Some Things from our Girl's Night Out

Okay... so maybe it's really "Girl's Night In"... 'cause we were all within the confines of the Wired Angel's Craft Grotto and it was REALLY cold outside. We might have to rename our craft nights!!

I've got a few things to show you today.  A friend wrote and asked if I would show the set of monogrammed cards that we did at our December Girls' Night Out... she loved them so much and wanted to show her Aunt. So here's a quick shot of what the set of six cards looked like once they were finished... (p.s... she needs to make a set of these for her Aunt.. don't you think?)

And here's another version of the entire boxed gift...

It makes a lovely gift... and it's quite easy-peasy. You can see my original post here.

At our January Girl's Night Out this was one of the items we made. It's a 5.5" square card with a hand-made designer paper envelope to match the card. We used some copics to color the heart wreath.. and the ladies just LOVED this project!!! It was a perfect Valentine's card for someone special.

I'll have more tomorrow to show you .....in the meantime, happy crafting.

And, until then, be safe in all you do!

More from our Girl's Night Out

Wow.. a little correction needed from my previous post. YES! We will have snow here in the KC area...and a VERY white Christmas. Santa won't be having any trouble getting into our town.. but he might have a hard time getting out! 


Here's another project from our last Girl's Night Out. It's just a perfect card to send to a good friend for her birthday or just to say hello and send some cheer. I like the 'girly' look of this with the little touch of bling. And the ladies LOVE using copic markers... nothing else comes close to the results!

And here's another view....

I'm not sure of the proper name of this fold.. so I call it 'fun fold'. The beauty of it is that it fits perfectly into an A2 envelope... can you believe it? My friend Leila gave me the most adorable card using this layout and then showed me how easy it was to make. Really...it's not intimidating at all.

Thanks Leila.. I had to work this into our GNO and the ladies loved it!

So, what is the name of this fold anyway??

'Til next time, happy crafting, be safe in all you do... and have a Merry and very blessed Christmas!

Sending hugs from here to there...

Details: Designer paper SU, White cardstock, Stamp from Stampendous, rhinestone bling from my stash, Copic markers.

A Quick and Elegant Gift Idea

Where in the world has December gone? Four days until Christmas and still so much to get accomplished. I made a HUGE mistake and stopped at the mall today... YIKES!!  Everyone stopped by the mall today. Don't they know we're in a recession? HA!


This is a recent project from our last "Girls Night Out" that I wanted to share with my followers... It's a very quick project that makes the most delightful gift. I call them 'anytime' cards.. perfect for a thank you note or to write a quick letter to a friend. I always keep anytime cards and a few stamps in my planner so they're always accessible if I need one unexpectedly.

My dear friend and co-hostess, Sherrie, found acrylic boxes that hold A2 cards perfectly.. and there are six cards and envelopes in this set. This card has a base paper of creme/winter white and the designer paper is velvet flocked. In the set there are other variations of this designer paper series in these coordinating colors.

I used a scallop punch to encircle the monogram that was embossed in gold.  This clean and simple look is quite elegant when packaged and makes the nicest gift.

The ladies gave huge rave reviews for this project... it was definitely a hit.

Now if I could only get this in the mail I might accomplish something!  It might have to become a Valentine gift if I don't get moving!

Have a terrific day and joyous Christmas... and be safe in all you do!

Details: Neenah 80# creme cardstock and black cardstock, DCWV La Creme designer paper, pop dots, gold embossing powder, scallop and circle punches.

More from Mo’s Digital Pencil

I always had a fondness for reading bedtime stories to my sons when they were tots. I love the quiet time and watching their expressions…wide-eyed then slowly drifting off to sleep. There were many times when I intentionally left out a few words or skipped a page to do a ‘sleepiness’ check.. but they always caught me and I was busted!! These are special memories that still make me smile.

