Loves' Color is Red

One crafting resolution I made for 2017 is to get more organized and use more of my stash...mostly papers that I have purchased and have yet to use.  

I decided to start using My Mind's Eye (MME) and Bo Bunny paper.  The goal is to create at least 10 cards from a collection before purchasing more paper, unless I have a special request.

I didn't do to well once I saw the new paper line from Graphic 45...I had to get Portrait of a Lady, but I did go back to my original stash to create two cards to share.

I used colors associated with Valentines' Day and February. 

Here are my two creations:

I'd like to enter this card in the following challenges. 

Paper Nest Dolls - #02 Anything Goes 
Pammie's Inky Pinkies - #1708 Anything Goes
Get Creative - #55 Use Red and 1 Other Color
Aurora Wings - #44 Anything Goes
A Snowflake Promise - #37 Valentines

I'd like to enter this card in the following challenges.

Path of Positivity - #46 Expression of Love

Love to Scrap - #94 Mid Month Inspiration
Crafting from the Heart - #147 Anything Goes
Artistic Inspirations - #173 Anything Goes
Digi Choosday - Wk#8 Anything Goes
Whoopsi Daisy - Love/Romance


Both cards use images from Mo Manning and both were colored using copic markers.

The paper was My Mind's Eye and the collection actually had two names; "The Station" and "Union Square", therefore I ended up purchasing it twice.

Hope you enjoyed my cards and thanks to Tracy MacDonald for my inspiration.

Thanks for stopping by.

Sending hugs from Texas

~Lesia

Pretty In Pink

Hi Everyone! I am still struggling to maintain my composure and confidence that my kitchen remodel will happen this year but its getting harder and harder.  I dropped the resurfacing of my cabinets and am going with the countertop and backsplash install just to ensure it will be completed this year.

Additionally, I was informed that my quote may not have been all inclusive and if that is the case then I will surely cancel the entire order and start again next year with a different company.  I am at the point where I think requesting a refund would not be far-fetched at this point.

In an effort to stay upbeat I decided to watch two young ladies who always bring a smile to my face with their candid remarks around college and NFL Sports.  Although they are new and currently have only three (3) episodes available I believe that as more games are played their episodes will grow along with their viewing audience. 

I decided to share their latest video with you and I think you're gonna get a laugh and you're gonna love'em. So if you are a female sports fan, and want to be heard check out this quick funny video below (if you have time) and grab a laugh for the day or skip down to the card I have to share.  

Now that you've had a laugh for today please consider visiting YouTube and leave feedback for these ladies. Remember although they are giving out a few facts, most of their statements are based on their personal opinions. Follow RnB Lady Sports Talk on Youtube and sound off with your thoughts.  BTW the lady on the right is my beautiful and precious daughter-in-law.

The card I have to share today actually started out as a birthday card for a girl, but unfortunately I discovered that the card was needed for a boy but I was to invested to quit. So I made a few tweaks and continued with my card. I'll finish the birthday card later.

I used Bazzil 85#-cardstock for my base and my mats which added a bit of weight to the card.  The designer paper is a single sheet I picked up at Michaels but I can't remember the brand. I used the Heirloom Legacy die from Spellbinders as the front mat and used the Flag die by Memory Box to create my greeting. All the pearls came from Hobby Lobby which I think are by Paper Studio.

On the close-up you can see where I tucked a small piece of a doily behind the flowers and layered a few pearls on top of it. The flowers are all Recollections and thanks to my grand-daughter each flower was given a bit of glimmer with stickles.

 This is all I have for today, and I hope you enjoyed both the card and the video.

I would like to enter the following challenges:

Simply Papercraft - Challenge #37 ATG
Morgan's Artworld - Challenge #20 ATG
Cut it Up - Challenge #106 Pink or Breast Cancer Awareness
Creative Fingers - Challenge #117 ATG
Crafting With Friends - Challenge #28 ATG
Brown Sugar - Challenge #218 ATG
Art By Miran - Challenge #68 ATG
Alphabet Challenge - P for "Pretty in Pink"

Thanks for taking time to stop by

Sending Hugs from Texas

~Lesia~

Make Time to Make Stuff

Festive Colors

It's true, Autumn is actually upon us and you can tell by the changing of the air and the changing of the trees.  My fall flowers have started to produce buds and I can see the color peeking through.  

And of course our local stores reminds us with all the decorations being shown throughout the aisles. Can you believe they have Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas decorations out at the same time. 

