Cute Card Thursday challenge

Happy Wednesday everyone! I am really happy cause it is the first day off I have had for the past week. When it comes to nursing there is no rest for the weary! This is my first card in a couple of weeks but I wanted to enter the Cute Card Thursday challenge for a chance to win a few more kraftin kimmie stamps. Not thrilled with the card but it is acceptable. I was in a bit of a rush cause I thought I had until 8pm tonite but didn't realize the time difference at first, good thing I checked! This is my latest stamp from kraftin kimmie and I think I will decorate the inside and put "Hoppy Birthday" inside from one of her sentiment stamps. I just love the frog on her head, too cute!  The paper is Garden Whimsy I believe it is called from DCWV and she is colored with copics. The lace is from Walmart and the flowers are prima. I stocked up on a bunch of the prima hydrangeas about a year ago and I love them, such pretty colors and flat so easy to mail. I have yellow viva decor pearl pen inside each flower but it is still wet, that is how rushed I was to finish this card! Now I am going to go and work on organizing my 12 x 12 paper, bought a file cabinet from Michaels to store it so we will see how that goes.

Sorry I have been MIA

Hey everyone, 
Sorry I haven't posted lately. Just busy with work and the holidays and my mojo took a backseat. Hopefully things are back to "normal" now and I can start playing with my new stuff from Santa and get back to posting on a regular basis. Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday and best wishes for a great New Year!

Amanda

My first time...

Happy Sunday evening everyone! And please get your mind out of the gutters from my post title. I am talking about my first Pure Innocence image for heavens sake! I have to say I was never a big fan of them but they have sort of grown on me and since I found you can get some of them in digi form I thought I would get a couple and go from there. I have used a couple of paper pads, one is called In the Garden I believe, it was a random one I got at Michaels awhile ago and have never seen anywhere else and the stripe is from the bg jovial paper pack. Those papers are gorgeous, I love the black and red, so dramatic. I punched out some flowers from red glitter paper and have added viva decor pearl pen in white to the centers.




My next two cards are new images I recieved as early christmas presents from my buddy Elaine. The first one is a pergamano stamp called garden girls and the next is a Nellie Snellen stamp. They are both birthday cards for co-workers. It is kinda nice to make something other than christmas cards dontcha think? Ok, supper time and the other half of the game will be starting soon. Go Steelers!!

Multi tasking

Hey everyone! I am multitasking tonite. This card is for three different things, first it is one of my last xmas cards to be sent out, second it is for the stamping bella sketch challenge, and thirdly it is my entry for mo mannings design team (be still my heart!). For some reason this photo looks really blurry while I am doing this post so we will see how it turns out when I hit the big "publish post" button. This is some more of the Winter Wonderland paper by My Minds Eye. I used my copics and tried to use some non-traditional colors to match the paper. It is also glittered to high heaven but that of course doesn't show up too well. There is white ms glitter on her hat, green art glitter on her cuffs and hem and coarse white glitter from ms for some snow at her feet. Now that christmas is almost upon us, has anyone started making New Years resolutions? I am going to try to enter more challenges, I always have good intentions but time just seems to fly by. I bought a little organizer book so hopefully that will be a better system than printing off the challenge and laying it on my worktable, sometimes never to be seen again...

Finally getting to my LOTV images!

Well, it is Sunday evening and the work week is getting ready to begin again. Don't know what the weather is like wherever you are but they are calling for several inches of snow and temp's in the low 20's for the next few days. I guess winter truly is here! This is my next to last christmas card (unless I remember someone I forgot about) and it is for my parents. The paper is mistletoe by memory box and the image is by lili of the valley. I have several of their stamps and meant to do all my xmas cards with them but there were so many cute stamps out there this is the only one I have used. And they have a new release next month and some of the sneak peeks are so cute I know some of my xmas money will be going there.

I tried using some prisma pencils for extra shading on this image. Need to practice it some more cause right now it looks a little harsh but it does add some depth. It also has some chalk ink on the edges of both images to soften them a bit to match the cream color in the background paper and I just noticed I forgot to cover up the "oops" I made when outlining the image on the left. Will have to put a flower or snowflake on it. Ok, that is it for me this evening, time to start supper. Potato soup on a cold evening, yum!

