Thank you cats

I need to catch up on posting my cards from my neighborhood card club.  We do a card swap every two months.  June's theme was "Thank You Cards."  I had some fun with my Cricut and stamps this time.

The cat is from Newton's Nook, the sentiment from My Favorite Things, and the "thanks" is from the Gypsy Wanderings Cricut Cartridge.  I got inspired by Kristina Werner's cat color video HERE and made 4 variations of cats: grey tabby, siamese, tuxedo, and orange tabby.

I'm fairly partial to the Siamese.  Growing up, my kitties had Siamese coloring.  The tuxedo cat was the easiest to color.  The hardest was the orange tabby (picking out colors for him was so hard).  My current cat is a Calico, but I mess up every time I try to color that splotchy coat pattern.  Anyone know of a tutorial out there?

CLBC Challenge #5

Happy July!  It's the 4th of July today, and the people of the United States are having a blast celebrating Independence Day.  As for me, I try to avoid the crowds.

A new month means a new challenge at Creative Ladybird Creations.  As always, the theme is Anything Goes.  This month I used the image "Labrador Stick" from Ike's Art.

My husband and I adopted a chocolate lab puppy.  So I had to color this guy dark brown in our puppy's honor.  The sentiment is from My Favorite Things.

Be sure to join this month's challenge!

Crafty Girlz #2-Springtime

Happy spring!  There's a springtime challenge at Crafty Girlz this month.  Of course, if you don't want to make a spring project, you can always go with the standby "Anything Goes" challenge.

Most people think of pastels, baby birds, and flowers when they think of spring.  I think of mud, worms, and fish guts.  Springtime means fishing time!  (Actually I'm also an ice fisher so winter means fishing too...)  Here's a fun fishing card made using the digital stamp "Anglin' Andy" by our sponsor, Dr. Digi.

Supplies: Image-Dr. Digi, Coloring medium-Spectrum Noir markers, Paper-Paper Studio

 

Sorry for the blurry photo.  I'm having computer and camera issues this month!  I made the hooks, bobber and fly myself.  The fly has paper feathers.  You can find the tutorial that I used HERE.

 

Hope to see your springtime projects at Crafty Girlz!

Crafty Girlz Challenge 1

There's a new challenge blog in blogland-Crafty Girlz!  Challenges start on the 15th of every month and are monthly.  The challenge has a theme or you can play anything goes!  So no excuse not to join the fun.

Our theme this month is April Showers/Anything Goes.  We're sponsored by Rosey Hearts, Lacy Sunshine, and A Day for Daisies this month.  I shouldn't have favorite sponsors, but this is a pretty great lineup-right?!

I used "Rain or Shine" by Unity Stamp Co to make a bridal shower card.

Supplies: Paper-K&Co, Stamps: Hero Arts and Unity, Coloring Medium-Spectrum Noir

Hope you join the fun at Crafty Girlz!

Linking to:

Avenue 613 Create-anything goes

Craft Your Passion-anything goes

Through the Craft Room Door-anything goes

Crafting for All Seasons-milestones (bridal shower)

Penny's Challenges-for girls

Unity Stamps-friends with flair

CLBC Challenge #2

Happy April!  It's time for another Creative Ladybirds Creations Challenge.  As always the theme is anything goes.  We have 2 fab sponsors this month.  Stitchy Bear and Oddball Art.

I used Butter Blue by Barbra Jensen Designs for my first card.  With a name like that, obviously this fairy needed to be colored blue.

Supplies:  Image-Stitchy Bear, Coloring Medium-Spectrum Noir and Prismacolor, Paper-DCWV, Embellishments-Chatterbox

I also made a bookmark using Bonnie Bookworm by Oddball Art.

 The quote seemed perfect for the image and for a bookmark.

Now I really want to go to the library. 

Can't wait to see what you come up with.  Be sure to link to Creative Ladybirds Creations.

Creative Ladybirds Creations March Challenge

It's here!  It's finally here!  The Creative Ladybirds Creations Challenges start today.  The challenges are monthly and the theme is always anything goes.

We're sponsored by 3 different digi companies this month and there is tons of inspiration on the challenge blog.  So check it out and enter HERE.

