Yearning for Spring!!

As the deer yearns for water, Dear Lord, my soul yearns for you (Psalm 42:1) ... well that's the verse, but truly I am yearning for warmer weather and a chance to get out of the house and enjoy the beautiful colors of the Lord's artistic palette.  Anyone with me?!  Oh, just to take a stroll around the hill and see the beauty ... well, I know I can still do that in the Winter, but it's a bit slushy and icy in spots around here right now.  I can't wait for a good break in the weather to get out there and walk/jog.  :)

In the meantime, I am dreaming of Springtime while coloring lovely images from Imagine That! Digis by Kris.  These lovely Daffodils are available in color or sketched so you can color them yourself (jpeg and png formats too so you can adjust them however you want - resize, layer, etc).  I just printed them out 3 in a row on some kraft cardstock to try my hand at coloring on kraft.  Ohh, I really love how the colors pop right off the paper at you.  They were leaning towards my light green gingham paper, so I just had to grab it, my Cuttlebug folder with the little flowers and my Martha Stewart punch for the lacy look on the edge of the paper.  The inside was decorated much the same with a piece of white left blank for a special occasion.

Try your hand at printing some on different colors too, vanilla or kraft for a change instead of white.  I think they look lovely.

Challenges:
Digistamps4Joy - Use Dies or Punches

Thanks for stopping by & Inky Hugs from me!  Hope it's Springtime where you are soon too! xoxo

**February Progressive Challenge at Imagine That Blog**

Hello again, fellow crafters and/or bloggers! 

I hope you are having a great day!  I was able to sit down and get a little crafty today, so I have a quick yet cute card to share with you.  I have used the sweet polar bear and mouse image from the Polar Love set I mentioned yesterday from Imagine That digital stamps and the Fleur de Lis rectangles from Spellbinders.  I really love this die and have used it a lot lately 

(most of my Christmas cards were created with it as well).  The little bear's head was popped up on pop dots as was the heart, which I printed in red.  I love how we can play around with these images and make them as big or as small as we want, print them in color or color them ourselves.  My printer has been used quite a bit lately with these fun and easy images.

As well as the usual monthly progressive challenge 

(of which you automatically qualify for next month's digital image just for playing along),

Kris has also posted there are other "goodies" in which she is 

Spreading the Love this month.  Check it out ...

'Spread the Love'.... Note:  you have to link up via the Imagine That blog

• The first person to link up to our challenge Linky gets a Free set of your choice from my store (after you've won 2x in a 6 mo. period, I'll award it to the next linker to give others a chance)  We will continue this every month!

• On Feb. 14, Valentine's Day, I'll be drawing a random winner from those who've linked up to our challenge ~ an incentive to link up early!!  *Ü*   I'll do this the middle of each mo. thereafter.

• Starting February 1st, you may link your 'IT' cards to our new Customer Gallery up to 4x per month (excluding progressive challenge cards).  I will draw a winner for FREE digis (for every 10 entries) at the end of each month!

Inky Hugs and have a terrific week!

Rubber Ducky You're the One!

Ohh, it was a busy week, but a pretty good one.  It finally warmed up today, but we had a lot of rain.  I can't complain, it's better than snow at this point, and although we were out slipping and sliding last night, we did make it home okay, so God is Good! :)

I was asked earlier this week to make a baby card using a duckling for a friend whose daughter is having a baby next month, so I grabbed my a few digital images, one of my baby stamp sets from Clear Art stamps, some BasicGrey patterned paper, Cuttlebug folders and Stampin Up paper and inks(Tempting Turquoise, Taken with Teal, Barely Banana, Certainly Celery, Not Quite Navy to name most).  Then I got started!  :)  I also found this sweet image of a duck card on Pinterest that I loved, tracked it down to THIS BLOG but unfortunately was not able to purchase the dies from Peachy Keen any longer, so I thought I would try my hand at sketching it and cutting it out myself.  It's not perfect like this little cutie on Erin Lee's blog, but I sure had fun making him.  The sentiment is from Imagine That by Kris Breach from one of her new January release - Sweet Deer set.

