Cracked Glass

 

I have been eying this sketch for a while and these papers have been sitting on my desk "crying for me" (my son used to say that when he wanted something) so today I decided to go for it.  I did the whole layout then had a time trying to figure out what image to use.  I decided on a portion of a stamp from Sutter Stamps out of Montana.  Since I have 4 Paint horses it was an easy choice to color the horse with Copics like a Buckskin paint.    I also used a Martha Stewart punch and edged alot of this card with a gold marker.  

The little horseshoe is from a stash I've had since my horse show sewing days.  These are fabric add ons with prongs on the back.  These are all silver and since that wouldn't work, I colored it with a gold pen.  Here's the trick:  Stick it in a piece of styrofoam while you color so it doesn't get all over your fingers and then let it dry, it will take some time.  Next, take a needle nose pliers and bend those prongs back in a little.  They angle out.  After that put your paper on the foam and gently push it through.  Flip over and pound the prongs down with a hammer.  This little piece of styrofoam is a handy little thing to have for coloring brads, paper piercing etc.  Just don't use a heat gun...don't ask!

CCEE Sketch Challenge

I like to be able to play along with challenges but don't always get a chance to with work and other things that have to be done.  My daughter told me her husband slipped outside last night and fell flat on his back.  He is hurting pretty bad so I made this card for him.  The circles on the layout were perfect for a dog stamp since my dog, Doogan is BALL OBSESSED!  The challenge is listed here.  I didn't even use Copics to color this time but Prismacolor pencils and Gamsol.  I forgot how easy and fun that is to do and how easy the colors blend.  The stamps on here are by Clear Dollar Stamps Dog Days set and paper is from a DCWV Pet Stack.  The brad is one I got at Hobby Lobby.  Oh, the inside says "Fetching you well wishes."  I hope he feels better soon. 


Grizzly and his cat

I have to share this picture of our Geriatric dog Grizzly.  Now that old Buttons is gone, it seems like he inherited the cats.  He's not as tolerant of them as she was but they sure like to cuddle up to him on cold nights.  This cat is T (he was Tasha until we found out he was a HE).  T is a barn cat but realizes the house is a lot warmer than a light bulb hanging in a wire crate in the barn when it's -20 out like it has been the past week or so.  I don't image old Griz will be around much longer, he's 12 and his health is failing so the cats better enjoy canine company while they can because Doogan isn't to fond of cuddle cats!

Celtic Birthday

Here is a card I made for my Son-in-laws birthday using a Stampsmith celtic 2 stamp.
I embossed the image in a green powder and cut out.  I see my ribbon is crooked on the picture so I'm going to have to try to fix that.  This is a 5X5 square card.  I can mail it in a 5X7 envelope with no extra postage that way.  I used some sticky brads I purchased at Walmart on this card.  I have since found some at JoAnn's and they were on sale.  I bought all silver there and want to try to color them with Copics.  These little things are perfect when you realize after your card is all together that it needs something.  The DP is some I found in my stash.  I WILL go through a bunch before I buy more.  I have been very good walking by the paper in stores recently.  If you have any questions please ask!

Whiff of Joy - Out of the Box

Oh sweet Charlotte!  I love this stamp from Whiff of Joy's summer kit.  Again I colored with copics and used the out of the box technique with Spellbinder dies, Labels #4 and fancy tags.  Also used was Cuttlebug folders, Martha Stewart punch and buttons.  I don't remember where the paper came from...does my stash help?  LOL

Enjoy, it's almost FRIDAY. 

Coffee with a Moose

I used Riley Moose to make this 'out of the box' card as a 1-1 swap with Deb Lovett.  He's colored with Copics and layered with some Hobby Lobby paper and ribbon.  I was itching to use this ribbon and dug through my stash and found this paper.  The flowers are punched and centers are brads.  Pretty simple but I do like the layout and think I'm going to have to use this again.

Blast from the past

While digging for a stamp set recently I ran across this set of DD fruit that was from SU.  Then I remembered this card from a catalog, long ago!  I think it is why I ordered the set in the first place.  It is very simple but I still like it and know it's why I still have that set.  I masked off the edges of some ivory natural cardstock and stamped the images using the Creole Spice Kaleidacolor Rainbow Dye Ink Pad.  Simple but I still like it. 

A Pirates Life for Me!

I used a couple Technique Junkie techniques on this card, Cuttlebug Highlights and Burnt edges. The stamps are from Rubber Stamp Ave (thanks Ann Clack for jarring my memory)  I love that the pirate looks like Johnny Depp...sigh!  He was colored with Copics (big surprise right? I promise I'll use something else soon)
The embellishment on the bottom is a coin that came in one of the Pirates of the Caribbean DVD.

Our Creative Corner Sketch Challenge

OCC has challenges each week.  I know I didn't follow it exactly but I've had these stamps from Paper Trey Ink for a long time and been dying to ink them up.  I needed a birthday card for my sister-in-law so thought this would be perfect. 
I used a Cuttlebug folder on the top.  The bottom is a Martha Stewart punch with some ribbon in the middle.  Ink is Certainly Celery.  There are a couple pearls on the Happy Birthday die cut too.  I ended up having to sponge the greeting, something got on it (not ink) and I didn't want to redo it.  Gotta love sponging to cover up things like that!  It's really quite simple but I like it.  It reminds me of spring and since we were forecast to have a nasty storm these past 3 days and possible power outage, I need spring!  Oh, the power outage and storm never did hit.  Thank you California for not sending your worst!  LOL  I think you kept most of the moisture.  I do hope you get a break now. 

