From Your Secret Pal

 

I made my card today with a specific person in mind, my Secret Sister!   

It's really fun to have a Secret Sister and I know I have to be careful not to give myself away. Luckily we're both pretty new at our church so she doesn't know anything about me or what I love to do!   

This cute digi image is by Kenny K's!  They're starting a new challenge blog and were looking for design team members and I was just a moment too late to apply.  It's a good thing though, I'm on three wonderful design teams and I'm on the admin. team for  Operation Write Home so I have plenty of fun stuff going to keep me busy!    

I used my Cosmo Cricket DeLovely paper pad and Papertrey Ink Raspberry Fizz card stock, it's a  nice match!   She's colored with Copic markers and I had a really old Secret Pal stamp that fit into a Spellbinders Circle Nestie die that I matted with one of their pinking dies.  The two flowers are from an EK Success punch and I added Dew Drops for the centers after I enhanced them with a Copic marker.

I hope she likes it!

My card is entered into these challenges:

Stampin' Sister's In Christ - Challenge 45 Stripes

I Did It Creations - 3 D

Simon Says Challenge - Friends

The Corrosive Challenge - Flowers

Bee Crafty - Pink & Girly
Pollycraft - Pinkalicious
The Shabby Tea Room - Popsicles & Pinwheels inspiration  

Cards for Operation Write Home

It felt weird not to do any blog posts this weekend, but after two on Friday and being up to date on my design team assignments I thought I'd take some time and make a few cards for Operation Write Home!

Each of my cards today use Sandy's Ciara digi stamp, my new Basic Grey Max & Whiskers paper pad and Copic markers.  I'm not as good as I used to be at mass production but I was able to get 7 similar cards made.

The sketch I used is Mojo Monday 143 and the love you and miss you sentiments are part of this fun set!

and one more...

This last card was one of the images that was too big for the card sketch so I made a round card and experimented with the background.  I used my Copic markers to randomly add dots for the background. 

I'd also like to enter my cards into the following challenges:

Penny's Challenges - Use a dog on your card

Aud Sentiments - Love somewhere in your sentiment

Charisma Cardz - For The Boys

Shirley's 2 Girls - Anything New

Paper Cutz - Circles, stars or squares

Sew Many Cards - Anything Goes

Crafty Catz - Let's Go Digital
Sentimental Sunday's - Encouragement & Support
The Crazy Challenge - Make it in an hour
Freshly Brewed - Anything Goes
Digi Doodle Shop's Best - Anything Goes

In Style Stamps Blog Hop

Hello,  It's blog hop day for In Style Stamps!
If you arrived here from Cyndi's blog you're right on track, 
if not you might want to start at the beginning at Robin's.

Our theme today is Patriotic and outdoors.

For my card I used the BBQ digi stamp from In Style Stamps, it's colored with Copic markers and I gave it a cobblestone patio floor with a little grass to sit on.  I used patriotic ribbon on the side panel of Kraft card stock and punched stars and added Stampin' Up! Crystal Effects for some shine! 

I'll keep you hopping!  The next stop in our blog hop is the very talented Genevieve!

More fun challenges:
Stampin' Bee's - Summer Fun
Charisma Cards - For The Boys
Delightful Sketches - It's All About Summer
Hand Full of Stamps - Joys of Summer

Blog Hopping with The Stamping Boutique

Welcome to my stop on The Stamping Boutique blog hop!  

If you were unaware of the blog hop going on today and would like to start at the beginning here's a link to Kym's blog Nana's Keepsake's.

For my card I used Cynthia the fairy mending wings and the single spool of thread digi stamps.  When I first saw the spool of thread at The Stamping Boutique store I knew just how I'd like to use it!   

I started by copying and pasting the spool of thread all over the page in my Publisher program after I'd made it just the size I wanted it.  As I pasted the spools I tilted them this way and that to make them more random and printed my page.  Next I colored them at random using the colors I'll be using in my focal image.

I colored my Cynthia image with Copic markers, applied Stampin' Up! Crystal Effects and Dazzling Diamonds to her wings then matted her on black card stock.  I used a sketch from Cute Card Thursday by Claudia Rosa , the store bought patterned paper is Basic Grey Kioshi, I added a couple of black buttons from my stash to balance everything and it needed something else so I added the sentiment, "Hope you're on the mend soon" from my computer.  I probably shouldn't tell you this... but my computer generated sentiment is a scrap of Kioshi paper that's attached over the first paper.  I know, I'm a cheater!!  

You'd better be on your way to the very talented  Maria's blog now for your next stop in the blog hop, enjoy!

