Sweet November Fairwee Emaline

Colored the adorable Fairwee Emaline for my 7 KIDS Sweet November Project Share. Made a bridge fold card using white cardstock and patterned papers. The banner across the front is from the Echo Park Christmas Cheer digital paper set. I altered the color to match my project. The photo doesn't show it, but Emaline is popped up with foam dots and her wings and furry trims are glittered with Wink of Stella pens.

Return of Sweet November

Yippee!!! Amy Young is once again drawing her adorable Sweet November characters and selling them in the 7 Kids Craft Store.  Her first release was last month and Halloween themed.  This month she has a collection of nine new Christmas themed digis titled North Pole Snapshots!  I chose to color up Cookie Thief.  His mischievous grin and sneaky cookie snatching hand was too much to resist, lol.

For the card, I layered the digi image on top of some digi patterned paper for the tabletop and the background.  I paper pieced his shirt with a coordinating patterned paper.  Coloring was quick and easy as all I had left was the elf's face, hands, hair, and hat.  Using Glossy Accents and glitter, the top of the cookies have a nice sparkle.  The Holiday Wishes banner was printed on photo paper and fussy cut.  A small white button completes this festive card.

 

A Special Treat

Today is a special treat for me!  I am a guest designer for this week's Power Poppy's Hues to Use!  After Julie viewed my pink dogwoods card using the Power Poppy stamp Graceful Still Life, she contacted me and asked if I would be interested in accepting the challenge of guest designer for the week.  I was thrilled and of course I said yes!

Here is this week's color inspiration.

And here is my card!

My creative process for Hues to Use is a tad different from my usual approach to card making.  Typically I search my digi library/stash for an image that suits a specific project or just because I think it would be enjoyable to color (Marcella’s being my favorite for sheer indulgence).  The next step is picking colors to work with.  Playing in a Hues to Use challenge makes me switch up the order of picking a stamp and picking colors.  Hues to Use pushes me to consider colors first, then choose an image that works with those colors.  With a prominent butterfly, a Clusiana Tulip (I took a bit of liberty with color here), and a wild Anemone, a circle cropped version of Sunset Sway seemed the best candidate.  Splitting the included sentiment into two parts, half for front and half for the inside, gives balance to the circle.

For this particular challenge, the colors appeared to me as camel, grayed turquoise, and indigo.  The Copic markers that best matched were E31, BG18, and B99.  The highlight and shading colors were built around this foundation.  This color combo is outside my comfort zone (I gravitate to the bright spring hues), but it was fun to work with a more subdued palate.

After coloring the image with Copics and adding a touch of colored pencils, I chalked the background.  I use chalk rather than Copics or other inks as the chalks are more subtle and more forgiving.  The color or blend can be changed if the first try doesn’t look quite right.

Then it’s on to picking papers.  Hmmmm….both a pleasure and a pain.  If the process comes together quickly it’s a joy.  When I search my hundreds (yes, I sheepishly admit to hundreds) of 6x6 paper pads and still cannot find the “right” paper for the “right” look, the process is a total frustration.  Thankfully by looking at a few of my unloved boy themed paper pads I was able to find a pleasing combination!

Embellishments are minimal on most of my cards.  A fishtail banner and three enamel dots complete this card.

I thoroughly enjoyed my stint as guest designer, and I hope you enjoyed viewing my card.

Have a great week!

Black, White, and Chartreuse

Have you checked out this color combo on the Power Poppy blog?  When I saw it, I had to play along!  Black, white, and chartreuse...what a dramatic color palate!  For this challenge I tried something a bit different.  I used colored pencils on black cardstock!  While the process was a tad more involved than usual, the results are worth the effort.

Printing the image, Bubbles and Fizz, on plain paper was the first step.  Next I cut a piece of white graphite paper and attached it to the back of the printed image (fyi, make sure you place the graphite paper with the correct side facing down...lol, I goofed on my first try).  Then I taped the image and graphite paper to the black cardstock, and traced the main lines in the image with a pencil.

After tracing the image, I removed it and the graphite paper to reveal a white image "stamped" on the black cardstock.

Let the coloring begin! I used 50% Warm Grey, Cream, and White for the spheres.  The leaves and stems are colored with Chartreuse, Olive Green, Apple Green, Spring Green, and Prussian Green.

A black and white stripped patterned paper, chartreuse card stock, white card stock, and a white die cut "hello" were all that was needed to complete a card.

Not sure what happened to the color in the card photo, it looks washed out, but the former photo shows the true colors.

Until next time...

Color Pencils and Copic Markers

Hello again.  I've been playing with another Power Poppy digi, Magnolia Sunshine.  As a former East Tennessee gal, magnolias and daffodils are definitely on my "favs" list, so this image had to be colored more than once!  What a perfectly delightful way to practice pencil coloring and copic coloring. 

