Magical Monday - Red & Cream

This week's challenge over at Paper Cupcakes is brought to us by Nilla Berglie. She chose the colors Red and Cream for us to work with this week as the challenge. I loved working with this color combo and made 4 cards. This first card I used the image "Angel" by Paper Cupcakes and colored her red with my Bic Mark-its and used a cream colored pencil to shade her dress just a little and a copic for her skin tone, but left her mostly cream like the card stock she was printed on. I did not have any cream and red paper so I used red pattern paper and lots of cream card stock. On my image after I colored her I cover the whole piece of card stock that she is printed on in a holographic heat embossing powder, then embossed it and it turned out beautiful. You could also use any of the tinsel or transparent glittery embossing powders. I have used the Embossing Tinsel - Bridal and then the Holographic and both work beautifully. I wish you could see this in real life, because it is beautiful and it was hard to photograph the effect so it reflected how it really looks. The third picture represents it the best I think.

The Joy is a die cut by Sizzix which came with some embossing folders. I cut it out in cream and then added all the color and doodling to match the bottom of her dress. I then added the bow.


I did the same technique on the outside of the cream part of the card that I did on the image and then added some Stickles to the red edge as well. I punched and made my snowflakes.



This next image is also from Paper Cupcakes and is called "Praise Him". The background paper is a much richer red than it reflects here. I colored the whole image with Bic Mark-its and her skin with copics. I added some pink to the edges of her dress, because I thought it would be a lovely contrast and added some red Stickles at the top of each ruffle. I distressed the edges, because I thought that would give it the feel I wanted.


The leafy vine is a Sizzix die called "branch with leaves". I used 3 of them to make the vine and then used the Martha Stewart punch for the little flowers and punched them in two shades of red, then added the little pearls.



I then added the lace and bow. I really loved how this card turned out and it was my favorite of all four.



These next two cards are quite simple and I try to keep them somewhat flat, or kind of one layered. I colored this image quite a while back in photo shop. It was probably one of my first I tried to do this in. I wouldn't say I was overly pleased with it, but I printed it out back then and so I thought I would just use them to make a few cards for Christmas. They aren't awful, but not great either. I kept these simple and just used my scraps from the other cards. I kind of wish I would had used cream ribbon for this top card to make my bows, but the red looks ok, and shows up a little better than this in real life. I still might add something to this, but not sure what, so I will just sit it aside for now.

This is the exact some image, just printed twice back then. I kept this card somewhat flat as well. I did my Stickles a little different on the vase. I like the above one better, but I do like the design to this second one.

Well, that's it for me for now. All these cards look lovely together here sitting side by side in the red and cream. It was a great color combo and I would encourage you to do something outside of Christmas with it. That is why I did the girl playing the guitar and she turned out so lovely. I can't believe this Thursday is Thanksgiving in the US! Time is just a flying by and and before we know it, it will be Christmas, then the New Year! So it will be a busy busy week, but I am looking forward to it. So, have a great week and thanks for stopping by!

Magical Monday - Glitter, Ribbon & X-mas Card

This week over at the Paper Cupcake's challenge blog, Pat Pedder brings us our challenge. She wants us to use glitter and ribbon and make a Christmas card. Well, glitter and ribbon are some of my favs and I love making Christmas cards. The only thing with this challenge was that I spent a day weeks ago making the cards for these challenges and then the DT cards starting pouring in and I soon realized I didn't use the assigned image; oops! So, needless to say I had to squeeze making this card in in between the basketball games during the tournament this weekend.

I used the freebie image by Paper Cupcakes "Who's Candy", the second time around :o) I colored it with my colored pencils and added some Stickles to it. I placed the hat, gum drops and the lollipop on the left on pop up dots. Punched my snowflakes and added my square rhinestones and the also added some on my ribbon bows. The dp is from one of my small DCWV stacks and the design is also glittery. I also added some liquid glaze on the lollipop that the owl is holding. The pictures are kind of dark, but I was taking them once again at 10:30 at night, so no natural light like I usually have to take them. This is much cuter and brighter in real life.

