Party time at The Outlawz challenges.

There's a party at The Outlawz challenges this week!!
WooHoo!
I can't wait to see what fun is in store.

Join the Fun at The Outlawz this week, click here

Don't you want to join in too??

A Tale of Two...Birthday Cards

This is the story of 2 cards...made using similar elements...but with drastically different results.
Both cards used the same sketch, digi-stamp and design paper pack...and that is where the similarities end.

Apparently, I need deadlines to help me get things done, even with creative projects. I just hadn't carved out the time to create something with this month's cute-patootie SOTM image from FromTheHeartStamps: Flappy Birthday.  You can BUY it here.

That is, until this weekend rolled around and the deadline for this month's challenge was merely days away.

Looking back:
It is Friday and about 1/2 an hour until my DD needs to be at a birthday party for 2 great friends. She is busy "wrapping" the present in a gift bag...when I hear, "Mom, we need a card and we need to leave in 10 minutes."  I holler for my older DD to come help me out. "Please color this while I cut out everything else."
"With what?"
"Just grab the colored pencils and go!  Pleeease...Thank you!"

Here is our group effort in horrible lighting. (And yes, I did make us a few minutes late just to grab a photo....LOL).








I decided that I wanted to try again in a less rushed manner. I think I like it.  It's a little "busy" but a fun(ny) card to keep on hand. Maybe it will save me the stress of last-minute creations before the next birthday party.   :)

The wonderful sketch challenge this week at FTHS  (#80) came with the "twist" of making your own embellishments. I popped up some cupcakes that I cut from the coordinating design papers.


So, I hope I did justice to Faith's fun birdbrain image.  They just make me smile!!

Have a wonderful week.




**Details:
Colored with Colored pencils and Copic markers.
"Birthday Extravaganza" paper pack by thePaperStudio (I bought it at HL)

Entry for the following challenges:
From the Heart September SOTM challenge
FTH I heart sketches #80 challenge

Fall Fun...at the end of summer

While I've been doing a lot of projects and activities this summer, I have not made very many cards.

This card is an entry for the August FTHS "Free Stamp of the Month" Challenge.
It's been in the works (in my head) for a long time. hehehe

It's a grey, rainy Saturday, so my photo isn't the best.
Sorry for that.

Faith has a progressive "Stamp of the Month" challenge each month on the From the Heart blog (participation earns you a free stamp for the next month's challenge).

If you missed participating in the July's challenge,  head over to Faith's "From the Heart Stamps" Shop and purchase this fine little pig.

The featured digi stamp for August is Pumpkin PigWit .

Don't you just love this stamp...It's so cute!


You'll notice that there are other components of my card's "stamp" image...That's because I merged 3 of Faith's wonderful digis to make a festive fall scene.


Along with PigWit, I used Apple Harvest and Autumn Harvest (both "retired" DesignedtoDelight digis by Faith).  I've had these images for years now and love how well they coordinate with Faith's current designs.

Faith has similar stamps in her current store that you could use to make a scene/collage. Just check under the Thanksgiving/Fall category.

Using the Print-n-cut feature in my Silhouette Cameo's software, I traced and offset the images and then the Cameo did all the cutting work. :)
The sentiment is from the Silhouette store.


I colored the image with Copic markers (base layers) and then added shading/details with colored pencils.


While I knew from the first week in August, that I wanted to combine the digi stamps...It took me a while before I found the card sketch I wanted to use. I decided that this week's FTHS' I {heart} Sketches- sketch077 challenge was a perfect fit!

In a way, I did use both the sketch and the "twist"  for this week. The Twist was "Flower Power".


I added the digi with the Sunflowers, but I did not use the "flower elements" of the sketch. I just felt it would be a little too busy.








Hmmmm, the other details:
I printed and cut the DP and elements with my Silhouette Cameo. They all came from the Silhouette Store.
I colored the brads with my Copic markers to mirror the flags at the bottom.





