Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Multiple Challenges...



Really excited to hit multiple challenges with today’s card! Again another first for me, I was making a card for each and every challenge I was looking at and getting a bit overwhelmed. My husband asked me the other day if I was having fun…I was not so sure of my answer. Starting the blog, starting to enter challenges, being a bit intimated by what I was seeing from others J was not giving me the sense of fun I always had when being crafty.
So it seemed important with this post to hit some of the highlights –and really make it more about my joy in crafting then what is due when and how to post that and does this fit…




I think this little girl from Tina Wenke is just great. I love the sense of fun with “rubber rain” boots and the tutu. My daughter Kaitlyn had a red pair of cowboy boots that she “purchased” when we first moved to Texas. She wore those things to death. One of her old elementary school teachers bumped into her and asked about those red boots-said no matter what Katie was wearing she had those red boots on.  I though making these boots red added the perfect accent. J

And the deets:
Image-Colored with copic markers. Her hair with my prisma colored pencils and gamasol (I like the black hair better using that medium)
Round card
Ribbon and accents

Thanks for stopping in!!!

Challenges:
7 Kids – Circles
2 Sisters – Garden
Totally Gorgus – Not a Square
Pile it On- Boys and girls

Also just for fun I added my other fun one-love letter purse. :) Magnolia image and a purse template. 





Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Stamp Something-Anything GOES!!!

Miss Emily Kay


I completed my first blog hop with the Stamp Something challenge and blog hop that was taking place this week. I have only been blogging for a few months and entering my cards in these challenges for less than that so it is pretty fun to accomplish something new each time.

The card for the anything goes challenge is to honor my youngest-my baby girl (not so much a baby anymore at 17) Emily.  I finished making this card Sunday and held it up to those sharing my craft space…”Who does this remind you of?” I asked with a smirk…immediately Emily chimed in with, “well it certainly isn’t me.” Alas my poor darling drama queen of a daughter everyone disagreed (including ALL the kitties).





 Emily may be a drama queen but with good reason. (Proud Mom!) She also has a beautiful voice and a love of the theater and the drama of this image completely fits.  We attended her Choir variety show on Friday and Emily sang solo’s from Les Miserable’s, Phantom of the Opera and The Sound of Music. Her solo from Phantom was so wonderful her dad and I along with several other audience members got choked up. Today she received some really great news in choir and reached a goal she had been striving toward since  her sophomore year…so to honor my DRAMA QUEEN…this one’s for you kiddo.


On to the nitty gritty-
Colored-copic marker(s)
Round card with music notes embossed and accent paper is also music notes that carry through with the circle theme
Mo Manning digital image-(everyone should check them out and get some of these wonderful images)
Ribbon and note brads to finish it all off-oh and for fun the picture background here is the program from the variety show.

Thanks for stopping in!!!!


Monday, May 16, 2011

King of the Mountain!-Mo Manning Challenge







Wow, rough day today keeping the peepers open. Stayed up WAY to late watching a movie and waiting for baby boy #2 to make it home from college, he made it, but it was LATE Sunday evening. Boy I am glad I was able to spend so much quality time in the craft room this weekend. Allowed me to get many card projects completed and not be behind the eight ball this week in challenge posting.

Mo’s challenge this week is here comes summer.  My image and card choice is a homage to Christopher Mark who successfully completed one of his last semesters’s of college and is heading into summer break. Yeah for Chris!!!

I think anyone can agree that one of the best parts of summer is getting out into the fresh air and getting dirty.  I love this image, it certainly demonstrates all the fun; dirt, army men, trucks, blocks and a bit of imagination can bring. Christopher had a great time, when he was little, allowing his imagination to take over –his transformers were forever pitted in a battle for world domination. (They still are, somewhat, now via computer with a bit more violenceJ) In Mo’s image you can just tell that this guy is so ready for the summer and to let his imagination run free. He is definitely king of the mountain.

This young man is colored with copics and then I sponged blue around him with a bit of gray cast. I made sure that grass and dirt stains marked the “kings” shorts, shirt and a bit here and there on his face, because what’s the point if you are not getting DIRTY?!

For the card-I stamped the background squares with some of my old Close to my Heart stamp sets. This set is called “All about Boys”. The sentiment, “ALL BOY” is from this set as well. I free hand cut out the clouds and then added a bit of color with my copics airbrush (gray and a bit of really light blue) I thought these were a great topper for my frame.  Finished it off with some fun rainbow ribbon and gave it an overall block like look.
I had my darling husband take some pictures of the card outside on bits and pieces of the old fence that blew down in the last storm. I really like they way these turned out the fence adds to the rough and tumble aspect of the card.



