Forest Friends

As usual, this swap is late! PTL that after a good talk with my swapping guru Kadie and a "Procrastinators Pact" with Karen, I should be breaking the terrible habit of being a late swapper. Just need to get the August Sisterhood card made and in the mail, and I should be back on schedule. PTL for the 3-day weekend coming up so I can do my September cards and then I'll be in study mode until mid-November.

Anywho, enough ramble! This card is for Jeanette's (aka Forest Ranger) very first swap! I started with a completely different idea, but you know how it goes sometimes.

Lately I'm loving and miraculously using my stash of Urban Rhapsody by K & Company, and more birds. I used copics to color my little feathered friend and the clouds, and Tim Holtz Distress Ink ( a blend of Vintage Photo and Tea Dyed) on the tree trunk and scallops at the bottom. The sentiment is Hero Arts.

TFL & hugs,

Birds of a Feather

I'm not sure if anyone else will like it, but I just love this card! I even started making extras for myself, something I very rarely manage to do (usually because I've run out of DP!).

I just love bird stuff. IRL some birds (pigeons and seagulls when they invade your local MLB ballpark and insist on pooping on innocent fans) gross me out, but when it comes to stamps, figurines, and other artsy stuff, I just can't get enough! (Paper birds don't poo on you, KWIM? LOL!)

I was super excited that my amazing friend Susan picked feathered friends as her swap theme for July. The tough part was deciding which bird stamps to use! I pulled out my 'Blackbirds' set from Invoke Arts, and decided to use creative license and make my birdie brown by dragging the stamp across a pad of Tim Holtz Distress Ink, creating a striated effect that I really like. I also used Tim Holtz's 'Birds In Flight' stamp in the background. The DP is from K&Company's Urban Rhapsody - a collection so beloved, this is the first time I've used it! If you look closely, you'll see the bird is holding a tiny pearl in his beak. On the inside is one of my fave sentiments: "If my words had wings, they would fly to you each day."

TFL and hope you have great day!

Monster or Alien???

My dear friend Kelly is hostessing a "Monsters vs. Aliens" swap on SCS. I've had this DoodleFactory creature for a while now, and thought I might as well put him to use. But what is he??? After spending the last 3 nights working with him, I'm still not sure. But I figure he must be one or the other, eh?

I used Copics to color, nesties for his matting, dew drops on the punched stars, and pop dots on my little creature and the sentiment. TFL!

Cuttlebug Folder Swap

Hey there! Thanks for stoppin' by!

Today, I'd like to share my submission for my friend Roxane's (2cutecats) Cuttlebug Folder Swap. This was a great swap because it got me to use a folder AND a Nesties set that I hadn't used yet. And it lead me to re-discover some super yummy DP that I forgot I had. I decided to use it sparingly, in the hopes of letting the CB'd CS stand out. The sentiment came at the last, and I chose "miss you" because I am totally missing Kelly while she is on a month long European vacay with her wonderful DH and 4 fantastic kiddos! (Happy for her, but missing her tons!)

TFL and hope you have a great holiday weekend! God Bless America!

Hugs,

Getting Ahead

Alright, go ahead and laugh! The concept of me "getting ahead" or even being on time with anything lately is hilarious to me, too! Secretly, I think Miss Mary had me in mind when she created this swap. *wink* I'm seriously thinking of having "I had a great idea, and the best intentions, but just not the time" tattooed on me. *sigh* And even these cards arrived a couple days late. Oy vey! (And as you can tell, I was running so late and in such a rush that these sad pics were snapped in a hurry. Sorry for the very poor quality.)

I took spots in the 2 categories where I thought that 1. timeliness was most important, and 2. their need was most unpredictable. So my submissions are for Get Well and Sympathy ("With Deepest Sympathy" is stamped on the inside of the green butterfly card). I hope it is a very long time before I need either, but at least now I'll be prepared.

TFL & Hugs & Wishes Long Life and Good Health to all,

Udder You Lookin' At?

I'm sorry, but that cracks me up every time! LOL! Ah, maybe it's the sleep deprivation making me slap happy, who knows. ;)

This was my card for Gael's "On The Farm" swap. As soon as she posted it over on SCS, this H and M Stamps set came to mind and I couldn't resist siging up!

