Tuesday, April 17, 2012

WHOO Loves You?

I ♥ U!





Can you believe it? It's already time for a new Twisted Tuesday Challenge!







April 17 - 23


Theme: Red, Pink & Green


Twist: Card must include 3 brads and 1 ribbon


Can you find my 3 brads?




Yes, it's the three pink hearts, two of them placed on the ribbon and one placed on the image.





Of course, I'm going to show you the inside of my card, too...









Now it's your turn! Please make a red, pink and green card (with 3 brads and 1 ribbon) and enter the Twisted Tuesday Challenge this week.



x0x0x0




Image & Sentiment: Unity Itty Bitty Love You Owls

Ink: A Muse Cranberry

Cardstock: Stampin' UP! Blushing Bride, Handsome Hunter, and Read Red

Designer Paper: Cloud 9 Designs Sweetheart Collection I ♥ U

Embellishments: Brads and Ribbon (vendor unknown)

Sunday, April 15, 2012

Who's the Man???

Today is the 15th, time to get our Duel On.

The Dueling Darlings are friendly group who once a month duel it out with a theme and some awesome kits put together by the hostess of each group. This month LJ (the Divas' hostess) and Terry (the Dazzlers' hostess) came up with a wonderful theme. THANK YOU, LJ and TERRY!


Who's the Man?

Terry's words to the Dazzlers: We all have that one special man in our lives, don't we? It can be your father, your son, your husband, brother, or just a friend. Whoever he is, make a card for him! I'm sure none of us make enough masculine cards, so let's see what we can do...



Here's what I did:




As you can see, I didn't color the image. What I did instead was use one of those little dauber thingies and some ink and I ever-so-lightly added some color to the stream and the trees. I thought this gave the image a more dramatic effect.




The fish is actually a seperate image, but I wanted it to look like the fisherman was struggling to catch a great big fish. Therefore, I cut out the fish and carefully glued the fish line onto the fisherman image. I purposely didn't glue/attach the fish itself, so it looks like the fisherman is trying to reel him in. It doesn't show up real well in the picture, but it really did turn out pretty good doing it that way.






Of course I had to add a little something inside, too:





Terry gave us some additional instructions: In your blog post we would like to hear about "your man". Tell us a story about him and why he is important to you.


Well...... I have a wonderful husband and two fantastic sons, none of which fish. LOL! So I'm going to tell you about my Daddy. When I was a child, he would take me fishing with him. He'd put the bait/worm on the hook, and if I happened to catch anything, he'd take it off the line for me. We had great fun together. Then the day came when he decided it was time for me to bait my own hook and retrieve my own fish. My fishing days were over at that point. Eeeeeeeeeeeeewwwww! I've not been fishing since. But my Daddy is still one of the great men in my life. I love him dearly!



Now, let's go see what the other Dueling Darlings have for us...



DAZZLERS










DIVAS











Images: Stampin' UP! On the Fly (stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black)

Ink: Stampin' UP! Always Artichoke and Bashful Blue (sponged on with dauber for a minimal look)

Cardstock: Stampin' UP! Always Artichoke and Bashful Blue and The Paper Company Black

Designer Paper: Vendor Unknown

Embellishments: Colorbok Silver Metal Dots, Michael's White Grosgrain Ribbon, and Paper Studio D-Ring

Friday, April 13, 2012

Knock! Knock!

Who's that knocking at the door?







It's Cinderella!



Reminding us to follow our heart....


and remember, all your wishes can come true!






I made this card for Linda's You Can Do Magic card swap on SCS. When I think of Magic, I think of the most magical place on earth - Disney!!! So I went with the magical world of Cinderella for my card. I hope Linda likes it.



Image: EK Success Princess Clear Stamps
Ink: Copic Markers, Copic Spica Pens, Memento Tuxedo Black, and Stampin' UP! Bashful Blue
Cardstock: Paper Company Black and Brown and Stampin' UP! Bashful Blue and Metallic Copper
Designer Paper: Recollections Light Blue Distressed
Embossing Folder: Sizzex Tim Holt Bricked
Embellishments: Michael's Rhinestones and Brads (vendor unknown)

Thursday, April 12, 2012

A Flower for Mom

Some elegant pearls, too.







Surely Mom will love this card.

♥ ♥ ♥





April 12 - 25


Theme: Mother's Day and/or Flowers







Thank you, Limited Runs Digi's, for providing a wonderful prize package to one lucky participant!


The card I made for this challenge is certainly out of the box for me. There is NO designer paper on it! WOW!!! That's rare! And there's NO coloring on it! Another rarity!


But I do like my card... and it was great fun to make!






Of course, some things have to be normal. LOL! Soooooooooo... I decorated the inside of my card a wee bit. ;)






Happy Mother's Day and/or Flowers

(I used both)



Please join us at Craft Us Crazy with a Mother's Day and/or Flowers creation of your own!



