Happy Valentine's Day!

Much love to all of you who stop by my blog and leave sweet comments! (Hey Sara, Penny, and Carla!)  I hope all of you are having a great day regardless of the date when you read this post.

I'm sharing the card I made today for my honey. Do you really have to go masculine for Valentine's Day? I know I sure didn't...

Smoochin Cupid digi stamp from Mayzy Art, colored with Copic markers. (skin YR65+E13/15/17) Echo Park Love Story papers

This is an easel card. I'll have to put up another picture to show what it looks like... Updated: Here it is! :D

**Challenges: Digi Haven - Valentine's Day, Annabelle Stamps - Love, Bloggers Challenge - Two or More Patterned Papers, Brown Sugar Challenge - Die or Punch, Craftitude - AG or Love/Valentine's

After All This Hair...

Phoebe digital stamp from Make It Crafty, sentiment by Studio G

After all this hair, I don't even feel like typing a post! :D  Good goodness, that hair took ages, and of course, my eyes keep going to the mistakes! I'm not going to focus on them this time. (Go me!!)

Here's the sketch from The Outlawz that I used to make this card:

Make It Crafty is sponsoring the Sketch Challenge for February. Come on over and play for a chance to get some new stamps!

**Challenges: Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes, Shopping Our Stash - Something Shiny (I pulled out the old Enamel Accents for those hearts!)

3 Days?

Lil Miss Cupid digi stamp from Robert Jackson colored with Copics

Seriously, it took me something like three days to make the most simple card! I think the problem was that I started trying to make a card for this week's sketch challenge on The Outlawz. I like my images large though, and trying to make this one fit on the card that I was determined to put her on was not working with the other elements that were to be on the card...  I finally gave up (sorry, teammates!) and just made a card.

Here is the sketch if you want to come play along:

This month, Encino Stamps is sponsoring the Sketch Challenge!

**Challenges: Challenges 4 Everyone - Anything Goes, 613 Avenue Create - Anything Goes + Winter Blues, Brown Sugar Challenge - Anything Goes,  Digitally Sweet - Anything Goes, Little Miss Muffet - Fussy Cutting, Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes

Vlogging is SO Perfect for Lazy Bloggers...

...like me!  Hope you all are enjoying 2014 so far!

Cuckoo I Am...

I feel like I'm in the middle of a moment - like I have too much in my brain and too much energy. As such, sitting here at the computer is making me feel a little crazy. Therefore, this post will be one my lovely, super short posts!

This card is for this week's Sketch Challenge at The Outlawz. We have an awesome sponsor for Sketch this month, Angie Delarie!! She's giving a very generous prize! We also have a great set of site-wide prizes from some fabulous sponsors including Oozak and Paper Temptress! Here is the sketch if you'd like to come play:

**Challenges: Fab N Funky - Hearts/Valentines, 7 Kids Challenge Blog - Hexagons, Digi Stamps 4 Joy - Romance is in the Air, Paper Pretties - Valentines

Trying to Blog from Bed... (ni)

And here's another card I made today. I had the hardest time cutting paper while making this card. As a result, this card is no where near standard size. I think it works since the image is small. I colored the dress of this Some Odd Girl stamp around when I first started making cards, and she finally made it to a card! (There are fully colored stamps on the page; let's see how long it takes...)

Hearts and Flowers at LMMS

Hey Kristin!! Even though this is a Little Miss Muffet post, I have to give a shout out to my Secret Sistah as she helped pull this card together. She sent me the paper and the bling in one of the great packages of goodies she gifted me over the last few weeks. Thanks!!!

I found a great sentiment from TLC Creations on my laptop for the inside of this card. It says, " I think I'd miss you even if we'd never met." Love it!! especially since Valerie looks like she's missing someone...

I realized the other day that I had a bunch of LMM stamps on my external hard drive that hadn't been transferred to my laptop. After getting that straightened out, I looked around and found my girl Valerie looking like she wanted to be on a card. How could I resist?

On a side note, my E13 keeps dropping blobs of ink when I'm coloring. Air pressure issues? It starts off almost dry then all of a sudden, the nib is soaking wet and there's a huge spot of color on my image. I have colored a bunch of things since I last refilled it. After today's mishap, I opened both ends of the marker and laid it down flat when I switched to the other markers for her skin. That seemed to work. Any suggestions?

Anyway, we'd love to see your Hearts & Flowers projects! Don't want to go with the theme? Use ANY Little Miss Muffet Stamp or a Pollycraft stamp and do whatever you want in the challenge!

