Fire me, I forgot!

So, today is the start of the new challenge at Fresh Brewed Designs.  I remembered to make my card!  I remembered to post to the FBD blog.  I forgot to post to my own!  I think I need to be fired!  LOL

Actually, I had an amazingly horrible day at work yesterday and had nothing left when I came home.  I checked my email, had a drink (yep) and went to bed.  One of the few drawbacks of 12 hour shifts is that there isn't alot of time between them when they run 3 days in a row!  Gotta admit, the 4 days in a row off is pretty cush though!

On to the challenge..... Use 2 of something.  "Double it",  How easy is that!

Hop on over to Fresh Brewed Designs and check of the wonderful images that Heather has in the shop.  So many things to try out.

I chose to work with a stamp called 'Beach Bums'.   It started out as a joke as she obviously has

2 "cheeks" and would fit the challenge without adding anything else!  LOL

So, I have my 2 'cheeks', 2 sets of birds and 2 palm trees on this card.  Pretty easy challenge, makes for lots of fun time in the craft room.

The background is just inked with sponges.

Challenges:

Fresh Brewed Designs:  Double it!
Sassy Cheryl Challenge:  No embossing
Lollipop Crafts:  Anything goes

Recipe

Images:  Fresh Brewed Designs, Our Craft Lounge

Sentiment:  Our Craft Lounge

DP:  DCWV photo stack (sand paper)

Coloring:  Copic markers, Momento inks

From the stash:  some old kitchen twine, glossy accents

It's a sketch challenge

I found this sketch site (through another bloggers site) called iSpy Sketches.

Definitely not easy sketches, mind you!  This was a challenge and I loved doing it!

I can't wait to try another one.  Now, I just had to pick the image......Let me see......

whose images have I been playing with all month....hmmmm.  Oh well, here it is, another Mo Manning image.  They are just too cute.

Love the little banners in this sketch.  I haven't played with them much (if at all?)  and the sketch really made it easy to incorporate them into my card.

Challenges: 

iSpy Sketches:  check out the sketch on the blog

Crafty Boots Challenge:  Food glorious food. (does cotton candy count as food?)

Netty G's digital gems:  Your showcase (my coloring)

Crazy Challenge:  Dies or punches

Recipe:

Image:  Mo Manning

Coloring:  Copic Markers

Die cuts:  Spellbinders

Extras:  Sparkly Fluff from Our Craft Lounge, twine from The Twinery

From the stash:  DP is DCWV photo stack, cardstock, brads, eyelets.

It's a zoo....

It's officially a zoo over at GingerLoft Challenges!  Tami wants to see all your animal theme projects!

She has lots of animals in her digi shop.  Many are for sale and lots are free.  Just go in and look around.  The freebies are all mixed in.

I love the pandas that she has in the shop.  This one was just begging me to play with him!

Isn't he beautiful!  Really easy digi to work with.  Color the bamboo and a little shading around the image.  Then just embellish the card.  All of the papers here are from my stash! (bonus)

I think it ended up being a fairly elegant card.  The inside has a simple white panel with "Hello" for the sentiment in the center.

Challenges:

GingerLoft Challenges:  It's a zoo - animal theme
Hiding in my Craft Room:  Use glitter (striped glitter paper)
Card Crafters Circle:  To die for - die cuts that is
Hot Shot Craft Blog:  One for a boy
DYSU:  Layers
Paper Play Challenges:  Critter/s
Sarah Hurley Challenges:  Die Cuts

Recipe:

Image:  GingerLoft Designs

Stash:  Papers, Atiyou spica glitter pen

Coloring:  Copics

Die Cuts:  Spellbinders

Happy Valentine's Day

So, the challenge starting today on Fresh Brewed Designs is "Red Hot".

Easy.   It's valentines day, time to get a card done for DH.  Also easy!

TaDa!

Isn't this a great stamp.  Heather really rocks the coffee chicks in her digis and stamps!

Paper pieced the dress with a tiny snip of glittery red paper that I found in the bottom of my stash pile.