Challenges Entered:
From the Heart August SOTM challenge
FTH I heart sketches #77 challenge

Heaven-sent friends

Yay for rainy days in July!!
Hehehe...I bet you'd never imagine that being said.
However, what a perfect excuse to stay cozy inside and color up a new image/card.

Here is the card I created as my entry for the July FTHS Challenge:
A thank you for a special friend...







Faith has a progressive "Stamp of the Month" challenge each month on the From the Heart blog (participation earns you a free stamp for the next month's challenge).

This featured digi stamp for July is Winter Friends .



If you missed participating in the June challenge,  head over to Faith's "From the Heart Stamps" Shop and purchase this adorable snowman for yourself.


You even have a few days left to enter the July SOTM challenge.
(Shocker, I know...I'm posting this a few days before the deadline).  :)



Don't you just love this stamp...It's perfect for so many types of cards: Christmas, Thinking of you, friendship, Thanks, etc.

Using the Print-n-cut feature in my Silhouette Cameo's software, I traced and offset the image and then the Cameo did all the cutting work. :)
The sentiment is also by Faith, but I can't recall which digi it came with originally...as I've put them all into one big "From the Heart sentiments" file on my computer.

 Besides the stamps, I got inspiration from this week's FTHS' I {heart} Sketches- sketch074 challenge.
Have I mentioned how much I enjoy using sketches?!


I used both the sketch and the great "twist" this week. The Twist was to use PAINT...yikes...

Seriously, this did scare me a little.



 And my first attempt with my kiddo's watercolors was just an ugly mess.  But I do like this version. Both the sentiment tag and the snowman were colored with a plain brush and kid's watercolor set.

The bottom "snow" field was "finger-painted" with MS multi-surface glitter paint from Michaels. It was sitting on my desk, leftover from another project, so I decide to use it. I tried brushing it on first, but I didn't like the results. So I started over and just swirled it on the paper with my fingers. After it dried, I embossed it to give it some texture (Sizzix Polka Daisies plate).

You'll notice that I rotated and flipped the sketch...It just worked better for me that way.  :)

The top part of the card is embossed card stock using a folder by the Paper Studios (Hobby Lobby).

Now, I just need to stick this card in the mail. Have a great week!

Challenges Entered:
From the Heart July SOTM challenge
FTH I heart sketches #74 challenge

Super Dad

**Procrastination doesn't pay...
I had this ready to go with minutes to spare to enter the FTHS sketch challenge...but the Link-up didn't work  (arrrggg- Technology) and when I tried to refresh at the last second and re-enter my link...the collection closed.


So here is my entry for the June FTHS Challenge:
A Super Birthday card!

Faith has a progressive "Stamp of the Month" challenge each month on the From the Heart blog (participation earns you a free stamp for the next month's challenge).





I missed the May challenge deadline due to all the "end-of-school-year" activities that our family was committed to attend and participate in (Projects due, field trips to chaperone, band concerts, etc).

So I didn't "earn" the June stamp...NO Problem.
I headed to Faith's "From the Heart Stamps" Shop and bought June's featured SOTM challenge stamp...
Super Birdbrain (from the always clever "Birdbrains" line.  :)

Don't you just love this stamp...I'm sure you know some superheroes that would love a card made using it.  :)


Using the Print-n-cut feature in my Silhouette Cameo's software, I  printed the sentiment onto the base of the easel card.

I colored the stamp with Copic markers.

Besides the stamps, I got inspiration from this week's FTHS' I {heart} Sketches- sketch072 challenge.



I used both the sketch and the great "twist" this week. I LOVE their weekly sketch challenges. They're fun and inspire my card-making...

You'll notice that I flipped the sketch...That way SuperBirdbrain left the rings in his wake.  :)



Again, All the papers were from my "scrap bins"...I loved using up pieces.  :)

Entry for the following Challenges:
From the Heart blog- Stamp of the Month June 2014  

A quick hello

This is a bit of a "good news, bad news" post.

