Card for a little fellow who broke his elbow!

Can you say "OUCH". It must be very painful. One of our Shackie's told us about her great-nephew who is only five and going through some painful surgeries because of a broken elbow. I took out some scraps and put together this card. Outside of the card base being made of SU craft c/s, I don't remember the other papers, patterned or otherwise. The stamp set is by All Night Media and I got a terrific deal on the set from another Shackie. Thanks, Erin, I finally got to use it.

WD Sketch Challenge # 3

Whimsie Doodles are having sketch challenges weekly and I am participating this week. Here is the sketch:



and here is my card:



What I like about digital images is the fact you can re-size them and, as in this case, I flipped it horizontally. I thought he would look better marching into the middle of the card, rather than off the card. It's the 'designer's' choice.

I used Razzleberry for the base, Pretty In Pink as the accent and a Cottage Tulips by Chatterbox for the DP. The sentiment is from Short & Sweet by SU.

What's in Your Mouth?

Most the family were here yesterday for Andrew's birthday. The youngest guest was Ava who is 10 months old. Her dad, Phil, has taught her to open her mouth on command which is a very useful thing when we all know kids put everything into their mouths. Here's a little video of Ava responding to her Dad.

LPS - Digital Images

Last night I picked up a couple of freebie digital images from Little Paper Shop and today, I made a card. This card is entirely digital, expect for the two brads on the nameplate and I coloured the 'hedgies' image with Copic markers. The cardstock (not digital, of course) is Elegant Eggplant by SU, but the patterned papers and the elements and the alphas are all from the kit "Autumn Afternoon" by Bella Gypsy from Elemental Scraps. I love, love, love the "no-mess" way of making cards and/or scrapbook pages using only my computer. And for cards, it just doesn't get any easier for mailing because there's usually nothing to snap the postal machines, etc. Anyway, enough about my love of didital stuff, here's my card.



If you are interested in digital, join some forums. My most recent is becoming a member of the Little Paper Shop Social Network. Go take a look, you may enjoy yourself.

A couple of birthday cards

Well, it's been a while since I posted, but it's been very hectic here; plus, my internet connection has been playing up and it's been very sporadic, indeed.

I now have a couple of cards done for birthdays that I'd like to show you. The first one is for Get Sketchy #5 challenge. Here's the sketch:



And this is my take on this sketch:



The stamp set is Unfrogettable by SU, the DP is Tangerine Plaid by Chater Box, the cardstock is Mellow Moss by SU.

The next card uses a "freebie" digital image by Tim of Hambo Stamps. It was created entirely using digital products.



It was made for a Shackie friend whose son loves receiving mail. I hope he enjoys the card. I'm really, really sorry, but, for the life of me, I cannot find the digital papers and elements I used to create this card. I do know they were all from the same kit and, if anyone recognizes these items, please let me know and I'll edit this post so that proper credit can be given.

Hope I'm not too late!

This has been such a busy week and I'm just now getting around to posting my entry for the Get Sketchy # 2 challenge. This is going to be short so I can get it posted.
Here's the sketch we were to follow, using punches for the bonus.



Here's my card.



The base is a metallic c/s by Worldwin Papers. It has a lovely texture to it, but I don't remember where I got it. Too bad 'cause I'd like to get more! I used two SU c/s bits in Pretty In Pink and Mellow Moss. Both pieces were put through my CB using the Script folder. The DP is by Chatterbox and is called Cottage Tulips which can be seen in the lower right quadrant of the card. The stamped image is by Inkadinkado, stamp name unknown and not printed on the wood mount. I matter that onto Pretty In Pink and edged with Chocolate Chip ink. The stamped piece and the upper-left pink paper have been punched with the SU Sprial punch (love that punch). I added some PIP ribbon, brads and flowers with heart buttons in the centre and called it done!

Now I'm off to Get Sketchy to add by name to there Mr. Linky List.

Happy Birthday to Me!

A lovely display of the many, many cards I received from my Shackie friends and my family.

That's right, today I am 60 years young! In print, it looks really old, but in reality, it's just perfect. There was a terrific party on Sunday afternoon attended by family and friends. It was a fantastic day. And, the gifts were great, although entirely unexpected. There were several gift cards to different spots like Pier1 Imports, Wal-Mart, The Scrapping Turtle; there was a pair of silver earrings; there were flowers; there was even a cake that had a stampers/scrappers theme. Here's a picture of half the cake because my DD, Tiffany, has the better pictures on her camera and I don't have copies of those.



Can you see the scissors, the glue stick and the roll of ribbon? All made out of fondant icing, if you please!! And, of course, there were three mats, of which only the "Birthday" one is left in this photo, and they look like card fronts to me! Too cute for words. The only thing that could have made the day more perfect would have been the addition of my daughter, Kirsten and her family to be here, but as you know, they live in London, England. I did dream that they were going to be here as a surprise, but it was just a dream!

