Stamp Something sketch challenge

Happy Friday! We're getting sketchy at Stamp Something this week, and are being sponsored by Simon Says. To play along and enter to win a $20 gift certificate, all you need to do is make a project using the above sketch, and then link it up on the Stamp Something blog.

For my card, I decided to ink up Winterberry by Sweet Pea stamps. The colors are not ones I would normally pick, but I recently got some yummy dp by My Minds Eye and was itching to cut into it, so I decided to step outside of my color comfort zone.

Winterberry was colored with copic markers, and then had a ton of stardust stickles added to her hat and dress to dress things up a bit. I just love all the sparkle!

Copic markers used (the orange in the middle is YR02):

Thanks for stopping by!

kitty update...

Several readers have left comments asking about the kitty we rescued, so I thought I would post a little update. We've decided to call her "Felicity" since she is such a happy kitty now. She's settled right in, and comes running for skritches whenever we open the door to the front room. (Please ignore the awful carpeting! This is one of the few rooms we haven't redone since moving in.)

Felicity is very much a lap cat, and wants nothing more than to be in your arms at all times. She purrs like crazy the minute you pick her up, and gets so excited about being held that she rolls around in your arms. I've been using a Zoom Groom to brush her, and she loves the thing! I leave it out when I'm finished with it, and she will roll around on top of it to massage herself. It's awfully funny to watch!

She still sleeps a lot, but after 4+ days of getting plenty of high-calorie kitten food, she's starting to perk up a bit more, and will bat around a mousie - so long as you are right there to rub her belly while she is doing it, that is. LOL. Have I mentioned how much she likes attention?

I managed to get her to hold still long enough to get some close-ups tonight, so I thought I would share them so you can see her pretty blue eyes.

This one was taken right after she'd eaten. She jumped up on the hubby's lap, and was licking her whiskers clean before settling in for some snuggles.

She has a visit with the vet tomorrow morning, so keep your fingers crossed for a clean bill of health!

Crafty Sentiments New Release Blog Hop Party!

Are you ready to party? Crafty Sentiments is having a new release today, and to celebrate, the dt is hosting a blog hop. Make sure to leave a comment on everyone's blog for a chance to win the entire release! If you came here from the Crafty Sentiments blog, you are right on track and will want to go visit Jacqui next. If you didn't come here from the Crafty Sentiments blog, then be sure to pop back there so you don't miss any stops in the hop.

For my project, I used one of the sitting Amy's to create a gift box filled with crafty goodness for a stamping friend.

Amy was colored with copic markers, and has a bit of stickles accenting her outfit. I carefully cut her out before layering her onto my die cut circle.

Copic Markers used:

Thanks for stopping by!

Found a kitty...

Happy Sunday! I hope you have been having a great weekend. Mine has been interesting and quite busy! My computer crashed yesterday, so while hubby worked on it, I decided to take some photos of the fruit trees in the backyard since they are all in bloom. While I was puttering around out there, I noticed this:

The poor thing is skin and bones and apparently has been living in a ventilation hole in our foundation for a while. I gave her a bit of food, and immediately had a new best friend.

We've got her set up in our front room now, and the minute you walk in there, she wants you to pick her up and love on her. We made her a bed, but she seems to prefer curling up on top of a low table under the window, so I put a towel and stuffed animal there for her to curl up with. She seems pretty happy with the arrangement.

She is way too friendly to be from a feral litter, so we suspect she either snuck out of her owners home, or is a dump job. We'll be putting posters up in the neighborhood and listing her in the lost & found section of craigslist. If anyone from the Vestal/Appalachin NY area recognizes her, please email me or leave a comment here. We are estimating she is about 4-7 months old, but we won't know for sure until we get her to the vet.

We can't keep her as we already have 2 cats (and hubby put his foot down that 2 is enough!), so if we can't find her former owners, we will be looking for a good home for her once she is up to a healthy weight. If anyone is interested in a super friend, super cuddly kitten, please email me. She will be up to date on all of her shots and will be spayed before going to a new home.

Getting Sketchy with Crafty Sentiments

Are you ready for another fabulous sketch challenge? This week, Crafty Sentiments is challenging you to use the above sketch for your project with the added inspiration of also using flowers.

For my project, I used one of the new sitting Amy's, and paired her with a bench by Magnolia.

