SCS sketch challenge!

Good Thursday evening, everyone! I am sitting in my comfy recliner, all set for the Idol results show! Last night was amazing....I didn't know who to vote for! Phillip is my favorite.....Holly is right up there....but last night Elise rocker her little heart out & she did AWESOME! Such a fun show! 

Anyway, back to the reason you all came here ....this week I decided that I wanted to join in the SCS sketch challenge. I haven't joined in a SCS challenge in AGES! I had already started coloring the image (remember, it takes me a few days to make a card lol) so yesterday when I was ready to put it together I went to check out the sketch & it was perfect! To make it even more of a challenge, I decided to keep the rectangle shape. Yes, I could have made it a square, but it was more of a challenge this way --- I never make rectangular cards anymore!

I used my NEW Koala Hugs Tilda -- I've admired her from afar for awhile now & I'm thrilled she's MINE :)   I stamped her onto Cryogen Shimmer White with Memento London Fog ink -- not quite the "no line" look, but close. It definitely gives it a different look. The papers are SU Basic Gray, Bazzill Red Rock & Basic Grey Ambrosia. I used my Magnolia swirly die again -- my new favorite border -- & added just a flower & a corner die. Rectangular cards definitely don't allow for a lot of "stuff"!

With each image I color, I use a little more gray, lol. I really am trying because I do want to achieve those shadows, but it is really hard! I like the pretty colors, it's hard to add gray to them!

Can you see his cute shiny nose? Doesn't it look cold & wet? LOL! I think you can also see a bit of the shimmer of the paper -- love this stuff. Thanks to my friend Dianne who reminded me that this paper is awesome to use with both pencils & Copics. I had forgotten I had it! 


In addition to the SCS sketch challenge, I am entering this into the following challenges:


Creative Mondays ~ anything goes
Make It Monday ~ anything goes
Simon Says Stamp ~ anything goes (I'm seeing a trend here)


Yep I go for the TOUGH challenges, lol!

Idol is half over, & Elise & Phillip are both safe. Holly is in the bottom 3 which surprises me, she is so good. I don't understand DeAndre AT ALL -- all the hair & bouncing & singing falsetto -- yuck. I also am not a fan of Jacob. And it's funny because the judges are gaga over both of them. Idol is never boring, that's for sure! 

Hope you all have a fantastic weekend!!! 

Sketch challenge Wednesday

Good morning, peeps!! I really had no intention of posting today, but when I saw the sketch challenge on SCS this morning, I really wanted to play along. Boy, did I come to regret that decision!!




I decided to use one of my favorite Penny Black images, Dressed Up. This puppy is sooooo cute with his little tie. I decided I'd try my hand at watercoloring again. I embossed the image, & colored it with my Distress Inks. **sigh** I won't even tell you how long it took me. Look at that image.....does it LOOK like it should have taken more than a few minutes?? I could have had it colored with pencils in 10 minutes! I keep trying to expand my coloring horizons....but maybe I should stick to what I know. Anyway, I set out to gather my papers. I used Bazzill Bling Sugar Daddy & DCWV Pets Stack. What I *should* have done was look at the sketch a bit closer. I had layer 4 (the paper with the bones on it) all the way to the left edge, & it wasn't supposed to be. So....being the stickler that I am....I started to remove it. Oh, how I wish I had some Undu! I ended up ruining the brown layer underneath, & had to add another over it. So when I say there's lots of layers on this card......there are more than you know, lol!!

So....I finally got it put together the right way....& went to get a bone charm. I'm sure I have bone charms. Somewhere. Can't find them....& I *am* organized! I ended up stamping a bone, clear embossing it & watercoloring that. Then I used Crystal Effects. WRONG!!!! It dissolved the watercoloring. This was OF COURSE after I had it attached to the jump rings & ribbon.