More challenges she's in:
ABC Cards - Favorite 5
1) Favorite color - purple
2) Favorite embellishment - glitter

3) Favorite sentiment - computer generated
4) Favorite card shape and or/size - square
5) Favorite tool - my computer
Sew Many Challenges - Anything Goes
Flutter By Wednesday - Fluttery Creations
Crafty Creations Challenge - Shine

Courting Emma by The Stamping Boutique

This is my final card using The Stamping Boutique images I chose for my June design team projects.  He's called Courting Emma and I thought he was just darling.  He made me think of when my husband proposed to me not so long ago.  

He's colored with Copic markers and the papers I've used are new to me.  The patterned paper and card stock are made by Memory Box.  The patterned paper is called Spearmint and the card stock is colored on one side and white on the other.  I think I like that!  As you know I make cards for Operation Write Home for our troops, I always put a white sheet of card stock on the inside of my cards and if I use Memory Box card stock I won't need to do that anymore.  

The layout for this card has become a favorite of mine, it's nice for when I have those long narrow images, scraps possibly  and I can improvise with my layers of patterned papers.   The ribbon is satin that was included with my order of papers.  

I did something a little different with the background for this image, I dotted some of the markers I used in the main image on to try to give the illusion of a night sky or dusk, falling snow, etc.  I really wanted to go back over it with my blender pen but I left it alone.  The long it stays that way the more I like it!

Speaking of The Stamping Boutique,  they are sponsoring our Midweek Throwdown challenge over at Operation Write Home Stars & Stamps blog this week!   The Stamping Boutique has provided free digi images for us to use in today's challenge and they're also providing the prize!  

Click the OWH link above and go check it out!

Make A Wish!

Have you noticed the new design team badge in my side bar?  

I'm a guest designer for La La Land Crafts for a few months, how fun!  La La Land Crafts has a challenge blog and issues a new challenge each Wednesday, this week it's White on White with a focal image that can be a color of your choice.  Whew!  I've never done a white card challenge before and let me tell you it was a challenge!  I loved it!! 

The fairy is a digi stamp from La La Land Crafts called Fairy Rosie, the sentiment is by Papertrey Ink.  I colored Rosie with Copic markers, applied Stampin' Up! Crystal Effects to her wings and wand then sprinkled Stampin' Up! Dazzling Diamonds glitter on them.  

I set her aside to dry for awhile before cutting her out

I used two different embossing folders for the triangle shaped pieces of my card, Sizzix large dots and Cuttlebug Swiss Dots.  The Spellbinder's Oval and Scalloped Oval are popped with foam tape as is the Spellbinder's tag.  Oh, that wonderful ribbon is from Ribbons & Bows Oh My. 

Be sure to go visit La La Land Crafts challenge blog and play along with this weeks challenge, 

there are prizes involved! 

There's another challenge I'm involved with today I have to mention too!  

Operation Write Home Stars & Stamps has a challenge today and there are prizes involved there too!

More challenges Rosie is entered into:
ABC Challenge - X is for Xtra dimension
Crafty Creations - We want to see you shine
The Three Muses - Eyes
Your Next Stamp - Patterned Printed Ribbon
MelJens - Fiber Ribbon Lace
Whoopsie Daisy - Ribbons & Bows
Fussy & Fancy - Monochromatic & Wings

La La's goin' to the beach -

I feel a little behind today!

   We've been out and about the last few days, we left for church on Father's Day and didn't return home until after 5:00 p.m.  We went from church to lunch out and then to the movies with my husband's sister's family.  

Monday my kids grandma picked them up at noontime to spend several days out at their ranch in Wickenburg so  my husband Rick and I headed for Havasu to Lowe's to order some much needed new windows for our house, went out for lunch, stopped by my friend Linda's store "The Sugar Shack" and returned home by about 6:00 p.m.  Whew, I'm ready for a day at home with my stamping goodies!  

I do have to go out and get some groceries at some point today, darn it!  

Sometimes I wish that kind of stuff just magically appeared.

When I checked the mail yesterday I found a nice little package from La La Land Crafts, design team goodies!  I cut out my new stamps, (I must say these are really nice quality thick red rubber stamps), stamped this cute La La image and colored her.  I masked her off and sponged some Palette Sea Scape blue around her and matted her on a Spellbinders Labels 10 die I picked up at Linda's store.  I didn't have a sketch to follow so I just winged it and made up my own.  The pink is Papertrey Ink Hibiscus Burst put through the Cuttlebug with a Sizzix large dots embossing folder and the turquoise panel is from the Astro Brights collection of card stock.  I finished it off with 5/8" organdy ribbon folded in half and another Spellbinders die from the Fancy Tags collection.  Oh, that back ground stamp on the turquoise is an old Stampin' Up! Friend definition stamp.