Amy and the bench were colored with copic markers, and Amy has a bit of white gel pen on her eyes and cheeks for a little emphasis.

I decided Amy needed a little glamour, so I went over her top with a clear Spica pen for some sparkle. My flower was made using both of the Martha Stewart hydrangea punches, and also has some clear Spica pen scribbled on the petals.

Copic markers used:

Thanks for stopping by!

Something Charming...

Are you ready for another challenge with Stamp Something? This week we are being sponsored by Bunny Zoe's Crafts, and are challenging you to make... Something with a Charm (your choice of store bought or homemade).

A dear friend's father passed away last week, so I made a sympathy card for him and his mother using SU's Thoughts & Prayers. Ed, my friend's father, was very much a nature lover, and could often be found out puttering in his gorgeous garden, so I thought a nature theme would be appropriate for the card.

I inked the tree up with a SU Basic Brown ink pad, stamped it on to my cardstock, and then colored over the leaves with Smooch in Green Apple. The leaves shimmer like crazy, which made the wood look a little dull, so I went over the brown with a Chocolate Spica pen for some added sparkle. I created a sky and some grass by using a piece of sponge to daub on some SU Soft Sky and SU True Thyme ink.

I found a pack of leaf-shaped gems in my stash and tied some copper cord around the stem to turn it into a charm. I thought it went perfectly with the rest of the card. Sorry for the lousy photo. I forgot to take a close-up of the charm, and the card is already in the mail.

Thanks for stopping by!

Crafty Sentiments challenge #14

Happy Sunday! I hope you have been having a great weekend. Mine has been very busy, which is why I am a bit late posting my project for today.

This weeks challenge from Crafty Sentiments is to use the above sketch for your project with the added inspiration of also using your favorite embellishment.

For my card, I used the newly released sitting Amy. Isn't she cute? I love the sitting pose as it allows me to use some of my much ignored accessory stamps for her to perch on.

Amy and the swing were colored with copic markers, and Amy has a bit of white gel pen on her eyes and cheeks for a little emphasis. My favorite embellishment is glitter, specifically Stickles, so I added that to the ruffle on her shirt and to the roses on the swing.

Copic Markers used:

Thanks for stopping by! Be sure to pop on over to the Crafty Sentiments blog to see what the rest of the dt has in store for you!

Something layered for Mother's Day

Are you ready for another challenge with Stamp Something? This week we are being sponsored by Karen's Doodles, and are challenging you to make... Something Layered!

Karen was sweet enough to allow the dt to choose an image from her store to work with for this challenge. She has so many cute designs, it was hard to pick just one! I decided to be good, and get a head start on my Mother's Day cards this year (instead of waiting til the last minute, like usual!), and so chose A Present for Mom. Isn't it perfect for a Mother's Day card? That little bunny is so sweet!

A Present for Mom was colored with copic markers, and has stickles in star dust and lemon ice on the flowers & ferns for a bit of sparkle. I used circle and scalloped circle nestabilities to cut out my layers, and adhered them to my card with pop-dots to add some dimension. The pretty ruffled ribbon is one of my Hobby Lobby purchases from last week's shopping excursion.

Copic markers used:

Thanks for stopping by!

Feeling Groovy...

So I've got another altered Greeting Farm digi for you today. For this one, I combined Freaky Flutter's head with Charlotte's body. Cute, eh?

"Fluttery Charlotte" was colored with copic markers and had clear Spica pen added to her belt and eyeshadow for a bit of sparkle.

The retro flowers are handmade using a bit of cream embroidery floss that I'd forgotten I had. You can find the tutorial here. I used a SU scalloped circle punch for my template, but any flower punch with deep petals would work fine.

Copic markers used:

So sweet of you...

Happy Sunday! I hope everyone is having a good weekend! The hubby and I have been looking for a half circle table for our entryway without much success, so we took a little drive yesterday to check out the stores in a nearby town. We didn't have any luck with the table, but I got to putter around the new Hobby Lobby while the hubby checked out Game Stop, so a good time was had by all. LOL.

Now that I'm done rambling, are you ready for another challenge with Crafty Sentiments? This week, we are challenging you to make a project based off of the above sketch with the additional challenge of using some blue on your card. Be sure to pop on over to the Crafty Sentiments challenge blog to see the rest of the dt's projects, and to find out what you could win if you decide to play along this week.

