House Mouse in the Spring

I hate that I'm getting to my HM challenge card so late, but it's not TOO late, so here is my card for this week. This week's challenge was to do a spring card. I recently acquired this stamp, and this sure says SPRING to me. I actually got out in my own garden this week and began "digging into Spring", so this sentiment seemed quite appropriate. The Striped DP is from DCWV Nanna's Nursery that I picked up at Michael's, and it has some great papers in it. The other purple piece is SU's "Flowers for You" cut out with SU's Sizzix Top Note die cut. I colored it with my Copics and I'm trying to train myself to stamp a second image and indicate what colors I used on various parts of the image. (I'm a very visual person it seems.) Thanks for stopping by. The DT has some adorable "Spring" cards on the HM site so be sure to check them out.

Smell the Coffee

I saw this image some time ago on Sharon Johnson's blog (No Time to Stamp) and I really liked it. I ordered it from Impression Obsession - it's called "Take Time to Smell the Coffee." I colored it with Copics when I got it but then it sat in that state until this week when I finished the actual card. I love the images in this set. I used DP from Urban Prairie and used Barely Banana CS with it. The black lace border was punched with my MS punch. The sentiment was stamped in Pacific Point and punched with my 1" circle punch. I have a good friend who I exchange birthday cards with, and we always express that we wish we could grab a cup of coffee together (which we can't do since she lives a lonnnnng way away.) Hope you like it. I've actually been doing cards but I'm planning on submitting them to the KLSNS Guest Designer challenge which expires at the end of April (for May posting,) so I can't post them until I've either been picked for that spot, or not picked, in which case I can still post them to my blog at that time. I've had fun doing them and I'd love to share them with you, either as their Guest Designer (I would LOVE that) or just as little ol' me. Thanks for coming by. Have a wonderful Sunday. I'm close to the deadline on my HM card but hope to do it tomorrow.

Embossing Folder Challenge

This card is for the KLSNS Challenge over on PCP. It's also going to be for my granddaughter's birthday. I was finally cleaning up all my scraps the other night (a whole box load, but I got them organized and put away) and I had several scraps of embossed papers. I also had an extra colored Tilda. Amazingly, Tilda matched some of the scraps, so I went with it. Then, on Monday Leslie Miller, who I always get inspired by, had two adorable cards and used the technique that I applied to my HB layer and the "circle" layer. You can click on the link above to read about this technique. Then Kristine posted a very similar idea, although she seems to have done hers in a different order. I love the idea and want to play with it more as it presents a few challenges that I hope to iron out. At any rate, I like how it turned out and would encourage you to play along with the challenge. I believe it goes through the end of the month and there is a prize from KLSNS. Thanks for looking and have a wonderful April day.

HM Multiples Challenge

This week's challenge at House Mouse was "Multiples". That meant multiple images of the same image or a combination of different stamps entirely. The DT did some amazing cards and employed clever ideas. I combined two different stamps and it made my card an unusual size. It actually fit perfectly on top of a box I ordered awhile ago from PTI so I pondered using it that way and decorating the box. But alas, being the "have to be practical" person that I tend to be, I wasn't sure what to put in the box. I'm sure I would have thought of something but probably not in time to post to the challenge. I mean I'm already close to the deadline now, right?! So, I made it a card for now. I used "Berry Please" and "Eating Blueberries" in a combo and it made me think of a mother's love which of course turned it into a Mother's Day card. Beyond a mother's love it makes me think of God's love and how He takes care of us so faithfully, even in the little things. I colored the images with my Copics and the sentiments are computer generated. Be sure to check out the cards the DT did - they really are clever. Thanks so much for stopping by. Your comments are always appreciated and such an encouragement to me. Hugs and have a blessed Sunday.

Copic Creations Challenge #2

Woohoo! It's time for our 2nd Copic Creations Challenge. Thank you to all of you who joined us for the first challenge. I hope you'll stay with us and together we can learn better use of our Copics and enjoy the creations of so many talented people. The theme this time is "Jeans", and we are happy to have "Our Daily Bread Design" as our sponsor. Be sure to head on over to the challenge blog to see what you're elegible to receive if your entry is chosen. Also, be sure to take a look at the great entries from our DT. My card is sporting a look that I may make use of more and more. Any guesses? I used my Sarah Kay image and had fun coloring her and her little kitty. The corner designs are stickers from my good friend Nancy (Windstar Creations) and the flowers on top of those are my own doing. I really had fun doing this card. I'm looking forward to seeing all the entries for this challenge. Thanks so much for stopping by and happy Wednesday.

