The No Line Coloring Trend Continues! Macaroons!

Good morning and happy Monday to you!

I am literally obsessed right now with no line coloring.  I chose this set from Jane's Doodles, Tea Time.  I adore the macaroons in this set.  I did lots of masking and used my mini misti to line them up.

I did change my coloring medium to Prisma Colored Pencils.  I was at a charity crop a few weeks ago and wanted to pack light.  So all I brought were stamps and Prisma pencils.  When I got home I assembled my colored images into a finished card. Do you see the little stars around the image? That was due to my Mini Misti being dirty with black ink and me smudging the background with specks of black.  So I had to disguise it.  No way was I throwing all of my hard work away!  So I added more black specks with a Sharpie and glued tiny gold stars on.  Distraction works every time! HA!  I tied a long silk ribbon from the Stamp Simply store and added a mini pink flower from Queen and Company. 

Thank you all for stopping by! Have a great day!

Love Notes

Good morning!  I am up on the Scrapbook Adhesive's Blog today with a collection of love notes.
When my kids were little I used to put them in their lunches as a reminder of how much I love them.  Now I have a son in college and a daughter living at Misericordia.  Which means I have to mail them...and when I mail one to my son, he immediately opens it looking for money! LOL!
Cortney just likes my pictures and coloring. :)
I have even been known to slip one in my husband's lunch too.
That's just how I roll.

The stamp set is from Jane's Doodles and each image was stamped in black ink and colored with Copics.  I used a circle Tattered Angels die to cut the image.  I used a bit of black twine to thread it through.  I added a sweet little felt heart to the center of my bow from this cute Etsy shop. 

The sentiment was stamped in Versamark and embossed in white for each of the sentiments.  

The background was given a a water color wash in shades of blue using my Zig markers. Once everything was dry, I used Crafty Foam Tape for each of the layers to make it dimensional.
The Dual Tip Glue Pen was used to adhere the sequins.

The cards are small...just 3 x 3 in size.  But big enough to remind those around you how much you care about them!

Cortney is coming home for the weekend.  It is hard to believe that she just celebrated her one year anniversary at Misericordia. It is truly bitter sweet. So she has a few doctors to see and we have her meeting on Monday.  (Similar to an IEP meeting)
I am so happy to spend a bit of time with her!
We have our fun fair at school tonight and she is super excited to go with me and see all of her favorite teachers!
Have a great weekend my friends!

Rain or Shine..

Good morning! I am up on the SRM blog today with a fun "pick me up" kind of card.

We all know that sometimes we just need someone to show they care, and a card is a perfect way to do that! 

I used Jane's Doodle's Rain or Shine set.  It was colored with Copic markers and then a bit of depth was added with coordinating colored pencils. 

I added Stickles to give it a bit of sparkle and a scattering of dew drops.  I have joined the Misti bandwagon and have fallen head over heels for it!  I love that I can stamp my sentiment in a straight line rather than my usual wonky way! (Or a whole lotta prayin' and some luck! LOL)

Tonight is a bitter sweet night. 

Cort graduates from her high school/Cross roads school.  This has been a school that has gone above and beyond for its students.  The staff shows such love and respect for our kids that I wish the outside world would take lessons.

I know I will be a mess tonight.  

So many changes this year for Cort.....for me. 

"How did she grow up so quickly?" 

And yet it's here.

The next chapter needs to begin......but with a few tears from this mama.

Celebrate!

Good morning my friends!  I have a card that is featured on the SRM blog using one of my favorite stamp sets by Jane's Doodles.  It is called, Tea Time..  It was stamped in a light brown ink and colored with Zig Clean Color Markers.  Once the image was dry, I brushed on a bit of gold Stickles and added liquid applique for the coffee and steam.  I left it "wet" looking and chose not to heat it. 

The background was created with a stencil, Tim Holtz new distress crayons, and a baby wipe.  I will have more cards soon where you will be able to see the background a bit more.  I tied an orange strip of fabric left over from a bulletin board I altered for my daughter's room.  Waste not, want not.....right? Lastly, I added a the celebrate sentiment from SRM's, We've Got Your Border-Birthday. 
Thank you as always for stopping by! I so enjoy your visits! 

Rain or Shine...

I am up on the SRM Blog with a card using this cute new set from Jane's Doodles called, Rain or Shine.  I stamped it in Versamark and embossed it in white.  I added color using my Zig Clean Brush Markers.  

