Thursday, February 28, 2013

HDH MM Gruesome Guardians & Lacy Sunshine Fave Color Combo

Hello there everyone!  Feeling better today, thankfully.  Still kind of wiped out, but I can deal with it.  My father-in-law is coming for a visit on Sunday - he's heading to Mexico to see his daughter get married and stopping here for a 2-night visit on the way.  So I've got to get this house in order and ready for a guest!  We haven't seen him in almost a year, so I'm looking forward to his visit.

Today I have 2 things to share with you.  First is my creation for the:

HDH Macabre Monday: Gruesome Guardians

I used an image from Jade Dragonne at DeviantArt, colored with Prismacolor pencils & mineral spirits.  Paired it with some fun Halloween DP and kept it pretty simple, love that gorgeous image.

Next is a card I made for the:

Make My Monday: Pink & Black
and 

Lacy Sunshine Challenge: Fave Color Combo


I used Bugzz Emo Ragamuffin digi from Lacy Sunshine, colored with a combo of Prismacolor markers & pencils with mineral spirits.  Added a bit of glitter and one of my fun Glow Skulls from Glo's Etsy shop.  Sentiment is from Tiddly Inks.  Peace.

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Wicked Wednesday ATC Challenge: Ribbons & Bows

Hello friends - woke up with a raging migraine at 3:00 a.m. complete with vomiting, such a crappy way to wake up in the middle of the night.  Managed to fall back asleep until about 6:30 and by then, the headache was fading.  But when I get one that bad, it sort of feels like a hangover after.  I feel drained and exhausted.  So I'll be taking it easy today - I can't help but wonder if it's got something to do with missing my girl.

Today we have a new challenge for you at:

Our sponsor this week is Dilly Beans, and I've used Zombie Girl with Bow, colored with Prismacolor pencils & mineral spirits and Stickles (her eyes and the heart).  That sweet little skull charm was made by my friend Glo - you can find more in her Etsy shop here (she's on vacation but should be back soon).  Head on over to the challenge blog to see the rest of the fun ATC's made by my super-awesome Design Team.  :)
Peace.

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

A Gem of a Challenge: Add a Bow!

My daughter arrived safely in Boston last night - and promptly called me to tell me she felt sick.  Poor baby.  Missy's dad picked them up and when they got home, she threw up.  She thought it was from reading on the plane, but I think it's a little bit of anxiety, too.  I have a feeling she'll be back sooner rather than later, but I do hope she can manage to have some fun while she's there at the very least.  I hate to see her go all that way only to make herself a nervous wreck. She's so damn cute.  So here's a picture of the 2 of them getting ready to go:

And here's one more with me on the porch:

It's too quiet around here already, lemme tell ya!  :)  Yup, I miss my girl.

Today I have a card for the:


I placed in the top 3 last week at this challenge, which is always exciting!  This is the card I made for Cass to stick in her carry-on bag and open on the plane - her cats are going to be beside themselves when they realize she's not coming back for a while....  LOL   Anyway, I used Milly & Lily, colored with Prismacolor pencils & mineral spirits and I outlined the circle with Stickles.  I'm not the best at bows, but this one came out OK!  DP is from MME and I added a sentiment with my Dymo Caption Maker. Peace.

Monday, February 25, 2013

Wee Stamps!

Good morning!  We are not going to talk about the fact that my baby is getting on a plane in about 7 hours.  I'm handling it surprisingly well, but if I start blabbering on about it I'm sure I'll fall apart.  I'm going to try to hold back the tears until we're actually saying goodbye.  *GULP*

SO!  Today I have 2 cards made with the adorable digi images by Sylvia Zet - her store is called Wee Stamps and it's just got the sweetest images.  My first card is for the:


I used Goldie, colored with Prismacolor pencils & mineral spirits and lots of Stickles.  I also used some Crystal Effects on the bubble.  Papers are from Authentique, LOVE these colors. 

And my next card is for the:


I used Hazel, colored with Prismacolor pencils & mineral spirits.  I added some purple Stickles to the little dragon's wings.  The spider web is a die cut that I layered over some polka dot DP.  Added the little spider with pop dots and tied the ribbon around to finish it off.
Have a fantastic week, friends.  Peace.

Sunday, February 24, 2013

Way Too Cute

OK so I am absolutely IN LOVE with these Lil Lolita digi stamps that are now available at All That Scraps!  This little sweetie is called Baby Lilith, and I made this card for the following challenges:

and


and


I colored Baby Lilith with Prismacolor pencils & mineral spirits and markers.  I used a glittery pink Fun Flock on her blanket and added some pink rick rack, a sticker sentiment, some buttons, Dazzling Diamonds glitter on her hair bow, a ribbon tag, some bling (gemstone stickers) and a safety pin brad.  PHEW.  Oh yeah - paper is from MME, I'm kind of slightly obsessed with them.