Pearls for a ladybug

Evening everyone and TGIF!! Sorry I haven't posted in awhile but I work weekends on a regular basis and I did this past weekend which left no energy for anything else. I did get this card made up for the ladybug challenge which is to use pearls on your card. I used this Wintertime paper by DCWV and it had a snowflake image on it so I added pearls to the edges and although it doesn't show up well there are viva decor light blue pearls inside the snowflake. I also used a clear gellyroll pen to make the branches of the snowflake sparkle a bit. At least this time of year you can bling things up like mad and no one cares! Hope you all gave a good and safe weekend. It is suppose to get colder and start snowing again the beginning of the week but gosh, it sure is pretty coming down and sitting on the branches of the trees. And it does add a little bit to the christmas mood don't ya think?

Love this Santa!

I love this guy! He is just so happy! This is an image from makeitcrafty and I was going to enter it into a challenge at http://dcdchristmasclub.blogspot.com/2010/12/challenge-46-santas-sack.html which is to use a santas sack on your card. But then I realized this santa has no sack! Oh well, still love him and I can always use an extra christmas card.They have a bunch of charms up for grabs and I always like the look of those when people hang them from ribbon so thought I meant enter and see what happens but I guess ebay it is instead. This is some SEI paper called kris kringle with some mariannes creatables snowflakes (thanks for the die Elaine!) and some more of those crystal poinsettia buttons in the center. The green ribbon running up the center I found at Joanns and you are suppose to iron it on but my atg gun worked just fine thank you very much. I have also found the best glue to attach my stamped images when I have something lumpy, like ribbon, behind it. It is called Yes glue and comes in a big jar. I have found it at Michaels and although it is around $10 with a 40% off coupon it isn't a bad price at all and it is a pretty big jar. Plus this stuff is thick so it raises the image up nicely instead of using pop dots and it STICKS! I love my atg gun but found that I had to bend the stamped image to get it to go over the ribbon and that just looks really bad so try this stuff out if you are looking for something to help raise your images up. Ok, psyching myself up for Monday!

Forgot to tell you I made the top 3 again!

Hey everyone, forgot to tell you in my angst with my longlost camera woe's that I made the top 3 at http://ladybugscraftsinkchallengeblog.blogspot.com/ again! This is extra special cause the girls pick the ones they like the best and that really boosts your confidence. So give it a try, Patty I sent you a stamp so you can play along!

Yeah, my camera, I mean my husband, is home!

Hey everyone! Sorry I haven't posted all week but the hubby had the camera and my little kodak just wasn't cutting it! I have a few cards to post tonite, the first one is from one of my favorite stamp companies, eat cake graphics, and I just love this image. I have so many friends with dogs so I made several of these up. I have used paper from the new My Minds Eye christmas paper I picked up at Michaels but I think the red is some older stuff from my stash.







These next two cards are the same, just different colorways. I thought I had some of the Bo Bunny xmas papers that are the beautiful purple and blue but no such luck. The elf is from mo manning and I added some glamour dust glitter to her hat. The snowflakes are little plastic ones from the craft store that I rubbed with some viva decor paint, love this stuff, so shimmery and dries really fast.

This is the traditional green and red for christmas, same layout but different colorway. This is also some paper from My Minds Eye and the green is from imaginesce. The poinsettias are buttons from the craft store but they add a nice sparkle. These also qualify for the challenge at http://thespottedchick.blogspot.com/. I have to say this sketch is definately going to be used a lot. I don't do well with 20 layers of paper but this one is enough to showcase the paper and the image but not hide all the patterns. Ok, time to make more cards!

