The Love Train is at my station......

Love, love me do.
You know I love you,
I'll always be true,
So please, love me do.

It's all about the hugging and kissing and daydreaming... sigh.
We are talking about that four letter word today.
LOVE!
If you are getting here from Vanessa's blog, Paper Creations, then you are right on track. If not, you need to start at the first hop stop: The Freshly Brewed Challenges Blog.

Everyone at Fresh Brewed Designs has been creating and keeping secrets from each other.
You got it, even we don't know what the others got to create with! I will be hopping right along with you, excited to see what is new and next on the list for me to get to create with.

The digi that I got to create with is called Lasso my Heart and you can find it at the Fresh Brewed Designs Shop under Holiday Digital stamps: Valentines / In Love.

Isn't he just gorgeous!  He can lasso me anytime!

I used my Spellbinders to the little word hearts and the top and bottom to my little gift box.

I made a small box and attached it to the bottom layer.  I attached a lid to the upper heart.

Perfect little box for an extra special candy (maybe a double chocolat truffle?) or a little

piece of cotton with a special piece of jewelery on it? 

This box is cased off one made by Tammie E. at 'One Happy Stamper'.  While I don't have

her instructions, I was able to look at her pics and figure this out. (LOL)

Colored with copics, embossed with a CB folder and ribbon is from my stash.

Sentiments on the hearts are mostly hand written.

Come back by on Friday and you will get to see where this cowboy is going when he

gets done with his 'Love Train' ride!

Now hop back aboard the love train *toot toot* and ride on to your next hop stop at Kenzi's blog, Krafty Hugs .

While you are there, leave her some blog lovin' for your chance to win a SPECIAL FRESHLY BREWED PRIZE! You have to leave a comment on all of the hop stops in order to win.

Thank you for hopping with us at Fresh Brewed Designs
Just in case you get hit with Cupid's Arrow along the way and get a little lost, here is the hop order:

Freshly Brewed Challenges Blog - http://freshbreweddesigns.blogspot.com/
Heather - http://joemamainks.blogspot.com/
Sheryl - http://butterflykisscards.blogspot.com/
Celeste - (guest)- http://www.touchedbyabutterfly.com/
Vanessa - http://vanessaspapercreations.blogspot.com/
Gale - http://galevarland.blogspot.com/ (you are here)
Kenzi -(guest)- http://kraftyhugzz.blogspot.com/    
Stacy - http://impressionsofaribbonaddict.blogspot.com/
Linda - http://stamperstouch.blogspot.com/

The project may be entered in the following challenges:

Crafty Creations:  Valentines

Inky Impressions:  Anything but a square

Alota Rubber Stamps:  Hearts

Just Tracy's Crafts:  Valentines

Pretty Little Ribbon Shop:  Valentines with a ribbon

Really Reasonable Ribbon:  Valentines

Through the Craft Room Door:  Valentines and make your own embellishments

Moo Glue giveaway

Purple Cows is having a giveaway of a new product this week!

Go to their blog, watch a short 1 min. video and leave a comment.

Easy, peasy!  Great chance to try out a new adhesive.

: )  Gale

Do I hear Caffeine ?!

Playing with an images from Beyond the Fringe. 

Whether you are a coffee drinker, tea drinker of soda drinker (yeah Diet Pepsi!),

caffeine is a standby for just about everyone that I know.

The image is one of the many freebies that Carmen has posted on her blogsite,

Beyond the Fringe

I added some clear embossed coffee beans and the row of white embossed coffee cups

 from an Our Craft Lounge stamp set.

The cup and sentiment on the inside is also from OCL.

 

The card base is from SU.

Ribbon, brads and papers are from my stash.

Coloring is copic markers.

Cup edges are glittered with Atyou Spica clear glitter pen

Inking is with Ranger distress and Memento inks.

Have a 'caffeinated' day!

:)  Gale

This card may be entered in the following challenges:  (please excuse any entry that is inappropriate for an entered challenge.  It is unintentional)

Chocolate, Coffee & Cards:  Glitter

Crafy Catz:  Something New.  (new stamp)

Digi Doodle:  Embossing

DYSU:  Pink

Sarah Hurley Challenges:  Thanks, Thank you

Divas by Design:  Thanks or New Beginning

Browsing around blogland....

