LIM26 - Time to be Fruity...on a card

As another Saturday rolls around...it's time once again for the Less is More challenge.  Since this is the fifth Saturday of the month, this week is called "lucky dip"....it could be anything!   Well, this week, we've been challenged to created a card using fruit.  Sometimes we're given a challenge and I'm totally clueless what to do. Not this week!  I have almost as many fruit stamps as I do flower stamps! LOL!  So, today, I made three cards for the challenge.

This first card was made using my new stamps from Papertrey Ink's new Friendship Jar collection.  I stamped my jar on white paper and cut out the center of the jar to use as a mask for stamping my strawberries.  I tried just stamping the berries in the jar, but couldn't get all the berries inside the jar, so the reverse masking worked great!.  I colored the strawberries with three different shades of red Copic Markers (R43, R46, and R59).  The leaves were colored with green Copics (YG63 and YG67).  I did a little highlighting with the BG0000 marker on the jar and the line I drew to ground (you knew I'd do this...right?) my image.  Then I stamped one strawberry on the "table".  The sentiment is from the same collection. Then I thought that the jar need a little ribbon to finish it off, so I cut slits on each side of the top of the jar and slid my red gingham ribbon through it.  I tied a tiny little bow and added it on top of that ribbon. (another little trick I use when adding a bow to a straight piece of adhered ribbon is to use matching sewing thread to tie around the ribbon.  Tying the ribbon gathers it up so that it looks like the bow was tied with the ribbon around the top of the jar...does that make sense?)  I was so happy with my card....until I realized that at some point in time I had laid the card on top of the black ink pad and had ink all over the back of the card!  Well, I couldn't possible let all that coloring go to waste, so I cut off the card front, layered it on a deep red card stock and popped it on top of a white card base.   I managed to salvage this one!

My second card was made using some Flourishes stamps called Berry Sweet.  I stamped the image directly to the card base. The sentiment is from the same collection.  I used the same Copic markers to color the raspberries as I did to color the strawberries, I just used a lot more of the darker colors.  After coloring the image on the card, I stamped it again on card stock and colored just three of the berries. I cut them out and pop dotted them over the original colored berries.  Love how this one turned out!

The last card I made this morning is a single layer card base.  Images are from Flourishes Peaches and Cherries collection. I inked and stamped just the stems of the image to the card base. Then I stamped the peaches on another piece of white card stock and colored them with some oranges (YR 17, YR64, & YR2) and red (R24) Copic markers. The leaves were colored with the YG63 and YG67 Copics.  I cut out the peaches and the leaves and pop-dotted them on the card to match up with the stems that I stamped earlier.  The sentiment for this card is from Papertrey Ink.

Sharing another layout I made recently.  This is photos of our granddaughter, Audrey.  She's sometimes a girly girl...and sometimes a bit of a tomboy!

I used some old papers from my stash...no idea who makes them. The daisies were made with a Lifestyles die. I made two of each bloom, rounded the ends of each petal and then layered two blooms together to get a little dimension. The leaves were cut with a Spellbinder leaf die and the stems are just thin cut strips. The yellow centers were punched from scraps. The boot was cut with the Silhouette and pieced together, then colored with Copics. The title work was also cut with the Silhouette (love that machine!). I added the pop of red with some gingham rickrack from my sister's stash. The loopy edges were punched with a MS punch. Tag on the upper right was cut with a Spellbinder banner die. I added three tiny punched blooms with bling centers to the tag. No journaling on this other than her name and the date. 

Thanks so much for stopping by! Your comments are welcomed and greatly appreciated!  Until next time....

Hugs!

Challenge #32 - Using 4 Tangles only....

The challenge this week at I am the Diva is as follows:

The challenge: Use a 3-1/2 x 3-1/2 inch tile. If you have an official Zentangle tile, great, if not, that’s okay too. The frames I will be using fit this size tile. Use any string you like with these four tangles: Pais (by Mikee Huber), Zedbra (by Laura Harms and Margaret Bremner), Keenees (by Donna Hornsby), andBaton (by moi) to create a response to this challenge.

Since I haven't done these tangles before, I had to practice on the first tile and then draw another. Actually I think I have done the Baton before, but still...knowing that I had to use these four tangles - and only these four...okay, it was definitely challenging.  The first one here is actually the second tangle I made.  I believe I like it much better than the first one (which is the bottom tile).

Now...I'm not sure if it's allowed...but I didn't use a string on the top tile.  I just started with the big swirls (Pais) and then moved out from that.  For some reason that seemed easier to me than filling in a string.  I'm sure it wouldn't work all the time, but for this one it did.

