Welcome Our New Sponsor

Yeah!!!!  We made it through April despite the unpredictable weather and the up/down temperatures.  I must say thank you to the many crafters that took time to submit an entry for April's Challenge but as we all know, its the luck of the draw that determines the winner or winners.

Click on the Winners Tab above to see if your entry was a winner!

May “Anything Goes”

With an optional challenge theme

May Flowers or Mother’s Day

We have a new month and that means a brand new challenge.  Although the challenge theme is optional, we would love it if you would follow the theme. If you do you could qualify for our bonus prize.

Additionally, the challenge will run for the entire month and winners will be selected on Monday, May 13th and again on Monday, May 27th, so enter early for two chances to win.

^{You can also double your chances of winning by using any digi image from our sponsor.}

Who is this new sponsor you ask?

We at Mema’s Crafts would like to express our excitement in having “Digi Stamps 4 Joy (DS4J)” as our May sponsor.  Here's a little bit about them.

South African crafters are new to the digital stamping world, with the first South African online digital image store launched in 2010 – Digistamps4Joy (or DS4J) http://www.digistamps4joy.co.za/eshop/ . In May 2012, Margy Kieser took over ownership of DS4J, and there are now two South African artists who contribute to the more than 500 images available. Margy has taken the store to new heights and the store now stocks digis that are cute, whimsical, artistic, sometimes serious, and sometimes humorous. In addition, one of our own South African rubber stamp companies granted us permission for one range of rubber stamps to be converted into digistamp images.

The store has PAYPAL, PAYFAST (South African) and EFT (South African) facilities. Digistamps4Joy offers a monthly freebie on the first Friday of every month, and holds regular bi-weekly card challenges that draw entries from many international card makers.

We (DS4J) are also active on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/DS4Joy), CDAC (http://priscillastyles.ning.com/) and Paper Craft Planet (http://www.papercraftplanet.com/group/digistamps4joy).

Mema's Crafts is very pleased to have DS4J with us and we know the winner of this month's challenge is going to be very happy as well.

So let's get this challenge started by CLICKING HERE!

You can also click the May challenge tab above to get started.

Remember the challenge will run from May 1st until May 31st, with two winners selected on Monday, 13th and 27th.

Enter early for best chances of winning!

Thanks for stopping by and good luck.

 

Finding Inspiration

Click Here For April's "Anything Goes" Challenge

Click Here For The Giveaway

Hello and happy weekend! Today I spent a lot of time sketching and balling up paper.  Seems to me that my cards are all beginning to look a like and usually I will do a tag or layout or something to help my brain work again but today that wasn't going to happen.

So the end result is I decided to just surf around and see where I could get inspiration.  Great idea, but my goodness there is just to much talent out there.  I love Graphic 45 so I hung out there for the longest and was amazed at what I saw.  I also downloaded all of their project sheets for future use.

Gloria Stengel and Denise Hahn are two of my favorite designers of Graphic 45 products so when I can I follow their tutorials to create some of my best work.

Anyway I have two cards to share with you that were inspired by two very talented ladies.

My first card was inspired by Loretta Lock.  Her work always jump starts my mojo, and sometimes I just find one of her projects so beautiful that I just have to case it, so I can admire it.

For this card I used Graphic 45 Steampunk Debutante.  The digital sentiment was created by Create with TLC.



Both ribbons came from my stash of ribbon scraps and I think they were the Offray brand.  Did you notice that the basic foundation of this card is all about the paper.  Very little embellishments were added and no stamping.

The metal butterfly I removed from an unwanted charm bracelet that once belonged to one of my girls.  That's right, nothing is thrown away without my permission...(mini hoarder here)....who knows what I can do with it.

BTW I was rather proud of my bow although I did kind of destroy the tails while trying to make a pennant end.  Should have practiced before I tried.

Angela Crockett inspired my next card.  Her use of browns just caught my eye and off I went to follow her creation.

The designer paper is Basic Grey and the card-stock is Bazzill.  Again very few embellishments were used.  I added a few buttons and one scrap piece of ribbon. Spellbinders die was used to cut out the image once it was colored.

Edges were inked with Walnut Stain and I my image was colored with prisma color pencils and OMS.   The inside used the same basic layout as the front of my card.



Whew!!! surfing the net can be tiring.  If you're looking for inspiration check out the project sheets Graphic 45 offers, and their designers always give you instructions on how to create a lot of their projects.

Well I think I have had enough inspiration for one day.  I think I will stop here and clean up this mess I've managed to create in the last 6 hours.  A messy room means creativity is happening....I read that somewhere.

Thanks for stopping by and come back soon. 

 Don't forget your comments are welcomed and appreciated.