Well, I'm off to cook breakfast sandwiches and then make corn chowder for my girl's last meal at home before heading back East tomorrow!!!  I'm handling it surprisingly well right now, considering what time of the month it is and all (if you KWIM).  ;)  I'll keep you posted, of course.  Here's a cute pic of Missy (her BFF) and Cass that I took at the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco last week:

OK have a great Sunday, everyone!  Peace.

Saturday, February 23, 2013

WW & JSL

Hello friends!  We have a reminder post for you today at:

I'm also linking my ATC up with the:


I used some digi paper from Marisa Lerin and stamped Creeper Crew Monday from The Greeting Farm in pink, then spritzed with pink Glimmer Mist.  Tied a pink bow around it and added a gemstone heart.

We also have a new challenge for you today at:


I am also entering this into the:

Top Tip Tuesday Challenge: Tag, You're It!

I used the sweet Garden Bear image, printed on DP and colored with Prismacolor pencils & mineral spirits.  Added a little sticker embellishment with gems all over it and a ribbon from SU!  My TIP is this:  Try printing your image directly on some designer/patterned paper - especially if there's a lot of "white space" in your image.  It helps to fill in that blank space without having to color and gives texture to the rest of the image.  Peace.

Friday, February 22, 2013

Dilly Beans & Jellypark

Hi everyone!  We have a new challenge for you today at:


I am also entering this into:

The Stamping Shack Challenge: Pink, Red, & White

I used the sweet Ginger from Dilly Beans, along with some digi paper and a sticker from SRM Stickers.  I used Spun Sugar Smooch Spritz all over the paper, added heart gems, a ribbon tag & brad.

We also have a new challenge for you at:


I used Jellypark's Girl with Hula Hoop, paper-pieced and colored with Prismacolor pencils & mineral spirits and Stickles.  DP is from MME, and I added a couple pieces of rick rack.  Peace.

Thursday, February 21, 2013

Pink Gem & Forever Friends Butterflies

Good morning! Well, 4 more days until my girl leaves me! I have so much to do between now and then, but I haven't really let myself think about it.  Some days I am totally fine with it, others I feel like I could cry from morning til night.  Total mixed feelings, but I do believe that it's all going to work out for the best.  She's a damn good kid with a heart of gold and a good head on her shoulders.  It was good that her friend Missy came to stay with us this week, because it's kind of helping me adjust slowly to her being gone.  She has gotten into the habit of hanging out with me all day, but with Missy here they are off doing their thing and having fun.  It's nice to hear the chatting coming from her room, it's nice to hear her laughing and being silly, being a teenager.  She's grown up so much in the past 2 years and I'm proud of the young lady she's growing into, but I love to see her getting to be a kid, too.  Anyway, I'll keep you all updated.  :)

Today's card is for the:


I used Chloe in Knitted Hat from Pink Gem, colored with Prismacolor pencils & mineral spirits.  DP is from MME, and I used my banner die from MFT to create a little banner that I added the block letters to.  I added a little yellow fabric butterfly to the side, but it's difficult to see in the picture.  Aren't these images super sweet?  Have a great day, friends!  Peace.

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Wicked Wednesday ATC Challenge: Any Holiday or Birthday

Hi everyone!  We have a fun new challenge for you today at:
 
 
 
My images are all from our sponsor, Stitchy Bear Digi Stamps. Head on over to the WW blog to see the rest of the DT's amazing work and to play along with us!  Peace.

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Give Me Wings

Hi everyone!  We are anticipating some rain today, cross your fingers for us - we can use it!  Everything is nice and green right now, but if we don't get a little more rain it's going to dry out really fast.  So bring on the rain!

Today's card is for:

and
and


This gorgeous heart with wings digi stamp is from The Octopode Factory, and I paper-pieced the main heart image and covered the wings in glitter.  The die-cut wings are from La La Land Crafts.  DP is from MME.  Peace.

Monday, February 18, 2013

DSB & Sweet Sketch

Goooood morning, everyone!  Have you been paying attention to the meteor reports recently?  Have you seen any yourself?  Go outside and look up, people.  Have your cameras or video recorders with you - it's fascinating.  I recently bought a telescope, and I am really looking forward to spending some evenings/nights outside with it!  I myself have not seen any meteors, but I have seen many shooting stars and some "unidentified" objects up in the sky - it makes me feel so small and fills me with wonder at the vastness of it all.  It's just amazing, isn't it?  When you really think about it, the size of our universe - and to think even that is just a small part of what's really "out there".... fascinating, truly mesmerizing.  But I digress....