I almost forgot!  I won over at Kah-Wink-E-Dink for my Father's Day card!!

I'd like to enter my card into a few challenges today too!

Stamp Something - Something Summer
Caard Varks - Embossing

Crafty Ann's - Embossing
Kah-Wink-E-Dink - Kick off summer! 
Totally Gorjuss - Sugar & Spice 
Bunny Zoe's Crafts - Nice & Girly 
Speedy The Cat's Friends - Challenge 8 Embossing 
Rosie D's - Blue with the option of FISH
Wednesday's Stamper - I Love... La La Land Crafts stamps! 
Hand Full of Stamps - Nothing Like a Little h20 
Tuesday Throwdown - Dry Embossing

Oh Inky... get out of there!

I thought I'd start my blog post with this photo of Inky in my home made light box.  I had it all set up on my kitchen table and had gone to get the cards I was going to photograph.  

This is what I found when I came back.  It has tissue paper on the sides and top so it's pretty delicate,

I talked her out with an open can of tuna. 

This was a really fun image to color with Copic markers, she's a digi stamp made by Dew Drop Craftz.  The patterned paper is by Cosmo Cricket called DeLovely, I pulled the colors from the paper for the colors in my focal image.  The card stock colors are both Papertrey Ink Raspberry Fizz & Black.  I used a Stampin' Up! border punch and the Cuttlebug Swiss Dots embossing folder as well as Spellbinder's Oval and Scalloped Oval dies.  I even had a sketch I was trying to follow but my card looks nothing like it! 

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day!  

I hope all the Dad's out there are having a wonderful day.  

My Dad has been gone for a couple of years now but we still have Dad's in our lives to make cards for.

Here are my two younger kids making their Father's Day cards.  Those little cards were sealed up in the envelopes so quick I didn't get a chance to take a picture of them.  

The kids might have been too fast for me but I have a photo of the card I made for my husband.

When I first saw this image from Mo's Digital Pencil I knew I had to have it, he's called The Big Guy and he looks like my Grandad, W.I. Hunnicutt.  My Grandad was a large man and always wore overalls like these and an engineers hat, he loved to garden too.  

I hope one day she makes some of the "big guys" that look like my husband because he's the opposite of this image.  He's tall (like 6' 5") and thin and he loves gardening too.  He's grown us some of the most delicious tomatoes this year and sun flowers taller than him!   I made sure to write him a note inside telling him how much he's loved and appreciated.

I have one more thing to tell you about today!  

In Style Stamps is having a design team call, you can check it out here on their blog!

Happy Father's Day!


Challenges for my "big guy":
Tanda Stamps - For The Big Guy
Kah-Wink-E-Dink - Father's Day
Creative Inspirations - One For The Boys
Incy Wincy - One For The Guys
Double Dutch - Dad's Treat
Ann's Creative Nook - It's A Man's World

The Stamping Boutique Sponsoring Card Patterns Challenge

I couldn't think of a really good title for my post today but I can explain what it means... 

The Stamping Boutique is the prize sponsor for the Card Patterns challenge blog this week!  You'll have to follow my link to find out what the prize is though!  

I made today's card for the Card Patterns challenge using The Stamping Boutiques digi stamp Doll Baby, isn't she adorable?!  She's colored with Copic markers and the colors came out completely different than I'd planned.  But that's okay I leafed through the Basic Grey Urban Prarie paper pad and found just the right sheet of designer paper.  

The sketch was simple and quick, I copied it almost exactly and I'm happy with how it turned out.  The flowers are punched from card stock, popped with foam tape and black half pearls added.  It's kind of delicate with the flowers popped but I can hand deliver it when it's time to give it to that special someone. 

I found another challenge to enter my card in at Crazy 4 Challenges, they'd like to see our Paper Flowers, I've got those!

Thanks for visiting - Happy Saturday!

Destination Paradise Mermaid

This cute little mermaid is a digi stamp by Dew Drop Craftz. 

This was such a fun card to make!  I used a Papertake Weekly sketch, colored her with Copic markers and added bling to her tail using Stampin' Up! Crystal Effects and Dazzling Diamonds.  I also added SU Crystal Effects to the puddle of water she's in.  

