Easter for Angela

I have a lady that wanted me to make some cards for Easter for her parents, nephew and niece.  So I printed up some digital images for the kids cards, colored them with copics and created!  I usually make two for each so the lady has a choice.  Whatever she doesn't pick can be used for my grandkids! 

I was very pleased with the card I made for her parents.  It used one of my new stamps from Heartfelt Creations.  They had the most awesome booth at the rubber stamp convention a couple of weeks ago.  It is a little hard to tell but the paper (from Paper Temptress) is a lovely pearlescent paper. 

The Rabbit in the Egg is a free digital I got from Prairie Fairy.  The Bunny with the daffodil pot was a free digital from Creative Pointe.  On both of those cards I used a round Easter design that was a digital freebie from Sans Design.  The bunny with the basket is from Dustin Pike.  And Finally the Bunny Penguin is from Hambo Stamps.  This was a free image from their Hambo Hoedown challenge.  We were to make an easel card this week for the challenge but I had to make the card before I knew the challenge.  That's okay.......it made a darling boy Easter card and I just make another for the challenge.  

So......tell me which one of the Easter cards that you like the best!

Almost a year and a bit of candy for you!

On March 12th last year, I started by blog.....it is hard to believe that it has almost been a year!  I also noted that I broke over the 10,000 mark for visits to my blog........amazing!  So......to celebrate the upcoming bday of the blog and to celebrate the 10K mark, I decided that it would be fun to have a little blog candy.

I happen to have two brand new....never been used......sketch Copic markers.  RV23, RV06. 

How can you win?  Leave a comment on THIS post only! 

Please leave your e-mail address as well.  You can use it in this format so those nasty computer harvesters can't find your e-mail:   aclack at msn dot com.  

I'll let the ol' computer generated picker give me the winning number!  This blog candy wll be open to Febuary 25th....that is a whole week! 

Here's hoping that you win!!

SSS43, cool storage and some time away!

Here are TWO cards this week for the Sweet Stop sketch Challenge.  You can see the sketch and the cards by the other designers by clicking on the Sweet Stop badget to the right!  I had originally colored up the rabbit for this sketch but I had the background from the cat made up for it.  When I put the two together, it just didn't work for me.  The rabbit was too strong in color values for the background.  So, I scrapped the idea of the original background and started over.  I like the darker colors that I came up with for him.  I hope you do too!  He is colored with copic markers and I then used a rag with blender solution on it to dab some texture onto him.  This card will go to my grandson, Jim, for his Valentines day card.

The second card......not wanting to waste the background I had created originally, I used a sweet cat image from a gal in the copic junkie group.  Her challenge to us was to color the image with copics and post to the group.  Since I wanted the cat to 'match' the background better than if I color it real cat colors, I chose the yellowish/brown color along with purple and blended the two together.  I think I could use a little more practice with this technique.  It is one of the harder techniques to master with copic markers.  This card will go to my grand-daughter, Audrey, for Valentines day.

THEN one of the members of the copic junkies group shared how she stored her copic markers.  Thank you Laurie for your suggestion!  I had to search where there was a Container Store in our area and it happened to be close to where my husband works.  So, today I went there to search for my own.  The plastics containers have lids that I won'e use when I have the markers at home.  I then found a neat 'tote' to put the plastic containers in.  Now I feel that I can take most of the markers and they won't get lost!  Yeah!!

Finally.....we get to have a few days away!   My mom will be here and tend to the dog while we spend a few days with Ray's folks.  We haven't been to their house for over a year and it is more than time.  We will meet our car club in the morning to see the Salem Roadster show and go to MC from there.  We will also have dinner with one of Ray's old high school buddies tomorrow night.  It will be fun!

More than Super Bowl Sunday - Hambo strikes again!