Remember the story of Little Red Riding Hood… her grandmother eaten whole by the wolf? Wow…that’s enough to give a little kid night horrors…

This card is made using one of the Red Riding Hood images from Mo’s Digital Pencil. .. so in keeping with a “Grimm’s Fairy Tale” version. I’m sending it to a friend of mine out West who has the worst luck with guys… so it reads “Once upon a time”… I think she’ll get a huge chuckle out of it.

This is little Bella and Bronte from Mo’s collection. I scaled the digital stamp down in size, used watercolor paper and colored with Doc Martin’s ph watercolors.. new art stuff I’ve added to my stash, and so much fun to use.

and here’s a closeup

This is another rendition of Bronte waiting for his treat. This is a fry box made using a Sizzix die and it holds doggie biscuits. Perfect little gift to bring to a friend’s pup. This is one of my projects for the craft fair at AppleFest in Weston, MO this October.

Thanks for stopping by today… enjoy your day, and be safe in all you do.

Hmmm… Hmmm good!

Not exactly my taste in good food, but House-Mouse ‘Mudpie’ apparently loves roughage. It’s easy to pick out Mudpie in any House Mouse image.. he’s the one with the nick in his ear.

This would be a perfect card to send to a teacher as the new school year begins – a little different from the typical red apple image for a change. I don’t think we could ever thank our teachers and school staff enough for all they do for our children.

 

Thanks so much for stopping by. Enjoy your day!

Details:  House Mouse “Little Nibbler”, Copic markers, Martha Stewart craft seam binding, brad from Oriental Trading, SU Blush Blossom cardstock, white cardstock, Designer Paper is the Ginghams and Stripes collection from ProvoCraft, The corner is pierced using the SU mat-pack.

"I've been Zindorf-ed"

This past Saturday, I had a great opportunity...I spent the entire day in the Beginning and Advanced classes conducted by Michelle Zindorf while she was visiting Columbia Missouri. I've been following Michelle since my early days as a stamper and card-maker, and I've been in awe of her work as so many of us have been. Everything Michelle does is just awesome and I was so glad I had the opportunity to be part of the workshop. Michelle's talent.. her card layouts, color techniques and workshops are amazing.

So, like a good student, I took what I learned and attempted a few cards on my own. These are quite simple in comparison to Michelle's work, but at least it's a start for me. Thank you Lisa for hosting this opportunity for so many of us to meet Michelle, and to get to know her techniques.

Thanks for stopping by. Enjoy your day, have a few laughs along the way, and be safe in all you do.

Welcome to a new week

Hello everyone. Cheers to the start of a terrific week for all of us.

Today I’ve got two new darling images from Mo’s Digital Pencil to show you. The first is a Christmas image of two little boys.. the youngest is totally bored and probably frightened of Santa.. and the older brother has a wish list a mile along. I made this for the Christmas Stampin’ All Year Long challenge. The criteria this week is to create a card and decorate the inside. I’m usually guilty of leaving the inside of my cards blank allowing the user to create their own message.. slightly ‘generic’…  But for this challenge (although there’s no pic of the inside) it reads “May all your Christmas wishes come true”..and this little guy is hoping his wishes all come true.

The second is Mummu… you’ve seen her before on my blog, but this time she is rockin’. Mummu has a great attitude. and my interpretation is that she’s having a great time hearing music that perhaps only she can hear. Isn’t she having fun? Check out those sandals… they might even be BIrkenstocks!

 

Both cards were colored with Copics.. For the Christmas card, the paper is white, navy and red linen and embossed with the snowflake Cuttlebug folder.. “Mummu” is made from white linen, Bazzill lime, black linen and the corner decoration is using an SU punch. Check out all of the darling digital stamps that Maurie Manning has for sale at her site.

It’s a Digital Kinda Day!

