OLW47 - I'm Still Sketchy

Good Morning! Welcome to my blog.  Today is another sketch challenge, provided for the One Layer Wednesday challenge by this week's host, Jennifer Styles at Styles Ink.  Here's the sketch:

And...here's my take on the sketch:

I used a Papertrey Ink image for the teapot and sentiment.  First I cut a 2.5x2.5 square from a piece of paper and masked the area where I wanted my teapot.  Then I used one of the background stamps from an old SU set that I've had forever.  It's only about a 1.5 inch square stamp, so I had to stamp repeatedly to cover the background.  Then I removed the mask and stamped my teapot and sentiment.  I drew a line to ground the teapot and added a little shading with my Copics...although I don't think you can see the shading very well on here.  Don't know how thrilled I am with this...but I wanted to get it finished today, since I have a busy weekend planned.  It's my Mother's 86th birthday..and we'll be celebrating!

Here's a new layout I finished this week. I did a lot of distressing and inking on this since it's a heritage layout.

Photo of my hubby and his friend that was made around 1940. I used Bo Bunny Gabrielle Collection for this layout. I used to do a lot of heritage type layouts, but when I started this one, for some reason I had a great deal of trouble getting started. I cut the circle and scalloped mat with Spellbinder dies and printed their names and the year on it with the computer. I also inked the edges of the circle, added a little doodling, piercing, and stamped a few little flowers (SU stamp). The "bling" swirls I made with Perfect Pearls on a transparency. The title work was cut from the ppr with QK - Magnolia alphas and the word Friends was cut on the Silhouette. I added a few dimensional dots to the title letters. I distressed and inked the edges of the large mat, and punched the edges of the pink mat with a MS punch. Butterflies were cut from the ppr and I added a layer of fine glitter and pop dotted them on the page. The photo is double matted and the bottom edges torn and inked. I tied a jute string around the two mats. I added some faux stitching around the edges and on the scallops edges. On the torn edges, I inked them heavily and added another print behind the torn places. The strips at the top right are just one torn piece with a scalloped edge cut with scissors. The buttons are cut from the ppr with a die cut from Papertrey Ink. Journaling is tucked under the pink mat on the right and reads:

Butch’s Grandparents had a farm in Molino, Florida. It was a large potato farm. Butch and his parents lived near his Grandparents in Molino for a short period of time when he was a little boy. His best friend was Margaret Presley. {You know her as Aunt Margaret (Helms)}. She was several years older than him, but from the stories I’ve heard, he would have followed her anywhere. Back in the 1940s, children were often asked to help with chores and they worked in the fields, so when they found a friend to play with, it became a close friendship…one that lasts a lifetime. 

Thanks so much for stopping by!! Love and appreciate all your comments! Until next time....

Hugs!

LIM8 - Let's Get Sketchy

Another Saturday and another great challenge at Less is More. This week is sketch week and here's the sketch we're working from:

It's a very sweet and simple sketch, and here's my take on the sketch:

First of all, I had no idea what size card a "DL" card was, but after getting clarification on it, I've made a card that the approximate finished size is 4 x 8 inches.  I don't think I've made a card this size ever, so I will probably have to make my own envelope for it...or not, since I decided that I'd go ahead and make an anniversary card for my hubby.  On April 11, we will celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary...so I thought a little "fancy" card might be in order.  I don't really think it's girly...just dressed up in a tuxedo! LOL!  I used a Cuttlebug embossing folder to emboss the background. Since the folder isn't long enough to do the full eight inches, I embossed one end, then turned it around, matching up the design, and embossed the other end.  In the area where the two embossing met, it was a little off...but as it happens, that's exactly where I wanted to put the ribbon.  I layered a 3/4" black satin ribbon with a 1/2" red velvet ribbon on top.  After adhering the ribbon to the back of the embossed piece, I layered the whole thing on a piece of black cardstock leaving just a tiny border around the embossed piece.  The tag was cut with a Spellbinder die that I recently ordered.   I actually cut it once out of white card stock and then again out of the black and layered them slightly off center so that the black edges would show.  I stamped the sentiment from Flourishes on the tag and added three flat-backed red pearls to the bottom.  The embossed piece and the tag are pop-dotted for dimension.

Now...WHAT on earth am I going to get my man for our anniversary to go with this card! Any suggestions?

