For You

Well, its better late than never, right?  This card was presented to my mom for Mothers Day.  I just havent had time to post it yet.  It is using an image from Sliekje Digi Stamps, colored with my Spectrum Noir markers.

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:
Patties Creations Challenge #44-recipe-  Ribbons, flowers, glitter, gems
Phindys Place #107- 1,2,3 1 image, 2 design papers, 3 embellishments

Pinky Penguin

My nanny is graduating from college and I had to come up with a card for her grad party.  She LOVES penguins, so I had to make a card with this adorable little penguin.  This free digi stamp is from Melonheadz.  I colored her with my Spectrum Noir markers.  The pink and yellow flowers are from my Cricut Art Philosophy cart and the black one is from Walmart, lol.  

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:

Digi Doodle Shop Challenge 109: Lets Go Spotty  -the penguins bow is spotted, and the yellow paper is spotted :)

DYSU Challenge Blog #73: A Little Birdie Told Me-Penguins are birds, right?

Southern Girls Challenge #45-Dying to Die-Cut-The background of the penguin is cut with spellbinders dies, the pink and yellow flowers are Cricut cuts

Creative Inspirations #164- Anything Goes

Happy Nurses Day

Yesterday was Nurses Day, and the kick-off of Nurses Week.  I am a nurse on a postpartum, pediatric, and special care unit.  I get to play with babies all day!  What more can you ask for? :)  I found this digi stamp on Mo's Digital Pencil.  I colored her up with my new Spectrum Noir markers.  Isnt she adorable??  The flowers are from the Cricut Art Philosophy Cartridge.

I have already presented this card to one of my former coworkers and best friends.  

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges.

http://papertakeweekly.blogspot.com/ anything goes

http://mosdigitalchallenge.blogspot.com/ anything goes with Mo

Lollipop Girl

Well, I have been practicing with my Spectrum Noirs, and I put together another card with one of the digi stamps.  This one is a cute girl with her lollipop from http://sliekje.blogspot.com/  Isn't she adorable??!!

I even used the Spectrum Noirs to change my gems to the color I wanted them! Her ribbons are glittered, and I used bakers twine for the 1st time!  The flowers are from the Art Philosophy Cartridge.  Small Stamp sentiment is from CTMH.

I would love to enter her into the following challenges:

http://stampwithfun.blogspot.com/  challenge #159 Decoration
http://trulyscrumptiouschallenge.blogspot.com/  #79 Distress and Die cuts/punches
http://craftycatzweeklychallenge.blogspot.com/ #131 April Showers bring May flowers
http://jellyparkchallenges.blogspot.com/ Girly Girl
http://prairiefairyfridays.blogspot.com/ for your inspiration

Just Ducky Blog Candy

Lori over at Just Ducky justsoducky.blogspot.com has some awesome blog candy that she is giving away.  I am just getting into the stamp coloring and the Magnolia stamps are soo cute!!  I would love to win them :)  You can too, the drawing is May 12th... But you really dont want to go there, do you?  (if you dont, my odds are better, lol.)  just kidding!

My New Toy!!!

So I have been oogling over all of the wonderful cards and projects made with alcohol markers, ie Copic Markers, but my cheapo brain couldnt wrap my head around the expense and choosing colors was daunting.  Weelll, that all changed when I received an email from www.hallmarkscrapbook.com about Spectrum Noir Alcohol Markers.  I was hooked at 1st glance!  Of course, i resisted for a while, doing my research, but ultimately I had to have them.  It ended up being $112 for the intial set of 72 markers.  Not bad if you have ever priced out Copic Markers.  So far, i love them.  In my research, i found lots of people doing comparisons between the different alcohol markers.  Copic people say they dont blend as well, and they like their brush nib better....  Well that may be true, but im never gonna know the difference, lol!!!    I do have a couple minor complaints.  The colors are supposed to go 1= lightest, 9= darkest...but some dont make sense that way.  I downloaded and filled out the color chart, so I can figure it out, just wish it made sense.  The other thing is that the barrel falls apart on some of the markers.  The "ink well" can go flying and wreck your project.  However I have found a fix for that...  I did make a little video that I will post below this, and you can see my fix...  I will also say that I consider myself a "crafty" person, and not so much an "artsy" person.  This goes much more into the "artsy" realm, so I will be PRACTICING!!!  Oh darn, lol...

The 1st card I made.  The digital stamp is from http://linnie-whoopsiedaisy.blogspot.com/.  I have been using Georgia Pacific paper from walmart.  Once I get better, I will venture into some spendier paper...

