A Little Something Different...

Do you ever type words then think that they look misspelled? I just typed "different" as the title of this post and was just waiting for the squiggly red lines to pop up! DOES is another word like that for me. I can't tell you how many times I've written that word and been seriously confused after... :D

Anyway, I've been working for most of the week to clear out my room in preparation for new carpet. Despite the clutter of drawers in my living room and the baskets of clothes that I've moved, the room still looks a hot mess! The man is supposed to start tomorrow, though, so I guess I'll have to move into a higher gear to get that room under control! I do have issues at times with large projects; I need something else to keep me going so I don't end up overwhelmed. So, on my moving breaks, I worked to create a little encouraging piece of art.

The colors are all a bit wonky. I could not manage to get the purple to photo right on my digital camera inside, outside, natural light, direct light, OttLite - anywhere! My phone photos with a red dot in the middle, but the shots looked way better than my camera's.

Thanks to my dear friend Dana, I transformed a Kashi bar box into a piece of shelf art to inspire me. I used a digi from Guylou's Inimitability (that I drew) then went crazy on the box. I have to say that I'm a bit amazed at how many supplies I have around the house. Granted, I used to sponsor an art club at my mother's school and was given some supplies by a very supportive, arty ex-bf quite a few years ago.  But yeah, I like her and hope you do too!

**Challenges: Come & Get It Challenges - Anything but a Card, One Stitch at a Time - Use a Digi, Sentimental Sundays - Paints/Inks, Color Me Creative Classroom - AG with a Girly Twist

There Has to be Something Better...

Last night, I was minding my little business reading about someone's journey in genealogy when **POW!!** I got hit with one of those wack *ss fake anti-virus viruses. These people have to have something better to do!! I have spent all of today getting my computer back on track. I THINK I got it all... I said that earlier, but then my firewall decided it wasn't going to stay on. After getting that handled, I found that my Microsoft Office wouldn't come on and needed to be repaired. Serious aggravation!

So, I'm going to be nice and brief because looking at this computer screen is not making me happy right now. I'm going to color and get my attitude back on the positive side. In reality, this is not a big deal - just a minor, minor bump... On to the good stuff!!  :D

First, Paper Makeup Stamps has a very cute set for sale to help out my fellow Outlaw and super sweet lady Jennifer Scull!

Next, as I spent most of Tuesday and Wednesday moving furniture from my room in preparation for new carpet, I didn't make a card for the Sketch Challenge on The Outlawz this week. Here's the sketch to inspire you to come over and play!

Remember we have a gift certificate to Oozak and goodies from Paper Temptress in the Sketch Challenge this month!

And finally, there's a new challenge at Little Miss Muffet Stamps! Lots of people's favorite treat when the temperature goes up is ice cream, and our challenge is Neapolitan! Pull out your chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla papers and embellishments and get going! Here's my card using one of the new digis, Chili Pepper!

He comes with a starburst and "pow" on his shirt, but my brain decided these colors would be great for a "Real Men Wear Pink" or "Save the Ta-Tas" type card so I drew him a ribbon. You have two weeks to play in the challenge. If you use a LMMS stamp, the challenge is Anything Goes!


**Challenges: Link Up for Pink - Breast Cancer Awareness/Sketch (I know I'm only a little in line with the sketch, but you said I could follow the sketch "loosely."), So Artful Challenges - Neapolitan Colors, Cupcake Inspiration - Photo is linked...

I'm GDTing it over at JDE!

Yep, I'm this week's Guest Design Team member at Jackson's Digital Expressions! Robert Jackson draws some awesome digis and has a super talented team. (He also drew the portrait in yesterday's CD case album.) Robert put out six new digis for July, and the team has been celebrating with a month long anything goes challenge! There have been stamp giveaways from Bugaboo and JDE;  Mayzy Art digis and a BIG SHOT are coming up, too! Go on over, sign up as a follower, and enter your latest and greatest projects for a chance to win!

Here's a card from me using the Country Church digi:

Sentiment from TlcCreations!

I used to go to a church like this, but it wasn't in the country. It had a gravel parking lot and wooden floors that sounded great when service got rocking and people had their feet patting or stomping. There weren't many young people in that church, though. Whenever I go back and visit, all my favorite old people treat me like a celebrity! Nothing like going home, right? ;D

Sharing!

So, on Saturday my online buddy Tina challenged a couple of ladies on Scraps of Color to make SOMETHING. The original request was for a scrapbook layout or two, but she bent the rules for me since I don't scrap. We were all supposed to report in around midnight with our finished projects. Well, I decided to go waaaay out on a limb and finish the CD case mini album I started a YEAR ago!

I ended up putting the cover on the front. It got a little dirty, so I used Mod Podge to seal it.

There a mini version of a portrait that Robert Jackson drew for me last year. The big version is AMAZINGLY detailed and looks just like the picture!