Although it seems to be a bit much I have to admit that I do love the deep earth colors so I created the perfect card to showcase some of our Fall colors.  

This is my first official Fall card!  I purchased the stamp from Northwoods Rubber Stamps.  Its absolutely beautiful and its label is  Fall Bouquet in Pumpkin (item numberP10090). 

I used cardstock as my base and designer paper from My Minds Eyes as a mat for my image.  The ribbon and lace peeking from behind the image was purchased at my local craft store, and finally I used my copic markers to color it and a prismacolor pencil to assist in shading my shadows.

I'm not sure that the stickles I added to the flowers can be seen in this photo but under the light in my hand it has a lovely sparkle and shimmer that adds just the right amount of pizazz. The finished card size is 5.5 x 5.5.  

This was a fun image to color and I am pleased with how it turned out. I will most likely grab a few more stamps from this company before the year ends. Use the link above to go check out what they have to offer and no I am not being paid to say this...I just think their stamps are beautiful.

I'd like to enter the following challenges:

(unless noted all challenges are Anything Goes)

Scrappers Delight - Challenge #59

Ellibelle's Creations - Lets Color Linky Party#12

Digi Designs - Autumn

The Corrosive Challenge Blog  - Challenge #9

Lil Patch of Crafty Friends - Challenge #41

Great Impressions - September Challenge (ATG)

Fashionable Stamping - #115 Use Autumn Colors

Lacy Sunshine - September Challenge (ATG)

613 Avenue Create - ATG w/twist "Colors of Fall"

Until next time, sending hugs from Texas

~Lesia

Make time to Make Stuff

Crazy Birds

Hello everyone, its me again! Can you believe I am back before the month ends? I think it was the extra time we got from celebrating Labor Day.  

So now to share my latest endeavors.  I just found the joy of creating with "Crazy Birds" from Tim Holtz.  I think this is going to be fun and I am hoping we will see these little creations as mini birds in the near future.  How about it Tim, can we look for it in the near future. I'm not sure how long I will be in awe of these things but that is where I am at the moment.

I have additionally as a direct result of these birds been introduced to shrink plastic.  If you haven't used shrink plastic, you have got to try it.  It is amazing watching something shrink without losing its definition.  Once I perfect the technique of using it then I will try creating with it.  But until then I will continue to make cards as I always have. 

This card actually measures 6.25 x 4.25 and is a tent-fold style card.  The image was made using "Crazy Birds" along with "Crazy Things".  I colored my image with Copic markers and used foam tape to pop everything up.  My greeting (which is actually a sentiment) is by Stampendous. 

My inspiration for this card came from K. Werner Designs, a fabulous designer for Tim Holtz and Ranger.  I think I will be creating with these birds for the next week or so and I'll be sure to share with everyone.

I want to enter the following challenges:
(unless otherwise noted these challenges are Anything Goes)

Lost Coast Portal - Challenge #28
House of Cards - Sep Challenge: Add A Bird or Colors
Craft Your Passion - Challenge #328
Crafting From the Heart - Challenge #326
Unicorn Challenge #13 - Happy Birthday
Sunny Day Crafting - Challenge #13 
Lemon Shortbread - Challenge #23
Crafty Sentiments - Anything Goes
Just Keep On Creating - September Link Up

I can't wait to start my next Crazy Bird card! This is as addictive as my scenic stamps. It feels great to have options and time to play in my craftroom.  I'm finally feeling the joy and freedom of retirement.

Until next time, be creative and don't forget to leave a comment and let me know you visited.

Hugs from Texas
~Lesia
"Make time to make Stuff"

Just Before Christmas

Hello everyone.  The countdown continues and Christmas is around the corner, so I think this may actually be my last post until after Christmas.

I wish to all of you a very Merry Christmas filled with laughter, love, family, friends and thoughts of the reason we share and rejoice in this season.

Here are a few last minute cards I created to cover any folks I forgot to count when I was deciding how many cards I needed. I knew I should have made a list but I didn't so these are my extra cards to avoid the embarrassment of forgetfulness.  I hope you find them enjoyable to view.

This first one is really attractive in reality.  The photo doesn't show the sparkle of the swirls, snowflakes and flourishes.

I embossed the folder, lightly rubbed an ink pad across the raised areas and then outlined everything with star-dust stickles.

I added a greeting and punched the bottom edge with a Martha Stewart snowflake border punch.