I made this card the other day for my Son-in-law for his birthday which we celebrated yesterday.  Actually it was like the Super Bowl of Birthdays.  My DH, Son, 2 Son-in-laws, and my dauther-in-law all celebrate their birthdays within two weeks of each other.  So, we chose yesterday to celebrate their special days.  Throw in a few extra friends and lots of kids and we had a house full of people 

For the card I had this digital image from Hambo.  It is from their new character called Wee Henry.  After getting the image I wanted to have a background that was as great as the one the creator, Tim, had drawn on his original card.  So, I lightly sketched in something that I thought would work and colored it in with my pencils.  I had the background almost done (over a couple of days) when I found out that the original background Tim drew was available.  Drat!  That's okay.......I think mine came out pretty good too!  My inspiration for the flour bag came from the rice bag that they use in Farmville....Hee Hee!  Wee Henry is colored with copics, duplicated and layered to create some dimension.  I did find that you CANNOT edge your cut out image with copic markers.........it bled a little on Henry's ear.  Fortunately, it wasn't bad enough to ruin it!  I hope you enjoy.  I'll be getting a Hambo badge for the side bar shortly!  Hambo has a number of Wee Henry's now and the next card I'm going to do with one is a darling cupid!

Happy Birthday Little Jim!

Yesterday was my oldest grandson's 3rd birthday.  Today is his party!  Yeah!!!  It will be so fun because at age 3 they finally REALLY 'get' the birthday thing!  We got him Flo's diner for his Geo Trax set.   He love his Geo Trax and the Cars movie.  Perfect match.  Here is the card that I made for him.  The image is from Dustin Pike and is colored with copics.  I just barely got my diamond plate cuttlebug folder which is below it.  I also used a EK Success border punch.  The 3 is punched out of a cuttlebug alphabet set from a paper covered coaster so it is fairly thick.  It looked a little lonesome without something behind it so I added the black background.  I hope Little Jim loves it!!

Four way combo

Here is my card for th Sweet Stop Sketch challenge AND the Artful Sentiments Copic Challenge AND the TJ challenge to post a card with a TJ technique AND my Sweet N Sassy digital image for Sweet Stop Design Team members.  The whole image is of a little boy pulling the wagon with the pumpkin but since the copic challenge colors were just orange, yellow, and a W (grey) copic, I decided to only focus on the pumpkin.  You can see the sketch challenge and the copic challenge home pages by clicking on the links and banners to the right column.  The TJ challenge was to use any TJ technique.  Well....believe it or not, I had never done Score grid.  At least I don't remember doing it.  It is quite easy!  Always nice to have another way to use my Scor-It (which I love BTW). 

And..........make sure you click on the Sunbeams flashing blinkie to the right side column.  Sweet N Sassy stamps is celebrating their second birthday and they are having a give away.  WOW......can you believe that it has been two years already!  Congratulations, Korin!!

It's Saturday and time Two challenges

Yup.....Saturday is the day for both the Artful Sentiments Copic Challenge AND the Sweet Stop Sketch Challenge for Sweet N Sassy Stamps.

This week the copic challenge uses the colors shown to the side.  So,

what do those colors look like to you?  Well, I saw colors that I could use for my Artistic Outpost clown!  I have been wanting to use this clown from their set for a long time.  I've also wanted to do the Technique Junkie technique called Scappy Spots that was submitted by Nancy Judd.  This was just the perfect color combo!

******************************

Now on to the Sweet Stop Sketch Challenge.  The sketch challenge this month is listed on the Sweet Stop blog.....click on the logo to the right to see it!!  This was a sketch with a spin.....you had to use recycled items.  I have been thinking about this sketch for a long time and NOTHING was coming to my mind.  I had a few small recycled items to use but they just weren't speaking to me.  For the card below, this is what I recycled....

1.  A Plow & Hearth sales magazine picture of a wreath and candle in a window

2.  A Mylar red balloon

3.  The blue badly stamped piece of cardstock

4.  Words from the inside of an old Christmas card.

5.  All the Cardstock was from my scrap bin

So....what is your opinion....passable? !!

Here's the deal.....

