I survived Monday

It wasn't easy I tell ya...but here we are into Tuesday! Here is the card I referred to yesterday which I also added a glow to with my Copics. This one is much softer.

This is a Penny Black Hedgie image sent to me by the very generous Tammy Buck! I colored it with my Copics but was unhappy with how dark the hedgie was so I went over it many times with my Colorless Blender to push the color out to the fur and lighten up the face and belly. For a large area like that it tends to get a bit blotchy, so I am not really happy with that. But I kept at it until it was acceptable. Again I outlined with the Cool Shadow and used the blender to soften it...it's a bit more subtle on this image. I used my Quickie Glue pen and some very fine glitter to add a little sparkle which you can see in the close up below.


The white panel is embossed with the Swiss Dot Cuttlebug folder and the floral paper is from Making Memories Chloe's Closet. The blue cardstock and ribbon are both Spring Rain from PTI. And....I used my brand new Bow Easy to make those perfect little bows! I won it from Jenny of One Krafty Kat last week. I watched the video tutorial (several times actually!) to learn how to make a bow. I could never have figured it out from the printed directions! Now that I know how to use it (it's quite easy) I am anxious to make more bows! You can find the tutorial here, thanks Jerri!!

It's another Color Throwdown tomorrow...and the colors are gorgeous! Join us and play!

More Whipper Snapper fun!

I love what Anna did with the cowboy worm and I thought, "hey, why didn't I think of that?" when I saw it. So this is definitely Anna inspired! I love the Making Memories Chloe's Closet papers. The orange is so bright and fun. It coordinated perfectly with this Prism cardstock and adorable dotted ribbon.

Image and sentiment both from Sending Happy Thoughts are stamped on Neenah Solar Crest white cardstock and colored with Copics. I extended the line after the sentiment with my Copic Multiliner. I thought a long card would be a cute layout for this and I just added some stitching and few coordinating buttons. I am having fun with these two new sets...and the price is right so get 'em while they're hot! Have a great day...tomorrow is Friday!

I'm ready for spring!

We had rain and some snow mixed in all day yesterday and the temperature today is straining to reach 30 degrees! I know I've said I love the snow, and I do, but now I am so ready for spring! My yard is such a mess...I am just itching to get out there and start cleaning up and anxious to see the tiny green sprigs of life popping up all over! Okay, back to reality.



This adorable Tilda from Magnolia I picked up from Magnolia-licious a few weeks ago. I stamped her and then masked the image in order to stamp the background. I decided to go with a soft spring look and watercolored the image with Adirondack reinkers. These images are large so I decided to go with a large square format (one of my favs...although a pain to mail!) and used these lovely papers from Making Memories. I added a few buttons and a ribbon (which really isn't that purple irl) and used my Nesties to cut out the image and scallop mat. The SWEET sentiment is from a Heidi Grace clear set. One of my lights was out when I was taking this picture which has thrown the color off a bit and made the background so dark.

Anyway, happy Monday.

Mojo Monday sketch

I really liked this weeks Mojo Monday sketch and looked forward to doing it only to find it a challenge. I had my paper all picked out and thought it was coming together great until I had to find an image. Then I had to rearrange the paper on the layout...maybe the flowers should go there and the polka dots there...no the mat should be green not blue...wait I forgot the trim...


Yikes! What should have taken maybe 30 minutes took like 2 hours! Granted I had to stop and put kids in the tub and entertain my mother briefly, but honestly! Anyway, it's not making me jump up and down, but it's cute.

I used adorable new patterned paper called Chloe's Closet by Making Memories. I have been partial to orange lately and I really love the colors and patterns in this collection. The solid cardstock is a mix of Papertrey Ink and just scraps of blue and green that matched well. The stamped image is from Verve Visual's Abundant Blessings. I inked it up with various colors of Versa Magic Dew Drops. I inked around every panel with Antique Linen and Walnut Stain Distress Inks. The flowers were uncolored/natural Prima's that I colored with Copic markers to coordinate with the paper and finished with a button. The flower in the birds mouth has a little Liquid Pearl center. The decorative trim is from a Martha Stewart border punch.

No snow yet. I guess I am kinda hopin' we get dumped on so I don't have to go into the office! We'll just have to wait and see...but I ain't holdin' my breath! Have a great day!

Hope it makes you feel better!

I made this card for my 4 year old son's daycare teacher who is out of work for a few weeks after having gall bladder surgery.

