Outlawz Copic Challenge

Outlawz Friday Copic Challenge - School Theme

Good evening, and once more, Welcome to a new follower who came from the Outlawz group. I didn't think I would be able to enter this week's Copic Challenge, as I had nothing that remotely fit the School theme. However, I was out in the craft stores today (on the hunt for the old Tim Holtz/Sizzix spiderweb embossing folder, which I was certain I had, and cannot find ANYwhere). Needless to say, not one to be found in my area. I did find a nice one by Darice in our local H/Lobby though. Anyway, I found some paper that I thought fit the theme, and was then hunting for a Stampability House Mouse stamp I had seen with 2 little mice and some books. Of course, that was not available since I was hunting for it. But I did see this book stamp, so thought I'd give it a shot. The papers are by TPC Studio, on sale, and I cut the house out, sponged it with Distress Ink along the edges, popped up. Colored the Stampabilities stamp with Copics with some clear Spica on the apple, die cut with a S/binder circle die, and sponged with Vintage Photo while image still in the die. NOW if I'm not too late to enter AND IF I can get this linking business correct, I'm going to try to enter this in the OUTLAWZ Friday Copic Challenge. Thanks for visiting, hope to have a few more Halloween cards to share, and then maybe get going on some Christmas ones.

Halloween

Good morning, and a BIG WELCOME to some new followers, who visited from OUTLAWZ. I have a Halloween card to share today, so will get right to it! Here's the specs: Base cardstock from a Michael's Halloween package...embossed with Sizzix Bats & Owls (656776), using Momento Grey Flannel to swipe down the EF before running through the Big Shot (saw this on a recent Gina K video). Mouse image is a Stampability House Mouse Tricks or Cheese, colored with copics on a snippet of white Xpress cardstock, sponged edges with Distress Ink Wild Honey. I used a 3" scalloped punch - and the snippet was just barely large enough for this to work. Saw a black circle leftover from another project, where I had cut out the center to get another mat using spellbinders, and lo & behold, this worked for a mat for Mr. Mouse. Hooray.. The design paper was yet another Snippet and the paper is old, from the stash - so don't know the company, but it fit my theme. The dark mat behind this piece is the opposite side of the same paper. Spiderweb border is a Martha S. deep edge spiderweb punch, and the little ghosties, again...a snippet from a white scrap that I had cut some ghosts for another project. Ghosties are Memory Box Ghost Trio 98376. I sponged just the edges with the Grey Flannel which was right at hand, using a small dauber. I'll say it again...I LOVE those Memory Box dies... I believe I'll dash over to Pixie's Playground, and see what those girls are up to...Maybe they'll be doing something I can share now that I'm more steady on my feet!

 

FOOT UPDATE: by the by, got rid of my lovely footgear on Tuesday, now have a brace, and can wear shoes. Ankle & bottom heel sole still quite swollen, ankle very wobbly. Will be going to therapy for some visits. So very thankful to be where I am at this stage of the problem!!

 

Thanks for popping in to visit, and hope you like the card. I expect I'll have quite a few Halloween cards coming up..DH is supposed to help with these.

 

Birthday

Good evening and A BIG WELCOME to my newest followers! Happy to see you joining my little corner of blogland. I hope you will enjoy what you see when you visit. Today has been the laziest of days. Got up late, finished reading a wonderful book (The House at Riverton by Kate Morton). If you liked Downton Abbey, this book is rather in that vein...about the British upper crust in the early 1900's, and a very good read it was. I highly recommend it if you like that sort of thing. Got sleepy while reading, took a long afternoon nap. Talk about LAZ-EE! Now, on to my card, and sorry to be so long in posting. No excuses...just laziness I must confess. The stamp was of course, colored with copics, and I airbrushed the sky. I don't have the stamp name to hand, but if you have questions, I can get the info. I put a bit of glaze on the water; however in order to mat the image so that the card was not so huge, I had to trim off a large part of the water area, as I wanted the lighthouse & boat to show. I used some navy cardstock with a Spellbinder deckled rectangle to cut the first mat, then just trimmed some lighter green paper for the 2nd mat. The wavy borders are a Memory Box diecut, and I'm not really sure I like these on this card (love dies, just not certain they were right for this card.) But ...the card is made, so I'll go with it. The compass is a small stamp, which I did with Momento Grey Flannel, on a white snippet; clear heat embossing, then I used D.Ink Chipped Sapphire to sponge around it. Didn't quite like that particular shade with the other blues & greens, so I sponged back over with Stormy Sky. Put a small button in the center, with a bit of twine through the button holes. As I have said here before, I am a trial & error card maker. Even with my boo-boos, I learn 'something'. I am so inspired at looking at other bloggers' creations, and one of the things I'm trying hard to improve upon, is my layout design. I have a way to go!!! Happy Monday and thanks for visiting. See you soon.