I appreciate all those who took the time to stop by my blog and leave me a comment.  Your thoughtfulness and kindness is much appreciated!

Thanks so much for stopping by!   Until next time....

Hugs!

OLW46 - EGGcellent Challenge!

This weeks challenge is hosted by Susan at Simplicity. Our challenge this week is to use an egg or eggs on a one-layer card. We weren't limited to Easter eggs....we have choices.  We could use eggs in a nest...or an egg in a cup, an egg and a chicken, an egg-head cartoon, a good egg, whatever.  How easy is this, you ask?  NOT very easy...at least for me.  First of all, I have a limited number of "theme" stamps.  I did recently get the SU Easter Wishes set, but couldn't for the life of me make a card with it...and eggs!  Then I remembered that I also just received the new jar fillers from Papertrey Ink...and low and behold! Several little eggs and a little chick! Of course I practiced about 10 times to try to figure out the best way to stamp it.  So, see....I have learned something from all these challenges! LOL!  Now I practice on scrap paper and don't waste so much good card stock!

I used a single fold white card base.  I stamped the chick in the egg and two additional eggs with black Mementos ink, masking as I stamped so that the chick would be in the front.  The sentiment is from Hero Arts, I believe.  I liked this sentiment better than Easter wishes.  First of all, I'd probably never use an Easter wishes card...but I can definitely see me sending a "Hi There" card and besides...it just looks like that little chick is popping up to say Hi There.  When I finished stamping, I colored the images with several Copic markers.  Then following the leader, I used my glue pen (which I rarely use for some reason) and colored all the eggs and sprinkled them with a very fine white glitter dust.  I love the little shine it gives. Don't know if you can see it on this photo, but if you double click on the photo and make it bigger, I think you can see the glitter.  Last of all...it still looked a little lost, so I added a solid black line about 1/2 inch from the edge to pull it all together. 

Thanks so very much for stopping by! I really appreciate all the wonderful comments you all leave for me!  Until next time....

Hugs!



Less is More - Week 7 - For the Guys

This is week seven for the Less is More Challenge.  I was confident that I could whip out a CAS card in no time at all.  I mean, really, all we're doing is a masculine card.  I can do that.  Well, after four completed cards, I finally got one I like.  I think I stated at blah for this first card:

I used a Flourishes map stamp for this card and a sentiment from the same set.

My second card is not much better...still a little blah....

For this one I used another Flourishes stamp - the leaves.  The green square is just stamped with a distress ink pad.  The sentiment if from Papertrey Ink.  Added a couple of mats and tied a knot with some green ribbon.

Moving on to the the third card.....Once again I used a Flourishes stamp.  I stamped the silhouette in versamark and memento black, then embossed it with clear embossing powder.  I brayered the sunset and the water (first time I've tried to use my brayer).  When I finished this card, I loved it...only after looking at it for a bit, I decided it wasn't CAS enough...so, moving forward, I gave it ONE. MORE. TRY.

You guessed it...another Flourishes stamp.  I sure hope this is CAS enough.  I stamped the image in memento black and colored it with a combination of Copics and Prisma pencils.  I cut the shape with my new nestabilities wonky rectangles (and I tried to used the tutorial, but for this shape, it just wouldn't work!).  I matted the stamped image with a dark blue and adhered the white to the blue with four "screw" brads.  I also drew a line behind the mug to help ground it.

On the plus side, I now have four new birthday cards for the guys in my family! So.....which card is YOUR favorite? 

I also finished a layout the other evening, and thought I go ahead and post it too.  I posted a layout  last week of the grandkids rolling down the hill...this time it's ME rolling down the hill.