Happy Saturday everyone.. and for those who jump start our economy every day… enjoy your time off!! This week has been filled with exciting stuff… I’ve won lotteries in the UK, Ireland, Nigeria, Sudan, and throughout Asia… I’ve also had close family members I’ve never heard of in England, Chad, the Congo and other parts of South Africa leave me millions and millions of dollars (bazillions!!) in their wills.. Yep, I’ve been overwhelmed with spam this week. How ‘bout you?

Really… I’ve been busy creating.. and have so many cards and projects to show you that I’m posting three today… all of which are inspired by great digital stamps.

The first is a digital image from Dustin' Pike's newest release and the card is for the Design D.I.V.A.S. challenge at my Splitcoast blog group. Our theme is Christmas in July and the challenge required snowflakes somewhere on our project. I used a scallop Sizzix die to cut the olive paper, used green and turquoise for a non-traditional look and colored with Copics. Did you know you can create polka dots by lighting touching the color with the tip of the colorless blender as I did with the scarf and hatband. I added liquid appliqué to the cuffs on the boots and shirt and used a heat gun to puff it up and create a furry look.

For the second card I used the tulip image from the KLM Digital Designs collection. This striking image was created by Sue West of KLM and it’s… just perfect for coloring with Prisma pencils.. my favorite!! Check out all of their fantastic digital stamps and get some inspiration while visiting.

My third card is for the DareU2DigiStamp Friday challenge. I love this challenge and the opportunity to touch base with friends across the Pond and see all the inspiration and talent that Chris, Sandra, and their design team put together. This week’s challenge is to create a card (or project) using pink, black and white.
For my third card, I used this digi stamp from Mo’s Digital Pencil. Maurie Manning is brand new to the digital stamp world and the details in her sketches are amazing. You have to check them out.. she’s posting new items every day.

Thanks for stopping by, enjoy your day (check your email for lottery wins!!) and be safe in everything you do.

I'm a Coloring Junkie!

Yes, I am... I love to color. I would rather color than make cards.. and I admit it! My new friend Maurie said there's a Zen-like quality to the satisfaction of coloring... so well said and I couldn't agree more. Friends call me... ask me what I'm up to and my pat answer is 'coloring'... yes, housework, creative kitchen commando stuff, gardening and even golf all aren't getting quite the attention they used to. So I'm guilty.. just throw me in jail!

So, knowing that I love to color, I'm always on the hunt for great images to play with... These two beautiful sketches are from the very new collection at Digital Pencil. Aren't the details amazing? Mo is offering a freebie today.. so head over there and check out her amazing sketches just perfect for prisma and copic coloring. There's a link there that will take you to the freebie.. wait 'til you see it!

Many of you think I can't draw.. but I can! See this little lovely.. it's a self-portrait.

Now you know why I leave the drawing up to the experts!! Anyway, I hope I made you smile and brightened up your day. 'Gotta have some fun along the way.

Thanks for stopping by... enjoy your day and be safe in all you do.

Details: "Gran and Me": Digital Pencil digital images, copic markers, white and black linen paper, yellow gingham paper from The Paper Studio, Back to Basics series. dimensions, sentiment from My Favorite Things.

Ready for Snow: Digital Pencil digital images, Prisma and Lyra pencils, Gamsol, Sentiment from Stampin' Up, White Linen paper and SU Pale Plum cardstock and ink.

Check Out "Digital Pencil"

Hello Stampers. Happy Tuesday! It's a beautiful day here in the KC area. Perhaps we haven't turned into a newly-created rain forest after all. But since it's KC the weather can change in a New York minute... or a Cincinnati second!!

I have some really exciting news to share. While blurfing I came upon a wonderful blog that belongs to the very talented author and illustrator of children's books, Maurie J. Manning. Maurie (Mo) has just released her first digital images! They are soooo brand new to the papercraft world -- and you have to check them out. If you like to color as I do, these images will knock your socks off. They are PERFECT for copics, watercolors and pencil coloring. Maurie's details, style and imagination are just amazing - take a look at her portfolio and illustration blog.