I just love the little stamps from The Cats Pajamas, the images are so adorable! I knew little Sprinkle was going to come in handy and although it's for someone who's not feeling up to par, I was so excited to use it! All images and sentiment from TCP. Stamped on PTI white with Distress Black Soot and colored with Copic markers. The edges sponged lightly with Colorbox Cats Eye pigment ink in Velvet. Matted on Bazzill cardstock and design paper from Kaiser Kraft and stitched around the edges. The sentiment is popped up on the image also sponged. I added the two Prima flowers with a brad from Making Memories and some matching ribbon. I neglected to photograph the inside and I stamped the cutest hot water bottle and colored it to match. Sorry! And I think the bling flower is from Target and was in a $1 little embellishment kit...it was such a great touch! This was such a fun image to color. Thanks for looking!

For a Big Birthday

My husband has a cousin who is celebrating a big birthday this weekend, much to her surprise, so I wanted to make her a special card. I though for this one it should be elegant instead of whimsical...see I can do both! Anyway, rather than my usual color it and see what paper I have to coordinate, I picked all of my patterned paper first. The layout of this card I picked up from Pam (4hounds) at Indigo Studio. She creates the most beautiful layered and 3D flower images. I stamped the large flowers, all images from SU! Delight in Life, in Versa Magic Aegean Blue and all the small flowers in VM Jumbo Java. The two flowers are stamped on the same KandCo. paper...the red polka dot is the reverse. I cut them out and added brads, the large ones from Making Memories. The sentiment is stamped in Memories Artprint Brown, on cream cardstock and layered on more polka dot pp using my Nestabilities. It is matted on additional KandCo. paper and the flowers were popped up all around it. The edges of the flowers and panels are sponged with the Artprint brown too. The ribbon is through a slide from the SU! Hodgepodge hardware collection. It turned out to be a really large card, six by six square and the their is quite a bit of dimension...I guess I have to put it in a box! How does everyone else package these large cards? If you have any clever ideas please let me know, thanks!!

A Valentine for My Nephew

I've used this lion from High Hopes Stamps quite a bit and I'm sure I will many more times. I just can't get enough of that cute face...I just want to smoosh it and kiss it!! Since this was a Valentine for an 11 year old boy I didn't want it to be too mushy so I kept it simple...but I snuck in some lovey stuff anyway. The image is colored with prismas and OMS and painted over with ArtQuest pearlescent paint. I added some heart brads from Making Memories and a Martha Stewart heart I punched and wrote "Be Mine" on. That could have been neater...but I was too lazy to make another one. I felt like it still needed something so I added the bow-taking my chances with getting too girly for him! I think my nephew will like him, bow or not...especially the chocolate that is accompanying it!

Dog Gone Cute!!

I used the reverse mask technique that I saw on Julie's blog here under "Hoo loves ya baby?!". I thought it would be perfect for this adorable little dog from C.C. Designs. I traced a heart onto cardstock and cut it out (from the inside so not to cut through mask) and placed the outer paper onto white cardstock. I sponged ink in Brilliance Pearlescent Orchid inside the heart, darker around the edges and left the center light where I would be placing the image. I stamped the dog in Distress in Black Soot and colored him in with Copic markers. I decided the image needed something extra after I mounted it so I doodled around the frame with a brown Sharpie. I added the ribbon and a cute big brad from Making Memories. I made these cute little hearts with the Martha Stewart punch new for Valentines Day (which I saw on Cammie's blog). It's really hard to punch but they are so cute! I added a little brad in the center of one which is also from Making Memories. I love this design paper but I just can't remember who's it is. The whole thing is mounted on Kraft cardstock which I love. I hope you enjoy looking at this!

I Skipped Right Over Valentines...

Not really, I just couldn't resist using this guy I got in the mail today from Rubbernecker. It is freezing here today in the teens but we haven't had any real snow. It's a bummer because I really like the snow and this cold is just depressing without it. This card was fun to make even though Easter is a bit away...

I stamped Chip twice, once on watercolor paper and once on designer paper, all from Imaginisce, which I used to piece his shell. The entire image was cut out and placed onto the green dp layered with turquoise more dp and more turquoise. I added some ribbon and prima flowers with these great brads from Making Memories. There is also a "sugared" brad in the top left corner. I bought a whole package in all the pastels...they are gorgeous! I also added a bit of dimension to the flowers on the shell and where there would be natural highlights on the shell also with a clear gelly roll pen which really shines in the picture. I think he's just adorable and really helps to cheer up these dreary days!

Here's what I used:

Rubbernecker Stamps "Chip", Sentiment by Printworks

Design Paper by Imaginisce "for Peeps Sake", cardstock by Bazzill

Prima flowers, and all brads by Making Memories, ribbon from Michaels

Markers and waterbrush for watercoloring