Close Knit Friends

Happy Monday!  Brrrr very cold this past weekend with lots of ice mixed with snow. . Needless to say I didn't go anywhere! My body doesn't like cold and makes me well aware of it. When it comes to hubbies though I have one of the best! I don't even have to say we need groceries, medicines for he knows when we are low on something and goes to the store and never complains.

Did you see the Patriots knocked the Ravens right out of the stadium yesterday!?! Yah! I am a from Pittsburgh and a HUGE Steeler fan.  I live in MD and not far from Baltimore, but they are still rivals to my family and me!  This time last week, a dear friend text me "Sorry about them Steelers...guess they're feeling a lil black-n-purple huh...hehehe." ( I won't mention any names here!)and she also wrote on her blog;  "we strongly, strongly DISLIKE the Steelers (hey we are Ravens and Redskins fans and Steelers are our biggest rivals 'he) .  So we enjoyed seeing the Steelers crying in their terrible towels." Paybacks are painful and so my dear friend received this text from me!  "I don't know about you , but I am feeling a little Patriotic, where you must be black, blue and purple" LOL  I must say though, she was much better at the humor than I was!

As you know, I have been spending a lot of time at Gina K's and StampTV,  which has excellent tutorial video's.    My cards today is using the "Close Knit Friends" stamps and I had a lot of fun creating them!   Very easy to create multi cards with! They were all colored at the same time! Can you tell? LOL

Paper:Basic Grey; Out of Print . Lace: stash. Nestability: Lacey Circles. Nestability Circles. Copics: Basket: E17, E15, E13, E11. Pink yard: RV23, RV21. Blue: B66. B63, B60. Green: G99, G94. Yellow: Y13, Y11.   Stitching by machine around the borders. 

Paper: Basic Grey; Out of Print. Martha Stewart: Garden Trellis deep border punch. Cheery Lane Butterfly punch. 

I changed direction of the paper and used a Fiskar Punch, sorry not sure of the name. 

TIP OF THE DAY: I did not know this until today! You can not color any embossing powder except clear with Copic Markers. The color bleeds and mars your nibs. I stamped a Christmas tree today and embossed it with green embossing powder. When I attempted to color it the green bled and tinted my nib. I thought it was because I bought a non brand name. Always learning something new!

Challenges:

• Cheery Lynn Designs: Embossing and one of the Cheery Lynn die cuts.
• Craft Your Passion: Colored Bingo
• Hooked On Crafts: Something Bright
• Make It Monday: Anything goes! Love this challenge
• Fashionable Stamping Challenge: Butterfly or bug
• Lets Ink It Up: Anything  Anything goes, Must use stamp/no digi's. 

I'd rather be stamp'n! CMC Challenge Hot pink!

Happy Tuesday everyone! You would never think it was January with the sun shining and temperature in the 60's. Yay! Have you ever watched The Big Bang Theory? OMGosh, if you haven't ever watch it... I highly recommend it for laughs. It is hilarious and I can honestly say there has not been a single episode where I didn't burst out laughing.  I am sure Sheldon's,  personality might get on some peoples nerves, but I find it hysterical!

Do you like to color with Copic's but want to learn more? The best online classes are with Suzanne Dean at Color Me Creative Classroom. There are five different classes from beginning to advance with about 10 lessons in each class.  This month, at The Outlawz Challenges, you can win one of the classes by entering any of the 8 challenges! You don't color with Copics?   No problem, Marti Wills teaches how to color with Prisma Pencils or how to use your Cricut, Distress Ink with Angie Hunt, or coloring Magnolia's with Mindy! You can do the classes 24 hours a day at your own speed. A video for each lesson. You can also win a $50.00 gift certificate to Oozak, $25.00 gift certificate to SCACD, a goodie bag from Paper Temptress, Gilli good bag...come check us out. The right side panel at The Outlawz  has a list of our sponsors, plus we have sponsors within the individual challenges!