 

Miscellaneous

Hello again...another post tonight. I had taken a picture of my current, very fashionable foot gear, and decided I would post it here. Now I hope no one wants to run right out to buy one, just to be au courant (is that the way to spell that?) Anyway, this is the lovely boot I've been wearing the last few weeks, and have 6 (almost 5!) days to go. I do take it off when I get in the shower, can step - very carefully - as I enter our shower. (Removed when I go to bed as well).  I am still sitting in the chair as long as I can when in the shower, then stand up, while holding to our safety bar (one of our good ideas when we built our current home). I try to keep most of my weight on the other foot. DH keeps telling me I need to tie the tennis shoe, but it is easier to just leave the tie loose, making sure no shoestrings hang out to trip me up. I am sort of a klutz-y person anyway, and the boot is about 5 pounds of plastic and some felt inner lining.I'm not at all graceful walking with it!  It is not all that uncomfortable to have on, but now & again, feels like it is rubbing a raw spot around the ankle area. My incision is right in the middle of the heel. There's no redness when I look, and I'm wearing a sock, so it's not against bare skin. My niece works in an orthopedic office and said what I'm probably feeling is nerve trauma from where the heel spur was removed. It's still quite swollen, and the more I'm up walking around, the more it swells by the end of the day. I try to remember to sit down and prop it up during the day. As I feel more 'athletic', it's easier to get busy with something and forget I need to do that. So just thought I'd share my fashionista report with you. HA HA HA & LOL. When I retired, I threw away dress clothes, wear jeans & t's as much as possible. Weddings, funerals, and that kind of thing --- well, you can't get away with jeans for such functions. BUT...anything else...denim is my name!!! Thanks for the visit. Hope to have a card to share tomorrow.

Outlawz Copic Challenge

Splash

Hello and WELCOME to my newest follower. This card should have been posted last evening, but we had a little storm go through our area in the early evening, knocked out our cable, phones, internet. At least we blamed it on the storm. Some lightning, some rain, nothing terribly horrendous. This card will be for the OUTLAWZ FRIDAY COPIC challenge with the theme of Splash (water) which ends Aug. 23. My water is an airbrushed background, using different Blues, blue-greens, a bit of very light blue-violet, and some of the lightest cool grays. I was trying to show water movement & depth with the changing of the colors. The stamped image, colored of course with copics, was an Inkadinkadoo stamp. The front shells were colored at first with some of the earthy-E colors, then I dabbed a water glaze made with liquid pearls over. It sort of resembled an abalone shell, but I thought it was way too dark. So I restamped that part of the image, used more very light red-violet (the 0000,000,00 numbers), touched some BV0000, trying to get the color of shells I used to gather at the beach. Once I sort of got the effect I was trying for, then I used E11 to add in a bit of brown. Cut the image out, then once again covered with a couple of coats of the liquid pearl water glaze to give some shine. Popped up over the shells, liked this look better than the original.  The grounding is done with shades of yellow green and earth tone colors. I used feathering-strokes, for the different greens & browns, then went back with the same colors, using a dot touch to try to attempt a 'sea-bed' look. The seaweed is colored with greens, then used a green multiliner to color the 'skinnier' lines of the seaweed. I used a Spica pen on the thicker parts of the seaweed for some glisten in the water. The sea turtle is a Memory Box Graceful Honu die, using a bit of kraft that I had stamped with a versa mark design for another project. (AH, a SNIPPET! Works for the playground as well as Outlawz!). Used another SNIPPET from a piece cut out of the middle of the mat used for the earlier carousel horse to cut the gold outline of the turtle, which is an Outline Honu die from Memory Box. The teal cardbase (also a SNIPPET) was from another project, and after creating the fold for the card, used a Spellbinder curved rectangle die to cut out a window. Pasted the colored image behind the window. The watery-design paper was some Paper Studio from Hobby Lobby, cut out with the next size of the wavy rectangle, (2 sizes to get the frame) and popped up. The turtle was popped up to appear as though he is floating into the seaweed...just like we used to see when we were snorkling long ago, in another lifetime in Florida waters! I'm going to enter this in Pixie's Playground if the girls will let me come play (or watch THEM play. I heard something about a nice cool drink, so maybe if I look thirsty, they will let me in, if they are still in the playground! Thanks for stopping to visit.