Okay.......my card sale is coming up and my daughter, Leah, usually adds a few things to the 'for sale' stuff.  She has made Scrubbies out of nylon net for at least 6 years and she is getting quite a following.....people LOVE her scrubbies.  Hmmmm..........here is a thought.......let me know if you would like a scrubbie.  If you think it is a good idea, I'll offer one as a piece of blog candy for fun!!  Now....back to the story.  This year she is going to make baby bibs....we have a number of new babies coming at church.  So, I'm going to make cards to match the bibs and they will be sold 2 bibs and 1 card together as a gift.  Like the idea?  I hope that lots of people do.  So, here is the first card for the dino bib. The fabric is shown first and the card that I made to match it is below.   I'll be making about 6 different cards to match her fabrics.  The darling image on this card is by Dustin Pike and is a digital image.  It is colored with copic markers.

Made the list

Sometimes do you create and wonder......am I really doing well?  Thanks, Marianne for the coloring comment, it REALLY made my day.  To get a comment so short like "Nice Coloring" may not seem like much but when it comes from the Coloring Diva herself (Marianne Walker), then I'll take IT!!  Again.....THANKS MARIANNE!!  ;-)

Burnished Lucy

This card's background is a technique from the most recent Technique Junkie newsletter called Burnished Backgrounds.  I didn't start out with white cardstock, however, so I burnished with white craft ink (which turned kind of pink).  Lucy is from Stampsmith.  She is colored with copic markers.  The background stamp is from Stampin Up and the stamp hole is too far away to run down and get the maker on the "I love you" stamp.   After I had Lucy colored in, there was just something missing and I couldn't pin it down until I remembered that her eyes needed a white dot.  Voila!  That was it......dark holes of eyes made into real eyes with the dot of a Signo pen.   Enjoy!

She was also made for a challenge over at Gingersnap Creations!  They have a challenge to make a card with Stars.....my star is Lucy!  Here is the link to their challenge.....HERE.

It's Sugar Baby and Artful Sentiment copic Challenge time!

AH!  I forgot to get this post on automatic yesterday!!  Sorry I'm late!!  Here is my card for this week's challenges.   This week I combined the challenges.  The colors for the copic challenge seen to the left inspired leaves.....right?!  I'm STILL wishing that I was in New England so see the beautiful fall colors.   Personal Interlude:   Last night we went to a new place to eat.....I had a coupon for $25 (you had to spend $35).  It was a BBQ place.  I'v e been hankering to have some Yankee Smokehouse BBQ since last year in New Hampshire so when I saw the Smoky Mountain BBQ I thought.......hmmmmm......maybe it will be as good as Yankee....     Wow......Nothing could be further from the truth.  The 'restaurant' ended up being an order window inside a bar.  At least in Oregon you can't smoke inside any building anymore.....thank goodness....or I would have had to leave.  The meatloaf wasn't too bad.....but almost every bit had something unchewable.  The brisket sandwich was FULL of fat.....ewwww.  The 1/2 rack of pork ribs wasn't too bad but lacked any real BBQ taste and the middle of the rack was cold.  The black beans were fair to midland but the potatoe wedges and sweet potatoe fries were fine.  I had two gift certificates to go there but I don't think we'll use the second one. 

Okay.....back to stamping.    After I decided I wanted leaves, I grabbed Sweet N Sassy's Autumn set which is drawn by Chris Dickinson.  I did use my blender to lighten the colors a little so they would look a little more leafish!  This sketch layout is from the Sweet N Sassy Sweet Spot blog....you can click on it to the left on my sidebar.  The long piece below the image is a Technique Junkie technique called Painted Mesh.  I used gesso instead of acrylic and toned it down with sponging.  The card ended up being a little dark but I guess it made the image stand out that way, right!  Around the image I also used TJ's Rubber Thwamping.....a technique that I submitted.  I think the technique has been around a while though.  I just love the texture that it can give....much different than sponging AND it is easy to clean off to reuse.  The maple leaf brad was a embellishment that I frankly forgot I had!  I have a slew of brads in different shapes that I got at the last Hot off the Press warehouse sale (locally) and I had them stored in those divided containers......I just never remember to look in there!!  Hope you enjoy this week's ramblings!