Another Easter Tilda

I love this Tilda image that I ordered from KL Stampin' and Scrappin' Store, and she's perched upon a tree stump that my sweet friend Nancy stamped and sent me along with several Whiff of Joy images. I colored the stump with my Copics and liked how it turned out. I'm sorry the numbers on the markers don't show up too well. The sentiment is from Flourishes Easter set from last year. The final card is one I copied from Leslie Miller's post on Saturday. She did some quick and gorgeous "egg" cards and I just had to try it. If I weren't going to be out of town this week (yes, again) I would make a bunch more of these, but alas, these cards will be it for this year's Easter cards. Thanks so much for stopping by and have a wonderful week and Easter.

Easter Tilda

Tilda and her little bunny want to wish you all a Happy Easter. I love this image, and I colored it two different ways. I'm not sure which I like better, but since they're going out as Easter cards, I just hope the recipients like them. I colored them with my Copics and used my "Textile" embossing folder for the Baja Breeze background. The little chicks are from Flourishes' "Signs of Spring". The butterfly on the yellow version is from my MS punch. I have another Tilda to post but I'll save it for another day. Hope you like them. Thanks for stopping by and Happy Monday.

Red, White & Black Color Challenge

This week's challenge for Magnolia vs. Stampavie was a color challenge using red, black and white, plus grey is allowed. I colored my Sarah Kay image in those colors and used my new Jenni Bowlin 4 x 4 papers from /Flourishes, plus red photo corners. I pondered further embellishments, like black half-pearls which you know I always love to use, but I decided that I didn't want to take away from the main image, so I left it as is. The card itself, Whisper White CS from SU, measures 5 x 5. Thanks for looking and have a wonderful rest of the week-end.

HM Bags and Boxes Challenge

The HM challenge for this week, as you can tell by the title, is Bags and Boxes. I decided to make a box. I used SU's Sweet Slumber DP and I used my Nestie to cut an opening in the top and attached clear cellophane to the inside. The sides are 2" deep, so I should be able to pack several Easter goodies inside. The image I used is called Basket of Friendship, and I colored my eggs with my Spica pens. You can't tell from the picture, but they're glittery and very pretty. The rest was colored with my Copic markers. Thanks for looking. The DT did some adorable projects, so be sure to check them out when you can. Yay, it's Friday!

OCC Color Challenge

I made this for the OCC Color challenge, which called for using Not Quite Navy, More Mustard and Bashful Blue. Interesting color combo, but be sure to take a look and the cards the DT did, because they're actually very striking. I stamped my gardening lady (from Alota Rubber Stamps) and the "Dig into Spring" sentiment (from Flourishes' Siberian Iris) with Not Quite Navy on More Mustard. I used the branches from SU's Thoughts and Prayers on the More Mustard paper for background. The Bashful Blue cardstock was embossed with my Argyle embossing folder. I used my MS lace punch for the More Mustard layer and I used Bashful Blue and Not Quite Navy for the flowers with a More Mustard brad. All of it is layered onto Not Quite Navy CS and I added a thin strip of NQN at the bottom of the Bashful Blue. Pretty simple, but I like how it turned out. Thanks for stopping by. I'll be out of pocket next week so I'm trying to participate in what I can this week. After that I should be able to stay put for awhile. Happy Thursday.

Welcome to Copic Challenge #1

Welcome to the first Copic Challenge, and the theme for our first challenge is "Faces." The image I chose is from Crafty Secrets' "Baby Girl" set. The colors I most often use for faces are E00 (Skin White) and E02 (Fruit Pink). I went back over parts of the face and neck on the mother with my Blender pen to lighten her skin just a tad. I used R14 (Light Rouge) just very lightly on their lips to add a wee bit of color, and I darkened their eyes and eye area with my Black Multi-liner pen, 0.1. The rest of the colors I used can be seen in the photograph of the markers. My DP's are from Basic Grey's "Euphoria" and the CS behind the image is Lovely Lilac from SU! I used my Kaiser Lavender half-pearls and a dotted swiss ribbon and Prima flower accent. I hope you can join us in the challenge and be sure to check out the beautiful creations by the rest of our Design Team. Our challenge is being sponsored by 7 Kids College Fund and they are offering a fabulous prize, so be sure to head over to the Copic Challenges blog and check it out. I'm looking forward to seeing many fabulous entries. Thanks so much for stopping by. Happy April and Happy Coloring.