Be Scary- Early Halloween card

Karen's Doodles Kitty Kat Image:

Freebie on Facebook!

Join the Karen's Doodles Group on Facebook and this little cutie will be yours!

The only requirement is that you commit to use the image and post your creation to their group!

It seems that some people in USA are unable to view the image in the group, but can go to Doodle Divas and request it there... and post your creation in that challenge!

This project also qualifies for the Meljen's Designs Color Challenge, Brown, Teal and Orange

The card design is from SVG Cuts, September Scenes Stand Up Cards

I'm also going to submit this to The Order of the Opus Gluie, Not So Ordinary BLOG HOP!!
This is the first time I've ever added anything with that much texture, and using straw was a jump for me!
While others create with "stuff" all the time, this was really a leap outside my comfort zone!


Paper is all from Colorbok, Rustic Earth Tones Pack.

Here's the Order of the Opus Gluei Blog Hop! Have fun!!

Back to School, all Cricut

Only 5 more days til School Starts!

Our boys go back next Wednesday, the 25th! Kinda weird, actually! They go back for a few days, then have a vacation weekend for Labor Day! The school system in NC is quite a bit different than what I was used to living up North, but both my boys LOVE school and do very well, so I guess it works!

For the first time in awhile, I have made a card that is Completely Cricut!!

The apple and tag are from K Andrew Designs and cut BEAUTIFULLY!

I love that it was downloaded, opened in SCAL and cut... no editing needed!

The card is from SVG Cuts, the Breezy Backyard Lever Cards Kit

I've used LOTS of their "Freebies" but finally bit the bullet and purchased a kit!

WOW! WOW!! WOW!!!

Talk about easy-peasey!! Open the file and import into SCAL and cut, cut, cut!

Everything is already perfectly sized and proportioned and all the "Extras" really make it worth the purchase price!

The paper for this card is DCWV Grade School Stack. It's tough to photograph, but the papers are all glittered and textured! FUN! FUN!! FUN!!!

I'm going to enter this into a challenge at Delightful Challenges by Louby Lou. Typically, they ask (but do not require) that one of their images are used, but the challenge is a Back To School using Primary Colors, so this fits!

The challenge at Digi Doodle Shop's Best is Anything Goes, so I'm entering there too!

Over at Bugaboo Stamps, the Catch the Bug Challenge is Back to School and there's a chance to win Bugaboo Stamps!

Blowing "out" the Candles

This card fits the Karen's Doodles Animals Challenge

and

the Latte Lounge Digi Day Group Recipe Challenge

Matroyska Doll Card

This cute Matroyska Doll was created by Tracey Malnofski

at The Stamping Boutique

She is running a Month-long challenge.

The prize for participation in each challenge is

the next doll in the set!

There are a total of 4 in the set!

I goofed up!

The challenge for this week was to use Kraft Paper...

I forgot to put on the swirls I cut out of Kraft and ran out of time!

{oops}

The design of this card was also

somewhat inspired byMeljen's Designs.

Their challenge this week is "I See Double"

using the same image twice!

Matroyska Dolls, also sometimes called "Nesting Dolls"

are very popular, especially in Russia

and are prized gifts!

Hope everyone is having a great day!

Back to School, Clean and Simple

Reading Fairy Card

Back to School is all about Reading!

The image is called "Reading Fairy" and came from Elizabeth O. Dumlemba

This is my favorite Dr. Seuss saying of all time!

I tried a few new things for this one and I'm pretty pleased with how it worked out.

It's a modified version of the sketch from Card Patterns

I'm also going to post it a few other places, like:

Olive Juice Studio, August Challenge

She didn't make it easy this month. There are FIVE requirements to enter

and I really had to think about how to put it all together.

But that's what a challenge is about, right?

The Dirty Details:

1.  Your project must include a stamped image – it can be a rubber, clear or digital stamp image OR it may include a clip art image. (CHECK!)

2.  It must include at least one Cricut cut. (CHECK!- used Cricut to cut scalloped circles & squares)

3.  It must include fiber, a ribbon or fabric somewhere in the project. (CHECK!)

4.  It must include at least one piece of bling – such as a bead, pearl, gemstone, glitter, etc. (CHECK! - see pretty wings?)

