My Favorite 5 from 2010...

Hello, I'm playing along with Debby, of A Scrapjourney and showing my favorite cards from 2010. And just as she was unable to get it down to five, I couldn't decide either, so I cut it off at six, also (I almost did seven, but I didn't want to be too far off the mark).

This was the anniversary card I made for my DH. He still has it displayed on the mantle even though our anniversary was in October, so I know he really likes it, which of course makes my heart warm.

This little girl from LOTV, is one of my favorites. It's also one of the first that I dressed up as much as I've ever done before. The colors were more red than they show on this card, as red is one of my favorite colors.

This card I did for my niece's wedding just last month. I've had this image for some time, but just had no occasions to use it. I was apparently in my "blue" spell when I did this one, because so many of my cards done around this time period were done in some shade of blue. This was an easel card also, which I really enjoy doing.

I did this card because I have always thought he was so cute. (You might have picked up on the fact that I really like images from LOTV; and you would be correct, in fact I have my eye on a couple more that I really, really need {want}. LOL!)

I chose this one, because it's the first one that I've done using the cameo style. It was so easy to accomplish on my Cricut, and I had wonderful papers to set it off. I enjoy coming up with different cards.

And last, but not really least this is another of my favorites that I only used Cricut cuts to make the card. I did do some coloring with my Prismacolors on certain elements of the card, I just liked how it turned out. It was for my DD and her husband for their anniversary this year, and I knew they would really enjoy it since a few years ago they actually did get to visit Paris and parts of Spain.

Now why not hop on over to Debby's and see what you need to do to win some candy. I hope you enjoyed looking at my favorites, also. I hope that everyone has a safe year.

Hugs,

dj

TCC Feature Friday - Pax the Penguin

Doesn't he have an adorable smile? He looks like he would really like to cheer you up. I think he's one of the cutest images over at The Caracter Cafe's Store. You ought to stop over there as most of the images are $1 for now.
Then you could stop by and see what the rest of the DT came up with this week. These wonderful ladies offer much inspiration for all of us. And the designers Kendra & Kelly are awesome artists. Fink is great as a manager, and so much fun. It's been fun working with them all.

This little guy's name is Pax the penguin. I used a product that is new to me called "Snow Writer" by DecoArt, which I ordered online from Joann's and used it on the raised areas on the ice. The snowflakes are ones I bought at HL a few weeks ago, they have so much glitter on them, I have it all over my table and me. (You didn't know I sparkled, did you? LOL.) The buttons were also purchased from Joann's, and they were called Bag 'O Buttons. I used one of my new around-the-page punches from MS. (I was so excited that I had 60% coupons from A.C. Moore that my husband and I used; that way I could justify getting two at once; he even agreed with me - He's soooo sweet!) The sentiment is from "The Doodle Pantry".

I actually found quite a few challenges to join this week; it wasn't easy without the aid of "Feline Playful", but many are using anything goes, since it's the end of the year and everyone is so busy. Here are the ones I'm entering:

Mark's Finest Papers - mustard, blue and green
Stamp Fairy Challenge - anything
Dancing In Pajamas - sketch
There She Goes Again Clear Stamps - buttons
Papertake Weekly - anything
Tuesday Morning Sketches - embellishments
The Crafty Pad - anything
All That Scraps - song (The Penguin Song - from Happy Feet)
Digi Doodle Shop's Best - anything
Dutch Dare Card Challenges - winter
Crafty Ann's Challenge Blog - anything
Sugar Sweet Paper Treats - anything
Studio 313 Challenge - bling
Alota Rubber Stamps - bling
Allsorts Challenge - anything
Ladybug Crafts Ink TLT Challenge - song title - (The Penguin Song)
Crafty Sentiments - anything
Crafts and Me Challenges - anything
Craft Your Days Away - punch
Wags 'n Whiskers Rubber Stamps - snowflakes
Totally Gorjus - for someone special (a friend who is under the weather)
One Stitch at a Time Challenge - anything
The Pink Elephant Challenge - winter
Bunny Zoe's Crafts - sparkle & shine
Gingerloft Challenge - polar animals

Whew, now I can rest my hands. (Of course, it's going to be just as timely when I link to the blogs.) It sure would be nice to win at least one challenge. But, if not, it's been fun. Hope you will leave me a comment.

She thinks my tractor's sexy...

I guess that got the attention of some of you, LOL! It is the only thing I could think of for the "inspired by a song" challenge I'm entering this week.




I made this for a friend that has had a rough year, healthwise. He had part of a lung removed last week, a few months before that he had back surgery, and before that he had cancer. And if he's not been sick, his sweet wife has had some kind of surgery. She suffers with Chrones Disease, as well as, other issues. He has always wanted a Farmall Cub tractor. This isn't a cub, but it's the closest I could get. I gave his wife one of the cards I did earlier in the year, since she's the care-giver at this time. (I know that the care-giver does much and doesn't always take care of themselves.)

