Autumn Splendor

This is my 3rd post today.  I have been able to play in my craft room most of the day!  What a wonderful thing!  Fall is definitely hitting here on the Oregon coast.  Beautiful morning, somewhat warm.  Then all of the sudden the clouds showed up, it cooled off and feels like rain.  Oh well, that pretty much describes most of our fall days.  LOL

This card was made by masking the top and bottom portions.  Memento inks in 3 depths of color were sponges on to make the background.  The trees were stamped in the lightest and 2nd lightest colors.  Then the masks were removed and the trees stamped again with the darkest of the colors.  The image was allowed to go into the blank areas at the top and bottom.

A sentiment was stamped, a piece of scrap ribbon tied on and Ta-Da!

A simple (and I think elegant) card.  This one will go to my dad along with some cookies at Thanksgiving.

This card will be entered in the following challenges:

Lots to Do Challenges:  Plain and Simple

Crazy 4 Challenges:  Fall-Autumn

Sweet Stampin Challenge:  Use Ribbon

Autumn Beauty

Autumn is a beautiful season just for the colors that it presents.  Honestly, not my favorite season but definitely a pretty one. 

This image is another online freebie that I downloaded without putting into a file (sorry there were a whole set of them I downloaded without filing when I was ill)

The coloring is all with copic markers.

The image is cut out using a nestie and the out of the box technique.

The DP paper is from my stash, also cut with a nestie as is the card body itself.

The leaves are punch from glossy white painted with Ranger alcohol inks.

The ribbon is from Michaels.

There is also a die cut on the inside to write on (and some leaves for color)

This card is being entered in the following challenges:

Crazy 4 Challenges:  Fall-Autumn

Craftalicious Challenges:  Anything Goes

Silly skating snow woman!

Fall is here and winter rapidly approaching.  Wandering through the world of fantasy, what do I find but a silly pink snow woman ice skating for all she is worth! 

I think she is doing her dance for snow and colder weather (wouldn't want to melt!) 

The image is a freebie from the web (if anyone knows from where please let me know so that I can give credit). 

The coloring is with copic markers and memento ink for the shading.  The ribbon was white and colored with the same ink.  (don't know why it looks red in the photo!?)

The die cuts are all from spellbinders.  There is a similar tag on the inside to write on.

The sparkle (glitter) is SU dazzling diamonds.

All the extras are from my scrapbasket. (gotta love using those!)

This card is skating into the following challenges:

Die Cut Dreams:  Christmas Humor

Ginger Loft Challenge:  Winter

Kraftin Kimmie Stamps:  Non-traditional Christmas colors

Totally Gorjuss:  Pink

Simple Doodles:  Winter Warmers

Thanks to all these groups and their sponsers for allowing us to play with a goal!

Magical and Macho

Today I have cards for two challenges.  One (magical) for Catch the Bug Challenge Blog and the other (macho) for Doodle Dragon Studio challenge. 

Catch the Bug (Bugaboo) Challenge Blog is having a Harry Potter themed blog hop.  Bugaboo has some wonderful stamps based on the characters.  For my card, I chose Hagrid.  He is also the free digital stamp at the Bugaboo site for this week.  He is there until Thursday night so don't delay!

Hagrid is the groundskeeper at Hogwarts School of Magic.  Next to him is his dog Fang.  This is him getting ready to go into the Forbidden Forest in search of the 'thing' that is killing the unicorns!  Hence the lantern. 

They are colored with copic markers.

The DP is from DCWV.

The papers are embossed with CB folders.
The sentiment is hand written on an SU window punch die cut.

Bling and string are from my stash.

Notice that Hagrid doesn't have his pink umbrella with him.  That is where he hides his broken wand!  He must be very brave to enter the forest without it!

This card is also entered in:   Create 4 Fun:  Use a digi image

                                                    Fab N Funky:  Use a digi image

                                                    Stamp Something:  Punches or Dies.
                                                    There's Magic in the air:  Frame it

The second card is for Doodle Dragon Studios.  The challenge there is to use a Dustin Pike image for a 'Macho, Macho Man'.  Dustin has hundreds of images available on his web site.  Many for free and many more at VERY reasonable cost.  I don't know how Macho this is, but having been married for many, many years, any man that will do the yard work with a smile on his face is macho to me!

This wonderful image is also colored with copics.  Love the dog hiding in the leaves.

The card is embossed with a CB folder.

Cut outs are done with an EK success punch.

The image is cut out with nestibilities. 

The DP and string are from my stash.

The punch leaves are from glossy white paper I have colored with Ranger alcohol inks.

The inside is decorated with leaves that the macho man missed!

This card is also entered in:  Stamping Vacation:  No! No! sparkle

                                                   Ooh-La-La creations:  Nothing floral

Bugaboo and 'Anything Goes!'

'Anything Goes' over at the challenge at Bugaboo.  You don't even have to use one of their images if you don't have any yet--but shame on you!  They offer at least one freebie every week and they are wonderful.  Cute, fun to color and free.  What are you waiting for.  The images in their store are just as good and are very fairly priced.  They also have frequent sales!  Just do it!