I used Birthday Monsters by Bugaboo for my first card.  Those fun monsters were just asking for some bold fun colors.

Image-Bugaboo, Paper-Imaginence, Coloring Medium-Spectrum Noir, Stamps-TAWS, Other-Wink of Stella and Ranger

It was so much fun to color that I just couldn't stop, so I added lots of sparkle with my Wink of Stella glitter pen and some shiny balloons, eyes, horns, and teeth with Glossy Accents.  Here's an angled close up in the light.

For my second card, I used Cowboy from Ike's Art.  I've loved Ike's digis ever since I was part of her design team and it was a real treat to showcase her fabulous work.

Image-Ike's Art, Paper-Paper Studio, Coloring Medium-Prismacolor, Brads-Making Memories

It's a simple card, but it took me hours to shade that horse!  I might send this to my husband's grandmother.  Her late husband was a rancher and this image looks like a picture we have of him on his favorite horse.

Can't wait to see your projects this month!

BIC #60

It's time for another Be Inspired Challenge by The Alley Way Stamps.  Here's the inspiration photo:

I was inspired by the tree in the upper left of the picture.  I loved the contrast of the white tree with the bold red and green.  I also was inspired by the snowflakes in the opposite corner of the photo.

I just purchased TAWS's Chick Magnet stamp set.  The expression on the chickens crack me up!  I wanted to use it, but wasn't sure how to make it a holiday card.  Then I thought how I always make a tangled mess of lights when setting up the tree and realized that chicken's surprised expression probably matches mine in a holiday light mess.  I used Jolly Holiday for the lights and sentiment to make a hilarious Christmas card.

I'll probably have a few more holiday cards posted before the 25th.  Have you mailed your Christmas cards yet?  Mine are still in a pile on my craft desk.  Better mail them soon.

Linking To:

The Alley Way Stamps-BIC #60

613 Avenue Create-Anything Goes

A Song in Your Heart-I'll Be Home for Christmas

Just Us Girls-Mixed Media (I used markers, papers, ribbon, glossy accents, pens, etc.)

Spectrum Noir-Simple Cards

Christmas Card Time

I haven't posted in a long time because I've mostly been working on Christmas cards.  I love holiday cards.  I could make them all year round.  Unfortunately, I didn't, so now I'm trying to get all of my Christmas cards made so I can send them at the beginning of December.  When did the holidays sneak up so fast?!

My main holiday card focuses on the infant Savior.  I just love this stamp set (Seek Him) from The Alley Way Stamps.  It shows the true reason for the holiday season so simply.

Supplies: Stamps-The Alley Way Stamps, Paper-DCWV, Cork-K&Co, Ribbon-Offray, Other-Glossy Accents, Stampin' Up Ink, Spectrum Noir markers, and gold glitter

My camera didn't want to cooperate.  It's much warmer toned in person.  I colored on cream cardstock and then masked the spotlight area and inked the sides using my distressing tool.  I made a dozen of these which was a really dumb idea.  Inking the blue sky for that many cards was miserable!

My other holiday card is a festive bird card with a pun (of course!)  I've made 3 of these so far, but I might make a few more.

Supplies: Stamps-Lawn Fawn, Paper-DCWV, Ribbon-American Crafts, Coloring Medium-Prismacolor pencils

I rarely make duplicates of cards, but it has been a good change this month.  I doubt I'll do it often, but holiday cards are always an exception.

Mr. Roboto

I've got a few cards to share from the past couple weeks.  Here's a silly robot!

Paper-Paper Studio, Stamps-The Alley Way Stamps and Technique Tuesday, Colors-Distress Inks and Spectrum Noir

I love the grunge metallic look that I got with my Spectrum Noir markers.  This was my first attempt embossing, I think there will be a bit of a learning curve!  You can view this card in my Etsy shop HERE.

Linking to:

Spectrum Noir-cards for boys

Make It Monday-anything goes

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CYP-Dotty for Stripes?

It's bittersweet as this is my last card for the Craft Your Passion Design Team.  What a fun year it has been and what a great group of crafters!  I'm going to miss them terribly.  But it's time for new crafty adventures and there will be a whole new team (plus some familiar faces) to be inspired by starting next week.