OK, so I plopped some flowers & Dew Drops on & called it done!! I wash my hands of this card. You don't even get a close up of the image like I normally do! LOL!! Definitely not my best work. I didn't even START to do the inside yet.....I'd better wait for another day to do that!!

Ok, it's late, I have to be somewhere & I haven't even showered yet!! Tonight is the Talent Show at school....which runs REALLY late...so I'm sure we'll all be dragging tomorrow!! But it will be fun, I've never been to one of these shows even though they have them every year. I'm sure it will be entertaining!!

Have a great day!!

Put on your shades!

This is a bright one!! This is actually my 4th attempt at a card today. I don't love it, but I don't hate it.....it is what it is. Everything I touched today turned to garbage. I couldn't color right, I couldn't cut right, my sewing machine isn't working right....sigh....it all matches my mood. More about my mood later....




I was so happy to receive my Magnolia Spring Club Kit last week!! This is one of the images from that kit, isn't Tilda sweet? I wanted to play with SCS's sketch challenge from last week.....preferably before they posted the new one! I used DCWV's Citrus stack.....very bright!! But very springy, & since it is rainy & yucky here, & since it IS spring now, & since Tilda is holding flowers.....the Citrus stack it was. Colored with Prismas & gamsol.....punched all the flowers from various punches....& added some gold dots to the corners. I was so very frustrated & spent by the time I was done....I didn't have it in me to finish the inside.





So why am I crabby? Because we recently found out that my husband will probably be laid off from his job. I know....it's nothing thousands & thousands of others aren't going through as well. I thought we were prepared.....paying off CC's, watching our spending....but when it's "real"....when it's right there in front of you, you don't feel prepared at all. It's not definite, but they are shutting down the first week of April, & that Monday after many people are going to be shown the door. It wouldn't be so bad if I had a FT job. But as you know, I'm just a sub in the school district, very part time. I was hoping to keep it up so I could hopefully be hired eventually as a permanent employee. Now everything is up in the air....we just have to wait & see what happens....cross your fingers & toes & all your other crossable parts for us!!!

Despite my saying I wasn't going to list on Ebay anymore....I have listed a couple of cards. I'm also trying to add to my Etsy shop.....& I'm going to go through my stamps to see what I can sell. I have so many SU retired sets that I just had to have, but I have to face facts....I just don't use SU stamps. Sorry if that offends anyone...I love their paper....but I am up to my eyeballs in High Hopes stamps, that I just don't need other stamps. My love affair with Magnolia & Penny Black will never end.....but I do need to sell what I don't use. I will keep you posted on what I have, if I list it, or if I will just sell it through here. Thanks for listening to my pitiful rant!!

Have a great night!!

Wednesday sketch challenge

Good morning, everyone!! It's bright & sunny here, & I have loads to do today so this will be a quick post! I just wanted to share my card I did for the sketch challenge today on SCS.



I had colored this cute Tilda last night with my Copics. I decided I needed to quit buying the markers, & actually start *using* them, lol. I added some Twinkling H2O's to make the shading more prominent (a trick I learned from the master herself, Ila). I knew I wanted to use the DCWV Baby Girl papers, so I colored her accordingly. I didn't have time to make her into a card last night, so this morning when I saw the sketch challenge, it was an "aha" moment. Perfect ~~ I can have her sitting on one of those panels!! I added some Primas (the pink & green ones are from my friend Chris....thanks Chris!!), a pearl & an adorable cherry charm I bought on Ebay. I bought them specifically to use with this Tilda!! I have lots so I'd better get cracking & make more Cherry Tilda cards, lol!!




Thanks so much for taking the time to visit......stay tuned tomorrow for recipe Thursday (yes, I've decided Thursdays are recipe day, lol). Have a great day!!!

High Hopes Challenge #18 ~ am I late??

Of course I'm late, I've been sick the last 3 days! I started this card way back on Thursday, & just could NOT get it finished in time for yesterday's High Hopes challenge, which is to make an Easter card. If you don't have any Easter stamps, then you can just make a spring card!!


