The KitCats Are Hittin' The Beach, Cheeky Style!

Welcome to another KitCat Sunday! After a loooong winter, our hostess Jeanette decided that we Kittens deserved to go on a spring break! Yay for us! (You can click any image for a close-up view.)

I was thrilled when I saw The Greeting Farm's Cheeky Beach bomshell (already on my uber-long TGF wish list!) among a wonderful assortment of beach-inspired papers, brads, rhinestones, tags, and trims!

I featured the fun Airbrushed Waves and Sketchy Beach Icons papers, and mimicked the sparkling water with blue rhinestones, all by Paper Studio.

My Cheeky Beach babe is colored with Copics and perched with her seashells on a "hammock" of webbed ribbon by Creative Impressions. (I must get some of that stuff!)

I colored & fussy cut a flower from one of the other images, and chose "Dreamy" from the fun fabric tags set by EK Success.

Jeanette, thanks for such a beachy-licious kit!


Be sure to visit the other KitCats at the beach to see what they've done with their spring break beach kits:
* Jeanette * Kelly * Michelle * Lorie *

Thanks for visiting and have a wonderful day!

A Rainy Start for the SOTC

Today's post features my card for January's Sisterhood of the Travling Cards. Our hostess was Maryann (mastuff) and her theme was New Year's Day wake-up weather.

I really thought I'd be making a snow-themed card; after all, we were in the midst of a snowier-than-normal December. But alas, we woke up to rain. Not very pretty, but it did give me a chance to use one of my fav digis, HG Rain Rain from The Greeting Farm. She's colored with Copics and snazzed up just a little with pearl "buttons" on her coat and hat.

Even though she's all smiles, I didn't want the card to feel like a "downer", so I chose some floral papers in K and Co.'s Amy Butler Lotus Faded China collection. The colors represented what I saw looking out the window that day: dark gray clouds, peeks of blue sky now and then, and the yellowish-green of last-year's needles on the neighbor's white pine trees.

We might have started the year warmer than normal, but the rest of January and early February gave us our typical snowy, windy, cold weather. Even though Punxsutawney Phil didn't see his shadow and the forecast calls for temps in the 50s this week, we're certainly not out of the woods yet. Remember March 1993?? But I am oh-so ready to ditch my winter wool coat and break out the spring clothes!

Thanks for visitng today! Have a great day!

Whimsical KitCats!

It's the first Sunday of the month, and that means its time for the KitCats creations! Yours truly was the hostess, and for no particular reason, I was in the mood for something with a magical, whimsical, or fantasy theme.

Each kitten received a different assortment of the luscious papers in K&Co.'s Que Sera Sera collection, as well as a 2011 planner and an overabundance of embellies from my stash that had gone unloved for so long. (I hope my "kitchen sink" of embellies didn't overwhelm them - sorry, kittens!) My challenge was for them to surprise even me by offering them a choice to alter the planner or create a card (or both!) using any type of whimsical, magical, or fantasy image they had.

So here you have my altered planner! I "painted" the plain cardboard cover with distress ink, then sponged over that with several SU inks to coordinate with the DP panels. I wanted the planner to stay closed, so I attached a strip of DP long enough to wrap around, then added Velcro to the ends.

The real challenge was coloring and fussy cutting the tiny Summer Fairy image and getting all of the embellies to stay stuck to the image panel! Below are a couple close-ups of the embellies I chose.


While I created this to give as a gift, I really love the way it turned out, so I may need to keep it for myself. Shhhh . . . it will be our little secret!

I'm excited to see what the other kittens chose to create with my kit and what embellies they used, since I only used a fraction of what I included. Click on each kitten to see their whimsical, magical creations:
Jeanette * Kelly * Lorie * Michelle

Thanks so much for stopping by and have a wonderful day!

Image: The Greeting Farm Summer Fairy digi
Inks: Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Spun Sugar); SU dye inks (Rose Red, Elegant Eggplant, Pumpkin Pie)
Copics: BV00,E000,E31,E42,R20,$22,R85,RV000,RV00,V01,V12,V15,V17,YR12
Designer Papers: K&Co. Que Sera Sera Collection
Embellishments: Victoria Lynn pearl pick, Plaid faceted teardrop, Blue Moon Beads 'joy' charm, Darice silver cord, Kreinik silver blending filament, SU scallop punch

Well I'll Be . . . It's A KitCat Card!