Since I'm not really a scrapper AND this needed to stay thin enough for the CD cover to close, there aren't any embellishments.

**CHALLENGES: Dream Valley Challenges - Summer, The Order of the Opus Gluei - Suntan, The Stamp Man - AG/Summer Colors

I'm going to take a little nap. When I get up, I'm going to update this post with some awesome cards I got from Shonda (my Secret Pal from last year), Kathi (she offered to send it after I told her it was awesome),  Sandi  (using one of my stamps!), and a super cute card from Tanya (Obsessed & Crazy Momma).

UPDATE!! These cards are currently living on my mantle...

Cute coffee sunburst card from Shonda!

I pinched the pic from Kathi's blog b/c I'm currently on "move everything" duty before the carpet man comes...

Seriously adorable card from Tanya! It has so many perfectly cut layers!

Sandi is an awesome ego booster! I sent her my first sketch (pre-editing even!), and she colored it up, put it in a challenge, and sent it to me! It looks great!

My Money's Worth

I'm back! In addition to the new rubber stamps at Little Miss Muffet Stamps, this week we also have new digis! If you're looking to pick up some adorable new boy stamps (yay!), you should definitely check these out! I am not showcasing one of said manly stamps, but a sweet girl named Undine.

Thanks Dana for the hair color combo!

I happen to be feeling Undine because she's a stamp and a sentiment all in one! As much as I tend to crop digis, I know that just her hand will end up one a card soon...

I went simple on this one. I was going to add "Yes, you" or something, but after I put her on the paper, I couldn't find a space that made sense to put it. I thought about the top left, but we don't read right to left in English. I think that would have just been confusing. Then I thought about the bottom right, but I didn't want to cover her legs. In the end I decided to let the digi do all the talking!


Check out my teammates' amazing cards!

More Rubber at Little Miss Muffet!

That's right - eight fabulous digis from Little Miss Muffet Stamps are now available in rubber! As exciting as that is, it also means that these digis will be retired and you won't be able to get them in the store much longer! Some of the monster stamps that I LOVE are in this set of rubber/retiring stamps. Once the weekend is over, these digis will be no more, so, if you like digital stamps, I suggest you head over and scoop them up. LMMS rubber stamps are awesome too, though!

Here's a card that I made with the assistance of my little cousin Munirah using the Summer Monkey digi stamp:

Munirah did a fabulous job of picking Copic colors to match papers. I only had to explain what her job was once, and she got busy telling me which colors would work best. What she doesn't know is that this card is going to be for her; I'm supposed to ride up on Saturday for her birthday bbq.

She really wanted to use my markers, but not this time!! She and her sister, Kayla, both made cards by themselves.

Here's Munirah's using the LMMS Easter Lamb digi:

I think I scared her out of coloring hard! We made some Shrinky Dinks earlier, and those have to be colored lightly...

And Kayla's card with a Mayzy Art stamp.

I asked Kayla why this girl is white with brown hands and arms. Just so YOU know, "those are her gloves."  :D

My computer just said it's about to hibernate automatically so I have to run!

*UPDATED*
**Challenges: The Paper Shelter - Anything Goes, Ruby's Rainbow Challenges - Cute Animals, The Perfect Sentiment - Anything Goes,

A Sketch with Something Trina Made!

Hey! I got to use one of my own stamps from Guylou's Inimitability for this week's sketch challenge at The Outlawz!!

Photo frame & letter stamps from Lawn Fawn - I love them!

Here's the sketch if you want to play along:

This month the sketch challenge has a $20 gift certificate to Oozak.com sponsored by our own Pat & a 20 pack of Cryogen White Cardstock sponsored by Paper Temptress as prizes. There are also the usual site-wide monthly prizes! Come on over!

**Challenges: Lia Stampz - Anything Goes, Creative Card Challenge - Black Card Stock, Jackson's Digital Expressions - Anything Goes, LEJ Designs - Anything Goes, Papertake Weekly - All Things Girly

EXCITEMENT!!

AAAHHH!! I'm super excited!! When I was brand new as a card maker, I had the pleasure of meeting a lot of awesome folks. They were all very sweet and encouraging. One of them was Guylou; she put me on my first design team and has never complained when I turn in my projects 10 minutes before the challenge is set to go live. (I work best when the pressure is on, but sometimes the time gets away from me...)  Well, a long time ago she and I were talking about digi stamps, and I told her that I wanted to draw some stuff but hadn't. She told me way back then if I ever drew something, she'd put it in her store for me. Then time went on and on...

Until a couple of weeks ago when my darling friend Dana put up an awesome video of her transforming a cracker box into a mixed media dream! She had been posting her awesomely drawn images for a while, but watching that video made me want to do all sorts of arty things. I told her so, and she told me to go for it! But I still didn't do anything.