5.  It needs to include at least one patterned paper. (CHECK!- notice the starry, starry night)

and

The Latte Lounge, Glitter it Up

Sentimental Sundays, Anything Goes

Paper Playtime, Challenge #11, School Days

Sisterhood Of Crafters,  Back to School Time

Happy Birthday, Stamping Boutique!

Congrats and Happy 1st Birthday to Tracey M and all my friends at The Stamping Boutique!

May the next year be just as much fun!

Here's my 3-D tribute to your logo.

I loved this little guy the first time I saw him!

I am posting this at:

The Latte Lounge

The Stamping Boutique at Papercraft Planet

Recipe For Happiness Card

How fun is this Meljen's Freebie?

Both the image and the sentiment were actually FREEBIES!

The tomatoes, well, they were "sorta" free...

I made them from a coloring picture in Inkscape and

cut them out with my Cricut!

Same with the "punch" border...

I made that by using the "Interpolate" function in Inkscape with a simple heart

then made a copy, flipped it, moved it down

and used "union" to add the rectangle strip in the middle.

The shimmery papers:

the background (with the cutlery) is from Colorbok ($5 Walmart pack!!)

the tomatoes and other trim are actually

pieces cut from a Christmas Gift Bag I found in my closet!

The green is super-irredescent and is like a hologram

(turn it different ways and different colors show)!

Super-fun!

Here's the sketch for the Meljen's Challenge:

And the color scheme inspiration

Red, Green, Cream and Purple

came from Kaboodles Doodles

As always, thanks so much for visiting!

With Wordpress, I cannot add a "Follow Me" widget

but I can use "Networked Blogs", which goes thru Facebook...

Or you can click "Sign Me Up" and you will receive an email

whenever there is a new post...

Honey Bunches Easel Card

I think this is my favorite card, ever!

The beehive originally came from Little Scraps of Heaven Designs

The image and sentiment came from Meljen's Designs

The springy bees came from Critters1DC font by Dingbat Crazy

Everything is colored with Crayola pencils and Zig markers.

The honeycomb embossing is a Fiskars Plate run thru my Big Kick.

The globs of "honey" are hot glue dots

to hold up the easel.

The shiny wings are glitter glue.

I used Inkscape to create an outline of the bees and image

which I cut with my Cricut for a "base" layer.

The springs are from a wire-edged ribbon.

I just pulled out the wire, wrapped it around a paint brush,

then hot-glued it between the bees and the "base" layer

on the springy bees

and between the layers of the card base.

That's it, I think!

When the bees wiggle, it is SO fun!

In real life, this is so super-cute! (-:

I'll be submitting this one to:

Meljen's Challenge #17, an Easel Card

Stamp, Scrap & Doodle Saturdays, Use any Digital Image

Crafty Cardmakers Spotlight Challenge, Easel Card

Digi Doodle Shop's Best: Anything Goes

Your Next Stamp: Easel Card

Papertake Weekly Challenge: Cutie Patootie

Enjoy the Small Things, thank you card

Whew! For some reason, this card took me all week to put together!

The challenge at Crafty Sentiments Digital Designs was to use THREE papers

and for some reason, I had a lot of trouble with this one!

I finally decided on 3 papers from DCWV.

I created the sentiment/wordart in Inkscape.

Thank you to Paulette at Create with TLC for the Inspiration.

She has been posting FREEBIES all week

and gave me enough encouragement to try to make one myself.

I think it turned out OK and fit with this card!

I took the picture outside, so it's SUPER-BRIGHT!

The Sunshine is a Cricut cut from Doodlecharms.

I cut it out of "Peel & Stick Glitter Foam"

that I picked up at Walmart.

The Challenge this week at Bitten by the Bug 2

was to create a card that includes:

fall colors, a Cricut cut and a Stamp.

The ADORABLE image was my "Special" Freebie

from Paula at Tales from Pollycraft.

What a SUPER-GREAT challenge this was!

Use the new, exclusive FREEBIE in a new GREEN card.

Post it.

GET A NEW FREEBIE!

YAY!

And the new image was awesome to work with!

Maybe the reason it took so long to put together

is that I decided to follow a sketch

from Crafty Sentiments

I turned it on its side for this card.

Trying to figure out a layout with THREE papers

with fall colors

and that cute image

and my sentiment

plus a Cricut cut

was quite a challenge.

But that's what CHALLENGES are for, right?