We've got a super fun theme this week-one of my very favorites.

Stripes and Polka Dots

Time for some fun patterned paper!  Bugaboo is sponsoring the challenge this week and I used a super cute digi from them called "Ava and Deacon Friends Swing."

The yellow light in my kitchen didn't want to cooperate, so the whites look cream colored.  They're white, I promise!  I'm going to give this to my best friend-my hubby.  I even colored the people to look like us, but I wish my messy hair would be that cooperative.  Hope you join the fun at Craft Your Passion this week.

Add Some Color

I'm sick of winter.  It's far too gray.  So I pulled out my most colorful paper and new stamps for these cards.

Paper-Basic Grey, Stamps-Paper Smooches, Coloring Medium-Spectrum Noir

Paper-Basic Grey, Stamps-There She Goes, Coloring Medium-Spectrum Noir and Ranger Distress Ink

It's time for some new adventures.  My DT terms end next week and so I decided to try something new.  I've opened an Etsy shop for my greeting cards.  These are the first two in the shop!  You can see them for sale HERE.

MIA no more!

I've been gone for a bit.  Computer trouble-grrr...  I'm always astounded to realize how much I depend on technology once it goes down.

I feel really bad that my Craft Your Passion posts haven't been put up for the past two weeks.  I had to take the photos on my phone for the challenge, but couldn't upload them to my blog.  Thankfully, I've finally got the bugs mostly figured out, so I'm back!

This week's challenge is sponsored by Kenny K and the theme is

Music

You still have 24 hours to play along if you want to join the fun.

And just because I spent hours coloring, here's last week's challenge card:

Last minute Christmas cards

I started on my Christmas cards during the first week of November.  I colored the images, bought the paper, started planning a layout.  Yep, this year I was going to finish my cards early...

Or maybe the supplies would just sit for seven weeks and I'd finally make the cards this morning.

Image-Make It Crafty, Color-Spectrum Noir, Paper-My Mind's Eye, Ribbon/stickers-American Crafts

I love this cute little "candy elf" from Make it Crafty.  She's colored with my Spectrum Noirs.

Linking to:

Make It Colorful-Red & Green (and textured)

Spectrum Noir-food

Digi Haven-Christmas Colors

CYP #193-ABChristmas

Happy Monday.  One more week of school until winter break, and this teacher is counting down the hours.  I don't know if your kids get better behaved in December because Santa's watching, but I do know that 8th graders get a whole lot worse when a break approaches.  I've definitely needed craft therapy.

This week's theme at Craft Your Passion is

Christmas ABC (Anything But a Card)

I played double duty this week.  First up is a wreath for my new house's door!

Rustic and simple-like me.

I've been dying to color, but I have so many finished images to put on cards, that I feel guilty pulling out my markers.  But then I thought of gift tags and so I used some super cute elves from Melonheadz to make some quirky tags.  (I made 20 of them.  They are all different-but follow the same sketch.  And yes, I ran out.  Apparently I need to tone down the gift buying.) 

Can't wait to see you practicing your ABC's at Craft Your Passion this week!

Also linking to:

Melonheadz-Christmas

Crafting for all Season-no Christmas cards

Simon Says Stamp-Snow

Through the Craft Room Door-Anything Goes

613 Avenue Create-anything goes

Christmas time!

I love this time of year!  The lights, the decor, the smells, the bunnies... bunnies?  Okay, so the image I used on this card is an Easter one, but for some strange reason, I always associate it with Christmas.  That gal just looks so festive in her red and green.

Supplies: Image-Saturated Canary, Paper-My Mind's Eye, Stamps-Stampin Up, Embellishments-Doodlebug, Color-Spectrum Noir

My hubby and I got some great gift cards for my mother-in-law, so this card is actually a gift card holder on the inside.  Happy holidays!

Linking to:

Penny's Paper Crafts-feminine with sentiment

Deep Ocean-Santa is coming

Digi Haven-Christmas cards

Crafty Creations-gift card holders

Through the Craft Room Door-anything goes

613 Avenue Create-CAS