We hit a whopping 50 degrees here on the Oregon coast today.  That meant, HARLEY ride.

After I was completely frozen, (HA) came home, turned on the extra little heater in my craft room

(had to thaw out my legs!), and got busy playing.  Browsed around in blogland and

found a sketch to play with on Robyn's Fetish Challenge Blog.

Isn't this image just adorable!  It just makes me laugh. (and maybe remember)  I love it.  It is called 'Geeky Love' and I got it from

Make It Crafty .  They are so cute!  Can you see all the sparkle on the butterfly buttons and the Atiyou spica clear glitter pen on the butterfly punch?  Love some bling!

The sentiment is from Meljens designs.

The butterfly border is a Martha Stewart double punch.

The heart is Spellbinders.

The papers and butterfly buttons are all from my stash.

Coloring is copic markers (duh! LOL)

: )  Gale

This card may be entered in the following challenges:  (please excuse me if this is entered in any inappropriate challenges, it is completely unintentional)

Robyn's Fetish Challenge Blog:  Sketch

Splendiferous Creations:  Wings and Things

Crafty Catz Challenge:  Use something new (new digi)

Fairy Tale Challenge:  Use something new

Cute Card Thursday:  Have a Laugh

Meljen's Designs:  Anything Goes

Pixie Dust Studio:  Put your heart into it

Some Odd Girls:  Bling it up!

Southern Girls Challenge:  Sparkle

For My Crafty Friend

Playing along with  the color challenge over at Fresh Brewed Designs,

What a great group (read easy here) of colors to work with. 

Next I chose one of my favorite FBD digi images, 'Crafty Gal'.  Want to know a secret?

She is coming out in rubber!  This is wonderful!

I know just the crafty gal that this birthday card is going to!

The PJs are paper pieced and the bunny slippers have Crafty Sparkles made by OCL.

They are soooo cute and fuzzy IRL!

The rest of the coloring is with copic markers. 

The border punch is from Martha Stewart.  I put liquid pearls in the flower centers.

The ribbon and buttons are from my stash.  Glossy accents was used in various places.

Inside the card (note the kraft color).........

This wonderful sentiment was designed by JustYolie.

The die cut is one from Spellbinders.

Get out on the web, find a challenge and get crafting!

:)  Gale

This card may be entered in the following challenges:   (please forgive any entry that is not appropriate for a challenge, it is unintentional)

Fresh Brewed Designs:  Pink, white and kraft (DT card)
Art Impressions:  Pink, pink and more pink
Aud Sentiment:  Any sentiment and you mush use your scraps
DYSU:  Pink (photo inspiration)
DRS designs:  Paper piecing
Charisma Cardz:  Happy Birthday (ring of words around the main sentiment says Happy Birthday)
Sassy Studio Designs:  Let's Celebrate (Birthday card)
My Mum's Craft Shop:  Girls
The Kraft Journal:  A favorite color and Kraft (Using pink alot these days, hmmmm)
There She Goes:  Paper Piecing
The Ribbon Reel Challenge Blog:  Pink,Polka Dots. ribbon (Dots of color for the buttons, marker ends and Liquid pearl dots in the centered of the flowers)
Birthday Sundaes:  Birthday card
 



Fueled by Caffeine

Happy New Years everyone!  Oh, and, I have to say it, GO DUCKS!  Did they not ROCK on New Years Day in the Rose Bowl!  

YEAH!

Ok, onwards.     Playing with the grannie from Fresh Brewed Designs today.  She is so ugly she is cute.  She really needs her caffeine just to get moving in the mornings.  Me, I'm a diet pepsi kind of caffeine person!  It's never to early and it's never to late!  LOL

Can you see the ghosting on the background paper?  No?  Well, here is a different shot to try to show it.

Used versa mark and heat set it for the ghosting.  Outlined the images with a clear Atyou Spica pen for some glitter.

Inside

Granny image:  Fresh Brewed Designs

Coffee cups, beans and inside sentiment:  Our Craft Lounge

Java sentiment:  Unknown

Ribbon: Wide is part of a gift from Heather (Fresh Brewed Designs)

Narrow is from my stash.

