Mary has thrown down another challenge. I thought I'd see if I could create something ... and Here It Goes:
It's a S-card using purple cardstock and the Halloween cardstock found in K and Company's
"Spooktacular" pack. I thought the little characters were really cute and decided I HAD to use them. I popped up the bats with two layers of pop dots. (Everything else has 1 pop dot). I did use my Crop-A-Dile for the sign's eyelets. I used some hemp twine to give the impression that the sign is hanging. The ribbon came from Michaels (purchased last year). And the bling are stickers that were on the clearance aisle at Michaels.
Momo (www.madebymomo.blogspot.com) posted her challenge on her blog so I thought I'd try to enter a card. I ruminated all day about what I would do... what stamp I'd use, what techniques I'll pull together into my masterpiece... and HERE IT IS... (drumroll.....)
AND.... the best part is... it took me 1hour and 45 minutes, including coloring the image. That's 3 days, 4 hours and 15 minutes less than NORMAL.
Everyone usually puts their card recipe however I'm really bad about that so I'll do the best I can. The sentiment came from a Michaels' clear acrylic stamp set I got. The image was from an old Stampin' Up set featuring a dragon. The coloring was done by Prismacolor pencils and odorless mineral spirits (a la The Queen Marlene at www.disguisedasagrownup.blogspot.com). The ribbon... hmm. I think it was part of a $1 pack at Michaels. The light green paper was run through my Cuttlebug to make a scaly appearance. (I took the photo of the card at night and I find that it washes out the color. I will try to re-post the photo later
UPDATE: The photos are now re-posted).
A close shot of the Prismacolor pencil shading
A closer shot of the background paper
I'm exhausted. This was quite taxing. I need to go lay down.... (Don't know how all you guys do it on a daily basis).
Oh... and on a side note: Nicole (http://canadiannickelscrapn.blogspot.com) put up her video to show how she colors in her images with her Stampin' Up pens. I have been waiting since July to see this. I hope to try it with my Marvy pens (I don't have SU pens). But alas, if I simply cannot duplicate the art... I have my Prismacolor pencils. I like the image they create as well.
Lastly, if you have hung in long enough to read all this babbling, don't forget about Nicole's bloghop on Saturday!!!! Just click on the link to her blog above and you can bookmark her site. Bookmark Marlene's too. You'll enjoy it, trust me.
Amuse-bouche:
Tonight, I went to the local market (Sprouts) and picked up Taramatasalata by Krinos (in a jar). It's a Greek type cavier dip. I ate it with some blue corn organic chips from Trader Joes. It's my new thing. If you don't have Krinos in your market (which I completely understand), go to a Greek restaurant. It will probably be under the appetizer part. Have it with some fresh warm pita. (eyes. rolling. back. into. head).
I decided to make use of the digistamps that I colored in a few days ago. These stamps were colored in with Prismacolor pencils and Odorless Mineral Spirits. I used my Cuttlebug for the background. The sentiments are from my acrylic pack from Michaels. I used the Fiskars Scissors ("Stamp"). The digi images I used were purchased at The Digi Shack (http://kharliebug.typepad.com/the_digi_shack/the-digital-shop-1.html).
These cards are 4.25" x 4.25".
Oh, hey-- don't forget about next weekend.... Nicole's BLOG HOP.
This is a housewarming card for a friend who just moved into a house with a big FICUS tree. I used Create-A-Critter for the house and Stretch Your Imagination for the tree. Keeping in step with my earlier card, I used Glossy Accents on the tree. The grass was cut from Every Day Paper Dolls. The stamps (flowers and sentiment) were from my clear acrylic stamp package that I bought at Michaels.
I tucked a little pocket for a gift card behind the panel that the house is stuck to.
Have a great weekend. It's uber hot in So Cal. YAY!!!!!
I used Mini Monsters and some Glossy Accents on the tree. The sentiment is a simple sentiment that came from the clear stamp set that I bought at Michaels (I am starting to regret not getting the Scrappy Mom's halloween set).
And, this card only took 50 minutes, or 1/2 of an Adam Carolla podcast (another measure of time in my household)
I thought I'd share with you some bracelets I had made last year. These bracelets were made out of Swavorski crystals and these neat pre-made Filo clay images that I bought at my local bead store. The little Filo clay images were $3-$4. If you click on the image, I think you can see them better. These are the ones I made for the 4th of July and Christmas.
