Toy Chest from Hambo Stamps

Good day!  It has been cooler these last couple of days, with rain showers off and on.  While the rain has helped disperse the pollen blanketing the city, it has done nothing to cheer up my mood.  It is days like this I am even more thankful for my craft room full of sunshine...aka crafty goodness and supplies.

I love this digi stamp Toy Chest from Hambo Stamps.  I colored it with watercolor pencils and used a small amount of water to blend the colors.  I didn't include a sentiment because I feel it could be used for so many different themes.  However, it seems to scream 'Missing You!' to me.

I used kraft card stock to make the A2 size card base.  ( 4 1/4" x 5 1/2")  The paper for the mats are from my scrap pile.  I believe the patterned paper is from a Recollections paper pad, and the lined card stock is from Creative Memories.  I am not sure about the green card stock or the brown print paper.  I added the eyelets to the green plaid, then after mounting to the kraft card stock I didn't like the way the kraft paper showed through.  I added gold glitter glue to the center of the eyelets and am really happy with the way they turned out.  They look like a decorative button with a glass center. I finished the card off with a black ribbon.  

This card will be presented for this weeks Hambo Hoedown 62 "Four of Something"  four mats for the image.

Thank you for stoping by to visit.  I hope you enjoyed my card.

Have a wonderful day!

Lighthouse in Water Color - Masculine Card Idea

I have used this light house stamp before.  It is one of my favorites to use.  I suppose that is because it is one of my mom's stamps from when she was making and selling them, and my guy loves anything nautical.  He and I have climbed and photographed a number of lighthouses here on the east coast.

I chose blue card stock and incorporated the oranges from my sun rise as accent papers.  I feel the kraft card stock was a nice neutral color and tied the blue and oranges together nicely.

I decided not to use a sentiment so the card would be more versatile.  I love the 3 brads on the front of the card, but did not like them on the inside of the card.  So I followed up with a stripe on the inside of the card to help hide this.  Since the card stock is dark, I added the ledger paper on the inside for handwriting your favorite sentiments and/or memories.  

What do we do at the sea shore?  Collect sea shells!  So I thought it would be cute to add a sea shell to the inside as hidden surprise.

This card will be presented for:

Frosted Designs  Fabulous Friday Challenge - Kraft Paper

Polka Doodles    Week 10 - Giveaway...lets hear it for the Boys!

Totally Paper Craft  Challenge 107 - My Favorite Things

Wags 'n Whiskers  Challenge 74: Spring Break

Thank you for stoping by to visit.  I hope you enjoyed my card and were able to draw some inspiration from it.

Have a wonderful day!

Today is for Animals...

Good Day.  I hope that today finds you safe and comfortable.  While it is a grey dreary day here, I am blessed to be safe and warm here at home.

Following are two completely adorable cards using digi stamps of animals.  I love the bright warm yellows used with the bird, and the cool comfortable blues used with the donkey.

This first card uses an image from Doodle Pantry.  He is called Happy Bird, and it definitely shows.  He just happens to be one of their free digis.  Go ahead and give him a try.  But be forewarned,  their images are so cute and easy to use, you will be perusing their line  and filling your cart up in no time flat.

I colored this little guy using water color pencils (no water used), and then outlined him with a black marker.  I use an assortment of chalk colors to fill in the back ground and create a nice summer sky effect.  The paper and embellishments are scraps from my stash.  The inside of the card is finished off bright and cheery too.  Definitely makes me want to have a Tweet Day!

Tweet Day - Front-

This little guy is being presented for the following challenges:

Doodle Pantry Digital Challenge - Use a Doodle Pantry Image
Alphabet Challenge Blog Y for You can Choose
Crafty Ann's Challenge Blog Challenge #56 Let's Think Hot
Simply Create Too Challenge #4 Layers Layers and More Layers
Ginger Snap Creations GC132: Color Challenge - Soft Yellows and White
Ginger Snap Creations GC134: Spicy Supply Challenge - Ribbon
Party Time Tuesdays Challenge Blog  Challenge #50-  Feathered friends

Tweet Day - Inside - 

Tweet - Ribbon

Tweet - Flower

Next up is this adorable little donkey.  He is a digi by Meljen's Designs called Sweet Little Donkey.  He reminds me of a stuffed animal for a baby.  So soft, warm and adorable.  Be sure to check out her site and designs also.   You will not be disappointed as there are so many cute designs to be had.

This little guy is printed on Kraft card stock and then colored with watercolors.  They didn't take too long to dry, and I really like the deep rich feel of chalks it gives.  I outlined him with a black marker so he would stand out against the brown paper.  He looks a little cross-eyed...but not as bad as it could be.  Eyes are not my forte.   The paper edges are inked with Studio g Chalks Ink (a dollar at my local  Michaels store) and the papers are from my scrap stash.  The inside is finished off with the same papers.  The recipient will definitely know that they are cherished, loved and being thought of fondly.

