Dueling Darlings go Masculine

Another 15th of the month has rolled around and this month Shelly (Dazzlers) and Carol (Divas) are our hostesses for a masculine/motorcycle duel. Justin time for my BIL's birthday card!

Here's the information that Shelly sent us:
Images are from Artistic Outpost
Sentiments (there were a variety): Stampin' Up!, MFT, and unknown
Ribbon: Stampin' Up!, Europa and from her stash
Embellishments: Stampin' Up! and from her stash
Designer Paper: Kaisercraft, Moxie and Reminisce

If anyone has been visiting my blog they know that I love plaid paper so I had to use the plaid for my card. I also used the plaid scraps on the inside of the card. I used three of the ribbons and layered two of them underneath the motorcycle image. I used two dew drops and three sequins. The sequins I filled with Dimensional Magic to make them shine. The image is die cut with MFT Stitched Ovals and the sentiment is die cut with MFT Essential Fishtail Sentiment Strips. Be sure to check out the others cards created by the Dazzlers and the Divas. You can fin the links on the right hand side of my blog.

Floating by to Say Hi

Just a quick post this evening with a quick card that I made for the Limited Runs progressive challenge. The deadline is quickly approaching and since we have the twins all day tomorrow I figured I should get this one done.

Pretty simple card but I love making these cloud backgrounds with a scalloped circle and ink. I did a tutorial on this technique. I used Salty Ocean and Broken China Distress Oxide inks and then spritzed with water. The bunny and balloon are colored with Spectrum Noir markers and I used a white gel pen for the balloon accent. The image is Limited Runs progressive freebie. The sentiment is from Doodle Pantry Hot Air Balloon Birdie (no longer in business). I backed it with red card stock on a blue card stock base.
I am entering these challenges:

• Limited Runs: use the Balloon Bunny image
• 2 Crafty Critter Crazies: use a critter
• Sweet Stampers: animals
• The Outlawz Monday challenge: anything goes
• Through the Craft Room Door: anything goes
• Penny's Paper Crafty challenge: anything goes

As we head into the weekend I hope you have a wonderful, sunny time. Our weekend is supposed to be rainy but I am hoping we can get the twins to the park for a bit. They love to play on the swings and slides. Thanks for stopping by. 

Donna

Spring-Summer Coffee Lover's Blog Hop

Welcome to a rainy Thursday! I was hoping it would dry out so I could start to get my garden in but it's not to be. Those spring rains are supposed to be here all weekend. The garden will have to wait. So maybe I'll get some crafty time in. I saw a Facebook post for the Spring-Summer Coffee Lover's Blog Hop and thought I might join in. Tea is my thing more than coffee but it looked like fun and I know plenty coffee, tea drinkers.

Details:

Sentiment is from Create with TLC

Coffee cup images: Limited Runs (on the right); The Alley Way Stamps (small); Dee Dee's Digis (top left)

Card stock: yellow and black; Designer Paper: Bo Bunny Early Bird (background and paper-pieced coffee cups)

Markers: Spectrum Noir

Doodle Bug twine

I am entering these challenges:

• Coffee Lover's Blog Hop: use a coffee, tea, or cocoa image 
  
• Tuesday Morning Sketches: sketch 
  
• Through the Craft Room Door: anything goes
• The Outlawz Monday Greeting challenge: anything goes
• Pile It On: beverage
• My Favorite Things Birthday challenge: favorite drink

That's it for me today. I am off to get dinner together and finish up some little odds and ends. Hope you are enjoying sunshine and craft days!

Donna

Super Birthday

Happy Tuesday friends. It's been a while. It seems to take me three or four days to get a card done. So I am not moving too fast in creating things. I needed a birthday card for a DIL so here's what I came up with.

I guess you can tell she's turning 32. I used Wink of Stella on the numbers that were die cut 3 ties and glued together so they pop up off the card from MFT Pop-up Numbers. The stamp set I used was MFT You're Super with the coordinating die-namics. The sentiment is stamped in pigment ink and then heat embossed with clear embossing powder; then die cut with MTF Pierced Fishtail Flags. The designer paper is a scrap from my scrap box. I am entering these challenges:

• MFT Sketch challenge: sketch 
  
• AAA Birthday challenge: anything goes birthday 
  
• Seize the Birthday: texture
• Catch the Bug challenge: anything goes
• Crafty Friends: use more than one die
• Simon Says Wednesday: happy birthday

We've had 2 days of gorgeous sunshine but it's coming to an end. It's supposed to rain the rest of the week. I'll never get my garden planted at this rate. Oh well. Hope you have a day full of sunshine! Thanks for stopping by!