Since I don't have my NEW rubber from High Hopes yet, I used one from their recent release called "Three Pane Easter". Apparently with the new release yesterday came some glitches with the older stamps, so I will update this post with a link to this stamp when it's available. I stamped the image onto watercolor paper & attempted yet again to watercolor using my ink pads & reinkers. Not TOO bad, but I still can't get my watercoloring to look as good as everyone else's! Papers are SU's Bordering Blue & MM's Chloe's Closet. There's a lot about this card I don't like. It just didn't turn out as I had it in my head, but since my head has been clogged the last few days I guess I can use that as my excuse. I used SCS's sketch challenge #200 for the layout & the "happy Easter" is from Papertrey's Limitless Labels.

Well I'd love to stay & chat but I really need to lie down ~~ finishing this card & photographing it, & writing this post was more than I bargained for, lol!! Hopefully I'll be back to feeling 100% soon, & hopefully that would be around the same time I get those new stamps!! Have a great day!!

A sketch & an RAK

Good morning!! It's Wednesday & that means Sketch Challenge day on Splitcoast!!! Today's sketch is perfect for an image I had colored last night.

I bought this Penny Black stamp, Green Friends, at the same rummage sale I bought THIS STAMP. What a deal!! Clearly there is supposed to be a sentiment to go with it, since one frog's mouth is open, clearly talking, & other has such a look on his face. I'll have to be on the lookout for a saying that would go with this!! Anyway, I colored the froggie friends with my Prismas & gamsol, & added Crystal Effects & Dazzling Diamonds glitter to the water. Believe it or not, I used something other than Basic Grey ~~ the designer paper on this card is from Cloud 9 Design & it's called Baby Boy Stripe (I also have Baby Girl Stripe, lol). The blue in the background is the reverse side of the stripes. The other papers are from the DCWV fall stack. The flowers are a combo of Primas & punches, & the leaves are of course punched with the Martha Stewart branch punch. This card turned out quite heavy, as I kept adding more & more layers, lol! Blue & green is one of my favorite combos so I added as much as I could :)



I also wanted to share a card with you that I received the other day from my friend Cris. Cris & I actually met on Splitcoast a couple of years ago & have become good friends IRL. She was with me at the infamous rummage sale where I scored all these wonderful Penny Black stamps :) Anyhow, she's been uber busy making Valentines.....how cute is this Whipper Snapper kitty??


The picture doesn't show it, but she did quite a few layers on the cat....she did an extra layer of whole cat...lol...then a 3rd layer with just his nose & paws. It is sooooo cute...thanks so much, Cris!! Sadly, she doesn't have a gallery nor blog, but hopefully someday soon.....she's too talented NOT to show off her work!!

You still have about 3 hours to enter my blog candy above........it will close at noon today, & I will pick a winner sometime tonight. Thank you so much to everyone who has already visited & entered.....I have LOVED reading about your favorite candies....especially those from overseas, because I haven't heard of many of them!! We may need to do a candy swap :)

***Edited to add Deana told me she got this stamp, & along with the stamp she got the saying "Glad to see you made it through another year without croaking!" Bahahhahahahaaaa ....that is GREAT......now I'll *have* to have that stamp, of course!! Thanks, Deana!!

Double challenge

Hello all.....I'm in a bit of a rush because today is an early day...the kids get out at 1:00 & I have a conference with a teacher. I bought this Penny Black stamp last week at a rummage sale at my LSS.....I've always loved this snowman & I sure can't beat what I paid for him!!