Here's my first card using Maurie Manning's "Girl and Dog" image. Isn't this little Asian girl adorable? We're always looking for ethnic art to use in our projects. Maurie has other ethnic images and great digital (resizable) images available on her Etsy site.


I had the 14th weekly challenge at DareU2DigiStamp in mind when I created this card. Hosts Chris and Sandra challenged us to use dry or wet embossing on our project. If you haven't participated in their weekly challenge yet, jump in. The parameters are simple.. just use a digital image in your card or 3-D project along with different guidelines each week. Check out what the Design Team and participants have come up with here. There's always great inspiration in store.

Be sure to come back as I'll have more of Maurie's Digital Pencil art to share with you later this week. I would love to hear what you think of Maurie's work and my card... so please leave me a comment!

Thanks for stopping by, be safe and enjoy your day!

Details: Digital image "Girl and Dog" from the "Digital Pencil" collection of Maurie J. Manning, white linen cardstock, SU Pixie Pink, Gable Green and Pretty in Pink cardstock, Basic Gray Designer Paper, SU Mat pack, ribbon from Michael's, Prisma and Lyra pencils, Gamsol, blending tortillons and stumps, SU dimensionals, Swiss Dots Cuttlebug embossing folder, sentiment from My Favorite Things.

Two PTI Challenges

Hello Stampers! Happy Thursday. I’ve got two projects to share with you. Since I have been playing catch-up lately (this is not typical of me!) I needed to focus on two of the most recent Paper Trey challenges over at my blog group.

The first is for Pam’s challenge which is to create a masculine card. My son is quite the guitarist and never had an official lesson. Some people just get this kind of talent naturally. Lucky Thom! I’m sure he’s missing his guitar while he’s away in Basic Training. Since his birthday is approaching this summer, and the fact that I write to him as often as I can, I had to make this card using an image my friend Lelia lent to me. Sorry, but I don’t know the name of the company. But as soon as I saw the image I knew that it would become a card for Thom.

The next challenge is from Katy of KLM Designs. Katy chose a color challenge from a picture of a wall-hanging that she saw at Coldwater Creek. Here are the colors. I love this combination that she used – they are so soft, peaceful and clean looking.

I used one of KLM’s digital images from a recent release for my project. The ribbon is as close as I could get to the color in the challenge.. but all of the other colors are in the prisma-colored image.. you might just have to look closely.

Thanks for stopping by.. enjoy your day, and be safe!

Woof, woof, woof...

One of the things I needed to accomplish today is to make a Father's Day card for my husband. Even though John never had children of his own, he is totally loved by three mini schnauzers and treats them as if they were his kids. It's kind of a mutual thing as they adore him and have separation anxiety when he's gone. And Dad has a hard time being away from them too!

Yesterday while at the Stampers Convention in Collinsville Illinois I bought these stamps by Bugawumps.... they are just perfect for my project. Schnauzers aren't much in color beyond silver, gray, slate and bits of brown.. but they are adorable. That's Molly on the left, her Mom, Mitzi, and dad Buddy.

Thanks for stopping by... enjoy your day.

Details: I colored the Bugawump image with Prisma pencils... cardstock is white, black and red linen. The dog's bowl and sentiment is from Judith.

KLM’s Newest Release

If you haven’t yet tried digital images, you have to check these out from KLM Digital Designs. Katy and Sue (Daughter and Mom) have created the cutest images. This is my card for the first release with the new design team, just one of the new images to be released tomorrow, June 8th.

They’ve got lots more to come, so keep stopping by to check for new items....

I used Prisma pencils with Gamsol, MS yellow ribbon, Crystal Effects, Computer-generated sentiment, Back to Basics DP from The Paper Studio.

Thanks for stopping by.. I hope your day is a cupcake kind of day!