Outlawz Copic Challenge

Circus

Hello and thanks for coming by to see what I have shared this evening. This is a Carousel horse that I am going to try to enter in the Outlawz Friday Copics Challenge. My first Challenge...IF I can link properly. The horse is colored with copics in shades of gray, BG's, some R's, and some YR's. I debated on going back to change the mane to a very dark gray, decided I would just leave it alone. I also used some Letraset Metallics alcohol markers - my first try using these. The metallic was used on the gold pole, and really blobbed out of the tip...I tried the blue metallic on the blue trim around the chest area, looks better IRL, but I have a steep learning curve with these markers. I used some gold & silver textured foil paper - Paper Studio from Hobby Lobby, against a black card base. The image, all mats & card were diecut using Spellbinder Label one, in various sizes.

Birds and flowers

Thanks for stopping by this afternoon, and a Big Welcome to my newest follower. Does everyone get as excited as I do, when you see a new face in the Follower tab? I see so many blogs with hundreds of followers, and wonder, how does the blogger know there is a new person who is interested in what they are doing? Anyway, I have a card to share, part of which was done before my 'puny days'. I had been experimenting with a new folder (believe it is Sizzix, but not positive). It's done on cream cardstock, but looks white in the picture.The embossed/folded piece was on my desk, so when I finished coloring the bird, it was easily drafted into a card. Not sure yet as to what sentiment will go inside. Believe I'll keep the front as it is. The bird and flower stamp is a Stacy Stamp I've had for a while. I had some images already stamped, which I colored while lolling in the recliner many weeks ago. I think I had 4 images  on the paper, and I colored each one differently, just experimenting with the copic colors. I started with a Golden Finch coloration, but then decided, Hey, it 'could be' a bluebird. Used a S/binder circle to cut out the image using the 'out-of-the-box' technique on one of the dogwood blossoms. The branch is a MS twig punch on some green paper that was handy. Could this be a snippet??? I don't see a current invite to join the ladies in the playground...bummer...but I'd have to watch them having fun without joining in. Howsomever, I did get an offer of something nice to drink if I showed up...hmmmm...Hope you like the card. I'm trying to get back in the swing. Addendum: I forgot to mention, I had stamped the images onto a piece of cardstock, not paying attention. This was NOT done on Neenah or my favorite Copic Xpress. Despite the bleeding on the back, I still was ok with the result. However, it is a mistake I will be careful to not make again. There is just no way to describe the difference on coloring/blending on quality cardstock when compared with a 'generic' cardstock.

PS again! Pixie kindly wrote to tell me that the playground activity is still going on and since I have what could be termed some 'snippets', (pre-made embossed card waiting to be used, and precolored image...waiting for a card), well, I must dash over & see if the ladies will at least let me sit quietly while they are on the slides. I hope the offer of a nice drink-y still holds. .

Halloween

Halloween 2012

Happy Monday Friends. I hope it's been a good one for you so far. I did manage to get downstairs last evening to finish up this card, but didn't get back upstairs in time to post it before going to bed. So here it is for today's share. Here's the specs: Image is a Stampability Mummy 02, (Think it was a Hobby Lobby stamp on sale. DH likes Halloween, so we're always on the hunt for 'scary' stamps.) Stamped with Momento Tuxedo Black, diecut with a Spellbinders Circle, sponged with London Fog while still in the die. Mat was embossed with a C/bug dots folder, then diecut with a larger S/B scalloped circle, using a small plain circle to cut out the middle (don't need the weight if mailing the card, PLUS a snippet to use on another project). Black & purple cardstock used was from a Michael's  Trick or Treat paper pack, which has 5 different colors of cardstock in the pack, again, probably on sale or purchased with a coupon. This is lightweight paper, so I shall add an insert where I stamp a sentiment. Not sure I'll put a sentiment on the outside.  The little ghosties are Memory Box 98376 -- aren't they the cutest thing? I am lovin' those dies. Cut better than any I have used to date. Have purchased most of them from Oozak.com. The pattern paper was from stash.  (spiderweb & dots was probably Paper Studio from H/Lobby) Used an MS punch on the dots paper- think it is called Gothic Arches. It sort of looked 'spooky' to me.  Expect I'll be posting more Boo-Boo cards here, along with a few more Birthday cards I need for October. Have a great day, and as always, thanks for visiting.

Miscellaneous

Good afternoon & thanks for visiting today. I need to say a big Thank You to 2 new followers. Ladies, so happy to see you here, and I hope you'll enjoy what you see when you drop in.