Obviously, I added a handwritten sentiment on the inside......no need to bore

you with that!  LOL

I hope that everyone had a great Valentine's Day!

Challenges:

Whimsical Designs:  Red, white and one other color (black)

The Sisterhood of Craft:  Valentines day

Celebrate the Occasion:  Valentines, mush use a heart

Crafty Sentiments:  Love

Crazy Amigo:  Hearts

Die Cuttin Divas:  Use at least 2 of these colors-Red, white, pink and black

Scrap Creations:  Layers

Papertake Weekly:  Black, white and red all over

CPS:  Sketch

Recipe:

Image:  Fresh Brewed Designs

Colors:  Copic Markers

Embossing:  CB hearts folder

Punches and dies:  Fiskars heart border punch, Spellbinders square die

Stash:  DP, Neenah solar white paper, black mirrored paper, Sakura clear star glitter pen.

Everything is Groovy - It's a Really Rad Blog Hop

Hey! Here's the skinny. Fresh Brewed Designs has been preparing something totally funkadelic. I mean, it is RAD man. I am totally diggin' it and know you will too. First, you have to make sure you aint trippin and are starting at the right pad. Your first stop is at Heather's Coffee Break. If you are getting here from Celeste's blog then you are right on track man!

We have all been so stoked about this hop! The team and our jive guests have created some projects that are out of site! I mean they are totally off the hook bro! So get down and boogie with us.. feel tha funk and get ready for some total SWEETNESS

Now I got to play with this really hip image from Heather.

Add some flowers and some really funky colors and you have a perfectly groovy card.

And, if that wasn't enough.....I played again.  The same image, some new funky colors and some tripping swirls all on a gate-fold card to brighten up someones day!

Go inside and the brilliant stripes jump out to get you!

After all,   It's All Groovy!

Far Out right?
It is time to take this party to the next stop. Boogie on down to Linda's blog and check out her hip to the groove creations. Be sure to leave a bit of love (a comment) on each hop stop for your chance to win all of the digis released today!

Peace Man! I will catch you on the flip side!

: ) Gale

Here is the WAY COOL hop order:
Heather: http://joemamainks.blogspot.com/
Celeste: http://www.touchedbyabutterfly.com/
Gale: http://galevarland.blogspot.com/
Linda: http://stamperstouch.blogspot.com/
Stacie: http://hestiashelper.blogspot.com/
Rhonda: http://bumblcreate.blogspot.com/
Yolanda: http://www.justyolie.com/
Stacy: http://impressionsofaribbonaddict.blogspot.com/

Kenzie: http://kraftyhugzz.blogspot.com/
Vanessa: http://vanessaspapercreations.blogspot.com/
Sheryl: http://butterflykisscards.blogspot.com/

Recipe:

Image:  Fresh Brewed Designs

Coloring:  Copic Markerss

Twine:  The Twinery

Stash:  Cardstock, DP, buttons, brad and ribbon

Sentiment:  Hand written and doodling

Die Cut:  Spellbinders

Dry Embossing:  Cuttlebug Divine Swirls folder

MMM means more Mo Manning!

Just can't get enough of these adorable images.  Although I have shown you a few, I have not shown you the number of each image that I have colored!  LOL    Good thing for you I think!

This is another one of the child images from Mo's large collection of art.

And guess what, you get to see 2 different versions of coloring!  HA!

and inside.......

Version 2, trying for a more male version here.

and inside #2....