I colored the image with my Prismacolor pencils and Gamsol. Unfortunately I can't remember who made the image. (Once I find it, I will post the name.) The papers are from my stash. I used black raffia lace, and printed a calendar template that I downloaded off the internet.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Sentimental Sundays - inspired by a song

Wood Ware USA - sketch

The Crafty Pad - anything

AI Factory Challenges - anything

Crafty Ann's Challenge - anything

Allsorts Challenge - anything

Crafty Sentiments - anything

CES Challenges - anything

One Stitch At A Time - anything

Thank you for stopping by this year and leaving the wonderful and encouraging comments.

Hugs,

dj1952

TCC Feature Friday - Dazzling December

This is my card for this week's Feature Friday. This is one of the newest images called sledding. This month the challenges are calling for "Dazzling" details. This week calls for foil, or some type of reflective material. I actually did use foil. I took two sheets of heavy foil and ran both together through my cuttlebug. I find that this keeps the foil from tearing. I really like this new folder by Provocraft, and I thought it would go well on a card for a guy.

This is a very simple card; in fact the embossed papers, the snowflake paper using the MS punch, Cherish, and a couple sheets of plain cardstock is all that's been used. I colored this with my Prismacolours and then use "Star Dust" stickles on the snow.

I'm entering this in the following challenges:

Bee Crafty - winter

Catch The Bug Blog - winter with glitter

CES Challenges - anything but Christmas

Totally Gorjuss - snow

Stamptacular Sunday Challenge - winter

Corrosive Challenges - sketch

Woodware USA Clear Stamps - winter

Creative Card Crew - anything

Crafty Sentiments - anything

Moving Along With Times - snow

Stamping With the Dragon - sparkle

AI Factory Challenges - anything

Dutch Dare Card Challenges - winter

Wags 'n Whiskers Stamps - snowflakes

One Stitch At A Time - anything

Bunny Zoe's Crafts Challenge - sparkle & shine

Simon Says Stamp Challenge - blue, silver and white

The Pink Elephant Challenge - winter wonderland

Stampin Royalty - bling

Thanks for taking time to stop by. I hope you will leave a comment.

Hugs,

A rainy day...

I made this card for a friend who went through a rough patch last week. I wanted her to know that we care about how she feels, and that with time, things do get easier to handle.

Close up of little girl. Close up of ribbon and purse.

Close up of sentiment and flowers.

I made up the sentiment, and on the inside it says: "The sun will shine again any day now." I did paper piecing with the top of the umbrella and her raincoat. I'm not sure where I got all of my embellishments; this is the first time I've put a metal embellishment on a card. I used stickles on the puddle of water and the rain drops. The papers are all by K&Co.

This is one of the stamps by Crafter's Companion. I thought she was so precious. They also come with their own sentiment, but it was a little too large for this card. I used Promarkers to color the image.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Cute Card Thursday - flowers

Paper Romance Challenges - metal

Create With Connie & Mary - colors razzleberry, olive, navy and river rock

Totally Paper Crafts - paper piecing

Sew Many Challenges - flowers

Delicious Doodles Challenge - recipe - 1 image, 2 DP, 3 embellishments

Friday Sketchers Blog - sketch

Mark's Finest Papers - paper piecing

Sweet Stampin - recipe - 1 image, 3 DP, 2 embellishments

Creative Card Crew - anything

Stamps R Us - anything

One Stitch at a Time - anything

Hope you have a great week and thank you for any comments you might leave.

Hugs,

Thank you notes

Since I got home from the hospital last month, I have had several friends bring dinners, etc. over for me and my husband. I usually send out the larger cards I make, but I thought I would actually make some smaller ones to have on hand. I thought I was doing something that would be fairly easy and not take much time, but boy was I wrong.

The bird in the tree was cut from Cindy Loo, as was the background and the sentiment for it. I used two different color combinations; one with green, orange and brown and one with pink, orange and brown. The ones with the green, are my favorite, because the striped paper below the green gradiate, whereas the one on the pink card is the same on each one. I used a MS punch and the embossing folder was by Cuttlebug.

Even though they took a while to make, I now have it on my DS, so I can cut more as I need them. I hope you enjoyed stopping by and that you will leave me a comment.

I'm entering these cards in the following challenges:

Delightful Challenges - embossing

CES Challenges - anything but a Christmas card

The Crafty Pad - anything

Craft Your Days Away - punches

Creative Card Crew - anything

One Stitch at a Time - anything

Hugs,

Feature Friday at TCC

Hello, and thanks for stopping by to see what's new this week from me at TCC. This image is called: "Snow Friendly". It looks like the little girl is having fun playing around the snowman to me. What do you think? It even looks like he's having a good time. lol

This month at TCC the theme is "Dazzle". This week, the specific dazzle is "Glitter". You might not realize it, but I do have glitter on my card. It's on the snowman's and the little girl's hats. I used my Promarkers to color the image. I'm working on using them more often so I can get better with them (even though I tend to want to drift towards my Prismacolor pencils). I do need to get a few more colors, though. I would recommend them to anyone that wants alcohol markers; especially for the price.