The Inside of this card (please excuse the slight blur).

It says "All of God's grace captured in one tiny face"

This sentiment is from the "Baby Boy" set from Clear Art Stamps

This card was made with a free clip art photo I found.  Can't find the site to give them credit now.

the letter block stamps were from the same Baby Boy stamp set from Clear Art Stamps.

The Number and Bubbles Cuttlebug folders were used to add texture.

The Inside made to match, and again using the sentiment from Sweet Dear ...

Here's the last one that I made tonight using a

duck image I found from Dreamstime and again the inside has

the sentiment I used earlier from Clear Art Stamps.

and lastly, here is the inside (again slightly blurry as my camera was tiring out) ...

Inky Hugs and soggy feet (perfect duck weather today - LOL),

Valentine Card from an Imagine That Image

CAN YOU BELIEVE it?!  Two posts within the past 4 days.  I hope to get back here from time to time (possibly one post a week to get my feet wet again).  No weekly commitments yet though ;)  Stay tuned.

With today's new January release going on over at Imagine That, I just had to play again with an I.T. image that I had still waiting for me on my craft table.  It's another Jenn & Friends image from Imagine That, and it is so sweet, it can be used for so many different occasions (simple Hello card during the winter months, Valentine's card or Birthday or even a Thank You among friends).

I think this is such a beautifully colored digital image, and it's all ready to be used on your own card sketch.  I chose a simple sketch today with a few accent pieces of Basic Grey Eskimo Kisses that I have been saving for my Christmas cards for a while now.  I also used my Snowflake Cuttlebug folder to add texture.

Everyone who played in Imagine That's December challenge received the Jenn & Friends set FREE!!  If you didn't get a chance to play, you can still jump in now by purchasing Jenn & Friends in the store at a discounted price and play along.  Everyone who links up on their blog using this challenge set will receive February's set FREE!! Some stop on by Imagine That and play along.  You will be glad you did.  Did you see today's releases?  They are so dog-gone cute, I can't pick just one!! :)

Inky Hugs,

Warm Cocoa and Friends Perfect for this COLD weather!

Wow, it has been so long since I posted here that I almost didn't remember how to use Blogger.  Sad, isn't it?!  It's bitter cold just about everywhere we turn (from my friends in Wisconsin to those of us here on the East Coast).  I am pretty sure we are all having Alaskan weather right now with the jet stream patterns and Arctic air blowing in, so this image below was perfect!  I just couldn't resist playing along today.  Missed you all too!

My dear friend Kris from http://imaginethatdigistamp.blogspot.com/ has a challenge going on currently using this sweet image called Jenn and Friends.  If you were on Imagine That's mailing list, you should have received this image too.  If not, you can purchase it from her at her digi store.  Just check the blog for details on the challenge and get some great digi images for your scrapbooks or hand-made cards.  I used the colored image, layered it on some Basic Grey  papers I had left over from my Christmas card creations and distressed the edges with Rich Cocoa Momento ink.  I imagined the cocoa must be peppermint cocoa, and the pop of red striped ribbon totally caught my eye.  I popped that up with some 3M foam tape and added the cocoa circle for Warm Wishes to you all!  Hope you are staying warm during this cold spell, and while you are ... hope you have a little stampin' fun too!  :)

P.S. - Here is a belated sneak peek of a few cards that I created for Christmas too (please excuse the flat photo).

...



Inky hugs,

SBC61 Heart Pieces fairy

It's time again for another fun sketch challenge at Sketches By Carly.  This week's SBC 61 is sponsored by My Heart Pieces.  They have a lot of lovely fairy tale images there.

One submission to our challenge will be drawn, and the winner will receive his/her choice of 3 digital images!! :)  It's tough to choose just 3 great images, but ... it's a nice start to your MHP collection, right?

Here's the sketch ...

Give it a try, as we would love to see what you create too!  :)  Then be sure to link your post from your own blog or on-line photo album to the challenge blog at Sketches By Carly to play along!  You have 2 full weeks to participate, so no rush.

