House Mouse Reminder to watch where we're going! (smiles)

Hello, sweet friends!

One of my friends severely broke her foot in March. She has not been able to put any weight on it since the surgery, and is finally able to go to physical therapy for strengthening. She will be so happy when once again the she's behind the steering wheel and able to get out and about. Done in her favorite color purple, "New Proverb" seemed perfect at this stage of her recovery. The House Mouse image was colored with Copics and Distress Inks:

I noticed House Mouse and Friends Monday Challenge is sponsoring a fancy fold card challenge this time, so I decided on an easel card:

The oldie stuff is the image, dies and those old old OLD flowers from long ago (before Postal Regulations were altered regarding dimensional cards)

Always brimming with jam-packed stories and sweetness, House Mouse images bring out the happiness factor for any occasion.  Full photo:

Products Used: House Mouse "New Proverb", Computer Generated sentiment, Dies: Sizzix TH Garden Greens, Spellbinders Labels 25, Labels 25 Majestic Elements, Copic Markers, Distress Wilted Violet ink, old flowers from a decade ago (giggle)

Challenges I would like to play in please:

1. House Mouse and Friends Monday Challenge #416 AG with Fancy Fold 6-8.
2. Critter Crazy Challenge #87 AG with critters (bird and mouse) 6-28 (7-1)
3. Triple B Challenges (June) AG with birds and blooms 7-1
4. Passion for Markers #742 Add a Sentiment (used Copic Markers 13 Copic Markers, a few Prismacolor Markers, one Copic on white glitter cardstock for the leaves) 06-11
5. Make My Monday Challenges #227 "B is for BROKEN, BIRD, BLOOMS" 6-16
6. Crafty Animals #84 AG with animals (bird and mouse)  6-26

On A Personal Note:

Thank you for your kind messages and cards. The procedures on my spine and legs last year have helped tremendously, and I am able to walk about the house and do minimal chores. SO GRATEFUL to my cardiologist and neurologist. The not so good news is I have been moved from "moderate-to-severe" to "severe" in my ME/CFS diagnosis. The other diseases are affected by the ME, but they are manageable. Thank you for being such understanding friends. My diminishing abilities is why I've been unable to leave many comments on your blogs.

Lots of Love,

de

Non-Traditionally Colored Valentine for my Sweetie

Happy Valentine's Day, friends! My bestie is also the love of my life, so it was fun making a card for him.

 Actually, my time creating the card felt like I was in Leslie Miller's craft room. We both enjoy Bugaboo's fun, quirky images (so sad Jodie is no longer on-line). We both are married to wonderful guys who love the outdoors (Leslie with Rich, I with Jack) and who prefer comical to mushy. 

Will share my major boo-boo at the bottom of this post.

Valentine Bird is colored with Copic Markers, and distressed with the inks shown at left.

The brads were also colored with Copic Markers.

Being inspired by many of my dear crafting friends, I attempt to use "old stuff" from my stash on each card. Here three yellow star brads were utilized - each was altered with a different color yellow alcohol marker for visual interest.  OLD OLD OLD burlap is a "break" between two designer papers, which are also at least 7 years old.

At the very end of assembling this card, I picked up a "love" stamp, inked it up and promptly dropped its wet, inky self onto the image, picked the stamp up again and dropped it again, so TWO "love" images ruined the main element. Then I pondered stamping "love" multiple times, thinking it might look intentional. THAT DID NOT WORK. So here is the boo-boo scene:

Fortunately, a quickie home-made sentiment die cut with a tag, covered up most of the mess.

Because the message was exceedingly corny, and personal, I blurred out the bottom message in Photos, but thought you might enjoy seeing the finished product:

Who could possibly resist this love-struck little birdie full of happiness?

Products: Image: Bugaboo Valentine Bird #2,  Dies: La-La Land - Flag Banner,  Surprise Creations Double Stitched Tags, LifeStyle Quickutz Nesting Hearts,   Papers: Studio G designer & SU "turquoise", Colored with Copics, Inks: DI Speckled Egg, D Oxide Stormy Sky and Iced Spruce, Other: Star Brads, Burlap

Thanks for stopping by!