For these two cards I used a digital software program to layer the image on a slightly green colored background.  A circle was added around the image, and a sentiment was added around the circle.  Then I printed the image twice, once on copic xpress it and once on kraft cardstock.  For the image printed on kraft, I used my Prisma color pencils.  The other image was colored with copics.

What do you think?  I'm happy with both of the projects, but I must admit I am partial to one of them (no, I'm not telling which one).

  

Happy Easter!

Power Poppy Cake

Here are a few cards made with the Power Poppy image Layer Cake.  The blue one is for my dad's birthday.  While it doesn't show very well in the photo, I used some metallic colored pencils on the cake stand and then used Glossy Accents to give it a shine.  I think it gives the stand a vintage feel, and makes it a little more masculine.  Still debating on whether or not to add any embellishments to both his card and the rainbow one.  I kinda like the CAS look.  Hope Dad likes it!

Additional Power Poppy Images

Here are a few more Power Poppy images I've been playing with.  So much fun to color!!!


This one is the same Dogwood digi from the set Graceful Still Life colored with greys and creams.

Here's a card I made for my youngest sister's birthday.  It was a departure from my norm as I used colored pencils on Kraft for this image entitled Autumns Opulence.

Berry It is the image used on the next two cards.  One is colored as red raspberries and one as golden raspberries.  Not sure if I enjoyed coloring these or not.  Was trying to color without merely shading from one side of an object to the next. I am happy with the results, but getting there was somewhat of a pain.  Need more practice getting depth in my coloring.

So that's it for me today.  Thank you for stopping by!

Dipping Toes with Power Poppy

Well today I am dipping my toes back in the blogging pond.  Not sure how long this adventure will last, but I'm giving it a shot with a card I made using the Dogwood image from the Graceful Still Life digi stamp set by Power Poppy.  I adore Marcella's beautiful floral designs!  They make my heart happy!  I was already coloring this gorgeous stamp when the "Hues to Use" challenge was posted on the Power Poppy blog.  Whoo Hoo!  I could play along! 

This image reminds me of the beautiful dogwoods that graced our yard in East Tennessee.  Each spring the hills would turn pink and white with loads of blossoms.  Such a joy to remember the feelings of anticipation created by these heralds of Spring.

 Thank you for visiting.  Enjoy your Wednesday!

A Birthday Card

Still not back into the swing of blogging, but will share a birthday card I made this month.  The card image is Holding a Flower from A Day for Daisies.  Isn't she adorable?  She's been in my stash for ages, but hadn't made it onto a card until now.  I've added a bit of sparkle to her wings with some Crystal Sprinkles. 

Have a Happy Sunday!

Sweet November March 2014 Preview - Hoppy Easter and Two Farewells

Hi all!  Welcome to the Sweet November March 2014 Preview.  Amy has created an adorable set of four Easter rabbits entitled, Bunny Tails.  I've used one of the images on a card.  You'll need to check out Amy's blog and the CC Designs blog to see the other three cute little bunnies!  I chose the rabbit sitting with an Easter Egg for my card.  Isn't he sweet?  The dotted background paper is from the new Doodlebug pad, Springtime.

And now for a few farewells.  The first of the farewells is to Amy.  Amy is stepping away from designing, and ending her Sweet November line of stamps.  How do I even express the sadness I feel knowing such a talent is no longer going to be shared with others?  Amy's was the first card blog I ever visited.  I fell in love with her amazing coloring and card layouts.  And when I discovered she was also a stamp designer...well, I became a devoted fan.  Her images are cute, joyful, and fun to color.  Imagine my delight when she asked me to be a Sweet November Gal and craft cards with her images!  My hope is Amy will become a book author and illustrator and continue to share her stories and drawings with us.  (If she does, I'll get to tell my grandchildren, "I knew her when...")  So dear Amy, I have relished my small part in your journey, and look forward to seeing where your path takes you in the future!

And the second farewell.  I'm stepping away from this blog.  I've thoroughly enjoyed my time here, and thank you to everyone who visited and left sweet comments!  I will miss you all, especially Amy and my former teammates from the Outlawz...Carla, Dawn, Linda, Penny, and Jen...you ladies are the best!  And I apologize to the ladies at From the Heart Stamps...I never really had the opportunity to get to know you.  A special shout out also goes to Mary J, Pam Sparks, Lau, Krista, and Mo for their encouragement and technical assistance.  My decision to step away was not an easy one, but I am at peace with my choice.  Thank you for all the inspiration and support you've given me over the past nearly two years.  What a fun ride it has been!

Sweet November January 2014 Review

Happy Wednesday!  I'm here today with a card for the Sweet November January 2014 Review.  The stamp, The Birds, is the second of the SN January Release.  Don't you just adore the expressions on these birds' faces?  For this card, I layered a digital heart over the image before printing.  Twice altering its size, and adding a sentiment to the inside of one, I printed the same digital heart to use as embellishments.  All three hearts were fussy cut before adhering them to the patterned paper background.