I decided to use Girl with Heart on my card. Isn't she sweet? I love her wavy hair!

I colored Girl with Heart with copic markers, and then added stardust stickles to the heart for a bit of glitz. I carefully cut her out and glued her onto my background paper. Then I ran the combined piece through my Cuttlebug using a Nestabilities Label 3 die so that the layers would have a smooth edge. The blue bottom layer was made by tracing the Lable 3 die with a pencil, and then cutting the shape out by hand.

Copic markers used:

*Note that a W1 somehow sneaked into my cup. I guess it was feeling photogenic! LOL! It was not used on my project, so I edited it out of the photo.*

Challenges I participated in with this card:
Crafty sentiments - sketch + blue
ABC Challenges - R is for Red
Delightful Sketches - buttons & bling
Stampin for the weekend - ribbons and bows
Oh, Alice! - use flowers
Cooking it up with Katie - recipe - New (papers), Old (buttons), Sweet (image)
Meljen's - girly colors

Thanks for stopping by!

Something Stitched...

*This is my second post for the day, so if you are looking for my Wags 'n Whiskers post, please scroll down.*

Are you ready for another challenge with Stamp Something? This week we are being sponsored by Paper Jewels, and are challenging you to make... Something Stitched!

For my card, I decided to use the lovely Winterberry by Sweet Pea Stamps. She's supposed to be a winter stamp, as the name implies, but I wiped the ink off of the snowflakes before stamping her to make her appropriate for any season.

Winterberry was colored with copic markers, and then had plenty of sparkle added with some (ok, LOTS) of stardust Stickles. I added more stickles to the flowers, and then some copper colored Studio G glitter glue to the branches. My paper is from the Once Upon a Time stack by DCWV, and also has glitter on it, so this card sparkles like crazy in real life!

Copic markers used:

Challenges I participated in with this card:

Stamp Something - something stitched
Creative Card Crew - vintage / aged
Paperplay - shiny happy people
Practical Scrappers - markers
Stamptacular Sunday - sugar & spice & everything nice
One Stitch at a Time - anything goes

Thanks for stopping by!

Wags 'n Whiskers Challenge #18 - scallops

I have some exciting news - Lacey at Wags 'n Whiskers invited me to be their guest designer for this weeks challenge! How fun is that? This weeks challenge is to make a project using scallops - Nestabilities, scallop punches, scalloped edges - you pick!

For my card, I decided to use the adorable Ryan's Chocolate Trouble to make a birthday card for my father. Think he'll like it?

Ryan was colored with copic markers, and then very carefully cut out. I glued his head and torso onto my white background paper, and then used glue dots to pop up his arms for a little dimension. I ended up chopping off his legs so I could place him in my scalloped frame (sorry, Ryan!), so I reused the chocolate wrappers that were at his feet to scatter at the bottom of my card.

Copic markers used:

Challenges I participated in with this card:

Wags 'n Whiskers - scallops
A Spoon Full of Sugar - one for the boys
Polka Doodles - birthday

Thanks for stopping by! Be sure to pop on over to the Wags 'n Whiskers blog to see what the design team has in store for you today, and don't forget to check back here later in the morning to see what I created for this weeks Stamp Something Challenge (I'll give you a hint - it's VERY girly!).

Glamorous Day...

I've been having fun combining my digital Greeting Farm images to make new outfits. Today, I have a combo of Odette and Dressy Camille to show you.

I colored "Dressy" Odette with copic markers (sorry, I forgot to take a photo of them this time around), and then went over her dress with a clear Spica pen. I gave her a touch of eyeshadow with a sand Spica pen. I know the camera didn't really pick it up, but trust me, this card sparkles like crazy in real life!

The pretty flowers are handmade using the same paper I used for the card. The stamens were snipped from a spray of flowers I picked up in the wedding section of ACMoore. I used glue dots to hold everything together, and then went over each petal with some stardust stickles. Not only does this make the flower nice and sparkly, it has the added benefit of making it hard so your flowers will maintain their shape. Cool, huh?

Challenges I participated in with this card:
Pollycraft Monday - anything goes
Cupcake Crafts - make your own flowers
Pink Elephant - nature
Kaboodle Doodles - digi girl
Creative Card Crew - vintage / aged
Secret Crafter - how does your garden grow?

Thanks for stopping by!