Sweet Little Couple

Well.....I'm in anniversary card mode this week for my upcoming card sale.  This Anniversary card (which says Happy Anniversary on the inside) was stamped with a photo stamp from Stampsmith.  She has the most beautiful photo stamps.  I stamped it with Memento Ink on Matte Coated paper.  This paper is much like glossy but the finish on it is matte instead.  I like it very much!  The image was colored with copics.  I even colored a lot of light blue on her veil.  It really made the veil look more see thru.  The big flowers are some that a friends shared with me.  She said that she got them in the wedding department at Michaels.  I colored them with copics and then colored some paper and punched out the little flowers.  The pearls are from Queen & Co.  I wasn't sure what paper nor design I wanted for this stamp.  As I was heading for the scrap box, there was the decorated paper, just sitting there.  Perfect!!  I wanted some 'lace' and the EK Success border punch was just perfect.  Lacy without being fussy.  I wondered if I could use the border punch to do my corners and after a littly playing....Yeah!.....it worked.  The patterned paper is mounted on a cream base.  Enjoy!!

Double Duties

Well.....today is a double duty design team day.  I have two design cards to post today.  The first is my design card for Artful Sentiments by Kimm's copic challenge.  You can link to the master challenge post to the right on my sidebar.  This week's colors are a true indication that fall is on the way.   This time last year I was in New England leaf peeking and I sure wish I was back there again.  The fall color back East is WAY more beautiful than out in the Pacific Northwest.  I even had to go through all of our pictures last night just to reflect on our wonderful time there.  So....in honor of the beautiful fall colors that are surely happening in New Hampshire and Vermont, here is my challenge card.    The scene stamp is from Hero Arts and is colored with the required copics plus a few extra colors around those to give depth.  I was a little dissappointed in the way the colors scanned.  The patterned paper really is more the color of the image.  When you scan dimensionals, it tends to make the color of the paper change.  The leaves of the tree are mounted up.  The little paper leaves were in my stash from a 'must have' purchase from the LSS several years ago!  This card in itself was double duty as it is the Midnight Madness sketch challenge of the week!  MMSC21!  ;-)

Next is my design team card for The SweetStopSketch Challenge 24.  This is my first posting as part of Korin's Sugar Baby team.  What fun!  You can click on the Sweet Stop pink badge to the right and see the sketch challenge for the week.  We have a wonderful line up of Sugar Babies for the Challenge team.  Make sure you take a look at their wonderful creations too!   I have had this cute little Penny Black dog since last Thanksgiving and it was time to use him.  I knew right away that his horn would have to be out of the box!!  He was colored with copic markers.  The dotted paper on the bottom of the heap is some of my hoarded patterned paper that I have vowed to use as much as possible.  The swirly layer is the triple dimension technique from the Technique Junkie Newsletter and it actually a treble staff stamp.  The layer just under the sentiment is a technique I had submitted to the TJ newsletter called Rubber Thwamping.  I think the technique has been around a while but I don't know from where.  I used lentils for my thwamping!  This is the same technique that I used for my card for the TJ blog hop a few days ago.  So easy and fun. 

So there you have it........a double post for today!!  Now get off the computer and get back to your stamping!!

Artful Sentiments Copic Challenge #27

Well.....our challenge comes a little early this week as Kimm has a wedding in the house on Saturday!  I pray she has THE most relaxed and joyful day!  Now for the challenge this week.  The colors, when scribbed out on paper, didn't speak to me much this week.  No stamp was really reaching out and crying for those colors.  So, on the hunt I went.  I saw this stamp and thought....Hmmm.....that stamp hasn't seen ink since I purchased it three years ago.  Maybe now is the time!  I originally colored it with a blue tin and green and purple fish but it just didn't look right so I reversed the colors and then it looked better.  I made the background piece with the three colors of the week along with the blender.  It is soooo easy to give yourself a little piece of decorated paper like this!!  Try it!!  After making this and looking at the scan I see that I should have probably layered the sentiment and the fish for more umph!  I used a technique called Drywall stitching from the Technique Junkie newsletter.  Such a fun technique and soooo fast and easy.  I really should be using it more often.