It was the perfect sketch to show her off, clean and simple.  The patterned paper is from that pack of Me & My Big Ideas I've been using lately, everything is matted in Basic Black and the body of the card is Stampin' Up! Taken With Teal.

Fun Challenges she's entered in:
Stamp Something - Something Summer 
Charisma Cardz - All About Bling 
Hand Full Of Stamps - Nothing Like A Little h2o 
Spoon Full Of Sugar - Enjoying The Sunshine 
Tuesday Throwdown - Celebrate Summer 
Quirky Crafts - Summer

June Challenge at The Stamping Boutique!

Hi!  Have you heard about the month long challenge at The Stamping Boutique?!  I've  copied and pasted right from  their blog post below, check it out!

We will randomly select one winner each month to win 5 FREE images of their choice.  Also the person that links up the most will win 5 FREE images of their choice.  We will also be selecting our Guest Designers from these contests too.  What are you waiting for, you know you want to win those FREE images and you can't win if you don't enter!  I put a link to that blog post in their name above, click it and the link will take you there.

How cool is that?!

My card today is a Stamping Boutique image called Teen Whimsy, isn't she cute?!  I had so much fun coloring her and making my card I made three of them.  With each card I stepped it up just a little.  The card pictured above is the last one I made.  I air brushed the background and tried my hand at adding clouds.  

This next card I air brushed the background but hadn't thought of clouds yet.  I used a sketch that Karen made for Operation Write Home a few months ago, love it!  The top panels on both of these cards started out as Neenah Solar white card stock, I embossed them with Cuttlebug embossing folders then air brushed them with the Copic marker colors I used in the girls tops.  The 3 gems are also air brushed to match!

This was my first card and I sponged the background.  I'm not sure if you can tell but on each of the card bodies I used the Stampin' Up! Just Jeans background stamp to repeat the "jeans" pattern.  

Two of my three cards are for Operation Write Home and go into my "OWH box".  I have set a goal for myself to send one box a month to Operation Write Home for our troops.  These cards also qualify for the Operation Write Home Midweek Stash Challenge - Bring Out Your Bling!

More Challenges:
Charisma Cardz - All About Bling
La La Land Crafts - Embossing 
Kaboodle Doodles - Anything Goes With A Dash of Purple

Over the Hump Day Blog Candy Giveaway at In Style Stamps

I have another card for you made with In Style Stamps, it's for their Over The Hump Day Blog Candy Give Away that starts at 12:00 PM PST today!  You have to go over to the In Style Stamps blog at noon and check it out along with all the samples from our awesome design team! 

I used Jessica for my graduation card, she's a digi stamp that I printed and colored with Copic markers.  My old high school colors are purple and gold, I wanted to try my hand at feather blending those colors and I'm pretty happy with the results.  I gave her a cobble stone path to stand on with a little grass behind it.  I also used Cool Gray 2 for the background then sprayed a scrap of washcloth with Copic blender solution and dabbed it on the cool gray background.  

The layout for my card is Card Positioning Systems sketch 170A, using Stampin' Up! Summer Sun and Eggplant Envy card stocks, their scalloped punch and an EK Success small flower punch and some rhinestones for the flower centers that I touched up with my Copic marker for just the right color of purple.  I also ran the top portion of my card through the Cuttlebug with the Swiss Dots embossing folder and used my Scor-Bug on the Eggplant Envy panel.  The sentiment is by Papertrey Ink.  

Don't forget to go enter to win the blog candy at In Style Stamps!

Tuesday Taggers Guest Designer Today!!

I get to be a guest designer today at Tuesday Taggers!  I won their May 18th challenge and they asked if I"d like to be their guest designer for June 15th, you bet!   I was asked to make a vintage bookmark.

I absolutely love the vintage look and feel, I don't use it very often on my cards anymore so this was fun!  I stamped a Neenah Solar white scrap of card stock with the Stampin' Up! Victorian Lace background stamp in Palette Cognac ink then stamped the Stampin' Up! French Script background stamp over it in Memento Cocoa ink.   Next I stamped the Photo Print by Stampington & Co. onto another scrap of Papertrey Ink Premium White cardstock with Stampin' Up! Chocolate Chip Craft Ink.  My new craft ink pad was dry so the clear embossing powder doesn't have the shine I was going for after heating it but vintage stuff is usually matte finish anyway.  I then stamped over that with the Stampin' Up! Linen background stamp in Palette Cognac stamped off once. 

