Hot Colors for a Hot Summer Day

I hope you are staying cool wherever you live. It is so very hot here in Alabama that it is hard to get energy up to do much of anything. I dearly love the south and really wouldn't live anywhere else but I have to admit I wouldn't mind a very long vacation in a cooler area right now!  

Today's card is for this week's Stampavie DT Challenge. The challenge is to use a Stampavie image with any types of "dots". I combined a sweet Sarah Kay image with some of my very favorite Cosmo Cricket paper, Delovely.  My dots are featured on the card background via a Cuttlebug embossing folder as well as the dots in one of the patterned papers. I stamped the image with Memento Tuxedo Black ink onto Bazzill Simply Smooth cardstock, then colored with Copic markers.   

Products: Stampavie stamp, Cosmo Cricket pp, May Arts ribbon flower, PTI cs and buttons, Spellbinders Nestabilities, Cuttlebug embossing folder, Copic Markers

Copic Markers: Skin-E00, E02, R20; Hair-Y21, E31,E15, E99;Clothes-BG10, BG11, BG13; Flowers-RV04, RV14, RV17; Greenery-YG11, YG13, YG17; Basket and Contents-YC3, C3, C5, E33, E15, Kitty-Y11, Y35

Our time with granddaughters Skye and Julia is drawing to a close. We've enjoyed our visit with them but I think they are both ready to see their mom and dad. The down side of the visit is that I've managed to gain five pounds, due to the kid friendly menus I'm sure, plus all the extra snack type food that I don't buy on a normal basis.  I'll have to get back on the diet wagon next week.

As always, thank for stopping by.

Something Old...Something New

I love mixing old products with newer ones.  For this project I have used Basic Grey Max and Whiskers (the new) with an Magenta clock stamp (the old). Once upon a time I used this clock stamp a lot - so much so that I felt like I needed to retire it.  But since I am trying to add to my masculine stash of cards, I thought today was a perfect time (no pun intended) to bring it back.  I stamped the image with Memento Tuxedo Black ink onto PTI cream cardstock and then "aged" it with an old Stampin' Up tool to give it the splotches. I followed this week's Mojo Monday sketch for the basic design.  

Products: Basic Grey pp, Magenta stamp, PTI cs and button, WRMK ribbon, Quickutz die (label), brads (unknown)  

The girls are with their other grandmother today and The Donald is on the golf course so I am having a quiet morning here all by myself.  It's a bit overcast so I'm thinking this is just might be a crafty day.  I hope your Sunday is what you want it to be.

A Blooming Good Day

The MFT Wednesday Stamp Club color challenge of red, green and yellow was the perfect excuse to ink up this cute stamp from the My Favorite Things Pure Innocence line.  I stamped the image using Tuxedo Black Memento ink onto Bazzill Simply Smooth cardstock, then cut it out with a rectangular Nestabilities die.  I inked the edges while it was still in the die with Memento Summer Sky and Bamboo Leaves inks and then colored the image with Copic markers.  It's hard to tell in the photo but I added some tiny white pearls to act as shoe buckles and then a small green one to the center of the flower.

Products: My Favorite Things stamp, Cosmo Cricket pp, Jenni Bowlin butterfly stickers, Kaisercraft and Basic Grey pearls, May Arts ribbon, PTI button and cs (card base), Spellbinders Nestabilities, Copic Markers

Copics: Hair-E31, E55, E57; Skin- R01, E02, R20; Dress-Y21, Y23, Y35; Shoes and Hair Pretties-R27, R29; Watering Can-YG01, YG23, YG25; Flower-Y11, Y15, G40, G82

I hope all is well with you.  We are still busy here with grandchildren and loving every minute of it. 

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to all the good fathers out there.  Here is one more card for the occasion. I didn't do much stamping other than the journaling stamp on the background of the center piece. 

Products: Cosmo Cricket Cogsmo patterned paper, die cuts and chipboard, Autumn Leaves journal stamp, Karen Foster wrench embellishment, Spellbinders Nestabilities

Sorry for the quick post but we have grandchildren visiting for the next two weeks and we are busy enjoying them.

Little Girls and Fairies

Today's card is for the All That Scraps Wednesday Challenge which is to use buttons and ribbon.  The challenge is right up my alley considering just about every card I make contains one or both of these items. 

I stamped the Sweet November image with Tuxedo Black Memento ink onto Bazzill Simply Smooth cardstock.  I then colored her with Copic markers. Do you like her pink hair?  The fact that I don't feel like I have to use a realistic hair color is one of the reasons I really like the Sweet November images. By the way, this stamp is just one of four that I won from a previous ATS Wednesday challenge.  Christine shipped my prize out the same day I let her know which stamps I wanted.  So give the challenge a try - you might win an awesome prize like I did.  But remember, you do have to use an image sold in the All That Scraps store to be eligible.