I think I missed the deadline for Momo's JUST BECAUSE contest. Boo. However, the planets must be aligning because I suddenly had a thought to make a card. When I say a 'thought,' I don't mean a whole layout. I mean that I have a thought like "Hmm, I want to make a card with (oh, say.... ) a dinosaur." Then I have to plan colors and background and ribbon and embellishments and THAT is what usually takes me about 2 hours.
This only took me 1.5 Supernatural episodes. (This is a measure of time in my household).
Now don't let me fool you (like I ever could!).... the Tiddly Inks colored image was previously colored. I would have had to tack on another hour to print, ponder the colors, color the figure, and blend it.
This card was made with the Cricut Create a Critter (dinosaur), Michaels ribbon (for $1), Scrappy Mom's Dinosaur stamp, Deckle Fiskar scissors, Peachy Keen face stamp (that I got 2 weeks ago and finally got the courage to try them), and my Tiddly Inks image colored with PrismaColor pencils and Gamsol (aka Odorless Mineral Spirits)- a la Marlene.
Please note, that I put some Glossy Accents on the flowers and leaves on the inside image. I really liked that touch. Soooo nifty.
Oh, and the little bow on the dinosaur's head is a pre-made bow that I got at Michaels in their bridal section.
So, there ya go....
The papers came from those paper packs at Michaels or Joanns. Sorry gals and guys, I'm not very good about remembering where I got my paper.
The more I look at this card, the more I think-- hmm, I need a lesson in color coordination. I'm not very skilled in color coordination. And if you think I have a hard time coordinating colors in my cards, you should see my attire (snort). :)
You should check out what all these hubbies did with their wives' Cricuts and paper and scissors. What a great group of guys!
Amuse-bouche:
My cousin just sent me a great video link on YouTube that heralds back to SamUL's Agility trials... In fact, 2 of the dogs look like Fred and SamUL. [Sorry about the margins... I can't figure out this layout.]
Here is a little card I made for a friend of mine who received a promotion.
Here is the outside of the card:
I used Stretch your Imagination and my Cuttlebug folder. The cardstock was: DCWV Blossoms & Butterflies. I used white gel pen and red glitter pen to accent the cut out. The sentiment wasone of a set from the $1 bin at Michaels and the punch is from Stampin Up
Here is the inside of the card:
This was passed through the Cuttlebug, and the paper was from DCWV Blossoms & Butterflies. I used an oval window punch to write my sentiment and stitched it with white gel pen.
As you can tell, my dogs pretty much run my life. Two of the 3 of them are enrolled in obedience class. The place I take them for training (www.rudek9.com) is having our annual Howl-o-ween Dog Costume contest and for the suckers who spoil them owners, we're having a cook-off.
Here are the invitations:
I used DCWV Halloween paper (at Michaels), Cricut cartridge Tags, Bags, boxes and more, and Cricut Cartridge Paper Dolls Dress up for the dog dressed up as a ghost. I used Mini Monsters for the ghoulish pot. The ghoul in the pot was just glitter paper from DCWV (Summer Dream) that I bought at Joann's on clearance. The ribbon was bought last year at Michaels. The text was typed on the Computer and I used the clip art that was already on my computer (I just searched 'halloween borders.')
Yesterday, one of my co-worker's got married. It was a LOVELY wedding. So elegant.
I gave her one of my Wedding Boxes and incorporated the colors of her wedding as well as her wedding invitation into the Wedding box (the black/white paper).
Her dress was absolutely beautiful. I wish I could show the front of it but I don't want to put her photo up without her permission... so I'll show you the rear view. (stop snickering, Marlene). :-)
She looked absolutely perfect!
Music courtesy of Ne-Yo, "Because of You"
Here is the close up of the plastic strips to allow the doves and flowers to float
Tonight starts another season of the Ghost Adventures on the Travel Channel. Not for ones who are easily spooked in the dark but I find it interesting. The dialogue alone is captivating... "did you hear that?" (No).... "did you see that?" (No)... "OMG." "Dude... did you do that?" (just kidding)
Comic-Con 2010 with Nick, Zak, and Aaron (with special guest: Dwight Schrute)
.