Long time, no blog! I'll spare you my mundane explanation of why I haven't been in blogville for so long, but it's really quite a lot of nothing exciting. What is exciting to me is finally posting the latest KitCat card, hosted by none other than Kitten Catherine!

She sent us all some uber-cute images from The Greeting Farm Roll Call set (I used Maria) along with some whimsical patterned paper from My Mind's Eye, an assortment of ribbons, and a vintage-style rhinestone button ... that I'm saving for later. Hope you don't mind, Cat!

As much as I try, sometimes I can't get away from pink, so I just went with it and created yet another girly-girl card that features a scallop-punched edge and a big flower I made by stacking altered and glittered chipboard flowers. I found the cute birdie brad in my stash (thanks Kels!) and think it's a great complement to the birds in the patterned paper.

Be sure to stop by to visit the other KC Kittens to see their creations: Kelly , Jeanette , Lorie , Michelle , and Catherine. The Kittens will be on hiatus enjoying the rest of the summer, but watch for their return this fall!

And I'm in the process of updating the look of my blog, just because I'm tired of it, so please be patient. Who know's what you'll see before I end up with something I like. And hopefully, I won't destroy the whole thing in the process. LOL!

Thanks so much for stopping by. Have a wonderful day!

DETAILS:
Image: The Greeting Farm: Maria from "Roll Call"
Cardstock: SU, PTI
Ink: Memento black, SU Craft White
Copics: 0,B21,E00,E000,E47,E57,G24,R20,R22,YG03,YR00
Other: chipboard flowers, ribbon, silver flat-backs, birdie brad, Fiskars punch

Vintage 50s Sweethearts

Happy Sunday everyone!

I'm so excited because I'm on a team for The Greeting Farm's TGF Royal Battle! Our team, The Soul Sistahs, is made up of me & my SOTC sistahs Judy, Tanja, and Lorie, whose gorgeous card we entered for the Week 1 Retro Challenge! Be sure to stop over and vote for your *favorite three* - but good luck, because they are all amazing!

This challenge is kinda like TGF's version of Survivor, without all the evil scheming. ha-ha! There are 63 teams (wow!) and the top half with the most votes will move on to play in Week 2, then Week 3, etc. until there's only one team standing. The winning team members take home the amazing new WS Roll Call set, a release date for which isn't even known! Cool!



Inspired by this week's challenge, I created this card featuring the 50's Sweethearts digi from TGF. My colors stray some from the challenge inspiration piece (and the lighting today is terrible) and are more vintage than retro, but I just couldn't resist using K&Co.'s Bailey papers because they remind me so much of the vintage patterns from that era. I definitely was born several decades too late!

Here's a close-up of Anya's bow that I layered and finished with, what else, a pearl. That's a no-brainer if you know me!

You can also see some of the pretty ribbon I found at The Dollar Tree a few weeks ago. I *did* go back for more, but it was all gone, so I kicked myself all the way out the door.


And this cute little heart button was a sweet surprise gift from Carolyn that arrived just in time to feature as the perfect flower center for this card! I think this will be a sweet engagement card, or anniversary card if I can ever remember people's wedding anniversaries. *sigh*


WHOOOOOSH! That's the sound of March zooming by and Easter rushing to greet us, which means we're that much closer to the warmth and sunshine of summer! But let's not wish away spring and all its glories, like tulips and dogwood blossoms and bright blue skies!

Thanks for visiting, and I hope you have a stamptacular day!

DETAILS
Image: The Greeting Farm "50s Sweethearts" digi
Cardstock: Stampin Up
Paper: K&Company "Bailey"
Copics: B21,B24,C4,C7,C9,E00,E000,E11,E29,E31,E47,G40,R24,R29,RV000,Y21,Y23
Embellies: Primas, ribbon, flatback pearl, button, DMC floss

TGF #11, Copic Creations, and Blog Candy Winner!

