Delightful Inspiration {from the heart} May Challenge

Each month, Faith, illustrator for Delightful Inspiration, offers a free digi to participants of the previous month's Challenge.  I've been eyeing her work for some time now, and decided to play along this month.  This little mouse is adorable and can be used for any number of cards.  For the design layout I rotated the I Heart Sketches #8 (which can be found on the Delightful Inspiration blog) a quarter turn to the right. 

Have a great weekend!  And if you get a chance, please stop by Sunday for the first of the Sweet November June Previews.  Cyber hugs to all! 

Simply Betty May Challenge

I'm back!  And I've got a card ready to enter in the Simply Betty May Challenge.  Lilliana was a freebie gifted to anyone agreeing to play in the challenge.  Isn't she a beauty?  The challenge this month was to use the colors Orange, White, Yellow, and Black.  I sneaked a touch of gray in there for the rock and as highlights for the black, but gray is part of the black family, right?  Having a limited, assigned color palette truly was a challenge for me (how would I manage with no green, or blue, or pink).  However, I am tickled with the results!  I used my new Lorelai Outline leaf die, stamped on a sentiment (yes, I really did stamp it on rather than run it through the computer), added some black bling, and the card was complete.

 

A Belated Thank You!

This post is a belated thank you to Joann Burton of Sassy Raggedy.  I won her blog candy #1!  And I didn't even know it as I hadn't been in my crafty space or had access to my computer.  Joann was so sweet and emailed me to ask if I still wanted to claim my prize.  What a sweetheart!!!  Thank you Joann!!!  Below is a copy of the prize she sent me.  What a haul!  I'd have been so disappointed if I'd missed this fabulous gift.  Again, I really appreciate Joann taking the time to notify me...so kind.  If you haven't checked out her blog, please stop by and check out her creations.  She has some delightful cards, her use of the white gel pen to accent her coloring really makes the stamped images pop!

 

At the Beach

Yes, my creativity is still being influenced by my recent vacation.  My brain continues to think...water, sun, sand, etc.  So, with beach life remaining front and center in my stream of consciousness, I decided to color up Miss Rebecca.  I've loved this little Mashi's Muffins, Reading Rebecca, ever since she was introduced last June.  However, she was only available in rubber until this April.  Was I ever a happy gal when All That Scraps announced the Mashi's Muffins and Laugh Lines would now be issued as digis as well as rubber (my pocketbook took a severe hit that day)!  Anyway, back to the card...Rebecca's towel is paper pieced and her glasses were colored with a Clear Star Gelly Roll pen.  The layout is the Sweet Sunday Sketch #184, and I actually finished the card in time to enter the challenge.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!  I'm scooting off to the beach for a few days, and then we have company arriving.  See you soon!  

Seas the Moment

Wanting to branch away a bit from my usual "too cute" images, I perused deviantART and found this fabulous mermaid by Sureya entitled Beneath the Waves.  Isn't she a beauty?!?  Since her hair is pre-colored black, she was the perfect image to layer over a digi paper prior to printing.  The digi background is a freebie from years ago that I altered by slightly blurring it and taking the color from navy hues to more of an aqua.  It doesn't show very well in the photo, but I gave her skin a light aqua cast.  The mermaid's arm cuff, and the scales on her fins have Spica glitter layered over the Copic colors.  The sentiment is from Create with TLC.

Please click on her to see the larger version that better shows her coloring and sparkle.  Have a wonderful day! 

Ice Cream!

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!  Anyone else remember this ditty we used to shout on warm summer days as we heard the tinkling music of the ice cream truck?  On today's card I used the image, Ice Cream #2, by Torico of Birdie Brown Digital Stamps.  Torico's designs always bring a smile to my face, and this double scoop ice cream cone with bows is no exception (you'll have to imagine me grinning from ear to ear).  Of course I had to pair the image with a mix of bright and cheery papers.  The design layout is My Favorite Things Sketch #122.

Imagine That Digis by Kris Challenge #6

Today's card features a gorgeous rose image by Kris that was free to those who participated in her last Challenge.  I've colored this rose in one of my favorite rose varieties, Tropical Skies.  The combo of the creamy yellow/gold blending into the orange and red is so appealing to me.  To represent a trellis, I used the Taylored Expressions Quatrefoil Cutting Plate and added back a few of the cutout pieces.  A caution about fussy cutting the rose...the lines are very fine in this dainty image, so one needs to take extra care in the trimming.  Hope you like my entry into the Imagine That Digis by Kris Challenge #6!

Have a lovely day!