Donna

12 Months of Christmas Challenge

Happy May! I'm a bit late at posting this today. I fell asleep after dinner and suddenly realized I missed my post time. Welcome to the May edition of the 12 Months of Christmas Link Up Challenge. This month the optional theme is creature feature. You can enter anything Christmas but add a creature and the design team will be thrilled. Our sponsor this month is Baby Cakes Digis and Designs by Sandra Caldwell. The prize is a $9 gift certificate. Sandra provided some fun images for us to use.

I used Candy Cane Hippo for my card. My card has lots of layers. The image is colored with Prismacolor pencils and mineral spirits. The image is die cut with MFT Stitched Circles. I used Diamond Stickles on the candy cane and the snow. The sentiment was computer-generated and die cut with MFT Essential Fishtail Sentiments. The designer papers are from Decosse's Dynamite Doodles and include papers from Candy Cane Flavors, Holiday Hoopla Textured Papers, and Holiday Decorations Patterned Paper Mini Kit. My background layers are black card stock and the card base is red card stock. I hope you'll join us this month at 12 Months of Christmas Link Up for a chance for some fun images from Sandra Caldwell. 

I am entering these challenges:

• 2 Crafty Critter Crazies: use a critter
• Crafty Hazelnut Christmas Challenge: for a child
• The Outlawz Festive Friday:Christmas
• A Bit More Time to Craft: anything goes
• Through the Craft Room Door: anything goes
• Try Stampin' on Tuesday: sketch 
  

Thanks for stopping by today. I hope you'll get started on your Christmas cards this month and join in the fun. Take care!

Birthday Penguin

Sadly my cards have been few and far between this month. It may not get much better in May. We'll see if my mojo returns at some point. I needed a birthday card for my beautiful DIL, who we are flying to Boston to see tomorrow morning (along with my two sons and a second DIL). She loves penguins but rather than do a traditional penguin I thought she'd like this "spring penguin" with her bright colors.

Image and Designer Paper from Little Scraps of Heaven called Spring Penguin

Dies: Spellbinder's ATC Card dies (image); MFT Happy Birthday Circle (sentiment rings); Paper Smooches Paw Print (little heart on penguin)

Black card stock and Wink of Stella on heart and flower in image.

I am entering these challenges:

• Tuesday Morning Sketch: 500th sketch 
  
• Simon Says Stamps Wednesday: anything goes
• Seize the Birthday: texture
• Through the Craft Room Door: anything goes
• Pile It On: lots of layers
• 2 Crafty Critter Crazies: use a critter

Thanks for stopping by my blog and hanging with me even though I haven't posted much lately. I am headed to bed to get up at 2:30 a.m. for a 5:20 a.m. flight to Boston. Hope you have a crafty weekend!

Donna

Space Exploration with the Dueling Darlings

Happy Monday and welcome to a new edition of the Dueling Darlings monthly show. This month Terry (for the Dazzlers) and LJ (for the Divas) chose the theme and sent out kits for an outer space theme. Terry sent my wonderful kit using the My Favorite Things Space Explorer stamp and coordinating dies. I also have this set so I was able to use it to supplement a few things on my cards. Here's what Terry sent: All images are stamped in Memento Tuxedo Black ink on Neenah Solar Crest white and Gina K base weight white (for die cut images). DSP: MME Blastoff, Echo Park Lost in Space, Photoplay Infinity & Beyond, Photoplay Intergalactic. Embellishments: Hampton Art action wobble, Recollections star brads, Recollections bling, Darice baker's twine, Kaisercraft wooden pieces. There was so much in this kit I could probably do half a dozen cards. I made two to showcase.

For this first card I used this week's My Favorite Things Sketch challenge for additional inspiration.

I used one of the double-sided designer papers for the strips and the banner die cuts are from MFT too. Everything is colored with Spectrum Noir markers including the wooden pieces that I used for embellishments.

For my second card I decided I had to use the action wobble, so this is where I made an extra die cut of this image and fussy cut just the little guy to wobble. The background paper is another of the designer papers included and I used the same paper from the first card for the MFT Double Scallop border. You can also see some of the other fun golden embellishments that were included in the kit. I used a while gel pen for embellishment on the balloons. Here's the inside of this card:

I mimicked the front of the card but used a different sentiment. I also stamped and die cut another rocket for the inside.

I am entering these challenges:

• Sketch Saturday: sketch 
  
• Seize the Birthday: anything goes
• The Outlawz Festive Friday: birthday
• Time Out Challenge: embellishments 
  

I want to thank Terry and LJ for such a fun theme and especially Terry for the wonderful kit! This was such fun. Check out all the darlings' cards by following the links on the right to see the other fun space cards. Hope everyone has a wonderful week!

Donna

What's Cookin'?

