Bring on the Birthday Celebration!

Hi All!  Boy, every time I think I can't possibly get busier Mr. Murphy hears a challenge and decides to throw a little more at me :)  I've been making cards like crazy but don't seem to ever have the time to sit down and post them...but that changes right now!  I've had this little beauty just waiting patiently for her little piece of blog space and am finally getting my bum into gear and making it happen.

I have a few people who order birthday cards throughout the whole year by sending me an email around the 1st of the month with how many they need for that month and any special ideas for how they'd like it to look.   As a result I'm always drawn to birthday images because I know I'll need lots of them and I always try to keep things fresh and new.  Enter this gorgeous digi stamp from Mo Manning over at Mo's Digital Pencil called Veronica- she just looks like shes having a blast no?  I colored her with my Copics of course and then used some 6 x 6 papers from My Minds Eye Fine and Dandy Tickled Pink collection...the bright colors seemed to suit her and I love the banners!  Now as long as the person who receives this has as good of a time as Veronica seems to be having I think the birthday celebration will have been a success!

Copic's List
Face: E000, E00, E11, R20, V12, V17, R32, R35
Hair: E21, E23, E27
Dress: V09, V12, V15, V17
Presents/hat: YG03, YG11, B000, B02, B04, B06, YR02, YR07, R32, R35, R37, G14, Y06, Y08

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:
Paper Sundaes- Recipe: Purple, Gems, Wings, Paper Piercing ( I did Purple and Gems)
Crafty Catz Weekly Challenge- Add a Charm
Rainbow Lady's Challenge- Digi Day
Stampin' for the Weekend- Use Your Favorite Things (Copics, Digital Stamps, gems, shoes)
Supplies: Cardstock- Bazzil, American Crafts; DP- My Minds Eye Fine and Dandy Tickled Pink; Gem Flourish- Recollections; Charm- Michaels; Tag, Ribbon, Rub on Sentiment- my stash

The Little Moments

Hi All!  I've got a little Father's Day card to share today.  Please excuse the blurry pictures- I'm not really sure what happened but I have a sneaking suspicion that it probably has to do with the fact that I was running late for father's day brunch (of course!) and was trying to take these photo's super fast so I could get on the road as quickly as possible...note to self: don't wait to the last minute to take blog pictures :) 

I was lucky enough to win a TON of stamps from the always generous Kellie over at Tickled Pink Stamps and just knew Lil Pinkette Tom Boyz Baseball Pippa would be perfect for my Father's Day card for my dad.  I wanted to thank him for all the T-Ball games he sat through cheering me on when I was lazily doing cartwheels in the outfield.  And for all the softball games where I always seemed to get hit by the ball at one point or another (seriously-I'm like a magnet!).  He was always present for the big and little moments when I was growing up and was seriously my biggest fan....in fact he still is one of my biggest fans!  It was so much fun to make a card that celebrates that :)  Love you Dad!

Copics List:
Skin: E000, E00, E11, R20
Hair: E42, E44, E47, E59
Bat: E31, E35
Clothes: BG70, BG72, BG75, BG78, W1, W3
Ground/Halo: W0, W1, W3

I'd like to enter this card in the following challenges:
Craft Us Crazy- Father's Day
Do You Stack Up- Stars
Just Add Ink- Coloring In
Southern Girls Challenge- Anything Goes
The Sisterhood of Crafters- Celebrating Dad
Totally Papercrafts- Die Cuts & Punches (Star Border Punch & Spellbinders Rectangle Large)

Supplies: Cardstock- Bazzil; DP- My Minds Eye Lime Twist Fly A Kite; Punch- Martha Sterwart Stars Border; Twine- Jillibean Soup Bean Stalks; Muse Token- Tim Holtz; Pearls- stash