My anything goes entry is from the 'Sassy' girl line.  Just love them.

Isn't she beautiful!  Isn't she naughty!

The image is from Bugaboo.

The sentiment designed for this stamp by Paulette at TLC (fantastic word art here)!

Coloring is with copics.  Shading with mememto inks. 

Some dazzling diamonds (SU), stickles, flat back pearls colored with copics and some stick on stars complete the bling. 
The ribbon is from JoAnns. 
I used a CB folder on the card and cut the images out with my nesties.  :)

World Cardmaking Day 2010

October 2, 2010 is World Card Making Day.  Dustin Pike of Doodle Dragons Studios is offering a special price on some of his creations to any that submits a card to http://www.worldcardmakingday.com/index.html  You then send a note to dustin with a link to your card.  He will email all those people with a special deal on his packet of images.  Anyone who has bought from Dustin before knows that his prices are spectacular when they are not  a sale so this should be really good!  This is my card for entry at the World Card site (if I can figure how to upload it, LOL)

This image is from the October 'kit' put out by Dustin.  Aren't those flamingos adorable! 

They are colored with copics.  The border punch is EK success.  The background is a CB snowflake embossing folder.  SU glitter on the first flamingo's nose, the ribbon and Dazzling diamonds on the white border punch.  The santa flamingo's suit has red and white sparkly fluff from Our Craft Lounge in the appropriate areas.  Too cute!  I think this may have to be my main Christmas card for this year.

We'll see......................

Birthday cards

Made 2 requested birthday cards this weekend.  One is for a young man that does archeological scuba diving for a living (say that 3 times fast!).  The other is for his brother who is an avid golfer.  The golf one was easy, the diver not so much.  I ended up using a Bugaboo image (girl diver), cut her hair off and turned her swimsuit into a shorty dive suit.  Who knew?!?  Worked fine.  The sentiments are from Our Craft Lounge.  A little young (alot really) for a 23 year old but it was what Danna wanted. 

The second card was for the golfer.  Much easier and age appropriate!  The image is a Kenny K digi.  Doesn't he just ooze 20 something attitude?!  Love it

The image and sentiment on the inside are both from Our Craft Lounge.  Great images that are a joy to color.  Speaking of which, all images were colored with copics.  The water and the outdoors DP are both from a photo stack from DCWV.  The DP behind the water is from my scrap basket as are the 'too cute' little fishy brads.  The golf ball is CB embossed with swiss dots.  The diver is embossed with Ranger clear embossing powder to make him look wet.  Nesties were used for the obvious cuts on the cards.

Happy birthday to Carter and Stephen DuVal!

Playing with Copics

Today I played at a new site.  Copic Creations is a great little blog with challenges using your copic markers.  It doesn't matter if you are a beginner or an expert, the challenges are still fun.  This weeks challenge is to use shading on or around (or both) your image.  What a wonderful way to practice a skill that can always use work!   Here's my card:

The pumpkin is a digital image that I found on line.  I'm sorry I don't know the artist.  The cattails were done using an SU grass stamp in brown memento ink.  I then used a brown marker and then sparkly fluff (from Our Craft Lounge) to make the 'heads' of the cattails.  The leaves are a punch using glossy white paper and Ranger alcohol inks.  The inky dinky dots and the sunflower charm are from Inky Impressions.  The ribbon is from Michaels.  The DP is from my scrap basket.

The background behind the cattails was used by sponging memento inks.

The pumpkin is my main shading for the challenge.  I used the following copics for it:

Y02, Y21, Y38, YR04, YR07, T1, T3

On the stem I used:

E29, E33, E35

On the leaves:

YG03, YG09, YG67

4th card, 3rd post- It's a banner day!

This is my 4th card and 3rd post today!  It is warm and rainy here.  Can't imagine a better day to spend cooped up in my craft room making cards!  This last card is for the "Friday Sketchers" challenge.  It is a beautiful sketch and I immediately knew what I was going to do with it.....

Not sure where I got this image from.  Doesn't it look to horrible to actually wear?  The sentiment came from 'Elegant WordArt'. 

The coloring is copics, the ink edging is memento inks.  The papers, ribbon, and flower are all from my stash.  The border punch is a MS punch around the page.

If you like my card, leave some love and then feel free to click on my header and check out the rest of my blog. 

Fancy folds and Fall memories

I have cards for 2 challenges here.  The first is for the Doodle Dragon Studio challenge blog.  They want a card with "Fancy Folds".  The second card is for a GinaK card challenge.  She wants a 'fall' memory as the idea for your project.  To see this card, scroll on down.  Feel free to check out the DDS blog entry along the way!  I don't know about fancy but this is at least a little different.

The images are all Dustin Pike images in a collage on the card.  All are colored with copic markers.  The glitter is SU dazzling diamonds.  They are all colored, cut out and pop-dotted (is that a word?) on a black card blank.  The edge of the card is punched with a MS border punch.  The ribbon is from my stash.

The horn of the monster above the 'beware' catches on the bottom of the bat to hold the card closed.