 I was a busy girl yesterday, I really love spending Sundays in my craft room.  Shutting off my computer and just enjoying art.  I got all of my projects done for the week, so here's what I have for you today - this is for the:

and

I used Zoe Driving, colored with Prismacolor pencils & mineral spirits.  I added some Glossy Accents to the headlights, too.  DP is from MME, yellow brads and flower brads are from Stampin' Up!  Have a great week, everyone!  Peace.

Sunday, February 17, 2013

Birdie Brown Freebie Challenge

Hello there! Just popping in quickly today to post my card for the:


I paper-pieced the sweet image, it's simple but cute.  Have a nice Sunday!  Peace.

Saturday, February 16, 2013

WW & JSL Reminders

Hello everyone!  Can you believe those meteor showers in Russia yesterday?  If any of my readers were somehow affected, I'm so sorry.  It must have been terrifying.  We had beautiful weather yesterday, and I sat on the porch in the sun for a while just thinking about how random stuff like that is.  How random life is.  It's crazy.  You really have to make the most of every moment and appreciate every little thing.

So - we have a reminder post for you today at:

Wicked Wednesday ATC Challenge:  Celebrate the Season


Head on over to see the rest of the DT's creations.

We also have a reminder post for you at:

Just Some Lines: LOVE


You can see more inspiration and link up at the JSL site.  Have a great weekend!  Peace. 

Friday, February 15, 2013

Lotsa Black & Red

Happy Friday!
We have a new challenge for you today at:



I am entering this into the:
Scrapper's Delight Challenge: Black & White With a Splash of Red

I used Dilly Beans Nutmeg image, paired with some DP from Tiddly Inks.

Next up - we have a new itinerary challenge at:


I used #'s 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 9, and 10.  My image is from Smeared Ink (our sponsor this week), colored with Stickles and Silver Foil Smooch Spritz.  Head on over to see the itinerary and the creations from both our DT and the DT of Smeared Ink.  Have a great weekend.  Peace.

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Balloon Ride

Happy Valentine's Day!
Do you think this looks like fun?  My husband would LOVE to go for a ride in a hot-air balloon, but I don't think I could do it!  This girl likes her feet planted firmly on Mother Earth.  :)  But the little girl below sure looks like she's having fun - this is for the:

and

Image is from A Day for Daisies, paper pieced and then layered with some alphabet stickers with gemstones.  Tied a ribbon around it to finish it off.  Have a happy day, all!  Peace.

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Just a note to say...

Good morning!  I can't believe tomorrow is Valentine's Day!  Wasn't it just Christmas, like, yesterday?  *sigh*  My daughter Cass's best friend Missy is flying in tomorrow to stay with us for 11 days - then Cass will be flying back East with her at the end of February.  She wants to go back and see about going to college there, instead of here.  I'm going to miss her so much, but I want her to be happy - and I think it will be good for both of us.  Might force me to actually leave the house every now and then and make some new friends.  It would be nice to have a girlfriend here.  At the very least, I am working up the courage to drive a couple of hours south to meet a few of my crafting friends!  LOL

We have a new challenge for you today at:

Our sponsor is Jellypark this week - I colored my image with Copics and Stampin' Up! markers.  I am also entering this into the:

and
and
and
 
*My TIP is this:  ATC's are the perfect size for children's (or anyone's!) Valentine cards.  Use the back to write the "to and from" information, omitting the need for an envelope.  :)

I'm off to spend the day shopping and going out to lunch with Cass, one last day of just me and my girl hanging out.  Man, I'm gonna miss her something fierce, even if it is for the best.  I'm so thankful that we've spent so much time together over the past year, and that we are so close.  She's growing into such a lovely young woman and I'm so proud of her.  Have a great day, everyone.  Peace.

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Cupcake Birthday

Hello all - today's card is for the:


I am also entering this into the:

Pink by Design: Birthday Challenge
and
The Crazy Challenge: For a Birthday

I colored the sweet cupcake image with my Prismacolor pencils & mineral spirits.  My little skull is from my friend Glo's Etsy shop here.  Have a great day!  Peace.