Coloring:  Copic markers, Ranger Distress Inks

Die Cuts:  Spellbinders

This card may be entered in the following challenges:  (My apologies if I inadvertently enter any challenges that my project does not apply to)

Sassy Studios:  Use something new (granny digi)

Fab n' Funky:  Something new

Inky Impressions:  Anything Goes

My Mum's Craft Shop:  Something new

 

Sweet Friendship

Playing with the coffee shop digis from Fresh Brewed Designs again.  Just love making these store front cards (instructions on tutorial page above).  Especially when I have beautiful digis like these that Heather from Fresh Brewed Designs made for me!

This little card is already on the way to it's recipient, hope she likes it! LOL

 

The coloring is all Copic markers.

The sentiment is from Create with TLC and the ticket is hand cut

The awning is made with SU word window punch.

The daisies are from a piece of ribbon.  The half pearls and DP are from my stash.

I love that all the papers used can be from my scrap stash as they are all fairly small!

The little colored flourishes are fussy cut from a piece of a scrap (already colored).

Have a great day!

: )  Gale

This card may be entered in the following challenges:  (my apologies if I miss a rule that makes this card inappropriate for any challenge it is entered in)

Fresh Brewed Designs:  DT Card
Art Impressions Stamps:  Die cut or punches (the awning is made with SU word punch)
Aud Sentiments:  Anything goes
Papercraft Star:  Coffee or Tea  (bag of coffee beans)

Another Hello

This is my second post today, the 'sister' to my other card.  As with the other card, the sketch is based on a challenge over at Our Craft Lounge.  The sentiment used is also from Our Craft Lounge.

and the inside......

The beautiful die cuts are all from Spellbinders, Christmas candy!  LOL

The fleur-de-leis border is also a Spellbinder.

The flower is pieced together from flowers in my stash.  The center of the flower is a pearl brad from Elements.  The sentiment is stamped with Ranger distress ink, the sponging around the die cut is also with Ranger distress ink.   The dry embossing is with a CB folder.

: )  Gale

This card may be entered in the following challenges:  (my apologies if I have inadvertently entered inappropriately in any challenge)

Our Craft Lounge:  Sketch Challenge

Ar tImpressions Stamps:  Die Cuts or Punches

Digi Doodle Shop:  Anything Goes

JFF:  Anything Goes

Rainbow Lady:  Your Choice

Outlaw Challenge-Twisted Thursday:  Anything goes

Simon Says Stamp:  Anything goes

Sending a Hello

There is an amazing amount of water falling from the sky today!  The wind is howling and the sky is dark.  This means I get a "no guilt" day in my craft room.  I need some 'hello, how are you' type cards so, here is the start!  Our Craft Lounge has a sketch challenge going that gave me a starting point.

I couldn't help myself, I had to add the extra butterfly in the right upper corner.  The sketch doesn't call for it but, well, they are just to pretty to not use!  LOL  I even added another on the inside!

The sentiment and butterflies are all stamps from Our Craft Lounge.

The die cuts are Spellbinders.  The papers, ribbon and bling are all from my stash.

The butterflies are colored with copics and then they were glittered.

Check out my other post from today for another card based on this sketch.

: )  Gale

This card may be entered in the following challenges:  (my appologies is I unintentionally enter in an inappropriate competition due to missing a rule)

Our Craft Lounge:  Sketch Challenge

4 Crafty Chicks:  Something new  (brand new spellbinders die set)

Art Impressions Stamps:  Die cut or punch it out

Aud Sentiments Challenge:  Anything Goes

Little Red Wagon:  Use something new (brand new Spellbinders die set)

My Mum's Craft Shop:  Anything Goes

City Crafter:  Fussy Cutting (the butterflies are all fussy cut)

Happy New years!

This one is for the girls!  Happy New Year.  You see the pics of the girls sitting in the champagne glass all the time.  Well, how about one with a guy!  LOL

Yummy!  Isn't he, *snicker, snicker*

This is a new digi for me from a new artisit to me, Tom Onkle.  Check out his blog HERE.

He has many "interesting" and different digis, often for free.  I have really enjoyed playing with them and I have the perfect 'lady' for this card.  The countdown sentiment is from Our Craft Lounge.

