Wings, Clouds, and Rainbows!

A new challenge at Little Miss Muffet Challenges is up; we're asking to see your projects with wings, clouds, or rainbows! Sounds easy, right?  Here's my card with the raccoon from the new Create a Critter set:

That Polaroid frame is from Lawn Fawn's Say Cheese set. The inside black line is NOT normally that thick, but you all know I almost always mess up something. Making that line thick all the way around was the only way I could fix my boo boo as I had already masked, inked, and pasted my raccoon...

Oh, I almost forgot! Barbara has designed an awesome new metal die! You can pre-order one now...

Hope to see you in the challenge!

**Challenges: Divas by Design - AG, Stamp-n-Doodle - Get Outside, The Perfect Sentiment - AG w/a stamped sentiment

Alphabet Songs!

 ** Nothing to do with crafting here, but I know a lot of my crafting buddies have little people!!**

Now that school is out for the summer, it looks like I'll be tutoring again! My first student is a kindergartener who needs some help with letter recognition and letter sounds. Man, I was so excited yesterday when I found these awesome Alphabet Songs on Have Fun Teaching! The songs are catchy and have music that I think grown ups should enjoy while dancing and singing with their children. (One song really reminds me of a Justin Bieber tune...) Now, I read a bunch of folks on YT complaining that the songs are repetitive, and I wondered who these folks were. Clearly, they've never taught a child anything worthwhile. I mean, I can remember taping songs from the radio and rewinding over and over until I learned the words. It works!! Wanna hear one? Here's the T video since my name starts with that letter! :D




I am a fan! My student and I may alternate watching these alphabet songs and counting videos on the computer and on the tv, and I think they'd be awesome on a smartboard... You can watch with your little people on YT, on Have Fun Teaching, or on a DVD, which you can order from havefunteaching.com. They even have CDs!


*I did receive a free download of the videos for this review, but I really do love these!!

A Simple Sketch!

After that marathon card making day the other day, I am happy to say that I finally made a simple-looking card that was actually simple for me to make!! Normally, the cards that look super easy took me hours to put together. This one went really quick, and *surprise, surprise* I used scraps! (I'm getting better about cutting my designer paper and finally have scraps!)

 

Here's the sketch from The Outlawz that I flipped upside down...

I hope you go on over and play, especially since this sketch turned out to be one of the more simple ones.

Challenges: Cards und More - Dotted & Embossed, Jackson's Digital Expressions - AG + Tim Holtz (Vintage Photo Distress Ink), Party Time Tuesday - AG, 365 Cards - 4 Layers, Oozak - Spring Colors

Graduation? No Mas!!

As I mentioned a few days ago, I had a gang of graduation cards to make recently for a friend of my mother. After trying to pull myself together a bit, I had a run and finished up all the cards. My brain kept believing that putting cards together in an assembly line fashion was supposed to be easier than creating one card at a time, but that did NOT turn out to be my experience! The coloring took forever - even with me coloring all of the same thing on each image at the same time. The six cards in the bottom of the picture below took me a full day - actually more than a full work day - to complete...  (Told you I was slow!)

Would you believe after all that looking for the camera cord, I forgot to use the darn camera?? I just remembered it, but the cards are all gone..

Okay, here are the cards...

This is the first one which I showed the other day. The image is Grad Anya by The Greeting Farm.

Then, I made a gatefold card with the same image. It has 2012 embossed on the inside panels. I made the little name circles in Word with one of my favorite fonts, Smiley Monster.

Challenges: Love to Create - Add a Sentiment, Anyone for Anya - Something Round

And with the same image once again, a card using the sketch at Jackson's Digital Expressions. I took my time to cut the squares like in the sketch, but my image is so big, you can't see that!

Challenges: Paper Pretties - Graduation Card

The rest of the cards use Sandra's Graduation from Sassy Studio Designs. I was looking for this image when I first started making these cards, but it was retired. I just happened to luck up when it was the Friday Freebie from Sassy in their PCP group! All six of the cards look like the two below...

Challenges: Hooked on Craft Challenges - All that Glitters, Totally Gorjuss - Something New, Sassy Studio Designs - Hats Off to You

Thank goodness for Linsey, the GDT this month! She glittered her cap and gown, and I thought that would be such an awesome way to cut down on my coloring time. I adding some shading before glittering. Who knew dabbing some Stickles on 6 tiny images would take so long?! I sure hope the graduates liked their cards...

