Mother's Day Tulip

Yup, at the rate I'm going I figure I'd better get some Mother's Day cards made now so they are ready to go in May.  Work has become very busy for me and I haven't had much time for blogging. 

I adore tulip stamps and this image from Hero Arts is no exception.  It is simple to color in using Copics as I've done here since the shading is already there with the image. 

I added some lovely pink ribbon that I recieved from a swap (thanks Secret Sister!).  The papers come from Stella and Rose papers by My Mind's Eye.  I really like all the pretty colors on the scallop strip along the side. 

I don't use vellum too much but decided to pull some out and add a half circle and do some heat embossing. 

This card will likley go to my mom ... no concerns about her seeing it, she doesn't have a computer :-)

Well, have a wonderful day! 
Donelda

Stupendous Scene

I saw this stamp used on a card by the most talented Kim Crawford and knew I had to have it! 

I colored the image in with my Prismacolor pencil crayons.  Added lots of vibrant color and did a bunch of shading.  Nice to get back to using them again.  They are still my favorite medium for coloring.

Then added some of the BasicGrey papers I bought a while ago.  I didn't add a sentiment but I still might. 

I have 1 of the other scenes also that I have stamped and hope to get colored to create with soon. 

Hope you have a great day!
Donelda

Make a Moo or Two - Robots

Well, here I am back to the "old ways".  Yup, these Moos were made for the Make a Moo or Two challenge that was posted March 4th.  I had started them and then my life took a crazy turn for "the busy" at work and I didn't have a chance to get them posted by the posting date.  However, when I dropped in to the site today to see what the new challenge was ... I was sad to see that there isn't any for a bit and that no one participated in the robot challenge!  That makes me sad :-(  !!!   I love making Moos!!  If you do too, please make sure you head over and give some love and encouragement!! 

This first stamped image is from the Robots set by Recollections sold at Michaels.  His is so cute!  I colored him in with Copics and then covered him with Glossy Accents to make him metallic looking! 

This second moo has almost no stamping, only the sentiment (from Mixed Messages, Papertrey Ink).  This paper made it easy to create a great moo!  I carefully cut a piece of scrap to make sure this orange robot was in just the spot I needed him.  Then, I colored him in with Copics and added the Glossy Accents!  Super Simple. 

I believe I will save these two scraplings to give to my wonderful son when he needs a little reminder of how wonderful he is!! 

Don't foget, drop over to the Make a Moo or Two site and let Carole you are ready to make some moos!! 

Thanks for dropping in.  I am hoping to be more active in the coming weeks ... crossing my fingers!

Donelda

Image Swap - Imke's March Image

This is the image we recieved for an image swap I am in over on SCS.  Isn't this the cutest little thing!!  Imke also sent the little sun charm with the images to make the challenge even more fun!!

I decided to color this gal in using my new Copic markers.  That was a ton of fun.  I started with her yellow hair and then decided to go with purple!  The addition of the ginham paper was required as I love it so much!  I added some yummy blue sparkles to her wings!! 

You can check out all the other creations at our March Gallery.

Thanks for dropping by. 

Just so you know, my life is a bit crazy these days at work.  I hope to get back to posting more regularly but it might be another few weeks before that can happen.  Thanks for understanding.

Donelda

Pet Sympathy

Okay, so I thought creating sympathy cards was hard enough but recently I was requested to create a sympathy card for a lady whose dog was dying and another lady whose horse was dying.  That, combined with the fact that I don't actually own any dog stamps (we are cat fans in our house) and no horse stamps either.  Luckily, I happened to find this horse image that I had stamped one time I was at a friends house (about 3 years ago).

So for the dog card, I happened to have a dog paw punch.  I decided to use it to create paw prints across the front.  The sentiment is created with my computer and printed onto some linen vellum (Papertrey Ink).  Inisde says "Giver of unconditional love. With sympathy for the loss of your pet"






For the horse sympathy card, I used this horse image that had been stamped a few times on vanilla cardstock.  I adhered it onto a few layers of designer paper and stitched around the edges with brown thread.  I added the sentiment "friend" (from Paper Tray, Papertrey Ink).  Inisde says the same as the dog card. 





These were so hard to make but I think I was able to get pretty creative and I like the understated simplicity of them.  Let's hope I don't have to make any more of these!!  So sad!!

Thanks for dropping in.
Donelda

Yes, you've seen this before

I have been thinking of doing this for a while now.  Yes, most of you have probably seen this before .... think about it .... mmmmm, why does it look so familiar????????? 



think about it........






think about it ......





so familiar ......