Here's the card I created for this sketch challenge ...

I fell in love with this sweet fairy image from My Heart Pieces that she called "Gun Gun".  It is colored with Copics and layered on different Spellbinder Nestabilities die cut pieces.  the black piece was punched with a heart border punch from Martha Stewart.  The background papers are from Basic Grey Two Scoops, and the embellishments are clear rhinestones and pearl brads, which are from The Eyelet Outlet.

Thanks for stopping by!  Hope you find some time this week to "get inky."

Hugs,

Two Full Weeks to Play Along

Howdy, readers!

For the summer, both Sketches by Carly design teams (Team A and Team B) will be posting the first week of the new challenges for Sketches by Carly.  This means when you see this on my blog, you still have 2 full weeks to play along for a chance to win.  Now, let me tell ya, Carly comes up with some really great sketches, so if you haven't played along in the past, you don't want to miss them.  This week one lucky winner will win a $20 gift certificate for The Paper Shelter!

Here's this week's sketch for SBC #58 ...

When I saw this sketch last week, I thought that looks like a cute little purse.  Then Wednesday night when I went to bed, all I could think about was how I was going to create it, what colors I was going to use, where I put my magnets, etc.  

So ... I woke up early Thursday morning due to a really busy week and got started.  The base is 6 inches and then tapers to 5 inches at the top.  I used the Cuttlebug folder (bubbles) to texture the front.  Top Note die from Stampin Up was used to create the flap, which I fastened to the back with double sticky tape and then used magnets on the front.  The pre-colored image was printed onto glossy photo paper, left small enough to fit nicely with the sketch and layered on another piece of white card stock to give it more stability.  The ribbon was used at the top like purse straps, and the DPs are Stampin Up and Basic Grey.

Digi:  Spring in My Heart
Papers:  Stampin Up Garden green cs and butterfly DP; Basic Grey (I believe from the Lemonade packet).
Ribbon:  Pink sheer and light coral 1/4 inch ribbon
Embellishment:  Antiqued brass floral square

Thanks for stopping by to take a peek!   Now come on over to Sketches by Carly and join in our fun for a chance to win that $20 gift certificate!!  :)

Hugs,

Memories by Kelly for SBC57

Hey there, readers and friends! : )

Sorry for being MIA lately here on the blog.  The weather has been so nice lately that we have been getting a lot accomplished outside (garden, flower beds, mowing 2 different properties when we can, painting, etc).  I have been anxious to get some crafts done but my to-do list keeps growing.

I have promised to play along with my dear friends at Sketches by Carly though, and there's a great prize in store ...

Digi Doodle Shop is offering a $10 Gift Voucher for one lucky player! 

Here's sketch #57 this week from Carly ...

I have created this card using the Field of Flowers image from the Digi Doodle Shop.  I saw it right away when I visited Judy and Joy's store, as it was the featured stamp, and I fell in love with it at first sight!!  It could be used for so many different occasions.  This week a dear friend of mine's father lost his battle to cancer, and I thought the little girl looked to be deep in thought, so I have to send this one out to my high school buddy, Stacey.  I do hope she loves it too, and it brings some peace to her in this time of need.

The image was colored with Copics.  The sky behind her sponged on with Archival iridescent blue ink and a cloud template, and then the image was cut out using my square Fleur de Lis die from Spellbinders.  The corner pieces at the top were made with that as well.  Those pretty little pearl brads were found at at great little on-line store - Eyelet Outlet.  The sentiment from Stampin Up's Loving Thoughts stamp set was cut out from a white piece of cs and then layered on a die cut using Fancy Tags Two from Spellbinders.  The white cs panel behind the image was run through the Big Shot with my widely used textile Cuttlebug folder.  Lastly, Recollections lovely lace and some sheer ribbon were added. The card base is brocade blue which was a real close match to the Recollections ribbon too. : )

With digi images you can finish off the inside of a card using that image again (whatever size you would like),  so I printed out a portion of the image to add to the inside with a sentiment I had read somewhere that I felt was fitting for the occasion.