Here we are at the start of a new week and the start of another new Spring season, so to celebrate, I thought I'd whip up a *new* card based on Sketch #11 of the TGF 12 Days of Sketches! (Yes, someday, I'll post my original winter creation for Sketch #11, but for now, I've had enough of winter, thank you very much.)

I really love this layout with the 3 panels, and I ended up slicing & separating a floral feature from the corner of one of the *gorgeous* papers in K&Co.'s Sweet Life stack. Such a great combination of vibrant and soft springy colors! The patterned scallop behind the super-sweet Fairy Chloe is from K&Co.'s Wild Raspberry stack. (no, I'm not ashamed to say I adore K&Co. paper stacks.)

I think that *just maybe* I am getting the hang of blending my Copics to give a little depth and light illusion to hair. I've got a loooong way to go, but I've learned a lot from my stampin' sistahs and my own experimenting and from visiting the amazing tutorials on Copic Creations. I'm even taking the plunge and entering this in their One-Year Blogaversary Challenge because the feather blending technique helped me "see the light" so to speak. LOL! Hey, what have I got to lose?

A first for me on this card is that big chipboard flourish (thanks, Tanja!). For some strange reason, I've been intimated by chipboard, but I grabbed the ModgePodge, a sanding block, & ink pad, and showed it who's boss. And I liked it! Look out chipboard - I fear you no more! The ribbon is just a scrap I kept because I liked the color, and I added the layered Primas for a little finishing touch.

We have been blessed with absolutely beautiful weather for the last week, and now some rain is moving in - but it's better than snow! Our Eastern bluebirds have returned, the goldfinches are turning from their mossy brown of winter to their vibrant golden yellow, and the crocus and daffodils are exploding onto the scene, so no matter what Mother Nature throws at us, I know it's not going to last and soon I'll smell the sweet scent of fresh-cut grass and sweet honeysuckle on the breeze!

But enough blathering - you're all waiting for my Spring-A-Licious Blog Candy Winner! Well, I used the very scientific process of having The Girl pick a number between 1 and 60, and she chose #23 in honor of Shakespeare's birthday (April 23). Congratulations terriavidreader! You've won the candy! Terri, I will email you for your mailing address and get that out to you this week! Thanks to all of you who entered and who passed along the word to others!

Thanks for visiting and I hope you have a stamptacular day!

DETAILS
Image: The Greeting Farm "Fairy Chloe"
Ink: Stampin Up
Cardstock: Stampin Up, Martha Stewart
Paper: K&Company
Copics: E00,E000,E31,G40,RV000,Y11,Y21
Embellies: Primas; ribbon, brad, glitter from my stash

Angel Anya & Susie Surprise - Two More TGFs For Ya!

Here we go - two more cards from the 2009 TGF 12 Days of Sketches challenge, and only two more left to post! Do ya think I'll get them posted before the end of THIS month? I can only hope, but please don't bet the house on it.


Okay, first up is my card for Sketch #9 by Jessica Diedrich that features the sweet Angel Anya in soft lavender accented with my uber-favorite embellies -- pearls! Yeah, I know - she's off-center from the sketch, but that's just where she ended up...LOL! I was SO tempted to cut out the center of her halo, but that little voice said, "Susan, leave well enough alone!" So instead, I shimmered it up with some PearlEx. I wanted something up in the corner, but not a flower, so I settled on a little Nestie flourish jazzed up with some more pearls & a petite butterfly sticker. Although now I'm thinking I should have added something more.


Next up is my card for Sketch #10 by, um, I don't know, because there's no name listed - Jessica again maybe? Anywho, it's a great sketch and I featured Susie Surprise all ready to party in pink! I used the argyle EF to match her skirt, and the ribbon that DD bought for me on a whim was a great complement! Originally, I had a single smaller flower, but it looked sad and lonely, so I added more luscious layers - now it's happy! The cute dimensional brads in the flower center & on the Nestie label were a gift from my stampin Sistah Judy - thanks, hun!

So, is it just me, or does anyone else actually forget they have Nesties? I KNOW! What is wrong with me? I keep forgetting that I have those flourish AND those tag Nesties! I really think tonight's task will be to get them organized on the magnet sheets and in the binder I bought a month ago just for that purpose!