This is another card that doesn't have too many details to it, but I still like the way it turned out. The "ribbon" is some I found at Bunny Zoe's Store. The gems are recollections, and I guess you can tell that I cut the image and the sentiment (that I typed) with my nestibilities. I don't have but one size of each of these sets (the next cut up is 1/4", if there is one), so I used a tip that my friend Dorcas suggested in June, as to "How to Get More Out of Your Nestibilities". The scalloped circle around the snowman was the largest I had. So I cut out around it on my "mat" cardstock. I did the same with the sentiment, even though I did have the next largest frame, I like the "1/8" cut better than the "1/4". Dorcas suggests cutting it free-handed, but my hands aren't that steady anymore, so I traced around the "outside" of the nestibility and then cut it out.

I'm entering this in the following challenges:

Mojo Monday - sketch

One Stitch At A Time - old stash - paper; new stash - ribbon

The Crafty Pad - anything

Polly Craft Challenge - pink, blue & brown

Craft Your Passion Challenges - anything

There She Goes Clear Stamps - bling

Digital Tuesday - cold outside

Top Tip Tuesday - ribbon

Daring Cardmakers - snow

Thanks again, now stop over to The Character Cafe and see what the other group had done this week.

Hugs,

A Mother's Love

Isn't this a beautiful scene? I've had it for some time now, but have just not done anything with it. I saw it on someone else's card this week, and I knew it was time for me to get mine done also. I purchased this gorgeous image at Prairie Fairy Designs.

The card is really fairly simple. I used nestibilitie to cut around the polar bears and then the matting. I colored the bears with Promarkers. (I threw a couple away before I could get it quite right - lol. It's still a little difficult for me to get the blending quite right on light colors where I don't have a harsh line that you can see where you stopped.) The paper is from my stash as are the snowflakes on the corners. The ribbon is topped by some dimentional fibers. I pop-dotted the bears off a second one, that I used stickles on for the glitter and shine. Thanks for looking.

I'm entering this in the following challenges:

Papertake Weekly - sketch

Craft Your Passion Challenges - monochromatic

Craft Your Days Away - texture (on the snowflakes and with the fiber and stickles

Scrap-Creations - anything

A Crafty Little Place - anything

Top Tip Tuesday - anything

Digi Doodle Shop's Best - snow

Cute Card Thursday - blue

Paper Romance Challenges - winter

Sew Many Challenges - snowflakes

Catch The Bug Blog - anything

I hope you will take the time to stop by and leave a comment.

Hugs,

dj

TCC December New Releases

Can you believe that another month has come and gone and that this is the last blog hop for 2010 at The Store? If you've come here from TCC Store, then you are on the right track. Our theme this month is "dazzle". Now all you have to do is make a comment on my blog and then make your way through all of the lovely DT members' blogs, also making a comment for the opportunity to win the image they've used and the grand prize of two TCC digital images and a gift certificate for $5.00. Now you need to hop on over to the talented Joyce and leave some love.

My image is called "Moonrocket". Isn't it neat for a boy who loves rockets, and all things space? I didn't want to make a standard card for this little image, so I did my first ever doorhanger. I had some designer paper by Recollections that I'd bought several months ago that I knew would go perfectly with this image, it's called "Rockets and Sprockets - blast off". I colored the image with similar colors, using my Prismacolors pencils. The sentiment I made up myself, but if you purchase the image, it comes with a cute one of its own. The buttons are from the dollar bins at Michaels and all of the "dazzle" is made with various colors of stickles.

Here's a close up of the image, itself. I'm sure you'll love winning this digi. Just be sure to leave me a comment by Thursday, December 9th, and I will post the winner for it on Friday, December 10th. Best wishes to all our followers and guests, and thanks for making this such a fun year.

I'm entering this in the following challenges:

A Crafty Little Place - anything

Top Tip Tuesday - anything

The Corrosive Challenges - things that move.

The Crazy Challenge - on the go

Thanks for stopping by and leaving some love.

Hugs,

dj

First Card for Blackberry Lane Designs

My colors aren't showing completely true, but you get the idea of what I was going for. This image is by a fantastic artist, Deborah Boyet, over at Blackberry Lane Designs. While she is just getting her blog up and running she is by no means a stranger to art. She has been painting for several years, and her artwork is awesome. If you check out her blog, you can see what I mean.

I really enjoyed this still life of the camelias. I didn't want to do the traditional pink or red one, and here in North Carolina we have some that look like this. They are so gorgeous. Now I won't say that I did justice to them, but I enjoyed coloring them with my prismacolors and gamsol. I had already picked out the dps because I thought they would go so well together. All of the embellishments are from my stash.

I'm entering this in the following challenges:

Crazy 4 Challenges - script paper (there is very small writing on the tan paper

Paper Sundaes - decorate corners

Sentimental Sundays - sentiment and recipe

Craft Your Passion Challenge - monochromatic (I hope this qualifies since all of the papers have the blue in it,

Woodware USA Clear Stamps - anything

A Spoon Full of Sugar Challenge - recipe

Scrap Creations - anything

Tuesday Throwdown - anything

I Did It - surprise me

Top Tip Tuesday - anything

Creative Belli Blog - embellishments with an "R"

Thanks for looking. I hope you will leave me some comments.

Hugs,

dj

Here Comes the Bride...

