Do You Match

your papers to your colored image or do you pick your papers and color to match them? This topic was under discussion over on Tiddly Inks Digitals PCP page this week due to the Tiddly Inks Challenge of the week "Match It Up". I tried it with the coloring first and ended up always getting frustrated when I couldn't find the papers to match my coloring. Now I pick the paper and the sketch out and have a really good idea of exactly what I'm doing before I color the image. The downside to this method, I never have any colored images on hand.

Tiddly Inks Challenge Blog is heading into a Halloween Blog Hop starting Thursday, but in the meantime I need to show you my "Match It Up Card". I actually had another image and a completely different color scheme in mind, when I first started thinking about my challenge card. However, by the time I finished the invitations, I'd had time to rethink my card about 6 times.

Usually I look for a sentiment after I pick an image, but I'm working totally backwards this week. Paulette of Create with TLC posted the sentiment "Ladybug Hugs" as a freebie last week, and I knew I had to use it on a card with my Martha Stewart Ladybug Punch around the Page punches. I sent me looking through my chest of TI images for the perfect image to use. With some paper piecing, I realized I could change the delightful Daisybugg into the perfect Ladybug Bugg.

The Ladybug Paper was a free download from Cuddly Buddly. I shrunk the paper as small as I could to create a smaller print for her dress and cap. All the other papers were created with Word and the effects menu of the Insert Shapes function so my colors all matched. I learn something new everyday.

Hope you enjoyed your visit.

It's Christmas In July

There are always Christmas in July sales going on. Not only does Sassy Cheryl have a sale going on until the end of the month on her Christmas images, but at Sassy Cheryl's Challenge Blog there's a Christmas in July card challenge. Considering how hot and humid and dry it's been in Mississippi lately, pictures of snow make me feel cooler at least, so this challenge couldn't have come at a better time.

Who knew that snowmen could be so colorful, and I could have so much fun with one. This image from Sassy Cheryl's Store is called Up In Arms and he's colored very colorfully with Copics. I actually think I like the mix of colors.LOL Papers are all from The Paper Studio. I used my Spellbinders reverse scalloped circle to cut my image out. I had used a Martha Stewart daisy punch to create the snowflake border down the side. The by product of the punch was a perfect snowflake to go in each of the circles created by the Spellbinder nesties. It almost looks like he's juggling snowballs doesn't it? I created the sentiment myself in PSE and overlayed it onto a snowflake that was already the perfect color for my card. The sentiment says "Christmas Snow Much Fun".

You may not have the Christmas spirit just yet, but hopefully looking at the snowflakes and the snowman , you can at least think yourself cool.

Thanks for stopping by and visiting. Love hearing from each and everyone of you. Oh and don't forget to go shopping for those Christmas images. It's never too early to start those Christmas cards.

She May Be Blue, But She's Not Blue!

I finally finished the invitations and the directions/registry cards. The envelopes are addressed, stuffed, sealed and ready for mailing. WOOHOO!!!!! One more project down before I leave for AZ on Wednesday. I have to say that I colored 6o of the Something New images by Phindy O'Neill and I still love the image.

Sequed right into my card of the day didn't I? This week at Phindy's Place Challenge Blog, the challenge was "Got The Blues?" Good thing that that meant color and not emotional state, because, I don't think there's a Phindy image out there that looks sad or blue. I'm so hooked on the summer cuties(found here), that I'll be using them for a while to come. Phindy added the cutest little image called Catch Something this week, and much as I love him(and I do own a copy of the image), he wasn't my first choice for my challenge card. Instead an image called Little Swinger did?

Do you remember the sheer joy of swinging on a hot summer day and creating your own breeze as you pumped to make yourself go higher and higher? I think that explains the look of sheer bliss on this little cutie's face.


One of my favorite fabrics to smock little children's summer outfits out of was micro-checked gingham. I found a free printable microdot paper on line(can't find the link), and it was perfect for paper piecing her dress and hat. I also decided I wanted her swinging from a tree, so I found a tree shape to go by and cut it out and colored it up with Copics. I mounted the limbs of the tree with foam adhesives along with Little Miss Swinger and the clumps of leaves for a 3D effect. I tied a knot in some twine, shredded the end to give it a rope look and tied it to a limb to make her look like she's really swinging. The grass was a piece of scrap paper and the blue of the sky is the base of the card. I cut the smaller violet blooms off a package that I had purchased from the Dollar Tree, and voila' I have a challenge card. The sentiment simply says "Happiness" and isn't that so true?

Now close your eyes and think back to those hot summer days of your childhood. Do you remember that feeling of being on a swing, with your feet extended and pointing to the sky and looking down at the ground as you pumped harder to go higher and higher. Oh, what a feeling!


Thanks for stopping by and hope you enjoyed the visit. I love hearing from you.

A Baby Shower Invitation

Our youngest niece is having a baby boy in September. That's so hard for me to believe, because I'm sure it was only yesterday, she was an adorable baby that I loved to keep and sew for. She's going to be a great mom, and she's going to be close enough that I can be a substitute Gran. My youngest daughter and I are giving a Baby Shower Luncheon. Of course, my daughter won't be there, since she lives in Arizona, but she wanted to be a part of it. My best friend is letting me have it at their guest house which is perfect for entertaining and is helping me with the food preparation. At any rate, I've been waiting for the paper to go on sale at Hobby Lobby before starting the invitations. It finally did this week, and not a moment to soon. I fly to AZ next week to get MonkeyMoo and bring him back for a two week visit. I sure won't have time when he gets here. These are the same papers we're going to use for the Birth Announcement, so I sent my niece to her HL for all the paper they had(for the announcements), and I went to Tupelo.