Also, at CMC is the Copic Challenge Group! The current challenge is Retro Hot Pink/ black/ white.  My card is design with one of my all time favorite artist, Sara K and it's been way too long since I colored one of her delightful images! I have had this image for so long I don't remember the name of it and can't find it at any of the online stores:(.  Isn't she adorable!! And she rather be stamp'n instead of cleaning!

Paper: Black and White Mini Dot Reverse by Canvas Corp. This paper has a nice heavy weight to it.
Copics: Hair: E59, E23, E35, E31, E50. Skin: E11, E00, E000. Pink: RV14, RV13, RV10. I hate RV11,  it looks dingy to me! Shoes, N3, N1, N00. Broom: E23, E17, E21.  Shadow on floor:C2, C1, C00
Butterflies: Cherry Lane Designs: Exotic Butterflies. Set of 3/ $9.95.
Corners: Spellbinders/Shapabilities
Nestabilities:  scallop oval
Flowers: Prima
Leaves: Martha Stewart 

Challenges:

• Anything Goes: Anything goes!! 
• Celebrate The Occasion: Polka dots
• Scrap Creations: Die cuts
• The Outlawz Color Challenge: Red, black, white and embossing! Red, hot pink...they are sorta close!
• Paper Minutes: anything goes
• The stamping Boutique: Die cuts
• Make It Monday: anything goes

Homemade Stationary Gift Box

Hello! Happy Sunday to you! It's a little bit like winter this weekend in Maryland.  Of course Simba and Bailey had to prove to me it was anything, but warm outside.  Those boys do not go out of the yard if it is a beautiful sunny day, however, if it is raining, cold, icy or nasty outside off they go and I am usually in my PJ's chasing them like a maniac and today was no exception:) Brrrr it was cold.

You don't want to go out in the cold? Well come on over to TTCRD's challenge and create "Anything but a card and your own embellishment"  It was a lot of fun and  Ippity Demonstrator,  Rona is offering a $15,00 gift certificate to one lucky winner who enters the challenge!

I decided to make a stationary gift box. One of my customers has requested small thank you and hello note cards and I thought what a cool way to deliver them.. For my home made embellishment,  I made a rosette flower using this technique and added a Bo Bunny Trinket to the center of it!

The sides fall down when you remove the lid.  Inside the address book is line paper and  compartments for your pen, stamps, tags, note and greeting cards.  I found the tutorial here!  It was really easy to do! And not a single thing is colored with copics!! YAH me!

Thank you for stopping in and visit the TTCRD to see the rest of the wonderful creations made by the DT. They are really fantastic!
Challenges:

• Dream Valley Challenge: Anything Goes
• Crafty Pad Designs: Sparkle
• Little Claires Designs: Anything but a card
• Secret Crafter: Anything goes with blue.  My main color on the paper is blue 
• Simply Stampin challenge: Must use dies

Believe In The Beauty Of Your Dreams

Happy Weekend everyone!!I am so glad today is over with!! It started out my neighbor who is elderly felled and I went  to the ER with her. . She has no family close by and I didn't want her to be alone. She's okay and was only shaken up! Phew!

Thank you for all the nice comments on   "Green Acres!"  it was a lot of fun to do and glad it brought back golden memories for some! Today, I am going in the opposite direction with a sympathy card. I have never made one before, because I was afraid it would look cheesy. Well, I didn't make one, I made two using Gina K's  Nature Stamp Set and following her easy DVD directions. They were easy and I really love the look !  I love no brainers! Don't we all!?  Gina shows different stamping techniques for each card and I had a blast just following along! It taught me to look at design paper in a different way. If you don't have paper that matches your image or project... change it. 

The design paper was changed by stamping  leaves with Rich Cocoa Memento Ink onto the paper. The butterfly was stamped with the same colored and it pulled everything together.