A big shout out to our Trojans that won the basketball tournament this weekend. The final game was a nail bitter and they ended up pulling it out in the end. Three of our players were named some of the All stars for the whole tournament and our cheerleaders rocked the crowd with their smiles and enthusiasm. As parents we were certainly proud of all the children. These tourneys take a lot of time and commitment and sometimes I dread them, but when I am there and in the mist of the excitement I do truly always enjoy them. Although now the weekend is gone and it is 11:00PM at night once again and my house is a mess, I also made a new recipe in the crock pot to eat when we got home. The children did not like it; Eric and I did. So if you have any great recipes for the crock pot I certainly could use them for basketball season which will be through February, so send them my way in an e-mail!

We also had a great message and powerful witness at church today from a veteran that was injured quite badly in road boom in the Iraq war and was also blinded, made me quite emotional as well. There was also a veteran that played the bagpipes which I might add was just awesome and when he played amazing grace, well, it was just very moving. All in all it was a great day and I have to say I feel very blessed and very exhausted. So, I am finishing up this post and also a glass of wine and then heading for bed to start another day. I am sorry I did not get around to blog hopping, but hope to this week. We only have one game (I think). I have to check the schedule! So, have a wonderful week and if you are adding glitter to your projects, glitter always makes the days better!

OK, I hope this doesn't offend anyone, but I thought this was just too funny! Who knows, maybe I will visit the snowcone stand this winter!

This week over at the Paper Cupcake's challenge blog Debbie Schneider brings us this weeks challenge. She wanted us to make a Christmas card and use non-traditional colors on it. I chose a funny image "A Taste of Christmas" by Paper Cupcakes with purple and brown as my non-traditional colors. This image and sentiment cracks me up every time I look at it, kind of off the wall, but silly non the less. This was really quite simple. I cut my snowflake out in layers from my cricut using the the Winter Wonderland cartridge. I then added the white with my glaze pen and then some Stickles. I think my snowflake is lovely in the purple and brown and so much more prettier in real life. I couldn't find any purple paper that I really liked to go with this so I dotted my purple card stock with white dots using my glaze pen as well. I am not sure who makes the pp in the background it was in my scraps, but it looks like paint flaking off a wooden board to me or if you would crackle something. I then added Stickles to the snowman and snow and then some crystal rhinestones and called it clean, simple, fun and complete. I also colored this image with both my colored pencils and my Bic Mark-its.

I have to laugh at my colored image since I drew it, I just now noticed that I drew one mitten with the thumb up and the other with the thumb down, geeze, why did I do that I wonder? And why did I not notice it while I was coloring it or before now as well as before I turned it into a digi? I will have to go back and fix that image now or otherwise it will drive me nuts!



Well, I colored about 6 images up the other evening after the basketball games and while watching a movie so I am excited to get them onto cards now. So, I hope I can get them completed as well as a few scrapbook pages for our ETG this month.

The days are flying fast now that November and basketball is here which means cheering for Morgan, which means busy for mom as well. I am looking forward to the holidays and hoping to get my shopping done early; well we will see on that, but one can hope can't they? So, thanks for stopping by if you did and please know how wonderfully delighted I am when I get to read any comments left for me. So make it a good week and embrace the joy of the day!

Past Layouts, way past due for posting

Just thought I would post some layouts that I did way back in June and August for the ETG. Sadly I haven't scrapped since then, but these were the last ones I have scrapped and did not post. So, I think I am way over due in getting some more scrapping completed. I do miss it and hope to join in the ETG's November challenges and still do the October ones as well. Wish me luck.

This first challenge we were suppose to do a layout about technology and what it means in your life. Do you depend on your laptop? Can't live without your cell phone? Addicted to your iPod? Tell us about the way technology is woven into your daily life. So the following layout is what I did and it was about my laptop.