The old family photos I have are matted and framed often in ovals so I chose a Spellbinder's Oval Nesties die to cut out the center of my rectangle that I'd rounded the corners on.  The inside of that oval was used for the top of the tag, I trimmed off part of it and attached it, punched a hole in it and added May Arts dotted organdy and a little piece of tea dyed gingham.  The finishing touch was four Want2Scrap half pearls and a bow made from the May Arts dotted organdy.  My kids were working at the table with me and didn't mind holding two of my Copic markers to tie the bow around.  

I hope you enjoyed my bookmark, now head on over to Tuesday Taggers and join the fun!

More Challenges:
City Crafter Challenge - Venice, beyond gondola 
Papertake Weekly - Ice cream flavors 
There She Goes - Worn, Torn & Distressed 
Lexi's Creations - Something Old
Mark's Finest Papers - Make You Own Background Paper
Andrea's Stampin' Moments - Simply Sponged 

OWH Sketch Challenge #21 & A New Forum

Wow - I have 2 blog posts today!  

I just had to post my card for the Operation Write Home Stars & Stamps sketch challenge #20 and talk a little bit about the blog too!  

I made my card using the sketch and used a real rubber stamp for the image today.  The stamp is called American Girl by Dream Impressions.  The stamp was lent to me by my friend Sheri, we met on the Operation Write Home Memorial Day Weekend blog hop.  She'd used this stamp on her card and I just loved it!  I had to find out where she got it.  She's done her homework and we believe it isn't available for sale anymore so she offered to let me borrow it. 

I had some free time yesterday afternoon so I stamped and colored her with my Copic markers.  The grass is colored with YG11, YG13 & YG17 then I spritzed a scrap of old washcloth with Copic blender solution and dabbed it on to kind of melt it all together.  Looks kinda like grass now...    I also discovered yesterday that those places on an image I'd like to keep white and my other colors have bled into them can be cleaned up with blender pen then after it's dried I used a white gel pen.  

Okay, on to the OWH Stars & Stripes blog!  Yesterday Sandy put in a new feature on the blog, it's a forum page.  You can find it on the right side of the page, it says OWH Forum chat with cardmakers.  Click on that button and go check it out, there's even a gallery for the cards we're making to send the troops.  

How cool is that?!  

Flag Day With Sassy Cheryl

Happy Flag Day!  My first photo today is of one of the sun flowers and our flag.  I took the picture to show how big the sun flower had gotten, it's taller than the house!  The temperatures here have been over 110 degrees for about a week now so our sun flowers don't look like this anymore, they're cooked.  

I made my card before Memorial Day weekend thinking I was going to use it for the Operation Write Home Memorial Day weekend blog hop but realized it would be perfect for Flag Day instead.  

She's a digi stamp from Sassy Cheryl's colored with the Copic markers pictured below:

  I used my Spellbinders Nesties for the circles and ovals, the stars are a paper punch.  The sentiment is The Pledge of Allegiance printed on my computer and the red panels are run through the Cuttlebug Swirls embossing folder. 

Have a good Flag Day!

Challenges I've entered into:
Kah-Wink-E-Dink - Wave Your Flag!
The Crazy Challenge - You're A Star

Surfer Girl Destination Paradise

 My stamp today is a digi stamp by In Style Stamps, ever since I first saw her I knew I wanted to paper piece that surf board.  I even paper pieced her tiny bikini and bracelet.   She's colored with Copic markers, I added SU Crystal Effects to her sun glasses and a Copic clear Spica glitter pen on her earrings.  

Did you notice I tried the out of the box technique with the Spellbinders square die?  I have to tell you I messed up the first one, it wasn't square when I was done with it!  The paper is a Me & My big Ideas Destination Paradise paper pad, Papertrey Ink Berry Sorbet card stock the photo corners are a SU punch and I added those black half pearls I love to finish my card! 

More challenges she's entered in:

Incy Wincy - Paper piecing digi images

Stamp with Sarah Kay - Dots - Cuttlebug Swiss Dots embossing

Charisma Cardz - Spots & Stripes
Our Creative Corner - Gotcha Cornered!
Sentimental Sunday's - Summertime

In Style Stamps Color Challenge

Happy Saturday, my card today is for the color challenge at In Style Stamps!  

Below is our color inspiration:

When I first saw the inspiration photo I thought, hmmmm, with the images I chose how can I make that work?  That's why it's called a challenge!  I had the images and the inspiration photo and time to let it roll around in my mind and the card above is the finished product of all that.  I've been told I think too much...