Hugs

~Lesia~

Layout Time Again

It's that time again for me.  Time for me to create a page layout so I don't lose my mojo in that area, so page layouts are what I decided to do today.

Before I share my layouts, let me express my excitement and appreciation to all my new followers.  The prospect of reaching 500 followers has me bubbling over with excitement and as if that isn't enough, April's Challenge has far exceeded what I anticipated.  To all of you that have entered my challenge please know that while my girls do support me in creating cards, they do tend to disappear when it comes to commenting on the entries, but I personally try to comment on each and every entry.  The only time I may not comment is if you have that word verification thingy turned on.  It's so hard to get past those things that after two tries I will give up and sometimes I don't even try.

There is so much talent out there and I get so inspired by all of you that I want to take time to comment on your work.  I am often intrigued by the things I see;  things I haven't thought of and that leads to inspiration.  Thanks to all of you for sharing your talent with us.

Moving forward.  The two layouts I am sharing use material and products from Recollections and Paper Studio exclusively.  My darling DIL provided me with the photos and I tell you I could hardly wait to create with them.

This is what I have for you today:

Of my eight grand-kids, shown on this layout are the two youngest.  Ryan, age 3 years and Alexandria, 12.2 months old.

These two are a handful all by themselves and when you add my third youngest, Kye,  who is 4 years old into the mix,  you've got a wild group of pure energy and noise to be reckoned with.

Between the laughter, crying, hitting and stubbornness  I am not sure how I survive it all.  Better yet how did I get involved with this madness is the question.  All I do know for sure, is that I enjoy every crazy second of it and they do as well.  I wouldn't trade these moments for anything.

Grand-kids are indeed a blessing and for some reason it appears that I have more patience now then I did long time ago.  Maybe its true that with age comes wisdom, and I've learned that you can't change what is bound to happen and if its taken away you will regret the day you complained.  So I act like a kid with them and we have a great time together.

My second layout is a photo I will cherish always.  I think it is the cutest thing and I call it "Mini Me" and you'll see why in a second.

When I got this photo I just laughed and thought it was the cutest photo ever....well the cutest one I had seen since my boys grew up.

My son is 6'2" and his little "Mini" is all of 3 feet and a few inches I believe (might not have that right) and he thinks he is just as tall as his dad and the rest of his siblings.

Folded arms and all, he just tickles me pink.  When the older siblings are around, he runs and hangs with them as if he were their equal.  Watching him grow and how fast he catches on to things just a mazes me.  I think he is gifted but I am the grandma, so I can boast and brag.  Grandmas' have that right you know.

Since I started card-making I don't create page layouts much anymore. I do when a friend ask that I do something special for them or when I get my hands on a photo that screams to be displayed in something other than a photo album.  I heard these photos screaming and honestly they did deserve special attention.

Now I will return to creating tags and cards until another photo catches my eye or screams for attention.  Plus there are a lot more things I need to learn and I love the adventures that crafting has taken me on.  Paper addict...challenges....colors...all of it has a beauty of many layers.

I would like to enter my layouts in the following challenges:

Hanna and Friends - Anything But A Card (4/23)
Dutch Dare Card Challenge - Anything But A Card (ABAC) (4/24)
Crafting for all Seasons - No Stamps Allowed (4/28)
Addicted to Stamps and More - Challenge #51 Anything Goes (4/22)
Nutcrafters - Challenge #41 Anything Goes (4/28)
Stamp n Doodle - Anything Goes (4/22)

Thanks for stopping by

Hugs

Lesia

Winner Announced

Hello Everyone.  Today was cool but very muggy and almost yucky but the sun did peep through from time to time to make it a decent day.  I would like to apologize for the delay in posting my April Monday Winner, but you'll be glad to know that I did not forget to run "Random" for the lucky number.

These last few days have been filled with numbers and charts as work to understand my newest role and come to terms with the fact that I haven't retired yet.  I enjoy my work and the folks I work with but I betcha I will enjoy them more when I can sleep late, ignore the phone when I want and just be lazy when I feel like it.  Of course those days are still not within my reach...but soon...oh not soon enough (smiles)

Okay....moving on to more important things such as winners and prizes.

Our first winner for April's Challenge is 

Entry  Number

So congratulations to Jen Leflang who entered this lovely card

Congratulations Jen! Contact Mema at memascrafts2@gmail.com

Unfortunately, this is all I have for tonight.  Its back to work I go....retirement can not come soon enough.  Anyway there is still more prizes to be won and can you believe I am so close to reaching 500 followers.!!!

This is very exciting so I'll be checking at each break so I can keep up with all my new followers...thanks to all of you.  Additionally, don't forget the blog giveaway and you still have time to enter April's challenge for the second draw.  

