Jacque's Yummy Blog Candy

All you have to do is hurry on over to Jacque's blog by clicking the title line above...this one ends tomorrow!

* Magnolia Challenges Galore *

To start I am entering this sweet little Tilda Christmas card in the great challenge featured at Just Magnolia Challenge #74 using their wonderful Dawny sketch below. My second entry goes for the first time to Magnolia Down Under whose Challenge #65 is titled "flowers & lace"...perfect for this card sweet Tilda too! My card was a huge stretch for me as I generally subscribe to the philosphy that "less is more" and really struggle with adding lots of embellishments.

For my entry I set out to recreate with my Copic markers a distressed/vintage-look like those using Distress Inks as watercolors. I'm pleased with the outcome and hope it translates in my photos taken on this dreary day on the East Coast!

Kraftin Kimmie Challenge #47

Well, the challenge is to be items made in Green, Orange & Purple...figuring the time of year, I know everyone is going to be submitting Halloween-themed items. Not me!! I've had a run of Halloween cards and decided to see what else I could come up with to fill the bill and this is it. I LOVE this Charlotte stamp and wish I could find a Christmas way to use it and may have by lopping off the dolly's dangling button and reattaching it to the head! We'll see.

The image was stamped using Memento Tuxedo Black and colored with Copic markers. The apron green turned out perfectly! Being new with using these illustration markers, I wasn't sure what I would come up with but the love the end result. It goes so well with the SEI papers I used for the background. The apron recipes is a foundation of G20, with a tiny amount of G02 which I sparingly applied as a shadow beneath the doll and at the folds and blended into the foundation. Hope this helps anyone trying to shade with lime green!

Hurry over and enter your card. This challenge ends on Friday.

Top 3 Honors at 7 Kids!!!

Holy cow!!! My second entry to a 7 Kids Kollege Fund challenge took one of the top 3 picks out of lots of great entries...wow, I am really honored. Be sure to see my badge of honor blinkie on the left column <---over there. Here's the card made with my amazing new Charlotte stamp from Kraftin Kimmie...
You can see it at the 7 Kids blog too. While you're there be sure to pick up the particulars on challenge #5 "Sketch & Double Up". Hurry over, it ends October 13th. The prize is a $20. gift cert. to 7 Kids!!

Operation Write Home Mid-Week Throw Down

This week's challenge is for an easel card. My entry was inspired by reading on the OWH site how some of our troop's children sleep with cards from their parents under their pillow. Doesn't that make you want to create more cards for the children who are missing mom or dad?
Click here for the Mid-Week Throwdown Challenge!







Here are more patriotic children's cards I've been making for my next OWH submission:

Flutter By Weds. Challenge #123 and Copic Creations #35

Click images to enlarge.

This week's theme is all things winged at the Flutter By challenge blog...how fun and "Shading" at Copic Creations! In the spirit of the upcoming Fall season I decided to make a Halloween card and just had to continue using my new Charlotte by Kraftin Kimmie...who by the way, has no wings! No problemo...I just sketched and colored a pair with Copics to make her a cute little winged Halloween creature. This easel card has glittery Stickles outlining the sentiment on the easel card base and on the bat-like wings. I colored the image completely with Copic markers, pop-dotted the ghoulish little girl. This one is a challenge to color both because I used a lot of black coloring technique and the delicate features make bleeding a problem. Next, I plan to try another technique! The background fence is a Magnolia Tilda stamp on Bazzill cardstock, DP paper is a Halloween fav of mine by MME. A few black & grey Prima flowers and black diecuts with buttons & a Recollections metal embellie finish things off nicely.

I'll enter this on Copic Creations latest challenge which is "shading". Please notice how my coloring improved from the earlier Charlotte below (and don't forget to click the images for a larger look.) I don't have many Copics yet but am adding all the time and hope this card works well since it's sponsored by Kraftin Kimmie...my favorite new stamps!! I sure would like to win more, wouldn't you? Hurry over...they're picking the winner for this one on 10/1/10.

My recipe for this little ghoul's complextion is: Copic G50, G63, E50, YR16 (blush)...I just loved experimenting with this look! For the black and shading I used C1, C3, & N7.

Dooditz Beautiful Bracelet Class

If you're anywhere close to Big Sky Country I promise you will enjoy class with my zany artist friend in Helena. Pal Judy is holding a fun afternoon BEAD FRENZY FABRIC CHARM BRACELET class THURSDAY, OCTOBER 21ST FROM 12:30 PM TO 4:30 PM AT THE BEADS EXTRAORDINAIRE SHOP, 433 N. LAST CHANCE GULCH, HELENA, MT. Stop in at the bead shop and see Judith Stewart to sign up and pick up a materials list. The class is $40.00, which includes the kit.

With Judy you're guaranteed lots of fun, laughs and excitement. Bring your lunch if you want to…we can eat and bead simultaneously, just so you don’t eat the beads.

YAY...The Blog Is Done!

Well friends, it has taken many hours for this person...me..., who isn't such an expert with blogging, and html to redesign, and fix this blog. I don't believe Windows and my slow DSL here in Fenwick were working with me or I'd have finished this in a snap. Not!! Thank you, Lee Lou for donating all the wonderful freebies that I used. If you want to check out her blog and grab some for yourself, look above on the border and click to go to her site.