The journaling reads:

Meet Toshi. Toshiba that is. Oh did I love her when we first met. She was bright, fast to respond and oh so much ram. Don't get me wrong I still love her, but there are times when I have grown to hate her, well maybe hate is a strong word, so maybe dislike her. She has become demanding on certain days and she has required more of my time. Truly it's not all her fault, in fact it is not her fault at all. Ever since I started my new journey in digital stamps I look at her differently, sometimes with resentment and stress. I use to only connect fun with her. Visiting my favorite sites, blog hopping and all my worldly wonderful friends live in her, so of course I love her for that. She has given me the opportunity of things and ventures of friendships I would never have without her. I love her on days and I hate her, BUT mostly I love her. (I think) :o)



This second layout is of Avery and Storm our kitty. The challenge was to do a layout, any subject, but include a handmade embellishment! This can be anything--but include an embellishment that is handmade (OK if it's not made by you, it just has to be handmade). For extra Points include the color GREEN on your layout somewhere!

I just love these pictures of Avery and Storm. I kind of did a doodle kind of page this time a round. I started with bubble wrap painting my green card stock with the blue with the bubble wrap and swishing some light blue paint across my page where the journaling is. Once I had my pictures down I did the journaling and did the doodling around that. Added some buttons on top of the bubble wrap painting and added my title which is cricut cut. The handmade embellishments are the "D" on the bottom right side which someone else made through a swap in my earlier days at sb.com and I made that simple/crude yellow frame around the picture.

The journaling reads:

You always loved your naps. Today was no different. Whenever you get really sleepy you quietly slip away and then I realize I haven't heard nor have I seen you for a while. So, off I go looking for you. This day I found you fast asleep on your bed with Storm. He too, loves his naps. Needless to say, you both enjoyed a good cat nap together. I just love these kind of magic moments.



This is the lo I did when visiting my friends from sb.com in Ohio. Mindy and Jordan and Robin are from Ohio and Jackie came from London and was visiting her son and daughter-in-law Robin. All of us are part of the ETG over at scrapbook.com. This is the second time I have got to meet Jordan and Mindy. We had so much fun that day I hated to leave. Jackie took this picture in the morning and I scrapped it that evening while there. The lo reflects the kind of day it was, cheery, bright and full of fun!



Well, posting these sure makes me want to scrap today, so maybe I can carve out a little time to do just that.

Thanks to all my fabulous friends that stop by and leave some lovings!

Magical Monday - Lets be Thankful Challenge

This week over at the Paper Cupcakes Challenge Blog Jessie Fitzhenry brings us this weeks challenge. She wants us to make either a "thank you" card or a "Thanksgiving" card. I made both.

For this first card I used the image "Tulips in Bottles" by Paper Cupcakes. I kept this clean and simple as I love this image. I stamped the sentiment which is from Hero Arts in a soft pink. I colored the image with my colored pencils and Stickles the edges of the die. The background paper is from a DCWV stack. Yep, clean and simple. I love the softness to this card.

The next two cards I used the image "Fall Angel; Give Thanks" by Paper Cupcakes. I colored these images with my Bic Mark-its and used some Stickles on some parts of the image which you can't really see. These are really pretty in real life. My mom came over last week and I made these. The idea for this card was in a book she brought with her. The top right side of the card that you see with the pattern paper is actually the inside of the card which I thought was cool. I just cut the front top of the card at an angle which left the left side bottom half attached at the fold. Then you place your image like I did and then the inside paper is what you see behind the image. I should have taken a picture with it open so you could see it better. I will place the sentiment behind where the image sets which will work perfectly. The sentiment on this first card is "Gratitude" and was stamped and I wish I could tell you who's it was, but I am too tired to go look at the moment.

Well, I am thankful for you today for stopping by my little corner of the blog world and even more grateful if you left me some love. I really need to make my rounds again soon, seems like I just can't find enough time to visit everyone like I love visiting, so hopefully in the next week or two I can work a round of blogs in! And wow, can you believe it is now November? Geeze, I am not a big winter season kind of person so November never thrills me, but I do love the Holidays it brings which is the upside! Have a great week and I challenge you to notice things in your life to be thankful for!

Magical Monday...

This week Gloria Westerman brings us the challenge over at the Paper Cupcakes challenge blog. She wanted us to use die cuts on our project. I used the "Asterisks" Cuttlebug die cuts. I have always liked these, but sadly I rarely use them so I decided to pull them out tonight and use them. I am glad I did, because I think they look great layered in the different colors with some stickles on them. I used the image "Girl with Present" by Paper Cupcakes. I colored her with my Bic Mark-its and her skin tone with a copic since Bic doesn't have a great skin tone color. I used a Martha Stewart and Fiskers border punch and my sentiment is computer generated. I also used some pretty photo corners I had hanging out in my stash as well.