Hello; my one and only niece was married this last weekend. So I wanted to do a special card for her and her new husband. I've been agonizing over what to do for weeks now. I actually colored two LOTV images as possibilities, but I kept coming back to this one. I colored this with my prismacolors and then used stickles on the veil and dress. The colors for the wedding were light blue and black. I thought an easel card would be something that they could enjoy for some time. Of course, as you can see, I am late getting it to them. Here's a little closer look at the front of the card. And this is a closeup of the LOTV image. I really enjoyed coloring it. And I even gave the horse a star and spots. I know she didn't have pink or red roses, but I had to take a little liberty, since I didn't want the whole thing white.

The papers and buttons came from my stash. I used my nestibilities to make the ovals. The baby bows , as well as the ribbon are some I got online; the white roses are by Recollections; which I also used stickles on. The sentiments and their labels are from the cd "Love and Cherish" by Polka Doodles. (I've put their names on the back of the card, too, using this cd.) The border punch is by MS.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Stamps R Us Challenges - sparkles and scallops

A Spoon Full of Sugar Challenge - anything

Papertake Weekly - punched out items

Inktegrity Design Team - anything

Fab 'n Funky Challenges - anything

Stampavie and More - hearts

Lili of the Valley - sketch and lotv image

Cute Card Thursday - blast from the past #99 - in the name of love

Moving Along With the Times - more than one fold

Delightful Challenges - flower power

Meljen's Design Team - buttons & bows

Thanks for looking, and I hope you will leave me a comment.

Hugs,

dj1952

Feature Friday - TCC - thank you

Hello everyone. It's so hard to believe that it's almost December. Where has the year gone? I remember when everyone was so worried about what the year 2000 would bring, and now here we are almost in 2011. Well, enough about trivial things, let's get on to the reason you stopped by. LOL!


This is my card for the coming week's challenge at TCC. Fuzz is not a new release, in fact he's a freebie. We all love freebies, don't we? So why don't you hop on over to TCC's Shop, and pick him up, while shopping for other great images?

This is one of the many "thank you" cards I'll be doing to thank all of my wonderful friends who have been and are providing meals, etc., for me and my dh, since I've gotten home from the hospital. (My dh would also have been helping, but he threw his back out, as well as, caught some kind of bug while staying with me in the hospital.) So we're both down.

While this is a fairly simple card, some of the elements are not things that I would have normally used on the card, if it were'nt for some of the challenges I'm entering. Which are as follows:

CES Challenge Blog - lace (raffia lace)

Crazy 4 Challenges - circles

Mark's Finest Papers - circles

CPS - Card Sketches - sketch

Sentimental Sundays - sentiment - thanks

The Crazy Challenge - staples

Stamps R Us - sparkles & scallops

There She Goes Clear Stamps - colors - cherry cobbler, crumb cake and white - (yum!)

Papertake Weekly Challenge - punched shapes or dies cuts

Priscillastyles - sketch

Well, thanks for looking; I hope you've taken the time to go over to TCC and checked out what the rest of the DT have come up with. I would also love for you to leave me a comment.

Thanks,

dj1952

I've Got Attitude!

I have attitude? Really? I never would have guessed it. LOL! I received this little award created by Digi's With Attitude before I went in for surgery, but just didn't have time to respond to my new online friend, Linda, who recommended me for this award. Now, I'm supposed to tell three things that make me different from everyone else. Hmmmmm...

1. Well, I don't think it's different than everyone else, but I still love "clean" animated and non-antimated movies. I think movies are so much more enjoyable when you don't have to worry about innuendos, etc. I also prefer the ones that are light, and have some humor in them. (However, I do have some favorite dramas too.)

2. As my children will tell you, I'm not afraid to speak my mind if I think something you buy or food you order, has a problem.

3. I make really "weird" faces when I talk, even though I don't always know it. I'm really glad that faces don't really freeze like you look.

The next thing I'm supposed to do to receive the $5 gift certificate (Oh sorry, I didn't mention there was a reason I was exposing myself, did I? - lol!), is that we are to nominate five other blogs. I don't really have many "personal" blogging friends, or some that I have met over the last year or so, that haven't already been nominated, so I'm nominating some ladies that have inspired me since I've been blogging. Some, all I have to do is see the card, and I know who created it. They are some awesome ladies. I've put them in alphabetical order because I admire them equally. They are:

Bev

Dawny P

Debby

Enfys

Peet

Now all you ladies need to do is go to Digi's With Attitude and follow their directions.

Whew, I didn't think I'd ever get this posted. Now I'm going to link their award badge to my blog and I'm going back to my recliner. Lol!

Hugs,

dj

I'm back....(well almost)

For my friends, old and new, to my team members, and to ones who might follow me, I just wanted to let you know that the surgery went well. This hernia was a little higher up than the two I had in April. Of course, I'm still not up to par, and I know any card I post, will take me a little longer to put together, but I'm sooooooo happy that it's not going to take me as long to get back into creating cards as it did the last time. Thanks for all of the well wishes. Hugs, dj

Feature Friday for TCC

This is one of the newest releases from The Character Cafe for this month. I cut the image out after coloring it with my Prismacolor pencils, and I had an accident so I had to "fix" the post, since I'm trying to get this ready to be posted before I go in the hospital for surgery, the easiest and quickest thing for me to do was cut out a piece of cardstock and make it look like aged wood.