Please stop by Amy's blog and the CC Designs blog to view other creations from the SN January release!  Thank you for stopping by, and have a fabulous rest of your week!

Sweet November January 2014 Release

Happy 2014!!!  And welcome to the Sweet November release for January 2014!  Amy has two adorable stamps this month for you to use on your Valentine's Day cards.  I've used "The Bees" to craft this card.  Aren't they just the cutest bees ever!?!  I added a heart shape around the image and the sentiment "Bee" My Valentine before printing.  Then layered the heart on a patterned paper, added a ribbon, bow, and two double heart stickers.  Voila!  A sweet Valentine's Day card!

Amy has candy, so please do not forget to stop by her blog, and leave a lovely comment for her!  You'll also get to see the other image in this month's release entitled, The Birds.  Both of the images can be purchased at CC Designs tomorrow at 9 a.m.!

New Year - New Priorities

Hi all.  Sorry for the extended absence.  Sometimes life has a way of spinning you around and knocking you from the path you were traveling.  Such has happened to me.  Family has become a renewed priority, and blogging and visiting blogs must take a backseat.  With sad regrets, I've resigned from both the Outlawz and From the Heart Stamps design teams.  I'll miss my fabulous team leaders and members, and the followers of those groups.  However, I am staying on as a Sweet November gal!  Amy is going to an every other month release, so I can still devote the time I need to family and friends, and also have a bit of fun crafting cards.  Hope you all will check in here for the Sweet November releases...the first one being January 1, 2014.  Hugs to everyone and best wishes for a fantastic 2014! 

A Brief Leave of Absence

My husband's father passed away today.  During this time of mourning, my husband needs my attention and support.  I'll be taking a brief leave of absence from card making, blogging, and visiting blogs.  Thank you to all of you who have sent warm and sympathetic wishes, thoughts, and prayers.  Tentative plan is to be back online the week of December 8th.

Have a Happy and Blessed Thanksgiving!  And hug your family members and those dear to you very tightly!

Tress

Outlawz Fridays Alcohol Markers Challenge - Thankful

It's the time of year when we reflect and give thanks for the many blessings we are privileged to have in our lives.  So it is no surprise that the theme this week for the Outlawz Fridays Alcohol Markers Challenge is "Thanks".  If you read my earlier post today, you'll know I'm on a candle binge at the moment.  Love them!!  I've already amassed quite a collection ready to give as gifts for Christmas.  And I had to craft a few additional ones for occasions such as birthdays, and of course, Thanksgiving!  The image is a There She Goes Stamp from the set "Bountiful Blessings", and the sentiment is from TLC.

 

Please join Carla, Dawn, Jen, Linda, Penny and me over at the Outlawz to share your creations!  Looking forward to seeing your Thanksgiving or Giving Thanks projects!

 

FTHS November Stamp of the Month Challenge - Mid Month Reminder

Hi Everyone!  I'm here today with a reminder for the FTHS November Stamp of the Month Challenge and something a bit different from my usual cards.  I tried my hand at using an image on a candle.  And I am hooked!  So much fun!  Without further ado, here is Balloon Ride!

A few things I learned in this process: 

1.  Use MUCH darker colors than you normally would.  To give you an example...the darkest green you see on the candle is YG17 which now looks similar to YG25.  And my little mousies don't show up very dark even though I used W5 on them.

2.  Be careful with the amount of ink you use...It will bleed!  I had to let each color dry a bit before adding the next or the surface was entirely too wet.

3.  Speaking of wet...you'll need to place a scrap piece of cardstock under your tissue paper.  I taped my tissue paper down to keep it from moving about while I was coloring.

4.  Make sure you pull the wax paper tightly and SMOOTHLY around your candle.  Otherwise you'll end up with a crazy pattern melted into your candle.

You can click here for directions on how to create this project.  The directions are from Kim O'Connell for My Favorite Things.  Or you can do a Google search for videos.  There are several on the web.

My supply list for this project:
FTHS image, Balloon Ride
Tissue Paper
Copic Markers
Wax Paper
Heat Gun

If you played along in the challenge last month, you were emailed this image for FREE! If you missed out, you can still play along with the challenge by purchasing the image, Balloon Ride. Then you can enter the challenge and receive next month’s digi free. OR if you spend $10 in the From The Heart Stamps store this month, you can enter code CELEBRATE to receive this as a free gift. (Make sure your purchase doesn’t include this image or you will receive 2). 

Hope to see your creations using Balloon Ride in this month's Challenge!

 

From the Heart Stamps Sketch Challenge 42 - Even Germs Love You

 Ready for a giggle?  I couldn't resist pairing this From the Heart Stamps image, Sick Chick, with this sentiment from Create With TLC.  Sick Chick looks so pitiful and poorly...he needed a sentiment that would elicit a smile and maybe even a giggle.