That's it for tonight. It's late and I have to work tomorrow...Thanks so much for stopping by! Until next time...

Hugs!

LIM26 - Buttons and Ribbons

This week's challenge at the LIM blog is a "recipe" challenge...meaning...we've been asked to create a card using either ribbon or buttons.  Well, I chose to do a card with buttons and a card with a ribbon. Can't say that these two cards are fabulous...but I'm content with the finished product.

This first card is super simple. A piece of green and a piece of red card stock scraps layered behind a stamped image.  I used the SU Silhouette stamp and the sentiment is from a PTI collection.  The buttons are actually card stock buttons that I cut with the button dies from PTI.  I cut about die shapes for each button, so that I could glue them together and get a feeling of depth to the buttons.  I like my buttons to look "sewn" on, so I ran a little floss through the button holes.

The second card was made with another piece of red card stock scraps.  The bottom edge was punched with a Martha Stewart punch (I trimmed off the partial loop on either end).  The image was done by sponging the "ground" and the sky (with clouds), and then stamping several different plants...the red and green plants are from PTI and the little brown one is one of the SU Silhouette.  I'm never satisfied with my stamping when I over-stamp images....must be that part of me that's (_ _ _ _) retentive! LOL!  Made the image on white card stock, then adhered it to the red card stock backing.  The ribbon is a piece I found in my stash and seemed to match it perfectly...in real life...not so sure about the photo of the ribbon...hmmmm....

Sharing another layout I finished this weekend.  This is a photo of two of my grandsons during a rare quiet moment at the park.

I used My Mind's Eye papers for this layout.  It's a combination of So Sophie, Stella and Rose, and Bohemia.    I basically follow a sketch found at the MME blog and is by Anam Stubbington.  I was planning to enter it into the monthly challenge...then I read that the layout needed to be about a "celebration".  Does it count that we celebrate every quiet moment we have when these two are together? LOL!  Anyway..I do love MME papers...and I think the fact that you can mix and match so many of the different collections make MME one of the BEST!

Thanks so much for stopping by!  Your comments are truly appreciated!  Until next time...

Hugs!

Another Fairy Garden...and a few Tangled Surprises

 Okay...so maybe I'm getting addicted to another hobby...doodling (or what the real tanglers do -- Zentangle).  I am such a novice at this. Having just started playing around with tangles (doodles) sometime around the first of July...I admit it...I'm HOOKED!  I love the feeling of calm I get while doodling...I get lost in my doodles and find that I'm totally relaxed when I finish a piece.

At the weekly challenge this week at I Am A Diva blog, Carol Bailey Floyd has challenged us to create an environment where fairies would feel at home. This is my second effort toward that challenge...and perhaps I like this one a little better.  See the little door...the perfect size for a wee fairy!

I used a 3.5 x 3.5 inch card for my tangle and carried the theme all the way to the edges.

Here's a few more of my recent tangles.  I did this next one  and thought I might frame it and give it to a friend as part of her wedding gift....I don't know...is that tacky?  I know my skill level is SO far below those talented ladies who are certified zentangle teachers, but I'll probably give it to her anyway....she won't know! LOL!  I used a five by five inch square for this one since I happen to have a few 5 x 5 frames on hand.

The next few are all done on larger cards...some 5 x 7 and some a little larger.  I find I work better on a bigger area. Why is that, I wonder? I find that I like to add a little quote or saying on my tangles...and on this "butterfly" looking tangle (honestly, it didn't start off like this!)...I added a verse from Proverbs.

My family told me this next one looks like an eye...I didn't even see that until they mentioned it.  The quote on this one is "The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched - they must be felt with the heart" ~ Helen Keller.

This next one is just a mixture of several tangles I wanted to try. Not to sure how I feel about this one. No quote on this one either.

That's all for today. Thanks so much for stopping by...and as always, your comments are greatly appreciated! Until next time....

Hugs!

Challenge 31 - Fairyland

I'm playing in the Zentangle Challenge again this week at The Diva's weekly challenge.  This week the challenge was given by Carol Bailey Floyd.  Her challenge is to create a Zentangle environment where fairies would feel at home.  There are lots of tangles that have full fairy approval and affection!

Well, I don't know much about fairies...having never seen one, but here's a little something I doodled in hopes that a good fairy might like to visit.

I'm really not sure if any of these "tangles" are any of the original zentangles, but it is what it is.  I may have the whole thing wrong, who know?!  Anyway, I enjoyed playing around with this.  I used a 3.5 x 3.5 inch card to doodle on.

