Beat those winter blues!

Ugg. I am usually a "winter" person for the most part but after having a few teaser days with temperatures near 60, it is really hard to face a day when they return back to the around 35 mark. This wonderful image of Scarlette from Bugaboo makes me feel a little better! Of course I am still green with envy that my mom & sister are flying off to warm Cancun this weekend (lucky dogs!) but I do know summer is just around the corner!

DP: Die Cuts With a View for all but the yellow tone on tone dots, it came for a QVC kit from many yrs ago
Sun, beach balls & sentiments are from The {Stamps} of Life
 I used pencils to color Scarlette & the little beach balls(with glossy accent over top) & chalks for the background

I got the "recipe" for this one from  Sweet Sketch Wednesday
I am also entering it on:
Do You Stack Up? Where the challenge is all about patterned paper
Totally Stampalicious Where the theme is no reason at all/just because

I hope you enjoy & that it helps shake a few of those winter blues!
:) Candi

The face of neglect

My poor hairy baby! He keeps me company & is constantly by my side EXCEPT for when I get busy at my craft desk. He gets bored & wanders into the living room to lay down with his "wubbie". Every now & then he lets out loud sighs just to let me know he knows that I am not paying attention to him. Of course he also knows that if he is good & stays in his spot he will be left in the house usually until very late at night. Sweet thing! Now on to today's creative endeavor!

This one was inspired by the current sketch at Mojo Monday -

this is my first time playing along with them!

Patterned paper is by My Minds Eye, Kaiser Crafts & Carolees Creations, I used CTMH ink in Lagoon for the wings, not sure where I got the brown ink or the bling, and then brown & turquoise cardstock. I cut the die cuts w/ my Cricut Graphically Speaking cartridge. The wonderful butterfly is from the January set at The {Stamps} of Life I stamped the wings lightly on the cardstock & then stamped again using heavier color, fussy cut & then attached just at the base to give some dimension

This card is also for the following challenges:

The Creative Cowgirls where the challange was to use turquoise & black or brown

Do you stack up where the challenge is to use patterned paper

Stamp Fairy Challenge where the challenge is circles

Simple Thank you

I guess you learn something new everyday.. I learned that it is hard to photograph a primarily white card. This one is very simple, went together in a flash & is actually pretty elegant in person. I made it to follow the CPS sketch for the week #202

The stamps are The {Stamps} of Life, the ink is some I picked up at Michael's, pop dot, red & white cardstock & the little black pearl dots are Recollections from Michael's

I punched out the circles & inked edges & then fussy cut the center design & inked those edges as well to help them pop on the white back ground. I am also posting this to Going Grey with Scrap-Creations where the weekly challenge is to use the colors red, black & white

Birthday4Cookie

Wow! Being new to this "blog" thing is a little overwhelming! If I am not careful I am sure I will be spending WAY too much time blog hopping! So many challenges & so many, many wonderful creative blogs out there to check out! Think I am hooked...

OK, with that said, lets get to the fun creative stuff.. These sweet little images are  The {Stamps} of Life from a set called Birthday4cookie, one of my most reached for sets! LOVE it

Close up of present detail

I colored the background & puppy in w/ chalks & used my pencils, some glitter & some glossy accent on the present. DP is Pink Paislee, ribbon is some I picked up at walmart. The little "pearls" are actually dots of glossy accent that I covered w/ glitter while it was wet. Red cardstock has a self stick backing & I believe I got it from QVC many moons ago (again, woo hoo! using up that stock pile!)
The over all "recipe" is from the Sweet Stop Sketch Challenge
I also am entering this fun card to the following challenges:
Stamp Something where the challenge is to stamp something cute (And how cute is that sweet little puppy!!)
Totally Stampalicious color challenge, pink & red

Well, back to work. Lunch goes by way too fast... more to post later tho :)

Catch the Bug Mini Challenges #4 & #5

Wow this week has flown by! So for the last two mini challenges, #4 was to do a birthday themed card. I used my all time favorite color PURPLE & cupcake Dottie who I think is absolutely FABULOUS!!

I used glitter on the frosting of the cupcake & then used glossy accents which I covered in glitter on her ear rings & bow center to add a little extra pizazz

Up Close

You can see it a little better here. Like I said before, I am still trying to figure out this photographing thing. :) I colored her w/ my colored pencils, DP is from Imaginesce, card stock is African Violet by Paper Adventures, the ribbon is a scrap I dug out of my ribbon stash, & I hand wrote the sentiment (not super fond of it) & popped the punched pieces up with a pop dot

And for challenge #5, It was an anything goes challenge, so I threw caution to the wind & tried something new! I have been admiring easel cards on other blogs & finally decided to make one of my own. It's for my mom (Hi mom!) to celebrate her being cancer free for almost 2 yrs now. Plus, pink has ALWAYS been her signature color! tee hee! I am also entering this card for the challenge at Do You Stack Up? where the theme for this week's challenge is Think Pink. I am really starting to dig this!

