Friday, March 28, 2014

Isabelle's ice cream


     It's Bellarific Friday at Stamping Bella which means Emily is going to be showing off all the fantastic creations from the Stamping Bella DT and the Sistahood.  This weeks challenge was another great sketch.

sketch-6-march-28

     I used Uptown Girl "Isabelle Loves Her Ice Cream" for my card.  Sorry for the stinky photo.  The light seems to have zeroed in on the peaches and made them glare.  Here's a closer look at Izzy.


Copics Used:
skin--E000, E00, E11, E13, R20, R30
hair--E31, E33, E35, YR21, Y21, Y11
dress--E000, E01, E93, E95, E97
chair--E41, N9
ice cream--E31, E33, E51, E21, E23, E25, E27, E50, G40, G43, G46
grass--YG03, YG93, YG95, YG99

     The new challenge is to use the yummy colors from this inspirational photo.  Gorgeous!

Displaying inspiration 4-Apr-4.jpg

     Thanks for all the well wishes.  I'm still feeling pretty rough so I'd appreciate the continued thoughts and prayers very much.  Have a fabulous weekend!

Supplies:
Paper--Crate Paper "Party Day", Bazzill, Recollections, Copic XPress-it Blending card
Stamps--Stamping Bella "Isabelle loves her Ice Cream", sentiment from SugarPea Designs "A Bushel and a Peck"
Ink--Memento Tuxedo Black and Rich Cocoa; Sakura white, clear, and gold gel pens
Tools--Lil' Inker Designs Mini Bow and Of the Heart dies, Martha Stewart doily border die, sewing machine
Miscellaneous--Diamond Stickles, Michaels flowers, buttons from my stash, Inkadinkado Blending chalks

Thursday, March 27, 2014

Knight in kitchen armor


     Welcome to another Thursday inspiration post for Mo's Digital Pencil!  Our lovely Anja has given us a theme of "K is for...." and I've used Mo's "Kitchen Knight".
     I dug these papers out of an old 12 x 12 DCWV paper pad.  I liked the fun bright colors.  The trim reminded me of chain mail so I added some.  My coloring mojo wasn't quite up to speed on this one.  The last few days I haven't felt that great and it really puts a damper on my creativity.
     Here'a closer look at my little knight and his fighting dragon.


Copics Used:
skin-E000, E00, E11, E13, R02
hair--E23, E25
clothing--E08, E09, E41, E42, E43, E47, E53, E93, E95, E97, B93, Y11, YR20, YR23, R22, R24, R27, R29
shoes--N3, N5, N7, N9
shield--E51, E53, E55, E57, C00, C0, C2, C4
colander--W1, W3, W5
sword--E31, E33, E37, E50
dragon--G21, G24, G28, G29, E25, E27, Y11, Y13, Y15, Y17
grounding--E41, E42, E43

     We'd love to have you join in the challenge.  Remember it now runs for two weeks so you have plenty of time to make a card.  Just use a Mo image and join in.  Also, if you haven't checked out the new Bronte and Bella's Clubhouse on Facebook you really need to see what's going on there.  Lots of sharing and some awesome tutorials.
     Have a blessed Thursday!

Supplies:
Paper--DCWV "All About Boys", Bazzill, Recollections, Copic XPress-it Blending card
Stamps--Mo's Digital Pencil "Kitchen Knight", sentiment from SugarPea Designs "Gopher-it"
Ink--Memento Tuxedo Black
Tools--Fiskars Circle Cutter, MFT Die-namics Sentiment Strips, Crop-a-dile Big Bite
Miscellaneous--Recollections and Spare Parts brads, Michaels trim

Monday, March 24, 2014

Girl Talk


     Been missing quite a bit of this past week.  I was taking the time to enjoy the weather and putter around the house with a few things.  This time of year makes me want to get organized---not that it usually happens or at least not for long.  LOL
     I really enjoyed coloring those pears a couple of weeks back and I decided to get my pencils out again and play with some of my very neglected Lili of the Valley stamps.  This one is called "Best Friends".
     I'm not really all that happy with the card.  I think I overdid the sky and I was clueless about how to finish off the bottom section of the wall.  I still have a lot to learn about coloring with pencils period, but it was fun anyway.
     Here's a closer shot.  Don't look to closely cause you'll find something wrong for sure.


