Stripes Again

I never fail of tiring of participating in the Phindy's Place Challenges on the Challenge blog. I especially like the fact that if you use a Phindy Image in your creation, you get two entries in the challenge, and that you can enter more than one creation. I always have at least two ideas for card creations for most challenges and sometimes, I find myself having a hard time limiting myself to 3 choices. Phindy's images are just so REAL to me. Just go out and check the Phindy's Place Store and you'll see exactly what I'm talking about.

When I was picking papers for my first challenge card, I came across this digital paper from a kit called Ho-Ho-Ho designed for Pickleberry Pop by CRK. When I saw the musical note paper, I KNEW exactly which image I was going to use. She's called "Sweet Carol", and she brings back such sweet memories of my childhood as well as my children's. Can't you remember the Children's Christmas program from church where you were dressed in a white choir robe with the gold trim, the wings and the gold halo that refused to sit straight on your head(just making the performance that much more adorable). There's little coloring to her, but what there is is done with Copics. I added gold glitter for her robe and halo and then clear glitter for her wings.

The sentiment was created in Make the Cut and exported as a  JPG file. I LOVE this program, that was primarily designed to be used with die cutting machines, but Andy has made it so much more versatile than that. The best thing is that it allows me to open tons of fonts without putting them into my Windows Fonts folder and slowing down my machine. Sometimes it's just so much faster for me than Photoshop.

Bag It, Wrap It, Box It or maybe a Combination

Sassy Judy is in charge of the theme for this week's Sassy Cheryl's Challenge Blog. The theme is decorate a candy wrapper, a box or a bag. I opted to create a treat box/bag using my Make The Cut software and my Cricut. I found a template for a purse and then started changing things up and then along with a pumpkin clip art that was free, I created a pumpkin treat box/bag(when you say treat in September, my mind immediately jumps to Halloween). I love building things, so being able to design and construct a paper project isn't so much a challenge as just plain fun.

For the image side, I chose this Sassy Cheryl image called Funky Scarecrow. There are some really great Halloween Images over at the Sassy Cheryls Store. You really need to check them out. I've colored the image with Copics. I cut out the Boo sentiment again using my Cricut, and the bats were a free SVG file that I can't find the blog link for. They came in multiple sizes, so it was an easy cut. On the back side of the pumpkin, I just gave him a Jack O' Lantern face.

I filled the box with crinkled khaki papers(someone gave me something that was packed with this and I saved it), and filled it with Tootsie Roll Pops and caramels(the only candies in my house). My final touch was the pipe cleaner cork screws that I love.

Another fun challenge. Can't wait to see what the next challenge is going to be. Bring it on!

I'm In a Spin Again

Boy am I ever spinning after the time I've had getting the challenge making a spinner card on the Tiddly Inks Challenge Blog. I kind of got sidetracked, and I'm late in getting my challenge card done.

One of the Freebies on Tiddly Inks PCP forum was a Harmony Border, and I immediately got an idea of using it for my spinner portion and having the notes spin down the bars of music. The next thing that came to me, was the sentiment. It had to have something to do with music, and "YOU are the song that makes my heart sing" came to mind. Yeah, I know it's cheesy but what the hay? I went into Photoshop and created the word art. The last thing I had to come up with is the perfect image to go with the rest. Well now that wasn't a challenge, since what woman wouldn't want a card from Charles holding a tulip and a cheesy saying like this. What little coloring there is was done with Copics.

I used my Make the Cut software to design the zigzag path for the spinner to follow and then cut it with my Cricut. I put a second copy of the border underneath so it really looks like one piece of music. The hardest thing I had to deal with, is that I didn't have any pop dots. When I tried punching a dot out of cardboard and attaching the penny, the cardboard just kept separating in layers. I finally used a hole punch and punched a dot in my foam tape. I will definitely be buying some pop dots the next time I get to Hobby Lobby or Michaels.

I'll be adding this card to the box of OWH cards I'm mailing tomorrow.

Thanks for stopping by, and I love comments.

Be There But Not Square!

This week on the Sassy Cheryl's Challenge Blog, the dare was to create a card that wasn't square. OK, I had an idea for a card that I had seen somewhere and was going to use the template for it. Before I could take action, another challenge used that shape, and I didn't want two cards with the same shape. I put on my thinking cap(do any of you remember Tom Terrific from Captain Kangaroo?), and I had an idea for making a mug card. This is pretty simple to create if you have a Cricut and MTC. I knew there was a Sassy Cheryl image of a snowman with a hot beverage. Fortunately for Cheryl, I didn't have it so I had to go shopping at the store, and needless to say, while I was there made a few more purchases. I mean how can you leave with only one image?

When I found this image called "Cappuccino Snowman", it was a sign. Up until about the summer of 2004, I had been a one cup of coffee in the morning for the caffeine kind of person. That summer I went to California to visit a friend, and she got me hooked on lattes. She had an espresso machine, and we started every morning with a Sugar Free Caramel Latte(VENTI). When I returned home to the town of no Starbucks and craving a latte, I invested in my own espresso machine. Now I can have a latte anytime I want one and have the Points(Weight Watcher speak) for one. Since it's made with a cup of milk, it's a great way to get in my calcium(that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it). My snowman is colored with Copics.

It was a simple job to create just a mug with my Make the Cut Software and my Cricut, but when it became a latte, it needed foam, so I added some joined circles to the back of the card shape to give it the foam look. I cut the cup shape out of white cardstock and then out of this Snowman paper from The Paper Studio and glued them together. The sentiment was created in Photoshop, and then I used the joined circle shape to cut the sentiment. Lastly I took some chalk and added some cream tones to the froth and to the sides of the card. My last touch was to add some of the punched heart remains from my Martha Stewart Looped Heart corner punch to the froth sentiment and a heart charm to the bow.

If I tell you I love you a latte, that means I REALLY love you. Thanks for stopping by.

Ride 'Em Cowboy

MonkeyMoo is all about cowboys Last year for his birthday, he needed cowboy boots, a rope and a buckle. This year I'm making all of his birthday week cards with a cowboy theme.

This week's Phindy's Place Challenge was to create a card for a baby or a small child. Since MM will be 4, and Phindy just happened to create this precious Summer Cutie called GiddyUp, how could I not play along. Be sure to check out the Phindy's Place Store as she's recently added some of the most adorable Halloween cuties you've ever seen.

I printed the gingham from a freebie I got from Bev Rochester's blog (thank you Anne for the link), The rest of the cardstock is some I had in my scrap box. I folded the gingham to look like that bandana around my cowboy's neck. The cowboy boot was a free svg file from Svgcuts.com blog. I used my MTC software and my Cricut to cut the boot out. I made the belt by embossing a strip of brown card stock and adding some "stitching". I cut a piece of silvered card stock with my scalloped ovals nestabilities to make the shiny buckle, and then cut my image to fit inside. The image is of course colored with Copics. I used Word to create my sentiment( I was running out of time as I have presentation to work on also).

Do you think my little cowboy is going to like this card? I do. Thanks for stopping by.