Groovy Baby

Hi All!  I hope that everyone had a great weekend- I'm so sad it's over!  I had some time to do some coloring recently and had to take the opportunity to put together a pair of stamps from the new Perfect Match release over at Tickled Pink Stamps.  I love the concept of making matches to stamps that were already in existence, and after seeing an inspiring line from Little Yellow Bicycle called Free Spirit I knew that the first pair I wanted to get on a card would have to be '60's Willow and Stefan.  I love using digital stamps because of the versatility and this is a perfect example of that- I tried something new and actually cropped and merged the two stamps leaving a heavy black circular border that I cut along once they were colored.  I'm pretty pleased with the results and will definitely try something like this again...especially since there are so many perfect matches now available at Tickled Pink!  Plus, instead of only offering the digital version of the stamps for one week like usual, the owner Kellie is offering digi's for the whole month of June...Is it sad how excited that makes me?  Anyways, moving on :)  I hope that everyone has themselves a very groovy week!

 Here's the requisite close up and list of Copics:
Skin: E000, E00, E11, R20
Hair: hers- E50,E51,E53,E55 his- E41,E44,E47,E49
Eyes: hers- BG10, BG45, BG49 his- E53, E57, E59
Clothes: hers- V12, V15, V17, G21, G28, YR00, YR07, Y15, RV21, RV25, R29 his- E30, E33, E99, Y11, Y15, YR04, YR07, R29, R59, G07, G28



I'd like to enter this is the following challenges :)
Tickled Pink- Texture (canvas sentiment, flowers)
Totally Gorjuss- Flower Power
Papertake Weekly- Anything Goes
Paper Sundaes- Girly Girl
Totally PaperCrafts- Summer
A Spoon Full of Sugar- Here Comes Summer
Supplies: DP- Little Yellow Bicycle 'Free Spirit' and 'Boardwalk'; Canvas Sentiment Stickers- Little Yellow Bicycle 'Free Spirit'; Bling Star- KaiserCraft; Flowers- Prima; Ink- Distress Ink Orange Marmalade

Flowers for the Birthday Girl

Hi All!  Wow, it seems like it's been forever since I've had a second to sit down and blog!  It must be all the working I've been doing- between my actual job and doing cards sometimes it feels like the only time I'm not working is when I'm sleeping :)  Which is probably why I've had this lovely digi stamp from Tickled Pink Stamps named Lil Pinkette Pippa printed and waiting for some color for some time.  Well, I just couldn't wait any longer so I carved out some time this weekend to do some coloring and then couldn't wait to get her on a card.  For the first time I'm using the sketch over at Crafting Life's Pieces and it was so much fun to work with- I'll definitely be using them more often...and it just so happens that Tickled Pink is sponsoring the CLP sketch challenge this month so it's almost like it was meant to be!  I used a new 6x6 paper pad from My Minds Eye, it's Lime Twist and this is the Happy Go Lucky set- I just love the colors in it.  There was so much potential in the sketch and the gorgeous stamp that I just hope I did them both justice!

Copics:
Face/Skin: E000, E00, E11, E20, RV34
Hair: E53, E57, E59
Overalls/Shoes: E50, E51, E53, E55, E57, E59
Shirt/Headband: RV32, RV34, RV66
Flowers: RV34, RV66, Y15, BG15, BG18, YG93, YG97
Ground/Background: W0, W1, W3

I'd like to enter this card in the following challenges:
Crafting Life's Pieces Sketch Challenge- Sketch
Tickled Pink Stamp Challenge: Anything Goes
iCopic: Brown Hair
Stamp Something- June Digi Day
Diva's By Design- Florals
Fab 'n' Funky- What'eva

Supplies: Cardstock- Bazzil; DP- My Minds Eye Lime Twist Happy Go Lucky; Flowers- Prima and Recollections; Bling- Recollections; RubOn Sentiment- my stash

Hope Your Birthday's Peachy

Hi All!  Just a sweet little birthday card to share with you today.  When I saw this adorable stamp called 'Peaches' in Mo Mannings online shop I just couldn't resist!  She is so adorable and I couldn't wait to color her up with my Copics.  I paired her with some My Minds Eye Stella & Rose papers and kept the card pretty simple using the sketch from Sketch Saturday.  Now if this card could just inspire the sun to come out and summer to start I'd be a very happy girl :)