     I've used the sketch from Deconstructed Sketch #143.
     Have a great week!

Supplies:
Paper--My Mind's Eye "Collectable--Remarkable", Recollections, Georgia Pacific
Stamp--Lili of the Valley "Best Friends"
Ink--Memento Tuxedo Black, Prismacolor Pencils and odorless mineral spirits
Tools--Nestabilities Squares, MFT Die-namics Fishtail Flags Stax
Miscellaneous--Walmart buttons

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Loads of Love



     It's time for the new monthly challenge at SugarPea Designs.  This month Wendy has chosen the theme of "Embellish It".  I've used the Mojo Monday sketch.
     I"ve used the adorable "Take a Load Off" set from this months release.  All the designer paper panels are popped up on foam so I could clip the little wooden clothes pins on the sides.  Broke out the Memory Box bird die that I've never used to add some tweets to the clothes line.
     Come join in the SugarPea fun!  There's a $5.00 gift voucher up for grabs.
     Be blessed!

Supplies:
Paper--American Crafts "Dear Lizzy Neapolitan", Bazzill, Recollections, Copic XPress-it Blending card
Stamps--SugarPea Designs "Take A Load Off"
Ink--Memento Tuxedo Black, Copics
Tools--Memory Box Resting Birds and Tender Leaves dies
Miscellaneous--Kraft Outlet Hang Tag String, Recollections flower, wooden clothes pins from my stash

Saturday, March 15, 2014

Pears in pencils


     I decided to challenge my self a bit and play along with the current Flourishes challenge.  Now I know most of you are used to seeing the more cutesie images on my cards, but you know every once in a while you just might need something a little different.
     I've used the beautiful "Pears" set and broke out my Prismacolor pencils.  I know less about using pencils than I do about Copics and that doesn't amount to a hill of beans.  LOL  It was fun to work with a different medium though.  I used Bristol paper to stamp the image on.  I think I need to expand my greens a bit.  I would have liked to have achieved a bit softer shade of green for the pears.  The color fits more for apples, but I had to work with what's at hand.
     The actual challenge at Flourishes is to use washi tape and I have to tell you it almost didn't make it on this card.  I was so concentrated on the coloring and trying to figure out a layout that the card was almost completed when I remembered I needed to use the tape.  Thank goodness that little corner was bare so I added a couple of strips and a button.  The butterflies are punched from vellum and colored with a Copic marker.
     Hope you're having a wonderful Saturday.  Be blessed!

Supplies:
Paper--Crate Paper "On Trend", Kraft Outlet Light Kraft, The Paper Studio vellum, Strathmore 100 lb. Bristol
Stamps--Flourishes "Pears"
Ink-- Memento Tuxedo Black, Prismacolor pencils and odorless mineral spirits
Tools--Marvy Uchida butterfly punch
Miscellaneous--Recollections washi tape and brads, The Paper Studio pearlsWal-mart button, Kraft Outlet Hang Tag String, lace from my stash

Friday, March 14, 2014

Umbrella smiles


     Did I give your eyes a shock with these colors?  LOL  Everyone is so ready for spring to come I thought I'd give it a bit of a head start.  It's time for Bellarific Friday at Stamping Bella so we're revealing cards from the DT and those that played along.  It was a sketch challenge and I've used "Lolly and Her Brolly" from the Uptown Girls line.
     I knew I wanted to give her  rather bright rain gear so I dug around in my paper stash mountain and came up with some papers from My Mind's Eye.  No surprise there huh.  LOL  MME is my all time favorite line.
     The top panel and Lolly are popped up on foam.  I did some clouds for the background with a hand cut mask and some Distress ink.
     Here's Lolly's glamour shot.