I used a combination of several papers...I believe the red check is American Crafts, the green is MME, and a sheet of red card stock.  I cut the tree on my Silhouette from white card stock and colored it with my Copic markers.  The leaves were also cut with the Silhouette.  I added a bit of doodled grass on the bottom, then stamped a few flowers, colored them with Copics, cut them out and pop dotted them on the bottom.  Small title letters are some old sticker letters from my stash and the "Roll" is foam letters.  I didn't really leave anywhere on the front to add journaling, but I did add it to the back of the layout.  The journaling reads:

At 58 years old, I actually rolled down the hill by the pool! I still can’t believe that I actually let you all talk me into it! This lapse of judgment on my part and my awkward rolling was definitely not one of my most elegant moments. For some reason, the hill didn’t look all that steep when I was helping you all roll down the hill, but the minute I lay down at the top of the hill, I knew it was probably a mistake. When I finally stopped rolling, I realized that I had almost rolled over Allen. Your Grandpa came running out of the house in a panic because he was afraid I would break a bone. I did it without breaking a bone, but I paid dearly for it the next day. I was so sore I could barely move! I must admit, it was kind of fun…but I don’t think I’ll be trying it again! You kids probably won’t remember this day, so I’m glad we have the photos as proof!  October 11, 2008

That's it for today....Thanks so much for stopping by! I truly appreciate all the wonderful comments! Until next time....

Hugs!

OLW45 - It's a Hex

 This week's One Layer Wednesday challenge is hosted again by Jennifer at Styles Ink.  Our challenge this week was to design a card by making a Hex sign.  According to Jennifer who has recently visited Lancaster county in Pennsylvania, hex signs are a frequent scene.  I'll have to say, I almost didn't do the challenge this week.  Mostly because I had NO idea what to do.  So, I started with a little Internet research to check out the hex signs.  Then I dug through my stamps until I finally found several that I thought might work.  Once again, because of my inky fingers, I had to re-do the card several times before I got one that was decent!

The tulip stamp I've had forever and have no idea who makes it.  The hearts and the center image are from some very old Fancy Pants stamps I've had for a number of years.  I used SU and Memento inks for this.  Sure hope it fits the bill!

I also finished a layout last weekend that I wanted to share.  I'm trying to use up some of my older papers.

Photos are of five of the grandchildren rolling down the hill in our back yard. I used Scenic Route papers for this layout. I love the bright colors. The five photos are 2.5 x 3.5. They are matted on white card stock. The leaves are Papertrey Ink stamps that I stamped in SU Old Olive and then cut out. The flowers are punched with the smallest retro flower punch and I added a perfect pearl center to each bloom. I added a little faux stitching to the striped piece at the top and some white doodling to the scalloped piece under it. I also doodled a couple of red lines around the journaling block. The title letters were cut with the Silhouette. I added three small brads in the bottom left on the striped piece. Journaling reads:

On Thanksgiving 2008, the adults were trying desperately to find something for all of you kids to do, hoping to keep you entertained until time for our big Thanksgiving meal. We finally got all of you into the back yard and I suggested that you learn to roll down the hill around the pool. We asked all of you to lie down on the ground and we gave you a little boost to get you started on your roll down the hill. At first, you were a little timid, but after about the third roll down the hill, you were really getting into it! You were all laughing, giggling, and rolling into each other. Your clothes and your hair were covered with grass…you were definitely a mess…but you were a happy, giggling mess!

Thanks so much for stopping by! I appreciate your visit...and if you leave a comment it really makes me smile!  Until next time....

Hugs!!

Less is More - Off the Edge

Our challenge this week at Less is More is a tricky one. We are to make a ONE LAYER CARD with the theme OFF THE EDGE.  What they want to see is part of our image off the edge of the card. One restriction is there must be NO SCORED LINES.



Wow! Now, I stamp off the edges of the card a lot, but for some reason, my brain just wouldn't kick in gear this week.  I finally came up with an idea! Putting it into play was a totally different thing! 

I have these beautiful stamps from Flourishes that I wanted to use.  A quote with the collection seemed the perfect choice for a sentiment.  I'm not sure if I'm just fumble fisted or if I'm a natural klutz, but I must have stamped this image 6 times before I managed to get it stamped without messy ink blobs!! I was ready to put it away and just forget it!  Then when I finally got the image stamped without an ink blob, I managed to stamp the sentiment totally crooked!! GAAH!!!

Needless to say, I finally got a decent stamp job done, and colored it with my Copic markers.  WHEW! Glad this one's done! 

I finished a layout this week and wanted to share it too.  This was a little something I challenged myself to do...and I did it!