On the inside, 

card and twine to match the front along with a "drink line" and sentiment stamps from Our Craft Lounge, 'Celebrations' stamp set.

Copics for coloring, twine from The Twinery, pearls and DP from my stash.  Some glossy accents on the bubbles and a Spellbinders die cut on the front.  I used white embossing powder on the sentiments. 

I hope that everyone hass a great New Years!

: )  Gale

This card may be entered in the following challenges.  (If I have missed a rule that makes my card ineligible, I am sorry and apologize in advance.  It was not on purpose):

Cooking it up with Katie:  Anything goes

Little Red Wagon:  Something new (New Year)

Paper Pretties:  Ring in the New Year

The Paper Shelter:  Tie a bow

Scrapbook Sisters:  Anything Goes

City Crafter:  Make the Cut

Party Time Tuesday:  Anything Goes

Shopping our Stash:  Tie it up

My Grafico:  Cocktail hour (oh yeah!)

Paper Creations Ink:  Something old (paper), something new (digi)

Paper Sundaes:  Celebrate

Sparkles Forum:  Anything but a Christmas Card

It's almost Christmas!

Mailed presents and plan on calling oldest son..........check

Took presents to youngest son who has to work this weekend.........check

Ordered the prime rib to cook for Christmas dinner for DH and I..........check

Presents wrapped and under the tree.............well, they will be tomorrow!   LOL

Last Christmas card of the year made.............check!

Don't you love that wonderful "wonky tree"!?  Designed by Heather from Fresh Brewed Designs, I have done several cards with this image and just LOVE it!

Added another image, this one from Bugaboo, a sentiment from Dustin Pike, some ribbon and some bling.  Bring it all togethers with a scrap of killer DP and a border punch in glitter paper by EK success and TA DA! you have this card.  I colored with copics (duh!  what else) and used some Glossy Accents on the tree ornaments. 

Have a Merry Christmas!

: )  Gale

This card may be entered in the following challenges:

Fresh Brewed Designs:  Christmas (DT card)

Crafting for all Seasons:  Christmas

Digistamps4Joy:  Christmas, no animals

Divas By Design:  Christmas

Inky Impressions:  Christmas Cheer

The Sisterhood of Crafters:  Christmas

Little Darlings Challenge:  Tis the Season

Friendship's Garden:  Winter Holiday

Crimbo Crackers:  Snowflakes (check out that snowflake border punch) 

Papertake Weekly:  Last Christmas card of the year

Top Tip Tuesday:  Anything Christmas

Have you been Good?

Thought Christmas cards were over, yeah right!  LOL

Here is another one using the wonderful images and sentiments that Heather over at Fresh Brewed Blog has been putting out all month so far!

and inside......

All images and the sentiment are from Fresh Brewed Designs.

Images are printed on Neenah Solar White.

Coloring with Copic Markers

Die cuts are all Spellbinders.

The DP and ribbon are from my stash (love that DP)!

Glossy accents on the ornaments.

This card may be entered in the following challenges:

Creative Inspiration Paints:  The Holidays

The Squirrel and the Fox:  Christmas

Mark's Finest papers:  Make a Christmas Card

Dare I say it......Happy New Year!

Anything but Christmas......Easy Peasy......mainly because I sent out my Christmas cards last week and am ready to move on to something else!

The Crafy Pad has allowed me the treat of being a Guest Designer for the past few weeks and today is my last DT card for them.  I have loved playing with their beautiful images.

This week is "Anything but Christmas...."

I used the pocket watch image from The Crafty Pad to represent the passage of time.

I added in some New Years images from Our Craft Lounge.

The watch, ruler and cogs were all printed directly on my card stock.  The watch was printed a second time, embossed and glossed and then placed on the card with dimensionals.

The balloons, champagne and glass were all printed seperately, colored, cut out and then placed on the card.  The ribbon is from my stash.

