Whimsy DT application: Some call it "determined"...

...I call it like it really is: I'm stubborn. I rode a mule named Willow back in September, while visiting the Grand Canyon. They warned me that she was stubborn. I told them she'd met her match and away we went. Well, sometimes, like recognizes like. Willow and I got along fabulously.

I'm digressing again. This post is yet another attempt to make it as a guest DT member at Whimsy. One of these days, it will happen. Maybe not last month (okay, definitely not last month), maybe not this month, but at some point, maybe. Hopefully. I am stubborn, so they're not getting rid of me with one little no.

Not only is their customer service phenomenal, but I love the stamps and have quite a few already. They're so much fun to color and always inspire me to create. Who wouldn't want to design for a company that makes you feel that way? Plus, their DT does some pretty amazing work. So, even if I don't make the GDT spot, I'm still inspired. That's always a good thing.

On Sunday, I took a class on never-ending cards. Now I am hooked and have begun several that are only awaiting embellishments. That's the hard part for me, because the embellies need to stay kind of flat and I like those big, fat, dimensional kind. After staring at this card for a while, I finally remembered that I had a hole punch and a signo pen to make some tiny circles, plus some cool punches, tiny little Jolee's flowers, and even a flat sticker or two that came in the paper pack. Voila, here it is:

The front. Sentiment is from My Sentiments Exactly. That cute little kitten is from the Playful Kittens set at Whimsy.

Open it up to this view, where you can write a little note to the recipient.

Then this one, where you get another cute kitten.

And finally, this one. Yep, it's another cute kitty!

All kittens were colored with the C's, mainly C3, 1, and 0. Cheeks, paw prints, and ears are R20 and R000. Flowers, butterflies, and hearts are RVs. Papers are Echo Park "Happy Easter" collection.

 

This post is already picture heavy, so rather than adding more cards to show some variety, I'll just link back to my last DT application. Here you go!

 

Ok, now I'm anxiously awaiting an answer. Oh, I guess I didn't mention that I'm stubborn and impatient!!!

 

By the way, can I at least get some kudos because I finally managed to make a fancy fold card without messing it up?!? I am fancy fold challenged. 

 

Sometimes, you've only got time for a quickie.

And some titles make my friends minds go right into the gutter. You know who you are. Back on up out of that gutter now, darlings. Come along now.

It was 12:30 at night, my cousin was in the hospital following a particularly nasty surgery, and I needed a quick card to put in the mail first thing in the morning. Luckily for me, I'd had some time to color recently, so I had a few images ready to go. Mojo Monday's sketch 279 made the decision for me. I only had two images that went with the shape of the sketch, and I really, really liked this sketch and wanted to use it.

This is the card I put together. Notice that I finally used one of my non-Elisabeth Bell Whimsy images like I promised I'd do over a week ago. Better late than never!

This little cutie is from the Playful Kittens set at Whimsy stamps. My cousin loves cats, and I love her, so a cat with a heart is perfect. Papers are Crate Paper. Image border cut with a Spellbinders Nestie. I'm going to enter this card in the Whimsy Inspirations challenge to use fancy edges. Anyway, cardstock is Bazzill, buttons and twine are from my stash, and the little grommets are actually stickers from Rain Dots. And, of course, the image was colored with copics.

Please pray for my cousin's speedy recovery. And, as always, thanks for stopping by!

Sweet Valentine's Wishes

Here's another card with an image I colored while visiting family this weekend. I have loved Ching Chou Kiuk's images ever since I first saw them. I have quite a few, but tend to add more to my collection on a regular basis. I just can't help it; they are so pretty and ethereal. This was one of the easier ones to color, as it doesn't have as much background details as some others.

I based the design after Cardabilities sketch #68. The sketch calls for a rectangular card and I probably should have stuck with that shape instead of square. I feel like there's too much negative space on the sides, but it's a little late now! I was afraid to cut the background paper too much, because I was worried I'd end up covering up the butterfly.

I colored the image with copics, added glitter with a spica pen, liquid pearls in her hair, and chalked a sky background. Papers are Creative Imaginations. I used my spellbinders nesties to cut her into a circle and make the heart border. Since my husband's passing, I don't really have anyone for whom I make Valentine's cards, so I am hopeful that having all of the hearts around the image gives her a romantic enough feel to qualify for the challenge at Sweet Pea, as well.

As always, thanks for visiting!