But first, I'm going to my friend Susan's SU workshop this afternoon followed by my friend Leanne's Tastefully Simple soiree! WOO-HOO! A day filled with stampin fun and food that I don't have to cook? *Pure joy, I tell ya!*

Thanks so much for stopping by today! Hmm, I wonder if my Spring-A-Licious Blog Candy grew at all? *wink, wink* Hope you have a stamptacular day!

When You Least Expect It...

You probably thought that I gave up on posting the rest of my TGF Sketch Challenge cards, didn't you! Gotcha! And I'm not giving you one - I'm giving you two!

Here's my creation for Sketch #7 by the uber-creative Jessica Diedrich!

The Rock The Farm Ian image, fishing PP, and that great little "gone fishing" brad were in a kit I received when I hosted a card kit swap last year. (In case I haven't told you a dozen times before, I adore card kit swaps. And image swaps. And paper. And ribbon. But I digress. Happens often.) Oh, I was so happy I didn't sever the fishing line as I was cutting out the image; I would have cried! I found the "net" printed paper that's behind Ian in my stash, and the yummy ribbon and large brads were gifts from my STC sistah Roxane. I couldn't help but whistle and hum the theme song from Mayberry RFD as I was coloring and assembling this card. (Geez, you're probably humming it now! Sorry.)
Copics: 0,C2,C4,E00,E000,E25,E29,E31,E35,G40,G99,Y23,YR18

And here's my take on Sketch #8, another rockin' design by Jessica!

My wonderful STC sistah Michelle gifted me with some amazing card kits, and I was thrilled to see the Up, Up, & Away image & sentiment featured in one of them! Oh, don't you just love the colors and designs of those patterned papers? All I added were some Nesties ovals, a few teal Primas I dusted with PearlEx, and a couple punched birds. (Yep, I was humming Up, Up, & Away as I made this card as well. Uh-oh, now you're probably humming that one! Well, at least I got your mind off Mayberry RFD. Ooo, until that. My bad.)
Copics: 0,B21,E31,G40,Y11,Y13,Y21

{Hmm, mayhaps it's about time that I host another card kit swap . . . or maybe a Guys & Dolls *Image* Swap! Ooo, sah-weet!}

I am so glad I got over my fear of Copics because I just *love, love, love* using them! (There are oh-so-many colors I still need. Yes, need!) I've got so much to learn about highlighting and blending and such, and I'll never be a "Copics Artist", but that doesn't matter. I just enjoy the way coloring relaxes me and helps me to disconnect from things for a while. Nothing gets me out of a mojo funk (tee-hee-hee!) like showing my Copics some image-coloring love!

OH, one more thing before I go: I want to give a shout-out to my STC sistahs Catherine and Mary who are proud members of the Twisted Thirteen DT at the new Oh Alice! Curious Little Challenge Blog! WOO-HOO! Congrats girlies! Love ya! The very first challenge will be posted this Saturday, so be sure to hop over to play along! I know I will!

Thanks for taking the time to stop by for a visit today! And remember: when you least expect it...

Peace, Love, and Anya!

WOO-HOO! I'm halfway through my TGF 12 Days of Sketches cards and this one is my favorite one of the bunch! The colors are so much better IRL - it was another gray, snowy day when this was taken. Day 6 featured a fabulous and versatile sketch by Cindy Haffner, but I stayed true to the original (time was becoming a factor at this point; although, obviously not enough of one!) If you haven't hopped over to the TGF blog, be sure to do so and check out the awesome creations by the DT and Farmers and Guests! SO much eye candy and inspiration!

I JUST LOVE THIS HIPPIE ANYA!
Thanks and {hugs} to my stampin' sister Michelle for sending her to me as part of an awesome card kit!! That green Prima (I didn't have any green ones!) and the little "love" charm were part of her kit, too. (Can't wait to play with the other goodies in there!) I was gifted the cool frosty heart charm from Karen, another stampin' sister! I just threaded some DMC floss around it to mimic a peace sign.

I have someone in mind for this card who, by her own admission, would have been a hippie flower child had she grown up in the San Fran area. LOL! I used more of my fav paper from K&Company because the colors are perfect for her. And I have been dying to use this yummy ribbon that yet another stampin' sister Paola sent me eons ago! Once again, the perfect card presented itself for things that I am hoarding!