This back ground was stamp with the focal image on the card with the same color ink. The paper before being stamp was plain and now it all ties well together. 

Have a great day everyone!
Challenges:

• Sisters Challenge: Things with wings
• CES Challenge: Anything goes

Green Acres

Hello Happy Crafters! thank you for coming and visiting with me today! If I haven't been to your blog the past few days I will see you tomorrow for sure!

Brrrr it was cold yesterday at 14 degrees, but watch out for today for it was a heat wave at 40!  Those 26 degrees makes a big difference to Simba and Bailey though when we go outside. Yesterday was  "hurry up and pee!" and today we stayed out for a bit longer. How's come dogs have to sniff everything, including the air when the pee??? They put their nostrils up and sniff to the right, sniff to the left, sniff the ground here and over there...come on guys, I am freezing! Bailey esp. oh my gosh, Simba can pee, play a little and run back to the door and there's Bailey still sniffing away. 

Were you wondering why I used Green Acres for the title of my posting today!?!   When  I saw  "Retro Crew"and "Street Views" rubber stamp sets, designed by Victoria Case exclusively for SCACD,  the "Green Acres" theme song sprung to mind. Now, I know those under the age of 40  probably have no clue what I am talking about so here is the original show opening from way back when!! Watching TV was so simple back in the day. You had 3 main stations, plus educational and PBS! And, let me tell ya, the stations didn't keep getting flipped by dear hubby with a remote control!!   Nope, if you wanted the channel changed you got up off that couch and did it manually on the TV! LOL how many times did you sit there and watch something you normally wouldn't watch just b/c you didn't want to get up and change the station? Guilty!!

Anyhow, I wanted to make a project with all the imageson the same card, box etc., but because of their sizes, I decided to go with the cards and will send them to my g/f who moved from city to the country and misses the city big time. Not me, I have lived city and country and I will take country any day!! Less traffic, everyone is not in a super huge rush and everyone knows your name!! Where ever you went people greeted you with your first name rather it was the bank, post office, grocery store any where in town and it was nice! I surely miss it! 

On this card I used City View and Sass and Swager.   I sponge Memento inks to create the sky and copics to color the images. I applied to Stickles to her shirt to glitz it up  and Diamond Glaze to some of the buildings and her outfit to make them shiny.  The Diamond Glaze blended some of my shadowing and highlights but it is still very pretty!  

Stamp: Coutore Avenue!  You have to love the store in the middle!! I am sure Eva Gabor didn't frequent stamp stores, but I wouldn't be surprise she visited Couture Avenue!  

The next card is using one of Victoria Cass Digi Images. Unfortunately, VC will not be doing any more digi's b/c her copyright laws were often violated. Isn't it a shame how some ruin it for others? I love this image with her sexy shorts and cowboy hat! The  sun was created by punching a circle and masking the area while sponging  the background and sponging the sun with Memento Dandelion. 

We're back to "City Views" again! I  stamped using Delicata which is a non-tarnishing metallic gold ink pad. . It dries naturally and is so shinny, without heat embossing it.  

So my friends this is how I came up with Green Acres!! 

Challenges:

• Just For Fun: 60's and 70's 
• Moving Along With The Times: Step back in time
• Rainbow Lady's Challenge: Travel Through Time: 
• Art Impressions

SCACD 2012

Hello happy crafters!  Don't fall over from shock, because I posted two days in a row!! One of my resolutions is to keep up with my blog!! It's turning colder here in MD. We have been so lucky with mild temperatures until today! Our high was 36 and in the 20's tonight....brrrrrr!!!

I have good news for you!! SCACD has reopened after taking a much needed rest and holidays! Susana has loaded the store with lots of new goodies to play with and I have some of them listed below.