I hope you all have been enjoying today - whether you're on holiday here in the States or if it was just another Monday. Thanks to all of you who visit my blog! I just noticed I have 300 followers!! Hmm, I wonder what good stuff I can find for someone...

Thank God for Science!

After three doses of antibiotics, five hours of rolling sweats, three-quarters of a box of tissue, and a decent night's sleep, I am feeling fairly decent today. I'm hoping not to have any antibiotic side effects this holiday weekend to add to my misery, but I'll take them rather than still be feeling crappy two weeks from now... (New followers, I promise I'm not always sick.)

I was able to finish a card this morning. I started it DAYS ago and kept changing paper and stamps and embossing powder and so on... One of my mother's friends asked me to make 9 graduation cards, and as yesterday was the last day of school, I think I need to get on it! This card is for her daughter; I hope it passes for "special"...

It's an easel card with The Greeting Farm's Graduation Anya, some paper from Recollections, ribbon from Colleen, letter dies from Papertrey Ink, Hampton Art's graduation stamps, numbers from Lawn Fawn (little too much space on that 2nd 2), a little Stickles, a few pearls, and a sketch from The Cutie Pie Challenge.

I'm hoping to get some kind of rapid-fire assembly line cranking for the other cards that I need to make. I really just want to go lay back down though.

Challenges: The Cutie Pie Challenge (above), Celebrate the Occasion - Graduation

ugh...

I hope to be in later with a card for the Sketch Challenge at The Outlawz and a new release showcase for Little Miss Muffet Stamps. I'm suffering with yet another sinus infection. This one got horrible really quickly; I've already had a pleasant visit to the Take Care Clinic at Walgreens and a dose of antibiotics. I have a fever and feel pretty unpleasant...

Here's the sketch if you're interested...

And my two favorites from the new releases at Little Miss Muffet...

Daisy Rock and

 Build a Critter.

You know, I probably won't be back today. I'm feeling super weak and like I'm about to be sick... Hope you're enjoying a better day than I am right now!

TGIF!!

WHOO!! I'm so happy it's Friday! Today was a seriously trying day at work, and I am more than happy to be home. I am overdue for The Avengers and some margaritas, mojitos, or moscato!

On a crafty note, the new challenge at Guylou's Inimitability is up. We're challenging you to use doilies! Lucky for me, I won my fellow GI DTmate Gina's blog candy a little while ago, and she hooked me up with some doilies. I used one of them (with the middle cut out in an extra attempt at frugality- yep!) along with Leah and Bra from Guylou's Inimitability for my card.

You have until 10 pm, May 31 to link up your project with a doily or two. I sure hope to see you in the challenge! There's a $10 GC and a GDT spot for the challenge winner!!

And just because I keep hearing this as I'm in the other room crafting...

 It makes me smile!

**Challenges: Lexi's Creations - Black, White + One Color, Hot Shot Craft - Die Cuts, Stamp and Create - For the Ladies

Onion Grass!

After reviewing the name of this cute Sugar 'n Spice girl, "onion grass" popped into my head for the title of this post. No reason for the title other than that! :D

Here's Chives from Little Miss Muffet Stamps! She's one of the new releases from last week.

Today starts a new challenge at Little Miss Muffet Challenges, and it's everyone's favorite - Anything Goes!! You will need to be a follower and put the news badge on your blog in order to win; I'm sure you've already gotten that covered, right?

Now, since typing sucks with bandaged fingers and because I need to get a few hours of shut eye before the alarm goes off, I will quickly tell you that the paper on my card is from American Crafts and the sentiment is by Fiskars. 

I hope to see you in the challenge!

**Challenges: Whimsy Stamps - Anything Goes, Truly Scrumptious - Anything Goes,

Ninjas are Killers!

My father bought me a Ninja (blender/food processor) for Christmas. I just decided to pull it out since I can get lots of fresh fruit for smoothies and it's getting close to the time that I hate being so fluffy - summer. Well, let me just say that the blades on that thing are no joke! I'm sitting here looking like a crazy person with my fingers all bandaged up. I cut myself twice in less than 12 hours. The first time, my thumb kind of grazed the blade as I was washing it. Then, as I was taking the dishes out of the dishwasher today, I went to grab a cup, and the blade went right up into my pinky. It is so not easy to color or type with a bandaged pinky. BUT, I'm making due. I should be back with another card in just a few hours...