**Challenges: Oozak - Pink & Bling, House of Gilli - Pink & Bling, Bunny Zoe's - Anything Goes

My first "REAL" CASE

*I'll be back in just a while with some details. I'm sick and trying to finish up some DT stuff since I'm stuck at home anyway... For now, just know that I CASEd  Thanh's card over at Raise the Bar Challenges...

Okay! So, that image is Odette from The Greeting Farm's Roll Call set. I made her a little plaid skirt to go along with the plaid hat that Hello Ian wears. (He's who Thanh used...)  Eiffel Tower stamp, Want 2 Scrap bling, Cupid rub-on, Papertrey Ink Block Alphabet Dies (run thrice so I could make those letters stand up a little), some Recollections washi tape and BAM! There's a card!

Forewarning - I half colored a gang of TGF stamps 2 weekends ago. Expect to see them as I attempt to use my stamps and serious paper stash...

**Challenges: Creative Card Crew - Girly, Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes, Lady Anne's - Anything Goes, Digi Stamps 4 Joy - Anything Goes

UPDATED:New Lovey Release at LMMS

There are some super adorable new images at Little Miss Muffet Stamps today! I will be back with a card. I'm struggling right now - my laser printer gave no warning before claiming to be out of toner plus the rain we've been having is killing me with sinus headaches. In the meanwhile, check out my teammies on the LMM blog!

FINALLY!!

I think I've decided that Prisma's Process Red is just about the most perfect blush color I can find in my supplies..

The new Celeste Amberglow Heartstrings has so nicely decided to jump herself onto the front of a card!

Challenges: Avadares: Valentine's Day or Love, Lady Anne's - Sentiment + Anything Goes, Simply Create Too - Anything Goes, Sweet 'n Sassy - Anything Goes (use a digi)

New Chester Monkey Stamps!

Gingham from Granny Enchanted...

Little Miss Muffet Stamps has some cute new Chester stamps! Chester's cute face was always one one my favorites at Pollycraft, so I'm excited about this release. I had to get my dining room clean for New Year's dinner, but I went ahead and messed it up to get a card done! ;D Stop by the challenge blog to see the awesome cards from my teammates!

Challenges: Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes,  Papertake Weekly - Anything Goes, Cards Galore - Anything Goes, Simon Says Stamp - New Something (New Stamp!!)

SOG for the Sketch!

I'm rushing. I'm woofing down my breakfast before heading out to work.  BUT, since I hate not posting the sketch for the Sketch Challenge on The Outlawz until it's late, I'm on it now.

Here's my card:

I should have put her eye specks on the other side! Oops!! I didn't see this stamp last night in the SOG store; I got mine at Oozak.com where it is still in stock.

I've had papers picked and Hollyday Gwen from Some Odd Girl mostly colored since January; I was supposed to be making my BF a Valentine's Day card. I couldn't figure out how I wanted to color the dress or how I wanted to lay out the papers and stamp! SO... maybe I'll give it to him as a surprise over the weekend.  I tried something different when coloring Gwen. I was thinking about how I'm pretty yellow under my brown, and tried coloring her skin in one of the yellows (I think it was Y04.) before I went in with the normal browns. I think it came out nice!

Here's the sketch:

As usual, I had to do a little something different...

Please remember that the Sketch Challenge has Guylou's Inimitability ($20) and Paper Temptress (20 sheets of Cryogen) as its sponsors this month. This is the last challenge for the month; make sure you play along! An entry into any of the challenges at The Outlawz this month also puts you in the running for prizes from Oozak, Gilli Rubber Stamps, Paper Temptress, and Color Me Creative Classroom!!

Challenges: My Mum's Craft Shop - Stamp It, Divas by Design - Stamp Something, Creative Mondays - Anything Goes, Ladybug Crafts Ink - Spots & Stripes (my spots are really hearts)

I Don't Think You're Ready!!

Or maybe you are! I see the hints over on the Three Companies Team Up blog have led a lot of people to guess the correct companies! If you never made it over there or are just wondering if your guess was right, the three companies that have come together to create an amazing line of Paris-inspired goodies (images, sentiments, and embellishments!) are Little Miss Muffet Stamps, Make it Crafty, and Whimsy Stamps!

Agent Eclair in Disguise - Little Miss Muffet Stamps, postage stamps - Whimsy Stamps, gorgeous chipboard from N1 Fancy Frames - Make it Crafty

To kick off this amazing release, we're having a blog hop to showcase some of the amazing items in the new line. Head over to Ann's to get started! In addition to seeing the fabulous creations, you'll have a chance to win some good stuff and will learn how you could end up with one of your projects in an issue of Whimsy Magazine!