I hope you enjoyed this card as much as I do! Thanks for stopping by today!
And Peace, Love, and Stampin', baby!

DETAILS
Image: The Greeting Farm "Hippie Anya"
Ink: Memento, SU
Cardstock: SU
Patterned Paper: K&Company
Copics: 0,B21,B91,E000,E31,E35,G40,R20,R22, R24, RV000,Y11,YR23
Other: Raindot, DMC floss, ribbon, charms

Sweetly Soft Miss Anya - Day 5

TGF's 12 Days sketch challenge last month revealed another great sketch on Day 5 by Mercy Kerin! How does she keep coming up with these??

The lighting when I took this picture was awful, so I do apologize. The sweet Miss Anya image was a gift from my dear stampin sister & friend Kadie. Those familiar with her know that she is uber-creative and a rockstar card maker! I can only hope I did this image justice! All of the colors were pulled from the floral paper - wonderfully soft but with hints of poppy red. And I thought the colors and playful pattern suited Miss Anya to a T.

So it's a super quick post for today, but I think I'll actually have all 12 Days of Sketches posted before the end of January! Yay! I almost can't want to post my card for Day 6, because I must admit that it's my favorite! Maybe tomorrow, maybe the next day . . . hmm, you'll just have to come back to find out! Ah-ha-ha-ha!

Until then, happy creating!

DETAILS
Image: The Greeting Farm "Miss Anya Collection"
Ink: Ranger Tattered Rose distress, SU pale plum
Cardstock: Stampin Up
Patterned Paper: Me & My Big Ideas (floral panel), others unknown
Copics: C2,C4,E000,E31,E35,G40, R22,R24,RV000,V12,V17,Y21,Y23,Y26
Accessories: Primas, Dewdrops. Fiskars punch

Toby's Still Celebrating!

Toby just can't stop ringing in 2010!

As soon as I saw this free digi by Marina Neira on the TGF Blog, I had to snatch him up! Here he is celebrating the new year using another great sketch by Mercy from day Day #4 of TGFs 12 Days of Sketches.

Toby decided to be adventurous and toss his usual New Year's black tie for purple! And not just anything purple, but purple velvet and bling (thanks Roxane!) combined with a little silver sparkle. He's still partying, so I guess it was a good choice!

If you haven't seen all of Marina's sweet Critter Crew images, go take a look! They are simply adorable! And I have to give a big WOO-HOO! to one of my stamping sisters, Sandra, who was tapped as a Jan/Feb Guest Designer for the Critter Crew! You'll be amazed and inspired by Sandra and the entire group of TGF designers!

I'm so glad you stopped by for a visit! Happy creating!

DETAILS
Image: The Greeting Farm "Happy New Year Toby"
Ink: Memento
Cardstock: The Paper Company, Stampin Up
Patterned Paper: The Paper Company
Copics: 0,C1,C2,C4,E31,E35,E47,E57,R20,V12,V15,YR00
Accessories: Cuttlebug, Nestabilities, K&Co. rhinestones, Kreinik silver filament, velvet cardstock from my stash, Sakura stardust pen.

Cool Argyle Ian

Okay, it's time to start posting the rest of my cards for TGF's 12 Days of Sketches Challenge! You might remember my blathering on that I'm doing this as my own personal challenge to finish what I start. Challenges are such a great way to get the creative juices flowing, and I'm always saying I'm going to do *this challenge* or *that challenge*. But for one reason or another, I either don't get them started or I don't get them completed. And to that I say, No more! So on with the cards!

After playing around with the layout of Mercy Kerin's great sketch for Day #3, I decided to stay with her original layout.
This is the first Dress Up Ian card I've ever created - actually, it's the first Ian card I've ever created! I received the images in a card kit swap I hosted. I thought the colors in these scraps of DP from my stash were very Ian-like, and I wanted to use my argyle embossing folder, so I decided to go with Ian's argyle sweater outfit. So cute!

And speaking of scraps, I really like how the piece of acrylic I also ran through the argyle emobssing folder turned out! It was hard to photograph but I think I caught enough of it to see.

I just inked up the edges with brown Stazon for definition, then finished the card with some ribbon and a couple of my few remaining Hodgepodge Hardware pieces. COOL!