Copics Used:
skin--E000, E00, E11
hair--E13, E15, Y11, Y21
umbrella and boots--Y11, Y02, Y06, Y08, Y17, YR23
raincoat and dress--E08, E93, E95, E97, BG000, BG10, BG11, BG72
flower pot--E31, E33, E39, E50
flower--Y11, YR23, E21, E23, E25, E27, E29, E79
leaves and grass--YG03, YG93, YG95, YG97

     Next weeks challenge is to "Bling it up" so grab any SB stamps you might have and come join in the fun.  Also, Em is perusing the Pinterest boards looking for SB creations to share on the Stamping Bella Facebook page.  Upload yours to Pinterest and tag it Stamping Bella.  You just might win some Bella bucks if Em selects yours to feature on the the page. $10.00 worth of Bella Bucks to use for goodies!!
     I'd like to enter my card into the following challenges:

MilkCoffee--at least two flowers
Papercrafting Journey--photo inspiration
Time Out--dancing in the rain
7 Kids College Fund--anything goes plus die cuts
Little Red Wagon--truly dimensional
Simon Says Stamp--Mother's Day or Special Girl
Oldie But a Goodie--spring has sprung (EVERYTHING is over six months old)
Love to Create--anything goes

     Have a fantastic weekend!

Supplies:
Paper--My Mind's Eye "The Sweetest Thing--Tangerine", Bazzill, Georgia Pacific, Copic XPress-it Blending card
Stamps--Stamping Bella "UPtown Girl Lolly and Her Brolly, sentiment from There She Goes Clear Stamps "Poppy"
Ink--Memento Tuxedo Black, Tumbled Glass Distress ink, Sakura white gel pen
Tools--EK Success Retro Flower punches, Memory Box Tender Leaves die and Little Open Scallops die, Lil' Inker Designs Stitched Sentiment Flag die, Nestabilities Classic Ovals
Miscellaneous--tThe Paper Studio pearls

Thursday, March 13, 2014

Clam Diggers


     Time for a new challenge at Mo's Digital Pencil and we've got lots of new things going on.  First off the new challenge comes from our darling sistah Amanda who wants to see "Lots of embellies".  For my card I've used Mo's adorable "Clam Diggers" that you can find in Mo's store.  I added a die cut sun with a rhinestone center, lots of pearls and some sweet little punched shells.  There's also some rhinestone trim, twine, and cheese cloth plus a row of vellum waves inked with Glimmer Mist.  Of course there had to be some foliage and a flower too to make sure I had all the embellishment categories covered.  LOL
     Here's a close up of the beach combers.  I used a little bit of black pastel pencil to do some shading on their clothing.


Copics Used:
skin--E000, E00, E11, E13, R20, R30
boy's hair--Y11, Y21, E13, E15
girl's hair--E21, E23, E25, E29
boy's clothes--E08
girl's clothes--BG000, BG10, BG11, BG53, BG57, BG72
shovel--E31, E35, C00, C0, C2, C4
box--E50, E51, E53, E55, E57
clams--W1, W3, W5, BV23
sand--E40, E41, E42, E43


     The new Bronte and Bella's Club House will debut on Facebook on  Saturday, March 15th, at 9 a.m. EST.  Just go to Facebook and look for Bronte and Bella's Clubhouse...then simply click on the "Join Group" button!  We're hoping to make it yet another fun place to make friends and share our love of Mo's images.  We will still have our challenges on the regular DP2 challenge blog, but they will become bi-weekly on the second and fourth Thursdays of each month starting with this challenge.  Another change with the regular challenge is that we will now be choosing our Top 3 faves from the entries.
     Lots of fun in lots of places so you can play whenever you want.  Hope to see you Saturday on the FB page and your entries in the DP2 challenge.
     I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:

Card Mania--something new (the image, rhinestone trim, and flower are all first time use items)
Craft Your Passion--young at heart
Love to Create--anything goes

     Happy Thursday!