HINT: Next month is all about Mom and Flowers so be ready, plus I have a new sponsor....wheeee!

Thanks for stopping by

Hugs

Lesia

Sketch Challenge

Click Here For April's "Anything Goes" Challenge

Click Here For The Giveaway

Hello Everyone.  Today is supposed to be another lovely day and I am so enjoying it.  It's about 9:00 am and I decided to sit out on the patio with my laptop and enjoy the weather while I blog this post (did that make sense)?  Every once in a while I will sip a bit of coffee and watch my Yorkie run and play chasing squirrels and birds.  This is a wonderful gorgeous day, and it just reminds me of all the beauty that surrounds me if I just take time to see it.  With my allergies and sensitivity to things I get very few days like this, so when I do I try to enjoy every second of each minute.



Now that I've got your attention let me remind you that 613 Avenue Create has announced their newest challenge and as always it is "Anything Goes" and the twist for this week is to follow a sketch.  Well here is my take on the sketch.

Hopefully you'll join us and take the challenge to sketch it out.  Thinking about it....click here.

CS:  Recollections
DP: Kaisercraft
Image: Bugaboo
Sentiment:  Bugaboo
Marianne:  Flourishes
Spellbinders: Decorative Oval, Corner Spiral and Pennant
MS: Fern Punch
Prima: Flowers
Media:  Copics





I would like to enter this card in the following challenges:

Digi Haven - Rain or Umbrella Challenge (4/24)
Polkadoodles  - April Showers (4/21)
Daring Cardmakers - April Showers Bring May Flowers (4/18)
Stampin' For The Weekend - Friendship (4/24)
Wags 'n Whiskers - Challenge #101 April Showers/Spring

Finally, a sweet quick post for the day which leaves me time to start on this project I downloaded.  This one is going to take a while so I think I'll work one video at a time.  If you haven't seen any of Kathy Orta's work I highly recommend you check her out on YouTube.  That's where I'm headed so I can get a head start on my project.

Thanks for stopping by

Hugs

Lesia

Dies and Embossing

Okay its that time again...time for me to share a few new cards and to say how excited I am about this month's challenge.  There are so many talented folks out there and to have that talent shared here on my little ole blog is just amazing to me.  I am inspired and encouraged every time I visit a site and see so many different styles and techniques.  In a few days I will be announcing the first challenge winner and I am so glad I use Random.org for that task...its way to much for me.

Anyway recently I was introduced to a new digi artist by the name of Rick St. Dennis and I must say I think his work is fabulous.  His digis are very intricate and full of detail.  I find joy in coloring them, so I am going to share two with you.  One I colored and the other was already colored when it was given to me.  But lets start the show by sharing them with you.

I'm not sure why, but I love all dies; I think they turn a plain card into a simple masterpiece.  For this card I  used the following:

Card-stock: Stampin' Up and Recollections
Image: Rick St. Dennis
Spellbinders Die
Embossing Folder
Copic Markers

I would like to enter this card in the following challenges:
Dilly Beans - Pastel Challenge (4/18)
Card Crafter's Circle - Die Cut and/or Dry Emboss (4/18)
Splendiferous Creations - Emboss Me (4/18)




My second card was not colored by me.  I do not know who colored the image or I would give credit.  Anyway, I thought the image was adorable and decided to create a card with it so I could test out my new dies (I'm not sure who gave me the image, but thanks).

Card-stock: Recollections and Paper Studio
Image: Pre-colored Rick St Dennis
Spellbinders dies
Sentiment: Computer Generated

So there you have it.  Two cards that I would classify as Clean and Simple (CAS) but was lots of fun to create.



Before I end I would like to mention that I did prepare for my 500 follower giveaway because it looks like I am almost there....Yahoooooooo!!

This is most exciting!  Okay I've gotten to excited and now need a breathing treatment (you know oxygen) to get my heart and lungs functioning properly again. (just kidding...) I do need to stop just so I can get started with another card or maybe a mini album or something new from my favorite University....YouTube.

As always thanks for stopping by

Hugs Lesia

Play On Words

Use the tabs above to enter 

April's "Anything Goes" challenge or the Blog Giveaway

Good Evening Crafty Friends, Followers and Visitors

Today was a clear and sunny day with just a little bit of a breeze to keep the 80 degree temperature at a comfortable level.  Had a hectic day at my office as usual but its been lovely sitting here in my craft room.  I have a couple of cards to share with you today that I hope you will enjoy.

This card I am giving to a friend who is celebrating her 50th birthday and to her she has reached the old people group.

Just wait until she gets to be my age then I guess she will call that the "one leg under" group (lol).