The picture taking matching the theme of the card is something I want to try to do more. If you look through the last few postings I have card with cookbook, candy and now the fence. I am having fun dreaming up the theme to compliment the card. I think a photography class might be in my future…


Thanks for stopping by




Sunday, May 15, 2011

Still crafting Sunday...



I tend to miss a couple of challenges I would really like to be a part of so I am going to have multiple posts today-that way I am EARLY instead!  Kenny K is one of the challenge's I miss to constantly miss and I love the images-they remind me of my girls! Use of tie cuts and punches were in this weeks new challenge.

 Spellbinders were used for the coaster cut and layered circles. I found this great paper with an old article about cake making. I love this Rockin mom from Kenny K. My mom can do that great one eyebrow lift thing. I added the cookbook, tongue firmly in cheek my mom bought it for me  right after I got married and we still use it today, my daughters think that is really amusing.
My mom is colored with copic markers. The sentiment is punched out and then I did some cutting to make it a bit unique. Pop dots of course to boost up the image. I love the sentiment-Amazed, awed, inspired by you...how true!!!

Thanks for stoppin in

Sunday Crafting...




It is Sunday morning I am hanging in the craft room getting some stuff down. Had my husband take some pictures for me. Hopefully I can get it together enough today so that my daughter doesn't have to post my challenges for me (while I am in a bit of a panic) so they go in on time.

I am trying a few different challenges this week-here is the first for Magnolia-licious Highlites. This sweet little girl is colored with copics and surrounded by her favorite candies. The card is based on the sketch provided on the challenge site. Spellbinders used for the shapes, crystal lacquer on the windows of the hutch and candy jars and then added a bit of bling. This is a great birthday card-"Hope your day is Sweet".
YUM

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Mo’chromatic Challenge-Guest Designer



So the best laid plans…yesterday between work, a chorale booster club board meeting and regular meeting, a couple of errands and then a loud and long thunderstorm knocking out power I did not get my post in for Mo’s challenge last night as planned.  UGH!
Now that the string of excuses is complete J I frantically woke up my daughter (who works at a movie theater and did not get home until VERY late or really EARLY depending on your point of view) and begged her to take pictures of the my card and post this to the blog and Mo’s challenge! What a trooper she is, THANK YOU KAITLYN DARLING!!!
I was really bummed that I could possibly miss out on this challenge-I think I have mentioned on several occasions that Mo’s images are some of my all time favorite! As a mother of 4 I can safely say that I have found any number of Mo’s pieces of artistry that fits my gang to a T. So hearing that she is looking for guest designers had me so excited! Then of course life intervened.
This week’s challenge is Monochromatic and to get ahead of the game I have had the card made since Sunday! Probably should have posted it then as well-then I wouldn’t be in such a pickle. J
Image-Mo’s Angelina’s Balloons
Color palette-greens in honor of my daughter Kaitlyn (who was a real trooper and helped me get this post in ON TIME) and her College University of North Texas
Copic Markers-just a host of the green colors-I had colored this image some time ago and was happy to put her to use. I used the Martha Stewart “grass” scissors to make her hair a bit wilder.
Embellishments- paper pins and ribbon to bring it together. I stumbled across the “gorgeous” notebook paper in a “scrap” stack I had-used some glitter in the dots scattered throughout to give it a little punch.
Thanks for stopping by to take a peak…

Sunday, May 8, 2011

7 Kids Challenge-April Showers






My Mother's Day treat to myself-up in my craft room ALL DAY long and getting a chance to post several blogs challenges at one time. During the week I really can't take the time to sit and put a card together, which is why I have my little corner downstairs so that I can color while watching DVR shows. It is great to be able to come up to my craft room and just put together 5 or 6 cards at a time. Of course with laundry, lunch, movie and other small "breaks" I don't always manage to finish as many as I would like. I have to say I miss my mom and sister on this fine mother day-I would love to be hanging out with them enjoying such a lovely day.

So a special shout out to two of the best women I know. Happy Mother's Day Mom! Happy Mother's Day Baby sister. You are both truly terrific women who raised and are raising great individuals.

This April shower-Spring Flower is for you both. This Gillian Roberts image fits both my mom and sister. Mom the flowers and the Blondie (in honor of your daughters) are for you and Jessica the critters are all yours!!!

