Anchors Away

This card is for the sketch at Cardabilities.  When I haven't had a design show up in my dreams, then I head over there for a sketch to follow, and get enthused that way.  This is my card for that sketch:

Most of these cuts are from the Life's A Beach Cricut cartridgeThe anchor was cut 9 times to make it pop without foam. pop dots.
 
Seagulls on the inside 

Fancy Pants papers

Entered in:  

Cardabilities Sketch #126

I also want to mention that Inspiration Destination Challenge Blog is one of my very favorites.  It is always Anything Goes, but one of the best things is that they are not just a "random" draw.  The DT there also lists their favorite work.  I've been listed there before.  I don't need a prize, but recognition is the best award ever.  Thank you DT at Inspiration Destination. 

Celebrate Freedom

It's celebration time.  We are doing some camping.

I'm sending this card to a couple who is shut-in on this holiday. 

 I used George and Basic Shapes Cartridge, one of my oldest cartridges.  I had to use George to build the pennants because, UNBELIEVABLY, I don't have a cartridge with one of these shape pennants.

 I used Summer Celebrations for the firework burst and the firecracker inside, a hand punch for the small stars and some Stickles to smear around some flashy bursts.  White Uniball pen for the stitching.  Paper was scrap, I had the polka dot blue and white paper and then I colored over it with a Copic Marker.  Same with the Red.  I liked how it turned out with the dots muted.

Happy Freedom Day everyone! 

Entered in: Bitten By The Bug - Flag or Banner
Crafty Cardmakers and More - Sentiment #141

Hyrdrangea Sympathy

I made this card for my friend, Laurie, who had recently lost her Maw-Maw.  I love hydrangea.  I see it as a great flower for weddings and funerals.  Attached to the body of the plant, hydrangea can stand through the heat and the cold and still come back the next year.  Away from the plant, the flowers are fragile and wilt quickly.  Just as life is.

This cut is from the Cricut Walk In My Garden

I really wanted the depth of the flowers... I had to painstakingly remove the large parts of the cut to get more of the little flowers.  I alternated using the 1/16 brads and the white pen to mark the centers. The cuts for the leaves are not true to life so I had to scissor notch them in some places. 

My messy table space

The "With Sympathy" and "Thinking of You" stamps were made for me by

Stamp Out Online

They have also made the personal stamp I use on the back of my cards. 

I love them for stamps! 

The flowers on this card were very dense so I took care when I mailed it and placed a small cushion sheet in the envelope.

Entered in:
Fantabulous Cricut - Anything Goes #254

Happy Birthday Mother In Love

I have a great mother-in-law.  Lots of people complain about theirs, but I really do love mine.  She is knowledgeable and funny.  I got her a really funny birthday present which I'm not showing here in case she sees it.

The basket is from the cricut cartridge My Community.

The flowers are from Walk In My Garden

The Just For You Flag is from Close To My Heart 

Lady Bug Brad from Eyelet Outlet 

The little metal Happy Birthday Tag is from a clearance package I got awhile back and can't remember the maker. 

It's the serious part of the birthday -The card.  I made my husband look up something to write in the card.  You'd think I threatened to send him to the dentist!  Men! 

Happy Birthday, Anne.  I love you.

Hello Tweety-Pie

The challenge at Aud Sentiments is Cute, with a sentiment.  

I bought these cute animal stamps from Pink Cat Studio, this is the bird from that set.  The sentiment is from Close To My Heart. 

I created this easel card by cutting the frame on cricut

Stamping off the   image and putting the squares back in at different arrangements

The outside of the frame I stamped with my own stamp in different variations. 

This adorable image and the fun framing made me laugh.  If you are a regular at my blog than you know I like cards that make me laugh.

Entered in:

Aud Sentiments Challege - Cute with a sentiment

Summer Fun

The challenge at Chocolate, Coffee and Cards is fun in the sun.  This play on words just made me happy.

Whatever Floats Your Goat

Goat from Cricut Animal Antics

Sun-Cricut Critters

Cricut Shapes and Font

Float is an O from the Cricut Font

The MAA is the sound of a goat according to cricut

so I added HA HA. 

It really did make me laugh, so I hope it makes you laugh too! 

Entered in: 

Summer Fun #92-Choclate, Coffee & Cards

Cute plus a sentiment Aud Sentiments

Fusion Card Challenge - Color

Happy Girls!

The theme over at Bitten By The Bug 2 is "Let's Dance" use a dance cut.  Right away, I knew I wanted to use this Art Deco cartridge image.

Tooling around the internet is read this quote and loved it, but I didn't know what I would use it on.  This theme lent itself to perfectly. 

Entered in:
Bitten By The Bug 2 - Let's Dance

Craft Your Passion - Anything Goes

Inspiration Destination Anything Goes

Thanks A Bunch!