Oh! Before you go running off, I want to let you know that Little Miss Muffet has nine new stamps in RUBBER! If all the news hasn't been exciting enough for you, there are also freebies over at Little Miss Muffet and on Barbara's blog, Forgotten Scraps!

**There are SO many items in this release! Today's blog hop isn't the end of the fun! :D

Challenges: Stamp and Create - Valentine's/Love, Crafty Bloggers Network - Love is in the Air, Crafty Boots Challenges - Valentines

You're So NOT My Sweetheart!

Sound s mean, right? Well, the new challenge at Guylou's Inimitability is to make a Valentine card/project for someone other than that special person in your life! Oh, and Kim says you have to use black on it, too! Easy enough?


Here's my card using Leah at the Cocktail Party.

Now, this might not look like a Valentine's card, but here's the inside:

When you don't have a mate, Valentine's can seem like a day to "get through!" People going on and on about all the special things that have been done for them can make a person want to stay in PJs, watching romantic comedies, and eating ice cream. This card could go to any of my single girlfriends! :D

If you'd like to get in on the challenge, you have until 10 p.m. EST, Feb 16, to put your card in the Inlinkz at the Guylou's Inimitability blog. You could win some free digis and a guest DT spot! See you there!

Love Little Miss Muffet Style!

I told you I was back! :D This time it's to bring you the new challenge at Little Miss Muffet! For the next two weeks we want to see your Valentines or Love cards!

For my card I used Monster Pains (I really love the monsters at LMMS!) to make a sweet card about falling head over heels. Sometimes love hurts, and this poor thing looks like he's going through it! The paper is from SEI's With All My Heart pack, and the sentiment was created with Sally's ABCs from Lawn Fawn.

Have I ever told you all that I can't cut straight lines? Even with my paper cutter?? I need a cutter that clamps down and holds the paper. My little Fiskars blade shuttle swerves and leaves me messing up cards as I try to fix the problems by hand. While I know the outcome, I can't stop myself...

Anyway, I hope to see your project in the challenge! There are some new LMMS stamps that came out last week and are super sweet! You could win a few of them... ;D

Challenges: Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge - #151, The Paper Shelter - Love is in the Air, Penny's Paper-Crafty Challenge Blog - Love is in the Air, Truly Scrumptious - Love & Hearts

Root Beer vs Dr. Pepper?

So yesterday I was talking to my father, and he mentioned that people either like root beer OR Dr. Pepper/Mr. Pibb but usually not both. Really?? Hmm... He loves root beer; I hate it. I love Dr. Pepper, but I don't drink sodas often enough for it to usually be my choice. (Mountain Dew!!)  Keep reading my rambling; it may be worth it... ;D

Today we have a new sketch at The Outlawz! Here's my take on it:

That cutie is a hybrid - The Greeting Farm's Cheeky Glamour up top and Cheeky Beauty for the body. Thanks to Amy (from A Thousand Sheets of Paper) for all the awesome YT vids showing how to switch TGF heads and bodies! I did have to cut the hair under the face to allow the shoulders to slide up close to the face. And since Cheeky Glamour's mouth is covered by her hand, I freehanded her mouth with a Spica pen using Cheeky Beauty as a guide. Paper is Bo Bunny's Crush, and the XO sticker is from K&Company.

Here's the sketch for those of you who might like to play along.

Now, if you're still here, tell me whether you like root beer, Dr. Pepper/Mr. Pibb, or both. Sunday afternoon I'll randomly pick one commenter and send her/him a set of Juliette stamps from SEI!

Yes, I'm on Time!!

Hey everyone! Today is Wednesday aka Sketch Challenge Day at The Outlawz! We have a great sketch this week, and my fellow DT ladies have created some awesomeness to inspire you! (Just so you know, Sandi used an amazing hummingbird digi that she drew! She's supposed to add it to the Freebies section of The Outlawz soon; head on over to get all the digis she and Anne Fenton have served up!)

Sandi and Pattie's Creations (Pattie G) are both sponsoring the Sketch Challenge this month and are giving 3 digis a piece! Oozak is sponsoring all the challenges on the site and is offering a $50 gift certificate, AND Anary from Gilli Rubber Stamps has just signed on to give a member a Gilli Goodie Bag! I know you're ready to enter now that you've seen these awesome prizes, so here's the sketch for this week:

And here's my card made with Love Letter Kaylee from Some Odd Girl!

Kaylee was colored with Copics; her shoes are glittery from a Spica pen, but you can't really tell in the picture. All the papers came from a dollar pack from Target around Valentine's Day. (You know I love a bargain!) Colorbox ink is on the edges of the papers...