Ladybug crafts sketch challenge

Ok, first off I need to apologize for the picture. My husband is at camp this week for buck season and he felt he should have the good camera in case someone gets a deer. Since I have hogged the thing for the past 6 months I couldn't really say "but I need to take pictures of cards" and expect to win that argument. So, this is taken with my little kodak and you see why I upgraded to my canon rebel. Anyways, this is for the ladybugcrafts challenge which was a sketch and I try to play along as much as I can cause Kerry seems like one of the nicest people around and I like to support her and her company. So you may not see much posted this week but maybe extra next week when my camera gets home safe and sound, oh and my husband too. Right now I need to go see why the snowflake lights across my porch are having what appears to be some type of seizure and half of them are no longer working and the ones that are are intermittently twinkling, fading in and out or blinking like they are on speed. Pretty sure my neighbors are NOT enjoying this particular show!

Happy Birthday Grandma!

Howdy everyone! I am not the least bit interested in western stuff so I have no idea why I typed that greeting but hey, a change now and then is good. I have no ability to speak foreign languages so if I start off with Ciao! or something you better watch out, a lot of gibberish is sure to follow. Ok, enough babbling. This card is for my grandmother whose birthday is next week. It could also be a christmas card but I think I am gonna go with birthday. It is one of my kraftin kimmie images, some layered hydrangea flowers and a bit of stickles on the edges of the flower. Oh, by the way, if you apply scattered straw stickles to pick up on the beige in your card on top of a red hydrangea, you end up with red stickles. Hmmph! I am entering this card into kraft cardstock challenges by http://thespottedchick.blogspot.com/ and http://kraftinkimmiestamps.blogspot.com/.

Ladybug Crafts SPARKLE!

Happy Sunday everyone, only a few more days until Thanksgiving and then the countdown begins! My husband dislikes the christmas atmosphere, says it is too commercialized and I agree. I told him to just try and think of it as a time when more people try to be nice to each other (he says he always is which is why I have to say more people. I am pretty sure the people he works with would disagree with him on this point). Anyways, I am plodding along making up some more christmas cards and this one is from Ladybug Crafts Inc. The challenge this week is sparkle and bling. I know it is hard to tell in the photo so I will point out all my sparklyness (?) to you. Again this is the new My Minds Eye christmas paper and a just rite stamp for the sentiment. I spritzed the sentiment with iridescent gold glimmermist and the paper already has sparkle on it. I also added atyou spica glitter pens to the tree star and ornaments and the fire. The snowflakes are some maya road chipboard that I rubbed with the new inka gold platinum paint and I put a red rhinestone in the center of each. I need to get out my snowflake and swirl dies that my friend Elaine (hey girlfriend!) sent me and put them to use. Well, so far the Steelers are winning so my husband should be a happy camper this evening, until he remembers tomorrow is Monday but he is on vacation starting Friday so that is okay. Have a good evening!

Cute Card Thursday entry

Ok, trying again for some kraftin kimmie stamps! This is going to be my entry for the cute card thursday challenge being sponsored by kraftin kimmie this week. The blending of her skirt doesn't look very good with this lighting but it is more gradual on the real card. My photography is improving but still not the best. I used the new xmas papers from My Minds Eye that I picked up at Micheals, they have 2 collections and I got both cause they are too cute! I need to use these papers and not hoard them which is my tendency. They are whimsical which is what I love with nice bright colors. There is a lot of sparkle on this card which is difficult to capture in a picture but the striped paper is glittered and I added tinsel glitter to her earmuffs and edge of her skirt. The snowflake is a chrome button and I highlighted the saying with a clear gellyroll pen. Hope everyone is having a good weekend and I plan to work a bit more tonite so I can enter the ladybugcrafts challenge also.

More ugly sweater cards

My first card for this contest has flower soft all over the sweater with a big glittery star in the center. My husband wanted me to make a dye tied shirt but just couldn't figure that one out, he just knows I hate tie dye things. I do like the paper and the layout so may try to salvage this one after I post it. I made the poinsettia with some flowers for fredshesaid and then misted them with some glimmermist and added the gold minibeads to the center.

Well, this is my other try at an ugly sweater. Although I think this card is cute, she does have an ugly reindeer on the front. I tried to make him sort of bugeyed also with a white glaze pen. No sympathy for the deer population from this blog I tell ya! I would really like to win the stamps from this competition but I think I am done making cards for it as I don't have many done for xmas because I have been fussing with these. I am happier with the hair on these cards too as I can see more definition than my other cards. Ok, have a great weekend everyone, I am taking my mom xmas shopping, please pray for me...

