Stampin' Up! party with my neice

My neice, Hannah, is becomming a card maker and I couldn't be happier!  She shares my crafty passion!  A few weeks ago she invited me to a Stampin' Up! party she was having.  It was so much fun and this is one of the cards we made.  So pretty and summery!!  

All supplies are Stampin' Up, of course. 

Thanks for dropping by.
Donelda

Sweet Strawberries and Friends

I adore these hand cut strawberries with the gingham hulls and polka dot flesh!  They look good enough to eat :-) 

The papers are from October Afternoon.  The Kraft base is stamped with the berry from Green Thumb (Papertrey Ink) and the letters are Hero Arts. 

Donelda

Robot Wishes

These little robots are from Denami Designs and are so cute!!  I colored them in using Copic markers and then added the sentiments (from Paper Tray - Papertrey Ink).  The speech bubbles are from a small g Studio set I found at Michaels.  The paper is BasicGrey.

So quick and easy yet cute and colorful!! 

Donelda

Orange Flower Blossoms

This is another one of those cards that I did for a challenge but then didn't get it photographed and uploaded in time.  The challenge was the layout.  I thought it was a very interesting layout and wanted to stretch myself with it.  I've looked to see if I can find it ... but I can't, sorry.  In the end, it ended up a very clean and simple card.

The flower and stem (from Bird Watching - Papertrey Ink) was stamped repeatedly on top of each other to create the tall border.  Then I colored them in with Copic markers.  I really like how it looks .. like it is a long vine climbing up the wall of a house.  The sentiment is a perfect addition (from Garden of Life - Papertrey Ink).
Hope you are blooming where you are planted!!
Donelda

Upcoming Project

I am back home, again, from a working trip.  It is nice to be home!!  I love my home!!

I am sure that many of you have seen t!m holtz's Configurations products.  Well, the other day at work I spotted this beauty sitting on top of my co-worker's filing cabinet.  When I inquired about it she said she was going to throw it out!  I snatched it up and plan to create something wonderful out of it!! 

Guess you'll have to just wait and see!!

Have a great Day!!

Donelda

April Image Swap cards

Yup, I ended up with 2 cards!  And the reason is because I forgot to use the lovely white ribbon and silver cord that Joanna was nice enough to include!!  Sheesh, I'd forget my head if it wasn't attached (and anyone who knows me knows that that is really the truth!! LOL)

Enjoy both and don't forget to check out our whole gallery over on SCS that you can link to HERE.

Donelda

A Moo or Two - Easter

When I saw the latest challenge for the Moo or Two site I knew I needed to pull out this smARTworks set!  It is my favorite for Easter cards! 

Here are my moos.  I stamped the images onto kraft cardstock and then colored them in using my Prismacolor pencil crayons!  Not sure why but I love to do that with these images becuase the bunnies are so fun to color in white!  Added a few strips of designer paper.  The swirls are a Memory Box stamp a bought a few years ago and seem to forget about!

Off to see what everyone created for the last challenge (too bad I was away - script would have been fun!) and for this one so far!

Have a great Sunday!
Donelda

One Layer Wednesday (OLW) 49 - Pink and Green + Unused Stamps

Jennifer set the One Layer Wednesday #49 challenge this week:  "Make a one-layer card with any stamp (or stamps) that have never seen ink and include the colours green and pink."

I bought this Gel a Tins set called French Country Postage a few years ago at a neighbor's garage sale for a steal of a price but have yet to use any of the images in the set.  Great time to pull it out for this girly card.  The double square image and the crown were both in the set.  The sentiment comes from Everyday Classics (Papertrey Ink Anniversary Set) which has seen limited ink and this particular sentiment has never been used. 

I added a bit of Studio g glitter glue on portions of the crow for a bit of sparkle!

Thanks Jennifer for a great challenge to get me back in the card making mood!!
Off to see what everyone else did!

Donelda

Wishing You Sunshine

I haven't seen sun since leaving Florida almost a week ago!!   It has been too cloudy and windy here!!  So, I finished up this card that I have been slowly working on.  It is almost a direct copy of THIS CARD that Katrina Werner did a few weeks ago.  I loved it and knew I had to give it a try! 

Stamp sets: Laughter (American Crafts), Scattered Showers (Papertrey Ink)

I hope this brings a little sunshine to both me and you!!

Have a great weekend!!

Donelda

Blue Bird Wish

The images on this card are from the Laughter set by American Crafts.  Such cute little animal images.   The sentiment is from Wishing You... (Papertrey Ink) and the background leaves are from the ever popular Turning a New Leaf (Papertrey Ink).  See the little strip of scalloped polkadots - such a fun addition to the card.  That paper is Papertrey Ink's Distressed Dots paper except I haven't acutally bought any yet but PTI lets you "try before you buy".  If you go to their store, click on patterend paper, then any paper and go to the bottom, there is a spot that will let you download some small samples of the actual paper.  I LOVE that PTI does this!!!  Another reason they are one of my favorite companies!!

Thanks for dropping in today. 
Donelda

Masculine Globe Birthday

A friend of mine requested a card for her brother.  She was rather specific about what she wanted.  You see, her brother is a geographer, collects globes, and travels the world.  She wanted something that would "go with all that". 

So, being without any specific globe stamps I turned to clip art.  I found this one that I thought I could use.  Printed it off and then watercolored it.  It was tricky as I could not color the printer ink.  Next, I sponged some Antique Linen and Walnut Stain Distress Ink (Ranger) around the edges.  I then stitched around the panel with my sewing machine and then added the sentiment with brass brads. 

I really like the end result ... and she did too!  I'm so glad.  I am often very worried that others will not like what I create for them. 

Well, thanks for visiting.
Donelda

Back from Florida

Hi Everyone.

Sorry for my absence around here but my family and I were away to Florida for a sunny week of vacation!!  We had a wonderful time visiting some of the parks there.  I would highly recommend the Wizarding World of Harry Potter to anyone who loves all things Harry!  I was truely amazed at the attention to detail in this park!  It is simply beautiful!!  (however a caution note, it is also very crowded due to the interest!! but we loved it anyway).

So I return home and see that I was linked over on the Moxie Fab World site!  Are you kidding ... how exciting is it that Cath thought one of my cards was worth featuring on her site!  Wow, that is cool! 

Well, I am home now and hoping to get back here doing the blog thing.  It might take me a few days to get back in the swing of things so please make sure you return to visit!!

Have a great day!
Donelda

Enjoy the Moment

I picked up a great package of clear stamps from Maya Road.  I am a big MR fan as their products are always top notch!!

Pulled together this quick card using the cute polka dot tree!  The shadow is a "stamp" I created myself out of left over rubber from some other set that you need to cut out. 

The striped paper comes from one of my new Campfire paper by October Afternoon.  The colors are so yummy!! 

Thanks for dropping by!
Donelda

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