I had every intention of trying to use my Copics, since there isn't much coloring & I really need practice. But I have no Copic NEAR burgundy, which was my main color!! So....Prismas & gamsol it was, lol!! This is for yesterday's SCS sketch challenge, & today's WT challenge, to layer embellishments. Not a problem for me, I love layers, whether it's cardstock or embellishments!! The papers are from the DCWV Christmas stack from last year ~~ I just love that polka dot paper. I added some piercing & some brads, ran the olive layer through my Cuttlebug using the Swiss Dots folder, then went to work on my layered embellishements. I punched the big flower out of vellum, something I really need to use more of. The bigger snowflake is punched from the same DCWV green as my layers, & the small snowflake is Cranberry Crisp. I added a brad & some glitter, & hung a snowflake charm from the whole kaboodle.





Well I hate to rush off but I will probably be late as it is....I *hate* being late. See what blogging has done to me???

Don't forget to enter my blog candy above!! You have until next Wednesday at noon CST. Thanks for visiting!!

Sketch Wednesday

Good Wednesday morning!! I thought I'd try another sketch challenge today on SCS......this is perfect for the image I was working on!



Not sure of the name of this Tilda....if someone knows please tell me so I can add the info....but I'm calling it "thinking of chocolate" LOL! I have chocolate on the brain big time....& the Schwan's man just delivered my order so I'm sure I've got some chocolate goodies in there! Anyway, I colored Tilda with Prismas & Gamsol & added Frosted Lace Stickles to her wings. I thought I'd try something OTHER than Basic Grey, so I went through my Prima Sasha collection & picked a few papers that would work. You might need some sunglasses, it's awfully bright!! Added some dark pink DCWV paper for all the matting, & tried Pam Bassett's ribbon blossom for the first time!! Still looks like a blob, I definitely need practice, but I was also in a hurry this morning as I am on my way to work soon. It was fun though, & I will definitely keep trying!!



So there you have it....a quick card that I am quickly posting....lol. Hope this isn't a sign of what my day will be like....rushing from here to there & not having to time to think. I hope YOU have a good Wednesday, & that you are staying warm wherever you are!!!

A sketch challenge, & an award!

Hello, & happy Wednesday!! The weather is very frightful here in Wisconsin, frigid cold & what a surprise ~ it's snowing. I thought they might close schools today, but I think they are saving that for tomorrow, when the wind chills will be a balmy -20 to -30. Gosh I love winter!

I haven't participated in a challenge on SCS in a while, so I checked out today's sketch challenge. It's a fun one, & I had a hard time deciding which stamp to use. I've gotten so many High Hopes stamps lately & haven't had much time to play!



I finally decided on Albert's gift, a recent release. Isn't he adorable? This image would be perfect for a birthday card, anniversary card, or a get well card. I colored Albert with my trusty Prismas & gamsol, & added Dazzling Diamonds glitter to his wings & the flower centers. The patterned papers are from the Basic Grey Boxer collection, & the dark green is from the DCWV Christmas pack. I added Primas instead of the stars (Rox said we could!!! Really!!) & at the last minute I added the Dew Drops. I apologize for the cruddy picture, that's what happens when I'm in a rush!! I will try to take a better one later!



I don't have time to finish the inside right now because I have to get ready for work, but for me that is a must & I will do it later. I also can now decorate the backs of my cards, because I bought some fun "created by" stamps on Ebay. I will show you those another day :)

Finally, I received this award from Shirley. I'm always so honored when I receive an award!! Check out Shirley's blog HERE, she has some fun stuff!! I am to pass this on to other people, which I will also do another day. Thank you so much Shirley!!

Hope you all have a great day!!! Thanks for visiting :)

Season of giving....

Good morning!! It's Sunday again & you know what that means ~~ another challenge on the High Hopes Challenge Blog!! Today's challenge is a sketch challenge from Katharina, & what a great sketch it is!! I was so eager to play.......but I never got around to it. It's still on my list, so hopefully sometime this week I will get to play along.

Nope, today I have a card for Wednesday's sketch challenge on SCS, lol. I started this card ON WEDNESDAY, & just finished it last night. That pretty much sums up how things are moving along for me this week ~~ at a snail's pace. And with Christmas just two months away, well I'm going to have to speed it up a bit!!