I took my white gel pen and added polka dots to the boots.  I found this very old, but still very cute rainbow paper to slip behind the image.  I tied silk ribbon from the Stamp Simply store with a couple of posies to finish it off. 

I am home today with my girl.  We are headed out for a day of lunch and shopping with her Nana.  We need to pick up a few things for her move to Misericordia.  

It is hard to believe that in a week and a half, she will be moving.

Today's shopping trip will be bitter sweet for sure.

Have a wonderful day!!

Love Birds!

Good morning! I am up on the SRM Blog today with a new set from Jane's Doodles called, Love Birds!  I think it is the sweetest set! I wanted a bit of moonlight behind my birds. (Because it's romantic to profess one's love in the moonlight right?) I punched a circle from a piece of scrap paper.  I used both the negative and positive pieces here.  I placed the circle in the middle of my paper and sponged shades of blue around it.  Then I took the negative piece, placed it over the paper, and sponged my yellow.  I went back with a dauber and sponged a bit of white around the moon.  I wanted a bit of sparkle, so I took a paint brush and a bit of glossy accents, and "painted" around the moon. I sprinkled a bit of glitter.

The birds were stamped on a separate piece of paper, as well as the hearts, sentiment, and tree branch.  All of it was colored with Copic markers.  Everything was fussy cut and glued in place over my moon.  I added glossy accents to the hearts, wings, and leaves and then sprinkled glitter.  I added Flower Soft to my tree branch. I added a doily behind the image for added sweetness.  ;) 

For my birds' bellies, I used a white gel pen.  I love how textural this card looks and feels.  It was one of those cards that I truly loved as soon as it was completed.  And believe me, lately this hasn't been happening too often! LOL!

The next few weeks are going to be an emotional ride as Cortney just got her "move-in" date yesterday. My feelings are a bit all over.  It will be a difficult transition for me as I've been her caregiver for so long.  She has been my shadow, my side-kick, my little partner in crime. My days are filled with her, and soon, my days will be quieter, emptier.  I will need to fill them up with something else. That will take time and some getting used to.

I appreciate all of your support and words of kindness. It helps immensely. :)

Top Ten Blog Hop 2015!

*Blog Candy Drawing Now Closed.*

Good morning! Welcome to the Top Ten Blog Hop!  I hope you have a very large cup of coffee, because you're going to be here awhile!  There is an $80.00 USD to an online store of your choosing being given away! All you need to do is leave a comment on each blog to increase your chances of winning.  There are 24 bloggers participating, so that means you can leave up to 24 comments! To be entered you will need to leave a comment on the blogs by 11:59 pm CST on January 3.  In addition to the $80 prize, many of the bloggers, including me, are giving individual prizes away as well. For mine, scroll down to the bottom for all of the details.  Are you ready?  Let's go!

#1 Rusty Ball Jar ornament
This was a recent post using a rusty Ball jar lid and a vintage image from Crafty Secrets.  You can see the full post HERE.  

#2 Shaker Ornaments!
This was another recent post but I had to include them because I thought they came out pretty cute.  They use SRM's Jane's Doodles stamps, Copics, clear acetate, and sequins.  Click HERE to read more!

#3 Heart to Heart
I love this little card because it was made using a sentiment from JustRite and left over pieces on my craft desk. Oh! And I had just gotten my new Zig Clean Color Markers and suddenly became addicted! Click HERE for all of the details.

#4 Give Thanks
Some die cuts, water colors, and a sentiment from SRM made this one of my favorite fall cards.  Click HERE to see the original post.  :)

#5 Hello
The combination of the image, glittery sentiment, and the long pieces of silk ribbon, make this another one of my favorites.  Click HERE to see the original post.

#6 Autumn
I had rediscovered my old Quickutz die cuts for this card, along with an SRM sentiment and die cuts from Spellbinders.  Click HERE for original post.

#7 Just a Note
This card uses SRM's Jane's Doodles and water colors.  It was my first time creating an image without lines.  I was pretty pleased with myself with how it turned out.  ;)  Click HERE for original post.

#8  Lovely
Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L and Donna Salazar featuring my Cortney and her BFF. How could it not be one of my favorites?  These two have the most special bond....and truly make my heart grow a bit bigger whenever they are together.  See the original post HERE.

