SPRING BABIES

Hi, and thanks for stopping by!

Don't you love this time of year (if you're in the Northern Hemisphere that is).  Spring!  The sunlight has a certain quality to it, the birds are chirping, the trees and flowers are starting to bloom, and babies abound.

This week's challenge over at The Outlawz Saturday Paper a la Mode is to make a project that features an animal or animals.  I chose to make a card with this cute digi from A Day for Daisies - these little ducklings are just too cute!  I colored them with Copic markers and added a bunch of pretty flowers and buttons and ribbon - it reminds me of an Easter hat we would have worn back in the day.  I don't think people really wear Easter hats too much anymore.

Thanks for stopping by to visit!  I hope your day is as lovely as mine looks outside this morning, and that it is full of blessings!

Big hugs!

T IS FOR TWINE AND THREAD AND THERESA

Hi, and thanks so much for stopping by!

My project this week was to make a project that uses something beginning with the first letter of my first name, "T".  I don't know if it was my limited imagination or just limited items, but for some reason all I could think of for "T" was twine and thread.  I wanted to make something "different", meaning other than a card, so I decided to use these little canvas bags that I've had for a long time to make something to hold Easter treats.  Mind you, they turned out to be less Easter and more Spring, but that's usually what happens when I create anyway - what I intended to make is not what I end up with.

I dug into my considerable stamp collection, which unfortunately I rarely use, and came up with a butterfly and some different lettering stamps and some border stamps.  I stamped each bag, then used my Copic markers to color the stamped designs.  I then sewed on some flowers and beads with THREAD.  I took out the drawstrings that were originally in the bags (they were too thick and ugly), and replaced them with TWINE and ribbon drawstrings, adding beads at the ends of the twine.

Here are some closeup images of the individual bags:

I hope you take the time to visit us this week over at The Outlawz and play along with our Saturday Paper a la Mode Challenge.  Or just stop in and say hello and see what projects the Design Team and our members have shared this week.

Thanks for stopping by to visit!  Blessings and big hugs to you!

OFF THE WALL

Hello, and thanks for stopping by to visit!

This week I was inspired by a gorgeous photo I saw online of a wisteria garden.  Our challenge for the Saturday Paper a la Mode Challenge over at The Outlawz this week is to make something "Off the Wall", using things we would not normally use.  Here's why mine is "Off the Wall" to me:  1)  I have never used this sort of pointillism technique to make anything other than the background shadowing with my Copics, but the little petals of the wisteria vines reminded me of little dots, 2) I never make a card this "CAS", 3) I have had the die that I used for the border for over two years, but this is the first time I've even taken it out of the wrapper, and 4) I used a stamp for my sentiment, which I almost never do.  Hope you like what I made.

Please excuse the poor lighting quality.  I normally take my photos outside, but today we had the wind and rain storm of the year so far, so no going outside.  I had to do this indoors, so not really as nice as I would like, but hopefully you can see where I was going with this.

Thanks again for visiting, and I hope you day is full of blessings!

FRIENDS

Hi, and glad you stopped by!

My best friend (CG) and I have been best friends for almost 30 years.  We met in the Army, and despite living in different places around the world, the miles did not keep us apart, and still don't.

I made this card to honor her this week for our Saturday Paper a la Mode Challenge over at The Outlawz.  Our sponsor this week is Kaboodle Bug Designs, and this Lucky Charm digi is one of theirs.  I colored it with Copics.  I was trying to work on getting my shadowing a bit better, and I think I did one of the best jobs I've ever done with Copics.  I think CG will really like this!

Thanks again for stopping by to visit me.  Hugs and blessings to you!

Flowers and Scrapbook Stamp Society

Hi, and thanks for stopping by to visit!

This week's project for The Outlawz Saturday Paper a la Mode Challenge is to make something with flowers.  The challenge is being sponsored by Scrapbook Stamp Society, so I made a card using this CUTE little girl digi who looks like she's sprouting from a flower.  Isn't she just darling?  Love those big eyes!  She is one of the "Besties" designs.  I have to admit I prefer coloring animals and flowers normally, but these Besties are just too sweet.  I actually did two this week, but I'm saving the other one for another post.

I colored her with Copics, and made a pretty dotted background, but the pale colors, which looks really pretty in person, are rather understated in photographs. I also blinged up her wings with a bit of Stickles - love me some Stickles!