YNS challenge

Ok, I know, still have boring titles to my posts but here kitty kitty with a mouse on a cupcake just seemed wrong! This card is for the YNS challenge which is to use yellow, nesties and stickles. I have yellow paper and a yellow cupcake, stickles for the icing and he is cut out with my nestie. This company has some really cute stamps, none of which I have (yet!) so hopefully I win some. The bling on here isn't perfectly straight (I did it on purpose, that homemade thing ya know...Yeah right) by using my irock tool. Oh, and a congrats to Patty for winning the hanglar stamps giveaway from our friend Elaine. Pick the chubby fairies hint hint...

Posting to resume shortly

Hey everyone, just a quick note to let you know I have some cards in process but was gone for the past few days shopping in Columbus with my mom and my sister. Had a great time, beautiful weather but time now to buckle down with quite a few more xmas cards to make.

CASE for Joe

Well, today is Joe's 49th birthday and this is his card. Have to say the background paper with the lures is not NEARLY as blurry irl as in this picture. I really don't care for this paper pad at all but knew it was more up his alley than I would like and since it is for him... Anyways, I originally saw this stamp and saying on, of course, Jeanie Witmers blog, but this is what I always told Joe when we started dating so I had to get the stamp and make it for him. Luckily, neither one of us actually look like this but he is, and always will be, mine all mine.

I'm a Krafty Chick!!! Wooo HOOOO!!!

Hey everyone, I just recieved one of the best awards a girl can get, in my opinion anyways. I entered the Krafty Chick competition over at http://thespottedchick.blogspot.com/ which is to use kraft cardstock in your card and I won one of the top three spots so I get to have the honor of calling myself a krafty chick! Now, this may not mean that much to you guys but Jeanie is one of the first places I go when I have lost my mojo or just need a good laugh so to me it is a very high honor. Bock Bock!!!

Ladybug crafts 1st challenge! a week late...

Evening everyone! Well, I missed another deadline for a challenge,( and by a week this time!) for the first Ladybug Crafts challenge. There was a sketch to follow and I think I followed it pretty well. Card came out pretty well except for that darn ribbon. It is the crinkle ribbon and it has no body to it. The colors are beautiful and that is why I chose it cause in real life the green matches the matting on the picture but here it looks kinda washed out and sad. I guess I will follow her example and have a drink to deal with it! Does anyone have any suggestions how to manage all the challenges going on out here? I tend to scribble on whatever paper is handy but apparently that isn't a very good system! Ok, Joe just walked in the door complaining about it being dark so early so I better get the other half fed.

Ugly sweater contest!

I have to say I really love this card! The round things on the side didn't photograph very welll but they are epiphany epoxy buttons and I made them out of the trim paper across the bottom so one is blue glitter, one is green with a snowflake and one is blue with a snowflake. Looks cute in real life! Anyhoo, this is for The Greeting farm ugly christmas sweater contest. I tried to print one off of the internet but just couldn't get a clear enough picture so I went with the border paper here and if you look at it you can see the snowflakes are right over her boobies. Pretty darn ugly in real life I would think!

Still not happy with the hair on my images, just looks stripey to me so will keep plugging along until I find a technique I like. Well, that is it for me today. Hope everyone had a good weekend and have a safe work week.

Two christmas cards, one non traditional

Happy Sunday everyone! Kinda dreary weather here but that is okay cause then if I put in my craft room I don't feel guilty about not working outside cause we still have leaves that need raked (again!). This is a card I tried to make in non-traditional colors using a tiddly inks image and some pink, blue and green paper. The snowflake is a marianne creatables I recieved from my good friend Elaine at http://atechnophobesblog.blogspot.com/    You should check her out, she is even on the sugar nellie design team!