Yup....it's my windows backdrop.  Every time I turned on my computer I kept seeing those 4 squares of color and thought how cool it looked with the white images on top ..... so I gave it a go. 

What do you think??!!

Enjoy your day!
Donelda

Woodgrain circle panels

Here is another card I've created using up scraps from my bin. 

The woodgrain circles were punched from a piece of carstock that was block colored with different PTI colors and then stamped over top with woodgrain image (Hero Arts).  The circles are adhered on top of a strip of white cardstock that was stamped with the woodgrain image and then sponged with a lighter brown. 

Love that woodgrain!!!  Obviously!!

Thanks for dropping in to my little piece of the www!!
Donelda

Papertrey Ink - Make It Monday #4 - Fun Foam

The latest Make It Monday #4 challenge on Nichole Heady's blog is to use Fun Foam!  Wow, I wasn't even sure I had any left around here.  A while back we cleaned out my sons craft bins to make room for newer toys and, in the end, got rid of a bunch of foam and popsicle sticks and feathers and other such things!!  However, I did find some foam snowflakes that are so pretty that I remember thinking "I just can't part with these".  Good thing because they came in handy today!! 

This card is extra large (91/4 x 4) and fits a business sized envelope.  This way we can insert our Christmas letter into the card next year.  This might become my Christmas card for 2011 ... it was very quick and easy to create and I have a ton of those flakes left!  Mmmmmmm.......

I am off to see what everyone else did now.  I know I will find a ton of inspiration!! 

Have you used an "odd" item to make a card lately??  If so, link it up, I'd love to see it!!

Thanks for droping by.  And thanks to you guys who comment, I love reading your thoughts!!
Donelda

Dotty Hi

(note - sorry again for the poor quality of color - still working on fixing the lighting problem in my computer room)

I adore Heather Nichols' mug fromt he Warm Happiness stamp set (Papertrey Ink).  And I think it goes so well with the Distressed Dots paper also put out by Papertrey Ink. 

With this simple "hi" sentiment, this card could be used for any occasion!! 

Thanks for dropping buy today.  Hope you get some stamping time today!
Donelda

Watercolored Daffodils

This image has been stamped and sitting in my "to use" bin for a while.  I had gotten some yellow ink outside the flowers as I was watercoloring a different image.  I knew I'd still be able to use the image in some way.  I decided to paint the daffodils in yellow (twinkling H2Os) and add a smidgen of orange to the inside portions of the petals.  Then I added more of the yellow around the daffodils so the original yellow outside the lines looked like it was on purpose ... LOL!  There are no mistakes in art ... right??!!  Then, I carefully added some blue ink around the yellow to create the effect of the sky with the yellow daffodils being so brilliant in the bright blue sky.  The effect in real life is pretty good. 

The rest of the card is pretty straight forward!  See the visual triangle I created with the ribbon.  I adhered just a small fold of it under the main image panel. 

A bit about this image.  It comes from Impression Obsession.  I recieved it from Dina (from Mama Dini's Stamperia) who had heard that I was looking for a good daffodil stamp as they are my favorite flower.    Wasn't that just the sweetest thing!! 

I believe that crafty folks are some of the nicest people in the world :-)

Thanks for dropping by.  Have a great day!
Donelda

Easter Chick

I am in a swap with a few ladies on SCS called a Secret Sister swap.  It is so much fun!  We don't swap cards, we swap supplies for cards.  In my most recent package I recieved just about everything you see here .. the image, the doily (that is a PTI die cut doily folks -- oops, I just had word that this is a different company die), and the designer paper.  Can you believe all that goodness!!  I colored the image with my copics.  I even took a photo of all the ones I used in case you wanted to know.  It was fun to have some new lighter colors which made coloring the image in much easier!!

This card will go to my mom for Easter!  It was so much fun to create! Thanks so much Secret Sister!!!  I am enjoying all the fun items you are sending.

Thanks for dropping in for a visit today. 

Donelda

One Layer Wednesday (OLW) - Music

The One Layer Wednesday #43 challenge this week was given by Jennifer and it is all about Music.  Well I looked and there were only 2 stamp options I had.  Both were just small images so I decided I had to be creative.  Sadly, my final result is simply pathetic!! Yuck!!  So I cut it up and added some layers and that helped .. a tiny bit!!  Sheesh!  I might just take a second stab at it later this week.  I took a close up as I added some holographic embossing powder to the frame to try to spice it up a bit ...