Thanks so much for stopping by, and please visit our sponsor, Scrapbook Stamp Society, and pick up some Besties for yourself!  And be sure to stop by The Outlawz and visit our challenges!

Hugs and blessings to you!

LIKE A ROCKSTAR

Hi, and thanks for stopping by to visit!

Our challenge this week over at The Outlawz Saturday Paper a la Mode Challenge is ANYTHING GOES.  Normally for those challenges I try to make something other than a card, but this week the sponsor is Bugaboo Stamps, so I decided to make a card with this cute little rockstar digi, because he is just so stinkin' cute!  I colored him with Copics.

I plan to send this card to Colin, the little boy who told his mom he didn't want to have a birthday party because he doesn't have any friends.  His mom started a Facebook page that already has over a million members, and she has been getting loads of cards and presents for him in the mail.  His birthday is in a couple of weeks, March 9th I believe, but this is supposed to be a surprise for him.  He doesn't know anything about it yet, so hopefully she can keep it a secret even with the media attention they have been getting.  If you have time, please stop by his Facebook page, Happy Birthday Colin (I think that's the name), and "like" the page, and send him a card if you can.

I hope your week is full of love and showers of blessings!

Big hugs!

THURSDAY WITH A TWIST

Hi, and thanks for stopping by!

This week's Twisted Thursday challenge over at The Outlawz is to make a project using a flower.  I made this card with this beautiful flower background paper, and then just added stuff to it until I was happy - I guess that's how I make most of my projects.  I usually have an idea in my head, but I rarely finish up with anything resembling what I had imagined.  Sometimes that's a good thing, sometimes not so much.  But I like this card - I think it turned out pretty!

Thanks so very much for stopping by!  I always appreciate having visitors!  Big hugs and showers of blessings to you!

BE MINE

Hi, and thanks for stopping by to visit!

Yes, it's that time of the year!  Time for red and hearts and Valentine's Day!  This week over at The Outlawz, our Saturday Paper a la Mode Challenge has a "LOVE" theme, and we are using Rick St. Dennis digis.  I chose this cute mouse all dressed up in her finery.

I colored her with Copics, although I left her dress alone except for the hearts - I wanted the red hearts to stand out.  All the other things on the card came from my stash of goodies I've managed to hoard over the past few years - I'm still in my "use up what I've got" mode.

Thanks again for stopping by to visit!  Hope wherever you are the weather is being kind to you, and if it isn't, then Punxatawney Phil was wrong and Spring will be here soon!

Hugs and blessings to you!

PINK AND RED - A DAY FOR DAISIES

Hi, and thanks for stopping by!  I decided to color the pretty birds from A Day for Daisies again, but this time making a project using reds and pinks for their current challenge, so this is what I came up with.  I colored it with Copics - can you see the little pink trails coming off of their tail feathers - a subtle effect, and I put a rubon heart right in the center of the big loop.

I had some old Basic Grey papers from the Bittersweet collection, and some rubons - it's been AGES since I've used a rubon - forgot how much I like them.  I also added a bit of twine and a couple of cuttons to finish it off.

Thanks so much for stopping by to visit!  Big hugs!

HUGS AND KISSES

Hi, and thanks for stopping by!  I feel a lot better this week - still a lingering cough, but I can live with that.

This week's challenge over at The Outlawz for our Saturday Paper a la Mode is to make a project with the theme Hugs and Kisses.  I made a sweet little card using a digi from A Day for Daisies.  I love these gorgeous birds!

I colored it with Copics and just happened to have the perfect Xs and Os for the Hugs and Kisses sentiment!

Thanks for stopping by, and I hope your week is wonderful!  We got almost a foot of snow on Tuesday night, and there is still plenty on the ground, but this weekend the temps are supposed to be in the 50s, so hopefully it will all melt away.  That amount of snow is so unusual for this area - I've lived here 17 years, and have only seen it come close to that amount a couple of times.  It's so pretty when it comes, but then I'm ready for it to go away after a couple of days.

Here are a couple of pictures.  The first one is what I had to deal with on my front porch - the cats didn't quite know what to make of it.