For my second card I was real excited to use my newest die from Memory Box.  I cut two corners (one white and one navy) and glued them together to form an outline around the navy cut.

I had a difficult time trying to keep the cutouts from falling out but with patience I manage to get it done.  I used a Versamark pen to color inside the outline and then I added Glitter embossing powder and heat set to give the corner a lovely shimmer and sparkle.

The sentiment and greeting was computer generated and printed directly on the card-stock. It looks very professional and using the computer I was able to match the font color perfectly with the card-stock.

Well tomorrow I think I'll be busy preparing our menu and making sure all ingredients are in the house so I don't think I'll have time to craft...but if I do find an hour here or there I'll be surfing to see what new thing I can find.

I'll see you next week after all the hype from Christmas has settled down and things began to return to normal.  So until then remember:

Christmas Preparations

After all the festivities from Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Christmas Deals I had a chance to get started on my Christmas card making.  I shared my first two cards as part of my December Challenge...if you haven't joined click the tab above and go ahead and play with us.

Now to share another Christmas card with everyone.  This card is a combination of 3 cards I saw on pinterest.  Each card had a element I liked so I figured out how to put all 3 elements together with my own idea and voila my card is born and here it is...what'cha think.

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

Sister Act Card - Challenge #86 (12/11)
Fussy and Fancy - Challenge #128 Happy Holidays (12/11)
Creative Corner - Winter Wonderland (12/06)
Chocolate Coffee Cards - Challenge #79 Use A Charm (12/11)
Brown Sugar - Challenge #123 Winter (12/10)

Before I end this post I want to remind everyone of my DT call currently in effect as well as our last challenge of the year.

Have fun...and hopefully the holidays will bring you joy, happiness and remembrance of the reason for the season.

Thanks for stopping by

Christmas Is Near

Hope everyone is having a great weekend and had time to celebrate the official start of the Holiday Season with family and friends. Now is when the signs of Christmas come to life, you know the hustle and bustle in the stores and on the streets.

The scenery changes from colorful leaves to the colorful lights around homes and along the highways at night. And then the sound of music fills the air along with smiles and hellos seldom heard throughout the year.

For crafters, this is the time to start creating those Christmas cards and home decor items that say Christmas is around the corner, and I am no different.

Here is the beginning of my Christmas cards for this year and be sure and check out our DECEMBER CHALLENGE by clicking the tab above.  Its "Anything Goes"  with the theme of "celebrate the holidays" or "cold winter days".  I'll get you started here and then you can check out what the M&M Girls have when you enter your project.

I always seem to forget to keep track of the paper and copics I use on my cards but for this card I think the following recipe is at least 80% correct.

DP:  Authentique and Paper Studio
CS: Kraft (from Hobby Lobby)
Copic Markers Reds: R35, 37, 39 Browns: E50, 53, 55, 57 Grays: T1, 3, 5

Image: Peppermint Tea (Stitchy Bear Digital Outlet)
Offray Ribbon and a doily from Bo Bunny Collection

Inside
Dies: Whimsy Circle and Statley Doily
The Greeting was computer generated and the sentiment came with the image from Stitchy Bear.  Card finished size is 6x6.

My second card I wanted to resemble the winter so I used embellishments that would go with the coldness of winter although I did add a few flowers (which would not be found in the cold of winter) silly me in fantasy land of crafting.

Anyway let me see if I can remember what all I did with this card.  The image is from Bugaboo "Kidz-Winter" and I colored her with copics. I used a Marianne Design Snowflake die and Tim Holtz Holiday Lamp Post die on the front.  The flowers are from Wild Orchid and the leaves are Cherry Lynn Designs.


The DP is Maja Designs Vintage Frost Basics collection. Kraft is the card base and the cardstock is Recollections. Adding Frosted Lace Stickles gave the card a little shimmer that looks really cute (can't capture on camera) and the snow ...well I'm still trying to get the hang of it.




On the inside I added the trees (supposed to be snow trees) but the snow hasn't started falling yet (lol). Oh of course the tree die is from Tim Holtz.










I think the copics used were:
Blues: B90, 91, 93, 95, 97, 99
Skin: E15, 13, 11,00
Hair: E21, 23, 43, 53, 55, 57
Browns: E40, 43, 44, 45

Well that's what I've got to share for tonight but I have lots more Christmas cards to go so its on and popping in my craft room.






Your comments are always appreciated so please take time to leave a comment and don't forget to join in our challenge.  I love seeing what others create and finding new ways to use old stuff.