Supplies:
Paper--My Mind's Eye "Reunion", Bazzill, Copic XPress-it Blending card
Stamps--Mo's Digital Pencil "Clam Diggers", sentiment from Annabelle Stamps "All Things Grow"
Ink:  Ranger Jet Black Archival Ink, Patina Glimmer Mist, Conte' Black pastel pencil
Tools--Stamp-a-ma-jig, Lil' Inker Designs Small Sunshine, Poppystamps Lovely Tendril die, Fiskars wave border punch, Martha Stewart Deco Fan corner punch, Michael's shell punch
Miscellaneous--The Paper Studio pearls, Hobby Lobby and Michael's trims, Crafters Square hemp cord, Dritz cheese cloth

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Leprechaun Luck



     How about a bit of Irish cheer for today.  I recently won the challenge at 2 Cute Ink with my chihuahua birthday card and got to pick out some images from Heidi's etsy store.  One of the ones I picked was this cute little leprechaun.
     I used a Martha Stewart heart punch to create the shamrock leaves and a piece of string colored with a Copic marker for the stem.
     I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:

Crafty Sentiments--lots of green
Cuttin and Stampin--St. Patricks Day/Lucky
Loves Rubber Stamps--shades of green
{Pin}spirational--St. Patrick's Day
Sweet Stamps--Lucky
Twisted Tuesday--clean and green
2 Cute Ink--St. Patrick's Day
Cards in Envy--think green
Mojo Monday--sketch
The Pink Elephant--photo inspiration

     Hope you have a wonderful Wednesday!

Supplies:
Paper--Crate Paper "Party Day", Recollections, Georgia Pacific, Copic XPress-it Blending card
Stamps--2 Cute Ink "Little Leprechaun", Papertrey Ink "Mixed Messages"
Ink--Memento Tuxedo Black
Copics Used:
skin--E000, E00, E11, R20, R30
beard--E08, E93, E95, E97
clothing--G21, G24, G28, G29, N3, N5, N7, N9, Y28
pipe--E31, E33, E35
mug--G21, G24, C00, C2, C4
grass--YG03, YG93, YG95, YG97
Tools--Nestabilities Standard Circles, Fiskars Circle Cutter, Cuttlebug Swiss Dot embossing folder, Cuttle bug, Martha Stewart heart punch,Stamp-a-ma-jig
Miscellaneous--Kraft Outlet Hang Tag string, Michaels pearls

Monday, March 10, 2014

Umbrella Girls


     I had a bit of time yesterday to make a just for fun card.  I have a ziploc bag full of fun Art Impression stamps that need to get their first inking not to mention be mounted.  There is so much to see and take in at Splitcoast Stampers that most of the time I just get overwhelmed, but I did managed to see an interesting challenge that they were having with the theme of rain.  While thinking about what I might have that would fit, I remembered that I had this wonderful Girlfriends stamp in that bag so I got it out, mounted it and inked it up to make this card.  
     I also took a peek to see what the challenge was this week at the Art Impressions challenge blog and it happened to be "Sheer Perfection".  They wanted to see vellum used on your project.  My friend Jinny Newlin got me hooked on vellum and I've been trying to work it into my projects as much as possible.  For this card I used a layering of circles with vellum as the top layer to back the girls.  They obviously were using that umbrella so they needed some rain.  I got out my dotty stamp, Versamark, and some clear embossing powder to create a little shower for them.  You can see the rain drops a bit better here.


