Mo's Challenge # 12

A New Beginning!

 

I hope everyone had a pleasant Christmas, and you are all enjoying a well-deserved rest after all the holiday preparations and celebrations.

We were fortunate to be able to spend time with all our children and grandchildren. It's wonderful that they all live near enough so that we can see them often, especially at holiday times. It's also great that they all get along so well and enjoy each others' company (ours, too, apparently! LOL!) We just all love to laugh!

 I can't believe that this is Mo's twelfth challenge! It's so much fun to create with Mo's images. I hope you are all enjoying the challenges, too!

Our hostess Lydia's challenge to us this week was to create a card or project for a "New Beginning"....a new baby, new home, new love...you get the idea.

I chose to make a magnetic calendar for 2010 to give to my sister-in-law for her January birthday. She has framed some of the cards I've sent her in the past, so I figured I'd make her something she could keep up for the whole year that would be decorative and useful.

The image is Mo's "Home, Tweet Home". It's available as a freebie to members of her PCP and SNR  groups, or for purchase in her online store.
I colored it with Copics and mounted it and the mini tear-off calendar (Created by Cat on SCS) on Basic Grey's Eskimo Kisses DP and SU! card stock in  coordinating colors. It measures 5" x 7". I  used Diamond Glaze adhesive to attach  four 1" x 2" magnetic strips on the back. (That might be over-kill, but I didn't want it to pull off the fridge when she pulled off a page!)
Okay, now let's see what you'll do to celebrate something new!

Time to Myself

My husband has gone to an eye appointment and to do some shopping, so I had a little time to myself today. I finished a couple of  Thank You cards from days ago that I had a bit of trouble with. I find if I put them aside and go back to them later, things seem to iron out and I'm happier with the results.

 

I  had used larger Prima leaves that just didn't look right. Today I ripped them off and made some using my MS leaf and branch  punches.

The daisy is a digital that I downloaded from somewhere. Unfortunately, I have so many images stored that it's hard for me to keep track. I do wish that all artists would include their signature on the artwork. They could then be credited, and  it could always be cropped out before the image was printed if you chose to.

The background  was made using scrap pieces of CS that I ran through my Cuttlebug to emboss. I have sooo much scrap, so I'm always trying to find ways to use it up. Unfortunately, the pile grows faster than I can get through it!

The roses were made using SU!'s "Roses in Winter" set. I never get tired of making them or using them on cards....they're always a hit with the recipients. The centers were finished by gluing on some tiny seed beads.

Day Tripper

  

This card was also giving me the fits! I had the little guy from Mo's Digital Pencil colored weeks ago, but hadn't gotten around to putting a card together until today. I just couldn't seem to get it looking right until I hit on the idea of making those funky flowers.

I cut three sizes of CS and thoroughly abused them to get this look. First, I laid them flat and rubbed the edges with my scoring tool, which separated the edges and gave it a softer look. Next, I balled them up and rubbed them between my hands. I then sort of pleated them with my fingers to ruffle them a bit (I'm sure they were already felling a little "ruffled" at this point!). To finish off the center, I strung a few tiny beads on thin wire, threaded the ends through the Basic Grey buttons, then ran the wire through the holes I had poked in the centers of the stacked circles. I think they're the perfect embellishment to go with that bright, psychedelic Basic Grey DP. I hand cut the leaves and used an embossing stylus to vein them. Now I have to come up with a sentiment for the inside!

All White Challenge #11

Faux Anaglypta

This is the card I made for Mo's Challenge this week. Lydia is our hostess for the month, and she challenged us to make a card that was all white except for the image. I was a little worried about pulling it off, but I like what I came up with!

Anaglypta is a heavy, embossed, white, paint-able wall covering, and  I think this card captures the look of it. I used Swiss Dots to emboss a 4 and 3/4" by 6 and 3/4" piece of white CS.  I then cut 1 and 1/4" squares and placed them carefully in another embossing folder over the designs I wanted to emboss. I then glued the embossed squares to slightly larger 1 and 3/8" squares. I adhered these around the large panel using mounting tape.

Then came the image panel. I printed and colored Mo's "Boughs for the Wreath" with Copics and sponged it lightly with blue. I added just a touch of White Lace Stickles, and used Nesties to cut it out and double mount it. I attached it to the middle of the card front with Tacky Tape.

The white poinsettias were made using the Martha Stewart leaf and branch punches. They were put together using Clear Tacky Gel and finished with two sizes of small pearl cabochons. I attached them to the card front using large dimensionals.
The card front is mounted on a 5" x7" card.

(The toy polar bear is one of my hundreds of stuffed teddy bears!)

Join us at Mo's Challenge. We'd love to see your work!

Big Trouble!

Oops!

I've had this image for a while and just got around to coloring it. Isn't she a mess?! I think most of us with kids have found them in a similar situation at least once.

