This is my DT card for this week's challenge at Card Crafter's Circle. Our sponsor this week is very special to us. Mary Ellen, the wonderful owner and designer of Dearie Dolls images, also created the header and badges for our Card Crafter's Circle blog. The images at Dearie Dolls are adorable and so much fun to use. Do stop by her site, Dearie Dolls Digital Images (http://www.deariedollsdigistamps.com/) and have a look, and if you have a few minutes during this busy week, we'd love for you to enter our second challenge.

I used Pigtail Angel (http://www.digideariestamps.info:82/viewitem.php?productid=498) for my card this week. She is such a cutie and reminds me of my little granddaughter -- angel with a little impishness to her. I colored my image using Copic markers. I used one of my Spellbinder dies to cut the scalloped circle out of red card and adhered my image to the scallop. I used a patterned paper matted onto green and adhered to a white card base. I used a strip of the same green I'd used for matting to the front of the card across the patterned paper. The ribbon and bow is from some new ribbon I got this year at Michael's. I liked the way the stripes in the ribbon matched the stripes in the background paper but at a distinct slant, setting them off from the background. The white poinsettia at the top is from a pack of chipboard Christmas embellishments by K&Co. and the gold leaves were cut from a spring of glittery leaves that I picked up at Michael's.

Hope you enjoy my little angel, and hope you will join us at Card Crafter's Circle. May the blessings of the season be abundant for you; may the happiness of the season fill all of you; may the peace and goodness of the season reign for all of you all year through. Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah, God speed.

I am entering this card in the following challenges:

http://craftingforallseasons.blogspot.com/
http://www.bellichallenge.blogspot.com/
http://digistamps4joy.blogspot.com/
http://inkyimpressionschallenges.blogspot.com/
http://littledarlingschallenges.blogspot.com/
http://www.charismacardz.blogspot.com/
http://tuesdaytaggers.blogspot.com/

3-2-1-Blast Off

Today is the first day of a brand new challenge blog, and I was asked to be one of the members of the design team. The new blog is called Card Crafter's Circle http://cardcrafterscircle.blogspot.com/ Each week we will have some fantastic sponsors. This week's sponsor is the wonderful Bugaboo Stamps http://www.bugaboostamps.com/  I think Bugaboo has some absolutely darling images, and I was thrilled to work with the above cutie called Scarlette Party. She can be found at http://www.bugaboostamps.com/Scarlette-party_p_258.html

For my card, I was thinking either New Year's Eve or my older daughter's up-coming birthday (1 Feb.). Either one is a wonderful celebration (which is this week's challenge theme). I printed Miss Scarlette on X-Press card and colored her with my Copic markers. I used silver and blue as my color scheme for this card and layered dark blue card onto a while card base. I then layered a soft silver patterned paper over the blue.The solid strip behind Scarlette (which isn't showing well) is a matte metalic silver. The border is cut from the dark blue using a Martha Stewart border punch.

I layered the colored image on the matte silver and then on the dark blue. The silver blue organza ribbon runs behnd the matte silver strip and the image. Lastly, to really "jazz" it up, I used a rhinestone swirl along the right side. Unfortunately, this is one of those cards that looks much better in real time because several of the elements didn't photograph well. I hope, though, you can see enough to get the general effect.

Thank you for stopping by, and do hop over to Card Crafter's Circle http://cardcrafterscircle.blogspot.com/ and have a look around. Even more so, if you can spare a little creative time during this hectic time of year, we'd love to have you join the challenge. You just might be the lucky winner of seven (yes, that's 7) wonderful Bugaboo images.

I've entered this card in the:
 "Anything Goes" challenge at http://delightfulsketches.blogspot.com/
"Blue, silver & white" challenge at http://colourcreatechallenge.blogspot.com/
"Photo inspiration" challenge at http://foryourinspirationchallenges.blogspot.com/
"Let's Celebrate" challenge at http://www.southerngirlschallenge.blogspot.com/