Here is the close up and the "adjusted" card:

Thanks for dropping in.  I've got lots of inspiration for you in the coming week so make sure you drop back in for a visit.

     Donelda

Clean and Simple (CAS) 107 - Make Your Own Background

The Clean and Simple #107 this week was a very intersting one ... make your own background.  I thought lots about my options and decided to go with a ink direct to paper technique. 

Using my Color Q inks (Hero Arts) I swiped 2 colors of blue, green, and yellow inks across a piece of white cardstock.  Then I stamped over them (Rustic Branches, Birds of a Feather, Out on a Limb sets, all from Papertrey Ink) in Chocolate Chip ink (SU!).

I kept the card very Clean and Simple to keep the focus on the background.  Just a few brads and dimensional foam tape. 
                                                     
Thanks to all of those who leave comments.  I appreciate it so much!

Donelda

Popsicle Smile

This was such a fun card to make!!   Last week you saw all my new products ... this was one of those images from one of the gStudio sets.  I acutally cut the senitment from the iamge (I know ...gasp!!) and then stamped the popsicle repeatedly along a light pencil line.  Then I colored them in with my Copics, added the sentiment, some ribbon, and a bit of matting. 

For some interest, I added some Glossy Accents (Ranger) on top of each to make them glossy like a real icy treat! 

This card meets the challenge over on Marks Finest Papers - which was to make a card using FOOD. 

Mmmmmmm, these guys are making me want an orange popsicle ... my favorite!!

Thanks for visiting!

Donelda

PTI - Make It Monday #3 - Glitter Strips - Apple Well

This week's Make It Monday #3 on Nichole Heady's blog is to use glitter strips with sco re tape.  Here is my creation -- proudly made with all scraps (with the exception of the card base).  Yup, all those components you see were in my "bin" so I used them LOL!! 

All supplies are Papertrey Ink unless indicated - Stamps: Teacher's Apple, Wedding Day, Vintage Picnic; Ink - Pure Poppy, New Leaf; Paper - Pure Poppy; Other - glitter (Stampin' Up!), dimensionals.

I can't wait to see what this coming MIM #4 is going to be!!

Thanks for dropping in.
Donelda

Thinking of You - Deer Scene

Another scene card this time created using the adorable set called Laughter (American Crafts).  The animals in the set are adorable.  And see that sun and cloud, they are also a stamp in the set which lends to creating cute little scenes like this one.

The frame that is around the scene (which is a greenish-yellow color in real life!) was an item from my scrap bin ... something that I was going to use on another card and decided not to at the time.  I think it looks great here around little Bambi. It is up on dimensionals! The sentiment is from Beyond Basic Borders (Papertrey Ink).  I created the grass by flicking color on the bottom with a Copic marker (YG95). 

This card could be used for many occasions - love creating cards like that!!

Have a great day today!!
Donelda

A Boy and His Dog - Paper Piecing

Good evening everyone.  I wanted to use some of the new stuff I bought and to participate in one of the Moxie Fab challenges that are going on right now.   I haven't done some paper piecing lately and I knew this October Afternoon stamp set called Kite Tales would work perfectly.  This little boy and his dog are adorable!!  Going through all the designer paper that I have gathered in an attempt to use some (for a change) I decided to us the Mellow 6x6 pad (BasicGrey).  I choose 4 of the patterns - stripes (for his shirt), brown solid (for his pants), green solid (for his speech bubble), and cloud page (for the background).  The sentiment is from Mixed Messages (Papertrey Ink)  See

that awesome grass ... it is a piece of Banana Leaf Festive paper by Creative Imaginations.  It is the coolest stuff ... soft and green and flexible!  I fringed it and then smooshed it all around the boy and dog's feet. 

This was a FUN card to create. 

Thanks for dropping in.  Off to see what others paper pieced for the challenge.

Donelda

New Toys!!

Hey Everyone! 

I was a very bad girl this past weekend LOL!!  You see, I have been trying to not spend money on supplies since I have so many that I could craft for a century and not run out!  However, I went to my local scrapbook store yesterday ... specifically to pick up a new t!m holtz ruler (do not try to clean sticky glue off the back of this ruler .... the grid will come off ... don't ask how I know!).  And guess what ... they were out of rulers.  So, I just decided to browse a little .. and there were so many beautiful papers on sale ... and they just jumped into my basket (don't ask why I was holding a basket) .. and then some sale stamps jumped in to join them ... and a few other items jumped in too and they weren't even on sale ... sheesh!  I came home with a whole bunch of goodies! 