Monday, February 11, 2013

Creepie Cuties First Challenge: My Creepy Valentine

Hi everyone!  I just love the funky, cute-yet-creepy digi images at Creepie Cute Stamps, so I was thrilled to see their very first challenge posted here:


I am also entering this into the:

and
*My tip is this:  Use Halloween background papers to "creep up" your sweet image any time of year!  I love the creepy-cute stuff, and when I started working with this image I almost paired her with some heart DP but decided to use the skull paper at the last minute.  It was the perfect touch to give her that goth look that she was hoping for while staying sweet for Valentine's Day!  ;)
 
Creepy-cute is  right up my alley, so I jumped right in.  :)  I used the Sweet Little Emma (freebie from quite a while ago) image, colored with Prismacolor pencils & mineral spirits.  I added red Stickles to her lollipop and shoes, and also to outline the sentiment (which was done with my Dymo Caption Maker).  DP is a digi paper in .pdf form from Papercrave.com - punched out some hearts with my heart punch from Stampin' Up!  Peace.

Sunday, February 10, 2013

Movie Magic Monthly, All That Scraps, & Crafty Creations

Hi everyone!  Today we announce a cool new challenge blog that I'm happy to be a Design Team member of!  We'll be posting new challenges once each month, each with a different movie theme.  Our very first challenge is:


I created a little version of Dilly Beans Alice image, shrunk down super small (about an inch and a half) and colored up, then fussy-cut and popped inside a Tim Holtz bottle.  I made the Drink Me tag and tied it on with some floss - I guess Alice should not have followed those instructions, who knows when she'll get out of there?  It's OK, though, she makes a cute little addition to my ever-growing collection of odd little knick-knacks.

Next up - I made a little chocolate candy bar wrapper and a matching card for the:

and

I used Skull Abigail, a digi image from All That Scraps, colored with Prismacolor pencils & mineral spirits.  I printed some leopard digi paper onto bright pink cardstock.  I used strips of the leopard paper along with strips of black cardstock for the card.  Finished off with ribbon and gemstone stickers.  Peace.

Saturday, February 9, 2013

WW Reminder & JSL Love

Hi everyone - we have a reminder post for you today at:

 I am also linking this sweet ATC up with the:

2Sisters Challenge: Hearts
and
Digital Tuesday: Hearts

I used an image from our sponsor Redonkulous, Gift of Love, colored with Prismacolor pencils & mineral spirits.  I used a sweet little heart eyelet that I had and stamped "love" down the side with my mini alphabet set, then just added a few little gems.

 This ATC above uses a gorgeous key image from San's Designs.  I used my embossing pen to apply some gold embossing powder.  I'm not sure where the pretty sentiment came from - if you know, leave me a comment and I'll update the post.  DP is from MME - I added some gold pearls and sprayed the entire thing with Gold Glow Smooch Spritz.

And we have a new challenge today at:


I used Emo I Will Catch You, colored with Prismacolor pencils & mineral spirits.  Yes, this is the 3rd time this week you've seen this ribbon.  hee hee  Hey, it goes well with love projects!  ;)  DP is from Jillibean, ribbon is from my stash.  Head on over to grab a freebie and play along with us (Just Some Lines images required to play along).  Peace.

Friday, February 8, 2013

A Whole Lotta Love!

Blah.  The damn headache is back.  :(  The thing that really sucks is that Excedrin Migraine is the only pill that seems to help - but I can't keep popping those bad boys down unless I want to be bouncing off the walls. They have caffeine, which also prevents me from taking them at night - and sometimes my headaches get worse at night.  I guess I'll just have to lay low today, good thing I'm basically caught up on everything!

Lots to share today!  First up - we have a new challenge for you today at:


I am also entering my LOVE card into the:


I used Cinnamon Circle Framed, colored with Prismacolor pencils & mineral spirits.  I used red Stickles on her hearts.  My background paper is a digi paper from Marisa Lerin at Pixel Scrapper.  I added a fat ribbon and some alpha beads - love those things, going to have to stock up again soon!

Next up - we have a new release today at:


I made a little ATC that can be used as a Valentine.  I used the new image "Sending My Love" - I created my ATC background with alcohol inks and added a little purple gemstone heart.  My image is colored with Prismacolor pencils & mineral spirits and I added some Stickles to the hearts and around them.

And last - entering this card below into the:



I used Poppy Circle Framed from Dilly Beans, colored with Prismacolor pencils & mineral spirits - I made her a redhead for my buddy Donna.  :)  DP is from My Mind's Eye, one of my neglected pads (from my stash).  Sentiment is from SRM Stickers.  Have a great weekend, my friends.  Peace.

Thursday, February 7, 2013

Alice & Riley

Good morning!  My friends back East are currently preparing for a whopper of a snowstorm.  I'm actually a teeny bit jealous!  LOL  The only thing I miss is the actual snowstorm itself.  Everything else - the power outages, the clean-up, the treacherous driving - I don't miss one bit.  Anyway, I'll be thinking of you all.  Stay safe, stay warm.