Copics:
Skin: E000, E00, E11, R20
Hair: E21, E25, E27
Peach: YR00, YR02, YR07
Clothes: N1, N3, B60, B63, BV04, BV13, BV17 Sakura White Souffle Pen
Butterflies: G05, YR00, YR02, Y11, Y15, BG10, BG34

I'd like to enter this card in the following challenges:
Sketch Saturday: Sketch
2 Sisters: Anything Goes
Ooh La La Creations: Happy Birthday

Supplies: Cardstock- Bazzil; DP- My Minds Eye Stella & Rose; Twine- Jill Bean Soup; Metal Sentiment- my stash; Ribbon- American Crafts

Dance!

Hi All!  Just a quick post of another graduation card I was asked to make...this one for a girl who's on the dance team with school colors blue, silver and black.  It's crazy how hard it is to find things to do with dance that aren't ballet!  All I could find was this sticker from Michaels so I had to get creative with how to build around it.  It's just good thing I was able to use all my favorites like flowers and lots of bling!

Supplies: Cardstock- Bazzil; DP- My Minds Eye, Little Yellow Bicycle, Echo Park; Bakers Twine- Shabby Green Door 'Farmers Market'; Charm- Michaels; Flowers and Bling- Recollections; Stickles  

A Football Graduation

Hi All!  So I know we all as card makers know the benefits of someone ordering a custom card- they get to tell you all about the person it's for and get in return a one-of-a-kind, just for them kind of card.  Which is great when the person they tell you about fits nicely into your wheelhouse of what you do well.  But what about when they ask for something out of your comfort zone?  You have a few moments (or in my case MANY moments) of head scratching and wondering how to pull it off.  Such is the case of a graduation card that is for a guy who 'likes cars, plays football- his number is 26 and their school mascot is an antelope (say what?!?) and has blond hair and a goatee- you know, just in case you do one of those cool stamps you color and want to get one that looks like him'...so my translation is I'll need to find a stamp that somehow works into one or more of those categories and then figure out how to get it all on a card so it looks good- oh, and yeah, it's for a boy which means I can use none of my favorite things like flowers and lace and bling.  I mean, what's a girl to do?  Well, this girl thought football- yeah I can work with that, and bonus is if there's a helmet I won't have to worry about hair color or goatee :)  Thank goodness for Kenny K images because I found just what I was looking for with the 'Football' digi stamp.  Then I glanced through all my embellishments and stash for 'non-girly' stuff that I could also add.  As luck would have it I actually did think of a pretty cool way to pull in the #26- I was looking over some of the challenges and saw that Paper Sundaes is doing 'Pop It Up' and after looking at the DT inspiration had a moment of my own inspiration for 'popping' the number off the design paper.  All in all, considering how out of left field, or in football terms 'far from the 50 yard line', this card felt to me, I think I managed a pretty cool guy card that still has those personal touches.  But sometimes, I'm just not sure I charge enough for all this mental turmoil :)

Copic List:
Skin: E000, E00, E11
Football: E57, E59
Clothes: G21, G24, G28, N1, N3, N5, N7, N9

I'd like to enter this card in the following challenges:
Charisma Cardz- Card for a Male
Crafting for All Seasons- Anything Goes
Do It With Digi's- It's All About the Boys
Paper Sundaes- Pop It Up

Supplies: Cardstock- Bazzill; DP- We R Memory Keepers 'MVP' 6x6 pad; Twine- Shabby Green Door 'Farmers Market'; Metal Embellishment- Tim Holtz Muse Charm; Brads- my stash

A Tickled Pink Birthday

Hi All!  It is soooo past my bedtime but I desperately wanted to enter iCopic's challenge for coloring blonde hair.  You see, when I first started using Copics blonde hair was the one thing I thought I'd never get- the lovely and helpful ladies at my local scrapbooking store can attest to this as I was always asking for tips on what colors to use.  And I can still remember the first time I got done coloring and wasn't embarrassed by how the blonde hair had turned out.  Now I can honestly say it's one of my favorite hair colors to do!  I have my standby colors that I turn to repeatedly- E50, 51, 53 & 55 because they make a pretty blonde without being too yellow.  I'm sure as more time goes by I'll find other color combinations that I like as well but for now I'm just glad that I don't have to feel a panic attack coming on when I see a stamped image that just screams at me to be blonde :)