Donkey - Front - Water Colored

I would like to present him for he following challenges:

Meljen's Designs Challenge #92 Anything Goes

The Pink Elephant  Challenge TPE131 Favorite Colors (Blues)

Stampin for the Weekend Challenge 24 Out with the old

Donkey - Inside

Donkey - Inside

Donkey - Water Colored

Thank you for stoping by to visit.  I hope you enjoyed my cards.  Thanks for the lovely comments, I enjoy reading them and visiting your sites too.

  

Have a wonderful day!

Reindeer Games - Tag you're it!

Good Day.  I hope you are all doing well and staying warm.  It has been unusually cold here for Georgia.  If I am sitting still, I have my blanket on my lap and feet. 

I have a cute little Reindeer tag to share with you today.  I used my Cricut  Expression, with the Paper Doll Dress Up Cartridge to cut the shape. They were easy to design in the Cricut craft room where I welded two of the deer together at the antlers to make a gift tag.

Aren't they cute?

I am loving their craft room.  I had been using their Design Studio software for sometime now, and the craft room works pretty much the same as the software.  However, there are some pluses with the craft room.  

#1 it is free to join

#2 you can use it to design anywhere and anytime with an Internet connection

#3 you can save your cartridges as favorites in the library so you will always know which you have

#4 while you cannot cut from cartridges you don't own, you can view and design with all of them and have a good idea of what it can do before you buy
#5 you will have access to digital images you can't purchase elsewhere

You are limited to cutting on two registered devices, but I would think this would be sufficient for most crafters.  Myself, I only use my desktop computer with my Cricut machines.  However, I could easily authorize my laptop, and then I could potentially design and cut anywhere.

Reindeer Tags with googley eyes

Four tags fit easily onto a piece of 12 x 12 kraft card stock.  I then used Pebbles chalk to add dimension to the front of the cards.  Brown chalk for the body and black chalk for the antlers and hoofs. I chalked in  shadows to create the legs.  A bell was tied around their necks with red DMC embroidery floss.  A red glass bead was glued on for a nose. The finishing touch was the googley eye.  It really added to the tag.

Close up of Reindeer.  Love the eyes, nose and bell.

Thanks for stopping by.  I hope you enjoyed my project.  Keep warm and have a wonderful day!

Dragon Fly Thinking of You Card

Just a quick post to share a card for the Hambo Hoedown weekly challenge.  This week we are asked to choose a card from the Hambo galleries and CASE it.   

My card uses the free image from last weeks challenge.  **DragonFly**  If you participate by the Monday deadline, and follow the simple guidelines, you will receive the free image for this week.  How cool is that?  So be sure to stop by and check them out.

I printed the image twice on a piece of white card stock. I used the second image to cut wings from a floral card stock and then glued them to the image on the white card stock.  This gave the image a very nice dimension.  I colored the body with a greg water color pencil and then used Glistening Snow Writer to give it some dimension and some sparkle.  The image is double matted.  My paper is from the Premium Stacks Far East Stack and the card base is kraft card stock cut to an A2 card size.  A organza bow finishes the card.

Following is the image I CASEd by MacKenzie Bruckler and it can be found in the Hambo Gallery.  Here you will find all kinds of great ideas using their images.  What I liked about this design is the simplicity and the matted image.  And of course, the ribbon.

Thank you for taking the time to stop by and visit.  

Have a wonderful evening!

My Submission for OWH - Birthday Bash 2011: Sketch #85

The Birthday celebrations continue on over at the  OWH Stars & Stamps blog.  This challenge was to create a card using Sketch #85.   

I am enjoying all of the challenges.  Better yet, I am getting lots of ideas and my pile of cards is growing.  I will be able to send off a shipment before long.  Be sure to check out the web site - Operation Write Home - if you are interested in finding out more on what you can do to support them.

My card base is kraft cardstock from the Paper Studio.  I was able to use a 40% off coupon at my local Hobby Lobby.  You can't get any better than that.  I really like the look of the kraft paper, however I am not thrilled with how my other papers are  adhering to it.  I will keep looking for an adhesive that works better than the ones I have tried.  

The patterned paper is by K&Company - Brenda Walton's Around the World specialty paper pack. I really like the colors and how the papers go together so well.

The sentiment stamp I found at my local Michaels and is by g studio.  The light house is one of my mother's from when she was making stamps...Hopefully when I go to visit next month I can raid some more.  Since I colored the stamp with water color pencils and a Marvy Blender pen I chose to use water color paper.  The paper doesn't peel up as much as regular cardstock does.  

Thanks for stopping by and looking.  Have a wonderful day and an amazing weekend!