Challenges I would like to play in please:

1. Try It On Tuesday - Feb 6 - Hearts and/or Flowers (heart balloon, die cuts, heart eyes, little flowers) 2/20 (check 2/27)
2. Dragonfly Dreams Challenges Feb 4 - Hearts (heart balloon, heart die cuts, heart eyes) 3/3 (check 3/10)
3. Allsorts Challenges #767  Feb 10 Hearts- (heart balloon, heart die cuts, heart eyes) 2/16
4. Inkspirational Challenge #309 Feb 10 Hearts (heart balloon, heart die cuts, heart eyes) 2/20 (sep post)
5. Cut it Up Challenge #297 Feb 9 - Have a Heart (LifeStyle Quickutz nesting heart dies) 2/21
6. Pearly Sparkles Challenges Feb 1 #92 - Love/Have a Heart 2/28 (check 3/1)
7. Moving Along With the Times #163 Feb 1 - Love/Hearts 3/1 (scroll down in post)
8. Crafty Gals Corner #252 Feb 14  Add a Heart (heart balloon, heart die cuts, heart eyes) 3/13 (sep post) 
9. Critter Crazy Challenge #83 Feb 1 - AG with a Featured Critter (bird here) 3/1 (sep post)

Sending Friendship your way,

A Cardinal Christmas Wreath - Jan's Digi Stamps

December's Sale includes all 50 of Jan's Holiday Stamps, including the 2022 freebie!

Hello, my friends! May this find you well, and looking forward to the upcoming celebrations.

 Today is the November kick-off Anything Goes Challenge at Jan's Digi Stamps! 

If you use a JDS image in your card, please mention it. There is a 2nd draw specifically for those who use one of Jan's fun images.

Jan's images are easy to use because most of her sets embrace the same style, so they mix-and-match. Jan has a slightly vintage, slightly contemporary way of expressing her memories, and the enjoyable things of life.

The new Red Cardinals set is one that can be used all season long.

In this case I've combined it with her beautiful 2022 "freebie" set "Ornaments". 

Each year, Jan's tradition is to gift the rest of us with a lovely new Christmas set to help jump-start our holiday card making. 

Be watchful! They are limited editions, and disappear on Christmas Night in the year of their release!

Jan's "Banners and Bow" was created for celebrating. 

She has provided both orange and red to encompass the holiday season, as well as the black-and-white version for anniversaries, birthdays and other special occasions.

To Make This Project:

First I created a "round ring" in my word processor. 
Then I placed the cardinals-on-twig image from Red Cardinals onto the ring. 
Select the long twig and small holly bunch repeatedly copying-and-pasting them around the ring. If your word processing doc allows, do a "select all" and "group" everything in place. Add the ribbon bow from the "Banners and Bow" set. Finally, place the sentiment from "Ornaments 2022" in the center. Make your wreath as full or as skinny as you like by adding more greenery (or even copying the entire wreath, making it slightly smaller then pasting atop the original wreath for a fuller look). Be sure to save your digital work in the same folder as your digital sets so you'll find it easily another time.
Below are the images I've used:

I must confess this is a "cheater" card. Jan's gorgeously precolored images were used, and then highlighted for additional depth:

Here is a simple card made using "my" wreath:

Who can resist a bit of sparkle?

Lots of dimension make this 5x7 creation extra festive:

Try playing with your free word processor if you don't have special software, to "layer" your digital projects. Once you've tried it, the technique becomes easier each time you play.

Don't forget to play in the Challenge!