As always

Until next time

Time for A New Challenge

Welcome to our monthly challenge and its a fun one.  I called it Bingo but was told it was Tic Tac Toe because I didn't have enough columns to spell BINGO but a 9-block would do a TIC TAC TOE so here you have it.

We have two sponsors this month:  Stitchy Bear Digital Outlet and Bugaboo Stamps.

I selected to use Tire Swing Set from Stitchy Bear and this is the card my grand-daughter and I created using colored pencils and Gamsol. My tic tac toe was diagonal "digital stamp, bling and a die cut".

I used two images for my second card. I am using Fancy SB Winter from Bugaboo Stamps and a digital scene stamp from Make it Crafty. I decided to do very little coloring and highlight the snow using a eplique pencil, a little sprinkle of glitter and my heating tool to set it quicker. It turned out really sparkly although it doesn't show well on the photo, the snow does resemble the real thing.

Well that's all I have to share today. I hope you will stop by our challenge room and play with us. Just click the October Challenge Tab above to enter.

Until the next time we chat

Be safe, stay healthy, and be happy creating

Hugs

~Lesia~

The Frenzy Continues

Yep, I'm back with another imitation of a Mo Manning favorite.  I think I almost captured it completely, but there are still a few subtle differences.  Do you see the difference?...not to easy huh?

Anyway let me start with the original creation by none other than Tracy.  Hello my lovely crafting mentor person....

Tracy's coloring skills never cease to amaze me...just fabulous I tell you.  You can check out the details of her card by clicking here.

While you're there check out her tutorials and other creations.  You will find yourself wanting to try your coloring skills and what I like is her ability to create something lovely with very little.

Not a lot of over-kill and yet a creation that draws attention and shares a message.  Now to move on to my very own creation of which I am simply proud.  Now to share my lift of this delightful card.

My card doesn't appear to be as bright as the original but I am sure I used the same designer paper so perhaps I don't have the best lighting in my craft-room.

Anyway I followed the basic coloring scheme and layout using what I had on hand for the most part.

I managed to get the greeting using my PC and Word, and the buttons came in a pack I had gotten some time ago.  As I said I am getting used to coloring still but my own technique and style is starting to merge although I find it real interesting to see how others color.  

Light to dark or dark to light, or do they lay a base color and then start the shadows.  Everyone does their own thing and for some reason they all turn out pretty darn good.

I continued using the left over paper to finish off the inside allowing a space for a personal message but keeping the color scheme the same inside.

Additionally, I have made it a habit to always create an envelope for every card I make.  This way should I need to give it up, the inside will be complete, my stamp will be on the back, and there will be a endorsed envelope that matches the card making it even more personal and special.

For this card I used "7 Gypsies "Venice" DSP, Mo's Digital Image "Sailor Boys" Distress Inks, Miscellaneous embellishments and the following copic markers:  

Skin E00, E11, E13
Hair E55, E57
Clothing B93, B95, B97, R35, R37, R39
Boat E35, E37, E39, E000, E00, B000, B00
Shading E41, E42, E43, C00, CO, C2

I'd like to enter this card in the following challenges:

Sister Act Card - Challenge #74

Craft for the Craic-Challenge#8 "Something With Circles" (9/28)

A Creative Romance - Anything Goes (9/25)

Treasure Time Rubber Stamp - Anything Goes (9/19)

Suzy Bee's Blooming Challenge - Anything Goes (9/18)

Crafting At The Weekend - Anything Goes (9/25)

Lifting Case Frenzy

Hello everyone.  This past week I have been so busy just handling everyday things that I really couldn't get my noggin in the creative groove. Hackers make it really hard to keep trust in others...this week my debit card was compromised so I've had to deal with that mess.  Lucky for me "Bank of America" was on top of things and noticed an inconsistent or unusual spending habit for me and immediately began to decline charges against my debit account.  So we think the crooks got nothing! It had to be someone with a weight problem because the items were all around nutrisystem, treadmill, scales and stuff like that. Glad to know that folks want to be healthy but not at my expense.

So just to keep my faith and not lose sleep I went to visit my friend "Tracy" to check out what she had created that I felt I could case and I found quite a few, although my coloring will never match hers.



First let me share with you the original card that caught my eye and click here to go to Tracy's post where I found it.  You'll have to scroll down to around July 9th to get to it.