Whiff of Joy Challenge

Whiff of Joy (WOJ) has a challenge, use either
4 papers, 3 bling 2 flowers
OR for the challenged like me 3 papers, 2 bling, 1 flower.  I find it hard to use more than one paper since I tend to lean to clean and simple (I'm trying to change a little) and am paper picking challenged.  LOL
Since I was in preparation mode for a forecast storm and possible power outage, I missed the deadline.  Oh well, I still hope you enjoy it!

This is Charlotte from the Medieval collection.  I colored her with copics and used a lot of die cuts to finish it off.  My 2 blings are hard to see.  The first one is the center of flower and the 2nd is a small rhinestone on the basket.  I hope you like it.  It's not exactly what I had pictured but it turned ok.  It is a challenge!  LOL

Sick Moose

Just a quick share today. Here's a card I made for my brother-in-law after he had heart surgery. It's Riley Moose. I did some paper piecing for the bedding and colored with Copics.

Penguins!

This little guy is so cute. He's from Firecracker Designs by Pamela. I did a mirror image with him. First I stamped him with black soot distress inks (they stay moist longer) and embossed him on the cut nestie label. Then I stamped again on my stamp positioner sheet, flipped it over and pressed on it to make the mirror image. The background was masked, sponged and I colored the penguin's scarf and ear muffs with a red Copic and beak with orange, using a lighter color for the mirror image. DP paper is from a Hobby Lobby Christmas package I bought a few years ago. I layered the stamped image on a fleur de lis Spellbinder pendant. I cut out 2 and then cut the bottom off both and put together.
I stamped GOTCHA on a small tag, sponged the edges and hung on the edge of pendant with a red safety pin. It's embellished with a snowflake I got in the Hobby Lobby ornament department and a clip I HAD to have this clip applicator and some clips and never use them! I'm sure no one else does that right?

High Hopes skiing bear

This is another stamp my son got me for Christmas. I just love him, send him links and he knows how to buy things on-line. Unlike my husband...but perhaps that is a good thing!

Anyway, I used a sketch from I saw someplace and had fun with it. I used some My Minds Eye paper. I used a fine line silver pen to outline the inside of the nestie label and the edges of the DP and some Stickles on the snow. What was strange was the silver clear Stickles turned gold but oh well.

Organized...sort of

Well at least as much as I'm going to be for now. Here's a picture BEFORE. YIKES and I didn't even show the workspace...which wasn't there. LOL Look at the bottom shelf, I couldn't find anything, there were tons on embellishments somewhere there. And WHY did I leave my reinkers out on prime shelf space?

I decided to add a couple more brackets, longer shelves and one more up high. It took 2 trips to Walmart to get enough drawer units and 2 trips to Menards (Midwest's Home Depot) to get all I needed.

Here is what it looks like now.










I have all my 'stuff' sorted out and labeled. I found things I totally forgot about and vow to use it. I mean do we really think the craft/card making police will come and arrest us if we use eyelets instead of brads or fibers in place of ribbon?

I am challenging everyone to use what you have instead of buying into the new trends. Use those fancy brads you bought...before they go out of 'style' or that pad of DP before that goes out of style. Have fun.

Another Challenge - Copic source

Our Creative Corner has a Sketch Challenge on Thursday's and some other challenge on Saturdays. I decided to play and incorporate them into 1 card (that's not cheating is it?) So here is the sketch and blue/green color challenge.

My son gave me some High Hopes stamps I've wanted for Christmas and this is the first chance I have had to ink them up. I used Milton moose in his bathrobe and paper pieced the same background paper (My Minds Eye) for his bathrobe. I colored him with Copics.

I'm on a roll with Copics, I ordered a bunch more from Oozak. I love them, free shipping if you order $50 and if you create an account and sign in, they are only $4.25 each for Sketch! Plus they ship FAST, same day. Not affiliated, just happy customer.

I cut around the candle and slid my Nestie over and cut it out. The mesh on the top is the sticky drywall tape you buy at a home improvement store. I found it while organizing and decided it's NOT out of style, just forgotten. So I cut it in smaller strips, colored the larger one with a copic and layered the smaller strip on top. The greeting was generated with my label maker and the 3 brad looking things were picked up at Walmart, they are sticky back so easy to use when you forget to put them on early. LOL

I made 2 of these and am sending to my kids who are both in grad school and I KNOW don't get to bed before 2 am. How they can stay up that late all the time and still function and get the grades they do I'll never know but I'm SO PROUD of them.

Whiff of Joy Challenge

I'll admit, I fell in love with the stamps from Whiff of Joy when I first saw them. What I find most impressive is the quality and service. I can order them from Switzerland, get them in a week and pay less in shipping than most US companies!
I am very impressed with the talent of the design team Katharina has secured and am a little intimidated by even trying to be a guest designer as my style is a little more clean and simple so all the layers are hard to incorporate. Not that I don't like layers but I mail 95% of my cards and want them to go without extra postage. But since I had a day to create yesterday I thought I'd what the heck, I'd try, I mean any chance to get free Whiff of Joy stamps to play with is sweet!
I was a little bummed my old camera's batteries were dead and had to use the new one my hubby bought me...It is supposed to be a much better camera but I like my old one.
Anyway, I made mine 5 X 5 (I can mail it in a 5X7 envelope so I don't have to use extra postage). The stamp is from the Winter collection and I colored her with Copics. The DP is by DCWV. I used all sorts of Spellbinder dies, dots Cuttlebug folder and the little flowers are some I've had in my stash, they are wooden. You see I'm on a kick, I organized my stuff and labeled everything so I don't spend hours looking for something.

I also did this card. I love that chilly Charlotte stamp by WOJ, colored with Copics. I cut her out and mounted her on the spellbinder die.