If Tiffany and John (DH) have read this far, they're probably wondering when I'm going to get around to telling you what their gift was. Are you ready, really ready?

I'm going to Las Vegas for three nights and four days at the New York, New York Hotel & Casino with my daughter, Tiffany! Thanks, Tiff. While there, John has given us tickets to see "The Divine Miss M", aka Bette Midler, at the Colosseum in Caesar's Palace! OMG, I'm jumping out of my skin.

So, that's my post for today. I've got to get ready to go out with my son, Phil, and the grandkids. Those gift cards are burning a hole in my purse! See you later.

Get Sketchy Challenge # 1 - YAY!

I gather from reading Bree's entries in the Get Sketchy blog that it has been a long road to the inaugural sketch. Well, I'm happy because sketch challenges are really good for me and make me happy.


Here is my entry for GS Sketch #1.



This card follows the sketch sample, but is different in that it was done completely digitally, except for the colouring of the image and the sentiment stamp. I don't know if that is allowed or not as I believe in going ahead and just doing it. Anyway, it's always easier to ask for forgiveness than permission. So, Bree, if it's ineligible, that's okay, I still enjoyed myself while making this card. Now for the credits.

Supplies:
Digital Image: Whimsie Doodles
Patterned Paper & Embellishments: Tangy by Sherri Tierney
Sentiment: SU's Short & Sweet
Colouring Medium: Copic Markers

What inspires YOU?

While drinking my morning coffee, I was watching the program "Hidden Potential" on HGTV (my most-watched channel). They were doing make-overs to an old house and totally changed the front facade. I looked at it and thought, "Mmmm....there's a great design for a card there", and promptly went into my craft room. I always check out Google Reader for the latest entries in the blogs I follow and up came Color Throwdown #56. Loved the colours and knew just what I wanted to do with these colours, and I was fortunate enough to have the SU cardstock, too. I didn't have an appropriate stamp for a house, so I went to The Quote Garden to find a suitable verse. So, now that you've got the background on how this card came to be....here it is.



Thanks for stopping by, please come back again.

Supplies:
Cardstock: Dusty Durango, Bermuda Bay, Soft Suede
Verse: Quote Garden
Embellies: SU Brads, Making Memories Brads, Primas

Stamp Shack Colour Challenge #14

My stamping buddy, Jennifer, decided upon a monochromatic colour scheme for this week's challenge at The Stamp Shack. Great challenge, Jennifer, thanks.

I just love the marble-style cube by Stampendous that is three-sided. It makes for a great background when that perfect patterned paper eludes you. It can be any colour of ink you have; it doesn't have to be monochromatic, you can mix it up, especially for the Autumn season soon to be here.

Supplies:
Cardstock: Prism, SU, Bazzill
Image: Paper Pretties
Sentiment: SU
Inks: Bashful Blue, Ballet Blue, Night of Navy
Embellies: Brads, Flowers, Buttons, Glamour Dust

Made 4 cards at my August Stamp Club.....

These are two of the four cards we made at my demo's house on Tuesday night. Donna is really cool and doesn't get flustered with everybody asking her questions. YAY! Donna. The class was called "Cards that WOW!" and they did just that. I tried out the Big Shot machine for the first time and was totally surprised at how easy it was to use and the handle turns so smoothly.


The green and orange card was a little more difficult. Scoring the cards, then making the little pop-up thingy to put inside, and, OMG, where to place it so it would pop-up properly. Well, I hated maths in school and discovered I still dislike maths, but love the card. I may have to try this in the privacy of my own home where curse words will fall on deaf ears!



As you can see, the little flower cards are just adorable and so easy to make with the Big Shot.

Here are the next two cards.


The Barely Banana & Sage Shadow is a truly elegant card. I think I'm going to use this for my Christmas cards this year. I just love it.



The triangular, stand-up card is also pretty cool. One of the other ladies suggested it could easily used as a little container to hold Christmas candies or little chocolates. I may see if my DIL would like them as treat-bags for Ava's (DGD's) 1st birthday in November!

Well that does it for my most recent cards. Go check out Stampin' & Scrappin' with Donna for more ideas.

Do you like my new blog header? I have been playing around in PhotoShop CS3 and made this.

A new SKETCH CHALLENGE blog is on the scene!

How many times have you heard me say I love sketch challenges. They are my saving-grace when my own creativity deserts me. Well, there's a 'new kid in town'. Go check out "GET SKETCHY" and maybe even win some fabulous blog candy into the bargain!



Okay, that's it. Don't waste any more time here. Go check out the newest blog on the block! Go, now, click on the link......but, please, come back again to see me, too.