Thanks a bunch for stopping by! Until next time....

Hugs!

LIM24 - Circles, OLW 62 - Make it Personal, and a Zentangle Layout

Another Saturday....another challenge.  This week the challenge at the Less is More blog is to create a card using the theme - Circles.  Not just one circle...but multiple circles.  Here's my take on the challenge.

This first card (and the last card I made today) is actually for two challenges - LIM 24 - Circles and OLW 62 - Make it personal (hosted by Susan at Simplicity).  This is a one layer card and my circles are the medallions from PTI.  I stamped in Memento Black and then colored part of each medallion with a little pink ink. Since the card is for our granddaughter who will be 16 next week, I wanted it to have just a touch of pink..cause she is a girly-girl (except for when she's running track!).  The sentiment is also from PTI ...and it's one of my favorite collection of sentiments.

This was the second card I made and it's nothing BUT circles! I embossed the background with a circle EF and layered it on a piece of green card stock. Then circles across the bottom were cut with an EK Success punch that is big scallops with circles  I punched one side, then turned the piece around and punched down the other side of the card stock, lining up the punched edges and it made these circles...cool!The sentiment is from PTI, stamped in Pear Pizazz  I inked the edges slightly then layered it on a punched scalloped circle and pop-dotted the sentiment over the circle border. The butterflies are punched with a MS punch...then coated with glossy accents. One small piece of bling for each butterfly was added.

This card was actually the first card I made and I wasn't overly thrilled with how it came out. Maybe I shouldn't have used red...I don't know....  anyway, the circles border is a 12 inch stamp from Hero Arts that I rarely use.   After stamping in red, I added a few pieces of bling and a bit of red stickles.  The tag is a stamp from PTI and the sentiment is also PTI.  The tag is pop-dotted over the circle border.  (I also added a black scalloped piece behind the tag and coated the scallops with red stickles but it's hard to see in this photo)

Now...a little more of my tangles.  This time, I've created another layout and added a photo of my grandchildren, Katie and Adam.  I used quite a few different tangles on this layout...lots of experimenting and several little boo-boos. It took me quite a while drawing this tangle.  I think it was laying on my desk and I piddled with it for over a week.....an hour here and and hour there....finally finished it yesterday. SO...This layout was created with just a plain sheet of 12 x 12 card stock, a couple of black pens, some sticker letters for the title work, and my photo. I think it's cool, but I probably won't be doing many more layouts like this...way too time consuming!

I did add a little journaling to this layout and it is handwritten along the side and reads: 

Playing in the mud can provide hours of entertainment and result in lots of laughing and giggling. Katie and Adam Summer 2007. 

Thanks so much for stopping by! Your comments are greatly appreciated!! Until next time....


Hugs!

A Zentangle Challenge - Initialize

I've been checking out a lot of wonderful blogs that feature beautiful Zentangle work. The Zentangle® art form and method was created by Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas. Zentangle® is a registered trademark of Zentangle, Inc.  When I first read about Zentangle, I had no idea what it was and I was curious,so after a little research, I've been doodling every chance I get.  I discovered the blog I am the Diva - Certified Zentangle Teacher and saw that there are weekly challenges.  Being the novice that I am with this art, I've been hesitant to join in a challenge with all the talented people that have been doing this for so long.  But, I figure, what the heck....let's give it a shot.

The challenge this week was to draw the strings by overlapping my initials.  I tried it both way...with block letters and with cursive letters.  I believe I'm more drawn to the block letters. Anyway, here are both tangles.

Being a perfectionist by nature, I sometimes have trouble when I "mess up" a line, but I'm slowly trying to overcome that trait! (mostly because I do mess up a lot...then I have to find a creative way to cover up my mess! LOL!)  Probably all of the tangles I've used in my work are original Zentangles...I'm not sure since 've never taken a class.  All I can say is.....This is FUN! Very relaxing...and I love the finished results (usually!).

Thanks for stopping by! Until next time...

Hugs

LIM23 - Something with Legs

This week our Less is More challenge is once again, a one layer card.  A one layer card is one piece of card stock folded in half with no additional layers and minimal embellishments, where the image is stamped or printed directly onto the card stock.  I'm beginning to think that one layer cards are my favorite cards.  A big plus is that they are so easy to mail...no bulk! 