My second card is for the GinaK challenge to make a card based off of a favorite fall memory.  My favorite part of fall is just the colors.  This card was easy to put together. 

I sponged the background using memento inks and masking with post-it notes.  Stamped the image, again with memento inks using a stamp from Rubber Stampede.  The darkest set of trees were stamped with the mask removed to allow them to be the foreground.  The leaves are a punched out shape colored with Ranger alcohol inks.  The ribbon is from Michaels.  The sentiment is stamped and cut out with SU wordpunch window.  The card base was embossed with a CB folder.  The leaves are up on pop dots for some dimension.  (I believe I read a tutorial on doing this background on Crafting the Web)

This is quite an easy card to do, took about 15 minutes.

Have you got your BIG GIRL panties on?

Well??? Have you got your big girl panties on?  You need them if you are going to play along with the new sketch challenge on Our Craft Lounge.  There is a new sketch posted every Friday and a monthly chance to win the stamp set of your choice from them!   

What a great stamp set I chose to use today!  Isn't she wonderful!?  There are several stamp set based on granny (and gramps) but this is my favorite.

Images and Sentiment:  Granny's support group by OCL

Card:  SU long notes cool caribbean notes

DP:  DCWV stack (can't remember which one)

Coloring:  Copics, Mememto inks, Ranger alcohol inks

Bling:  SU dazzling diamonds, diamond glaze

Ribbon:  Michaels

Cord and gems from my scrap basket

Create with TLC

Paulette with Create with TLC has posted a freebie image and a challenge to use it in a project.  The winner is to get $7 towards purchases of her fabulous word art in her store.  Besides all the freebies that she gives away every day, Paulette has some amazing packages of word art.  Just the thing to finish off a project when at a loss for words. (often a problem for me).  This is my entry.

Image:  Create with TLC

Sentiment:  Handwritten

Coloring:  Copics

Punch:  Martha Stewart punch around the page.

Ribbons, buttons, DP, BP all from my scrap basket.  (love when I can use this stuff!)

Just Inklined Halloween Challenge

Just Inklined is a new digi image stamp company and blog.  They have a store and post occassional freebies.  So far the images have been really, really good.  Today they have posted a Halloween challenge.  You have to use a Just Inklined Image and post it with Mr. Linky to their site.

I chose to use the freebie that is currently available on their website, this wonderful mummy.  So many different things you can do with him.  Check my card out.

Main Image:  Just Inklined

Candycorn border:  Our Craft Lounge

Sentiment:  SU

Papers and ribbon:  my scrap basket

Border punch:  Martha Stewart punch around the page

Coloring:  Copic markers

Inks:  Mememto

Embossing:  Ranger fine detail clear, cuttlebug swiss dots folder

Card base is just orange cardstock.

There is fine glitter on the spiderwebs behind the mummy but doesn't show in this photo.

(I'm still learning alot about taking the pics!)

Here kitty, kitty, kitty. BOO!

Today I joined in at the new sketch challenge listed on Our Craft Lounge.

As always, they have a new sketch challenge every Friday, pick a winner the first of every month.  This winner get the OCL stamp set of their choice (and boy are there alot of choices!) mailed right to their house.  I challenges are always beautiful sketches, and really fun to do. This is my 2nd card. (see the 1st one below)

I decided to go with Halloween.  The black cat, the ghost, bats and spiders just fit onto the spiderweb background paper from 'The Paper Patch'. 

The stamp set is Spook-tacular by OCL.

Mememto ink, versa mark ink and ranger clear detail embossing powder were all used.

The clouds behind the cat and ghost are a Stampscapes stamp.

The coloring is with copics.

The ribbon from Michaels.

Dazzling diamonds from SU for some bling.

This is actually the 2nd card I did for this challenge.  I really don't care for the first one.  Not sure what I should have done with it.  Just doesn't seem 'right'.  I am including a look at it in hopes someone will know what to do with it.  (short of just pitching it, which is what my first inclination was!)

Anyway, that all folks!

Sketch Challenge

Today is the start of the first sketch challenge for the month of September for Our Craft Lounge.  They post a challenge every Friday on their blog and at the end of every month they give away one of their amazing stamp sets in a random drawing from the projects submitted.  They also have blog hops with each new release.  You have a great chance of winning one of their new sets during these hops!  Todays sketch was a wonderful one to follow.  Go to the site, check it out and get out your stamps!

The cardstock is an off white, the bottom 3rd was embossed with my CB swiss dots folder.

The ribbon and brads are from Michaels. 

The DP is from 'Hot off the Press'.

Dazzling Diamonds glitter from SU and Atyou Spica Clear pen for shine

Main image and sentiment were stamped with Memento inks and clear embossed with Ranger fine detail clear embossing powder.  The other colors were sponged with Mememto inks.

Everything except the DP and ribbon is up on pop dots.

The images and sentiments are all from OCL

Dandy Days:  the flowers

Fairy Dust is a Must:  the sentiment

Natures Notes:  the butterfly.

These great stamp sets are beautifully used within their sets and many of them easily mix and match to make them quite useful (and thrifty)!