Dream

Wee Henrietta Bookworm is a digital image from Hambo Stamps that I had a bit of free time to play with today.  It's been a while since I was able to participate in the Hambo Hoedown (Hambo's weekly challenge), but this week was the week.  The challenge this week is paper piercing.  Not only did I paper pierce the four corners and the flower centers in the "wallpaper", I also paper pierced the sentiment "Dream".

Henrietta is colored with Copics and fussy cut out.  Creative Inspiration paints (gold, pink highlights) were added to the chair and her shoe strings.  The M-Bossibilities embossing folder (Mystic) reminded me of wallpaper, so I created a reading nook for her to read in her big, comfy chair.  The rug is a Lifestyles Crafts die and the wood floor is actually a piece of thin wood veneer that came in a cigar box.

Copics used: YG06, YG07, YG17, G48    B21, B23, B26, B60    BV00, BV02, BV04    E00, E01, E11, E13    E41, E43    R37, R39, RV99, FV1, FY1, FYR1, B32, B34, BG34, BG13, BV01, BV04, BV07    E08, E19, E29

Hats Off to You

I had a little time this week to make a couple of projects just for fun.  This is one of them and I used an older Dreamweaver's stencil (LM232).  Since their challenge this month was to use black/white and a pop of color, my color choice had to be red as that's my favorite color.  This is a pretty simple project to make.  I embossed the stencil using my Grand Calibur two different times and then I paper pieced the bow and pop dotted it for added dimension.  Although it's hard to tell in the photo, the hat itself is also pop dotted. The mats were cut using Spellbinders Labels Sixteen (#5, #6).  Now I have a card all ready for a quick thank you or a just because.  You can never have too many ready made cards in your stash (can you?).

I'm entering this into the following challenges: Dreamweaver (black/white/one color); Creative Card Crew (dimension); Sweet Stamps (anything goes).

Please help

Liz, one of my design team mates from Pattie's Creations, is fighting for her life.  Here she is, along with her sister.

Here is a post from Liz:

Hello everyone.  About a year and a half ago I was diagnosed with Bi-phenotypic Leukemia.  It is a rare form of Leukemia because as many people battleing Leukemia, they are only battling one.  With Bi-phenotypic Leukemia, it leaves me battling two AML and ALL.  I have been fighting strong but now I need your help more that ever.  I was seen in many hospitals in Florida and they all have told me there is nothing they can do for me.  But you see my will and drive to LIVE is far greater than any CANCER, therefore, I have chosen to continue fighting and doing whatever it is I must to stay ALIVE.  At 29 years old, and full of fight and drive I refuse to surrender to this MONSTER....In order to get an appointment with the best hospital in the country which is MD Anderson, they are charging me 100k just for a consultation deposit.  I need all of your help and support!!!  Please help me and my family through these trying times.


With Love, 
Elizabeth Quesada

Please click on this link to donate to help Liz with her fight for Life.  Any donation will help.  Please do whatever you can to spread the word: re-post this on your blog, on Facebook, anywhere you can.

Liz's cause strikes very close to home for me.  As some of you may know, my husband is in the fight too.  He's been battling a type of Lymphoma cancer since 2009.  We haven't found the right treatment to knock his cancer on it's butt yet, but we keep trying.

So please, donate whatever you can to Liz's cause.  If you don't feel comfortable with that, think about donating to a specific cancer society or the American Cancer Society to help find cures.

Bubbles

The Digi Makeover Challenge team has a fun challenge for this week - it's to recycle something and put it on your card.  Be sure to let us know what it is.

Bubbles the Duck, a Paper Makeup Stamps digital image, was my inspiration for this challenge.  He's blowing homemade bubble solution and is embracing the magic (sentiment by Create with TLC).  I have a couple of items that were recycled on this card.  Can you figure out what they are?  The first one is a bottle cap that I converted to the sunshine and the other items are the clouds and the grass.  They were die cut (MFT dies) from a Starbuck's cardboard coffee sleeve.  I used a bit of gesso to paint the clouds and Paper Soft Color for the grass.

Now it's your turn to help the environment by recycling something on your project.  Remember, you need to use a digi image for our challenges.  You have one week to upload your creation to the Digi Makeover Challenge blog.  Be sure to see what the rest of the Digi Artists recycled while you're there.