There are some gorgeous images at TCC this month, as usual. I chose this image because I love Cardinals. The fact that they are one of the birds that mate for life, is so endearing to me. And of course, I love the brilliant color of the male. I used a Spellbinder's nestie that I just purchased. (I have only recently started building a collection because I really love using my Cricut for this type of thing, but it's not always easy to clear the table off to get to it.) I'm also using one of the new Cuttlebug Embossing Plus folders. This one is Fanciful Labels, which has five labels on it. I would have preferred that they give a few more directions as to how it goes through the machine, but with a little trial and error I figured it out. The stiped paper is some I purchased months ago, and pretty much forgot about. It was hiding, for one reason, it is 8-1/2x11" paper instead of 12x12". Oh, I guess you can figure out that I used cotton for the snow. I don't have any of the fancy types that I keep seeing, and I didn't have time to go out and get any. I've put some glitter on to make it sparkle some. The snowflakes are glittered, but for some reason it doesn't show up. I guess it's because I don't usually use my flash when I take my pictures.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Mark's Finest Papers - snowflake

Secret Crafter - sparkle and shine

Sweet Stampin Challenge - snowflakes

The Paper Players - red, green, cream

Wee Memories - patterned paper in stash

Twisted Sketches - sketch

Creative Card Crew - thank you

Flourishes Timeless Tuesday Challenge - glitter

Digi Doodle Shop's Best - anything

I hope you enjoy the card and that you will leave a comment for me. Also hop on over to TCC and check out all of their great images.

Thanks,

dj

It's Feature Friday again at TCC

It's hard to believe that it's already Friday again. Unfortunately I didn't get to post a card last week because I was in the hospital. Fortunately they helped me get to a point that I didn't have to have emergency surgery. However, I do have to go back in on Monday. I'm going to try to get a few cards done to post while I'm there, but I'm not moving too fast right now so I don't know how that's going to work out.

The Challenge this week calls for natural colors (blk, brown, navy, kraft or anything similar and something embossed. I'm using Stefan & Katherine that I was to use last week. I thought they were so sweet. As soon as I saw them I knew pretty much what I wanted to do. However, even though I like the way the image turned out, I'm not totally happy with the overall card. It just seems like it's missing something. Also the jute that I used in front of the tent looks more like cheddar cheese. LOL! I will definitely try to fix that before I send it out.

When I think of fall or autumn I think of fairs, carnivals, and circuses. I've made this as an anniversary card for some friends. The sentiment on the front says: "Life Can Be A Circus". On the inside it says: "The Two of You Have Made it Work, Happy Anniversary!" This is something that my dh and I came up with.

The tent was cut at 4" from Create a Critter. I used a Sizzix embossing folder on the bottom half of the tent, and then paper pieced the top with some striped paper. No one would probably be able to guess how I did the lights. The cord is part of the steam rising from the noodles on the same cart. The lights are welded to it and are one of the peanuts on the card. LOL! I colored the image and the lights with my Prismacolor pencils. Then I used stickles on the lights. I really do like the way the brown background paper turned out. It is a cardstock that I got a while back at Joann's that had a lot of texture. I used Vintage Photo distress ink to rub on the paper; I think it makes it look like leather.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Totally Gorjuss - sketch

Catch the Bug Blog - anything

CES Challenges - autumn

Sketch, Scrap & Doodle Saturdays - fall

Gingerloft Challenge - buttons

Stamps R Us - buttons & bows

Paper Pretties - embossing

Fairy Tale Challenge Blog - anything

Crafty Cardmakers - dry embossing

Thanks for stopping by. I would love to hear any comments you might want to make.

Hugs

dj1952

TCC New Challenge - (Mine - All monsters aren't bad.)

This little monster is happy, doesn't shed, doesn't chew up shoes or anything, is always there to comfort you and never gets its feelings hurt. He's adorable, right? If you'd like to adopt one of his brothers or sisters all you have to do is head over to The Character Cafe shop. LOL! He's not one of the newest releases, but he is cute all the same.

It's time for a new challenge at The Character Cafe. I couldn't quite find a sketch that would work for me, so I created my own. Here are the ingredients for our challenge at TCC this week:

orange
1 diecut (mine are the 4 scalloped circles)
3 circles (I did 4)
ribbon (I used my organza to make a bow)

See, that's easy isn't it?

I cut the scalloped circles with my cricut, I added colorbox ink to the edge of two of the circles. Then, because I thought the background paper was a little too busy, I added the bit of orange. I still felt that it needed something, so I added the buttons. I think the organza ribbon is gorgeous; I got it at Bunny Zoe's. We'd love to have you join in with us this week, so stop on by.

I'm entering this in the following challenges:

The Crazy Challenge - tons of shapes (4 circles, 4 buttons, box)

A Spoon Full of Sugar - punch or die cuts (4 circles)

Simon Says Challenge - punch or die cuts (4 circles)

Inktegrity Design Team - anything

Digi Doodle Shop's Best - anything

2 Sisters Challenge Blog - anything

Aly's Sunday Challenge - distressing

Thank you for stopping by and I hope that you will leave a message for me.