In the meantime, here is my card for this week's Sketch Challenge at The Outlawz using Maurine with Tea from MayzyArt and a sentiment from Flourishes.

I had forgotten that my phone's charger works in my camera until I looked at the camera today. Thank goodness because I am tired of looking for the charger! (And of looking at my cell camera's shots...)

And, so you can play along, here's the sketch...

Remember, an entry into any challenge at The Outlawz this month will give you a shot at prizes from Oozak, Jackson's Digital Expressions, Gilli Rubber Stamps, Paper Temptress, and Color Me Creative Classroom! Oh, Outlawz founder Colleen Holmes recently took over Through the Craftroom Door magazine! Her first issue just came out; check it out!

Cowboys and Indians!

Today is a new release day over at Little Miss Muffet Stamps! We have some boys in the Sugar N' Spice line now, and boy, have they dressed up for their debut! Fly over to the Little Miss Muffet blog to see the new cowboy/girl and Native American digis done up wonderfully by the DT! Here's my card with Ginger as Sacagawea.

Still no camera cord... When I find it, you'll be wowed with the difference in my photos! :D **SO, once I saw the colored sample of this image I realized that piece I left white is Sacagawea's baby bunting! ;S It has been colored!

As I just came back in town yesterday and had to work today, this is a simple card. The paper is from DCWV's Stack 7. I need to go back in time and slap myself whenever I wanted to buy one of these huge paper packs. Half of the pages I don't like, and I have no idea when I'll actually be able to knock a dent in this stash! (Ironically, those small 6x6 pads make me angry, too. There's always, like, 4 sheets that I love, use, then don't want to buy single sheets just to replace those...) The little stamp is by Stamp Camp. I just ran out looking for graduation paper this afternoon and bought that little tag die. I was too happy to see that the sentiment fit perfectly!

Challenges: Gotta find some when I get in from work. It's after midnight, and I have Field Day to look forward to when I wake up! Scrapbook Sisters - Off Center, Waste Not Wednesdays - Forgotten Supplies (old hemp cord I bought before the Western Party on The Outlawz last year plus one of the first paper packs I bought), Jackson's Digital Expressions - Anything Goes (Ink & Such)

Blog Hop & Challenge!

So, after putting in some more hours of studying, I decided to make my card for the new challenge at Guylou's Inimitability. The challenge this time around is to use your dies, punches, and diamonds (bling) to create a project.  If you'd like to join in, you have until 10 p.m. EST on May 17 to get your entry in. Here's my card using Lotus Does Yoga:

Her face isn't really that red. My phone makes a strange pink circle in the middle of photos...

I didn't really do bling per say, but I have some Spica working on her eyeshadow and in the sentiment, a couple of pearls, plus a heap of Liquid Pearls. (I saw someone with pearly bubble type things the other day and decided to try it. I thought it was a bit much and was going to just paint the area with the pearls, BUT they dried up on me pretty quickly...)

***BLOG HOP***
Guylou's Inimitability is also having a blog hop that starts now and end at 9 p.m. EST tomorrow, May 5. I wasn't sure if I would be able to make a card and didn't want to cause confusion once I actually did, so this is NOT one of the stops. If you'd care to see some awesome projects and have a chance to win one of two GI gift certificates ($25 and $15) or a Color Me Creative class of your choice, I suggest you mosey on over to the Guylou's Inimitability blog and get started! Make sure you welcome our new team member Carla!

May Flowers!

Y'all know I couldn't stay away and just study, right? I tried, but I really wanted to make stuff! So, for the new May Flowers challenge at Little Miss Muffet, here is my card:

The stamp is Monster Dreams, and the sentiment is from Create with TLC. I don't know if you can tell, but I tried to make it look like my little monster was enjoying that cone in a field of wildflowers. I love seeing those in highway medians - wildflowers, not ice cream-eating monsters, that is...

If you choose to play along, the challenge is May Flowers OR Anything Goes if you use a LMMS stamp. Hope to see your name on the list when I really get back from my break!  ;D

Challenges: 365 Cards - Tuesday Trio: Pink, Animal, Patterned Paper,   Creative Craft Challenges2 - Anything Goes, Crazy Amigo Challenge - Flowers, Papertake Weekly - Anything Goes