Hope to see you in the challenge! You still have until next Wednesday to enter any of the Sketch challenges from this month and be entered into the drawings for prizes!

Maybe Not as Slow as Molasses...

Hey! Thank you all so much for letting me know that I'm not a complete slow poke! Some days I feel like I am really moving in slow motion. Those days, the only way I know I've been working is to look at the growing mess/mass (pick one) of crafting supplies on the table...  :D

I know it's only been a few weeks, but hopefully you know that Wednesday is Sketch Challenge day at The Outlawz! Here is this week's sketch:

And here's my card...

That is Kissy from Mo Manning; is she not adorable?! (FYI - Since I started taking online Copic coloring classes, I've been doing a better job of taking notes when I make cards so I can tell you  colors for things if you'd like to know.) The paper is from Cosmo Cricket's Pixie-licious collection. Love it! I have a problem using patterned paper; I don't want to cut it! I'm a mini paper hoarder, but I'm so "frugal" that I don't want to use any of it. When I see cards that Carmen or Dorcas have made, I'm always amazed by how many layers of paper they use. (Plus their cards are wonderful!) Just know that I'm trying...  The little sweetheart stamp is from Craftsmart aka the $1 bin at Michaels. I used some Colorbox inks for the hearts and was very happy with how close to matching the paper they were!  

I just got home from a half day doctor's appointment visit (not for me; I'm ok) and remembered that I have some cards due soon... I have to get to work - especially since I'm so slow!  ;)

Challenges: Bearly Mine Challenges - #2 Recipe (3 flowers, 2 PP, 1 image), A Spoonful of Sugar - Valentine's, Stampavie and More - #126 Love, Fab N Funky - #57 Digis, The Sisterhood of Crafters - Anything Goes

Red Challenge at Guylou's!

How long should making a card take? It takes me what I think is a long time, and it seems like a lot of that time is just looking through paper... I only ask because my wonderful father called me last night and asked me to make a card for my grandmother. I have to take my uncle to the doctor in a little while, and I'm not sure if this card (that I haven't started yet) will make it into the mail today... I was just wondering about your card making time so I can see if I'm average or need to pick up the pace...

On a totally unrelated note, a new challenge is starting today at Guylou's Inimitability! The challenge is RED, and we want to see some projects featuring that color.  The challenge runs until February 3, at 10 p.m. EST. The winner of the challenge gets a guest spot on the design team and some free digi stamps. If you'd like to use a GI digi on your card/project, head over to the store. (Or for some free ones, click the "guylou's" tag on this post to read how you can get FREE stuff. I don't feel like typing it again!) If you're working on Valentine's Day cards, there's no reason for you not to join the challenge!


The DT cards are smoking on this challenge! Here's mine using the Cupid stamp:

I really like the coloring on this stamp, but my card feels like it needs something extra. I'm not sure what though and probably won't mess it up attempt to fix it before I give it away...

Umm... Duh!

Whoo! I need a moment of silence for operator error! I had just written up some stuff about Blogger and how I couldn't post this message earlier today because of some issues, only to find that those issues were way too easily solved! I'm talking a one-click-of-the-mouse solution! I'm ok...  :)

Anyway, today is Wednesday which means another sketch challenge at The Outlawz! Here's a shot of the sketch:

And here's the card I made:

That cute little guy is Kuthbert from Pollycraft. (There are some really cute holiday digis over there on sale right now...)  He's been colored with Copics and propped up on some paper from The Paper Studio's Sugar and Spice stack. The little white hearts are scraps from using the Heartbeat punch from MS. (Did I already tell you all how much I love that punch? If not, I love it to pieces!) Making Memories's Metro Mini Shimmer Alpha stickers in white make the sparkly sentiment, and the dots are from a Sakura white Gelly Roll pen.

**Thank you so much to my followers who have joined us at The Outlawz! I hope all of you make it over there and join the challenges. As a reminder, a different type of challenge starts every day. I think there should be something there that interests you!

Sunday: Clean and Simple
Monday: Birthday Cards
Tuesday: Color
Wednesday: Sketch
Thursday: Prisma and Other Mediums
Friday: Copic/Promarkers
Saturday: Scrapbooking

Anything Goes challenge at Guylou's Inimitability is still on until Jan 20 @ 10 p.m. EST! If you're interested in a Guest Designer spot and some free digis, enter any card you've made from Jan 6, 2011!

---

Challenges:  Incy Wincy Designs - #77 Bears!, Bunny Zoe's Crafts - # 8 Love is in the Air, Lexi's Creations - #31 Say it with Love, One Crazy Stamper - Love