Using Sketch 42 as the design layout made this card come together rather quickly.  I didn't have to agonize over where to place elements!  Please consider joining in the challenge...using a sketch really does make your card crafting less stressful!

My recipe for this week's Sketch Challenge card is:

Image: Sick Chick
Paper: My Mind's Eye Hootenanny and American Crafts Card Stock
Coloring Medium: Copics
Other Supplies: Digital Sentiment from Create with TLC
Sketch: Sketch 42

Hope you play along with the design team at the From the Heart Stamps blog.  Remember, EVERYONE who enters will receive $1 credit to the From the Heart Stamps digital store.  Use it as a discount, or save the credits up to earn a free stamp.  Linky will close on Sunday at 10 pm CST.

Outlawz Fridays Alcohol Markers Challenge - Cellulite

TGIF!  Today's Outlawz Fridays Alcohol Markers Challenge theme is "Tickle My Funny Bone".  You can choose any occasion as long as the card has a humorous element to it.  I've been a fan of Bugaboo for quite awhile, and today seemed the perfect time to use one of the Stella images.  I love this sentiment on the Frame it Stella Cellulite image!  Seems the older I get, the more of Stella's attitude I adopt (much to hubby's dismay, hehe)!

Not sure why this yellow cardstock continues to photograph as electric neon.  In real life it is a soft yellow.  One of these days I'll have to set up a better way to snap photos of my cards, and look to upgrading my camera.  Anyone have info on a camera they love?

Please join Carla, Dawn, Jen, Linda, Penny and me over at the Outlawz to share a giggle or two with us this week!  Everyone can use an additional humorous card in their stash! 

Sweet November November 2013 Release Preview - Midnight's Christmas

Happy Wednesday!  Just look what happens when Santa turns his back for a moment!  These four adorable little kittens found plenty of mischief to make!

These darling little critters are from Amy's Sweet November November 2013 (not a typo with the double November, lol) Release entitled Midnight's Christmas!  While they are individual stamps, they are being sold as a set.  At first I was going to make a card featuring each little kitten, but since we only have one preview day this month, I decided to create a scene and use them all on one card!  The table is a digi stamp from Little Miss Muffet Stamps Tea Party Set.  Sorry, I do not remember the artist/company of the fir tree in the pot.  After getting all the stamps laid in the design, I drew in a baseboard.  Voila!  A scene was created!  The wall and floor are chalked, and a bit of colored pencil was added to the floor for some shadow.  A string of lights, a rub-on sentiment, and a bow for the little girl kitten were all that was needed to complete the card.

Please visit Amy's blog and Nancy's blog to see what they've created with these sweet, but mischievous  kittens.  We adore reading your comments, and Amy, generous as always, has candy!  She'll be drawing names from a hat, and you can increase your chances of winning by commenting on all three of our blogs.  This set will be available for sale tomorrow at C.C. Designs.

From the Heart Stamps Sketch Challenge 41 - Take Me Away

I'm really going to date myself here and ask, does anyone remember the commercial tag line, "Calgon, Take Me Away!"?  Well this card was inspired by that commercial tag line.  This image, Birdbath Chick, reminds me of the blissful ladies in their bathtubs full of Calgon bubbles.  To maintain that calm, soothing feeling, I limited the color palette to blue, white, and peach.  It doesn't show very well in the photo, but I added Paper Glaze to the bath bubbles after lightly coloring them to give them a glossy look.

Today's FTHS Sketch, number 41, is getting earmarked to use again!  I like the flexibility and simplicity of this design.

My recipe for this card is:
Image: Birdbath Chick
Paper: Doodlebug Up,Up, and Away, Digitally created blue stripe, and American Crafts cardstock
Coloring Medium: Copics
Other Supplies: Quickutz die cut bubbles


Hope you play along with the design team at the From the Heart Stamps blog.  Remember, EVERYONE who enters will receive $1 credit to the From the Heart Stamps digital store.  Use it as a discount, or save the credits up to earn a free stamp.  Linky will close on Sunday at 10 pm CST.

Update on Greg's Dad:  He is out of the hospital and in a rehab/nursing home facility.  No intestinal blockages or cancer was found!  The doctor's best guess as to the cause of his deterioration is spinal stenosis.  At this point they are concentrating on physical therapy and medication as the course of treatment.  He is not strong enough for any surgery.  The immediate goal is to get him walking. 

Thank you again for visiting and for your well wishes and prayers.  The family and I so appreciate it!!!  Even though I haven't been to your blogs for a visit, I do see the thumbnails of your cards in my blog list.  Such amazing cards you all create!  Cannot wait to get back to visiting your blogs and commenting!  Hugs to you all!