StampTV color challenge

Cindy over at StampTV has a color challenge this week using the SU! (or close to it) colors of: Always Artichoke, Apricot Appeal, and Pumpkin Pie. I used the "close to" option when coloring my owl from Hero Arts. I used colored pencils (various brands) and baby oil. I had planned on trying the "kissing technique" but discovered I don't have any solid stamps to try that with! I also thought I was going to do the sketch challenge over there, and that wasn't clicking , either!! And it's such an easy sketch! Maybe it'll work for me tomorrow! I hadn't planned on trying the color challenge, and that ended up being the one that worked! My ribbon color actually coordinates better IRL! It's from Target $1 Spot, and has little circles, just the DP. Both of the DP's are digi downloads from Gina K.

Wow!! It's been three months since I started my blog, and people other than my Mom read it!!! DH was pretty amazed when I told him tonight that there are people subscribed through Google Reader and who show up as a "Follower"!!! Thanks to all of you...! If you had told me at this time last year that I would be making cards, writing a blog, entering challenges, having fun in the stamp community...I would have laughed at you! I thought blogs were a nutty idea ;-) Didn't know about crafting blogs!! Not so nutty anymore. Anyway, thanks to everyone who follows along and checks up on things!!

Happy crafting!

Sharon

February Blog Hop

Here is my entry to tonight's Papertrey Ink Blog Hop with the theme of "Spring". I had grand visions...something cute with a little coil spring I saved from a store bought card that I received. A fever has hit, and thinking too much hurts (as does standing in my stamp area). I am all excited that I now have the Bitty Dots Basics & Cardstock Sampler!! I used Floral Frenzy and Mailbox greetings for the stamps. Unfortunately, the ribbons I picked with this past order are not matches for the colors in this card. Oh well, another easy one to mail!!

Sara has started up "Perfect Match Monday's" again using PTI colors. My card fits the bill for this challenge, as well as using the sketch for the Papertake Weekly Challenge.

Happy crafting!

Sharon

Round Top Box

I saw this box template a week ago over at SCS, and printed the box out on white paper, but couldn't figure out how to go "cute" from there. Well, when I downloaded my free digi papers from Gina K, I knew I could use them to print my own "cute" paper! I just printed a different "paper" on each side of Georgia Pacific cardstock, then ran it through again to print the template out. Cut, put together, what could be easier or cuter!!! The brown is also from the same digi pack, sentiment from PTI, dew drops on the circle. This is my first ever non card (or scrapbook) paper project!!

I really wish I had some chocolate & strawberry whoppers to add for the picture, but when you live 30 minutes from the store...you don't make extra "little thing" trips. We truly do not have any chocolate goodies or any other candy in the house for me to add to the box!! I ate it all this weekend!!

I'm also going to use this as my entry to Stamp Something's challenge to create a 3D something this week!

Happy crafting!

Sharon

Digi Papers

Gina K has some free (not sure for how long) digital papers to download and try out! I used Floral Elegance for this card. When I printed these, I did it as a 5x7 page, because it re-sized the image. I used the "Thumping Technique" for my stamped image. Gina has a challenge over at her new site, StampTV, using this technique. She has some awesome TV quality videos showing you how to do this, amongst other things.

Happy crafting!!

Sharon

Card Patterns #3

This is my take for the Card Patterns sketch this week.

My daughter wanted to help with this card, so she picked out which papers to use, and said to make a square card. I used free downloaded paper from Papercraft Inspirations for everything but the sentiment. Flutterby Fancies from issue 51 is the download I worked with. There are a bunch of fun, cheerful designs over there!

Happy crafting!

Sharon

Jazzy Inspirations #6

It's time for a challenge at Jazzy Inspirations! I am one of the "Jazz Cat of Week" cats this week! Just in time for a "challenging" --for me at least-- color combo. This was difficult for me (purple, orange, and red???), but; that is the purpose of a challenge...make ya think a bit, and try something new! My original thought was to go with some sort of boxy color block thing, because of the block style letters on the album, but it just wasn't working for me.