Image: Stampin' UP! Bella Blossoms

Sentiment: A Muse Essential Sentiments

Ink: Stampin' UP! Concord Crush and Soft Suede and Versamark (for embossing purposes)

Embossing Powder: Stampin' UP! Winter White

Cardstock: Stampin' UP! Concolrd Crush, Soft Suede, and Whisper White

Embellishments: Kaiser Pearls and Stampin' UP! Soft Suede Dotted Grosgrain Ribbon

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Quack! Quack!!!

Okay, this is a TEST! It's NOT a test of the Emergency Broadcast System (I hated those interruptions when I was listening to my favorite music on the radio as a teenager!) It's NOT an Algebra test, or English test, or Geography test. It's NOT a medical test either.

It IS a test to see how well you notice details. LOL!


See this card...




Is it the same card you saw on my blog yesterday for the Twisted Tuesday Challenge?



The correct answer is NO!





It IS the same duck (colored the same way)... and the same papers, and the same sentiment. But the card is completely different.




Okay, maybe I should explain. Barb - you know Barb... she's the lady I tease so much here in my blog. She's really very nice (cough! Sputter!!!) But I digress... so, on with my explanation.


Barb opened an Unidentified Image Card Swap on SCS a couple of months ago. I joined! (Of course!) Barb sent the participants all the same image with the instructions to make cards with those images and send them back to her. Fortunately she sent 6 images and we only need to make 4 cards... because I made the card you saw on my blog yesterday and truthfully, I didn't like it at all! The springy Wanna-Be Easel card bugged me!!! Soooooooooooo I thought to myself, 'Self, you can't send this to Barb. It's horrible!' Therefore, I made the card you see on my blog today and I liked it, so I made 3 others to send with it to Barb.

Oh, and since confession is good for the soul....... I must confess and apologize publicly to Barb (cough! Sputter!!!) I lost my first set of 6 images that she sent me - caused a bit of a stir since the day I discovered that and told her I had lost them was April Fool's Day and no one believed me. But yep! I lost them. Still haven't found them. So Barb graciously sent me a second set of the images so I would't be eliminated. Didn't I say earlier, Barb is a nice lady... and a good friend!

THANK YOU, Barb!!!






Image: Gina K Designs Spring Has Sprung
Sentiment: A Muse Days Like This
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black and Copic Markers
Cardstock: Neenah Clasic Crest Avon Brilliant White 110# and Stampin' UP! Crushed Curry and Pacific Point
Designer Paper: We R Memory Keepers Designer Collection
Embellishments: Heidi Grace Flowers, Michael's Rhinestones, Recollections Brad, and Stickles Glitter Glue

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Every Path Has Its Puddle

And This Card Has Its Flower

(for a very good reason... keep reading to find out why)







April 10 - 16


Theme: Flowers (include a flower on your card)


The Twist: It can NOT be a rose (or rosette)





When you go to the Twisted Tuesday Challenge Blog, you'll notice that the other designers made the flower(s) the focal part of their cards. hmmmmmmmm!!! Not me! For me it's all about ducks, puddles, and springtime fun!






I tried a strange fold for my card. It doesn't photograph very well because it wants to keep springing open. It isn't an Easel Card, but it seems to be a Wanna-Be Easel Card. LOL!






Oh, and just in case you didn't notice... last week (which was the very first EVER) Twisted Tuesday Challenge had over 30 participants!!! WOW! That is exciting! Congratulations to Melina on this brand new adventure! And THANK YOU to everyone who participated!


I hope YOU, my blogging friends, will participate this week!





Image: Gina K Designs Spring Has Sprung

Sentiment: A Muse Days Like This

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black and Copic Markers

Cardstock: Neenah Clasic Crest Avon Brilliant White 110# and Stampin' UP! Crushed Curry and Pacific Point

Designer Paper: We R Memory Keepers Designer Collection

Embellishments: Heidi Grace Flowers, Michael's Rhinestones, Recollections Brad, and Stickles Glitter Glue

Saturday, April 7, 2012

A Toucan in Spring

A few days ago I showed you a Penny Black card that I made for Barb's Penny Black swap. In case you missed seeing it, you can find it here. Actually, Barb's swap is a Penny Black and/or Whipper Snapper Swap. So of course I simply HAD to take a spot in Whipper Snappers, too. I love Whipper Snapper stamps!!!




As you might recall, the swap required that we use a pastel color scheme.








Image: Whipper Snapper Toucan

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black and Copic Markers

Cardstock: The Paper Company Black and Stampin' UP! Barely Banana, Pretty in Pink, and Wild Wasabi

Designer Paper: We R Memory Keepers Designer Collection Paper Pad

Embellishments: Prima Belle Fleur Primrose and brads (vendor unknown)

Friday, April 6, 2012

Check This Out!