My precious new granddaughter is 10 days old! Can't wait to see she and her BIG sister again soon.

PARDON MY APPEARANCE...

...I am updating my blog and am working on the header! Please come back and visit soon to see the changes.

Check out the new GRAND sweetheart in my family and her BIG sister with mommy...

Play Date Cafe Challenge PDCC47

I stumbled across two neat blogs today...Ewen Style (link in favs to the right) and Play Date Cafe. I'm dying to make something with these colors and was just talking about turquoise & red so this definitely fills the bill. PDCC47 challenge ends Tuesday and hopefully I'll have a chance to create something to post this week, if not definitely next go round. Check it out and have fun!

...I'm off to visit my beautiful little granddaughter, Heather Rose, born Sunday Sept. 12th! I miss big sis Robin already after just one day back to her new normal life.

7 Kids Challenge #4

**If you're looking in from Copic Creations...I apologize for the goof on my listing. I wasn't happy with the coloring on this card so I made another with you in mind. Please see the real entry for challenge #35 here: Copic Creations Challenge #35 Card.

This challenge was a ball and my first time using my Kraftin' Kimmie Charlotte stamp and an older Magnolia scary fence which I stamped twice on the moon background. You'll notice I rotated my version of the sketch to better work with my design!

My Charlotte easel card is sewn with lots of distressed layers.
I colored Charlotte in Halloween colors with a deadly pale skin tone with green undertones! Eyes & buttons were coated with clear gloss and a tiny bow was added for fun. The Halloween Spooktacular ticket was created by me too!

Hurry over to the 7 Kids Kollege Fund blog to snag a copy of this cool Suzanne Dean sketch and enter your card! My Fall card will be posted under this entry very soon.

Entries will be accepted until Sept. 28th for a cool $20.00 gift cert. to 7 Kids...one of my favs!

To show you how few Copics I used: skin - G20, E50; YR16, clothing - C1, C3, N7, Y21, YR16, YR04, .03 Copic liner (socks). I'm ordering more Copics soon!!

Joann's Craft for a Cause

I'll be set to start making cards for this competition next week. Won't you join me or vote for my card(s)? More info and links will be posted as soon as I post a card on the site.

Elisbeth Bell Design Team Contest

Elisabeth Bell is having a contest! Click the link in the title line above to go have a chance at winning this new digital image.

Prickley Pear Rubberstamps

Blogger is misbehaving today so this is my second composition about the terrific things going on at Prickley Pear Rubber Stamps. There's a blog hop and new release party with chances to win some pretty amazing blog candy. I entered to win an ornament set with clearstamps and a die...a coordinated set! There's also a trees set of stamps & die...these coordinated set can't be believed and must look at their store here.

I got my OWH stamp yesterday and can mark the back of the cards now! Halloween cards need to arrive by September 20 to make it to our troops for Halloween. In the meantime, I'm keeping fingers crossed for a win and am heading back to my desk to work on more Halloween cards for Operation Write Home.

Flutter By Birthday Greetings & Challenge #120!

HUGE birthday greetings to Danni at Flutter By Wednesday!! Danni's birthday blog candy is unbelievable so be sure to check it out.

My contribution is a surprise pop-up card. Photo 1 shows it closed, the others show it opened, which is done by pulling out the bow-tied tag:


This was a lot of fun and a feat of engineering that I am not accustomed to in cardmaking. I made it from a fun tutorial at Split Coast Stampers. The papers are from K & Co. with 2 vintage Wordsworth clear stamps, the inside greeting is by TPC. I haven't figured out yet how to get a good impression from TPC stamps. I paper pieced the cupcake bottom with Copic markers for the top. A scrap of irridescent blue ribbon was added to the pull-out tag at the top, a few pearls & a mulberry flower with Sultan center by Prima finish things of nicely. My card is a mirror image of the sketch below because of the orientation of the cupcake stamp!

Here's a peek at the cool sketch by Mercy Kerin provided by Flutter By for this special weekly challenge.

* Free Digis for OWH *

Wow...the good things keep coming from OWH! Today, I've been blogging around looking at the cards of others who donate to this worthy organization and came across a link for free digis to use on your OWH cards. Be sure to check out the OWH website free digi page and print yourself some art and get coloring for a good cause!

Friends, email me if you want help!

OWH Mid-Week Throwdown Challenge

Check out the Halloween cards folks are posting at OWH by clicking the title above this post!

Friends, remember...no glitter, A2 size (4.25 x 5.5), stamp back with OWH stamp, and no cellophane envies! Please email me if you'd like to join me in this great cause. This challenge ends 9/30 so hurry over and enter!

For my card I used: 2 Stampendous images colored with Copic markers & Sakura dimensional gel pens, layers of purple, black & green from my leftover stash of paper, & American Crafts vintage ribbon!

The inside greeting is "Best Witches"...just love these two stamps and am thrilled they are small enough to use on my OWH Halloween cards! I'm off to make more but here's my entry:

Now...tell me...what soldier wouldn't appreciate this fine trio of witchey legs??!!

Flutter By Birthday Greetings & Challenge #120!

...and one heck of a ginormous giveaway and HUGE birthday greetings to Danni too!! You must check it out over at Danni's blog. Her birthday candy is unbelievable.

I'm getting busy on my card but here's a peek at the cool sketch by Mercy Kerin. My card will follow soon.