I decided to share it all with you!   I have no idea how to edit or upload a video so I just decided to go with photos .... here you go if you are intested:

Starting out with some adorable Studio g samps.  They aren't the best quality but these 4 sets with small images really caught my eye.  They are adorable.  Remember you should be able to click on an image to see it larger -- then you can see how cute these images are!

A few images from Stampendous.  Before Christmas I had purchased another scene one from them because I adored the card Kim Crawford made.  I think this scene is different from the other one! LOL!

And as many of you know, I have a very limited supply of Copics!  So few that for some of my colors I can't really blend.  so, I decided to pick up a few light colors to go with my purple, pink, yellow, orange, and burnt sienna colors.  This was probably one of the reasons my bill was SO MUCH ... they babies are so expensive!!

 Here is a cute image from The Stamp Barn, a new to me company.  I adore tulips and have big plans for this adorable image!!

 And I can't pass up 50% off Hero Arts Stamps ... that's half price people!!  Can you believe it??!!  See that tulip in there...love it!!  And I had almost bought those lieelt animals before when they were full price .. so glad I didn't!!  Did I mention how much I love giraffes too ... see that adorable guy in there (that makes 3 giraffe stamps now ... probably enough ... right??!!)

I have plans to make something special for ds's awesome teacher with this stamp!! Been trying to find just the right image.

 I actually picked these up at Toys R Us .. they are adorable gourmet lollipops. Inside each is  apretty image, like a flower or a bunch of grapes.  When I saw them I had a brilliant idea ... stay tuned to see what I do with them in the future!!

 And I couldn't make myself go by the Spellbinders wall without throwing these into my bin (or should I say they jumped in!!).  I have always wished I had a longer skinnier die for longer sentiments and these will be perfect.  Not sure about you but I personally like the original dies they made ... the newer ones are just too ornate for me!!

And don't forget, I had been there in the first place to buy a t!m holtz ruler ... so when I was standing in front of that section, these products just jumped from the shelves!!  I've been dying to try the crackle paints (got white and rock candy) and I am sadly short of purple inks in my supplies so this dusty concord was a must ...right??!!

And one more stamp set came home with me...this adorable October Afternoon set called Kite Tales. I really liked the little boy and the puppy dog (I have only 1 dog image in my stash).  and besides this guy was 75% off ... what's a girl to do??!!

And now.... on to the beautiful, lushious papers .....

 I think BasicGrey was brilliant to bring out a line of Basics!  And when I saw them in 6x6 pads I jumped up and down with a little bit of a scream.  I have been asking my LSS to bring in small pads (6x6 or 8x8) for a while now ... nice to see they listened.  So, how does one decide to get the Kraft, Manilla, or White ... one can't so she buys all three!!  LOL!!

 And then there is teh Origins collection ... at 50% off the regular price .. just couldn't pass it up!  Again, lots of greens and browns and yellows ... perfect for masculine flavoured cards. 

 and they had the Curio Paper Pad which is very interesting.  There is a black frame around each sheet ... interesting.  I'm not sure if I like that or not ... I didn't notice it when I was at the store (you can imagine the flurry of action as these items were jumping into my basket as I tried to restrain them onto the shelves ... no wonder I didn't notice ...)

And I just had to get this Olivia pad of paper ... I had the Oliver pad in there for a moment but in a second of strength put it back and decided to stick with the one which I liked the most patterns. 

 This is a newly released product (released during CHA).  I don't often buy My Minds Eye paper but I saw it on Kristina Werner's blog and thoguht it would be fun to have.  Besides there is doily papers in each pack and they are so the rage right now!

And I am loving this Cosmo Cricket paper pack .. the colors are awesome, red, yellow, blue, and chocolate paired with a vanilla color!  They are all very vintage looking ... mmmmm, not my typical style.  Should make for some interesting projects!

And now on to a new growing passion ... October Afternoon ....

 These must not sell well at my local LSS as I keep seeing them on sale so I keep picking them up ... and I am in love with the awesome images on the pages.  This first pad is Campfire:

 like these adorable trees....

 and there are always some basic patterns like this red with white polka dots....

 and these great bold bright stripes ....

and check this page out ... it totally reminded me of the Hundred Acres Wood from Winnie the Pooh.  I have lots of projects in mind for these papers!

And I also found the pad called Seaside ... perfect for this water loving family!!!

 These bright, wide stripes are awesome ....

 and some barn wall pattern ... and it is in red too....

 and these great red and white stripes are to die for ...

Well, I hope I have not bored you to tears!   Now I'm off to do some creating with it all .... what fun!!
Have a great week!
Donelda