Sketch 75 and PP&P Challenge!

 

What do you do when your Mojo runs out? When your muse has gone on vacation without you? When you have piles of paper at your fingertips and can’t figure out what to do with it? Such has been my life, a little bit. I usually don’t struggle this way. Being down with my bum leg, I assumed, would give me loads of time to sit and scrap and just get better. As it turns out, I have no oomph. No inspiration. Help!

Here are a few ideas. . . one being the usual rescuer of my creative soul. . . the Stars & Stamps blog which always has great tutorials, challenges and sketches. Here is last Sunday’s sketch #75  which is different, and has turned out to be a whole lot of fun.

Here is my card – made with some favorite new paper from Imaginisce and a cute bear stamp set by Close To My Heart. I colored him with Copic markers. Kirsten, if you are reading this, you left your Copics at my house. :D

I love the summery campy look of this card. I used a wood grain paper in the background. Try as I might, I haven’t been inspired to make a sentiment on or in this card. “Wood you be mine?”   . . . “Wood you like to go camping?”   lol. . . help me out here folks. :)

So speaking of fun summery cards, Cindy’s latest challenge over at Papers Pads and Pictures is all about making a summery themed card. You should definitely check it out, and get yourself entered to win some fun paper goodness. These challenges have had only a few entries each week and so hey, your chances to win are fantastic! I’m just sayin’!!! Plus Cindy always has such fun things to see and do at her blog. I know that you will love it.

On the slate for the near future is a bunch of fun 4th of July things and a blog hop with Little Scraps of Heaven Designs  (see previous post!) that promises to be a lot of fun. Between the LSHD bear and the little guy on this card, you would thing I would be finished with bears, but I can’t BEAR the thought of being without my favorite critters. . . lol. . . (groan). . . . okay sorry.   :)  Thanks for stopping by!!!

The Truth About Markers!

 

So… I do get a lot of email questions about coloring stamps and digital images for making cards and scrapbook layouts. Coloring is fun – especially when you have a lot of down-time like I have had lately! I also keep a stash of stamped images and markers handy next to the couch, for coloring while watching TV or movies. It’s relaxing, and fun. . . and then when I make cards I have loads of ready-to-go images to just slap down on the card and I’m finished!

Markers. . . there are a ton of different brands and varieties. Permanent, water-based, alcohol based, washable, cheap, expensive. . . which ones are best? I must admit that in my stash I have several of all varieties. In my quest to decide which brand I love best I gotta say that each different type has its valuable uses. I think that today’s video tutorial will explain it best. I hope that you enjoy watching and learning. Here are three still shots of finished digi-stamps that I promised. The stamps used in this video are from Little Scraps of Heaven and it was awfully nice of them to allow me to use their stamp as an example. Thank you!!! They have so many cute digis. . . go see!

Click to see them larger. . . the first bear was colored with water-based, washable markers. The second, with permanent, alcohol based markers. The last was colored and blended with the same permanent alcohol based markers. . . the video demonstrates how this was done.

 

Thanks for stopping by, and thanks for watching! :)

Sketch 73

 

 

Another fun one from OWH Stars & Stamps Blog. . . don’t forget to grab your weekly sketch and check out Kate’s instructions on how you can collect them all!

    

Favorite Color Cards!

 

Did you hear? I went on an awesome trip. Not the kind to Cancun or the Bahamas, either. I slipped and twisted my leg badly – dislocated my knee and tore up some ligaments. Booo hiss! This is not how I want to be spending my summer!

Things are getting better slowly but surely and I am at least able to get around to the crafting table more often these days! Cindy, over at Papers Pads and Pictures had a fun idea for the new challenge. . . and a lot of cool bonus information on your favorite colors!

I’m not gonna lie. I had a hard time with this one. I love gem or jewel tones best. Ruby red, emerald green, amethyst purple, sapphire blue. . I love red and purple together! But if I have to narrow it down to just one, I will choose some pretty shades of purple. Two of my favorite ink colors by Close To My Heart are Gypsy and Pansy Purple. I used them together, along with the You And Me stamp set (D1495) to make this fun purple tri-fold card. I have made lots of Birthday and Christmas tri-fold cards in the past – but this one seems like it could be for just about any occasion.