Ok, finally figured out how to upload two pictures to the same blog post, has only taken me about 5 months although I have to say I didn't try very hard. Was just easier to do 2 seperate posts. Me lazy? I must admit I have my  moments!  Anyways, this is another mo manning image, you know she is tops in my book, called Caroling. I used the new Basic Grey jovial papers and a holly leave border. Not too much bling except for the poinsettia in the corner I picked up at Joanns in the button section. Ok, that is it for posting right now, off to work on some more cards!

 

Award from Patty

Hey everyone, just recieved this award from Patty and if you follow all the instructions here http://digiswithattitudechallenges.blogspot.com/ you will recieve $5 off your purchase. Part of the award process is to tell 3 unknown things about yourself. So here goes.

1. I would love to be in the culinary arts but I hate too many things to cook that much (hate mayo, raw onions, lemon  the list goes on)
2. I always give my cars names, my first one was named Max (was a stick shift, had to be a male name!)
3. I collect how to books but very rarely use them.

I will pass this on to...
1. Vanessa
2. Elaine
3. Lisa
4. Back to Patty cause she is great and deserves it twice

Little boy and his cookie

I need to get more imaginative with my titles I guess. They all just briefly describe the card I made, nothing humorous like some I see. I don't think I can think that fast on my feet. Anyways, this is another mo manning image I colored up for a friend who is having her baby shower this weekend and knows she is having a little boy. I am happier with the embellishment here, which is just ribbon, but couldn't figure out what to put over the know cause I thought it needed something. I tried a button, cause that would fit the masculine theme, but it just didn't look right. So instead of ruining the whole thing but slapping various "accoutrements" on it I just left it alone. This is some new twill ribbon I got from really reasonable ribbon and I am kinda likin it. I don't normally use much ribbon, not cause I don't like it but, again, cause mine never looks right in my opinion. So instead of doing bows I am just going with a simple knot and will work my way up from there. Ok, time for Survivor so will sign off. Wish they would get rid of that Naonka (spelling?), she is just nasty!

Flutterby card

Hello everyone! This is my card for the flutterby challenge this week which is anything with wings. This is a mo manning image that I glittered the heck out of. I used maya road chipboard covered in green glitter in the corner and then used diamond stickles on her skirt. I think the skirt came out well but the green glitter chipboard might be a little bit of overkill. I envy people who know how to do the embellishments just right. I am rarely pleased with how mine come out. Well, I have another card to post and am trying to post them together but will have to print out the instructions for next time cause I can't seem to remember it all and don't feel like skipping back and forth. Ciao!

Kraftin Kimmie purple challenge

This is a birthday card I made for another friend (my office has a lot of people in it, luckily I am friends with most of them). I also decided to play along with the kraftin kimmie challenge which is to use purple. I looovvvee purple so this was a no-brainer for me. I added some glitter to her earmuffs and the white on her skirt although I don't believe you can tell in the picture. The background paper is by kaiserkraft and I believe the circle friend stamp is by hero arts. Enjoy your evening.

Joans Gardens card

This card is for the challenge at Joans Gardens. I have not entered her challenges before but Patty (hey!) suggested I try so hear we go! The challenge this week is to use something green, punches, something for nature except for flowers and a background for our image. Tried to use a nestability but the image is too big so I hope inking around the edges qualifies. This is a CC designs stamp with My Minds Eye paper and some punches I believe from an ek success handheld punch. Got the acorns out of my backyard but I have to say that after I posted this I took them off and replaced them with some paper flowers. I like the acorns but was afraid to mail it for fear they would get knocked off being so bulky. This is a thank you card to a former patient and his wife who very nicely gave me some bathwash when I discharged him so wanted to let them know I appreciated it.

Cute card challenge

This is the card I worked on today. It is for the cute card challenge and since it is a chance to win some kraftin kimmie stamps I am there! This is a Greeting Farm stamp and since I throw all the packaging away cause I have too much stuff in my studio I have no idea what her name is. I forgot to put a flower in her hair cause I wanted a small crochet one but didn't have any in red then got sidetracked with the bling in the corners and forgot to go back and check my other flowers. I did paint some black enamel paint on her shoes from inkessentials, makes them nice and glossy. Almost time for Just Desserts so will need to sign off. I love all those food challenge shows, makes me want to decorate a cake.