So yes, I'm a few days late but here it is!! I used one of High Hopes' new releases, Christmas Treat. It's colored with Prismas & Gamsol, & of course I had to glitterize Santa's "fur" with Dazzling Diamonds glitter! I used Riding Hood Red ~~ my very favorite of all the new In Colors ~~ & Basic Grey Figgy Pudding. I had bought this 6x6 pad late last year & I think I only got to use it once. So I will be using it on lots of cards ~~ that will justify buying the new Wassail! I added some RHR taffeta ribbon & 3 dew drops, plus some Primas & my new favorite thing ~~ a jewelry spacer for the center.


Here's the inside. I broke down & bought the Martha Stewart doily lace punch yesterday with my coupon. At first I had trouble using it on SU cardstock, which I had heard about (the SU is just too thick). But when I used it with the RHR it worked just fine. Love this punch ~ I'm sure I'll use it a lot!!

So what are your plans for today?? This is our Trick or Treat day, from 2-4, & it's nice & windy & cold! I believe they have predicted snow for today. That's a treat right there! LOL!! I will share pictures later of my kids dressed up ~~ Matthew is going to be a Packer fan (he was going to be a Packer *player* but I wouldn't spring for a helmet) & Michael is going to be either a fireman or Darth Vader. What a decision!! Have a great day!!

A sketch challenge card ~ on time!!!

Good morning!! It's Wednesday, & that means it's SCS sketch challenge day!! This has always been my favorite challenge, because layouts do not come easily for me. I swore once my kids started school that I would do each one ~~~ on the day they are posted!! Well, I think this is the first week that has actually happened, & I probably only got it done because I colored the image last night.


I got something fun in the mail yesterday ~ my new Peerless watercolors!! I first saw these last year on Gina K's blog & they've been on my wish list ever since. But ~~ I stink at watercoloring & I know it, so I did wait to purchase them. After my failed attempts at watercoloring with reinkers, I realized that no matter what I will never be Anna Wight. Not even when I grow up. For some reason I thought the Peerless would be easier & bought them anyway. Well, it's not the medium ~ it's what I'm using to apply the color. I just can't get the hang of that darn Niji waterbrush. I even bought a smaller one online, thinking the other one I had from Michael's was a lemon. Last night I got so frustrated at the amount of water coming out that I finally emptied it. Which defeats the purpose of having a waterbrush, right?? Well, I still like the brush a lot ~~ the bristles are just better than a regular paintbrush. So I used it that way, with a little jar of water. I guess for my first attempt, it didn't turn out too badly, but as with everything else I will need lots of practice!!

I stamped the image onto watercolor paper with Stazon, then went to work. I didn't like how my pumpkins turned out, so I stamped a second image, colored the pumpkins differently, cut them out & popped them up on dimensionals. The pattern paper is from Karen Foster, & the olive & orange layers are DCWV papers run through my Cuttlebug. Love that Swiss Dots folder ~~ the Swirls folder was my favorite until the dots folder came out!! I added some ribbon, Dew Drops & lots of Primas & punched leaves. I HAD a ribbon blob on there (my version of Pam Bassett's ribbon blossom) BUT I had an accident. Actually two. First, I cut myself with the Cutter Bee's that I almost threw away because I thought they were getting dull. I guess they still work well on skin. Secondly, I used some Fray Check on my ribbon ends. I love using organdy ribbon but it frays so easily. Well, I was wondering why it was so sticky ~~I accidentally grabbed the Fabri-Tac!!! That'll learn me to double check the bottle before applying!! At this point I was so disgusted that I took the whole blob off & started over, adding just a few pieces of ribbon. Not as pretty as a blossom, but a blossom/blob with blood all over it isn't very pretty either.