 And some of my other practice pieces.  The fish, duck, bird, and ant are all from www.doodlepantry.com

The rest of the images are from http://sliekje.blogspot.com/

Thinking of You

I a card this weekend for my uncle who is in the hospital after surgery for colon cancer.  He also happens to have a totally unrelated 2nd cancer, lymphoma that he will have to battle simultaneously.  And to top it off, his wife had surgery this week, too!  It is a tough time for them and I just want them to know they are on my mind and in my prayers...

I used some papers from a Walmart stack, inks from CTMH, a chipboard shape from CTMH, and matching cutout from Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge.  Hemp tie to finish it off...

From My Craft Room Blog Giveaway

Wow, Ive been looking at my blog list that I follow and I have been truly inspired!  I expecially love this blog From My Craft Room.  She has this awesome tutorial on a round side step card that I am totally going to try!!!  And, she has a giveaway for her 3rd anniversary going on.  Follow the link in the page to go to it, ... or on second thought, no dont go there, I want to win!!!  LOL

Shabby Chic

I have been inspired lately by all the shabby chic cards and layouts I have seen.  I am impressed by how a card or LO can almost be more of a work of art than "just a card".  It has never been my style, but I am a good faker, lol.  I decided to try my hand at the shabby chic style, and this is what I came up with.  It is a birthday card for my mother-in-law.  I really like how it turned out.  Luckily she saves every card I have made for her, so the effort is not lost on her!

I used lots of distress ink, the lace is dyed with distress ink.  The flowers are hand-cut because I dont have a flower cart yet.  There are real pearls in the center of the flowers.

Card Swap

I joined a Birthday Card Swap on the Cricut Messageboard.  I have to create a set of man, woman, girl, and boy cards.  The card in my last post was used for the woman card.

I found the man card on Pinterest.  The coolest part about it is that the pocket can fit a gift card in it!!  LOVE IT!!!!

The boy card is from the Batman Cricut Cart.  

And the girl card is from the Smiley Cards Cart.  I only have this one in digital form on my gypsy, so I overlook it  a lot, but it is SO CUTE!!

http://mytimetocraft.blogspot.com/

I scraplifted this card idea from the cricut messageboard and this blog, A Time to Craft.  

Imitation is the best kind of flattery, right?

Easter '07

Here is an Easter layout for a LOAD challenge over at Storytellers.  I cant decide if I am going to add more of a title, or stick with just the journal tag...  what do you think?

Feb Storytellers Challenges

Here are a couple more challenges from the Storytellers blog.  Really loving these kits and having some inspiration to get things done!!!

Feb Technique Challenge - Storytellers

This page was for the Ink-y Heart Challenge at Storytellers.  I inked the hearts and then I stamped the word LOVE on the large heart in the center.  I love the challenges.  Makes sure I actually get stuff done!

On a Card Roll...

Heres another kiddie card.  I had already pieced the puppy together earlier, from the Create A Critter Cricut Cartridge.  I completed the card for Connies Card Challange on the Storytellers Club Forum.

Cindy Loo Card from Custom Crops

So I saw on Pinterest a super cute card made with the Cricut Cindy Loo Cartridge.  Pinterest linked back to Custom Crops (I love CC!!).  http://www.customcrops.com/article_info.php?tPath=2&articles_id=429  The author created a .cut file for the card, but I havent switched my copy of design studio to my new laptop, so I did it myself with my gypsy.  Here is my copy of the project.  I think I will make more of them and play around with the colors.  

Scrappy Scrappy!!

Here are a couple more LOs of Tommy, i will get caught up some day, lol!!!

1st, one of Tommy with my sister, Auntie Colie.  Using the Storytellers Kit Urban Expressions...

The 2nd one is Tommys 2nd Birthday party, an Elmo Party!!!

Cards and more cards!

My grandma was talking about never having a card when she needs one, so I made some cards for her to have on hand.  I made 3 copies; one for her, one for my mom, and one for me.  

I also made a Valentine Card, well actually 2.  I couldn't decide whether to use the heart with vellum overlay as an element on the card, or "the card" so I did both, LOL...

I am using this 1st one for a Valentine Card Challenge on the Storytellers forum.  www.storytellers.lefora.com

This one is going to be uploaded for a Fabulous Friday Challenge and Blog Hop at Frosted Designs.

http://frosteddesigns.blogspot.com/2012/01/winter-wonderland-blog-hop-fabulous.html

Storytellers Club Layouts!!

I think I touched earlier on me joining a kit club.  I got my 1st kits last week and have finished my first 2 LOs this weekend.

They have great papers and cute embellishments...  Here they are...

Im on a roll!!!

Here are some more pages I got done over the weekend and got photographed last night....

Every 6 months I make a page of pics that I want in his book but dont have another spot to fit... This is one of those pages

I won a kit from CTMH at a craft show.  This came from papers from that kit.  It is the Felicity kit :)