This is the same H and M set that the "Big Butt Bear" came from. I hesitated buying this set at first, but I've used it for 2 swaps already, and if I *ever* get some time (hey, a girl can dream!), I plan on making a slew of cards to congratulate my "Mmmm...Skinny Bop" friends, which is basically a fab little group that Mary started where we set a weight loss goal, and every time someone reaches a 10-lb. goal, you send them happy mail. To my shame, 2 of these have gone out without a homemade card :( But I'm working on it...and least in my mind! LOL! So that is 3 great uses, and that only covers 1/2 the stamps! My long-winded point is that this set has turned out to be one of the best investments I've made! Yay me! :D

I hope it isn't too obvious that my E25 Copic totally died doing this card. I think the bear did some major damage, and the cow killed it! Darn, I'll just have to order the refill...and of course why pay shipping on just one Copic...so I'll have to buy some new colors. What a bummer! (heehee) Again, with the Nesties, but I tried to make them look a little different by distressing with Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Faded Blue Jeans, and adding some grass at the bottom. I also roughed up the edges of the DP and distressed with (I think) Vintage Photo. Finally used my Pewter SU! Jumbo Eyelets, and some twine from Pink Hedgehog.

I hope my fellow swappers like this one, as it was mailed late :(

Btw. Charlie, busy season at work, and the test I have yet to begin studying for, May has been rough and stressful. PTL I only have 1 more swap to finish, and then I will be cramming for my exam full steam ahead!

Thanks for hanging with me through this long-winded, winding post.

Hugs,

Good and Bad

In honor of a good dog, I thought I'd share my card for Lauri's "Bad Dog" Swap. Apologies for the poor quality of the photo. I was rushing (what else is new) and my cell phone was dead, so a coworker took the pic on her phone for me. I used an SU! set from a few years back, Crate Paper DP, and dog bone eyelets from the Eyelet Outlet. This puppy is colored with Copics, and of course, I just can't create a card lately without using the Nesties.

Bone jour!

April STC Card

I love green - it's my fave color - and I am a bit of a recycling nut. So when Judy was inspired by Arbor Day/Earth Day and challenged us to create a card with green, and as a bonus, to use a recycled element, my first thought was "Fun! No problem!" Famous last words! I was stumped (no pun intented, but LOL!) and hit a road block. I gave up on the recycled element, and turned to my Unity stamp and some lovely new DP. It's a simple card, but I'm hoping what it lacks in "pizzazz" it makes up for in quiet elegance, with a Melissa Francis button and SU twine.

TFL and have a wonderful weekend!

Aloha!

Hawaii has long topped my "Favorite Places on the Planet" list, ever since my first trip at the age of 9. So when our dear Jeanetter (aka Forest Ranger) hosted our March Sisterhood swap and asked, "Where would you like to vacation?" The immediate answer in my mind was, "HAWAII!" :D

I turned to my treasured Cool Carribbean cardstock and ink, Amuse image stash, and a long neglected SU stamp set (Delight In Life). I was just shy of enough lemon yellow ribbon, so the 6th card got some cool turquoise treatment. Our hula gal is colored with Copics, while the main flower image is watercolored with SU inks (now that is something I haven't done in ages!). What better way to convey the warmth of the islands than with Amuse's simple "aloha" sentiment - I'm not sure if it is the word, the font, or the memories, but it says it all!

Aloha (albeit from Ohio) my friends, and TFL!

"Coffee and Tea, and the Java and Me"

I'm primarily a coffee drinker, but my sis and I go to tea at least once a month, so I couldn't resist taking 2 spots in Tanja's (3boysathome on SCS) All About Coffee/Tea Swap.

Once I found the DP (at Archiver's in the clearance section - and it was the last sheet!), the card just came together effortlessly. The image stamp is by Inque Boutique. I colored in copics, and then stamped the sentiment. I didn't have quite the right brown for a card base, so I just used white CS, hoping it would be okay since the DP has white, glittery swirls. I also used Bazzill texture CS and Bazzill shimmery textured CS. I finally got with it and bought some of those Robin's Nest dew drops - love 'em!

This one was made with a Unity stamp - a rather large one with lots of swirls. I stamped and cut out the tea cup. The tea rooms I go to with my sis are usually Victorian decor, so I wanted to go for a vintage feel. I've been holding onto and loving this DP for a long time, just waiting for the perfect project to use it on. Now I'm crying because I only had 1 sheet of it, and now all that's left is a little strip. I had a hard time with coloring, only because out of all the blues I have, none was quite right when I tried coloring the inside of the cup and saucer. And then it hit me - don't fill it in, just use it as the shadow - duh! I debated over adding brads or other embellies, but I really wanted the DP to shine, so I opted for the "less is more" look. The inside sentiment reads "Friendship begins with a cup of kindness." So true!

TFL!

Baby Got Back

Hi there!

Well, as you can see, I didn't make much progress (okay, I made ZERO progress) on my blog. But, I did FINALLY get some cards done for swaps.

The one I want to share with you today is for Paola's (Sama on SCS) "What Song Are You?" Swap. Part of the criteria was that you had to use the lyrics. So on the inside it says, "Shake that healthy butt. Baby got back."