In scrapping news, I have FINALLY been able to get a video converter program so very soon, I can upload a video I made months ago on the Paper Bag Scrapbook that I made (courtesy of CARDZTV.... Mary,- you're awesome). When I upload it, I suggest you have Dramamine on hand.... [Marlene, this comment is directed at YOU. :-) ] I CLEARLY do not have the skill to operate a video camera.
Thank you again to all of you who have made comments or joined my blog. You are all so nice and I appreciate it.
Amuse-bouche:
Have you ever heard of Dave Ramsey? I love talk radio and his show is interesting. Having said that... I'd hate to confess to him my scrapbooking budget (snicker)- or lack thereof. :)
One day, I will be DDDEEEBBT FRREEEEEE!!!!! :)
A friend of mine recently lost her dog due to health problems complicated by old age. To tell you that she invested time and money and love in this dog's life is an understatement however, some of you out there know what that emotional investment is like. If you have a friend who lost a pet and has a hard time dealing with grief, here 's some tips that I try to follow:
1. It always helps to make a card! Isn't that what we're good at? Whether it's a little drawing or a beautifully colored image or a Cricut cut out... it's the thought that counts.
Sorry for the lighting. I'm still trying to get the photography part of blogging right.
I tried to keep the card simple yet hopeful. Now that I'm looking at it... boy, is it simple. Or as Mary (Cardztv) says SUPER SIMPLE.
I used DCWV Summer Dream Cardstock (glitter paper) and Create-A-Critter and Sweethearts Cartridge
2. I try to send a small donation to Kansas State University School of Veterinary Medicine. In exchange, they send a lovely letter to the pet owner (and you) acknowledging your donation in the name of "Fifi." You can indicate how you want your contribution to be distributed: Greatest Need, Medical Research, Veterinary Medical Education, etc . Here is the link and if you click on the left side where it says Donate to the Pet Tribute Site, you can print the form. They are very prompt in sending the letter to both the animal owner and you.
There is a wonderful staff there that handles these requests and my experience has been, no donation was too small.
I found out about this great idea when my dog Auggie passed away. My veterinarian made a donation on Auggie's behalf. What a thoughtful thing to do.
Auggie Doggie
3. And there are various grief hotlines and resources that you can direct your friend to. UC Davis used to have one, but now due to budget cuts, they refer you to other resources. Please see the link attached:
Our dog training class had Obedience trials today. My little dog, SamUL, did his trial on-leash. My older dog, Colt, did his trial off-leash (because he has been in the class for over a year and shouldn't require a leash. The operative verb is SHOULD in this sentence). Colt's original family, my nephews, came to watch him perform. Needless to say, he was distracted at the time of his trials and eventually was awarded a plaque. The plaque read something about how the owner (me) wasted money on a trainer because he's hopeless. My nephew was happy that Colt won a plaque and here is his photo.
Here is Colt's (AWFUL) performance.
There were quite a few distractions but that is no excuse.
Here is SamUL's performance. He is still considered a beginner so he did his 'on-leash.' He did much better than Colt but then again, SamUL is an over-achiever... especially in the art of Couch Eviseration.
The video was shot by one of my nephews. I will leave out names to not embarrass the nephew who seemed to be having GI issues.
Here is my card that I plan to enter in Mary's Challenge. This is the first challenge I have ever done.
I used the Happy Haunting Cartridge. I also stickled the cape. I used the Halloween paper from K & Company (Michaels Craft store) and I used the "star" embellishments that are currently on clearance at Michaels to bling it up a bit as it was looking pretty boring.
If you look closely enough, you'll see I used the Traffic cuttlebug embossing folder on the spider web frame. If I had to do it over again, I wouldn't but this is where mistakes will be made so we all can learn.
I really liked the phrase cut-out "Happy Haunting." It looks pretty cool.
Well, I just whipped me up a couple gift bags filled with candy for my neighborhood kids. [When I say "whipped up"... I mean it took me about 1 1/2 hours... the equivalent of 2 episodes of Supernatural (always the multi-tasker, I am).]