Thanks for stopping by and spending a little time with me today!  I hope you too have time to work on your to-do list this week (al beit inside or outside).  :)  Enjoy your day and God Bless!

Hugs,

Tons of Fun with Kelly and Sketches by Carly

Good afternoon, everyone!

Sorry I am a little late in posting today ... Big work day yesterday at the farm - Heavens Gate Alpacas - and I am feelin' the results today (sore muscles, fatigue and allergies).

Here is my card for SBC56 this week in which I used the "more" sketch by Carly.  For more details about the sketch, check us out by clicking on the blog link.

The elephant image on the card is called Tons of Fun and drawn  by Carly herself.  How cute is that?!
the inside of my card has the "Tons of Fun on your Birthday" sentiment and may be going all the way to
Bangladesh for our church's sponsor child.  I am sure that Jasmine will love it, but I  have to make sure the rest of the church family okays it as well! :)

All Sketches by Carly challenges are 2 full weeks, but I post on the second week, so if you haven't seen it already, you still have a week to play along in our challenge for a chance to win a prize package this week sponsored by moi (see photo of goodies below).

Kris and Carly have this ready to send out to one lucky winner.  Play along with us today for a chance to win.

 Happy Stampin and Scrappin!

Hugs,

P.S. - I am also playing along at Terrific Thursdays with Shelly's Images DT

Biker Bear for Carly's Sketch 54

This week at Sketches by Carly, we are being sponsored by Di's Digi Downloads.  :)  One lucky winner will receive a $10 gift certificate for Di's Digi store.  There are so many to choose from. I was blown away and had a tough time choosing when I stopped in there to see what Di offered. I did end up picking up a couple of images (one of a puppy and one of a bear).

Here's the sketch from Carly ...

We would LOVE to have you play along.  Go to the Sketches by Carly blog and see what the rest of the design team has come up with. Then be sure to link up your card there too for a chance to win!! :) There is still a week left for the challenge, as Sketches by Carly run for 2 full weeks with 2 different design teams (team A and team B). I am on the B team, so you will see others there already if you didn't already check in last week.

Here is my card from Carly's sketch inspiration.  If you would like to purchase this sweet Biker Bear image, it can be found HERE at Di's Digi Downloads.

I used some Harley Davidson diamond plate (embossed) paper and Bo Bunny Liberty pack.  The image is colored with prismacolor pencils and gamsoled.  The black though is watercolor, so it looks a bit streaky in the closeup.  I used stickles on the headlamps and stars to make them shine a bit.  Closeups and layers shown better below.

Thanks SO much for stopping by.  Please leave a quick comment  :)  I love to hear from you.

Happy Stampin! :)

BitterSweet Rhubarb - Sketch by Carly 53

This week is my first post for Sketches by Carly's design team!  I am SO excited to be helping out a couple of my favorite people here in blogland.  Kris Breach and her family have been very dear to my heart for quite a few years now.  Kris was originally on my design team for KL Stampin N Scrappin, and she and I have kept in touch over the years through our blogs and on Splitcoaststampers.  So ... I was tickled pink when she asked me if I would like to join Carly's design team.  :0) This young lady sure draws some adorable images, which Kris helps her make into digis for us all to use on our paper creations.  Check them out HERE!


This week's Sketch by Carly is #53, so come join the fun by clicking on any of the SBC links I have here on my blog post or sidebar.  First a shot of the sketch itself ...

Here is what I came up with for this sketch using a digi from another great gal - Korin - owner of Sweet N Sassy stamps who is the sponsor this week at SBC.  One lucky player will win 3 digis of their choice!! :)  How great is that?!

This sweet little bear from Sweet N Sassy is named Rhubarb.  The papers I used are chocolate chip cs from Stampin Up and Bitter Sweet DP from BasicGrey.

Thanks for stopping by, and ... Happy Stampin' and Scrappin'!