On to my project.  She's a digi stamp by In Style Stamps called Surfer Girl.  I colored her with Copic markers:

Background:  B91, B95

Sand:  E30, E31, E33

Hair:  YR23, YR31, Y18, Y000, YR14

Skin:  E0000, E000, E00, R02

Surf board:  R27, YR09, YR07, YR04, Y13, Y15, Y18

Sunglasses:  C0, C3, C6

Bikini & waves:  G20, G21, G24, G28

I started by coloring the surf board, I wanted to see if I could feather blend the red, orange and yellows together and I'm quite happy with the way it turned out!  After I colored the entire image I cut a mask so I could air brush a background.  My favorite part of making this card is the waves.  I noticed one of my Copic greens was labeled "Ocean Green", G28 and I thought perfect, the pen cap is as dark as that green tomato in the photo!

To make the waves I used a Papertrey Ink scalloped border die and Neenah Solar white card stock, keeping the part I'd usually throw away.  Next I ran it through the Cuttlebug swirls embossing folder, then used the air brush with G28, G24, G21 & G20 markers.  I really like being able to make my own papers!  The waves are attached to the card using foam tape on each layer.

Then all I needed to do was figure out the rest of the card.  Trying to keep it simple I found a sheet of orange Color Mates card stock in my stash and cut a strip to go opposite that bright surf board, matted everything in black and put it all together.  I added a Quickutz sun die and some Want2Scrap half pearls and SU Crystal Effects to the lenses of her sun glasses for a finishing touch. 

Be sure to check out the rest of the design team color inspiration at the In Style Stamps blog today!

More challenges for this card:
Just Us Girls - Going Digital
Crafty Catz - Embossing
Quirky Crafts - Girly Girl
Caardvarks - Embossing

Hello Friend!

I'm excited to share a new card with you today, I was able to spend my day yesterday making cards and totally enjoying the process!  I discovered a new company called  LaLa Land Crafts as I was surfing the internet looking for challenges the other day.  I just had to try one of their digi stamps, her name is La La and I think she's so cute!   LaLa Land's challenge this week is the color blue.

She's colored with Copic markers E00, E000, E0000, E04, R02, YG91, YG93, YG97, Co, C3, YR00, YR04, YR07, YR09, E18, Y13, Y15, Y18, YG11, YG13, B000, B00, B01, & B04.  I printed her just the way she came at 3 1/2 inches tall.  My Spellbinder's Oval Nesties die didn't fit she was so big.  I cut her out with my old circle/oval cutting tool from Creative Memories.  I sponged the edges of the oval with Palette Charcoal ink.

The card layout is a sketch by M. Cossa-Rossi of The Town Scrapper, a challenge I'm too late for today but it's a great sketch.  I used SU Basic Gray for the card base and matting, SU Summer Sun, SU In Colors Blue from a few years ago and the patterned paper is Basic Grey Urban Prairie.  The sentiment is a digi stamp freebie from Aud's Sentiments challenge blog, her challenge is to use that sentiment on your card.  I thought it went really well with a yellow rose.   Another challenge that kept coming to my mind was from My Time To Craft "Xtra Special" so I had to find that stamp for the inside:

And the final challenge "All That Blooms" from Tuesday Tagger's, LaLa's rose!  

and...  I'm the guest designer next week on Tuesday Tagger's!!

I hope you have some time today for stamping and creating something fun~

Operation Write Home Midweek Shipper's Choice Challenge

My card today is for the Midweek Throwdown at OWH Stars & Stamps shipper's choice challenge.  The shipper's need masculine cards.

I was looking through my boxes of stash cards the other day and came across this one.  It's from at least a year ago.  I'm not sure if I ever posted it here before so I thought I'd share it with you today.  

Dew Drop Craftz Mermaid

I'd like to share this card I made just for fun today!  I've been on several different stamping sites lately and I came across a card with an image by Dew Drop Craftz and I had to go investigate.  I'm totally enjoying coloring people with my Copic markers and I'm really drawn to the manga style images with the big expressive eyes.  This little mermaid is one in a set of two, I'll show you the other cute little mermaid soon, I promise!  

After coloring her with Copic markers I added SU Crystal Effects with a small paint brush and spooned some SU Dazzling Diamonds glitter on her fins and the star that's punched from SU More Mustard card stock.  I also used the Crystal Effects on her eyes to make them shine.  She's much more dazzling  in person!  The card body is made from SU Taken With Teal and the designer paper is from a pad by Me & My Big Ideas, Destination Paradise. 

The sketch is from There She Goes Challenge #58.  

Don't forget to check in at the  Operation Write Home Stars & Stamps blog for the Midweek Throwdown challenge today! 