Josie and Jilly's Chat

Today's card is the final for the May 2013 Sweet November Stamp Release (whimper, sigh...have I mentioned I'm addicted to Fairwees?).  But I cannot be too sad with these two sweet little Fairwees calling!  I altered Josie and Jilly's Chat by adding the "Hello" to their can line.  This was one of those cards that went through many drafts (you should have seen the sticky glue residue on my hands from all the times I pulled the layers apart, lol).  In the end, I fussy cut the image, and am pleased with the final card, but the process was a long one.  I'll have to color this image up again, if for no other reason than I love coloring Jilly's hair!

Please stop by Amy's blog, A Thousand Sheets of Paper, and Nancy's blog, Creative Palette, to view their cards using Josie and Jilly's Chat.  Don't miss out on Amy's fabulous candy!  This stamp along with the rest of the May release is now available at the All That Scraps Shop.

A huge thank you to all of you who visit my blog and leave comments!  I truly do appreciate it, and enjoy reading each note.  And welcome to my new followers!  I hope you like the cards I make, and maybe find a little inspiration every once in awhile.

Mia's Kite

Mia's Kite is the third image in the Sweet November Stamps May release.  I know we are not supposed to have favorites, but just look at what a joyful image she is...running through the Spring afternoon, kite flying high above.  To symbolically capture that delightful moment, I used a photo frame die cut from Taylored Expressions.  The kite and Mia's outfit are paper pieced.  Mia and her kite are popped up with foam dots.  A twine kite string, a little bling, and sparkled ribbon finished the card.

Please stop by Amy's blog, A Thousand Sheets of Paper, and Nancy's blog, Creative Palette, to view their cards using Mia's Kite.  Amy has candy that you don't want to miss!!  This stamp along with the rest of the May release is now available at the All That Scraps Shop.

Emaline's Hot Air Balloon

Welcome to the second day of the May Sweet November Stamp release!  Today we find Emaline soaring overhead in a ribbon draped hot air balloon.  For this card, I paper pieced the hot air balloon and ribbon drape, then fussy cut the rest of the image as well.  The green hills are free form cut, the clouds were made with an old Quickutz die, and the butterflies were punched from hibiscus printed paper.  I added a line of shading on the hills, clouds, and ribbon drape.  The sentiment, Happy Day!, is a rub-on which I chose to keep the sentiment from overwhelming the scene.  The papers used in the card are a mix of Echo Park (still trying to use some of those many stashed pads).

 

Please stop by Amy's blog, A Thousand Sheets of Paper, and Nancy's blog, Creative Palette, to view their cards using Emaline's Hot Air Balloon.  This stamp along with the rest of the May release will be available at the All That Scraps Shop today.

Daphne's Ride and My Big News!

Whoo Hoo!  I can finally share my secret with you!  I am a Sweet November Gal!  Each month, along with Amy Young (the talented artist of Sweet November Stamps), and Nancy Thomas (cardmaker extraordinaire), I'll be designing cards to showcase the Sweet November stamp release.  I've admired the skill and creativity of both of these ladies for several years, and I'm thrilled to be a part of the team!  Thank you Amy! 

On to today's card and the first of four May 2013 Sweet November Stamps, Daphne's Ride.  Fairwee Daphne looks positively giddy to be hitching a ride on her winged friend.  So, what better background than this brightly colored, happy Paper Studio paper entitled Fun Bugs?  The bugs on the paper look nearly as happy as Daphne!  Btw, you're getting a "twofer" today.  I couldn't decide on color choices for the image, so I colored two and made them both into cards.

Please stop by Amy's blog, A Thousand Sheets of Paper, and Nancy's blog, Creative Palette, to view their cards using Daphne's Ride.  This stamp along with the rest of the May release will be available at the All That Scraps Shop on May 6th.

I'm Back!

Whew, glad to be home!  Love vacations, but I really have a rough time with lengthy flights (Hawaii to SW FL makes for a LONG flight).  We had a fabulous time with two sets of friends on two different Hawaiian islands.  Thank you Bill and Lucille and Iris and Addison, Greg and I enjoyed our time spent with you seeing the sights and experiencing the adventures of the Big Island and Oahu!  Highlights for Greg and I included night snorkeling with the Manta Rays, a boat trip to view the lava flowing into the ocean, viewing the stars from atop the volcano, seeing the volcano steam vents, teaching Addison to swim (she's 5), getting Iris to try new foods (even some spicy!), touring a submarine at Pearl Harbor, and breakfasts by the beach.  Below are just a few pictures from our trip.

Lava flowing into the ocean evening and night photos. 

 
Wild orchids growing near the volcano steam vents.

Waterfall on Big Island

Shoreline on Big Island

Iris and Addison at the Punchbowl with Diamond Head and Honolulu in the background.