Artful Sentiments Copic Challenge #26

When I first started looking at the color combo given to us for this challenge, I thought....."Oh my....how in the world will I find a stamp for THOSE colors?"  After scribbling them on a scratch piece of paper and staring at them for a while, I remembered this stamp I got from the rubber stamp convention in March from Auntie Amy.  I've wanted to use it for a long time.  It was perfect!  I naturally had to add a few other colors, like a lighter yellow to soften the white behind the fish and words.  AND a few other yellows to go with the challenge color to give my wood a more realistic look.  You can't see it in the scan but I used Copic's Spica glitter pen on the image.  Nice for a guy.....not too much glitter but enough to jazz it up a little.  After my image was complete I looked around for something for the background.  I originally tried to so a sanded whitewash (a TJ technique) with a piece of black/gold sparkly paper from Paper Temptress.  But, after the sanding, it just didn't have the right color to go with the image.  I'll have to use the piece I made on another card though as it turned out very pretty.  Then I remembered that I had some faux wood pieces made for another card that I never completed.  It was perfect. The image is mounted on foam tape to raise it up a little.   I hope that it inspires you to create!

Thanks Squared

Sometimes I just want to do a card that is quick and simple.  No fancy nothing!!  So.....when I was at the LSS (Local Stamp Store) I found this great new stamp from Hero Arts.  I actually saw it as a sticker first.  Loved the way they had it colored with purple, pink and yellow and decided that it would look pretty neat colored up.  Fast too!  I first grabbed a different paper and when I was trying to find other paper colors for the mats, nothing was working.  So I started rummaging through my other papers.  Found this square and decided that it was perfect!  Colored quickly with copics and jazzed up with a little sparkle and it was done!  The words were cut out with my Nestabilities BUT the outside oval is from my 'old' Spellbinders oval set.  I love the way it isn't truly oval.  Different.  I hope you enjoy my quick and simple.  Tomorrow's card isn't as quick or simple!

This last weekend we had a birthday party for my oldest granddaughter.  She turned 7!  My how time flies.  I watched Breauna for the first four years of her life and we have a wonderful relationship.  While at the party, I snapped a few shots of the other grandkids as well.  Jimmy and Audrey were trying to play ping pong.....that was funny as they can barely see over the table!  All the kids had a blast throwing the ball for our dog, Gabby.  Gabby lives for the ball.  She will play ball until she is exhausted and still want more.  Zander had fun with the little playhouse and the play area.  Breauna had the most fun, of course, since it was her day.  We gave her a gift certificate to Learning World with a special day with Grandma along with some books.  She is starting to read and loves it. 

Artful Sentiments Copic Challenge #25

Man......the days are just flying by. It seems like only yesterday that I posted. Sorry for the lag! I guess that happens when you are over busy, right?

I hope that you enjoy the post today. We were to use the three copic colors pictured. I didn't have R59 so substituted R39 instead. As I was playing with the colors, I noticed that if I overlapped the colors that the RV turned more red so........I blended them to create the car color. This is a new stamp set that I got from Clear Dollar Stamps. The moment that I saw their new car stamps I HAD to get some. Not only this race car but some Fords as well. I'm a sucker for Fords! I had the card ready to assemble and the red base just looked too lonely so I added the flags around as a border and I think it completed the card, don't you!!

I couldn't quit figure out what the thing was towards the back of the car. I was assuming that it was the driver but it did look a little strange for a driver. I just assume that it is the driver's helmut and colored it with a grey window. As I look at the scanned picture, the red background really look pink on my monitor. It isn't, really!! It is a REAL red!

Click on Kimm's link on the sidebar so YOU can participate in the copic challenge. It's fun!!

A little Faux, Faux

Here is a neat little technique from the most recent Technique Junkie Newsletter. It is called Faux Sanding. You can learn how to do it and much more by subscribing to the newsletter. It is VERY economical (the newsletter and the technique alike)! Go here to see more info about the newsletter! My faux was more faux though.....I didn't include one step and I didn't do it on Glossy. So mine is a Fake, fake! HA! That cute little girl is colored with copic markers and they are close to the copic challenge on Artful Sentiments for the last week. She was cut out, then I cut out an additional hat brim and heart (on the apron) to create a little dimension. I originally tried to pop up the entire dress but she kinda looked like a football player so I did only the heart. The sentiment is also popped up. I used my Nestabilities to cut the faux sanded piece behind the girl from the base piece to save paper! I did the same with the dark scallop piece. It was cut from the bottom dark layer. The smaller scallop was cut from the middle of the large one. Going green the only way a stamper can!! Savin that paper! The girl is an older stamp by Imaginations and the sentiment is by Hero Arts. Little dots made by a Signo pen.