Well, we are all feeling much better going into this week and I must say "YIPPEE"! So, here's to a good week! Thanks for stopping by and I hope your week is good as well!

Magical Monday - Tag

This week over at the Paper Cupcakes Challenge blog, Dru Cabral brings us this weeks challenge. She wants us to make a tag of any kind, free range. I personally love making tags, but some people find it challenging because of the space. I made two; an Autumn one and a Christmas one.

The Autumn one I used the image "Pumpkin Cupcake" from Paper Cupcakes and colored it with my Bic-Mark-its and then added some stickles and cut it out. I embossed the background and then added the floral rub-ons added a folded paper strip and a layered flower. I added copper stickles and the folded paper, flower and the edges of the tag. Stamped my sentiment and added the coppery metallic ribbon, some soft fiber and a little leaf. Really pretty quick and easy peasy!

For my Christmas tag I used the image "Holiday Cheer" by Paper Cupcakes. I colored it with my Bic Mark-its as well. I messed her eyes up. I didn't mean to make them all black, but I started talking to Avery and ended up coloring them all black and oh well, so I attempted to fix them with my souffle pens, but now she looks a little odd, but I didn't feel like doing it all over, so it is what it is. I stamped my sentiment, I believe it was one of those you get for a dollar somewhere. I added stickles to the image and punched out my snowflakes from a glitter stack and added jewels to them. The flower, present and candy were out of an opened packet of stickers I had opened. I added pink and purple fibers and added a red bow with a snowflake on that and called it compete. I really like both my tags, well, my owls eyes I am not so pleased with, but let's just write it off as an "oops, I wasn't paying that close attention to my detail at the moment". Sorry about the top two pics being kind of gloomy and dark, but that is because I ended up retaking the pics after I fixed the eyes and it was ummm like 10:00PM and the first ones prior to fixing the eyes I took outside with the natural sunlight.

I believe we are finally passed all the flu! Thank goodness 4 weeks of that stuff is just TOO much. Although now some of this allergy/hey fever stuff has kicked in for me and Avery's asthma. Although, I must say today (Sunday) has been the best I have felt in a long time over this past 4-5 weeks. So I am hoping for a good week!

Well, I would tell you to have yourself a Merry Little Christmas if it was closer to Christmas, but it isn't, so have yourself a merry week, find some joy and count your blessings.

Magical Monday - Frame it out

This week over at Paper Cupcakes Carol West bring us the challenge of framing it out. She wanted us to frame out our image. My images are Deco Flower Vase 2 and Flower Cupcake with Butterfly by Paper Cupcakes. I colored my flower and cupcake with my Bic Mark-its and then I used chalk on the vase and background. I also used some Stickles on my cupcake. I framed out my image with ric-rac and then added some sequins. Kept this fairly simple as I didn't think it needed a lot.



This second card I made in between being sick, it too is very simple and I bet you can figure it all out. :O) The background paper for both cards is from Prima; Sasha Collection.



Needless to say I keep hoping we are over this flu bug, but it seems like it is set on some kind of time release. I was in bed all day again on Saturday, but feel better today, still tired though, so who knows if we are over this or not. I am hoping all the children will be back in school tomorrow, well, except my oldest which was sick Saturday as well, her first round. Let's just say I will be glad when this is totally out of our house, we keep thinking it is and then BAM someone else comes down with a different symptom. Honestly I would just assume get it all at once then different symptoms days apart which is what we have seen happen over this 3 week spread of it being in our home. Well, that's it for me I think I will go lay down for a bit now. Have a good week and thanks for stopping by.

Magical Monday - A Christmas Card, including snowflakes

This week's challenge over at Paper Cupcakes Challenge blog is brought to us by Pat Pedder. With Christmas just around the corner she wants us to make a Christmas card and use some snowflakes somewhere on our card. Well, I love making Christmas cards and I am crazy about snowflakes as long as they are on my cards and not on the ground outside! :O)

I used the image "Snowman with Cane" by Paper Cupcakes which is a new release. I used dp which was scraps for my background and I colored my image in my Bic Mark-its. Athough the snowman's snow was colored with chalks for the softness. I made all my snowflakes with various punches and added some Stickles and a rhinestone in the middle of each. My sentiment is computer generated. Really a quick and easy card.