Until...I watched a video by Marti Wills daughter who is lovingly known as Pezza. During the video, Pezza said, "I'm just a beginner artist, but I'm a good artist." Well, dang! Out of the mouth of babes, right?! So, I reclaimed my sketchbook from the mounds of stuff in the basement, watched some videos, and started drawing! And I didn't hate what I drew! (That was a feat, because I don't tend to draw people and haven't drawn anything more than a doodle in a very long time!)

So now, on to today. I have THREE stamps at Guylou's Inimitability!

Now I need to learn how to draw a body!! :D

Sharp Objects are NOT My Friends!

It is absolutely ridiculous how many times I've managed to accidentally cut myself this summer! The Ninja, random times while cutting vegetables and washing dishes, and so on... Well, yesterday I bought a mandolin to try a recipe I had seen for zucchini noodles. (I'm cutting sugar for the summer...)  Okay, so I was washing all the pieces that came with it, and I was really being careful. You know that voice that some of us have problems listening to? It told me that this one blade was clean, but I decided to keep washing. Swiped the rag across the blade, BUT WAIT! Where was the rag?? It was underneath my thumb but not in the place it needed to be to prevent me from slicing my thumb open. Coloring, typing, and using a slide paper trimmer are a lot less fun when your thumb is out of commission... I'm making it though! In fact, I even managed to make a card for the new challenge at Guylou's Inimitability - Same Old Song and Dance...

That's Serena Plays Her Guitar! There are some clear embossed butterflies from Layers of Color in the background.

You have until July 26 to play along! After this challenge, we'll be having a mini summer break so you need to get on over now!

Circles at LMMS!

Hey out there! It's time for another challenge at Little Miss Muffet Challenges! During the next two weeks we'd love to see you and some circles! A circular card or even a tag will earn you a chance to win some new digis from LMMS! OR if you use a LMMS stamp, you can make anything you want!

Here's my card using one of the Pollycraft digis, Butterflies:

The sentiment is The Greeting Farm's Roll Call set.

Lately I've decided that my Copics are not the business for adding blush. My blending is just not working. I've been playing with my colored pencils and pastels to decorate cheeks, and I think I like it more...

**Challenges: Joanna Sheen - Circles, Great Impressions - Coloring in the Lines, Dream Valley Challenges - Anything but a Square, Going Grey with Scrap-Creations - Something Bought in the Last Two Months (Paper from TJ Maxx for $3!), Fashionista Challenge - Things with Wings

A Summer Haiku for You

Oh, the summer heat

You make me wish for the spring

Sweat is like clothes glue

Yeesh! I know a lot of you are in the middle of the super summer heat right now and can relate to my woes. I'm not the biggest fan of extreme temperatures; I don't know which I dislike more - extreme heat or cold. Do you know what I mean? Despite my feelings about the heat, I am a bit of a beach bum. I think I might need to get to the beach in the next couple of weeks and make use of some of this heat. :D

On a card-related note, this week the team at Little Miss Muffet Stamps has some inspiration for you! I used Paprika as Raggedy Ann and the awesome Park Glen Door Die for my card.

Do you ever notice things on your cards' photos that you didn't see in life?

I still have my Raggedy Anne doll from my childhood! And Orange Blossom (Strawberry Shortcake's friend), and my Cabbage Patch doll whose name just happened to by Cory Trina!

Okay, just a reminder that the Sparkle Challenge is still going. I hope to see you there!

**Challenges: Jackson's Digital Expressions - A Rose or Anything Goes, The Crafty Bloggers Network - Anything Goes,  Sassy Cheryl's - Anything Goes, Stamp N Plus Challenge - Anything Goes

Happy 4th! + Sketch!

Hey! I hope you enjoy your 4th whether you're here in the States or not. Since this 4th is on a Wednesday, I have a card for the Sketch Challenge at The Outlawz!

This card has Cheers Kaylee from Some Odd Girl looking like how I want to right now - smiling on the beach with a cool drink in hand! The sentiment was created with a Lawn Fawn alphabet set, and the brads are from Eyelet Outlet.

If you want to play along this week, here is the sketch:

This month, our own Pat is sponsoring the Sketch Challenge and is offering a $20 gift certificate to Oozak.com! Plus, all of our monthly site-wide sponsors - Oozak, Jackson's Digital Expressions, Color Me Creative Classroom, Paper Temptress, and Gilli Stamps - have prizes! And, if you somehow didn't know, the party is still going!! If you've made anything red, white, and blue or in your country's colors in the last week and a half, I encourage you to check out the party challenges and get in on some of the awesome prizes we have!!

**Challenges: Jackson's Digital Expressions - A Rose or AG, Tuesday Throwdown - Summertime, Craft Your Passion - Chillin' & Grillin', Crafty Sentiments - Summertime, Sparkles Challenges - Summer Fun, Mema's Crafts - Anything Goes