Now, as I told my fellow swappers, it's not so much that I like big butts, as it is that I have a big butt and gave up fighting it long ago. Even if I were a size 2 (which I totally am not even close to!), I'd still be draggin' a big ol' wagon. But I've always loved the song, and in the privacy of my own home, sometimes do a little big butt dance. Hey, you gotta laugh and sometimes you gotta shake it, even if only to make yourself laugh. Right???

Happy Tuesday and TFL!

Ode to the Big Easy

This is my card for February's STC swap. Mary played hostess and the theme was Mardi Gras. I leaned more toward historic New Orleans. It was a challenge to figure out what to do, but I'm pretty pleased with the result - it came out way better than I thought it would.

The photo doesn't really do the card justice, but there you have it.

The stamped image is from Stampers Anonymous, embossed in black. The fleur-de-lis is a faux leather from a set by American Crafts, and the DP is from the Boxer collection by Basic Grey. It's matted on a charcoal cardstock, and the card base is a dark eggplant. I used Stickles in Golden Rod, gold-tone brads, and sheer gold ribbon for accents.

TFL and have a wonderful weekend!!!

Bad Bunny (in more ways than one)

For those of you that doubted my MIA mojo, this ought to convince you that is has gone AWOL!

I'm so disappointed. I think I need to try some challenges, like my wise friend Lorie - her mojo is totally working and always has been, but she put herself on a mission to do a few challenges a week.
On the bright side, I do like how the coloring turned out on the bunny. And I'm pretty impressed with myself for remembering (in the wee hours of the morning) that I could mix ink colors on my stamp - 2 taps on Only Orange and 2 taps on Pumpkin something-or-other - to get the right shade for the carrot.

Thanks for being brave enough to look! LOL

Hugs,

Twilight Swap

Yes, yes, I'm over 30 and a Twi-hard! Gabby is hosting this fun Twilight Fangatics Swap on SCS, and I could not resist. So here's my submission. I'm using My Favorite Thing's BC Designs "And Then I said" image, and the SU! Baroque swirly-do (hard to see) embossed in Sparkly Black EP, which is also used on "Bite me." from River City Rubber Works. There's large black blings on the left and one small clear bling on the sentiment. The left side of the pic shows the envelope, which is silver pigment with clear EP. This picture is kindly to my coloring, especially of Bella's skin, which absolutely gave me fits!

Anywho, I hope my fellow swappers like it, and I hope you have a Fangtastic Thursday!

TFL!

A-Muse Swap

I have become a swap fiend!

This swap was on SCS in celebration of A-Muse-A-Palooza, and I signed up to do 3x3 cards, which I have never done before - what fun! And, I used my new Nesties, which I have only dabbled with to this point. Plus, more practice with Copics - these got me feeling more confident about my color selection and shading. Can you see improvement? Any pointers to share?

TFL!

This was my swap submission:
And this was the thank-you for the hostess:


(Oooh - sorry about the nails - someone is overdue for a manicure - yikes!)

Oriental Dragon

This is my contribution to a Asian-themed card swap on SCS.

The dragon is Judikins, all other stamps are SU!

I used a pearl bling for the dragon's eye, just to give it more Asian flair.

Dragon is stamped in Aloe pigment ink and heat set. The bamboo background is stamped in antique gold pigment ink with clear embossing powder. The Asian writing is stamped in Old Olive.

The fibers are SU, as are the eyelets they pop out through.

Thanks for looking!

Coffee Swap

Everytime I think that phrase, "Coffee Swap," I can't help but say it in the voice of Mike Myers's character from the SNL (Linda Richmond?) skit "Coffee Talk" and it makes me smile. ("I'm feeling vehrklempt. Give me a minute. Talk amongst yourselves.")



Anywho, this was my submission for my first card swap on SCS! (On the inside I stamped, "I take life one cappuccino at a time." (Sorry for the crooked scan, my battery had died on my digi cam.) If you click to enlarge the pic, you'll see the coloring better - still working on mastering those Copics!
There were two groups for the swap: one for tea, one for coffee. I chose coffee. The fun part of the swap was that everyone included a coffee single, or something coffee related. It was mostly International Coffees, or their chilled coffee mix (which I'm still looking forward to trying), but one gal sent Splenda Coffee Singles, which was fun. And, I loved this swap because all of the cards I received back were really good. I hope they like mine just as well. What do you think???

4th of July

Happy 4th!

This card was for a swap I did with some of my SBS2 Sisters. Our theme was summer, and we left it open beyond that. I chose Independence Day - what could be better than fireworks, cooking out, a day off work, and celebrating the birth of our great nation? Yeah, I couldn't think of anything either :)