This card may be entered in the following challenges:

Pink Gem Challenge:  Fairies

Send a Smile 4 a Kid:  Anything goes for a kid

Alphabet Challenge:  A is for animal

Fairy Tale Challenge:  Love, love, love (2nd card)

Hot Shot Craft:  One for the boys (2nd card)

Charisma Cardz Challenge:  Things with Wings

Crafty Ribbons Challenge:  One for the boys (2nd card)

MAWTT:  Cute Critters

Paper Crafting Journey:  Fairies or angels

Crafts and Me:  Use a new image

Crafty Creations:  Swirly whirly (flourish)

Creative Card Crew:  Fantasy Creatures

My Time to Craft:  A is for Adorable

Polly Craft Challenge:  Chill Out

The Crazy Challenge:  Fairies

Truly Madly Crafty Challenge:  Ribbon and bling (1st card)

 

Recipe:

Image:  Mo Manning

Main die cuts:  Spellbinders

Flourish die cut:  Marianne's dies

Coloring:  Copic Markers

Stamping:  Memento ink and Ranger distress inks

Sentiments:  1st card - unknown, 2nd card Our Craft Lounge

DP:  DCWV photo stack

Extras:  Atyou gel pen, clear star.  CB embossing folder, bubbles.  Glossy accents.

Stash:  Ribbon, cardstock, charms

: )  Gale

Love you a Latte

New challenge over on Fresh Brewed Designs today!  It is a photo inspiration.



Doesn't that look just yummy!

It also made for a really easy choice of images from FBD!  I had to used the

cupcakes digi called 'Heart Cake' and a new to me digi called 'Coffee talk'.  Apparently it is one of Heather's first digi's, don't know how I missed it!

Since she is sitting, I just HAD to make another 'shop front' card.  Looks like she is sitting outside the shop window.  She is enjoying her caffeine and trying really hard not to order one of those beautiful giant cupcakes! (as I am typing this, I realized how far off my scale is! Or, maybe I just think all cupcakes should be bigger than my head!! LOL)

Coffee talk girl was colored, cut out and placed in front of the store with dimensionals.

Inside is a sentiment, also from FBD.

Love these store front cards.  There is a tutorial for making this style card here

on my blog.

Have a wonderful rest of the week!

This card may be entered in the following challenges:

Fresh Brewed Designs:  Photo inspiration

Crafts & Me Challenge:  Use a new image (coffee talk girl)

Digi Stamps 4 Joy:  Love

Diva's by Design:  Love

Fab n' Funky:  Love is in the air

My Mums Craft Shop:  Love

The Sisterhood of Crafters:  Valentine

Digital Tuesday Challenge:  Red or pink. (I did both)

TSB Challenge:  Valentine

Crafty Boots Challenge:  Valentine

CupCake Craft Challenge:  Pink and Red

Daisy Doodles Creative Challenge:  Valentine

iCopic:  Hearts and copic markers (Yahoo!)

The Shabby Tea Room:  Candy hearts (use food theme and hearts)

Crafting When We Can:  Valentine/Love

Dream Valley Challenges:  Valentine

Stampin Sisters in Christ:  Show some love

One Stitch at a Time:  Show some love

Two Sisters Challenge:  Red, pink and white

CMC Copic Challenge:  Colors of love

Crazy 4 Challenges:  Make a scene

Drunken Stampers:  Use something new (coffee talk girl image)

Hiding in my Craft Room:  Red, pink and white

 

: ) Gale

Recipe:

Images:  Fresh Brewed Designs, Coffee Talk and Heart Cake

Sentiment:  Fresh Brewed Designs

Papers: Xpress Blending card, Martha Stewart Valentine holiday pack, Neenah solar white and

DCWV Luxury pack

Ink:  Memento, spun sugar (on inside sentiment)

Stash:  Ribbon, red card stock

Accessories:  Copic Markers, SU work punch, Spellbinders fancy tags, Sakura clear star glitter pen and clear glaze pen.  Crystal hearts from Crystal Stickers, Fiskars border punch and half-pearls from Creative Charms.

(Thanks toTammie E.  I cased your actual blog to decide how to set up my web pages. )

           

Love

While we are all so interested in Valentines and Love, GingerLoft has jumped right into the middle of the bandwagon with their own challenge.  It runs for 2 weeks (as usual, LOL).

Whiile you don't have to use a GingerLoft digi to play, why not go check out the store and find the perfect image for this challenge!  Tami has great images that are just waiting to be colored.

I am playing with her 'Love postage stamp' today.

and inside.........