So we're in the midst of the cold and the snow that are gripping much of the country, but we've been lucky compared to some. Combined with the snow that was already on the ground, we have about 8 inches and they're only calling for about 3 to 5 more through tomorrow night. I'm lucky because I'm off today and am just chillaxing in my PJs before getting ready for a girls night out. Dinner and a show - Menopause The Musical - in Pittsburgh with my sister Mary and my friends Barb & Mary Alice. I've heard the whole production is hysterical and that the songs are to-die-for funny, so I'm considering investing in some type of, uh, "protection", if you know what I mean. I'm sure there will be a few martinis with dinner, and my bladder isn't what she used to be! AH-HA-HA-HA! (Gee, I hope that doesn't offend anyone! It's an inside joke, because before "the change", my sister always said I had a bladder of steel, but now it feels more like heavy-duty aluminum foil. Better safe than sorry!)

Hope you're all warm and safe and enjoying your Friday! Thanks for stopping by and hope you'll pop back for Day #4's sketch card tomorrow!

Happy Creating!

DETAILS
Image: The Greeting Farm “Dress Up Ian”
Ink: Memento, Stazon
Cardstock: SU
Patterned Paper: My Minds Eye (well, I'm 99% sure they are!)
Copics: 0,B91,B95,B97,C1,C2,E000,E29,E47,E57,G40,G85,Y11,Y23
Accessories: Cuttlebug & embossing folder, SU Hodgepodge Hardware, Basic Grey ribbon, acrylic, dimensionals

Mermaid Joy!

I know, I know - it's Day 4 in the TGF 12 Days of Sketches challenge, and I'm just posting Day 2. But it's all good, because this challenge is really getting my mojo going and we have until January 3 to play with all the sketches!


I *really* like Day 2's sketch by Mercy Kerin because to me, it just screams for lots and lots of layers! Counting all the mats & base, this 5-1/2" square card has ELEVEN of 'em!

I colored up this Anya *eons* ago when I met up with Catherine for an Archivers afternoon. (*sigh* I'm going through 'Archivers with Catherine' withdrawal.) She just received the new Copics, and I couldn't wait to try the ethereal, watery blue/green. It turned out to be a great compliment to the fun DP and shimmery Sea Glass cardstock I wanted to use.

The accent band was supposed to go all the way across the card, but the shimmery Gun Metal cardstock was also from my stash, and I didn't have a piece quite long enough. The pretty organza poinsettia is the last one from a pack I found at the dollar store, and I just added a rhinestone center. (wish I had bought more of those flowers...)

Of course, one rhinestone is never enough, especially since I made this card for a friend who likes lots o' sparkle. So I glammed up Anya's hair with some more rhinestones and irridescent glitter, which I also used for her sparkly scales. Finally, I used really small Nesties for the JOY sentiment, and I hope that my friend feels "joyful" when she opens this card!

I am on a personal mission to follow this "12 Days" challenge through to the end!! I have realized that the only way to keep my mojo motivated is to use it, so I hope to create a card for Day 3 tonight after the rest of the house is asleep, then catch up with Days 4 & 5 tomorrow. Hey, I gotta have goals, right?

I hope you'll follow along with me as I continue through the challenge, and I hope you're finding time from the hustle and bustle to sit and stamp for a while, too!

Thanks for visiting! Happy creating!

DETAILS
Image: The Greeting Farm “Mermaid Anya”
Ink: Memento
Cardstock: The Paper Company
Patterned Paper: DCWV Winter Mat Stack
Copics: C00,BG0000
Accessories: Flat-back rhinestones, ribbon, dimensionals

TGF's 12 Days of Sketches: Day 1

Have you heard? Over on The Greeting Farm blog you'll find The 12 Days of Sketches Challenge! What a great way to keep our mojo motivated during the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season!

The color inspiration for my Pretty Hat Card for Day One's Sketch by Cindy Haffner comes from the yummy-licious Wild Raspberry collection from K&Company. Oooo, I just *love* all the colors in that collection and will be using more of it during these 12 days.