Our middle child got into the cabinet in the bathroom when he was still in diapers. He was only out of sight for two minutes, and, when I found him, he had poured out a bottle of blue-colored shampoo and one of Pepto Bismol and was mixing them in a big purple puddle in the middle of the floor. He looked up at me with a big smile and said, "Look, Mommy! Purpee!" I had to laugh! At least he had learned his colors!

The DP on this card was printed off the computer. I embossed the purple and Banana CS.

The yellow bloom is a Prima Trestle Rose.

I had purchased some Prima leaves on line and realized that most are much too large for cards. I took one of the largest and used a Martha Stewart punch to make some that were a better size. The lace is some that I've had for years since the days when I actually sewed on fabric!

The inside of the card says, "Oops! I'm sorry...guess I  really messed up this time! Will you forgive me?

Tu-Tu Cute!

Splitcoast Stampers Sketch Challenge SC258

 I love these chubby little ballerinas, but I love all of Mo's images!

This is for the Sketch Challenge on Splitcoast today. I don't often get to participate, but school was called off today because of a heavy snowfall. Yippee! I might not be that happy about it when the day has to be made up in June, though.

I'll get to stamp a little more today, but I do have to take time to decorate the dozens of gingerbread boys and girls I baked over the weekend. I put them in cellophane bags tied with yarn and hang them in the panes of my bay window in the dining room. Two of our grandchildren are spending the day with us, so they'll help me until they get bored!

I also want to get a bit of decorating done. I haven't even started yet, because I was supposed to have surgery on Monday, and was going to be recuperating over the holidays. Yesterday the doctor decided that the surgery is to be postponed for at least a  month, so now I'm in more of a holiday mood!

Mo's Challenge # 10

Singin' Your Praises!

I really like blues and yellows together...it's just such a  cheerful combination! 

Lydia's challenge to us this week was to make a Thank You card using one of Mo's images. 

I decided that I'd use "Tomorrow" and not color her with the usual red and white dress and red hair. Now she's just any little girl singing out her thanks!

I love doing the "out-of-the-box" technique with Nesties. It looks difficult, but is actually pretty simple to achieve. 

Here's a tutorial by Diana at Paper Cookies that's easy to follow. Give it a try and you'll be hooked!

I used SU! Yo-Yo Yellow and Ballet and Bliss Blue CS. The white is from PaperTrey Ink, and the designer paper is from Basic Grey.  I colored the image using Copics and popped it and the sentiment up with mounting tape.

Come over  and join us in Mo's challenge. We'd love to see your work.

Oh, no! No Mo!

This is the first card I've made in a very long time that didn't use an image from Mo's Digital Pencil! I think by now I can safely say that I'm addicted.

Every now and then I like to make a floral card. This image is a digital from DZ Doodles. Though we had our first snow storm of the winter last night, this card has a fall look, because I love the warm colors of red, gold, and orange any time of year. I also needed a little break from Christmas cards!

I find that before I start to color a realistic flower or  bird with Copics, I like to check out color pictures to remind myself  what the real thing looks like. For instance, the insides of some chrysanthemum petals are a contrasting color to the outside petals. I was a floral designer for years in what seems like another life, so you'd think I wouldn't need to refresh my memory!

I used PaperTrey Ink white CS, SU! olive, gold and orange, and Basic Grey designer paper. The sentiment is "Elegant Cheer", also from SU! The pearl cabochons and border punch are Martha Stewart. I used the Cuttlebug with an embossing folder and Nestibilities label dies.

Lately, most of my cards are 5" x7". That size gives you a bit more room for embellishments than the smaller A2 size. I have to use up all the "stuff" I've been accumulating!

Visions of Sugarplums

This is my DT card for Mo's challenge #9 this week. We were to make a Christmas card for someone special using traditional Christmas colors. I chose to make this for my 6 year old granddaughter, who, along with her cousin and brother, certainly makes every day a little sweeter for her Pa and Mimi!

The stocking is from Mo's Digital Pencil, of course,  and the sweets are from a coloring book page. I used several shades of red, green and gold Copics to color the images and gold and silver Spica pens to add a touch of glitz. The sentiment is computer-generated. I used mounting tape to pop up both the main image panel and the sweets. I put the white cs through the Cuttlebug, using two embossing folders. The satin ribbon covers the blank spot  where they come together.

I hope you'll make a card for someone special in your life and enter it in the challenge this week. We'll be looking forward to your visit!

Posted by Elaine L. at 6:22 AM 0 comments

Where's the Shine?!

My Christmas cards are all one-of-a-kind....I don't ever make the same exact card twice. Consequently, I make them almost all year long whenever the mood or a new idea strikes me, until I have enough to send out.

This one uses  Mo's 'Sending Peace'. I think it's a lovely image for Christmas.

I wish you could see this IRL! I used gold and silver Spica pens to outline the details on her wings and dress, which give it a very subtle and pleasing glitter. Of course, it doesn't show in the scan, and I couldn't get a decent picture, either. I think I'm going to have to invest in a new digital camera and one of those little table top photo studios!