A little sassy, A lot sweet

My friend Danni's birthday is coming up later this month. Danni is a bit of a sassy chick, with a wicked sense of humor and brutal honesty just when you need it, all wrapped up in sweetness. She's a wonderful friend to have who is always quick to help when needed and jump to my defense even when I'm too oblivious to recognize that I need a defender. I was visiting at my aunt's this weekend, where I got the chance to not only see my family but also to color some images while my aunt scrapbooked. I colored this adorable image with Danni in mind, illustrated by Krista Smith for Sugar Nellie as part of the "Simply Sassy" line. I've had this stamp for ages; it was about time I pulled her out again.

As usual, I used copics. Unfortunately, I didn't note down the colors. Sorry about that! I chose the colors based on Saturated Canary's color challenge here.

The sentiment is kind of hidden at this angle, but it says, "May all your dreams come true." Seemed pretty fitting for a birthday card, as well as this cutie sitting in her pillows. The cream colored flowers are Wild Orchid Crafts and the pink ones are from my stash. I think I got them at AC Moore in the wedding section. The big flower is actually a hair piece where I removed the bobby pin used to hold it. Papers are Bazzill (cardstock) and Neopolitan by Recollections (Michael's). Pearls are from Michael's, as well. The felt corner is Heidi Swapp and I think long since retired. I'm working through my stash of them.  I guess that's about it!

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:
Saturated Canary - color challenge
Sugar Bowl - anything goes with Sugar Nellie image
Oozak - anything goes with your fave color(s) - pink is my fave
Sunday Sketch and Stamp - sketch #141

Now to figure out the perfect gift to get for a friend who is both sassy and sweet!

FYI, it's my friend Tracy's birthday today (you can see her card a few posts below). Tracy has been with me through a lot of hard times and has always been supportive and compassionate. She makes me laugh, which is always a great quality to have in a friend. Please visit her blog and wish her a happy birthday.

Things are lookin' a little funny at Guylou's

It's time for another challenge at Guylou's Inimitability. I've got to admit that it was a hard one for me, but I lucked out. Once I figured out how I wanted to incorporate the orange, it all came together. Oh, wait. You actually want to hear what the challenge IS, don't you? Well, it's Chana's turn to play hostess and she has decided that we need to be a little off color. I don't think she means overtly inappropriate jokes, although the challenge does call for a funny sentiment, so who knows? I'm scared to ask. LOL. In addition to a funny sentiment, your card should be blue, grey, and orange. That was the hard part for me. I have never used this color combo before. It took me a little time to figure out what I wanted to do. Like I said, though, once the idea finally came to me, this card just came together.

Luckily for me, I had a paper pad with lots of blue and grey. Papers are My Mind's Eye Lost and Found Portabello Road. I added some pearls from my stash and used a punch for the photo corner. Sentiment is one I found online and just typed into Word and printed out. I figure it will make a fun "congrats on your wedding" card or even anniversary card.

The image was colored with copics. Blues on the jeans and folded clothes are B95, 93, 91. Orange is YG65, 61, 000. Greys are C3 and C1. I drew in a little hardwood floor, too. My original intention was to make this card pretty embellie-happy. However, it doesn't feel like it needs it to me. I've been asked several times how I know when to stop with the tossing of embellishments at a card and I can never answer, except to say "I just stop when it looks right." I decided this card looked right as-is, so here you go!

 

Please consider joining us for Chana's off color challenge. The challenge ends on February 14th, so you've got some time. You could win the chance to be a guest designer on a future challenge, as well as a gift card to the store. What are you waiting for?

Whimsy DT Application for March

So, as you can see, I decided to keep this title free of puns or otherwise potentially confusing wording. For once, my title is very cut-and-dried, can't-miss-what-I-mean. I didn't want anyone on the Whimsy Team to miss it. :)

If you can't guess from the straightforward title (I know, it's confusing because I'm just not usually so...well...dry with my titles, unless we're discussing dry humor), I am applying to be on the Whimsy DT as a guest designer for March.

I've been a fan of Whimsy Stamps for a while. I love the fact that you can find so many things there, from beautiful digi papers, to adorable and fun stamps in both rubber and digi to shaped sentiments with special dies just to cut them out. How cool is that, and so super easy, too? They even have personalized stamps, as I know because I just got one. LOVE! I used it for the first time on the back of my card below. I think it was appropriate to break it in with a Whimsy image, don't you?