Back to my story... the kids came over and left some drawings in my mailbox for me about 2 weeks ago. I wanted to reciprocate however, you know how long it takes me to get anything crafty done.
So here are my gifts to them... 2. weeks. later.
I used Paper Doll Dress Ups and Mini Monsters Cricut Cartridges for the cut out. Glitter pen or white gel pens were used to jazz up parts of the costumes. The bags are just plain ziploc bags.
Let's see how many days it takes me to walk these over to their house. Next. Door.
And... Ms. Nicole at the Canadian Nickel has notified us of her Halloween Blog Hop. See the button at the top right of my blog???? Go click on it. Yes, that button... go click on it,... NOW! You won't regret it.
:)
Everyone around me is getting married. Well, almost everyone. I've been busy making gift boxes for those gift cards. I thought I'd post some samples of two 'wedding' gift boxes I made.
The first gift box was for a friend whose wedding colors were turquoise and brown. I incorporated parts of her invitation into the gift box (It's the license plate of the car). Please click below to see my live action video with music by Chaka Khan. (Yea, I need to keep my day job. )
The second gift box was for one of my scrapping friends. Her colors were royal blue and black. I wasn't able to do a video for hers, so here are the photos
I bought the flowers on the box lid at Michael's in the bridal area and just used ZOTS to adhere them. The clear acetate strips were cut from an 8.5x11" packet of 'acetate' paper that I bought at Michaels. The manufacturer is Grafix, "clear craft plastic."
The Gift Box
The plastic strips give the idea of floating flowers
A side view of how the strips are adhered with ATG glue strip
Well, I spent my Labor Eve creating a birthday gift card box and trying out my watercolor pencils and the aqua pen. I have come to the conclusion that I should use watercolor paper rather than cardstock from WalMart. When I use the cardstock, it doesn't retain the richness that the watercolor paper did on the sample I did a few months ago. I'll try to pick up some inexpensive watercolor paper tomorrow and test my theory. (Can watercolor paper feed through a printer for digistamps?)The aqua pen I have (by Zig, purchased at Michaels), has a brush tip so it's hard to color in small corners and maintain the lines.
I'll photograph my birthday giftbox tomorrow and post it. (I try to photo my projects in natural light as I feel that it makes my projects look better { Hey, I need all the help I can get}).
Amuse-bouche:
Supernatural Season 5 out on DVD Tuesday.
I was able to work with my Prismacolor Pencils and Gamsol (aka Odorless Mineral Spirits) yesterday. I have to give Marlene (www.disguisedasagrownup.blogspot.com) props. Coloring is hard work. I did 5 images and it took a long time and my hand is still a bit sore. I guess I'm still learning how to color properly (who knew there was a ergonomic technique to coloring?). I bet I'm gripping the pencil too hard. In any event, here are my 3 sample cards below. (I got the shadowing technique from Marlene).I have more to post but alas, I still don't know how to edit the 2 videos that I need to upload here. Patience little grasshoppers.... eh, judging by the amount of people that even look at this blog, I'm probably talking to a room full of "cricuts" - get it? Cricuts? Haha. Hello??? Is this thing on?
Also, if you haven't seen www.madebymomo.blogspot.com 's site, you need to take a trip over there. She's been doing UStream video sessions and they're really awesome. For those of you just learning how to make cards or crafty projects, her UStream Video Chat's are great. And she's very entertaining and a great host.
Amuse-bouche (french translation: "mouth amuser") Like an hor d'oeuvre, an amuse-bouche is just a small bite of goodness aside from the main course. Here are some morsels that have been tickling my fancy lately:
*Adam Carolla podcasts: Not for those who are adverse to profanity
*Currently reading: Patient Zero... Lovin' it. Graphic bio-terror with zombies thrown in. Not for those who are adverse to blood, gore and terror.
*My Giant Salad: 1 head of romaine, tomatoes (as many as you want), half an avocado, 1/3 cup of Seafood Salad (or whatever mayonaisse 'salad' you want to throw in), Soy Bacon bits, and Seasoned rice wine vinegar (as much as you prefer). Not for those who are adverse to roughage.
*Ghost Adventures on Travel Channel. Not the typical choice for those who enjoy "Quality Television" like "Murder, She Wrote" or "Touched by an Angel."