I leave you with a picture of my mums. I planted these the first fall we lived here ~~ 2002. My, how it's grown!!! It spreads every year & now the entire plant (which I couldn't even fit into the picture) is about 10 times as big as it was when I planted it.


Have a wonderful Wednesday!!!!!!!!

Double challenge

Whew!! Did I ever work quickly & furiously on this one!! LOL!! I have so many things to do today ~~ none of which include stamping ~~ but I SO wanted to play along with SCS's sketch challenge today. It's been so long since I've done one, & I was also itching to play with some of the Magnolias my friends have sent me. When I saw the SC this morning, I knew it would be perfect for one of these cuties!!

This particular Magnolia comes to me from Inge. She has sent me soooo many adorable Magnolias, it was hard to pick one!! But I picked this adorable little guy with the flowers ~~ reminds me of Michael this past summer. Although, instead of roses, I got dandelions!! I wouldn't have it any other way!!

Anyway ~~ on to the card. I also used yesterday's color challenge combo ~~ Green Galore, Going Gray, & Riding Hood Red. Well, okay, I don't have any of the new in colors yet, so I had to go with Read Red. I stamped the gray with my new flourishes from Inkadinkadoo in Basic Gray ink, then ran it through my Cuttlebug using the Swiss Dots folder ~~ probably my most used folder. The designer paper comes from my DCWV Xmas Glitter stack ~~ who says it's just for Xmas?? I colored the image with Prismas & Gamsol, & added Dazzling Diamonds glitter to his wings. Sponged a bit of cream colored ink on the background & added some Primas & a brad. My very first Edwin ~~ finished!!

And now I am off to get started on my to-do list. I have cleaning & laundry & lots of errands to run. With the kids in school you'd think I'd have tons of extra time ~~ but boy does my day go fast!! LOL!!

Copic fun

Fun??? Ha!!!! I can't even begin to tell you the problems I had with this card!!! The Ways To Use It challenge today on SCS was to use your Copic markers. Now, I've had my Copics for quite a while. I've taken a Copic class with the greatest Copic colorer ever, Kathy Sanders. I just can't get it. I can't shade as well as I can with the Prismas. A lot of people use regular cardstock with their Copics, such as Walmart's Georgia Pacific. I color even less well with that paper! My paper of choice is a coated paper called MatteKote. That way I am able to use my blender pen as a paintbrush. I color some Copic onto an artist's palette & pick up the color with my blender pen. That allows for better blending. When your blender pen is actually working. Apparently, somewhere during the course of making this card, I must have touched some glue or something with my blender, because it suddenly wasn't blending anymore. And it's sticky. Ugh. I had to finish with the chisel end, which I *never* use. So ~ my blending stinks even more than it usually does. Anyway, here is the card I did for today's WT challenge:


I used the sketch challenge from yesterday, & I had wanted to use the Color Challenge from Tuesday but I didn't have the right color Copics for that. So to color High Hopes' Juggles the Clown, I went with this fun olive, red & blue combo. This picture will not enlarge when clicked on, because I'm also having camera issues. More on that later. The bottom red piece is from DCWV's summer stack. I used the Cuttlebug Swiss Dots embossing folder on the olive panel. The olive flower is a Prima, the other flowers are all punches. Some of them I also ran through the Cuttlebug for some texture. I added Crystal Effect to the balls & Stickles to the flower. Done!! Whew!!

I went through some issues when I first started this blog regarding picture size/resolution. Well, lately when I take pictures at the higher resolution, they come out a bit blurry. My good friend Ila has been so kindly & patiently trying to help me, but a lot of camera stuff is over my head. I know enough to be able to edit my pictures so they look ok, but I don't really know a lot about pixels & resolution & quality. For this card, I tried taking the picture at the higher setting I had been using, but again it came out blurry. If I sharpen it in PSP, then when enlarged it looks grainy ~ yuck. So I took the picture at the lowest setting on my camera (.3M) & it came out great!!! The only problem is, using that setting makes it not enlarge-able here. Which *isn't* a problem, because there are so many mistakes on this card I'd rather you not get a close up view!! So.....back to the camera user guide for me. If I can figure it all out, & *IF* I can fix this card & all its mistakes, I will repost the picture so that it does enlarge when you click on it.