Bad news:
Unfortunately, I missed the deadlines for submitting this card to the perpetual "Stamp of the month" challenge over at From the Heart Stamps.

This cute spring image "Whimsy Garden Fence" was the image for From the Heart's May challenge.

I finished the card in time, but was too tired to blog about it. Some days are just like that.  I was happy to have some creativity going at all after surviving a week of Spring colds/allergies combined.  :)

It's so adorable and versatile for so many purposes. I actually plan to cut out the card several more times and switch up the sentiment.  It's always nice to have a few cards at the ready ...when you need to send one out.
 
IF you ever miss the deadline for Faith's "Stamp of the Month" challenge, you can simply buy the month's image from the shop and create something to enter...Voila! You're back in the game.
That will be my plans for June....as soon as June's image hits the shop.   :)

Good News:
Each week, The From the Heart community also has a Sketch challenge (This week is sketch068).
I have 1/2 hour left to make that deadline...so here goes nothing!

I love this sketch...I plan on rotating it to make a few variations on the theme...later this week.
This is the first completed card.

The "twist" was to use a sentiment.

This one comes from Paulette at Create With TLC... sweet and simple.

My other (planned) variations will utilize the sentiments included with FTH digi stamp...as those are great too.

I colored the image with my copics and some pencils.
I followed the color scheme from ColorThrowdown's Challenge #294.  I didn't have a good paper match for the "coastal cabana" so I had to use more of a blue... It still makes for a cute, spunky card. :)

All the papers were from my "scrap bins"...I love using up pieces.  :)

Entry for the following Challenges:

From the Heart Sketch Challenge #68
ColorThrowdown Challenge #294

A little note of THANKS!

Teacher Appreciation

Hi! Happy May.

Why is it that life continually interrupts my project plans...LOL?

The first week of May is always "Teacher Appreciation Week".  For months, I have had all these wonderful, cute ideas inside my head...but that just didn't pan out this year.  I managed to pull together a cute metal vase with the teachers' names in vinyl, and filled those with chocolates, new "grown-up" scissors (tag attached: "you're a cut above the rest") and "flower" pens. Unfortunately, there are no photos of the actual gifts.

And of course, those little tokens don't say near enough "thanks" for the wonderful things my kids' teachers do each and every day.

But, I did want to send a heart-felt "THANK YOU" and I managed to photograph the cute (IMHO) thank you cards that accompanied the small tokens of appreciation...albeit seconds before they went out the door.

Can I just say how much I LOVE my Cameo??

It makes me look much more talented than my abilities really are.

This adorable cutting file can be found on the Silhouette Online store here.

I just used the offset feature to add a simple blue insert for the inside of the card.



And of course, the DARLING images are some of Sassy Cheryl's Colored illustration digis.

Sassy Cheryl to the rescue AGAIN.
Her wonderful art has saved me from boring cards once more.

When I want to relax and create, I love coloring Sassy Cheryl's digi stamps myself with copic markers or pencils.

At other times, when I am harried and hurried, The colored illustration versions are just the time-saving help I need.

I just use the "print and cut" feature in the Silhouette Design studio... and Voila... Instant cards....CLEAN and SIMPLE!


Since my 5th grader is a boy, I used the Noah- Freedom image for his teacher.

I used the Sally- Ladybug Tales image for my 3rd grade daughter's card.

Both of the images I used capture my kids' personalities.
Another one of the many reasons that I adore Sassy Cheryl digi stamps!!

 
Like most of my projects, these were finished over a week ago but I am posting them (barely) in time for Sassy Cheryl's Challenge #208- "Clean & Simple with/ a Sassy Cheryl image".  :)





I think the cards were a perfect fit for both this challenge and my personal style.

Well, now that posting these cards is checked off my list, I guess I'll go tackle the next "to do" item.

Have a fun, creative, thankful week!!

Challenges entered with these cards:
Sassy Cheryl Challenge #208- Clean and Simple
Sassy Cheryl's Show Me Thursday Challenge-SMT #144