Photos of my darling granddaughter, Helen Grace, taken in Oct 2010. I wanted to try my hand at creating a layout with absolutely NO patterned paper. In fact, I only used one sheet of white card stock for this layout. I cut the title letters from scraps of white card stock. I used Quikutz Diesel font for the word Sandbox and tunnel was cut with the Silhouette. To make the background, I tore a piece of copy paper and then used it to make my "hills" by placing the torn edge on my white card stock and inking the edges to make the "hills". I just moved the paper across the 12 x 12 card stock until I had the whole background completed. The umbrellas and shovel and pails are OLD stickers from my stash that I mounted on white card stock scraps and cut out. I cut the background paper to slip the pails into so that they could look slightly buried in the sand. I rough cut the end of the single shovel to give the appearance of being in the sand. Around the base of the blue pail and the group of embellies at the bottom, I added some inking shadows. The title letters were all inked and adhered to the background paper, then I added some dots with two different brown pens, and a touch of glitter with a glitter pen. Journaling is handwritten across the bottom and reads:

A beautiful fall morning, bright sunshine, and a huge mound of sand with a tunnel. What more could a girl ask for! At the Corn Maze - October 30, 2010.

Thanks so much for stopping by!  I so appreciate all the wonderful comments that everyone is leaving for me!  You really help brighten my day!  Until next time...

Hugs!! 

Fall To Layout 131

I haven't played in the Clean and Simple challenge in a while, so I thought that I would give it a whirl this week.  The sketch this week is really fun...and I was able to get my card finished in record time!

I used a white card base and masked off an area with post-it notes.  I sponged the masked area with SU Soft Suede.  I cut the flowers with the Tim Holtz flower die and white card stock.  I stamped the flowers with a large background (words) stamp, then inked the edges of all the blooms.  I added a brown button with a jute bow to each of the flowers.  I also embossed a couple of lines above and below the masked area with my Scorepal.  The sentiment is a Hero Arts stamp.

If you need a mojo boost...check out the great sketches at Clean and Simple...and thanks for stopping by!  Until next time....

Hugs!!

OLW44 - Inspired by Pinterest

One Layer Wednesday challenge is hosted this week by Susan at Simplicity,  Our challenge is to find inspiration for our card on Marta's Pinterest Boards.  This type of challenge is usually very difficult for me, but I'm always willing to give it a try.  Here's what I came up with:

and here's my inspiration at Marta's Pinterest board.  For this card I used an old butterfly stamp I have in my collection ...and I have no idea who makes it.  I colored the butterfly with Prisma pencils and the blended the colors a bit with OMS.  I think it'll take a lot more practice, to get the blending down better, but I'll keep working on it.  After coloring the butterfly, I used a black pen to "dot" the butterfly trail down to the Papertrey Ink sentiment.  Unable to stop myself, I added a bit of stickles to the butterfly wings and then covered the body with some glossy accents.  I rounded a couple of corners ...no idea why I did that...just thought it looked better. Of course, if it had ruined the look, I guess I'd have had to start over! LOL! 

I also decided to make a second card using this image from Marta's Pinterest.  That leaf just spoke to me...well...not literally, but you get my drift.

The rose is a digital image I found.  I printed it on the card stock and colored it with Prisma pencils, then blended a little with OMS.  As a finishing touch, I added a bit of shimmer (I know, that was last week!) with some TH shimmer mist.  Sentiment is a Hero Arts stamp, I think.

As an added BONUS....I have another layout to share:

An old photo of me and my sister Karen. I used My Mind's Eye Stella Rose papers for this layout. The butterflies were printed on card stock and I added a little glitter to them, then pop dotted them and curled the wings a bit. The antenna are wire that I made and adhered to the butterfly. The flowers are Prima and I added a red pearl to the centers. The scalloped border is from my new MS punch.  The three little squares are from my stash and I have no idea who makes them, but it was a big sheet of little squares that I cut up. The title work was placed on a tag that I distressed with three different distress inks. The quote is a Hero Arts stamp. Title letter were cut with QK dies. The swirl behind the flowers is a sizzix die. I added a little doodling around the page, across the border strip and around the mats. I also added a few 3D paint dots to the bottom scalloped border. The journaling is tucked behind the photo and reads:  

This is a photo of me and my sister Karen. Not sure of the year, but I'm guessing late 1954 or early in 1955. Looks like Karen is under a year old. This photo was taken at our house on Jackson Street in Waycross, Georgia. Just look at me holding on to my sister and squinting at the camera.

I think this ended up being a longer post than I thought it would be. If you made it to this point...Thanks a Million!!! Until next time...