Look what came in the mail this week...




... it's an EXCITING package from Viva Las Vegas Stamps!






It's exciting for a couple of reasons:

1. I didn't know what was inside

2. I didn't have to pay anything to receive it!



Are you curious? Okay, here's what's inside:






How did I get ALL of this rubber for FREE? I posted the Viva Las Vegas blinkie in my sidebar and emailed them to let them know I'd done so.

Yep, that's all it takes....... and you can do it, too. The information on how to do that is in the Viva Las Vegas blog right sidebar. Go check it out. Oh, and while you're there... take a look at some of the projects you'll find. I love how they used the crepe paper and ruffled it on a recent Easter card.


I hope you have fun and get some free rubber, too!

Thursday, April 5, 2012

Row Changito Row

It's April 5th.... that means it's time for the Crafty Gals (a blog group that I am fortunate to be part of) to post their montly creations. Each month one of the members serves as hostess, which means she comes up with the theme.

Diane is the hostess this month. This is her challenge:

"April Showers bring May Flowers"

Since April is supposed to be a rainy month in most of the country, I thought we would try a "water" challenge. My challenge to you is to incorporate water in some way on your card. It can be rain, puddles, ocean, sea, beach, lake, bathtub or anything else you can think of. In addition to the water, I want you to use ribbon, brads and patterned paper on your card. I can't wait to see your creations and I hope you all enjoy this month's challenge.

I had so much fun splashing in the water!







Actually, what I had most fun doing was making waves! I used a 1" circle punch and randomly punched to make the waves.






Be sure to check out the other Crafty Gals "WET" creations today. You'll find links to their blogs in my left sidebar!


Thanks for stopping by...


Rain or Shine

You're a Friend of Mine!



Image: Stampendous Row Changito Row

Sentiment: D.O.T.S

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black and Copic Markers

Cardstock: Stampin' UP! Bashful Blue and Brilliant Blue and The Paper Company Black

Designer Paper: from my scrap file

Embellishments: American Crafts Ribbon, Recollections Fish Brads and Rhinestones, and Stickles Glitter Glue

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Green Acres Is the Place for [Him]

I can remember way back when I was a wee one, watching the show Green Acres. For those of you who aren't familiar with the show, it was a sitcom about a couple who left the city (New York) to move to a farm near a small town. It was the husband's desire to live the country life; his citi-fied wife would have much rather had the luxuries of New York, or any city, for that matter.

Fast forward a number a years. I am now an adult (obviously) and I still think of Green Acres, for one simple reason. My husband and I could be that couple - well, except I'm not as inept as she was. LOL!

My husband LOVES the country - or at least small towns. I prefer cities and could be happy living in a high-rise apartment overlooking skyscrapers.

Why am I telling you all of this? Well, just look...





New York!!!






This is a Penny Black image and my colors are mostly pastel. This is for Barb's Spring Penny Black Card Swap. I hope she likes this card as much as I do. (Sorry, I don't mean to brag, but I tend to be my own critic too often here on my blog... and for once, I really like my card, so I thought I'd just go ahead and say so.)



Green acres is the place for me.

Farm livin' is the life for me.

Land spreadin' out so far and wide

Keep Manhattan, just give me that countryside.


New York is where I'd rather stay.

I get allergic smelling hay.

I just adore the penthouse view.

Dah-ling, I love you, but give me Park Avenue.


... The chores.

... The stores.

... Fresh air.

... Times Square.


You are my wife.

Good-bye, city life.

Green Acres we are there.




Image: Penny Black New York

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black and Copic Markers

Cardstock: Gina K White and The Paper Company Black

Designer Paper: Recollections Paper Pack

Embellishments: KaiserCraft Rhinestones

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Finally!

I've waited... and waited... and waited! Finally, it's here!





The new Twisted Tuesdays Challenge Blog is now open!


April 3 - 9


Theme: Make a creation that includes a cloud or clouds

The Twist: You can't use a cloud stamp. No stamped clouds. Make them some other way.







Of course, I had to decorate the inside of my card, too.






Be sure to play along with this FIRST EVER Twisted Tuesday Challenge! It's going to be such fun!!!



Image & Sentiments: A Muse Studio Let's Be Adventurers

Ink: Versafine Onyx Black

Sunrays Background Image: Market Street Here Comes the Sun (inked on the Stampin' UP! Top Note Die with Versamark ink)

Clouds: A Muse Studio Cloud Die

Embossing: Cuttlebug Swiss Dots

Cardstock: Stampin' UP! Black, Bordering Blue, and Buckaroo Blue

Designer Paper: Me & Myy Big Ideas Journey Paper Pad

Embellishments: Recollections Brads