More challenges I've entered for this card:

Tuesday Throwdown - Nautical or water theme

Cupcake Craft Challenge - Dazzle Us
Paper Sundae's - Summer Fun
Sunday's With Crissy - Relish To Embellish
Our Creative Corner - Summer Inspiration
Simply Saturday with Andrea - Simply Circles
Stamp Something - Stamp something digi
Stampin' For The Weekend - Summer/travel theme - Destination Paradise
Busy Beauties Creations - Anything Goes
Oh Alice - Your muchness - Copic markers & glitter
Raise The Bar - Celebrate Summer
Opus Gluei - Life's A Beach
Paper Jewels - Anything Goes

Mike's got mail !!

Wow! Is it as hot at your house as it is at mine?!  

The high temperature yesterday was 108, summer is here in Arizona!

The picture above is my son Michael, he won one of the prizes on Sandy's blog for his creation of a card using her new digi stamps.  His package arrived in the mail today, we were so excited!!  He's showing the card that Sandy made for him with her new digi stamp and the t shirt she got for him.  There were other goodies too but I think his fav's are the t shirt and card.  Thank you Sandy!

I also have my entry for the Operation Write Home sketch challenge #20  .  The image is a free digi stamp from Eric Dull.  He was part of the Operation Write Home Memorial Day weekend blog hop, I found it on Face Book a few days ago.  There's more info on the OWH Stars & Stripes blog about it in THIS post if you'd like one too.  This would be a cute Father's Day card for a dad who's deployed.

More Challenges:

Cards For Men - Father's Day
The Shabby Tea Room - Just For Dad

Cynthia The Tooth Fairy

Do you believe in the Tooth Fairy?!  I've captured her for you on a card today!

My card today is for a challenge at 2 Sketches 4 You and a design team project for The Stamping Boutique.  Cynthia as the tooth fairy is one of the images I chose to work with this month, isn't she cute?!  On this card she is a digital image, she also comes as a rubber stamp, if you click the link above you'll find her at the store.   

She's colored with Copic markers C0, C6, YG01, YG03, B00, B41, E0000, E000, E00, E04, Y000, Y13, Y15, R02, R20, R21, R22 & R24 to coordinate with a Martha Stewart mat pad I picked up at Michael's recently.  It was fun using patterned paper for this card and so nice to have the assortment of Copic markers to pull from so I could use all the colors in the paper.  

Did you notice the tooth she's holding is shiny?  Here's a close up for you -

After I had this image colored I thought, Oh!  SU Crystal Effects would really make that tooth look real! 

Have a good day!

More Challenges I'd like to enter into ~

Pile It On - Quirky 
Creative Card Crew - Pink & Green 
Charisma Cardz - Flowers
Incy Wincy Designs - For The Little Ones   
Daring Cardmakers - Pearls 
Paper Play Challenges - Flowers & Sparkle 
Stamp Something - Use a digital image 
The Corrosive Challenge - Use die cuts 
Busy Beauties - Anything goes 
AiFactory - Anything goes & a punch 

Beach Baby by The Stamping Boutique

This is the first time I've ever colored a stamp that's a scene.  When I first saw this image I could picture it in my mind colored and I knew just what I wanted to do with it.  Oh my big plans!  I have to say coloring this was more difficult than I ever imagined but I'm really glad I tried it.  I'm not saying I didn't enjoy coloring this I just think I'll get better with practice. 

This is a digi stamp made by The Stamping Boutique!

It's colored with Copic markers and for the sky I used Tim Holtz distress inks and then colored over it with a Y13 marker. 

There's also a challenge at Papertake Weekly for a fun summer theme, I think a beach theme will be perfect!

Operation Write Home MIdweek Throwdown and more...

Hello!  I have three similar cards to share with you today.  The first one is for the Operation Write Home Stars & Stamps Midweek Throwdown challenge "Pot of Gold".  The challenge is to use gold on your card without using any kind of glitter products.  Gold isn't really my first color of choice when making cards so this is a challenge for me!  

I'd stamped a sheet of white card stock earlier in the week with this United We Stand stamp by Stampendous and wanted to use it before it ended up in my scrap drawer so it's the "patterned paper" for all three cards.  All three digi images are from MelJen's and I colored them with Copic markers.  

Back to the "gold" part on my card, I colored the yellow ribbon to make it look gold and used four gold brads on the corners.  I think I'm still going strong on the patriotic theme from the OWH blog hop this last weekend!

I thought this would make a fun any hero card for Operation Write Home.  The "My Hero" stamp is by Verve, I masked off the words I didn't want to use so I could stamp my hero on the dog tags.  There's also a challenge going on over at Kah-wink-e-dink to use six of something on your card.  I used six half pearls to try to balance my focal image.   