And I think I pulled it off well enough

to submit my entry into those 4 challenges!

INSIDE:

Inside this card is a special SURPRISE!

Last week, at SVG Cuts they were giving away

a pop up cards SVG kit with any purchase.

I loved the look and style,

so created one similar in Inkscape.

Here is the SVG file I created.

Here is the SCUT file I created for Sure Cuts A Lot.

I used a font called "Bobo", which is similar to "Hobo" but it was FREE!

Quick recap:

So, I am entering this card in the following 4 challenges:

Crafty Sentiments, Challenge 27 (sketch)

Tales from Pollycraft (Flash your Freebies, Part 2)

Crafts and Love (3 Papers)

and

Bitten By the Bug 2 (fall related, including a Cricut cut and a stamp)

WISH ME LUCK (-:

What's Cookin', Good Lookin'?

There are a lot who contributed to this card.

The image is from Karen's Doodles.

The sketch design is from Karen's Doodles.

The color scheme came from The Sisterhood of Crafters.

The embossing, pop-dotting, and string are

"touchy feely" for The Creative Cottage.

The sentiment is for

The Order of the Opus Gluei.

The scalloped circle came from Kay's 09 Kutups font.

It is a gatefold card.

Here are pictures of the middle and inside:

Pollycraft Bold and Bright

Pollycraft Designs is having a super-fun challenge this week!

She is calling it "Flash Those Freebies" and

anyone who uses one of her previously posted freebies

will receive a Brand New, Never Released Freebie that is a SECRET!!

She is asking anyone who receives this SPECIAL RELEASE via email

to keep it a secret for a fun project yet to be announced!

My curiousity got the better of me and I HAD to participate!

The theme of the current challenge is BOLD AND BRIGHT!

I'm pretty sure I got that covered!

The image is (obviously) a Pollycraft Design Freebie.

Her name is Flo!

The paper is from a stack called Frutti Fusion from The Angel Company.

The flower stickies are from Colorbok.

I colored her with Zig markers (the brightest, boldest colors I could find).

Of course, I didn't realize the bottom strip of

background paper was crooked

until I took the picture!  {sigh}

Come on over to Pollycraft Designs and join in on the fun!

I can't wait to see what Paula comes up with next!

I have also entered this card at:

The Crafty Pad: Challenge 80: Inspirational Colors from a Photo

Diggin' Dog Birthday Card

I love this dog!

He is a creation of Meljen's Designs

This was a super-simple card to make, but it was fun

because my little boy had a "Kids Challenge" to enter so

we spent the morning together creating!

I will post his creation

on the blog he shares with his brother.

The newest challenge at Crafty Sentiments

is a color challenge using

Green, Yellow and Brown

The timing was perfect, since I had already decided I was going to do Something with that image~ (-:

The inside of this card is posted HERE

along with a FREE SVG that includes a Dog Bone and a Bow.

I have also entered this card in a challenge at

The Sisterhood of Crafters: Man Card

Card Positioning Systems: CPS 176

Sentimental Sundays: Challenge #12: For Men

A Card for Bella

From Cheribella's Blog:

Bella Tucker is an 8-year-old girl who attends South School Elementary in Londonderry, New Hampshire.  Bella came down with a near fatal infection on Easter Sunday. Doctors gave little hope for this third graders’ survival, but after five days in a coma she miraculously survived.
Unfortunately, her survival from this infection was not without significant cost.  The infection caused extensive tissue damage, and on April 27, 2010, Bella underwent quadruple amputation surgery and is currently facing an extremely long and hard recovery at Children’s Hospital in Boston with extensive rehabilitation to follow, as she learns to live life without her limbs.
Bella is part of a gymnastics team with the daughter of a fellow stamper.  As  a stamping community everyone is reaching out in any way they can.  You can help support Bella and her family too by visiting http://www.bellatucker.org/

There are, as always, generous hearts out there holding Blog Hops for Bella.  If you would like to make a card for Bella please do and then visit Denise to start the hop for this week and get the address for Bella’s card.  I hope every one of you will find it in your heart to give to this beautiful little girl.

This is the card I made for Bella:



It's late, so the picture quality is a little dark, but I wanted to get this posted in time to enter into a few challenges (-:

I will be entering this card in:

Crafty Sentiments

Doodle Palace

and

Stamp, Scrap and Be Merry

FollowUp:

I got home from work today and took a few pictures during daylight and I touched up the sentiment.