The postage stamp was printed out 4 times, each in a different color on X-press paper from copic.  The shading is done with copic markers.  No real coloring on this one! 

The twine is from The Twinery.

The heart button and ribbon is from my stash.

The DP is from a MS holiday pack.

The sentiment is from Create with TLC

: )  Gale

This card may be entered in the following challenges:

GingerLoft Challenges:  LOVE  (DT card)

2 Sisters Challenge:  Pink, Red, White

Digi Designs:  Valentines

One Stop Craft Challenge:  For the one I love

My Sheri Crafts:  Love is in the air, must use at least 2 hearts.

Annabelle Stamps:  Say it with hearts.

CardmadFairy:  Hearts

Crafty Ann's Challenge:  Love is in the air

Delicious Doodles:  All loved up

Fairy Tale Challenge:  Love, love, love

Fussy and Fancy:  Polka dots (back DP, red with pink polka dots)

Sweet n' Sassy:  Valentines Day (with a digi)

Bling it on:  Love

By the Cute and Girly:  Love is in the air

Cute Card Thursday:  Buttons and Bows

Digi Doodles Shop:  Love is in the air

MAWTT:  Have a heart

Shelly's Images:  All tied up

Love train coming through!

February 1, 2012.  Can you believe how fast January flew by!  LOL

Valentine's day will be here before you know it!  We had a great blog hop with Fresh Brewed Designs in mid January.  I decided that the love train needed to keep on chugging!

Heather designed this 'Oh so Cute' little train, pulling a wonderful car full of love just for the blog hop.  Since this wasn't my image to play with on the hop, I am back today and using it!

I added the great (and quite appropriate) sentiment on the inside.

Die cuts are from Spellbinders.  Border punch is Fiskar.

Coloring is copic markers.

Papers and ribbons are from my stash.

Sakura 'clear star' glitter pen on train wheels and tracks.

Go by FBD and join in the new monthly challenge "LOVE".

Also:

With a new month comes a new Special Brew at Fresh Brewed Designs. On Monday, February 6th, our darling little Cutie Pie in Clouds rubber stamp will be on sale for $3.95. If she sells out before the day is over, a new rubber stamp will replace her at that price! Fabulous! There's always something brewing at Fresh Brewed Designs.

Have a great rest of the week!

: )  Gale

This card may be entered in the following challenges:

Cooking it up with Katie:  Hearts, punch, emboss

Creative Belli:  Valetine/hearts

Little Red Wagon:  Valentine/Love
Paper Pretties:  Ribbon or Twine
Truly Scrumptious:  Love/Valentine

Cotton Candy anyone?

Yet another image in my Mo Manning marathon!  Don't you just love it when you find an artist that does images that make to smile, and smile and smile.  These are those kinds of images!

This is a valentines card for a 'sweet' little girl that I know. (I only have boys)

Gorgeous outside today.  Took this picture out on my table on the deck.  Could figure out why all the photos had those shadings on the white.  It'ss the crinkly glass on the table. LOL  Oh well, you will just have to trust me that it is just plain Neenah solar white paper, smooth!

The DP is from my stash.

The butterfly is a Die-namics stacking die set.

Twine from The Twinery.

Sentiment from Meljens Design.
There is cotton candy Sparkly Fluff from OCL on the cotton candy.  Doh!

The stick on half pearls are from Creative Charms (won them in a blog hop!)

The die cut around the sentiment and along the edge of the image are from Spellbinders

Colored with Copic Markers, edges distressed and some paper piercing in the corners finish it off!

I got the idea for the coloring, "Pink, Green and a pop of Purple, Pierce and Distress" from a challenge that I found on line at Joan's Gardens  and thought it would be perfect for this card.  She also has one of the most complete grouping of dies available for purchase that I have seen anywhere.  Alot of dies that I haven't found elsewhere or had to order from the UK (with ridiculous shipping fees!)

Have a "SWEET" weekend.