It's been quite a while since I posted a creative project. I've been in a slump creating anything recently. I have lost my motivation for a lot of things recently. It took me three days to make this card. I can't explain why but at least I got it done before the deadline.

The image is from Limited Runs and is their progressive image for this month called BBQ Cook. The red and white paper I believe is from Imagine That Designs by Kris.  The blue striped paper was from a Simon Says kit. The sentiment is from a free digital sentiment page from Whimsy Stamps. The dies I used include: MFT Blueprints 13 (stars), MFT Mini Tabs 4 (sentiment), and MFT Pierced Fishtail Flags. The base and layering is black card stock. I am entering these challenges:

• Atlantic Hearts Sketch: 
  
• Addicted to Stamps and More: anything goes 
  
• Tuesday Throwdown: anything goes
• Through the Craft Room Door: anything goes
• Lil Patch of Crafty Friends: anything goes

Thanks for stopping in and hanging in there with me. I'll have another card soon as dueling day is coming up with the Dueling Darlings. Have a super weekend. 

Donna

No Foolin', It's Christmas

At least a Christmas card today. April 1st brings around a new challenge at 12 Months of Christmas Link Up. Our challenge is always anything goes but we love to have a twist if you really want the challenge. This month the twist is fairies. Our sponsor is A Day for Daisies, who kindly provided the design team with an image to work with.

I used the Frosty Snowflake Fairy on my card. The background paper is from Decosse's Dynamite Doodles Frosty Swirls The Pastel Collection. My card stock is two different colors of purple. The sentiment is from the Little Paper Shop (no longer in business). I grabbed some gold ribbon from my stash and used gold glitter glue on the snowflakes in the image. The image is colored with PrismaColor pencils and mineral spirits. I hope you will join us this month and get started on your Christmas cards a little early. Pop over to the main blog to read all about the challenge.

I am entering these challenges:

• Crafty Hazelnut Christmas: anything goes
• A Bit More Time to Craft: anything goes
• Through the Craft Room Door: anything goes
• Christmas Crafts All Year Round: for family and friends
• The Outlawz Festive Friday: Christmas

That's it for me today. My eyes are slowly recovering. I went for a check up this morning and he said they would improve over the next month or so. But making this card was difficult in the coloring. So I may take a little more time to ease back into it. Thanks for stopping by. Have a wonderful week!

Egg-stra Special

The weekend is almost gone. We had the twins all day today so I'm pretty tired. And I discovered that my eyes aren't what they used to be when creating cards. Tomorrow will be my last eye surgery and hopefully after they both heal I'll be able to go back to crafting and feel like I've done a good job. My coloring and spacing is off on this card. But I needed to get it finished before the end of the month.

Stamps: Eggs by Sandra VanBlaricum (image); Create with TLC (sentiment) 

Dies: MFT Inside and Out Stitched Rounded Squares

Paper: blue and green card stock, MFT Sweet Celebration Paper Pack

Embellishment: wooden butterfly

I am entering these challenges:

• Sketch Saturday: sketch 
  
• Crafty Friends challenge: spring
• QKR Stampede: anything goes
• Simon Says Wednesday: cute
• The Outlawz Progressive March challenge: use the egg image

My day is done. I am headed for bed to get ready for my eye surgery tomorrow. I may be away for a bit. I hope to get back to crafting as soon as I can. We'll see how it goes. Thanks for stopping by. Take care!

Donna

Let's Celebrate

Happy weekend. My mojo has been lacking for a while. Since I had eye surgery yesterday and another one coming up on Monday, I haven't had a lot of creative time. So this took me several days to put together.

Stamps: Bugaboo Brat Cake. MFT Birthday Cutie (sentiment)
Dies: Gina Marie Cross Stitch Rectangles, MFT Pierced Fishtail Flags
Paper: MFT Sweet Celebrations Paper Pack, black and pink card stock
Embellishments: striped washi tape, self-adhesive gems
I am entering these challenges:

• Bugaboo Bingo: gem, washi tape, Bugaboo image
  
• Tuesday Morning Sketches: sketch 
  
• Simon Says Wednesday: cute
• The Outlawz 8th Birthday Celebration: celebration
• Through the Craft Room Door: anything goes

Thanks for stopping by. I hope to get back to creating after my surgery on Monday and my eyes get back to normal. Possibly without even needing my glasses. We'll see. Have a super weekend!

Donna

Dueling Day, Yay!

It's the 22nd of the month and we are a week late posting our Dueling cards this month due to a postal glitch. This is a scheduled post.
The Dazzler for March left out group so Heather from the Divas picked the theme this month: "Punny Foods". Jeannette from the Dazzlers sent each of us an image and sentiment to use and we each provided our own papers and embellishments. Thanks to Jeanette for the cute image and sentiment.