I originally used my Cri-Kit pens for the sentiment and I just didn't like how it turned out.
So I touched it up and filled it in a little and I think it looks better!

Here's the new shots:

Sending Donkey Smiles to Michelle

This one is for Michelle!

Directly quoted

From A Spoon Full of Sugar:

"We would like to share some sad news today, some of you may already know from her blog, our design team member Michelle had an accident about two weeks ago, which has left her with the loss of her right eye and a long road of recovery ahead. In an effort to cheer her up and raise awareness for what happened to Michelle we are holding a card drive in her honor. We have many generous companies and individuals helping us with this special card drive and we hope you will help too!

Two of Whimsy Stamps lovely Artists Melissa Jenkins and Ann Vento have teamed up together to bring us this very special donkey image and matching sentiments, these are all available to download for free from the Whimsy Stamps store page."

Inside of card:

Because she has suffered such an extreme eye injury,

I have made this card complete tactile!

It's full of textures to feel and touch!

The papers are all embossed with Swiss Dots

and Birds and Swirls.

The image is colored (with my trusty Crayola pencils)

then popped up on one of Penny Duncan's Nesties.

The border punch is Swiss Cheese,

just for more texture and depth.

The ribbon is from Offray

(I think I got it at Walmart).

Oh!  The papers:

I found them online and don't remember where...

I had them in a file on my computer for awhile, so I must have saved them before I learned how important it is to keep track of where everything comes from and who I downloaded it from... I know better now! (-:

My little boy, Joey, also wanted to participate in this card drive!

Please take a second to take a look at HIS card here:

http://ajandjoeycrafts.wordpress.com/2010/07/09/donkey-smiles-for-michelle/

It is the very first card he really made ALL BY HIMSELF

and he is so super-proud of it!

Goin' Places

I love this image!

I won it in a Karen's Doodles Challenge!

For this card, I used a sketch provided by Pollycraft Monday.

The challenge this week at Karen's Doodles is "Bling It Up"

Notice her lovely pink saddle bag with all the shiny "bling"?

I also found a GREAT site with all kinds of FREE scrapbook kits for download.

Everyday Mom Ideas

She offers entire kits with a variety of themes.

They are complete with embellishments, papers, etc.

I used her "Road Trip" Mega kit for the map and the pink background paper used in this card!

Technically, I'm sure they're designed for "Digital" Scrapbooking, but I downloaded the kit and opened the papers I wanted in Paint.net. It's a FREE image and photo editing software. Super easy to use and best of all, it's FREE!

I changed the colors of the papers to match my coloring of the image and it was super easy!

This week, I'd like to enter this card in two challenges:

Karen's Doodles Challenge

and

Pollycraft Monday Challenges

Lotsa a  links added to this post today! (-:

Red White and Blue Spring Card

I would like to enter this

"Spring Up" Card

in the Karen's Doodles Challenge

"Red White and Blue"

Although not technically "Patriotic" for the 4th of July,

I loved this image and couldn't resist the color challenge.

I learned a new trick this week to "Pop" digi stamps!

I printed the butterfly twice, cut him out and pop dotted him!

Thank you to Donna Mundinger for the tip on this "trick"

I made the flowers from a tutorial Penny Duncan posted.

Although the flowers aren't her creation, she posted the link  to the YouTube video tutorial.

I saw this style card (called a "Spring up Card")  on Splitcoast Stampers.

I still do all my coloring in Colored Pencils, but Copics are absolutely on my wishlist...

For the butterfly's wings, I just dabbed a little water on the paper and swirled some blue into it.

I was trying for a "swirly" look, and I think I achieved that...

After going back and looking at this post, I realize that when you click on the picture, it brings up a H-U-G-E picture!

Not sure how to fix that, but I'll try to figure it out!

But, wow, the goofs sure show when it's enlarged from 5 1/2" to 8x10!  (-:

I think it looks WAY better in real life and at actual size...

Father's Day Recliner Cut Out

Daddy got a new recliner a few weeks ago,

so it seemed appropriate to make him a card

that reflects something he enjoys!

[caption id="attachment_62" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Simple, two piece cut out"][/caption]

This simple card is available in SVG format HERE

and SCUT format for SURE CUTS A LOT HERE