Hugs!

Less is More - PASTEL COLOURS

This week's challenge is a color challenge at Less is More.  Since this is the first week of the month, and the challenge is color....we'll be using PASTEL COLOURS.  Now, I'll readily admit, I rarely use pastels, so this was definitely a challenge for me.  I'd start a card and realize that the color I added wasn't pastel. So I hope this card fits the challenge!

I tried to make this card soft and delicate...not sure I succeeded.  I used the small Carnation stamp from Papertrey Ink.  I stamped on a white vellum. I couldn't find a pink that would show up when dried, so I had to improvise and use the real red from SU and stamp it off on white paper before stamping on the vellum.  I then masked the first flower and continued to stamp the flower over and over, masking as I stamped.  I added a little chalking to the centers and the edges of the flowers.  Then I cut out around the edges of the flower border I'd stamped.  I put it on the card and realized that the card was so white that it overshadowed the soft stamping on the vellum.  So..to remedy that, I put a sheet of vellum on top of the white card base and then layered the cut out flower (stamped on vellum) on top of it.  I stamped the sentiment in black Stazon ink on the vellum, then added three small pearls to the top right corner.  I didn't have pink, so I had to color the white pearls with a pink Copic marker.  I think my idea for a card was simple enough, it just took me a while to master it!

Thanks so much for stopping by! Until next time....

Hugs!!

 

 

OLW43 - Shimmer....not Glitter or Bling

This week the challenge for the One Layer Wednesday at Simplicity is to use SHIMMER, but NOT glitter or bling on your card. There are lots of ways to add shimmer: Sakura Stardust pens, Twinkling H2Os, pigment powders, Brilliance iridescent inks, eye shadow, shimmery cardstock, or shimmery ribbon.

You know, sometimes I read the challenge rules and an idea comes to me immediately...unfortunately this was NOT one of those times!  I think I try to make it too difficult.  Or maybe my mojo has taken a hike.  Anyway, this is what I finally came up with this week.

The stamp I used is from Flourishes - Gerber Daisies .  I stamped it twice on the card leaving a nice place to put the sentiment.  We have lots of birthdays in our family this month, so I'm trying to get a head start on the cards.  I colored the center of the daisies with Prisma pencils, then blended them a bit with some OMS. This is a new technique for me, and I'm slowly getting the hang of it.  I didn't do a perfect job, but I'm getting there.  Then I colored the stems with Copics.  The petals of the daisies are painted with PearlEx and my water brush.  I couldn't seem to get a good photo of it so that the glimmer would show up, but here's a close up that maybe shows it a little.

Not sure how I feel about the way this turned out, but maybe it'll grow on me! LOL!

I also finished another layout this week that I thought I'd share.  I used the new Hopscotch Line from Basic Grey for this layout of my mother.  The photo was taken in September 2008 when she was 83 years old.

The lamppost was cut with the Silhouette and highlighted with a gold Prisma pencil. I cut the street light with the Silhouette and highlighted with a gold pencil (Prisma colors). I used a brown mat to frame the photo, then used the reverse side to make the squares under it. I round the corners of all the squares and inked them. I did a little faux stitching in the upper left corner of the solid blue background and added three teal bling. The pink scalloped border was punched with an EK Success punch, then topped with a strip of blue that I also "stitched" on. I added a 3-D paint dots to the scalloped edge. The flowers on the bottom left are a stamp from Flourishes, that I stamped in brown then colored with my Prisma pencils. I tried a new technique (new to me) to shade the flowers using odorless mineral spirits to blend the Prisma pencils. I love the way it turned out!. THEN...I hand cut that bunch of flowers...stamping an additional image and cutting just a few of the flowers to pop dot over the original. Let me tell you...that hand cutting was tedious! Title letters are also from the Hopscotch collection. Journaling strips were printed on the same blue as the large mat and read:

We went up to visit your Grandma in September 2008. While we were there, Betty, Sarah, and I decided to take your Grandma down to Barnesville, Georgia for a little photo shoot. We all tried to dress in matching colors and off we went. Grandma was so much fun to watch. She seemed to really enjoy herself. She even posed for us. At one point during all the photo taking, she commented that she had never had a photo shoot before. What a great time we had!

Thanks so much for stopping by! Until next time....

Hugs!