Dare U 2 Digi Stamp

Hello everyone! Happy Friday.. we are now another week closer to retirement (yikes!). That's a common statement each Friday in our household that's meant to stir some lively dinner conversation.. but lately it's become VERY scary.... It was a fun thing to say 5-10-and even 15 years ago when I arrived home at the end of each week.. but now.. not quite so sure. It has become a statement that makes people sit up straight in their chairs and start to think....

On a much more positive note, Friday is time for the Dare U 2 Digi-Stamp challenge.. and this week's challenge is about a digi-stamp (of course) and to include ribbon.. Okay, I can handle that one. I did double-duty on this challenge as it also meets the color challenge at my Design D.I.V.A.S. group. Here's my submission for the challenge.

It's a digital image from Sketching Stamper.. Chris' art is phenomenal and you have to check it out and add some of her images to your collection. Her use of shading in this floral series is terrific. Wow.. what talent! This lovely lilac was colored using Copic markers onto white linen paper, SU's Perfect Plum and Bazzil's yellow card stock. The ribbon is Amethyst from Joann's. Hope you like it. Enjoy your weekend...be safe, and thanks so much for stopping by.

Freebie From Dustin Pike

Hi everyone - I've got a quick one to share with you today.. this bird is the freebie for this week over at Dustin Pike's blog... grab it while you can because they aren't posted forever!

This image could easily become a Jay Hawk. Kansas University fans would would love to have this image.

I used copic markers, SU and Bazzill designer papers, white linen cardstock and the sentiment is from My Favorite Things.

Thanks for looking! Enjoy your day.

Dare U 2 Digi-Stamp

Hello everyone! Happy Monday and happy June! It's hard to believe that summer will officially arrive in less than three weeks.... here in the Midwest we never really had much of a Spring...unless you count a LOT of rain as Spring.

I've been MIA for two challenges at Dare-U-2-Digi Stamp's and have missed my blog friends across the Pond. What a great group of ladies. The DY2DS challenge is all about incorporating digital images into scrapbooking or cardmaking projects. I love it! I can resize, stretch and reduce the images for my needs.



This week's challenge is a sketch (my fav) and here's my interpretation. I used a digital image from a new digital company called KLM Designs. This little clown was colored with Prisma and Lyra pencils and I used Crystal Effects on his shoes and nose. The background DP is from SU and the other papers are bits from my scrap bin (I'm staying 'green' and trying to use up 'stuff'). The adorable glitter flowers (Dazzlers from Petaloo) were a gift from my enabler friend, Dana!!

Thanks for stopping by.. Ciao for now,

Doodle Dragon Release

Well, it’s Thursday and that means Dustin Pike has posted his brand new release over at his blog. The images, as usual, are so cute. Don’t forget to pick up an extra freebie this week that Dustin posted last Friday. While there check out the Design Team’s gallery for lots of inspiration. So many are perfect for summer card-giving.

Enjoy… and thanks for stopping by.

Dare You 2 Digi Stamp Challenge 5

Hello everyone..

Today I have a card to show you that I designed for the fifth challenge at Dare You 2 Digi Stamp (DY2DS)… It’s a sketch this week, hosted by our friends Sandra and Chris, from across the Pond. This is a Friday challenge, but since they are currently at least six hours ahead of us… and very close to Greenwich Mean Time, they are fast asleep (well, maybe).. and I have had the opportunity to design this while enjoying a hot cup of PG Tips… the most wonderful tea that the UK has to offer!

This beautiful digital image is from Chris of Sketching Stamper and you can view her wonderful designs here. With Mother’s Day approaching here in the States, it would be perfect. I have always loved the combination of yellow and black. I think it’s such a striking contrast and a perfect Spring card.

Thanks for stopping by! Enjoy your Friday and have a wonderful weekend!

Details: Paper Pizzazz designer paper, SU designer paper, black and white linen cardstock, SU Vanilla Grosgrain ribbon, So Saffron paper, Copic markers, Sketching Stamper Digital Image.