So, this is my brand spankin' new card that I just made tonight, with this DT call and my friend Barb in mind. This sweet girl is from Elisabeth Bell's Cottage Cuties collection and her name is SkippyDee. We can't forget her furry little friend, too. That's Bella. I'm a cat person, so I love when Elisabeth puts Bella with her images.

The design is based on sketch #54 at CLP Challenge Blog. Papers are Prima Songbird that I distressed and inked. Embellishments from my stash. I colored SkippyDee and Bella with copics. Here goes with the colors (I tend to use a lot, so this could take a while):

Skin: E11, E00, E000 and R20 for the cheeks

Hair: E25, E31, E50

Hat: E40, E41, E42

Scarf: R20, R21, R22 and a green spica pen for the polka dots

Shirt: G20, G21, G24 (it's a lot more muted than it looks like in this pic)

Pants: E41, E42, E44

Bella: Y28 (bell), C1, C3, C5

Log: E23, E57, E59

 

I think it would be so much fun to participate as a guest DT for the March new release. Not only because I'd get to work alongside some amazing artists (truth, not brown-nosing, just so you know), but let's be honest - I'd get a huge kick out of being one of the first to see the new products. Don't fib; you know you'd want to have that honor, too. Plus, their products always inspire me to create. I wasn't much good at work today; I kept picturing cards to make in my head. Good thing it was a slow Friday.

 

Just in case my new card doesn't showcase enough of my crafting style for the DT to make a decision, here are two of my older creations:



I recently purchased some Sylvia Zet stamps, too, and hope to create with those later this weekend, so keep your eyes peeled!

Pssssstttt....Whimsy Team, March is my birthday month. Don't you think it'd be a great gift to let me design for your team? Not that there's any pressure or guilt tripping going on or anything. Really.

My first card is also for the following challenges:
CLP: sketch 54
Elphine House: vintage
Elisabeth Bell's World: vintage Valentine

Deja Vu all over again

In the last few months, I was in Toys-R-Us way too many times to count, purchasing gifts for various children. I was taken by surprise with all of the toys that have been re-released from my childhood, like the Smurfs, Holly Hobbie, and Strawberry Shortcake. It was strange to see my old friends again, but fun at the same time. It sure brought back lots of memories, like the ones of playing records on my big record player. You know the kind that was in a suitcase sort of configuration, with a handle for carrying? My parents covered mine with Holly Hobbie paper for me. Yeah, I was spoiled like that. I also had tons of dolls representing all manner of shows like the Smurfs and Strawberry Shortcake. My dear friend Sara's twins love Strawberry Shortcake and have a movie called "Strawberry Shortcake: Adventures on Ice Cream Island." I decided to use this movie as my inspiration for a card to enter in Saturated Canary's challenge #34: Movie Inspiration.

I have several of Krista's images. They are so cute and fun. I chose to use free hugs, simply because I needed a birthday card for my wonderful friend Tracy, and she will laugh because she knows how I am about hugs. As mentioned in a prior post, I'm a grab 'em and go girl. If you get an extended (or better yet - unsolicited AND extended) hug from me, you'd better recognize that you are damned special. Tracy will get lots of them if I ever get my butt down to Texas to see her!

I used a lot of orange because it's a favorite color of Tracy's. To bring in the ice cream inspiration, I added ice cream patterned paper, sherbet colors, and a little ice cream sundae button. This darling image was colored in copics, with some glossy accents added to her eyes and lips for shine. Paper is Recollections "Neopolitan" collection. Tag is a die from Magnolia. The tulle was actually a gift from Tracy at one point in time, so I figured it'd be appropriate to use on her card. Plus, the glitter adds a festive touch, don't you think?

Happy birthday to my friend Tracy! Love you, girl!

P.S. Many, many thanks to Sara for having me at her house once again, and providing her valuable input and advice regarding coloring. It's so much fun to color with someone else and bounce ideas off of them, especially when that person is Sara!

Supporting our Soldiers

I joined Soldier's Angels a while ago, because I believe that supporting the men and women who sacrifice for us every day is a wonderful cause and something we should all do. It really helps boost the morale of our troops when they are reminded that those of us back home are thinking of them, thankful for all that they do, and will always wish for their continued safety.