Vintage Photos

I was doing what I love to do yesterday which is surfing the 'net for new digital scrapbooking sites. I found Heritage Scrap and finally knew what I wanted to do with my Mom's photos which were loaned to me when she passed on in 2002. It was to be my task to scan all the family photos and then make CDs for my siblings and any of the grandchildren who wished to have them. Well, it's been years now and I now know what I want to do with them. I've enlisted the help of GramperStamper (DH), who is going to do the scanning and then I will put most of them onto quick pages, but for some very special photos, I will make dedicated pages. I have already scanned some of the photos which my Dad sent to my Mom during WWII. Here is my first page with a vintage feel to it.

All of the elements used to make this page are by Roberta T. Designs, available at Heritage Scrap.

BasicGrey Blog has fab blog candy!

This wonderful blog candy is open world-wide so go on over and check it out at BasicGrey Challenges. Hurry, don't wait, that's why this post is short.

Theme Challenge over at ........

....The Stamp Shack. Weekly challenges have been re-introduced by some of the members and this is my card for Theme Challenge 14.

The requirements of this challenge were to use stitching and buttons on a card. Pefert, says I, my SIL is having a birthday this week and she is a marvellous seamstress so I made it for Jeanne.

Naturally, after creating the card, I needed to photograph it and then post it. With all that I've learned through the digital scrapbooking courses lately, I felt that my card photos are lacking a little something, but, I could change that, so I did. I took a piece of the DP is used on the card and just photographed it all by itself. Then I used that as a background to the card. I used a filter on it so that it would soften it up. I photographed the card separately and brought it onto the the background and used a 25 pixel crop to feather the card into the background. I plan to use this method regularly as I think it makes a much more please photo to post.

Supplies:
Cardstock: PTI Lemon Tart
DP: Stella Ruby by Basic Grey
Image: PTI Green Thumb
Ink: Handsome Hunter, Memento Tuxedo Black
Embellishments: buttons, ribbon, stitching, paper flowers, embroidery thread

Venturing out to my own layouts now...

This morning I decided it was time to make a page all by myself, ie. without following a lesson from anywhere. I wanted to see how much I had learned and if I could, in fact, make a pleasing page. I think I did! But, maybe that's just me.

This is our kitty, Burt. He arrived at our house in February and weighed in at approximately 2.25 lbs. He was a little mite of a thing, but nevertheless, it didn't stop him from climbing up onto my workspace table and checking out all the goodies I have strewn around there. He especially loves the ribbon holder.

One of the most difficult things I find with digital scrapbooking is keeping supplies in an orderly fashion. I thought it would be easier than storing the hard stuff we use in cardmaking and the like, but this is every bit as challenging. For instance: how do you store your embellishment files. I have tons already from different stores and designers. Likewise with paper, photomasks, brushes, etc. How do you give credit for the items you use if you can't remember where you got them? So, I think the answer is to have one main folder called Digital Supplies and several sub-folders with the names of the designer/store. That could be broken down even further to have sub-sub files for paper, embellies, masks, brushes, etc. If anyone reading this has any ideas or a super method of storage of supplies, please, please share it with me.

Supplies:
Kelly Halbert - background paper, photo mask
Scrap Girls - embellishments
Rhonna Farrer - brush
Trish Jones - distressed edge
Font - Vegas LET

Combine digital knowledge with cardmaking!

And this is what happens.



The card, way back there, is for a Sketch Challenge at The Stamp Shack. I wanted to use some of the things I learned while taking the course Now We're Rockin over at Jessica Sprague so that I wouldn't forget what I've learned. It will be a good way for me to pound Photoshop into my brain. I decided to put the supplies right on the "page" I made.

Here's a close up of just the card. It allows you to see the smaller details, like the stitching and the rhinestones, etc.

Lesson 4 is now completed!

This has just been a fantastic trip. With all the notes provided, there is every reason for me to start mixing and matching and creating my own original layouts. A huge thank you to Jessica Sprague. Her teaching style and the videos are great.

Little Fly Boy - Lesson 3 of Now We're Rockin!

This class at Jessica Sprague is fantastic. I'm learning so much about digital scrapbooking and am absolutely enthralled and can add this to my long list of crafting addictions. Thank goodness for household chores or I'd be blind for working on the computer 24/7. I need to go get some groceries now which will allow me to use my long-distance vision muscles for a while.

Finally, a challenge card!

I really, really like the Color Throwdown challenges and here is my card for CTD #52. The colours in this challenge are Chocolate Chip, Certainly Celery and Perfect Plum. I'm actually going to use these colours for an ATC swap over at The Stamp Shack. I used the prototype of the ATC for the main image on this card. The stamp is by Gina K. Designs and is part of the first Carolyn King Collection. To my Shackie friends in the Rainy Day ATC swap being hosted by Robinkay, here's a little preview for you.