This card may  be enteren in the following challenges:

The Crafty Pad:  Anything but Christmas! (GDT card)

CES Challenge:  Party, party, party

Card Crafters Circle:  Celebration

Alota Rubber Stamps:  It's all about the Numbers

Crafters Companion:  New Beginnings

Just Tracy's Crafts:  Celebration

Baby, Oh baby

I was going to do this wonderful post last night after coming home from our annual fire department Christmas dinner and party.  Yeah, well, that obvioiusly didn't work.  I definitely have just a bit of a "cold and a runny nose" this am!  I decided (ha!) for the better part of valor last night (actually really early this morning) that I did not need a BUI (blogging under the influence) and went to bed instead.

It is bright and early (damn fire pager of DH went off at 0515 this am) and here I am, doing my second post for my guest DT spot for The Crafty Pad.  This weeks challenge is to 'Send someone a smile', No Christmas allowed!

I just happen to have a couple of people at work that are having baby's so I decided to play with on of the baby sets from The Crafty Pad.

The card fits a standard 5.75 by 4.5 envelope, I just fussy cut on the right side of the bottle.  The flowers along either edge of a CB embossing strip that is rubbed with ink after dry embossing.  I put a little dab of liquid pearls at each center.  The flowers on the bottle are heat embossed with Ranger white detail embossing powder.  The flower image is from an Our Craft Lounge set.

The coloring is all copics.  This actually worked on this card with one layer because I wanted the ink to bleed through so that I could continue coloring the other side so that you see the bottle when the card is open also!

I took my black copic multi-liner and traced the image of the bottle and colored some more.

The footprints were printed and colored, punched out and then heat n' stik and glitter were used to make a medallion.  The pacifier (dummy) was colored, cut out and hung off a piece of pink baking twine (The Twinery) from the medallion.  The would congratualations was stamped all over the part of the inside covered by the bottle (when the card is closed).  It is a stamp from Our Craft Lounge.

I added a handwritten 'It's a girl' and the card was done!

Go by The Crafty Pad and check out the gorgeous creations done by the "real" DT, play along with the challenge and then visit the store and maybe even pick up a stamp of two!

:)  Gale

This card may be entered in the following challenges:

The Crafty Pad:  Make someone smile

Crafty Catz Weekly:  Anything goes

Totally PaperCrafts:  Anything but Christmas

Cute Card Thursday:  Anything goes

White on white

Cruising around blog world today (while watching football!).  It  is amazing the amount of talent and creativity that is out there for everyone to see and share in.

While trying to pretend that I DON'T have a cold coming on, I saw there were a couple of challenges out there for 'white on white', 'Christmas', 'Holidays', etc.  You get the idea, there are alot of challenges out there!!  LOL  I decided to give another go at the 'White on White' challenge (which also happens to fit with alot of others at the same time!  Ha!)

and inside.....

It is really quite pretty and sparkly in person.  All that white is just a little blinding!  LOL  You should see the first pic I did with it against my normal white background.   WOW

Much easier to look at on this darker one.

Image:  GingerLoft Designs - Winter Tree

Sentiment:  SU stamp

Dry embossing:  Spellbinder snowflake stencil (first time using one, not to sure yet, hmmm)

Window die cut:  Spellbinder

Snowflake dies:  Sizzix

Flourish dies:  Die-namics (finer flourishes) and Mariannes (bolder flourish)

Glitter:  OCL 'sugar' glitter

Brads and ribbon from my stash.

: )  Gale

This card may be entered in the following challenges:

Come and Get it Challenge:  Anything Christmas

Dream Valley Challenge:  Sparkle

Pan Pastel UK Challenge:  The great outdoors

The Hybrid Chick:  Make it Sparkle

The Ribbon Girl:  Jingle all the way to Christmas

Craft Your Days Away:  Buttons or Bows

Crafty Hazelnus's Christmas:  Mainly Monochromatic (can't get much more monochromatic!)

Designed 2 Delight:  Let it Snow

Di's Digi Designs:  All White except the image

Drunken Stamper:  Monochromatic

One Stop Craft Challenge:  Let it Snow

Simply Stampin' Challenge:  Snowflake Sparkle

FairyTale Challenge:  Christmas

Fun with Shapes and More:  Cold as Ice

Pattie's Creations:  Christmas

Simply Create Too:  All about Christmas

Totally PaperCrafts:  Let it Snow

Bling it On:  It's Christmas!

Creatalicious Challenge:  Christmas and make sure it Sparkles!