This is colored with my new prisma pencils, rain drops are added with stickles. I love this paper, it is dimensional, the circles are velvet and makes the card even more fun. Bling, ribbon and the peonies added as a final touch. I made this one last weekend and I was in a "square" mood, so this is just a standard 51/2"  square.
Nothing better than spending a rainy day with friends


Magnolia-Licious...Colors

The Girls


Good morning and Happy Mothers Day to all the wonderful Moms out there. I cannot tell you how much of a privilege it has been for me to be the mom of four of the greatest kids in the world. They make me proud every single day. My oldest son serves his country in the US Navy, my second son has single handily worked two jobs and paid his way through college fixing our computer issues along the way, my oldest daughter works tirelessly as a volunteer and still brings home straight A's as a junior in college and my baby girl has the voice of an angel...obviously I cannot say enough about them!  There certainly isn't anything better than knowing as a mom you did a good job and your babies are becoming exceptional members of society.

Well moving on from all that mushy stuff! :) I am posting my Magnolia-Licious challenge today.  The color selections were really great bold, purples, oranges, golds, greens- a host to choose from. I selected several of the colors for this card and really thought they all blended wonderfully.


Copics were used to color the Tilda and I embellished with for this card with matching ribbons and bubble gems. The card is a long 9 1/4" by 3 3/4" perfect to fit the whole party on the front! This is a great girls get together or "from all of us" card. Some close-up's of the ladies are below. Enjoy-and thanks for visiting...






Thursday, May 5, 2011

Stamp Something-WINGS

I only have 11 minutes so this is going to be done and dirty quick. But I will be back later. I have to get this little guy posted because I love love him-the wings obviously are right there and nothing like a bath to make it all better.

so see you soon....





Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Mo Manning-Pink & Girlie



Hey all-
I had quite the Honey DO list for myself recently. I am a list maker. I have lists for everything, my day job, family stuff, blog, personal and so forth. The importance of the post-it note should never be underestimated!
I honestly try to sit myself down every morning and look at the list (or lists) from the day before update and transfer those things not accomplished to the new list. Now my four darling children find this tendency to be a bit OCD J, I call it SUPER ORGANIZED. Below for fun is an example of today’s list:


  1. Post blog-Mo Manning
  2. Add signature tag for posts
  3. Turn off word verification on blog
  4. Look at 2 Column instead of 3 Column blog layout (better?)
  5. Pic edits-water mark
  6. Work out 45 min (HA!)-this one will continually show up on the list!
  7. Monterrey chicken for dinner (YUM)
  8. Lic plates-jetta
  9. Grocery shopping: diet Pepsi cans, fresh veggies, sand bread

So as I work to check items off my world famous list
First step; posting my contribution to the Mo Manning Challenge:


Once again a really great challenge-Girly and Pink YEAH! (I tend to fit both of these categories) and I LOVE the image I chose to use, particularly the baby bootie.  I went all out with the girly stuff for this one, big pink and green bow, great paisley pink paper and flower shaped die cuts embossed with flowers. Then there is the little doll baby taking center stage. I treated myself to a set of Prisma colored pencils (more on that later) and this image is my first attempt at using them with mineral spirits. I am really happy with the outcome and the “softness” you can achieve with the colored pencils as opposed to the Copic markers. You just want to give her butt a little pinch…well onto the next few things on the list…unlikely it will be number 6 but you never know!



Thanks for reading!

Monday, May 2, 2011

Ode to the pop dot...

A very Un Merry Pop Dot DaY TO yOU


I love pot dots. I mean really LOVE them. I would glue just about anything down with these fabulous bits of sticky fun. There is not much they can't do...give the colored item a bit of dimension, pop-it! Want the flower to shine above the rest, POP-it, bits and pieces more important than others you know it POP IT POP IT!!!!

I admit it is a bit of an addiction. No twelve step program available. I have to admit if the choice is glue, double sided tape or pop dots, you can bet I will read for those dots...
On this image from Penny Black stamps she has 4 layers on her skirt and multiple balloons are-you got it Pop dotted...
PoP DoTs galore!



Another pop dot adventure-Alice in Wonder from Pink Cat Studio. A digi stamp-if you haven't ventured into the world of digital stamps, do so. Digi's are a great way to try out a new image without the huge cost outlay and if you have a great computer guy like my hubby then you can do all sorts of arranging. :) 

The cups-certain ones-are pop dotted!!!


No Pop dots used-but fun just the same