This is the invitation. It's nothing more than textured cardstock punched with a Martha Stewart around the page and folded down over the gingham paper. I wanted to make the bottoms match so punched those also. The hardest part was punching the double slit punch for the ribbons. My thumb is never going to be the same.

Since the shower is being given at my friend's guest house(not a business) that's not on the beaten path and not on the Garmin either, my daughter suggested that I add a card with both registry information and directions along with the invitation. Her idea was that the invitees could just slip the card into their purse instead of having to take the invitation shopping or to the shower. I thought that was a great idea. However, her thoughts on what I should do would have taken me forever. From the get go I wanted to use this image from Phindy's Place called Something New. My niece and her husband are animal lovers and have dogs and have had cats, so it's perfect for them. I am doing minimal coloring on the image, just enough to make it noticeable. I also embossed the image card, used a corner punch to insert the directions sheet and then mounted it onto the gingham paper.

I love designing and making invitations that are not run of the mill and are unique. I think this one qualifies.

Hope you like it and I love feedback.

She's as Cute as A Button.

Yesterday was a good day in TM. I actually got a set of OWH cards finished and another set cut out, colored and ready to put together. That's on task for today, and tomorrows blog will be dedicated to them.


I also had a wonderful time putting my Phindy's Place Challenge card together. This week the only requirement was embossing. Since I love the feel and look of embossing this wasn't my personal challenge. Each week, I have a problem picking an image, only because there are too many wonderful images to pick from. Phindy has introduced a series of images called Summer Cuties. I didn't have my girls when they were small(I got them as a bonus with my DH when they were 7 and 9), but I have nieces, cousins and friend's grandchildren, that I used to sew for; and these little girls in their precious summer sunsuits and dresses bring back delightful memories. This image is called Birdie. Isn't she the cutest thing with that big hat and dragging that stick with a birdie catching a ride. Along with embossing I found a sketch over on Mojo Monday Sketch Challenge that I followed. The base card is made from a textured cardstock, and it, along with the patterned paper are all from The Paper Studio. The white is embossed with Cuttlebug's D'Vine Swirl, one of my very favorite embossing folders. My image is colored with Copics and cut out with the Spellbinders Scalloped Oval. The sentiment is from Ginger's House. I used some Color Box inks to make the sentiment stand out from the card. I've also entered this card in The Beary Sweet Design Team Embossing Challenge along with the Mojo Mondays Challenge.

Thanks for stopping by and I love getting comments. See you tomorrow.

Reading is Fundamental

Books are an obsession of mine. If you think I'm bad with crafting supplies, you should see my library of books. I have always loved to read, and sometimes much to the dismay of my husband. Once I get into a book, I'm likely to stay up to the wee hours trying to get it read. I have lots of favorite authors, and I even reread my favorite books. Some of my favorites are Jan Karon's Father Tim series and Robyn Carr's Virgin River Series. Reading and re-reading these books is like going home and visiting friends.

This week's at Sassy Cheryl's Challenge Blog, the challenge was a sketch to follow. No problem there, but what image? I decided to use the Color Throwdown Challenge colors with the sketch from this challenge, and those colors just screamed relaxing with a good book. When I first discovered digi images, one of the few places that had them was Squigglefly. I purchased several images, not realizing that they were drawn by different artists. Much to my delight Avid Reader turned out to be a Cheryl Alger(our own dear Sassy Cheryl) design, and of course just the thing for my challenge card. Papers were from my Sam's Club purchase of many years ago, and the flowers are made using a tutorial that was in Magnolia Magazine. My little reader is colored with Copics, and the little blue embellies are Bella's Baubles. The sentiment is a paraphrase of the following quote by Charles W. Eliot, "Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors; and the most patient of teachers." As long as I've got a book, I've got a friend.

Thanks for stopping by and I love hearing from you. Who are your favorite authors? Now I'm off to read my new Nora Roberts book The Search.

Picture Perfect Summer Day

If you've ever been around small children in the summer, you know one of their favorite things to do is play in a wading pool. It doesn't matter that the water is only 8 inches deep, they need a ring and floaties and of course goggles. When the challenge at Tiddly Inks this week said Summer Fun with Sun, Sand and Toys, I knew the exact images I wanted to use.

I knew I had to do these two cuties in a wading pool, so I went to work with my Cricut and the wonderful MTC software. I found a clip art of a wading pool, copied it into MTC and then went to work refining the cut image. I punched the stars in the pool, which required 4 layers for the pool which gives it dimension. I found the clouds in the gallery of MTC(one of the many reasons I love MTC). I love digis for so many reasons, but one of them is the fact that you can easily combine two images and know you have them in the right place before you print. When I originally did the card, I did it without a sentiment in mind. When the sentiment popped in my mind, I knew I had to frame the image, which necessitated me taking the card apart and starting over. I created the sentiment in Photoshop Elements and printed it on yellow for a little "sun. The base card is blue and the grass was a piece of scrap paper. I colored my images in Copics and as a final touch, I had to add bows to her hair. After all, I am from the south and little girls have to have bows.

Thanks for stopping by, and why don't you join us over on the Tiddly Inks Challenge Blog. There's a $10 coupon up for grabs. Oh and be sure and check out the other summer images located at the Store.