All three of my cards will be any hero cards.  This last one I tried the "out of the box" technique with my square Nestie die.  I wish I would have noticed the wing before I cut it off!   

I'll just have to keep practicing...

Edited to add:  The digi stamps are by MelJens designs.

In Style Stamps Skecth Challenge #10

I'm so excited to be part of the In Style Stamps design team!  

My card today is for the In Style Stamps Sketch Challenge #10.  This digi stamp I used is called Tiffany, isn't she cute?!   

I used Copic markers to color Tiffany, C3, C6, C1, C2, E31, E37, E44, E49, G28, G24, G20, BG11, BG0000, BG13, BG18, E000, E00, R02 & E04.   I just love her big expressive eyes!  

I hope you'll join us over at the In Style Stamps challenge blog today and play along.  Stop by the store too, Tiffany is available for purchase!  

Supplies:  Stamps - In Style Stamps Tiffany digi stamp, Verve sentiment, Paper - PTI Aqua Mist, SU Chocolate Chip, Thepapermill.com Deep Bluegreen, Copic markers - listed above, Spellbinders - Tag die, Cuttlebug - Swiss Dots embossing folder, Flowers, Dew Drops.

Cynthia Gathering Mushrooms

Good morning, it's time to announce the winner of my blog candy from the Operation Write Home blog hop!
The winner is...  Diane L. !!

loyaz said...

What a kewl box and what an Awesome thing you are doing with OWH. Never heard of it before today. Thanks for this opportunity DianeL Diane, I'll be in contact with you soon!

 I also had several people in the comments ask about the tutorial for the box, it can be found HERE on Kirsten's blog. 

Now for today's card!  It's June 1st and as you might know I'm a new design team member for The Stamping Boutique.  We were issued a challenge by Tracey yesterday if we wanted to accept it.  You know me and challenges, I'm in!  The challenge was to take this new image she just finished drawing the and make a card and post it on as many galleries and challenges as we could before June 14th.  You might be seeing this image more than once here before that date, who knows! 

She's called Cynthia Gathering Mushrooms and I believe I read on The Stamping Boutique blog that she's free if you join The Stamping Boutique group on Paper Craft Planet.  I'd go check it out if I were you!

Cynthia is colored with Copic markers C0, C3, C6, W0, W1, W3, RV91, RV93, RV 95, R02, Y35, Y38, B91, B93, E0000, E000, E00, E31, E37, E55 & E55.  Living dangerously I cut her out with my friends SU Top Note die (after coloring her) and sponged Palette Seascape ink around her after masking.  Added some clouds that are hard to see and partially matted her on another SU Top Note die in black.  

My color combination is a little odd but I hadn't tried the RV91, RV93 & RV95 markers yet and just had to...  The body of the card is Papertrey Ink Summer Sunrise, the blue panel SU Brocade Blue and the embossed panel is a scrap of Neenah Solar White air brushed using the RV markers I mentioned above.   The ribbon is Papertrey Ink Summer Sunrise dotted satin and half pearls by Want2Scrap.  I also added some glitz with a Copic Spica glitter marker.  I know it's almost impossible to see in the photo, but it looks good in real life.  

Links to the challenges this card is entered in:

Cute Card Thursdays - No designer paper

Just Us Girls - Dry Embossing

Sunday's With Crissy - Layers
The Pink Elephant - Gotta Wear Shades, use bright colors - PTI Summer Sunrise
Pile It On - Eat Your Vegies
Cupcake Craft Challenges - Summer Delights - gardening
Crafty Creations Challenges - Use Your Favorite Stamps
Penny's Challenges - Fruit or Vegie Theme
Quixotic Challenge #27 - Emboss It!
Delightful Sketches - Use Texture
Hand Full Of Stamps - Ruffle Some Feathers - the bird!
Crafty Calendar Challenge - The Great Outdoors
Stampin' For The Weekend - Make Someone Smile
Aly's Sunday Challenge - Bows & Ribbon
Rosie D's Challenge - Fairytales - Fairy, Gnome, Dragon on your card\
Papertake Weekly - Fun Fun Fun - gardening

Tanda Stamps - Tanda Teaser - 'Xtra Large! - A6 size card
Tuesday Taggers - Touchy Feely Texture

Galleries:

Splitcoaststampers

SNR  Card Universe

Paper Craft Planet

Flickr
Simply Scrapping Crafts

My Grafico

Social Networking:

Facebook Operation Write Home page
Facebook My page

Twitter