Here's a close up of my image-'30's Lylah from Tickled Pink Stamps and my Copic List:
Face: E000, E00, E11, R20, R14, R17, V17, V20, V25, BV25
Hair: E50, E51, E53, E55
Clothes: BG10, BG72, BG78, T1, T3, T5

I'd like to enter this card in the following challenges:
C.R.A.F.T.- Happy Birthday
iCopic- Blonde Hair
Sketch Saturday- sketch
Tickled Pink- Distressing

Supplies: Cardstock- Bazzil; DP- My Minds Eye; Flowers- Prima; Charm- Michaels; Pearls and Sentiment- my stash

A Girly Graduation

Hi All!  I feel like I always say this but I've got a fun one for you today :)  I love doing girly cards so when I got asked to do a special girly graduation card I immediately got excited.  It just so happens that in a round about way I actually kinda know the girl it's for- a long time ago I worked in daycare and drove her to school each morning.  It kinda makes me feel old to think about that!  But it's fun to think about where her life might take her now.  I instantly thought about a Kenny K image because  they are so appropriate for girls that age and I figured Download Diva was the perfect mix of sassy and sweet.  I colored her up with my Copics to match some My Minds Eye design paper and, per the request of the person ordering the card, I gave her brown hair and brown eyes so she even kind of looks like the person receiving the card....that is the beauty of a custom card!  This is one of those cards that I kinda wish I could keep for myself because it's the kind of card I would love to get :)

Copic List
Face: E000, E00, E11, R20, R32
Hair: E25, E47, E49, E79
Clothes: R20, R32, RV34, B91, B93, B95, B97, T1, T3, T5, T7

I'd like to enter this card in the following challenges:
Diva's By Design- One for the Girls
Do It With Digi's- Sassy & Sparkly
Kenny K- Die Cuts & Punches: Large Rectangle Nestabilities
PaperPlay Challenge- Sparkle Galore
Simon Says Stamp Challenge- Sparkle & Shine

Supplies: Card Base- Yours Truly Archivers; DP- My Minds Eye; Jewels/Pearls- Recollections; Flowers- Prima, Recollections; Rub On Sentiment- my stash

Faith To Lead You

Hi All!  I've got something a little different for you today...I'm trying something new so it's not actually a card and there's no coloring- shocking I know!  A long time ago I picked up a magnetic frame secondhand from someone who just didn't want it anymore.  I tried making an altered art piece out of it by using some magnets and little quote cards...nothing too involved or fancy but I took it to my office as a decoration.  Lots of people started commenting on how much they liked it and one of my co-workers asked if it was something I would ever consider selling.  I told her I could go one better and custom make one for her if she ever wanted.  I searched high and low for something similar to the frame I'd acquired and found something suitable at Archivers- I think it's called a magnetic organizer but it basically looks the same.  Some time went by and my co-worker never actually asked me about making one again so I figured the time had just kind of passed- but then her really dear friend was diagnosed with cancer and suddenly there was a lot of need for encouraging and uplifting cards and gifts.  Now that her friend is finished with her cancer treatment, and has one last surgery, my co-worker asked if I could do something special to mark this wonderful milestone, something that could be a gift for what's to come in the future instead of just getting through right now, and I just new this would be the perfect thing.

Most of the products used are things from my stash- a Tim Holtz ticket, some bling, some flowers and a charm from Michaels.  The little quote, picture card and magnets all came from a set I got at Hallmark about a million years ago and I just distressed the edges on the cards.  Since this is a new type of project for me, and to celebrate a new stage in my co-workers friends life, I figured it would be more than suitable for the challenge over at Craft Us Crazy which is simply 'Something New'.  I hope that this is a gift that will be cherished for a very long time...

I'd like to enter this is the following challenges:
Craft Us Crazy- Something New and/or Something with Flowers
A Spoon Full of Sugar- Anything Goes