My friend, Joanne, at Chocolate, Coffee & Cards, has a challenge for Thank You Cards, and I decided to join her.  Two weeks ago, I made 20 wonderful Thank You cards, I colored, painted, stitched, glued and festooned some beautiful cards... but forgot to take a picture of a single one!  I have this one ready though.  I followed the sketch at Fantabulous Cricut. 

I used the rounded square cuts from Cricut Font and Basic Shapes. 

 The flowers are cut from a tamp I have had a very long time. 

Green Floss for stitching

Buttons and Jute for ties

Thank You Medallion

Grossgrain Ribbon

Must SayThank You #91 -ChocolateCoffeeCards

Fantaublous Cricut #252 Follow the Sketch

Cardabilities Sketch #138

This gift box is my entry for Cardabilities Sketch #138

I know most of the sketches are meant to be done as scrapbook pages, but I just can't do scrap-booking anymore.  Long story.

So, I took the sketch and moved the elements to each end instead of on top of each other. 

The image is called a Wheelbarrow of Sweetness.  I got it a long time ago, but I can't remember the origin.  This was a great time to refine some of my skills with copics and they're getting better. 

Thanks for stopping by. 

Cardabilites Sketch #138

Craft Your Passion #263

And a new place, that I was tickled to find:

Word Art Wednesday

Hello Tweety Monday

I'm traveling across the country to take care of two of my dear grandson's while my son goes on some publicity tours for his new book (on presale now at Amazon).  Not so you would buy, just because I'm proud.  

This tree is from Pink Cat Studios.  I downloaded this digital stamp and I really love it. I feel like I will be able to use it in many different applications. Like snowflakes instead of leaves at Christmas.

I copied the circular dot design into the grass to bring cohesion between the art that was provided and the art that was added.  I also drew the green heart above the two birds on the swing. 

The "Hello Tweety" stamp is from Close To My Heart. I love the bird themed stamps and cages on that set.  

As those who follow me know, I feel strongly about finishing the inside of a card.  It just doesn't seem right to put so much effort onto the front of the card and have the inside be boring and uneven in weight.  I finish out the inside with a like color matte and most of the time leave it without a sentiment until ready to send.

2 Cute Ink Challenge - Birds

artisticinspirationschallenges- Swirls

Slingshots and spots

I love love love, OkieLadyBug.  She's hilarious and it makes my day to read her blog.  If you haven't seen her or read some of her stuff here's a good chance: OkieLadyBug Facebook Chit.  Loved it.
I

Okay, this week I'm using the free digi of Boy with Slingshot from Little Scraps of Heaven Designs. 
I'm still learning to use the Copic techniques I learned in my standard certification class.  I'm so limited in Copic marker supply, so I really have to do base stuff like layering and layering color, but also finding the right card-stock that won't pill.

I did this card for a challenge over at Crafty Card Makers. and at Cardabilities Sketch Challenge.  But, life got in the way and I didn't get it posted. But one of my favorite challenge sites Craft Your Passion, I was in time for.  Yay!

Here is what I learned on this card: To make the splotches, I held my copic marker down on the page so the color bled onto the paper.  I then took the colorless blender and set it on top of the splotch so that it got that drip look.  Short flicks to make the splotch spread and dot it around and the splotches are good.

The quadruple layer of this card keeps some interest and I made 2 of the backgrounds. 

For the knees of the overalls I used a crosshatch pen method and the colorless blender to make the thread bare look of most little boys pants in the knees.

I'm learning so much.  While participating in challenges keeps me interested, playing in my art, touches my heart! 

Cards In Envy Challenge: Masculine

Craft Your Passion - Anything Goes

Be Kind

This week I heard a study on NPR about kindness.  To kids, high school and below; Do your parents emphasize good grades or being kind as something more important? 

What do you think? 

The study was 87% parents cared about grades

and a measly 11% cared about moral aptitudes. 

Be Kind was one I learned in Sunday school. 

But, there aren't that many kids in Sunday school anymore either.

Be Kind to each other is what Ellen says at the end of each of her shows. 

Be Kind to Each Other! 

Puddle Jumper..... Noah  and his little chicky

Some Odd sheets of paper

Green Ribbon

"Sending You a Smile" stamp is my own creation made at Stamping Out online.

Copic Colors

Be Kind Tag

Entered in Inspiration Destination - Anything Goes

The Roar of a Shadow

This is another Puddle Jumper stamp from Lori Boyd.  Lukas' friend is a little lizard who thinks he is a great big dinosaur, at least the shadow says he is. 

It's amazing what light can do... shed "light" on the subject,

Make the subject appear bigger, or bend minds around corners.