This week I've made three very different cards for the challenge.  I've posted them all in this one post so that it's easier for others to leave comments without having to come to my blog three or four times during the week.  I know I struggle to leave comments for everyone, and now that the challenge has grown so much, sometimes it's just not possible to get around to all the cards and leave a little luv for you. Working for a living seriously cuts into my "free" time! LOL!  

Okay...enough babble...here's my cards for this week's challenge:

This first card is actually the last card I made and I think perhaps it's my favorite of the three.  I masked off an area just above the center of the card and sponged it with some distress ink.  Then I tore a piece of post it paper and sponged the edges of it to give the blue a feeling of clouds.  The sentiment is from Papertrey Ink, and the butterfly (it does have legs...you just can't see them)..is from Flourishes. 

This next card is the first card I made this week and I think the frogs are just adorable! The stamps are Penny Black stamps.  The sentiment is computer generated using Baby Boston font.  I colored the frogs, lily pad and water with Prisma pencils and then blended with OMS.

This is actually the second card I made today. The silhouette stamp is a Close to My Heart stamp. I stamped the image in Memento's black. I punched a large circle and tore a piece of post it for the ground and placed them over the image.  I sponged the ground with some green Memento ink and around the circle with some blue distress ink and a touch of purple distress ink.  Sentiment is from Papertrey Ink.

Sharing another layout with you today. This is a photo of my hubby when he was about 2 years old. 

Photo of my hubby taken sometime around 1938. I used My Mind's Eye Stella Rose "Hattie" papers for this layout. The doily embellies were stamped with the MME stamps that match this paper and his name and the year were handwritten in the center of the doilies. The bicycle is a TH stamp added to a 2 inch circle punch and a 2 inch scalloped punch. I made the tassel hanging from the tag with some navy pearl cotton thread. I did quite a bit of inking and doodling on this layout too. The journaling was added to a tag that I tucked behind the photo and reads: 

This is a photo of Butch when he was about two years old. He’s riding his first “bike” at the house that his Grandpa Goetter built for his family sometime around 1938. Butch told me that the house didn’t have running water (and probably didn’t have indoor plumbing!) and that all water was brought in from a well outside that had the big old-fashioned hand pump. Hearing these stories from Butch really makes me appreciate running water and indoor plumbing!  

Thanks so much for stopping by! Your comments are always welcomed and appreciated! Until next time....

Hugs!

OLW61 - Clouds

Our One Layer Wednesday challenge is hosted again this week by Jennifer at Styles Ink. Jennifer has challenged us to make a card using clouds.  Luckily I do have a couple of stamp sets that include clouds.

The cloud with the sun peeking over the top is a stamp from Flourishes April Showers collection.  The other cloud is from PTI's Up, Up and Away collection.  I used the die that goes with that stamp and cut a mask to use on the card.  I added dotted edges on the second cloud to match the edges on the first stamp.  After putting my my masks in place, I sponged a little blue ink around the clouds.  The kite is also stamped using the Up, Up, and Away collection.  The sentiment is from the April Showers collect from Flourishes.

Thanks so much for stopping by! Your comments are greatly appreciated!! Until next time...

Hugs!

LIM22 - Shades of Blue

The challenge this week at the Less is More blog is a color challenge. This week, we've been challenged to make a card in shades of blue.  Since blue is not one of my most favorite colors, I had to give this one a lot of thought.  I finally decided on this Stampendous flower.  

The flowers are stamped in SU Not Quite Navy ink. I colored them with Copic markers in B21, B23, and B24.  Then I added some Ranger liquid pearls in Ocean Blue for the stamens.  The sentiment is one I've had forever...don't know who makes it...and is stamped in SU Not Quite Navy.

I've still been doing a lot of doodling and this is a layout that I finished this week.  The photo is my grandson, Allen, that I took about 18 months ago at a local park. (The black border was added in photoshop elements to keep the edges from disappearing when posted)

I used a solid white smooth textured card stock and black Micron pens to do my doodling.  The greenery is colored with Prisma pencils and then blended with OMS.  The logs were also drawn with the Micron pens, but I colored them with several different Copic markers.  I changed the photo to a black and white in PSE8 and printed it in a 4 x 6 in size, then I sanded the edges of the photo with some fine grained sandpaper.  The title letters are some sticker letters by American Crafts.  I added the journaling to the back of the layout and it reads:

Allen, you are so cute when you smile at me. I am so proud of you and of all the things you have learned. I know that you will achieve great things in life, because you're one smart little guy. I love you! Grandma

That's it for today...Thanks so much for stopping by and thank you for all your fabulous comments!  Until next time...

Hugs!