Hugs,

dj1952

Not your typical anniversary card...

You will probably agree with me that this is not your typical anniversary card. I made this for my darling husband of 38 years. When I first saw this image from Fred She Said I knew what I wanted to do for my husband's card and what I wanted to say on it. We both like the color red, and he's always liked old vehicles. For years he's wanted a specialty tag for his truck like this one, but neither of us want to pay an additional $85 or so each year, so now he's happy. LOL! I colored the truck with my Prismacolor pencils and Gamsol.

I cut the mats, the hearts and the "happy anniversary" on the inside of the card with my Cricut. I used one of my favorite MS punch-around-the-corner sets to cut around the white papers on the inside. I've included close ups of the inside of the card and the inside of the heart (which I couldn't get to clear up for some reason or another).

I'm entering this in the following challenges:

CPS Card Sketches - sketch

Craftalicious Challenges - anything

Cricut Couple - love with a cricut cut

Sentimental Sundays - blk, white & another color, plus a sentiment

Tuesday Throwdown - anything

Flutter By Wednesdays - it flies

Crafty Catz Weekly Challenge - butterfly

The Stamp Man Challenges - for a man

Stamp Something - digi

Meljens Design Team - anything

I hope you enjoy looking at the card, and I would love to hear what you think about it.

dj1952

Just flying by to say hi @ TCC

Well, it's time for our next Feature Friday Challenge over at The Character Cafe! Yeah! It's so easy to win some of their fabulous images. For this month we are using the color orange and this week there's an additional recipe of: 1 - flower, 2 - brads, & 3 - gems. See - that's not too difficult. Now hopefully you're not all burned out with orange. Remember that there are several shades of orange. And nothing says HOW MUCH orange you have to use. (Shhhh, don't tell anyone that I said this.) LOL! Why don't you stop by The Character Cafe and see what the rest of the design team has put together. The prize is a $5 gift certificate to the store.This little guys name is "Flutter", isn't he cute? I used my nestibilities to make the circles, and I made the tag by rounding off all of the corners, puching a hole at the end and adding twine to hang it with. The lace raffia is some I got from the UK. (I've wanted some of this since I first saw it several months ago, and it seems that they don't sell it here in the US.) I like the way the MS punch goes along with the raffia so perfectly. The brads and jewels are some I've had for ages. Now to the flower - I'm really thrilled as to how it came out. This is another flower I learned how to make by following instructions on You Tube. The video can be found by searching for TheJbrideau or "Flower Tutorial - Prima Petite Mums". I used the "button" on pg. 38 of Paisley. Then I misted them with my homemade glimmermist, used my promarkers to bleed the colors together and added the brad and jewel for the center.
I'm entering this in the following challenges:

Crazy 4 Challenges - fall

The Paper Players - sketch

Craftalicious Challenges - anything

The Crafty Pad - distressing

The Shabby Tea Room - autumn & brown

2 Sketches 4 You - sketch

Penny's Paper Crafty-Challenge - anything that flies

Thanks for looking. I'd love it if you'd leave me a comment.

dj1952

Character Cafe Blog Hop

Hello everyone. I wanted to share with you some fantastic news. I've been chosen to be on the Design Team for The Character Cafe! They have some of the best images, I know I've been a fan for some time now. I'm their latest newbie, and this is the first time I've ever been on a Design Team. Woo hoo! This blog hop is to introduce the newest releases as well as, the newest Design Team members and those who are returning. I fell in love with the image here which I was able to use for my first card. It's a female mallard duck and her chicks. Aren't they adorable? (It's too bad that the males get the beautiful colors, of course it could be to hide the fact that they don't have the awesome personalities that the ladies have. LOL!)

I used my Prismacolor pencils and Gamsol to color the digi. I added some stickles on the water to give it a bit of a movement. The paper is open stock paper I purchased at Michaels. The lace is from Bunny Zoe's store. (I'll tell you about that in another post.) It's almost hidden, but I do have some paper that I ran through my Cuttlebug.)

Well, now on to the rules for the blog hop. It will start at The Character Cafe Store. If you came here from the talented Deanette, then you came from the right place. If you get lost along the way all you have to do is return to the store to see the order. If you would like to win any of the digis you see, you need to give some love to all the lovely ladies along the way. I will also choose a winner for the mallard duck family for all who leave a comment at my blog. You'll see some fabulous and awesome cards for inspiration. Also you need to leave a final comment at then end of the hop to have an opportunity to win the grand prize of a $5 gift certificate and 2 of the new release digis of your choice.

The hop ends at 10 p.m EST on Thursday the 14th and the winner will be announced on Friday the 15th. To continue you need to go to see what Tina, another awesome newbie, created. I'm sure you'll want to stop by and purchase some of these wonderful digis for yourself too, since now's a great time, because there is a discount for the duration of the hop. Have fun and congratulations to all the winners to come.