Nap Time

TGIF!  and since it's Friday, that means it's time for a new challenge from Pattie's Creations.  Today's challenge is a Recipe.  Use 3 or more of the following: buttons, ribbon, flowers, glitter, charm, sentiment, gems or pearls.

I decided to use Nap Time from Pattie's Esty store for this challenge because the image is so darn cute!  Well, I was able to incorporate four of the ingredients into my card - glitter, ribbon, pearls, sentiment.  The image was printed three times and colored with Copic markers.  As you can see by the photo on the right, I have a base, then I cut out the kitten and the lip of the pot to pop dot, and finally I have pop dotted just the kitten.  Lots of fun dimension going on.

For the background behind the image, I stamped Hero Arts/Basic Grey rubber stamps (Picadilly collection) with glue and then sprinkled glitter all over.  Various Spellbinder dies were used to cut out the circle, the scalloped circle, and the scalloped oval.   I applied a Pearl Pen (Ice White) around each scallop for my pearls.  Originally, my base for the glittered background was white, but I didn't like it.  So I spritzed Walnut Ink (Terra Cotta) on it, which brought out the silver glitter better and coordinated with the terra cotta pot.  I also sprited the card base with this Walnut Ink as well.  My sentiment is a rubber stamp from Stampabilities that I've had for a while.  It says "a little Hello", but the hello is not as clear in the photo because I also highlighted that word with a glitter pen and it's reflecting.

Here is a close up of the image, and you can see the dimension a bit better as well. From head on, you really don't see three sets of paws (it was the upward angle of my shot).

Now it's your turn to stir up a scrumptious   project using at least three of the ingredients listed above.  You'll have two weeks to upload it to Pattie's Creations challenge blog.  Be sure to visit the rest of the team and see which ingredients they used for their projects.  

Copics used: E07, E08, E09, E19, E77    R20, T3, T5, T6, N5, N6

You Ol' Rooster

Can you believe it's already the third Wednesday of May?  Well, it is and that means it's time for the Inspirational Challenge from Dude Time Doodles.  It's an easy one - birthdays.  Who doesn't need a few extra birthday cards on hand?

Chick Saunders, a Bonibleaux Designs image, was the inspiration for my birthday card.  He definitely reminds me of "the Colonel" from Kentucky way, so his drink of choice on his birthday (and pretty much any other time) is Kentucky bourbon.

I've used the Emboss Resist technique for the chicken wire, a rubber stamp from Art Impressions.  After heat embossing the image, I stippled Distress Inks to create my background.  Chick is colored with Copic markers (a very pale violet for shadows mainly) and fussy cut out.  After I put all the pieces together, I thought it was still missing something.  So I got out one of my chicken rubber stamps from Hambo Stamps, and used a second generation impression (stamp on scratch paper first to get off most of the ink and then stamp it where you want it for a lighter outline) to go behind the chicken wire and colored with Copics.  The beauty of the embossing is that the outline of the chicken rubbed off on the embossed portion.  I printed to sentiment on my computer, printed it out, cut it out with the Sizzix Tattered Banners, and distressed it with Brushed Corduroy.

Now, it's your turn to get those birthday cards ready to go.  You can enter as many times as you wish, but no back linking, and remember it must be for a DUDE.  Pretty easy, don't ya' think?  Head on over to the Dude Time Doodles challenge blog and link up your creations with the InLinkz button.  While you're there, be sure to check out what the rest of the Dude and Dudettes have come up with for some pretty fun (and funny) birthday inspiration.

I'm also entering this in the following challenges: Blockhead's (emboss resist); Crafty Catz (birthday); Little Claire's Designs (male theme).

Couple of Moodies

Time for the latest challenge from the Digi Makeover Challenge team.  This week's challenge is a photo inspiration.

I've chose a Couple of Moodies (although it isn't in the digi section yet, I'm sure it will be soon), from Paper Makeup Stamps, and created a platform card.  This is a paper folding technique I've learned from Julie Embersole's class.  It's actually very easy to do and easy to change your dimensions as needed.  I based my Copic colors on the quilt photo and fussy cut out the top portion of the image.  Another great thing about this card other than it's fun to make and stands on it's own, is that it closes flat, so you can mail it in a regular envelope.

card closed - ready to mail

Now it's your turn to use the inspiration photo to create something lovely.  You'll have one week to upload it to the Digi Makeover Challege post.  Be sure to check out the rest of the team's inspirations too.

I'm entering this in the following challenge: Simon Says (anything goes).