Better late than never

That seems to be my motto lately, lol! I hate being late ~~ I'm one of those who's always early. But with my cards ~ not so much. I received this adorable Magnolia image from Ila last week. She's so sweet, she sent me a whole envelope full of fun images ~~~ not just the cutie-pie girls, but also some accessories!! I can't wait to play with more of them!!

Knowing I wanted to play along with SCS's sketch challenge last week, I pulled this Tilda out, plus the papers I wanted to use. And there it sat. And sat. And sat. After it sits for so long I don't even want to do it anymore! But I was determined to get it done before the next challenge was posted. That would be today!! So, at 11:00 last night, I finished this card. I couldn't take a picture, though, until this morning, so you'll just have to take my word for it that I did in fact finish it BEFORE the next challenge was posted!!


I used a lot of paper from DCWV on this ~~ Pocket Full of Posies, the Fall matstack & the Brights matstack. I just love all those pads ~~ I love how everything coordinates & I love that many of the papers have glitter on them. Less work for me!! I found a sun in one of my Michael's clear dollar sets so I stamped it, colored it with Twinkling H2O's & cut it out. I think it's the perfect compliment to this beautiful little angel. I used a glue pen & Dazzling Diamonds glitter on her wings. I finished the card off with some pseudo Dew Drops. That's what I call the little drops from Michael's. How did I get them purple?? I used my 1/4" hole punch to punch out some of the purple cardstock I used as a matte & used Crystal Effects to glue it to the bottom of the bauble. Voila ~~ a matching pseudo Dew Drop!!

Here's a better picture of her beautiful, sparkly wings :)


My hubby is at the doctor right now for his follow up ~~ I'm pretty sure surgery is in his future. I hope they can schedule it quickly, because without it, he can't eat!! He can only survive for so long on chicken broth & ice cream!! Thanks for all of your continuing well wishes & support!

Magic happens!

Well, we had a great day at the fair yesterday. I'm paying for it today, though ~~ between all the walking (we spent 10 1/2 hours there!!) & the hay & crud that got into my eyes, I'm a mess!! My eyes are all puffy, almost like I have pink eye. Ouch! I'm going to go through my pictures today & see if any are upload-worthy!

This is the first I've inked up this stamp, which is one of the new releases at High Hopes. I'm not sure why my picture didn't turn out too well, maybe it's the drab colors I used, lol.


For the layout, I used Sketch Challenge #187, last week's challenge on Splitcoast. A week late, as usual :) I picked out the designer paper first, but had a hard time finding cardstock to match. I finally looked through my "cheapie" packages ~~ the stuff you can buy at Michael's or Joann's for just a few bucks. There is usually an assortment of unusual colors, but sometimes I need unusual. I used my Cuttlebug Swiss Dots folder on the olive brownish CS (or would that be olive-ish brown?). I punched some flowers from the same cardstock & also ran them through the Cuttlebug for some texture. The "Magic Happens" sentiment is actually one line, but I cut the words so I could easily use them as I did here.

Now for the coloring ~~ I do NOT watercolor well at all. Usually when I do watercolor, I use my SU markers & a blender pen, because I've never liked my aquabrush. Well, since I touched Anna Wight's arm when I met her a few weeks ago, I figured I should be able to color as well as she does now. So I bought a new Niji brush, since mine was obviously defective (it couldn't possibly be an operator problem), got out my ink pads & the few reinkers I have & went to work. It's not perfect. It's not even close to anything Anna creates. But at least I tried. The bunnies turned out fine. The magician ~ not so fine. In fact, I paper pieced his tie because it ended up looking so horrible, lol!! I did a bit of doodling to direct your attention AWAY from my watercoloring mistakes, & I was done. My first card colored with actual ink & a waterbrush. Usually when I attempt this kind of coloring, I give up shortly after starting & break out my markers & blender pen. But I persevered & hopefully it's not TOO too bad!! LOL!! All comments & criticism welcome :)