I have a couple of things for today - first up is a card for the:


and

I used Alice in Wonderland from Alicia's Little Shop, colored with Prismacolor pencils & mineral spirits (my fave crafty item) and Prismacolor markers.  I used a filmstrip die layered onto my DP and cardstock.  Brads are from Stampin' Up!

Next is my card for:



I stamped Riley directly onto my DP, colored her with Prismacolor pencils & mineral spirits and paper-pieced her.  I used snippets of different ribbons for the ribbon tags and another piece tied on - all from SU!  Peace.

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Valentine/Love

Wow - I actually skipped a day of blogging yesterday.  And - I didn't let it drive me crazy.  Go me.  LOL  I've actually been fighting a headache for a few days now and it was weird yesterday, it would go away for a bit and then come back pretty bad.  My headaches/migraines are usually just all or nothing, so it was definitely different.  I managed to get in a bit of coloring in between running the vacuum and catching up on laundry, but that was about it.  I hope today is a productive crafty day!

So anyway - we have a new challenge for you today at:


I'm also entering my little ATC into the following challenges:

and
and
and
and
V's Sweet Ideas 
and 
(My tip: use spritzes & sprays to cover up mistakes!  I smudged some pink ink on the ticket and so I sprayed the whole thing with a pink Shimmer Mist and you'd never know I made a boo-boo)

Our sponsor at Wicked Wednesday is Redonkulous Designs, and I used the sweet Gift of Love image to create my ATC.  She's colored with Prismacolor pencils & mineral spirits and a bit of marker.  I added a ribbon with a heart charm, some little pink pearl stickers, and a cute freebie ticket that I got from this site here.  Peace.

Monday, February 4, 2013

TGF Purple & Green

I'm back just squeezing in quickly for:

I used the Sweet & Toxic set, stamped directly onto DP and colored with Prismacolor markers, pencils, and mineral spirits.  Peace.

Hearts

Hello friends!  Just Some Lines is sponsoring a challenge this week at:

 
So I played along with them and made this cute little card.  I used Wedded Bliss, printed directly onto DP and colored with Prismacolor pencils & mineral spirits.  DP is from MME. 
I'm also entering this into the:

and
and
and
and 

Did you notice my snazzy new watermark?  It pays to have talented connections in this little community, I tell ya.  ;)  Have a great week!  Peace.

Sunday, February 3, 2013

Tuesday Morning Sketches & TOF & HDH MM

Goooood morning!  Are you ready for some football?  :)  We are!  I even have dinner all prepared and ready to pop in the oven later.  We had a roast chicken dinner yesterday, and my family loves my "leftover casserole" - so that's what I made for today.  I basically take literally everything that's left over and throw it in a casserole dish with some cheese.  So today's casserole includes chicken, stuffing, corn, peas, gravy, mashed potatoes, and cheese.  Mmmmm..... I do leave the cranberry sauce out to serve on the side.  ;)  So who are you rooting for in today's game?  Being that I'm a Cali girl now, I gotta go with the 49er's.  Whatever you're doing and whoever you're rooting for, I hope you have a fun day!

My card today is for:

and


I used my favorite TOF image, Angel Girl, colored with Prismacolor pencils & mineral spirits.  I did her halo and eyelashes in gold Stickles and her wings are covered with SU! Dazzling Diamonds glitter.  I used my Tim Holtz flower die for the first time and made that cute flower - not bad, eh?  LOL  Oh and I bought this sweet little set of alphabet stamps at a craft store one day, I could not resist, the set was like $2.  I love the frame around each letter and they are so tiny, they work great for ATC's (which was really what prompted me to buy them).  It says "sparkle" on here, in case you can't see it.  My paper is from My Mind's Eye.

Next up is an art journal page I did for the:


Do you recognize my story?  It's my favorite Stephen King story ever - The Dark Tower.  This line is both the first line of the first book, and the last line of the 7th book.  I'm kinda diggin' this journal page - I found some coloring pages online that worked for my scene including a desert scene, a running man, and a cowboy sitting by a fire.  I fussy-cut them out and glued them to my art journal page, then did a hazy white wash of paint over them to make them less outlined.  I then used acrylic paints to just paint them as figures, I didn't want a lot of detail.  It's funny, as I was painting I was thinking it was coming out childish-looking, unprofessional.  But once it was done and uploaded here,  I really like it!  I truly enjoy painting, but I don't have a lick of talent.  LOL  But it's fun, so I'm going to keep doing it every now and then.  That's what my art journal is for - trying new things and expressing myself artistically.  I love my art journal.  
Have a great day, my friends!  Peace.