: )  Gale

This card may be entered in the following challenges:

Joan's Garden: Pink, green and pop of purple (shirt and butterfly).  Must pierce and distress.
Craft Your Days Away:  Distressing
Drunken Stampers:  Use something new (Wonderful new digi!)
Mark's Finest Papers:  Layers, at least 4
My Sheri Crafts:  Use something new (Mo Manning digi)
Send a Smile 4 Kids:  Anything goes for a kid
Card Crafters Circle:  Friendship
Crafty Ann's Challenge:  Use something new (Mo Manning digi)
Sweet and Sassy Digi challenge:  Dessert/Sweet (I'd say I have both of these covered!  LOL)
Mo's Digital Pencil:  All my favorite things (copics, dies, these Mo Manning images!)
Color Create Challenge:  Pink and Green


Card Makin Mamas:  Use something old (everything but the digi is at least a year old)

More Mo Manning!

Back for another post with another amazing Mo Manning image!

I got so many projects done on Saturday during my all day session of Playing with Paper!

This is just one of several to come.

This is just how I feel about my computer sometimes.  I just can't seem to put it down!  LOL

I colored her with copic markers.  She was die cut using 'out of the box' method and a Spellbinders die.  The heart puch is also a Spellbinder border die.  The DP and the pearls are from my stash.  The ribbon is some more of the ribbon I stole from Danna (shhh........).

On the inside,

All the same stuff plus this wonderful sentiment that I got from Bethany at

Elegant Word Art.   She has a wonderful blog that tells all the stories of her life and that of her family.  At the end of every daily post, she has a wonderful freebie word art posted. 

You can also go to her store and her work art packs are their for the purchase.

Back in a day or two with another project from my Saturday of playtime!

:)  Gale

This card may be entered in the following challenges:

Whimsey Stamps Challenge:  Pearls or bling

My Time to Craft:  Favorite embellishment (ribbon)

Oldie but a Goodie:  Have a heart (DP is at least 3 years old)

Brrr.......It's cold outside

Apparently Mr. Blogger was not playing nice this morning.  I am sorry for the late posting on this card.

BRRRRR.................It's cold outside! 

Fresh Brewed Designs is starting it's new challenge today and this is the topic!

So easy with one of the cute digital or stamp images from Heather at Fresh Brewed Designs.

I made my card using 'Winter Giraffe' (I call him Geoffrey).  I doubled up my image for this card.

This card is colored with copic markers.  The border punch on the inside is a MS snowflake punch.

The sentiment on the outside is from Our Craft Lounge.  The one on the inside is computer generated.  The ribbons, brads and pearls are all from my stash.

I used sparkly fluff from OCL on both of the hats.

Be sure to be checking on the Fresh Brewed Designs blog for a special price on a special stamp!  It will be the 'shop special' for Feburary and I just know you will love it!

: )  Gale

This card may be entered in the following challenges:

Fresh Brewed Designs:  BRRRR..........It's cold outside (DT card)

Mo Manning Rocks!

Been cruising around the web and visited Jak Heath's blog.  She does such amazing art work and many of her cards lately have had images from Mo Manning.  Her blog is Digital Pencil Too.  I decided to go and visit her blog, which led to her wonderful store, which lead to a purchase.  When I downloaded her wonderful digi images, I realized that I already had a couple images I had bought and a couple of freebies from her. (DUH!  can you image forgetting these great digis!)  : )

Anyway, I got to spend ALL DAY (yes, 10 am to midnight) playing with paper at a friends house on Saturday!  There was lots of coloring, cutting, pasteing, die cutting, drinking, eating and laughter going on FOR HOURS.  And it was good!  After the first time we had one of these play days, I learned to use repositional adhesive after my second or third Pineapple Rum Rita (as good as it sounds!).  That way and I straighten out everything I put on my projects as I don't seem to care about that as much after a couple of drinks!  Doh!

So, I spent about 13 hours at Danna's house playing with only Mo Manning images.  I will be posting all the cards that I did over the next couple of days.  (working 12s and don't have time to get them all posted at once, work, eat and SLEEP!  LOL)

Here is the start of my Mo Manning-athon!