The following cards I made for the CDAC blog hop. The images are also all new releases from Paper Cupcakes. This first image is "Jingles" and I colored the black and orange with my Bic-Mark-its and used chalk for his tummy, fins and his hat because I just love how chalk just adds such a soft feel. I used scraps for this card as well. It is actually an easel card, but I only took a picture of the main part.


This image is called "Oh Deer, It's Christmas". I must say this is one of my favs. I colored this image with my Bic Mark-its as well. Some think I use copics, but I only own a few skin tone copics because bic does not have a great choice when it comes to skin tones, but I think I am getting really good at blending them. I haven't invested in copics because I just still love the way my Bic Mark-its look.


This image is "Bed Time Stories". I think this image could be used for other things besides Christmas, but I just did a Christmas card since Christmas is just around the corner. I think it would make a great baby card as well. I also colored it with my Bic Mark-its. :o) I kept this card clean and simple


This image is called "Sunflowers in Vase". I love love love using floral images. They are so versatile . I loved coloring this image because sunflowers come in so many colors so I chose to color them in many colors. This too was colored with my Bic Mark-its. I kept this simple as well and used scraps on this card too. Yay me! I think this one is much prettier in real life with the Stickles around the edges and it being so simple as well. I love the torn paper look and it just seemed like the way to go with this image. It just felt kind of rustic.

Well, that's it for me card wise. We have had the flu running though our house for the last 2 weeks going into three. First it was me for 3 days, then Morgan, then Avery ending last week with it. We came home from church yesterday and Eric started coming down with it and has now been in bed since noon yesterday. Rachel came running upstairs about 8:30PM thinking she was going to hurl... but didn't... so hopefully she will make it through the night.... let's just say I am ready for it to be summer again and all this yuck out of our house! OK.. maybe that was TOO much information into my personal life, so if you don't see me around or commenting it is mostly likely I am just way busy in some manner, but please know I love visiting and will hopefully be by sometime in the near future! OK... hoping for a good nights sleep!

So, have a feel good kind of day!

Magical Monday - Be Inspired

This week over at the Paper Cupcake's challenge blog Patti Painter brings us this weeks challenge. It was be inspired by a fall picture. I just love making seasonal cards and I was sick for most of the first part of the week, busy getting new images out for the second part of the week and so Sunday evening, which surprised me that I actually made 3!

My first image is called "Sweet Encounter". I think this is perfect for a little boy like my son who just loves bugs, spiders and anything creepy crawly! I colored it with my colored pencils and chalked my sky. I punched my leaves and added some inks to them and crumpled them all up to give them some leaf like looks. They look more awesome in real life. My sentiment cracks me up and is computer generated.




This image "Too Sweet to Spook" I colored also with my colored pencils and I did my background sky with all chalks as well. I dropped a wet leaf on the right side of the moon, but oh well. I love how this one turned out with the moon and shadows. I made several of those leaves and used them on this card as well. Added a few rhinestones and thought it was cute. The green around the edges is not part of the card. The image actually sticks up past the yellow which is the card base.




For this image "Autumn Solitude" I used color pencils as well. I love adding some pinks and purples to the fall colors so I thought I would switch this card up and add some of those lovely colors. I cut my image out and tore my dp from Dove of East to give it a more interesting look. I love how the black just pops in the background and the moon just looks awesome in the dark sky. I made this into an easel card and added all the flowers to add some interest, texture and color. I also added Stickles around both the edges of the color mats to add some sparkle.




Well, I really liked how all three of these cards turned out this evening and I wish I had more time to make some more, because I felt like my mojo was working well tonight, but my bed is calling and for once I am going to listen to it!

Thanks for stopping by and let me know what you think I always love reading your lovins! If you like any of the images you see here you can head on over to Paper Cupcakes and check out all the images HERE.
Have a Sweet Day!