I decided to go with more of the kraft color showing, to help soften the bold colors. This card does grow on me more each time I look at it! :-) The middle image panel is up on foam dots, and I also put some paper piercing in the corners. Images & sentiment from PTI Floral Frenzy.

Why don't you play along this week?! You just might be the next Jazz Cat. Be sure to listen to some of the great music on the Jazzy Inspirations site!

Happy crafting!

Sharon

Courtney's Closet #30

With just a few minutes to spare, I have a card for From Courtney's Closet this week! I was putting off making this, because I placed an order from PTI on the 14th, and one of the items is Bitty Dot Basics patterned paper. I thought it would be just perfect for my card. Alas...not in today's mail.

Fun news!!! I am a "Jazz Cat of the Week" and will be one of the guest designers over at Jazzy Inspirations on Saturday!! Be sure to check back then to see what I've come up with. I've some thoughts floating around, but will get to play with it tomorrow night.

Non-creative stuff below--skip if you wish. Actually, it's why it's been non-creative around here!

It's been a bit for a posting or even some creating. Been very nervous/non-creative because at work I had two people from The State (said in a booming voice) come and observe in my classroom for over 3 1/2 hours yesterday. Talk about nerve wracking!!! And you knew when they were whispering to each other that yes, they were talking about you/the room and it wasn't paranoia! I've been working on some follow up questions this evening, and will find out my results at a "de-briefing" Friday morning. I get very stressed out at these type of things. They were doing the ECERS-R (early childhood environmental rating scale-revised). I had some delicious chocolate ready for my assistants and myself after they left!!

Happy crafting!

Sharon

Webkinz Inspired

When I first pulled out Valentine's decorations, I really thought my frog from Whimsy Stamps could be turned into the Webkinz Love Frog! Looks like cute stuff!! Used a Copic for the pink, and Sharpies for the red & purple hearts.

Looking forward to the weekend!!

Sharon

Jazzy Inspirations

This week's Jazzy Inspiration is from the Grant Green cover. See what happens when I don't use a sketch challenge for my layout? Rectangles! But...it always makes me stretch to me to do color challenges, and I did have these available! Anyway, this album cover had a simple look going with it so rectangles are okay!

Wow! A week with no school/work delays or cancellations!! No shoveling of snow! But...we did have wind gusts over 40mph last night, and it ripped the wires out of the satellite dish and part of it became disconnected. Hubby was able to drill some new holes to screw it back together tonight, and it'll probably need some ducktape help! But at least I'm set for Sunday and the Daytona 500!!

Happy crafting!

Sharon

From Courtney's Closet #29

Little cutie patootie Courtney of "From Courtney's Closet" fame has turned 1 year old. Of course she has an adorable outfit to inspire a card. She is her Mama's little Cupcake....so sweet! And "Sweet 8x8" from DCWV is what I used for the background on my card. Printed the sentiment on the computer. The cupcake is from Paper Bliss...I do not have any cupcake stamps!!

Happy crafting!

Sharon

Whimsy Frog

This cute little frog from Whimsy Stamps was won a couple of weeks ago when Denise hosted Whimsy Wednesday (a mini virtual stamp night) over on Paper Craft Planet with several challenges and lots of fun chatting! Right now there is a challenge to create a Valentine using a Whimsy Stamp. This is my third try coloring the frog. The first one I didn't like the way some of the colors (didn't) work together, the second one I was almost finished blending, when the baby oil went "blurp" all over the image (thank goodness I had moved to the table and was no longer sitting on the floor), then third time was a charm!

I used colored pencils and did the blending with GooGone. Not showing well in photo, but the sky is a sponged blue. For the two smaller strips, I cut two strips from the pattern paper sample on the front cover of my Basic Grey Bittersweet pack! Hearts along the top & bottom are from Verve. The inside says, "Hop on over, Valentine".

