I'm a girlie girl. I want a string of pearls.

First off, sorry I'm not around much lately. I have been spending so much time on the road that I haven't been home enough to create. When I am home, I get caught up in other things that need doing or just don't have any energy left to put into crafting. I'm hoping things slow down in August. July looks to be another crazy busy month, but I've got lots of fun things coming up. Secondly, it's time for another challenge at Guylou's. I admit that I'm a bit of a girlie girl. Yeah, I have done the firefighter thing, and every time I got dirty after a drill or something, I wanted to run home and shower. I don't like digging in gardens, cooking with flour (well, any cooking, for that matter), working on cars, doing any household projects that involve getting messy...you get the gist. The only kind of messy I like is the kind that comes from playing in my craft room and letting the ink and glue fly. So, this latest girlie challenge "swirls and pearls" is right up my alley. Oh, yeah, I think I mentioned in my title about wanting a string of pearls. I love pearls. Rick got me a freshwater pearl and sapphire necklace for our one year dating anniversary. For our one year wedding anniversary, he bought me pearl earrings. I'd love to have a strand of the big, round fat daddy pearls, too. Now that Rick's passed away, I might just have to get them myself, and call them a gift from my girls. Cats love their mommas and want to buy for them, too, right?!? I'm digressing again, aren't I? Where was I? Oh, yeah, my card. Here you go:

I used Leah and the ice cream cone and just cropped her down to fit on my card. The cone has liquid applique as the ice cream (chocolate...yum....). The full sentiment is "Here's to Birthdays, hope we live to be 110 pounds!" Paper is American Crafts. Pearls and ribbon are from my stash. I cut the curlique with a spellbinders die. Don't ask me which one, because I don't keep the packaging. Well, okay, you can ask me, but I can't tell you because I have no earthly idea.

Challenge details:

You have until July 12th at 10 pm EST to enter a project using the "swirls and pearls" theme at Guylou's Inimitability. Easy peasy, right? You could win a gift card and a chance to be a designer on an upcoming challenge! And while you're at it, check out the work of my fellow DT members (links in my sidebar). They've got some great stuff to show you!

Kraftin' clean and simple style

Time for another challenge at Guylou's Inimitability! I swear, my fellow DT members take this "challenge" word entirely too seriously. They really, really end up challenging me every two weeks, I'm telling you! This time around, Kim decided to make us practice our CAS (clean and simple) styling again. Plus, she added the twist that we have to use kraft paper. Now, I'm okay with that part of it. I love kraft paper and I'm having fun learning how to color on it. However, CAS just isn't my thing. Frankly, I suck at it. I am always in awe of those crafters who have this style mastered, because it really is difficult. In fact, it's a misnomer. It's not simple at all!!! Ok, enough whining.

I needed a card for a dear friend who's going through some tough times. I saw this sentiment on a card somewhere and have been dying to use it. I figured this image was perfect for it. What do you think?

It's a little card, only about 4.5 x 4.5 or so. I didn't need a big card to write out a quick little note. I colored the paint with copics and added some glossy accents to make it shiny.

Now, please show me some examples of your kraft and CAS style, because I really need the inspiration!!! Upload your creation to Guylou's Inimitability by June 28th and you could win a gift card to her store. Pretty please - just do it! I really need the inspiration, people. Really.

Just a few layouts

I went to the crop at my aunt's house last Saturday. I couldn't seem to get in scrappy mode to pack for it, so I just tossed a bunch of stuff in my Creative Memories cart (love that thing!). I didn't get much crafty stuff done in the nine hours I was there: 3 layouts, started a fourth, and colored 3 images. However, I did laugh so hard I almost peed my pants, drank a few strawberry margaritas, had a yummy crabcake dinner, and visited with family. I played with my cousin's Cricut, apparently tried to break it, and then ran away like it wasn't me. Oh, wait. It wasn't me. It was my other cousin who cut so much the blade got dull and the sticky on the mat went kaput. Ha! For once, it was not my fault. Oh yeah, and in the midst of all of that, I got hit on twice: once while in traffic on the way to her house and once at the Petco on the way home. My aunt's response to that? "Well, you're an attractive young lady and the men in this county are perverts." Too funny! I think I liked being called young even more than being called attractive. Not so sure what I think about the idea that it's perverts hitting on me, but I'll ignore that part.

Here's what I finished:

This one is about the Steiff, Hermann and artist animals I brought home from my trip to Germany last year. Note the use of my tag that I made for Guylou's last challenge. I knew I'd fit that thing on something!

 The above is my brother-in-law's first Easter, and this one is the pictures taken when I finally met my online friend Sara in person. Not one picture turned out well, but I still treasure them because they represent our first official "meeting". Love that girl!

 And here's the scrapping girls from that Saturday. My cousins Kim and Tina, my Aunt Connie, and goofball me (also pictured below after I'd already downed my first yummy margarita!). Now if I could just find the time and mojo to scrap some more. I would love to make some cards for Operation Write Home, plus I've got birthdays coming up this summer that need cards. Instead, I'm headed to the movies with my mom, my brother, and two of his kids to see "Men in Black 3". Maybe the movie will inspire me to use some of my cute alien stamps....

TAG, you're it!

It's time for another challenge at Guylou's Inimitability. This one's easy peasy for most, but not so much for me. All you gotta do is make a tag. That's all. For some reason, this teeny, tiny task always gets blown out of proportion for me. I just have a hard time making them. This time, though, everything seemed to come together. I picked my image, found some fabric and fun embellishments, and broke out my new distress markers to color. They will definitely take some practice!!! I'm so used to copics, and these are a whole different animal altogether. Anyway, here's what I've got:

I used Nounours, printed him on watercolor paper, colored with distress markers, and added glossy accents to his nose and eyes. The tag was cut with a Magnolia doohickey die. Fabric is from my stash. The button ringed in brown is an antique one that I got in a lot in Gettysburg. For once, that's all I've got to say. I know, you are not used to short posts from me, are you? Now it's your turn. Go make a tag and post it to Guylou's Inimitability. Details are on the blog.

I'd like to enter this card in the Cutie Pie Challenge Blog to use punches or die cuts. The tag itself is a die from Magnolia. The key printed tissue paper behind the bear was punched with a Creative Memories square stamp-looking punch. I can't remember what it's called; I've had it for what seems like a gazillion years!