This one is called "Sumpins Wrong".  There is definitely nothing wrong with this image!  I love this.  Can't tell you how many times my boys tried to put their clothes on the wrong way!

A bit of an angle to show the layers.

I printed this image 3 times and colored them with copics.  The based image is cut out with a

Spellbinder doing out of the box.  The last 2 images are fussy cut out and the layers are strategically placed with dimensionals.  The tickets are cut out with a Whimsey die and then stamped with Whimsey ticket sentiment stamps.  The border is also a Spellbinder edge die.

The pinwheel ribbon, DP, and brad are from my stash.....well.....the ribbon is from Danna's stash!

Shhhhhh..........don't tell her though!

Can't wait to come back and share my next card with you!

: )  Gale

This card may be entered in the following challenges:
Critter Challenge Blog:  Use 3 embellishments (ribbon, brad, pinwheel button)
Daisy Doodles: Anything Goes
Hooked on Craft:  Something Bright
My Grafico:  Tickets
The Ribbon Girl Blog:  Pink and Blue + ribbon
My Sheri Crafts:  Something new (digi, Whimsey stamp and die, pinwheel buttons)
Card Mad Fairy:  Digi with ribbon and bow

Hubert is in the snow

SNOW.  That is the design requirement for the current challenge over on GingerLoft Challenges.

Definitely NOT what we have here!  110 MPH winds, 3 inches of rain in 2 days, flooding, roads washing out, sink holes.  Now that we have, and have had for a week now.  UGH!

Today, at least, it is only windy.  Not much rain, and believe me, we don't need any more rain for a couple of days!  One town just north of me had 4.95 inches of rain in 24 hrs.  TOO MUCH!

But I digress.  SNOW is the concept for this challenge.  What better way to showcase snow than with some snow flakes and a couple of penguins all ready to start their snowball fight.

I used some sticky back half pearls for the stack of snowballs!  Thought it was a cute idea.

The snow flakes are one of the Michaels $1 punches and some glitter paper.

The die cut is Spellbinders, the sentiment is punched with the SU word window.

The sentiment is from Heather at Fresh Brewed Designs. 

The ribbon is from my stash and I followed directions from a tutorial over at Dustin Pikes place,

The snow flake brad is from my stash.

The DP is DCWV photo stack.  The is torn vellum under their feet for ice and snow.
Colored with copics, SU dazzling diamonds glitter is everywhere.

Hope everyone is have a safe and dry January!

:  )  Gale

This card may be entered in the following challenges:

GingerLoft Challenges:  Snow (DT card)
Dream Valley Challenges:  Animals
Pan Pastel:  Use 2 of something
The Crafty Pad:  Something for a boy
The Hybrid Chick:  Punches/Dies (used both)
Copic Challenge Group:  Copics, picture inspiration
Rogue Redhead Designs:  Use vellum
Send a Smile 4 Kids:  Anything goes for a kid
Delicious Doodles:  Winter Wonderland

Cowboy Joe comes home

Wasn't Cowboy Joe from my last post just gorgeous!  Yummy!  LOL

As I hinted in my last post, today I am going to show you where Joe went when he got off the Love Train and headed home to his honey!

This is another Fresh Brewed Designs image (soon to be rubber!)  It originally had a Christmas

wreath on it but I just used all the little hearts I had left after punching my border to cover the wreath and make it perfect for Valentines Day!

I used  an embossing strip from CB for the 'With Love' sentiment.  Added those EK success

borders that I punched, some ribbon and some liquid pearls.  What a beautiful welcome home!

On the inside, the ticket stubs (MudMaven and Sentiments 4 you)  from Cowboy Joe's 'Love Train' (blog hop) ride. 

I added some more punched borders and a couple of heart lollipops (also from FBD)

and had a great finish to my card.

All the coloring is with copics.  The lollipops are coated with glossy accents.

: )  Gale

This card may be entered in the following challenges:

Aud Sentiments:  the word LOVE

Shelly's Images:  Anything goes

Crafty Creations:  Valentines