The card also completes the challenge for a new sketch blog, Card Patterns. Wow!! More sketches...my favorite thing!

Happy crafting!

Sharon

PTI Friends Challenge

Today's challenge from Nichole was to make a card for your best friend. I used Papertrey's Dark Chocolate as my card base, and Floral Frenzy for the image. I stamped off once before putting on the flower petals, as to create a softer color and to help "friend" pop. Design paper is Basic Grey Urban Prairie, Martha Stewart butterfly punch.

Happy crafting!

Sharon

Award Time

Looky, looky what Pat sent me!!! My first award! Be sure to check out her blog, she creates such clean, bright cards!!

We are supposed to pass this on to our "favorite number" of bloggers. Well, last year it would have been 20, and this year it is 14 (hmmmm, can you say the car # for Tony Stewart?!). 14 is a bit many, so I'll pick three. All are blogs I'm subscribed to in Google Reader...

Gina

Jenn

Kendra

Bitty Dot sketch challenge

Today Nicole's blog {capture the moment} gave a "Dot-to-dot" that turned into a sketch challenge for a chance to win all of Papertrey's ribbon collection!! As I traveled several hours north and back to my parents' today, and then watched the Nascar Bud Shoot-out, I didn't start my card until late. When I took my picture, I noticed some unsmooth adhesive spots behind my large ribbon. Sigh....but it's late and past my bedtime, so I'll fix later.

I used PTI kraft card base, and stamps from Mailbox Greetings. I won this set in December's Blog Hop!!! This is the first that I've used the "mailbox" part of the set. I have used some of the sentiments. Snowflake glitter from Martha Stewart.

Happy crafting!

Sharon

PTI Over the Rainbow Challenge

Whew!! I made it for today's PTI Challenge!! Yesterday I was so tired, I read the day/time wrong for the "It's in the Bag" challenge. Went to bed early even.

Today's "Over the Rainbow" Challenge was to use pure poppy, summer sunrise, ripe avocado, and ocean tides (or similar substitute). I have some PTI inks and colored cardstock, but not the ones in the challenge!! I used Spring Moss as the card base, the ribbon contains a close "ocean tides", the stems the "ripe avocado", and the flowers the "pure poppy & summer sunrise". In real life, the flower does look red, and not pink. The embossed image panel is placed up on pop- dots as are the flowers. Used Floral Frenzy stamps.

I generally don't go for color challenges, but this one came together quickly for me!!

Happy crafting!

Sharon

Lauren's Saturday Sketch

This is the first card I've actually made using one of Lauren's sketches. I keep checking them out (along with all her other fabulous work!!) and finally played along! This is also keeping with the theme of a "Summer in Winter" card for the Stamp Something challenge. That thought is what many of us here in the U.S. need to think of right now! Beautiful spring flowers will be on their way soon! Our daffodils should bloom about two months from now.

I colored in the image from Stampin' Up! with Bic Mark-it pens and sponged some blue for the sky.

This was made using leftovers from the above card. I was going to copy, but didn't have enough of the green. Pieces were sort of laying here & there on the card when I realized I could easily make this into SCS sketch challenge 213! This will be a great "thinking of you" or "happy day" card. I'll wait to know the occasion before adding a sentiment to the left of the flower image.

Happy crafting! Sharon

Quick Valentines

These both started out as the SCS sketch challenge 213, but as I was going along I decided I liked them just fine without the little third panel. And I was good and said to myself, "You have the right to stop now if you're happy with them!!". Even though I love the papers from Target $1 Spot, they were not exactly even at the top when I went to do my lining up & cutting. I embossed the stamps from Verve's Sweet Valentine collection and tried two different coloring schemes for the hearts. I had made another heart set colored in red, with Glossy Accents on top, but the paper curled up a bit and the red turned a funny shade. Maybe I should have let the marker dry longer???

I think this might be a full, regular week of school for DD & myself without delays and cancellations! I am soooo off schedule! I tend to laze around on those odd days!

Happy crafting!

Sharon