There are lots of distressed layers to this card as well as my favorites - pearls, pearls, and more pearls! Oh, and I found the peachy moire ribbon in my stash and thought it was something that Anya might tie in her hair!

So there you have it! Today's post is short & sweet 'cuz this girl has lots of hustling and bustling to do today. And tomorrow. And....

If you still need more motivation to play in this challenge, how about this: everyone who completes all 12 sketches by January 3 will be entered into a drawing to win the entire January TFG release! WOO-HOO!

I'm so glad you stopped by for a visit today. Happy creating!

DETAILS
Image: The Greeting Farm “Pretty Hat Anya”
Ink: Memento, Ranger Distress
Cardstock: Stampin Up
Paper: K&Company "Wild Raspberry"
Copics: 0,E00,E000,E25,E31,E35,E47,E57,R22,R24,RV000,Y21,Y23,Y26,YR00
Accessories: Flat-back pearls, Primas, ribbon, dimensionals

A Wild West Birthday! Yee-Haa!

*whewee!* I'm plum tuckered out after making this card!

I desperately needed to make a card for my sister Mary’s birthday (which is tomorrow!), but as usual, I couldn’t make up my mind which image to use. I remembered the hoard of card kits under my desk and pulled out the bin and was overjoyed! I totally forgot that I had sorted them by stamp companies into gallon-size zip-top bags! Woo-Hoo! So I reached into the TGF bag and pulled out a cute kit featuring Wild West Anya! The kit included the images, super-fun papers, and the jute string. All I added from my stash were the buttons and cardstock! COOL!

You’re probably wondering why I don’t have anything matted with Nesties. That’s because this is my entry for the Farm Fresh Friday Challenge over at The Greeting Farm. This week’s challenge is to create a K.I.S.S. card – Keep It Simply Shaped! The rules are simple: no diecuts, no Nesties, not more than one punch, only straight edges on any layers, and not going overboard on the embellies.

This little filly all dressed in her blue suede Stetson and matching boots is waaay more than just a pretty face. She's quite the cowgirl, too!

Would you just look how Anya has lassoed a Yee-Haa cut from DP to wish Mary a happy birthday! (Yes, yes, those are curved edges…so sue me. LOL!).



I wanted to use more of the twine on the card, so I tied her braids with some and added the little loopy loops behind the image panel – do you like?

I gotta tell ya, I am so thrilled with way this card turned out! I’m glad that I finally had a bit of time to play in a challenge! Why don’t you hop on over and play along, too? You have until December 16 to upload your creation!

I’m so glad you stopped by and visited today! Happy creating!

DETAILS
Image: The Greeting Farm “Wild West Anya”
Ink:Memento
Cardstock: Stampin Up
Copics: B21, B91, B95, C1, C2, E00, E000, E25, E31, E35, E47, RV000, V12, YR00
Accessories: Buttons, jute twine, Sakura pen, dimensionals

What's Wrong With Mermaids? Or Sombreros?

Over in the Sisterhood of the Traveling Cards on SCS, Roxie picked the fabulous theme of non-traditional holidays for October's swap. After poring over the amazingly long lists of unknown quirky holidays, I decided on National Tell A Fairy Tale Day, which is celebrated on February 26.

I just love this Mermaid Anya from The Greeting Farm! She was a gift from the sweet Kadie and I can't believe this is the first time she has seen ink! And no, the colors are not very sea-like, but it IS Tell a Fairy Tale Day, so my little mermaid can be pink and flowery instead of blue and watery, right?

I colored the Anyas with Copics when I met up with Catherine a few weeks ago at the Archiver's crop. Yes, that's right. I drove 3 hours round trip to color with Catherine, and I'd do it again! (It also helped me keep my crop tab under $50.)

I wish you could see the shimmery paper IRL that I embossed - it's gorgeous! I couldn't decide where to put ribbon, so I made a little sentiment tag instead. I added the rhinestones to the flowers & her hair, and finished with a sparkly dot border.

So, have you ever Googled "obscure holidays" and looked through the results? Here's just a teeny-tiny sampling of what's out there:
National Peach Cobbler Day Yummy!
Hug an Australian Day {HUGS} to Sandra!
Measure Your Feet Day Uh, why?
Beercan Appreciation Day There's one for The Man!
Clams on the Halfshell Day What???