I love that swirly flourish stamp, and I used one of my favorite latest techniques . . . I used my iRock tool to affix some purple gems to the ends of the swirls. Here is a little closeup.

Oh, and if you need a little brush-up on that tri-fold pattern, my video is still here on YouTube!

 

 

Be sure to stop over at Cindy’s and enter your card for the challenge – your favorite-color card can be any style, occasion, layout, sketch or design that you like, but it has to be your favorite color! As a bonus, leave me a message. . . tell me what your favorite color is, and why? Do you have one particular color or shade of cardstock or ink that you just have to have?

Thanks for stopping by!

Sketch 72 and Mom. . .

 

My mom is coming for a visit! She’ll be here Friday. I have been trying to keep her stocked up on some pretty cards to send to her friends, since a lot of them live here in Idaho and she is out in Tennessee. 

As always, I’m inspired by this weekend’s sketch from Stars & Stamps. Mom loves music. She has always been a wonderful musician, singer and pianist. She provided me with all sorts of music lessons as a kid. I still have my love of music – and love to incorporate it in my art whenever I can. I found some beautiful papers in the Performance stacks by DCWV. If you haven’t seen them, go look! They are gorgeous. . . and I have lots of coordinating goodies to go with. . . Here is my first card from the stack, and I will post more from the stack later on. . . I’ve downloaded a ton of musical quotes for sentiments and I am shooting for at least a dozen cards for Mom. Here is sketch #72 and my first card. What can you do with this fun sketch? Be sure to post it over at S&S!

June Expressions

 

How fun to have a kit full of fun things to make to celebrate DAD! And just in time for Father’s Day too. Have you purchased your June Expressions card kit from Express the Moment yet?

Here are the projects that I have completed with the kit so far –

The kit includes a pillow box that is super easy to assemble and decorate – there is also a whole page of tags and a sheet of letter stickers.

There are little metal photo hangers that fit perfectly on the ends of the tags. Here is another tag project – I attached it to a cute little bag that came from the kit. I thought that it would be fun to fill the bag with Dad’s favorite candy!

Here is a card on an A-2 sized base. The kit includes these little “information” pockets by 7Gypsies that are just adorable. I thought that this would be a really fun card to make from the kids – each one could write what they love about Dad on a blue tag and the tags fit so cute in the pocket. Fun! Are you digging the adorable striped paper?

Another card – with a tag and a punch-out, a button, a heart and some cute ric-rac ribbon.

The kit also includes a blue paper sack that is the perfect size for decorating and filling with goodies for Dad – like a burned CD or a gift card to their favorite store!

Here are two really fun cards that I have enjoyed making lately – the tutorials for both can be found at the Stars & Stamps blog by clicking the “tutorials” button – there are new tutorials every week and these ones are both really simple and fun! With all of the cute patterned papers in this kit, who can resist making a crazy tie card for Dad?

 

These last four are shots of a fun project that can be made using the kit… the blue pocket card base is included. I cut strips of patterned paper to fit over each panel on the card. I added the “coupons” letters to the front, and some buttons to make an enclosure on the back. When I was a kid, I used to love making coupon books for my Dad. I didn’t have much money to buy him things (and what does Dad really want, anyway?) so I would make coupons for some of his favorite things that I could do. . . like mowing the lawn, making him a cold drink, or scratching his back. One of my Dad’s favorite things was a taco salad, at Taco Bell. . . I remember when they first started making them . . . he was so crazy about the idea that they were served in a fried flour tortilla that you could also eat when the salad was gone. Heehee….  we shared many a taco salad and had some good times!

Happy Father’s Day, to all of you and your families. . . here’s to the Dads that make it all possible. Here is my Daddy-O. . . Happy Father’s Day, Dad! He passed away many years ago, but this Father’s Day my mother will be in town and we will be making a trek to the local zoo, where we purchase a donation plaque in his name, every year. What a nice way to remember him!