Challenges I am entering this card include:
City Crafter Blogger - Happy Birthday Week 154
Sassy Cheryl's Blog - Challenge #161 Anything Goes (4/14)

I got this image from Graphic Fairy and used a prisma color pencil to lightly shade the sketch marks.

I used Martha Steward and EK Success border punch to separate my DP and then added ribbon and lace to complete the card.

I decided as usual to use my scraps to complete the inside of the card.

My DP is My Mind's Eye and the card-stock is Paper Studio.







I am entering this card in the following:
The Emerald Fairies Challenge Blog - Challenge #42 Recipe (4/29)
Papertake Weekly Challenge - Bingo (ribbon, punches and free)
Love To Scrap - Challenge #3 Recipe (3 layers, 1 image, 2 DP)

Hope everyone has a wonderful evening and I'll see you the next time around.  I think I'll go and color something before I decide to call it a day.

Thanks for stopping by

Hugs

Lesia

Going In Circles

Use tab above to enter April Challenge or click HERE

Use tab above to enter Blog Giveaway or click HERE

Hello Everyone, first of all let me just say how appreciative I am for everyone that is participating in my challenge.  I expected more in the giveaway but it is what it is and I am excited.  I have gotten so many entries that I would like to say that I am trying to comment on each and every one but if you have word moderator turned on I may not comment  because I have never been able to conquer those things on the first try.

Anyway has anyone had a day where you thought all you did was go in a complete circle?  Okay let me start by saying that I left my home with the intent of going to the pharmacy to pick up a prescription.  I reached the parking lot and was interrupted by a phone call from a friend asking if I would meet her and a couple of other friends for lunch at a new restaurant. Of course I said no problem, and pulled out of the pharmacy parking lot and headed off to meet my friends thinking I would swing back by the pharmacy after I had a bite to eat.

So I drive about 5 miles up the highway and meet up with my friends only to find out that this new restaurant is 5 miles in the opposite direction, so I get back in my car and prepare to follow the convoy.  After about 3 minutes of turning and driving I realize that we have just passed my neighborhood.    Funny I thought to myself...I just made a complete circle.

Well we continued and after about another minute or two we pulled into a very familiar parking lot.  I exited my vehicle and looked around noticing a small but welcoming little restaurant and would you believe my pharmacy.  I said a few words of choice and started laughing because this is the parking lot I was in when they called me.  Now everyone thought I was nuts, which was okay because once I tell them my story they'll understand why I feel like I've just completed a full circle.  Talk about going in circles...believe it or not I have my very first "Circle Card" to share with everyone.  Remember I said this is my very first one.




It turned out to be a circle easel card that is actually a shadow box.

I used a Paper Studio paper pack for my designer paper and a tutorial I discovered on my favorite University Site...... of course I am referring to YouTube University.


I fuzzy cut the sentiment from the paper, adhered it to chipboard and used foam dots to pop it up on the page.



I added ribbon around the outside edge of the  shadow box as well as the inside edge (not sure you can see the inside ribbon).

Using the Martha Stewart butterfly punch (the small punch) I added a few butterflies to the card.  The banner at the bottom I stamped and then curved the paper before adhering it to the card.

This is the back of the card...yeah I just wanted to hide some of the errors I made during the construction of this card.

I typically don't stray away from my comfort zone but every once in a while it is good to try something new.  Some of this new stuff though is quite interesting and frustrating at the same time.

Well my friends...hope you enjoyed my blog.  If you haven't already entered the blog, please do so and enter the challenge as well.

Sneak Hint: Next month our Anything Goes twist is Mother's Day or May Flowers, and I have a new sponsor for May..yeah so return next month to this location for the reveal.

As always thanks for stopping by

******************************************************************

New Challenges

Hello to all and many thanks to those of you that continue to support Mema's Crafts by participating in our challenges or by simply making comments on our posts.

Mema's Crafts has upgraded her monthly challenges to bi-weekly but you only have to enter once a month to be eligible for both prizes.  This month the challenge is "ANYTHING GOES" so get those projects ready and enter early for an opportunity to win not once but twice.

Just click the April Challenge tab above to enter or just click HERE!



Once you've entered my challenge I would like to invite you to visit "613 Avenue Create" where there are more prizes to be won and the challenges are always fun.

This week the challenge theme is "flowers", so hop on over and take a chance at a few prizes.  Here is my donation as a DT member.






Card Supplies:
DP: Prima
CS: Recollections
Flowers: Prima and Wild Orchid
Other Embellishments:  Stick Pin: Wild Orchid; Martha Stewart border punch and Spellbinders dies. Recollection pearls and Ranger distress inks.

Don't forget, click the tab above to enter April's Anything Goes Challenge and  then visit 613 Avenue Create.

Thanks for stopping by and I would appreciate it if you would tell a friend about Mema's Crafts!

Lesia