     And here's a side view.  Here's a little tip.  Make sure you keep your clear embossing powder away from everything else.  I was really happy with the way this card came out except I had a few stray dots of other dark embossing powders that had gotten mixed in with the clear.  You may not even notice them if you weren't looking hard, but I see them.  grrrrr


     It's a beautiful day here today other than the billowing smoke I can see north of us where the forestry department is starting it's yearly burn off of the underbrush.  Hope it's lovely where you are. 
Supplies:
Paper--My Mind's Eye "Quite Contrary--Jack and Jill", Recollections, The Paper Studio vellum, Copic XPress-it Blending card
Stamps--Art Impressions "Under My Umbrella", Papertrey Ink "Friends Til the End", All Night Media wood mounted dotty stamp
Ink--Memento Tuxedo Black, Copics, Versamark
Tools--Fiskars Circle Cutter, MFT Die-namics Fishtail Flags Stax, Lil' Inker Designs Of the Heart die, Tim Holtz ruler, Marvy Uchida Heat Gun, paper piercer, Stamp-a-ma-jig
Miscellaneous--Zing Clear embossing powder, Scotch vellum tape

Maki a wish!



     This little sushi chef is cute beyond words isn't he.  I've used him on another card to offer up some inspiration for the brand new challenge up at SugarPea Designs.  Now read closely because this is NOT the monthly challenge.  This is a separate SKETCH challenge that starts today and you DO NOT have to use a SugarPea Designs stamp to play along.  Wendy is offering up a $5.00 gift certificate to the SugarPea Designs store to the challenge winner.  The winner will be announced April 13th.
     Here's the fun sketch for the challenge.


     Ashley Cannon Newell of Papertrey Ink posted a tutorial on how to create this fun angled background with your scraps and I decided to give it a try for my card.  I love how it turned out and will be using it again I'm sure.  I added a little hand stitching too and some vellum that I have been enjoying playing with lately.  It's under the chef and the sentiment banner at the top.
     Hope you'll come play along.  It's a super easy sketch and remember you DO NOT have to use a SugarPea Designs stamp to play along although we'd love to see them if you do have them.
     Have a fantastic Monday!

Supplies:
Paper--My Mind's Eye "So Sophie--Graceful", The Paper Studio vellum, Recollections, Copic XPress-it Blending card
Stamps--SugarPea Designs "Rice Rice Baby"
Ink--Memento Tuxedo Black
Copics Used:
penguin--N3, N5, N7, N9, W1, W3, Y11, Y21, YR21, YR23, YR24, E93
head band and sash--V12, V15, V91, V93, V95, V99
chopsticks--E31, E33, E35
sushi plate--E00, E21, E23, E08, YG95
Tools--MFT Die-namics Fishtails Flags Stax, Nestabilities Large Labels
Miscellaneous--Michaels button, Offray ribbon, DMC embroidery thread, Krylon Gold Leafing pen

Thursday, March 6, 2014

Oh Paddy Boy......


     Hey, so far so good.  I'm still keeping up with my calendar pages and Mo came out with the perfect new image for March.  I think no matter what ethnicity you are, everyone turns Irish in March.  LOL  I can claim some true Irish blood in my mix although it's pretty diluted, but I think this little fellow is full on from the Emerald Isle.
     Obviously it's Thursday and time for another challenge from Mo's Digital Pencil.  We're about to undergo some changes at Mo's and we hope that you'll like them.  Starting next week our challenges will start being bi-weekly on the 2nd and 4th Thursday's of each month.  Same rules...follow the theme and use a Mo image.  On the 15th we will be opening Bronte and Bella's Club House on Facebook.
     Make sure you check out all the details on the DP2 Blog today to learn how you can join in this new place to play with Mo's wonderful images.  Here's a little bit about the Clubhouse.

As a Clubhouse member, you will get to...

  1. Participate in monthly "Showcase" challenges (beginning April 1st)...with a chance to "win" a Guest Designer spot for a month!
  2. Hang out with fellow artists and crafters (card creators and non-card creators!)
  3. Meet new friends and reconnect with old ones!
  4. Learn new crafting techniques!
  5. Participate in games & contests...with prizes!
  6. Have access to surprises you won't find anywhere else!!
  7. And so much more!
     Sounds like lots of fun huh.  We know that a lot of people spend more time on FB than blogging so we wanted to open that avenue up for Mo fan's too.
     Here'a closer look at "Paddy" who you can find in Mo's store.