Midnight Madness Sketch Challenge 17!

Here is the card I made for the Priscilla Styles Midnight Madness Sketch Challenge 17. I think the last time I could play they were at SC8 or something like that! I've had this image colored up and waiting for me to make him into a card. I happened to grab the BG paper this morning then my glance fell upon the dragon. Hmmm........I think it would be a great match! Do you think so? I wish more of that DP showed as it is awfully pretty. The image is from Dustin Pike. He often gives away a free digital image on Wednesdays. You should head on over there now. The image is colored with copic markers. I was traveling with my husband, daughter and son-in-law. I often take my coloring with me. This day I was showing the image to my daughter and giving her the copic markers and letting her pick the colors. It is a fun way to move beyond your normal selections. We did that with about 6 images. There are some unusual combos!! The light dots on the dragon were made by holding the blender pen in one place over the colored image. The blender pen pushes the color away and leaves a lighter area....voila...spots! I made the spots on the kite the same way.

HEY!!! You have TWO (actually THREE) chances to win some blog candy. I am offering some blog candy on my Saturday's post of a cute unmounted (man with net). Leave a comment on Saturday's post to be entered in THAT giveaway. I'll be giving away TWO of these!! THEN there is the TJ blog hop. You don't have to be a TJ member to enter........follow the hop to find the treasure and post your answer on the last blog.

Artful Sentiments Copic Challenge #23

Make sure you read the purple words at the end before you leave!

I swear that the clocks are on double time lately! Another week has gone by and it seems like only yesterday that I posted the last challenge card. This week the colors were quite different. The card did not start the way it ended but I'm sure many of you have had that happen! I grabbed this angel stamp by Nicole Croy. When I purchased the stamp I didn't see a printed image only the rubber. So, I had this image in my head and when I finally stamped it, the image was a little different than I had imagined. A little more dotty and the head wasn't particularly to my liking. BUT, I figured that I would work with it just the same. For the background, I used the GESSO OFF technique from the Technique Junkie newlsetter.

It happens to be a technique that I came up with. After completing the technique, the background needed to be toned down a little so I brayered SU's Apricot Appeal over the top. N0ne of the ribbon I had seemed to go well and after digging through my fibers I found this one. You can't tell in the scan very well but the colors of the fibers are golden and bronzy. The color palette is quite removed from my normal but that's okay. It is good to stretch your wings. (pun intended!) My cyber friend, Nancy Judd, always comes up with beautiful earthy colors in her cards. She and I have often joked about it. She has a hard time with the pastels and brights and I have a hard time with the earthy colors. So, when either of us would post a card that was out of our normal comfort zone, the other would make comment on how unusual it was! So this card, Dear Nancy, is for you!!

Yesterday I went to the Local Stamp store (LSS) to pick up some Amuse stamps that they had ordered for me. I don't really need anything at the LSS....really....I don't. But when I came away I had a nice little bag of ribbons, a few stamps and a couple pieces of patterned paper. Like I truly needed any of it!! I did feel good though knowing that I was helping the local business stay in business, right?! One of the stamps I picked up is a DARLING little racoon with his hands (paws) in the air. I hope you'll see it soon. I have a hard time letting go of any of my stamps. The 20 year collection is getting rather large now. So......what is your opinion? Purge a few or keep? What do you do and why? Tell me!

OH!! I don't want to forget....you WILL want to watch the blog on SUNDAY and again on MONDAY. On Sunday I will have some blog candy!! Then on Monday, the Technique Junkie Design Team is hosting a blog hop with a fabulous prize at the end. Sign up for e-mail notifications so you don't miss the candies!