Isn't it absolutely adorable? I have several Mo Manning images and if I don't have one but need it, then its off to get it.  You can't go wrong with Mo's images.  They are all so perfect for any occasion and for any age as well.  But moving right along I want to show you my version of this adorable card.

And here is my inspirational version.  I know it is missing in so many ways but that's okay. I did try to follow the color scheme and capture the overall concept of the design.

I enjoyed coloring it and now that I have a complete set of Spectrum Noir, Copics and ProMarkers I feel like the Queen of Markers...I just have to learn how to master each of them.  One day at a time, right?

So what is the verdict? I think it turned out pretty good and my coloring on this one did make me smile for once.



I hope Tracy takes my mimic as a compliment because between her and a few other designers, I think I have grown quite a bit in my coloring, my style and my technique, but when I find it to stressing to sketch out a design its good to know that you can always find inspiration on the internet.

Different styles, techniques and designers.  From Shabby Chic, CAS, Steampunk, Whimsical and even the Gothic and Dark can be found.  I tell you when I stress I surf and it usually helps bring back that smile.  Oh such a delight this crafting is.

The paper used was from My Mind's Eye and I forgot all about writing down the markers.  I did mix both my copics and the Spectrum Noir... and yes they do blend together.  The new brush tip on the Spectrum Noir is a bit different from the Copic but work the same with less pressure.  Give'em a try.

Okay that's it for today.  Thanks for stopping by.

Hugs

Lesia

Views of the Seaside

In preparation for next month's challenge I decided to look at a few of the images offered by one of our sponsors and stumbled across some sketches that really captured my eye.  There were so many fabulous designs, and choosing one was difficult to say the least.  I finally decided on a few select ones that showcased the Seaside.  So finally in addition to selecting the one donated by my sponsor I purchased a few additional ones.

I immediately began coloring these amazing images with my Prismacolor Pencils and was just having myself a good old time when I realized that I had forgotten all about my upcoming challenge and therefore did not apply my challenge theme rules.  So of course I had to purchase another one...now that was a really cool excuse to buy more (smiles).

I'm not real sure which one is supposed to be used in my challenge but I will use the one that follows the theme.   All of my images are from Delicious Doodles and colored with Prismacolor Pencils unless otherwise noted. Check her out if you haven't already, and when you visit Stitchy Bear look at her illustrator tab and you will find a list of very talented folks who's images cover a range of styles and themes.  There is so much to choose from.

Now, without further ado here are my cards that are fast becoming part of my collection I am referring to as "Views of the Seaside."

Image: "In The Harbour"
Inside Image:  "Open Sea" by Stampin Up
CS: Recollections
Media: Prismacolor Pencils, Memento Ink and Distress Inks
Sentiment: TPC Studio
Embellishments from stash

My second card in the collection is my attempt at a Window Card
Image: "The Scottish Castle"
Cardstock:  Recollections and Paper Studio
Sentiment: Computer Generated
Marianne Designs: Lighthouse Dies
Media: Prismacolor Pencils

This one although last is actually my favorite of these three.  I'm really proud of how my coloring turned out.

Image: "Sunset At Sea"
Image Inside:  "Beacon of Light" by Stampabilities
Cardstock: Bazzill
Media: Prismacolor Pencils
Sentiment: Tim Holtz
Embossing Folder by Darice

Challenges I'd like to enter are the following:
That's Crafty Challenge - All At Sea (07/11)
Sister Act Card Challenge - #63 Anything Goes (07/03)
Digi Haven - Life's A Beach Challenge (07/10)
Jelly Park Challenges - Beside the Seaside (07/02)
Crafty Catz - Challenge #237 Anything Goes (07/02)

So now that I've gotten everyone ready for wet and wild fun over the 4th of July holiday, I am going to hop over to see how the challenge is going.  Its almost time to announce our lucky winner.

So until next time stay safe where ever you are

 and create beauty where there is none.

Hugs

~Lesia~

"Thanks for stopping By"

Place In Time 3

Whew! Can you believe that there were almost 150 amazing entries in this month's challenge before the first winner was selected on the 15th!  My grand-daughter stepped in and said I had to increase the limitation on the number of entries....so I did which means if you haven't entered 3 times yet, you still can.

For this post I am returning with Series III of my "Place In Time Cards" project and this series was just as much fun to make as all the others. The colors for July and September were my favorites!  So without any more chatting I'll jump right in with showing them off.

 I have an announcement at the end of this post that I will appreciate you reading before you leave. 