Stamps: Whipper Snapper The Big Cheese colored with Spectrum Noir markers, Whipper Snapper Age Doesn't Matter(unable to find a link)
Dies and Punches: MFT Stitched Circle Die (image), MFT Pierced Fishtail Flags (sentiment), Martha Stewart Swirling Lace Punch (border)
Paper/Card Stock: dark gray and yellow card stock, Recollections Basic (dotted yellow paper), Not sure of the origin of the brick paper; it's a digital paper that was in my stash.
I wanted to explain what I did with the sentiment strip. I punched out several sizes of circles and used them for masks to make the sentiment strip looks like Swiss cheese. Inks used: Fossilized Amer and Mustard Seed distress inks.
Embellishments: 3 gray enamel dots of various sizes
I hope you will check out the rest of the Dazzler and Diva's cards. Their links are on the right sidebar. Thanks for stopping by. Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Donna

Blooming with Happiness

This day really flew by. I've been under the weather today and tried to get a card finished. But I changed it so many times. Here's what I finally ended up with.

Stamps: Limited Runs progressive image this month colored with Spectrum Noir markers; From the Heart Apple Blossom Birds (sentiment)

Dies: Spellbinder's ATC Cards (image); Spellbinder's Sunny Day dies (sun and cloud); Clear Dollar Stamps Designer  Tags (sentiment)

Patterned Paper: Papers by Lozzy (blue and green checks); Doodle Pantry (yellow checked background)

Inks: Salty Ocean distress ink (clouds in image and die cut cloud); Fossilized Amber distress ink (accents on the sun)

Embellishments: ribbon

I am entering these challenges:

• Tuesday Morning Sketches: sketch 
  
• Simon Says Wednesday: create a scene
• Catch the Bug: make a scenes
• Digi Choosday: anything goes
• The Outlawz Festive Friday: birthday

Well, I am calling it quits tonight a bit early. Hoping that if I get a good night's sleep I'll be able to go play with the twins at Head Start. I'll see how I am feeling in the morning. Thanks for stopping by today. Have a wonderful week!

Donna

Don't Press Your Luck

Happy weekend! I am amazed that I got a card finished tonight. We had the twins most of the day and poor little Valerie wasn't feeling very good. She'd perk up every once in a while and give us a smile. Arthur has become quite the chatterbox. He repeats a lot of what you say and of course he loves to say his alphabet and numbers. They are always fun but exhausting. I am ready for an early bedtime tonight. So here's another St Patty's Day card.

Stamps: Bugaboo  St. Patrick's Circle Theodore (main image); Raindrop Echo Designs St. Patty's Day Sentiment (retired)
Dies: Spellbinders Circle dies; Quickutz Tag dies
Designer paper from my stash; black card stock
Embellishments: Wink of Stella on shamrocks; Hobby Lobby St. Patrick's Crafts ribbon and glitter shamrocks
I am entering these challenges:

• Feeling Sketchy: sketch 
  
• Incy Wincy challenge: let's us ribbon
• The Outlawz Monday Greeting challenge: Happy St. Patrick's Day
• Modsquad challenge: green, green everywhere
• Scribbles Designs: 3 or more layers

Hope your weekend is going well and you've had some crafty time. Thank you for stopping by. Have a super Sunday!

Donna

Leprechauns, Laughter and Green

Oh my! I don't seem to have much ambition to make cards this week. But I need a couple of St. Patrick's Day cards so I need to get into high gear this weekend. I did manage to get one done this evening.

Stamps: Bugaboo Peeker March colored with Spectrum Noir markers, sentiment from Create with TLC printed on vellum

Dies: MFT Stitched Ovals (image) and MFT Essential Fishtail Sentiments (sentiment)

Card Stock: Plaid from my stash, green card stock

Embellishments: Hobby Lobby St. Patrick;s Crafts ribbon, Wink of Stella (shamrocks, gold coins and light green pot

I am entering these challenges:

• Tuesday Sketch Challenge: sketch 
  
• Catch the Bug challenge: anything goes (there is a box over top of the link for this challenge so I am linking just to the challenge blog)
• Addicted to Stamps: anything goes 
  
• Modsquad challenge: green, green everywhere
• The Male Room: gorgeous greens 
  
• The Outlaw Monday Greetings challenge: Happy St. Patrick's Day

The snow is falling here tonight. I think we could get up to 3 inches. And possibly freezing rain on top. The drive to volunteer at Opportunity House should be fun tomorrow. Spring can't come fast enough. Hope you are all snuggly warm wherever you are. I'll apologize for typos. I am waiting on cataract surgery and my eyesight isn't very good right now. A couple weeks until I go for surgery. So bear with me. Thanks for stopping by and checking out my card.

Donna