Not only are they inspirations for cards, they're also reasons to throw a party every day! WOO-HOO! I still cannot believe there is not National Mermaid Day or Wear a Sombrero Day. Oh well, I could always dress like a mermaid with a sombrero on Wear Something Gaudy Day!

I'll leave you with a fun "tidbits about me" quiz that I found over on Sandra's blog, where the catch is to use only one-word answers. If you decide to take the quiz on your blog, post a comment here so I can hop over and check it out!

1. Where is your cell phone? Charging
2. Your hair? Layered
3. Your mother? *Missed*
4. Your father? Wise
5. Your favorite food? Pasta
6. Your dream last night? Nonsensical
7. Your favorite drink? Tonics!
8. Your dream/goal? Evolving
9. What room are you in? Craftin'
10. Your hobby? Hello?!
11. Your fear? Blindness
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Here
13. Where were you last night? Recliner
14. Something that you aren’t? Active
15. Muffins? Croissants!
16. Wish list item? Housekeeper
17. Where did you grow up? Pennsylvania
18. Last thing you did? Texted
19. What are you wearing? Sweats
20. Your TV? Selective
21. Your pets? Felines
22. Friends? Priceless
23. Your life? Blessed
24. Your mood? Neutral
25. Missing someone? Several
26. Vehicle? Pontiac
27. Something you’re not wearing? Makeup
28. Your favorite store? LSS
29. Your favorite color? Pink
30. When was the last time you laughed? Today
31. Last time you cried? Yesterday
32. Your best friend? Rosie
33. One place that you go to over and over? Market
34. One person who emails me regularly? Mary {my sister}
35. Favorite place to eat? OliveGarden

Thanks for stopping by and Happy Creating!
~Susan~

DETAILS
Stamps: The Greeting Farm 'Mermaid Anya', Studio G sentiment
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Papers: Bazzill, Stampin Up, The Paper Company
Copics: E00, E000, E11, R20, R22, RV000, Y21, Y23
Accessories: Sakura Gelly Roll, Primas, Rhinestones, Nestabilities, Dimensionals

A Fairy Chloe Birthday!

Let me apologize for the skewed colors in the photos included in this post. The lighting was just *awful* that day, and no matter where I moved in the house, I could not get a true picture! In real life, the colors go together quite nicely!

I made this whimsical card for my dear friend Gwen, whose birthday was on Monday. As is too often the case, we don't get to see each other very often, but we know that we are always thinking of each other and including our families in our prayers.

This is also my first TGF card! The uber-sweet and talented Kadie, the Mother Superior of The Sisterhood and also a DT member for The Greeting Farm, sent me some adorable Fairy Chloe images, along with a TGF stamp to be featured on a card here soon! {hugs}

After coloring Chloe with Prismas and applying some Stamping Bella shimmer on her wings, I cut her out and layered her over a punched DP scallop, a Rose Red circle, and a Lavender Lace scalloped Nestie, which were highlighted with Sakura pens.

The DP panel sits on a Swiss Dots embossed Rose Red panel, and for added layers, I cut out a large flower and some smaller flowers from the DP and popped them up on dimensionals. Some simple white satin ribbon and white Sakura dots around the border finish off the card. I really hope Gwen enjoys it!


Gwen and I met several years ago when she joined our office crew, and we eventually ended up sharing an office. I don't know what we did more: work or laugh! But life always offers up changes, and she decided it was time to move on last year. Turns out, she had a more important job in her future, as Grandma to adorable Cailyn, born 3 months premature last November. That little babe is a trooper, just like her mom and Grandma. She beat the odds in so many ways and is a true gift from God. Gwen and I also share a love for stamping, although we haven't had the chance just to spend hours doing that together for quite some time. I really miss her, and hope we'll be able to get together soon!

I must give some Woo-Hoo's to some Sisters! Mary was chosen for the Summer Gardener DT for The Greeting Farm and Lorie was chosen for the September-December DT for Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps! Congratulations! I am humbled to be in the midst of the serious talent over in The Sisterhood.


Garage update: After a one-week setback, the block guys have been here for two days and are making progress. by tomorrow, it will actually look like something!


Happy Creating!
Susan