Dinosaur from Create a Critter, Lizard and Lukas Stamps

Fancy Pants papers

Rawr - Create a Critter

Copic markers

You've Got Mail

Is there anything better than getting a letter in the mail.  A card or letter someone has penned to you.  Not a bill, not a form, but a real letter.  That's why I make my cards, to send them to someone and let them have a smile that something was made for them. 

I used the mailbox and letter on the Doodle Charms cartridge

Grass from Easter 2010 

Letters from Lyrical Letters  and Cricut Fonts

The bird from 50 States

Stickles for a little sparkle

LePlume Markers, Spica and Copics

This was a fun forming in my mind, so the colors are fantastical and bright.

I know just the right person for this card.

Spring Challenge - Fantabulous Cricut

A Perfect Summer Day

It's not summer yet, but I'm thinking about it! 

This is Noah Puddle-Jumper and his little dog out for the summer day. 

The Puddle Jumper stamps are made by Lori Boyd. 

\Copic Markers E00 and E50

G00, G12, YG00, B00, B12

Stabilo Markers

Fancy Pants Sticker

Star Buttons

Faux stitching

Cricut and scrap papers

Uniball White Gel Pen

Top Tip Tuesday Tip -When creating faux stitching use a scoring roller like this: 

It creates a beautiful line of stitching holes along the paper.   Add in the white gel pen between holes and anyone would be hard pressed to tell otherwise. Even the feel is there.... without all the time and broken needles. 

Tip Top Tuesday - Use 3 Things (Buttons on lower left)

Eureka Stamps - Buttons and Bows

Dots and Puddle Jumpers

I got my first (very) small set of Copics this week.  I took the class a month ago, but as most of you probably know, they are not cheap.  I used my discount from the Copic Standard Certification class to get a set of 24.  It is going to need a lot of supplementing just to get me to a place where I can use the minor skills I've learned.

This stamp is from my Puddle Jumpers set by Lori Boyd.  I love these kids!  My stamp sets are mostly full of words and sentiments.  These stamps were the first time I ventured into using stamps to color and create cards.  All that changed as I fell in love with the Cricut and became a major paper layering addict. I'm not as IN LOVE with the Cricut as I used to be and beginning the appreciation for coloring again.

Cricut cuts for the circles and scallops.

Fun use of dots at every layer

Stickles

Paper Flower

Brads

Ribbons and Ties

So combining the best of both worlds, I'm going to learn to color again. 

TIP TOP TUESDAY TIP:  When adding stitching to a card, use a rotary tool, like this one: 

Entering in:

Crafty Cardmakers #137 Dots

Tip Top Tuesday - 3 of Something  - 3 Blk Brads

Fantabulous Cricut - Welcome Spring

Crazy Dinosaur

A friend of mine puts silly jokes on her Facebook page every day.  I love them, the sillier the better.  It fits right in with my quirky sense of humor.....

Trees from Serenade and Walk in my Garden

Dinosaur from Create a Critter

Cloud with home-made paper and trimmed in shape of cloud

Crafting from the Heart Challenge - Anything Goes #56

Rock-a-bye Birdie

I've been super busy with church stuff and back pain.  I got shots for the back pain and I could sit at my craft table and actually concentrate, so I got 3 cards done in one sitting.  sometimes I could only get 1/2 a card done in a day.  Getting this much done in one day, plus laundry and dinner, is tremendous.

This card was inspired by a Mary Engelbreit drawing below.

My card barely looks like hers. I'm limited by the cricut cartridges I have etc.  

I love ME art pieces.  I like the movement on my card, the bird swings 

like it is rocking to sleep and I'm re-enjoying 

3 Birds on Parade cartridge. 

My own - Sending you a smile stamp

3 Birds on Parade Cricut Cartridge

Dotted Swiss Embossing folder

Flower punches

Papertake Weekly - Anything Goes

Crafting From The Heart - Anything Goes

Sister Act Card Challenge Anything Goes

Craft Your Passion - Anything Goes

Fantabulous Cricut - Spring

Flower Growth

It's spring and the surprising rate of things blooming in my yard is incredible.  My hydrangeas came back, my rose bushes bloomed today and my chrysanthemums are greening up.  So this is my card for spring growth.

The seed is deep in the ground but doesn't mind the struggle of the rock, it just moves around it. 

Rock is a cloud from Going Places Cartridge

Walk In My Garden Cartridge for flower, rose, snail and butterfly

Dragonfly punch

Life's a beach seaweed for plant underground

Paper trimmings for the grass

Fancy Pants Papers

Torn pieces of paper

.This is the positive note to this card

,

We don't grow when things are easy,

we grow when we face challenges. 

Entered in:
Bitten by the Bug 2 - Spring Flowers

Path of Positivity -- Growth