Sketch challenge: Take Two

Good morning!! Yesterday I didn't quite get the layout right on the SCS sketch challenge, so I thought I'd try again! I used an adorable Penny Black stamp I received not too long ago from HM Stamps. I'd never seen this image before & what a perfect summer card it makes!!! And this time I got the challenge right!!!


I stamped the image onto watercolor paper with black pigment ink, then embossed it with SU's Iridescent Ice embossing powder. That's right ~~ a sparkly hedgie!!! Maybe he just ran through a field of glitter!! I then used my SU markers & blender pen to color. I've tried my aquabrush many many times, but wayyy too much water comes out of that thing. I even started a thread on SCS regarding this brush, & whether or not it's a Niji. I bought it a couple of years ago, at Michael's in the art department. Some are saying Michael's doesn't carry Niji. Some say they do, & that perhaps I got a defective one. Regardless, I hate it & don't use it. I'm in search of a *real* Niji that works, & then I'm sure I'll be able to magically watercolor just like Anna!

Anyway, back to the card. I used a lot of Bazzill Bling ~~ that would be all the rosy red paper. I *heart* Bazzill Bling!! I bought an 8X8 pad at Michael's, then went back & bought another because I knew I'd be using it a lot!! (If any of you have found good deals on this paper online, please enlighten me!!) I used a piece from the Basic Grey Sugared 6X6 pad for the first time ~ had to break that baby in!! I made the flower in the corner from various flower punches, using the same Bling & Sugared papers, & added some Prima leaves & a Dew Drop. To adhere the Dew Drop, I used Stickles so it's a bit sparkly :) 3 Dew Drops in the corner, some ribbon & of course some Crystal Effects on the ice cream, & I was done!!! And I am very happy with how it turned out! See, I *can* follow directions!!!


I'm about to start the rag rolling part of my painting project, & I'm a bit nervous about it. Originally I was going to paint the wall green, & rag roll the beige onto that. However, in my search through the 'net I've found that it works better to use the lighter color as the base, & to roll the darker color onto that. Which, of course, means I'll have to go get another gallon of paint before I get started. What a project!! Wish me luck!

Quick Magnolia

I managed to make another Magnolia card ~ thanks to everyone who has sent me images! I can never get enough of these cuties, & I'm too broke to order my own :)

This is for today's sketch challenge on SCS, although my panels are a bit off. I had the Magnolia colored, & the paper that I wanted to use out on my desk. I took a quick glance at the challenge first thing this morning & thought "Perfect!". Well, I must be a bit blurry eyed from painting because the panel going across should not be all the way to the edge, & should be more under my main image panel. Oh well, hopefully it's close enough :) I want to do another ~~ the correct way ~~ but it will have to wait until tonight.

Isn't the paper gorgeous?? It's Organic Poppy by Bo Bunny & I wish I had bought more of it. Ditto on the ribbon, I bought that last summer at Hobby Lobby & it was ON CLEARANCE!! Why, oh why, did I not buy it ALL?? The pink panel is actually the other side of the Bo Bunny, run through my Cuttlebug, & I used Bazzill Bling on the layer behind my image. Here's a close up of the Magnolia cutie:


I used Liquid Applique on the frosting on the cake, Crystal Effects on the candle & just a bit of Stickles on the flame.

Thanks so much for looking!! Oh, & I want to thank Valerie for also giving me the Stempel Award! Please go visit her blog Pixie Dream Designs ~ she does some great altered projects!!

Have a great day!!!! I'm off to hopefully finish painting my son's room!!!