Products Used:  Jan's Digi Images: Red Cardinals 4025 (new and on sale),  Banners and Bow 4015, AND the sentiment is from BEAUTIFUL FREEBIE SET "Ornaments 2022" (will be removed from the store on Christmas Day).     Dies: Sue Wilson Australian Collection "Melbourne" CED 8105, Memory Box Meridian Border 98134 (Copic Markers, Distress Ink, glitter paper, stash papers)

I'd like to play in the following Challenges please:

1. World Wide Open Design Team Challenge #10 AG DT 11/15
2. Pammie's Inkie Pinkies #2245 AG 11/14
3. Crafty Catz #613 AG with 3 or more layers (one card 4 layers, one has 6 layers) 11/10
4. A Perfect Time to Craft Open Challenge #11 AG 12/1
5. Classic Design Challenge #11 AG 12/1
6. Crafty Friends Challenge #161 Christmas 11/28 
7. My Time To Craft #494 All Creatures Great or Small 11/11
8. CD Sunday Plus Challenge #96 AG using downloadable products ( I used 3 digital stamp sets, making a holiday wreath. The sentiment and bow are downloaded from other sets - all three sets are listed above) 11/14
9. Allsorts Challenge #701 Sparkle & Shine 11/11
10. Tic Tac Toe Challenge #186 I am using the middle column with "red - sparkle - holly" for my creation: 11/10

Tweet Friends at Christmas - Jan's Digi Stamps

 

Hello, my friends! Hope Life is treating you well. If you live in an area that celebrates seasonal changes, this post is for you! It's all about Autumn and Holidays! Today I'm GUEST DESIGNING for Jan's Digi Stamps! It is the October mid-month Anything Goes Challenge at Jan's Digi Stamps! If you use a JDS image in your card, please mention it. There is a 2nd draw specifically for those who use one of Jan's fun images.

October's Sale is an all-inclusive HOCUS POCUS SALE!

Jan's images are so much fun to work with! I made a monochromatic winter snowbird scene by using the darling vine wreath set below.

First, I chose the blank black-and-white version of the wreath and cropped off everything except the little bird on the branch below the wreath. Be sure to make a copy of the digital before you crop the image. I copy and pasted the little bird and "flipped" the image so the new scene shows bird friends enjoying one another's company.

The birds and berries are colored with dark blue and gamsol.

The twig is the lighter blue:

For a little dimension, a dark gray was used:

The festive holly frame was die cut, dry embossed, and distressed with Faded Jeans color ink. The darling sentiment is from one of Jan's older sets Holiday Sleigh.

The interior uses the Winter Snowbirds again, and another sentiment from the Holiday Sleigh set.

Products: Jan's Digi Images:Winter Snowbirds (new and on sale),  Holiday Sleigh 3355 (sentiments), Dies: Spellbinders labels One for sentiment and Sue Wilson Festive Collection Ornate Holly Framed Noel CED 3073, Caran d'Ache Luminance 6901 Color Pencils and Gamsol, Faded Jeans Distress Ink.

I'd like to play in the following Challenges please:

1. World Wide Open Design Team Challenge #10 AG DT 11/15
2. Pammie's Inkie Pinkies #2242 AG 10/24
3. A Perfect Time to Craft Open Challenge #10 AG 11/1
4. Classic Design Challenge #10 AG 11/1
5. The Alphabet Challenge (Oct 7) "N is for Nature" 10/20
6. 52 Christmas Card Throwdown (Oct 15) Christmas Critters (using Jan's Winter Snowbirds) 10/21
7. Crafty Friends Challenge #160 Use More than One Die 11/1 (I used: Spellbinders labels One for sentiment and Sue Wilson Festive Collection Ornate Holly Framed Noel CED 3073)
8. CD Sunday Plus Challenge #96 AG using downloadable products ( I used 2 digital stamp sets, cropping one and making it look like two friends talking instead of being a single bird as part of a wreath. The sentiment is downloaded from another set - both sets are listed above)

Stamping Hugs,

Pippi Merry Christmas with Freebie

Christmas Happens All Year (when it's in your heart) (smile!)

I could not pass up the fun, eclectic Christmas bird freebies on Kajsan's Blog.  I've used one of her birdies on 4 cards, each slightly different:

Colored with Prismacolor Pencils and Gamsol, and distress inks, these were so cute and fun to color!

Just looking at her birds makes me happy!

Would you like another Christmas Freebie? My gift to you - Arrangements of the same sentiment for use on the inside or outside of your projects. Please do not sell the Sentiments. Use on any of your projects, including projects involving any design teams you might be on.