Too Pink!

Here is my supply list: kraft & white cardstock, I made the back ground paper & "Think Pink" sentiment using microsoft publisher, DP is Making Memories Cheeky Collection- Abby set, ribbon scrap from my stash pile, white brad is Making Memories, and the glitter pen used on her hand bag & flower I believe came from a little set I picked up in the dollar bin at JoAnn Fabrics. When I saw Pink Ribbon Gals at Bugaboo, I instantly just HAD to get one!

Catch the Bug, Mini CHallenge #3

SO for this one we had to use a sketch...My first card made following one & I have to admit I loved it! Gets things flowing right away when you have a "recipe" in front of you to follow. so here is the sketch:

And here is my card:

I used the cutest digi stamp ever called Love and even though one of my goals for this year was to NOT buy any new stuff, how can you resist when it's on sale?! Go visit Bugaboo thru the 22nd & you will find all of her super sweet images on sale for 60% off!!! Yippee!
Now for the rest of my supply list on this one: cardstock in white, black & red, I colored the image w/ my handy colored pencils & chalked the sky & grass w/ a foam sponge, ink- ranger ind distressing ink in fired brick &the black ink was some I picked up at Michaels, the ribbon came from Michaels or Walmart (not sure but am happy to be using my stored up stash!) and the stamps are from the wonderful Stephanie Bernard at The {Stamps} of Life click on the link to check out her FABULOUS clear stamps! You will be glad you did! I know I sure do LOVE them!

Oh boy! It's Freebie Friday!

In my online blog hopping adventures this morning, I have found a site with a chance to win some wonderful glass glitter, find it at Meyer-Imports Woo hoo! This is getting fun! I found them on the Free Digital Stamps blog which has given me one more reason to love Fridays.. FREEBIE FRIDAYS! Yippee! I'm off to find more wonderful & fun things!

Catch the Bug, Mini Challenge #2

So this one was really fun to make! I got to play with the freebie image (you can still grab it here http://catchthebugblog.blogspot.com/ until the end of the week or if you miss it, you can buy it  at Bugaboo ) &  for the challenge play with some bling. Not every day I get to get down & girlie with bling! LOL! So here is what I came up with:


You Make Me SMILE!

 So for the bling, I used some rhinestones from my stash pile that I think I picked up at Michaels, also the dp by DCWV has glitter on the flowers-hard to see in photo I'm still figuring out how to do good photographing my creations, the paper punches are both by EK Success (I think-have had then for a while), I used a Sakura Souffle pen for the flower stems, the ink is Close to my heart in Pear & Dutch Blue & the sentiment stamp is from The {Stamps} of Life I LOVE LOVE LOVE the designs there! If you have never checked them out DO IT! You will love 'em too! And I colored the sweet girl in with my colored pencils. Copics are one of the things on my must try list, just haven't had a chance to put one in my little mitts yet!

Catch the Bug, Mini challenges #1

So it is the first Birthday of Bugaboo Digital Stamps & they are celebrating on their challenge blog with a week long set of "mini" challenges! Woo Hoo! I have just found them & not only am I super impressed with the fun images, it's been a lot of fun playing with a new medium! A new year, a new me trying new things! So here is my first fun creation with the first challenge "Blue & White"

Baby, It's Cold Outside!

I used the image called WINBIRD limb, super cute super chilly little guy. I colored him in w/ my colored pencils, added a little glossy accents & glitter, threw in some blingy snowflakes (by Jolee), some little blingy rhinestones I had picked up at Michael's & the sentiment is a making memories rub-on

Ok, here I go!

So here it is, my very first post... This year instead of resolutions, I set a few goals: #1 be more creative! It is a great stress reliever however it isn't so good on my sleep schedule-always looking up to see its 1 AM! #2 Actually participate in some challenges, calls for submitions, etc (thus the new blog-hard to enter without one!) #3 Use my Cricut more after all I didn't get it to just gather dust & #4 Quit being such a hoarder lol! Actually use my stash of supplies & try not to go on crazy buying binges just to end up adding to a pile that doesn't get touched.

So it is January 20th & so far, so good. New blog CHECK! And thanks to the big birthday bash at Bugaboo, I have created 5, yep 5 cards this week & the only "new" product I used was the super cute freebie they posted for one of the challenges. YAY! Check out all the fun stuff at Catch the Bug. See ya there tomorrow when I actually post photos of my cards. Woo Hoo, no looking back now!