This next one is my measurement of the snow out front after I cut it away to the sidewalk - almost a foot, and it was the fluffy stuff too.  If I hadn't already been sick, I would have made a yard full of snowmen!

Thanks again for stopping by, and I hope your week is showered in blessings, and not snow!  Big hugs to you!

A RECIPE CHALLENGE

Hi, thanks for stopping by to visit!

My post this week is going to be very brief.  I've been under the weather all week with some sort of winter time crud, but thankfully am feeling better.  This is the first time in over ten years that I've had something like this and I don't like it any better now than I did then.  Yuck!

On a bright note, before I got sick this week, I attended a baby shower for my daughter's best friend who is expecting her second little girl.  Mali, the big sister, is such a cutie pie (she's 2).  I didn't want her to feel left out so I got her a little gift too and made her a pretty tag for it (it ended up being a huge tag, but I guess her mom can keep it in her scrapbook or something).

This is the tag:

These are the presents - I used to love to wrap presents up really pretty like this, but I haven't done it in years until this past weekend.  I just love how they turned out.  Some tulle, a few inexpensive silk flowers, and a hot glue gun - can't go wrong.

Hopefully by Monday I'll be over this icky stuff.  Thanks again for stopping by!

Don't forget to stop by The Outlawz and visit our Saturday Paper a la Mode Challenge this week!

Big hugs!

WARM WISHES

Hi, and thanks for stopping by to visit!  This week's project theme is "Warm Wishes", which is our challenge theme this week over at The Outlawz Saturday Paper a la Mode Challenge.

I purchased some paper a few years ago that had this cute snowman already all done up for me.  All I had to do was create a card for him to go on and add a bit of Stickles to him for some bling - gotta have my bling.

The background papers also came in the same set, so everything is nicely coordinated.  I added a slice from a lacy paper doily and some buttons and letter stickers (love my letter stickers), and he's ready to go.

Thanks for stopping by to visit!  Hope your winter is staying warm, wherever you are!  Big hugs and lots of blessings to you!

WELCOME TO THE NEW BABY!

Hi, and thanks for stopping by!  Well, it's another Saturday and 2014 is already in full swing.

Over at The Outlawz for our Saturday Paper a la Mode Challenge, we have Rick St. Dennis designs as our sponsor this week.  So in honor of that, I decided to use this wonderful RSD image for my project.  I originally was going toward making an Easter design, but after I got my digi all colored and glittered up and started looking at papers, I was inspired to make a baby card.

It just so happens we have a new baby arriving next month in my world.  My daughter's best friend is expecting her second, and my daughter is going to deliver the baby!  I know, right?  Crazy exciting!  Just to clarify, my daughter is an ob/gyn, so she's qualified.  Laura (the friend - they've known each other since Michelle was in the 6th grade) was living out of state when Mali, her first little girl, was born, so Michelle wasn't there for that event.  Now she's moved back to the area, and Michelle is her doctor.  I just think that's so crazy cool!

Anyway, here's the card I made for little Brightlyn Michelle (yes, she's going to be named after my Michelle).  I think it turned out sweet.  There's something about that pink gingham that just screams baby girl to me.

We're having a "sprinkle" next weekend for Laura and Brightlyn.  I had never heard of a "sprinkle" before, but it's when you don't need a lot of new stuff for the baby because you already have so much.  So I got her a big box of diapers (Size 1, because they grow out of those newborn size so quickly), and I also got Mali a little something so she won't feel left out!

Don't forget to stop by the Rick St. Dennis store on Zibbet to check out his wonderful digis.  Such a talented artist!

Thanks again for stopping by!  Big hugs!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Hi, thanks for stopping by and I hope you're having a Happy 2014 so far!

My project for this week was to use a new product and/or a new technique to make a project.  I decided to make a cute little card.  Our sponsor this week over at The Outlawz Saturday Paper a la Mode Challenge is A Random Fan, so I got one of their sweet digis.  I used Prismacolor pencils to color my digi.  I also attempted a new background technique for sky and clouds, but it turned out nothing like my original intentions had planned.  The colors look nice with the digi, but it really wasn't the look I was going for.  Obviously I need to get some extra practice!

Be sure to stop by A Random Fan's Etsy shop and check out their sweet digis to support our sponsor.

Thanks for stopping by, and I pray that 2014 brings you showers of God's blessings!  See you next time!