(Click to enlarge image)

Products: Sweet November stamp, Basic Grey Kioshi pp, PTI cs (card base) and buttons, Kaisercraft pearls, May Arts ribbon, Spellbinders Nestabilities, Fiskars border punch, Copic Markers

Copics: Hair-RV10, RV11, RV32; Skin-E0000, E00, E02, R20; Wings-YG21, YG23, YG25; Dress-BV01, V12, V15

While I had my Basic Grey Kioshi pad I also made a layout featuring some this year's Easter photos. The hardest task for this layout was figuring out how to narrow down my choice of photos.  I had 75 in my folder after getting rid of the really bad ones!  They were all so good, especially those of my granddaughter hunting for eggs.  I know I am her grandmother and that automatically means I'm biased - but really - she just could not have been cuter that day!  Normally I don't do that many 2 page layouts but all the great photos made it necessary. 

(Click to enlarge images)

Products: Basic Grey Kioshi & Creative Imaginations pp; Prima and Autumn leaves stamps, Making Memories dimensional stickers, Doodlebug rubber sticker and buttons, Jenni Bowlin button, Kaisercraft pearls, American Crafts thickers and ribbon, Maya Road flower, Fiskars border punch, Martha Stewart butterfly punch, 7 Gypsies date stamp

This week is going to be very busy.  Family is visiting toward the end of the week and I need to clean, clean and clean!  As always, thank you for stopping by!                                                                           

About Fathers

I've never had a real father in my life for reasons I won't go into here.  But I did have father figures with my Paw-Paw in my early years, and then my brother-in-law during my high school years.  I loved them both dearly for taking on that role for me. Sadly, they are both gone now, way before their time was due. My absence of a father makes me appreciate the good parents that I know now which includes both my husband and my son. I admire my husband because he lets his children know how much he loves them in both words and deeds. And he is a loving grandfather to our grandchildren. I am so proud and grateful of what a good parent my son is to my granddaughter especially since his real father was mostly absent from his life.

I stamped the PTI Fly Away image with Memento Ink onto PTI cardstock and then colored with Copic Markers. I cut the image out with Spellbinders Nestabilities and then sponge-inked the edges while it was still in the die.  The patterned paper on the background are from the new Basic Gray Max and Whiskers 6x6 pad.

Products: Papertrey Ink stamp and cs, Purple Onion Designs sentiment stamp, My Favorite Things Die-namics, Basic Grey and Stampavie pp, Spellbinders Nestabilities, Copic markers

Copic Markers: BG72, BG75, C3, C5, E08

As always, thank you for stopping by.

A Masculine Birthday Card

I freely admit that I struggle with masculine cards and often have to resort to the store bought route when I need one.  I really should make me several at one time to have on hand but I guess that will have to go on the things-to-do-someday list! 

I found this older soccer themed paper in my stash while I was doing a bit of purging and organizing.  Our son-in-law is soccer crazy so it seemed natural to use that theme for his birthday.  It feels good to use some of my older paper collected during my design team years at Lifetime Moments. It is unusual for me but there is no stamping on this card.  I used one of the largest of the stickers from the matching sticker sheet, matting onto red PTI cardstock and adding a felt star and some extra grass courtesy of my Martha Stewart grass punch for some texture. I also followed the sketch for this week's Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge.  

Products: PTI cs and button, American Crafts and Making Memories ribbon, Martha Stewart punch

As always, thank you for stopping by!

A Gardener's Delight

Today's card is for this week's Sugar Bowl challenge which is a sketch. I rotated the sketch 90 degrees since my stamped image was more landscape than portrait. I love this Sugar Nellie "Planting Some Love" image.  I've used it once before with a pastel color scheme but to me the Cosmo Cricket Garden Variety collection fits it better in both theme and colors. I stamped the image with Memento Tuxedo Black ink onto Bazzill (formerly Prism) Simply Smooth cardstock.  I then colored with Copic Markers.

Products: Sugar Nellie Stamp, Cosmo Cricket Garden Variety pp, PTI cs (card base) and buttons, Kaisercraft pearls, May Arts and American Crafts Ribbons, pins from an Etsy shop

Copic Markers: Skin-R01, E02, R20; Hair-E55, E37; Hat and gloves-Y21, Y23; Clothes-G40, G82; Hat Flowers and Clothing Trim-R27, R29; Greenery-G21, G24; Tulips-YR01, YR12; Clay pot-E97, E99; Soil-E55, E57; Shovel-C3, C5

And on a personal note, my heart and mind are heavy with what is happening to our coastline.  Not that I've been to every beach in the world but I have visited both East coast, West coast and Hawaii beaches in addition to Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands and Mexico. And in my opinion none of them match up to the beauty of the sugar white beaches of the Gulf Coast.  Beyond the environmental losses, which are devastating enough, is the human cost with the loss of jobs and livelihoods that go back for generations.  I am just so very sad.