Today I am trying to do a few 'household' chores...like laundry, some bathroom cleaning (the easy stuff), and after that, maybe I can manage the electric broom to gather up some dust bunnies that I see along the baseboards. Why is it, that I am the only one who sees this kind of thing? DH said he didn't notice it needed to be cleaned a bit. Is it like that at your house? I can't say much, because he has been good about the IMPORTANT THINGS like taking care of ME! But it is getting on my nerves to see it now, so I'm gonna try to sweep 'em up.

Another one of my stamping friends came by yesterday afternoon and we had a most lovely visit. I got to catch up on all the news of our Thursday group. My friend was lucky enough to get to CHA (Craft Hobby Association) up in Chicago earlier in the month. She had an exciting time, got to see Tim Holtz demos, and talk with him. We were so busy yakking, I didn't think about asking "What new stuff did you see?" until after she had left. I've seen some of the new Spellbinder dies at some online stores, and I'm really liking some of them. We have a stamp convention coming up in our area in September, so I need to save my $$$$ for that. I'm trying to restrain myself from any more online ordering!!! (Did too much of that when I was bored in the basement the 3 wks I was confined to the recliner).

I'm hoping I can get downstairs later this evening and perhaps have a card to post later. I'm feeling much more secure with my boot now, and have sort of developed a technique on any steps I have to tackle. Got self in & out of the shower last night, and can't say how much I am ready to get back to my daily shower routine, now that it is not such a hassle. I can stand on the 'bad foot', but I hold onto the shower safety bar when I need to stand, try to keep the bulk of my weight on the 'good foot'. It is a bit easier to have the baddie down on the floor if I must, but still I'm being super careful...trying to follow dr's orders. I've done too well so far, to mess up because I'm getting impatient.

Since I didn't have a card to post, I found an image of a planter that we have on our deck, planted early this summer. It's lavendar (the smell of which I love), and some moss roses. It has been very pretty, but the intense heat our area has been through, along with lack of watering, has really taken a toll on the poor plants. Still, I enjoyed it for a while. It's what I can look out of the window to see, as I sit at the computer...The rail fence belongs to a neighbor...who really needs to fix it!

So have a wonderful Sunday afternoon. Hope to be back here later on this evening. Thanks for popping by. See ya.

Thank You

Good evening and I have a card to share this evening. One of my good friends came by Sunday afternoon to spend some time with me, & OH! Did I ever enjoy & appreciate that. You can 'buy' things, but you surely can't put a price on somebody giving you of their time. And she also brought a very pretty flower arrangement, and a new Card Maker magazine for me to enjoy. I was looking through the magazine after my friend had left, and something kept trying to fall from within the pages. Thinking it was just one of those 'card subscription' thing-ys, I didn't pay a lot of attention at first, and it totally fell out of the pages after a bit. It was the cutest birthday card...really made me smile. We both have Silhouette Cameos, and neither of us has done diddly squat with them as yet. We spent the afternoon chatting, and on our laptops, downloading some designs from the Silhouette store. Had a fun time. I had previously colored this image (and I think it is perhaps a Magenta stamp - but not positive) with my copics. Today I was able to manage the stairs with my boot, so after we had run an errand, had some lunch, I stayed downstairs where my 'stuff' is, and hunted up some papers to make a Thank you card. The background design  paper is from an 8x8 Graphic 45 set. One side is very busy with fairy designs, but I thought the 'back side' of the paper was pretty with my image and the Bazzill dark green card base. I used a new Darice EF folder (Lace), which is a border emboss folder. Found this at our local AC Moore, but certainly didn't get the good price that Blog Buddy Candee did. They were $3.99 at my ACM...still not a bad price as there are 3 border designs in a pack. The Thank You sentiment is another I had stamped earlier, used a SU 1/2" round punch, distressed the edges a bit with sponging using a dauber. Had a 'SNIPPET' of the red mat from an earlier project (left over from cutting a rectangular spellbinder mat & I cut out the center- and Voila, able to use it here). Used a 2" SU Scallop punch to cut out the sentiment's red mat.  It's a simple card, but I hope my friend will like it, and that it will convey just how much her visit meant to me!!! Let me see if I can get this uploaded to Miss Pixie's Snippet Playground and even if I can't play on the swings or any other fun stuff, I can watch all the others enjoy. http://pixiescraftyworkshop.blogspot.com/2012/07/pixies-crafty-snippets-challenge-31.html  Thanks for stopping by to visit.