Copics Used:
skin--E000, E00, E11, E13, R02, R20, R30
hair--E08, E19, E95, E97
hat, coat, boots, and suspenders--E71, E74, E79
shirt and socks--G21, G24, G28, G29, G40
pants--E50, E51, E53, E55
clover--YG03, YG95, YG97
grounding--E40, E41, E42, E43

     And here's my usual bad lighting pic of him in my calendar stand.


     We'd love to have you play along with our challenge this week which just happens to be "Anything Goes" for your chance at a $5.00 gift voucher from Mo.  She gives one away for each twenty five entries we get.  Don't forget to check out all the deets about the new FB Clubhouse too.
     Have a fabulous Thursday!

Supplies:
Paper--Studio Calico "Snippets", Bazzill, Recollections, Georgia Pacific, Copic XPress-it Blending card
Stamp--Mo's Digital Pencil "Paddy"
Ink--Faber Castell Pitt pen
Tools--EK Success Deco Corner punch, Martha Stewart Hydrangea punches
Miscellaneous--Michaels rhinestones, laces and button from my stash

SugarPea Designs Sweet Sneak--Day 4

     We've come to the end of our SugarPea Designs Sweet Sneaks.  Today's super cute set is called "Rice Rice Baby".  There are several quippy sentiments for this set.


     I tried to find some papers in my stash that had a Asian feel to them plus I added some black to pull it all together.


     Make sure you hop around to all the DT and our special guest designer, Lisa Lara, and leave some love cause one lucky hopper will win the "Rice Rice Baby" set AND one SUPER lucky person will win the whole release!  All the winners will be announced during the online release party chat on the SugarPea Designs Facebook page on Thursday, March 6 between 8:00---9:00 p.m. EST.
     The release will launch in the SugarPea Designs online shoppe immediately following the release party.
     Have fun hopping!



Supplies:
Paper--Crate Paper "On Trend", Recollections, Copic XPress-it Blending card
Stamps--SugarPea Designs "Rice Rice Baby"
Ink--Memento Tuxedo Black, Versamark
Copics Used:
penguin--N3, N5, N7, N9, W1, W3, Y11, YR21, YR23, YR24, E97, E99
sash and head band--R24, R27, R46, R59
sushi plate--YG03, YG95, E15, E40, E41, E42, E43
chopsticks--E33, E35, E50
grounding--W1, W3, W5
Tools--Nestabilities Standard Circles, Fiskars Circle Cutter, Martha Stewart Modern Garland punch
Miscellaneous--Ranger Black embossing powder, Recollections brads

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

SugarPea Designs Sweet Sneaks--Day 3

     Day # 3 already of the SugarPea Designs Sweet Sneaks.  Today we're featuring "Take  Load Off".  This fun set has fifteen stamps for you to mix and match to create your own fun laundry inspired  cards.


     For my card I once again used some inspiration from one of my card making hero's, Alice Wertz and went for one of her CAS design styles.


     Make sure you hop around to all the DT and our special guest designer, Lisa Lara, and leave some love cause one lucky hopper will win the "Take a Load Off" set AND one SUPER lucky person will win the whole release!  All the winners will be announced during the online release party chat on the SugarPea Designs Facebook page on Thursday, March 6 between 8:00---9:00 p.m. EST.
     The release will launch in the SugarPea Designs online shoppe immediately following the release party.
     Have fun hopping!



Supplies:
Paper--Simple Stories "Vintage Bliss", Bazzill, Georgia Pacific, Copic XPress-it Blending card
Stamps--SugarPea Designs "Take a Load Off"
Ink--Memento Tuxedo Black, Copics
Tools--EK SUccess Dotted Scallop punch
Miscellaneous--My Mind's Eye enamel dots