Click on the image to bring it to full size. Because of the changes Google Made with Blogger in June 2020, your image will appear to be solid black. Don’t panic. Right click and do a SAVE. Once it is saved on your hard drive, you can open it and it will have a transparent background. I create PNGs instead of JPGs so they can be placed anywhere on a scene or project, and so backgrounds can be made using them. Please let me know if you have any problems. I hope they serve you well!

Enjoy!

Products: Embossing Folder by Craft Essentials Diamond Tiles, Kajsan's freebie Pippi Digital Stamp, Dies: SB Labels 5 die and TH Garden Greens. Paper: SU pattern paper, SU celery green cardstock, SU Rose Red cardstock, white cardstock, Other: PrismaColor Pencils and Gamsol, Distress inks (Fire Brick and Victorian Velvet), MS Lace Heart Edge Punch, Washi Tape

I would like to play in the following challenges please:

1. C.R.A.F.T Challenge #598 Christmas 5/27
2. Fezziwigs Festive Frolics #May 12 "Let's Get Sentimental" 5/24 (sep post T3)
3. Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge #542 Anything Christmas 5/21
4. The Holly and the Ivy Christmas Challenge #94 Anything Christmas 5/23 (sep post)
5. Merry Little Christmas Challenge #34 Anything Christmas 5/31 (sep post)
6. Cards for Gals #147 Things With Wings (I used birds) 6/2
7. Pammie's Inky Pinkies #2120 AG 5/24 (sep post)

Thanks for popping by to see my Pippi bird!

2 Crafty Critter Crazies - Amazing Owls!

Greetings, Wonderful Blogging Friends!
It's time for a brand new challenge 2 Crafty Critter Crazies!

and guess what?

I am the sponsor with my pretty Great Horned Owl Set! The set contains 17 JPG and PNG images in black and white, and also with sentiments.

I'll be giving this set to one three of my blogging friends as well, so if you are interested, just say so in comment and I'll randomly select a name on March 31.

For the month of March, join us at 2 Crafty Critter Crazies by uploading an "Anything-Goes" project as long as critter is the focal point of your project. The team has all kinds of inspiration and a variety of styles to view, so take a look!

My inky rendition depicts that period of time just after dusk. I can hear softly hooting owls in the trees talking to one another, the chirping of happy insects announcing the full moon, croaking toads and frogs in search of goodies, and perhaps even some "night owls" doing their crafting!

I printed out The Great Horned Owl digital set TWICE. 

One owl was fussy cut to make a mask. The other was colored with Copic Markers. This is one of the colored images included in the digital set.
After die cutting a circle and placing it on top of the owl mask, I used distress inks in Black Soot, Blueprint, and Stormy Sky to create a night sky.

The frame process:
(if you are reading this on my personal blog, click on the photos to enlarge)

1. Applied a double sided Adhesive Sheet to black cardstock, leaving "rough" protective layer in place.
2. After die cutting shape, I removed the protective layer and burnished in Black Microfine Glitter (if you prefer, use black glittery EP instead).
3. I distressed with VersaMark Ink here and there and applied a gold-and-black Chunky Opaque embossing powder.  Then I added a bit of chunky Black embossing powder on top of the gold color, to tone down the gold. Glittery green embossing powder was also used in the distressing process. Heat a little at a time so it does not melt the double sided adhesive sheet.
4. I die cut some white fun foam in the same shape, and edged it with a black Sharpie marker. The black frame was then adhered to the fun foam for dimension, using Double Sided Tape.

I thoroughly enjoy "distressing" with glitters and embossing powders!

frame close up:

The set comes with a leafy twig - great for framing or using around the branch. Because this set was once available in rubber, I embossing the twig with more Green embossing powder to give the leaves a night time appearance. Any twig stamp will work.

The sentiment was stamped with Nocturne VersaFine Clair and heat set with Black Detail embossing powder. It was distressed with the same colors as the sky background.

The Handmade paper was dry embossed and distressed with 3 colors of mousse.

Finished Card:

Stamping Hugs,