#9 Father's Day Card
I am not one to make many masculine cards.  But I actually really liked how this one turned out.  I had created my own plaid background using double sided tape from Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L.  And glitter!  Lots and lots of glitter on a man's card! EEK!  ;)  Click HERE for more details!

#10 Easter Carrots with a complete tutorial.  
I was so proud of myself for coming up with a way to make ornaments look like carrots.  (It doesn't take much people!) ;)  Click HERE if you want to see the complete step by step instructions. 

My Individual Giveaway! 
One winner will win all of this!  Just leave a comment below and I will pick a winner on Sunday, January 3rd at 8 P.M. CST.  If you are not a follower of my blog and decide to become one, leave an additional comment for an extra chance at winning!

Christine Meyer 

Mendi Yoshikawa 

Cathy Harper 

Nicole Nowosad 

Chantalle McDaniel 

Becki Adams 

Wendy Antenucci 

Jen Matott 

Katrina Hunt 

Michele Kovack 

Kelly Holbrook 

Rhonda Van Ginkel 

Jennie McGarvey 

Suzanna Lee 

Monique Liedtke 

Jennifer Haggerty 

Marcia Dehn Nix 

Rebecca Keppel 

Kelly Jean Guzlas 

Melissa Elsner
Shannon Morgan

Juliana Michaels

Audrey Yeager

Sweet Snowman....

 Good morning my friends! 

I have a card today that was created for the SRM Blog.  It uses this adorable snowman from Jane's Doodles called, Warm Wishes.  He was stamped in Versamark and embossed in white.  I colored him in with my Zig Clean Color Markers.  

And because I can never leave well enough along, I added liquid applique to his hat and the snow.  While it was still warm, I sprinkled glitter over it.  

I matted the image in coordinating card stock and used a pretty rectangular die from Spellbinders. More glitter was added to that die for a bit of additional sparkle. :) 

I am finishing up my wrapping today....as I am still getting a few last minute packages in the mail. 

I will be back tomorrow with a Christmas Eve post.

I hope you all have a wonderful day!!

Shaker Ornaments!

Good morning!

My last day of school was yesterday and I am so happy to be home to spend time with my family!

My house is a sea of presents, wrapping, laundry, dust, and dog hair....but what matters are the people IN the house! (Or at least that's what I keep telling myself! LOL!) 

I haven't had a ton of time to craft, but I managed to squeak these babies out.

I have this circle die from Tattered Lace called, Decorative Edge Circles.  It just seemed perfect to use with acetate.  I cut two circles and sewed them together. 

 

Right before closing them up I filled them with clear beads and sequins. The cute snowman is part of SRM's and Jane's Doodles stamp set called, Warm Wishes. 

Each snowman was colored with Copic markers. The scarf was stamped, colored and cut out.  I gave it a coat of glossy accents for extra dimension. 

I added coordinating jingle bells and silk ribbon from the Stamp Simply Store.  

We are having our first Christmas celebration with my dad today.  The kids always get excited since this sort of kicks off the holiday week for us.  :)

Have a wonderful day my friends!

Thank You For Your Hospitality!

Good morning! 

I am up on the SRM blog today with a fun card using a fabby set from Jane's Doodles called, Home Sweet Home.   I stamped the buildings with black Memento ink.  The buildings were colored using Copic markers. The background was created with my Zig Clean Color Markers.  

I adhered the buildings to the front panel with crafty foam tape from Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L. 

(my favorite!)  I added glossy accents to the sun and clouds.  The sentiment was stamped on a water colored panel with Versamark and then heated with white embossing powder.  I added red string to finish off my card. 

Thank you for stopping by! 

Coffee and Watercolors

Good morning to you!

I have a card to share with you today that was on the SRM blog last week. 

I was in the midst of the Joy Clair release and forgot to post it!

I used one my favorite sets from Jane's Doodles called, Tea Time. 

I wanted an artsy water colored look, so I stamped it with Tim Holtz Tea Dye Distress ink.  I love this ink because as you water color the outline becomes absorbed into the design, leaving you with a "painterly" look.  (Is that a word? Painterly?) What water colors did I use you ask?

Kuretake Gansai Tambi.

I love how vibrant and how easy they are to blend. 

And because I have a reputation with glitter...(why fail you now) I decided to paint on some Stickles to the sides of the cups and the hearts.  I love the subtle sparkle it gives.

I added a water colored background, sticker from SRM, sequins, and silk ribbon. 

I always appreciate your visits!

Thanks so much!