TFL,

dj1952

I'm also entering this in the following challenges:

Stamp, Scrap & Doodle Saturdays - anything

Incy Wincy Designs - glitter

Karbers Challeges - digi

Pollycraft Challenge Blog - anything

A Spoon Full of Sugar - sparkle

Digital Tuesday Challenge - buttons

Papertake Weekly Challenge - sketch and a favorite challenge - mine is the sketch from the last challenge

Creative Cottage Challenge - bling

Fab n' Funky Challenges - digi

Ooh La La Creations - no florals

Thanks again.

dj

Moon Over Paris

Click on image to enlarge.

Close up of cafe and couple.

It seems like I've been working forever on this card. Of course, it was a labor of love because it's for one of my daughters and her sweet husband for their 10th wedding anniversary. It took me a while to decide what I wanted to do in the first place, and then I kept losing parts of the card. The cafe disappeared until I had made a second one, and the couple disappeared for several intense minutes, with me and my hubby trying to find them. It seems they had taken a ride on my schnauzer, Oliver to the other side of the table (on the floor, of course). Lol. Since they have been to Paris, I thought they would enjoy the card. (They loved it!)

Another reason that I made this card was for a challenge for a Cricut Circle challenge. "French Manor" is one of the exclusive carts for those who join the "Circle". The challenge, however called for two cuts from this cart, so I added the word "Amore" over the moon.

You may not be able to tell it from the photo but the card is very large (6"x10"). I had to do this so I had people that could be cut and then seen. And of course the Eiffel tower had to be large since it was behind the cafe. I used my Prismacolor pencils to shade and color all of the different cut items. I used three Cricut cartridges for this card; French Manor, My Community and Sweethearts. I wanted to use more than one paper, but I knew most anything I used might be too busy. So I used one of my Quickcutz embossing folders on top of the dp from K&Co. I didn't plan it this way, but my hubby said it looked like fireworks. So, instead of them being outside during the day, I decided to have it be at night. I used tissue paper as the curtains, and a small piece of lace at the large window of the cafe. The little flowers are a felt lace I found on-line.

Hope you enjoy the card, and that you will leave some kind words.

I'm entering this in the following challenges:

Crafts 4 Eternity - sketch (All the elements are here, but not exactly how the sketch looked.) & lavender & lace

Secret Crafter - purple and silver

Crazy 4 Challenges - bling

One Stitch at a Time - anything

Pocket Full of Posies - lavender & lace

Incy Wincy Designs - anything

dj1952

P.S. Before I started my blog, the only place that I posted cards was on the Cricut message board. There, I was impressed quite often by Jeannie Phillips. One card in particular that I liked was when she used this cafe as her card and had the couple in front. Thanks Jeannie for all of the inspiration you give to others.

Baby in bath

Click on image to enlarge.

Isn't this baby so cute? I just had to come up with a cute caption for him. My husband helped me with an idea I had. He really does look a little perplexed. It's really a very simple card. The background paper is embossed with a cuttlebug folder. I used a MS punch in two colors. After coloring the image I cut it out and pop-dotted it. The very real looking bubbles are from Nicecrane Designs. I love them!

I was inspired by Kym of Digi Doodles to color the eyes. I think they look so much better.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Digi Doodle Shop's Best - anything
Sew Many Challenges - embossing
Character Cafe - sketch
Fairy Fun Friday - embossing
CES Challenges - baby
Stamptacular Sunday - grid & stamp
Polly Craft Challenge - cute & cuddley -
Penny's Paper-Crafty Challenge - baby

Thank you for stopping by and I hope you will leave a message.

dj1952

Thank you sew beary much...

Click on image to enlarge.

Well, I didn't get this finished yesterday, and today I had to go to the doctor's office, so I almost didn't get it done today either. The bear is from D2D and is the second freebie I received from them. I paper pieced the pants, snake belt and shirt on the fellow. Then I thought it would look cute with the string placed around the frame. I used a MS punch and my stash of buttons. The papers are by K&Co and Paper Pizzaz for the jeans paper.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Delightful Inspiration - use their image
The Character Cafe - sketch
Stamp, Scrap & Doodle Saturday Challenge - thank you
Paper Sundaes - three types of embellis - buttons, string & border punch
Craftalicious Challenges - thank you

Thanks for stopping by and perhaps making a nice comment.

dj1952

I'd rather be fishing

Click on image to enlarge.

Hello again. I just love the LOTV stamps. They are so adorable. I'll have one of their little girls in the next couple of posts from now. I needed to get this card posted tonight and I have another one I need to have done by tomorrow. These papers are from K&Co. The mat and frame are cut with Storybook using my CDS. The buttons are some I got from Michaels. Not much else other than the faux stitching.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Lili of the Valley Thursday Challenge - for the boys

Stamptacular Sunday - sketch

Allsorts Challenge - fall colors

Catch the Bug Challenge Blog - fall colors

Mark's Finest Papers - fall colors

A Spoonfull of Sugar - fall colors

Creative Card Crew - fall colors

Wow! Everyone must be ready for fall! Hope you enjoy my card.

dj1952

Making a color chart for Prismacolor pencils

I don't guess you would actually call this a tutorial, I guess it's more like a tip. But it is something that I came up with to help me when I use my Prismacolor pencils when coloring. Of course, I alread knew what many colors looked like because I used them all of the time. However, many times I wanted to know if certain colors were the correct shade or color that I wanted for a project. Prior to this, I just colored a small amount on a piece of scrap paper to "try it out".

