Summer Time

I have been busy this morning trying to use up some of the many images that I've gotten colored. I'm having so much fun coloring that I don't want to stop and make anything (smile). This morning, though, I decided it was time to actually make up some cards for mailing. I got online and started searching some of my favorite blogs and found the above sketch at papertakeweekly.blogspot.com. Isn't it a great sketch? So simple, yet a nice presentation and easily changed up depending on your image and how many embellishments you want to add.

I am entering this blue card in the Bearly Mine challenge at bearlymine--challenge.blogspot.com

I am submitting the pink card to the challenge at Paper Take Weekly (papertakeweekly.blogspot.com).

If you have a few minutes, drop over to the blogs and take a look at lovely cards made by the DT gals. You will find some very nice eye candy for your enjoyment and inspiration.

Housework Fairy

Don't we all wish housework fairies really existed? Some people are fortunate enough to have cleaning services or persons, which is pretty close to having a housework fairy (except for having to pay them). My Mother had cleaning persons. I didn't. It's not that I like to clean (I don't), but I dislike paying someone else to do it even more. Thus, a nice (free) fairy would be a mighty handy thing to have -- ah, such is the stuff of which dreams are made, right?

This week the challenge at Mo's Digital Pencil (http://mosdigitalchallenge.blogspot.com/) is "Flowers, Flutters, Fairies, Fancy Fold" and we could use one, any or all for our card. I wanted to make a birthday card for a girlfriend, so I chose this little image. The inside of the card reads: "I was going to send you the Housework Fairy for your birthday, but she kept eluding me (if you don't believe me, just look at my house). Hope you have a happy birthday anyway!"

I am also entering this card in the 2Sisters challenge at http://www.2sisterschallengeblog.blogspot.com/ as the theme for their weekly challenge is Fairies and I'm submitting it at http://www.aspoonfullofsugarchallenge.blogspot.com/.

Summer is Definitely Here

Oh my goodness, it has been a while since I've last posted. I don't know where the days are going, but they seem to be flying by rather quickly. The temperatures have been quite high (not totally unusual for the south, but much earlier than normal). The garden has started producing, so have picked fresh blackberries for cobbler, beans, and 'maters and cukes (yummy fresh salads). The grape vines are drooping with clusters, and we are anxiously awaiting for them to fully ripen!

June 10-11, I went up to Greenville, SC to attend two Copic coloring classes with Suzanne Dean. Suzanne is a vivacious young woman and quite an enthusiastic instructor. The day was long, but well worth it. Received a lot of good information -- although I'm not sure it helped my coloring abilities very much (sigh). Twas not for lack of trying on Suzanne's part (grin) -- some students just need a lot more practice, you know!

Thursday my youngest grandson joined the other two in the teen bracket. I just don't understand how they all can be getting older -- I'm not (grin). They are all such nice young men. Although it is sad to see them growing up, I am proud of them and am enjoying each phase of their lives.

My little granddaughter (7.5 yrs old) left this morning for Texas to attend and compete in Tai Kwon Do national competition. She is very excited but nervous. She has worked hard, but she doesn't yet comprehend the number of competitors she is going to face at Nationals.

So, on to the two cards that I have posted at the beginning. I used this week's sketch from www.deconstructingjen.com as my base. Blogger always seems to transpose my pictures whenever I list them for downloading, and that's the case here, too. The second card above (girl in pink) actually matches the sketch exactly. The first card (girl in yellow) is a slight variation. The image for the girl in yellow is from Mo's Digital Pencil, and the sweet little girl in pink is from Wee Stamps.

Thank you for stopping by. I'll try to do better with my posting and not wait so long between times.

Sending Love

The hubs is painting our master bedroom, my laundry started looking as if it was taking over (and I had to quickly wage war against a hostile new form of life), and my pantry started looking like Mother Hubbard's which definitely demanded a trip to the grocery. That all being said, I didn't even realize that it is Wednesday already, so almost missed posting my card for the deconstructing jen challenge. I have included the challenge sketch for this week above my interpretation of it. If your Muses seem to have taken a bit of a holiday to avoid the heat, head over to http://www.deconstructingjen.com/ and have a look at the wonderful cards that the DT and blog followers have posted using this week's challenge sketch. They are lovely and definitely should inspire.

Miss Bossy

I love this little image. She is just so darn cute that I have to smile. I have a 7 years old granddaughter. She has two older brothers, and she can be quite like this little charmer at times. When I looked at Miss Bossy, I could just hear her saying, "Listen up!" I thought what a great beginning for a number of inside sayings. I made the little card in purple to go with the end of year present for Claire's first grade teacher, and inside it says, "I'm only going to say this once. THANK YOU for being my teacher this year." I have the saying centered with the words "thank you" in caps, a larger font size and on a line between the first sentence and the rest of the second sentence. It actually turned out really cute. This would work just as well for a birthday card, a get-well card, a thinking of you card -- well, you get the picture.

So, of course, I just had to make another one. I've left the inside of the 2nd one blank so that I can fill it in with whatever occasion arises. Now isn't that smart of me (grin)? I didn't intend to make the two cards monochromatic, but after pulling out at least a gazillion papers (and also fighting a toddler fur-baby who thought she needed to attack ever piece of paper I pulled out), mono seemed to be what worked.

I am entering this in the challenge over at at http://mosdigitalchallenge.blogspot This week's challenge is a nice sketch to get your creative Muses a buzzin' -- and if the sketch doesn't move you, I know the beautiful cards by the DT will.