My card today is using Melody, an  Elisabeth Bell stamp from the Odds and Ends Sampler Set made exclusively for SCACD.  How many of us sang into our hair brushes, in front of the mirror when we were younger?? Not me...of course not! LOL

Copics: Skin: E11, E00, E000. Pink: RV13, RV11, RV00. Pants: E27, E25, E23, E00. Top: E53, E51, E50. Hair: YR21, YR20, E31, E50

Prouducts: The corners, I used Design Adhesives by Clearsnap which are design double sided adhesives which you use with glitter, embossing power, flocking, etc. and are very user friendly and mine were sprinkle with glitter.!  Guitars from stash,  Flowers: SCACD,  Nestability: Classic Hearts embossed with Cuttlebug embossing folder. Heart  Paper: Sweet Owl by Trim Craft,  Leaves were punch with Martha Stewart Leaf Punch. I distressed the hearts with Tim Holtz distress ink: Antique Ribbon.

SCACD is reopened today after closed for the holidays! You will want to check out all the new products that were purchase during Susana's rest!!

• New paper-   Kaisercraft, Crate Paper, Fancy Pants, etc
• Cool New Adhesives 
• Memory Box Dies
• Craft Concepts Embossing Folders
  
• Cuttlebug Embossing Folders

Challenge:

• Outlawz Copic Challenge: Anything goes
• Elisabeth Bell World: Tic Tac Toe
• Pretty Little Ribbon Shop: Ribbon and Valentine
• Really Reasonable Ribbon: Ribbon and sparkle
• Craft Your Passion: Anything goes and distressing

Monochromatic Coloring

Happy New Year!! Well, what kind of new year this be? Will we keep the promises and resolutions we make to ourselves? I have many! My two biggest ones are to lose the weight I have gained in the past several years, which is quite a lot for me. I am only five foot and one pound on me is like 5 pounds on  someone else.  And, I want to try and regain my muscle strength.  I have fibromyalgia and muscular dystrophy and my muscles have gone pah toot and it's time I fought to get them back! Are you making any new resolutions?

 I would like to wish you a very Happy New Year and may it bring you good health, love, joy, prosperity and lots of mojo!! This year went so fast  I keep thinking of the song "Don't Blink" by Kenny Chesney.  The words are so true about how fast time flies. I look at my children and think "I was just your age!"  You blink and the year is gone.  I love this video...listen to the gentleman in the very beginning.  

Today is my official day of being a Designer on  "Through The Craftroom Door"  Design Team! I am so excited to be on the team for TTCD. What is TTCD? It is an online crafting magazine founded by two very dear talented friends of mine, Marti Wills and Suzanne Dean!  A bi-monthly digi-craft/arts magazine with great tutorials, templates and articles in each issue! Come join in the fun and read about new products, tutorials and much more! 

My first challenge with TTCD is "monochromatic coloring."  When I saw what the challenge was I gasp and thought "oh no” for I have never colored monochromatic before. Well, nothing like the present to learn! Right?

I decided to color mine in greys with Copic Markers. My sweet image is Snow Gear, Snowbaby" a Elisabeth Bell image. Isn't she adorable!?! She is blowing you kisses! 


TTCRD sponsor of this challenge is:

Prize: $50.00 gift certificate

________________________________________________________________________


Don't forget to check out The Outlawz Challenges! Our sponsors and wonderful prizes are:


Oozak.Com

$50.00 Gift Certificate!! Online crafting supplies!

SCACD

$25.00 Gift Certificate

Gilli Stamps

Gilli Goodie Bag

 Paper Temptress
$20.00 Special Collection
for The Outlawz!

 Winner will receive an invitation to classrooms of their choice!

Copic, Prisma Pencils, Distress Inks, Magnolia classesHave a great week!
Challenges: 

• TTCRD: Monochromatic Coloring - come on and join the fun!!
• Heart Song Inspiration: Anything goes
• Incy Wincy Designs: Anything goes
• Make It Monday: Anything goes
• My Craft Spot: winter wonderland
• Paper Creations: Die cut or punch
• Stamp A Lot Challenge: Monochromatic coloring
•