I am on my third "adopted" soldier. That's nothing compared to my soldier's "third": Paul is on his third deployment in the last six years. I've been sending him care packages but he only recently revealed that his birthday was back in December. I decided to make him a card and send him an extra-big care package this month. I've been wanting to try a tutorial by Sandy Allnock of Operation Write Home (another awesome cause to help support our troops). She has a great video on her blog showing how to color camo. You can check it out here. It was a lot easier than I expected, although I definitely need practice.

The image is "soldier Ian" by the Greeting Farm. Isn't he precious? He's colored with copics. For exact colors, watch Sandy's video. My memory for that stuff sucks! I did deviate from her tutorial on the skin colors, though. His skin is not as well shaded as I'd like, because my skin tone E's are getting dry and I don't have refills for two of them. Time to place another order with Oozak! The buttons are ones that I was gifted at a recent crop. Papers are the Paper Studio from Hobby Lobby.

Thanks for looking, leaving any comments, and hopefully, for taking a minute to do something for our amazing military. Links in my sidebar to both Soldier's Angels and Operation Write Home (hint, hint, shove, shove).

Shoot. I almost forgot. The card is based on this week's sketch at Mojo Monday. It's sketch 276. It is also for the Farm Fresh Friday challenge to Punch It! I used two spellbinders dies around the image, then a corner punch for the little photo corners.

There's no place like gnome!!

(Sorry for the lateness of this post. I had issues with blogger today).

It's time for another challenge at Guylou's! G has challenged us to add spots/dots to our projects this time around. That's an easy one, since I love polka dots. The hard part was picking the paper to use, because I've got lots of polka dotted paper. I let the image inspire me, which helped. I have a love of cutesy gnomes. Not so much that I actually have any of the little guys at my house, but enough that every little gnome embellishment comes home with me and I smile at every gnome-laden card I see on blogs and in online galleries. For some reason, G's new image of this little house just reminded me of a gnome's cottage. I decided to paper piece the heck out of it to make it even more gnome-friendly. Check it out:

As previously stated (that sounds so pompous, doesn't it? But once again, I digress...), I paper pieced the house. I popped up the windows and door for dimension, added flower soft on the windowsills, and used some stickers from Barnes and Noble. I have entirely too many stickers left in my stash, and just when I thought I had weeded them all out, too! Anyway, the sentiment is from Stampin' Up. The doily came in a pack of 500 that I got on ebay. Okay, it was probably closer to 100, but the stack was so high it looked more like 500. I always sucked at those "how many gumballs are in the jar" games.

Now it's your turn to play with some spots. Enter your project at Guylou's for the chance to win a gift card to her store and be a guest designer on a future challenge. You can also head by the store to pick up this cute little house as a freebie! How cool is that? Go on. Get over there. Go! Go! Go! (Yeah, I know I'm bossy. And when I forget, my baby brother reminds me).

Saying goodbye

Tomorrow is the viewing for one of my firehouse buddies from way back. He passed away on Thursday. I've known John for about 20 years or so. He was a chief at my fire department for a while and just an all around good guy. He had a Harley and used to bug Rick and I to take some motorcycle trips with him and his wife, Barb. He never really thought about the fact that Rick's motorcycle was not a comfortable one and gave me a sore butt after just an hour riding on it; he just wanted to hang with his friends. I went to high school with John and Barb's daughter, Tori. Their son Jes rode his first ambulance call with me. Although we might not have seen each other as often as we'd have liked, our lives were intertwined in so many ways. When Rick passed away, John and his family were there for me. Now, it's my turn to be there for John's family, as much as the reason pains me.

With them in mind, I set about making some sympathy cards. I have a wonderful set from Verve Stamps with some beautiful sympathy and loss sentiments and I put it to use, along with some scraps and embellishments from my stash.

Here is my favorite of the three, which is the card I made for his wife.

The background stamp is from Our Daily Bread. They have a whole line of stamps that are shaped perfectly to go with Spellbinders Nestabilities. This card is based after a sketch by Amarylis on scrapbook.com.

I made this card for his daughter and her family. The large flower is from the Dollar Store but the small ones are Wild Orchid Crafts. The butterflies and corners are done with punches. The ribbon is from Hobby Lobby.

 And finally, the card for his son and his son's family. I wanted to lean a bit more to the masculine side with this one. As you can see, I used various Spellbinders dies for all three cards. I love my Nesties! Thank you for stopping by today, and I hope my next post isn't nearly so depressing.

 

Rest in Peace, John. You will be missed more than you could ever know.