I thought there had to be an easier way. So I came up with the idea of making my own color chart with the actual color for each pencil. I decided to compose a color chart in Excel.

I had just recently received some pencils back from Sanford that they replaced for various reasons. I decided to include a column to identify any pencils that I had returned and one for pencils that I planned on returning.

I changed my colors around a little from the way they came in the box. However, if I had already checked out the shades of all my colors, I would have put some in different areas than where I had. (i.e. some blues look more purple than blue, etc.) I next typed all of the colors I had and made them into a grid for each tray. In the sample column I started from the right side with the darkest color of each pencil, then I took q-tips and used my gamsol to shade to the lightest color. (You can use one q-tip for several colors, as there isn't a large area to shade.)

Now, when you are coloring you know how dark and light the pencil will color in one layer. You also now know what the color really looks like, which can be helpful if you're trying to match papers.

I hope you find this useful. If you would like a copy of my chart (which is for the 132 set), please leave your email address in the comments, and I would be happy to send you the file. The file does not have the color in the box. This is left blank for you to color so you have the true color of your pencils.
dj1952

Fall Colors

Hello.

In the mornings here in NC it's beginning to be a little cool, which is an indication that fall is around the corner. Of course I'm sure we've got several more weeks of hot weather, but at least we know it'll be fall soon. We mostly have pines in this area but even around here the oaks, maples and sycamores are so beautiful when the leaves change.

This card is for a dear friend who had to have back surgery. He's home recovering now, but it be a while before he's up and around. As you can see this is a combination using a digi and cricut. Most of the cuts are from the Freshly Picked cart, I did use George to do the door panels. To get the depth, I cut out four layers and glued them together after distressing. I made the door, window and curtain with just regular rectangles.

The digi is a freebie from Delightful Inspiration, in which I'm entering their challenge for the first time. If you do a card with their image, the next week you get a free one. At the beginning of the month they start you out with a freebie. So everyone's a winner. The wreath has two and three layers pop-dotted, to give it depth.

I'm entering this in the following challenges:

Delightful Inspiration - sketch (my diamonds are in the curtains)
Paper Sundaes - mixed media (I used my prismacolor pencils, promarkers and distress inks)
Tuesday Throwdown - fall
Fab n' Funky Challenges - what 'eva
Anything Goes Challenge - autumn
Crafty Sentiments Designs - digi

I hope you enjoyed my card and will leave a kind message.

dj1952

A little birdie told me...

Click on image to enlarge.
Inside:

This is my newest PB stamp. I think she's a cutie pie. Don't you just want to pinch her chubby little cheeks? The grey patterned paper is by Basic Grey, the others are K&Co. I distressed the papers, and used two different sewing stitches. The punch is one of the newer MS punch-around-the-page punches. I added pearls for her necklace, earring, and bracelets. The dress is paper-pieced and then topped off using my prismacolor pencils to shadow.

On the inside I used Heritage to cut the mats, as well as the birdcage post, which I made by cutting off the lamp. The birdcage is from French Manor, and the bird from A Child's Year. I took a couple of prismacolor pencils and shaded these too.

I'm entering this in the following challenges:

Digi Doodle Shop's Best - message

Paper Play Challenges - stitches

Stamptacular Sunday Challenge - distressing

Daisy Doodle's Creative Challenges - anything

Bunny Zoe's Crafts - vintage

Scrap Creations - child

Truly Scrumptious - sketch

Stampin For the Weekend - vintage or shabby

Basic Grey Challenges - paper piecing

Penny Black at Allsorts - punches

Thanks for looking and for any comments you might leave.

dj1952

Dressing up

Click on image to enlarge.
Close-up of some of the details:

I've been mia because I've been forced to sit under hot lights for hours on end coloring new images I've purchased. lol! If I don't do it, their feelings might be hurt. Of course, it's not like I don't have a stack of colored images already. However, I will be glad to get the pencils back that I sent in to Sanford for replacement, because you know that it would be many of my favorites that I had to send off. Go figure.

This little lady is an image that I ran across in one of the challenges that I entered the last week or so, it's by Prairie Fairy Designs. I'm such a sucker for a cute face!

I don't normally do pastel cards, especially with no distressing or inking on the edges, but I thought I would venture away from my comfort zone. I used some lace that I had left over when I made one of my twin daughter's wedding dresses almost nine years ago; I added pearls to the centers. The papers are from K&Co. on the most part. I used my cricut to cut out my circles, using design studio so I could cut the ones under the image at 1/8" intervals. The next two I cut at larger sizes. I sewed a couple of the layers and finished it off with the buttons and glitter.

I'm entering this in the following challenges:

Priscilla Styles - sketch

Tuesday Throwdown - ribbon used a different way

Fab n' Funky - lace or material

Creative Inspirations - pastel pink, green and cream

Your Next Stamp - anything

Simon Says Stamps - pearls and lace

Daring Cardmakers - sapphire colors

Fairy Fun - pearls and lace

Stamp Something - something cute

Cute Card Thursday - lace or fabric

Thanks for looking and for any comments you might leave.

dj1952