First as usual we will take a look at the sketch we had to follow:
I just love how the sketches are all so very similar, but they each have their own cute signature with multiple layers adding to the style.

We now take a look at all three cards together.

July - August - September

JULY

The month of July is often celebrated with the faithful colors of Red White and Blue, and Graphic 45 has stayed close to those colors with muted reds blues and an ivory in their paper blend. 

Here is a peek at the inside using the same paper sheets.  For this series I wasn't as careful in my planning so I did use 2 12 x 12 paper sheets per card.

It made it so much easier to carry the theme over to the inside of the card.



AUGUST

I'm not real sure about the photos or the color palette used for August unless it signifies harvest, since the photos appear to be focused around cooking, harvesting and planting I think.  At any rate the colors and design did lend me to giving this card as a congratulations to a new home owner.

The inside came to be quite by accident.  My original thought was destroyed when it was attacked by a bottle of ink that turned over after I bumped the table.  Why did I do that you ask?

Well when your home has been totally quiet for approximately an hour or so and then all of a sudden your dog gives out one heck of a bark...it can startle you (smiles).

SEPTEMBER

I love the colors Graphic 45 selected for September!  But of course the ABC Primer collection was one of my favorites and now it has been discontinued...guess it was a favorite for lots of folks out there.  There are very few sheets still hanging around but they won't be for long I bet.

I kept the inside real simple and hope to maybe add a pocket later as a gift card or money holder.

School will end for the summer in a couple of months but will return come September, so this is one card down and three to go.

So there you have Series III of my project and of course if you'd like to try it yourself

  CLICK HERE  for the .pdf  tutorial provided by Gloria Stengel.

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

ANNOUNCEMENT

As I have stated many times, Mema's Crafts consists of a grandmother, her two grand-daughters and one very supportive friend.  For the first two years it was just Mema and the two girls creating and having fun and then for the past year Joyce Owens of My Enchanted Paper Creations has been supporting us with our designs and it has been a blast.  Unfortunately, Joyce has decided to take a break due to life catching up with her so there will only be myself, Gabbi an Ari to create for you.

We're not going away...at least not this year anyway.  However I am looking for two or three designers to join our team.  We don't require anything except that you have fun and create 2-3 cards per month that follow our theme for that month and you remain on the team for at least 4 months.

Our sponsors will provide the images to us and we create the project (doesn't have to be a card). Like I said, we're just crafters having fun and trying to introduce our sponsors products to others by bringing to life their images or using their material and/or products.

  Your journey with us would start for our June Challenge.

 If you decide that you'd like to join us for a while

simply leave a comment and add the letters DT at the end of your name.

Thanks for stopping by

Hugs

~Lesia~

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

The Day of Nothingness

Hello my lovelies! I had the day off today and I have yet to get out of my jammies.  It is a glorious feeling to just be lazy and do nothing but nap, eat and watch the tube.

Nope, I didn't wash the clothes, nor did I do the dishes, and I didn't even think of dusting or cleaning off my carpets.  Today was a day of "NOTHING"!  I unplugged my phones and locked all my doors so that I could listen to the wonderful sound of "Nothing".  I think I drank a six pack of Lipton tea, apple juice and water during this day of nothingness.  Sometimes doing nothing is all it takes to get your mojo going again.

Since my home is wireless I was able to surf the net while lying in bed doing nothing and I found enough of sights to inspire me and then I went looking for challenges (still searching).  The last thing I did before this post was to create a card, but soon I will need to take a shower and get ready to go back to bed.  I don't get these days often so this was pure joy and I savor every second because tomorrow will surely come.

Well before tomorrow shows up I'd like to share my card with you.

DP: Authentique
CS: Stampin' Up
Stamp: Hero Arts

Pennant banner created using scraps from the card-stock.  I also used a gold peel and seal sticker to highlight the words. All the panels were inked with walnut stain and the final touch was the two buttons and the border punch.

As you know I hate to waste any paper so on the inside I used the left over pieces to create a space for a personal message (on the right) as well as a space for an image (on the left).




I am entering this card in the following challenges:

A Day for Daisies - Challenge #65 Anything Goes
Lady Anne's Challenges - Friday Sentiments Anything Goes #7 (3/28)
Chocolate Coffee and Cards - Challenge #34 Banners (3/21)
Dilly Beans Designers - Friendship (3/20)
4 Crafty Chicks - Clean and Simple (3/20)
Cute Card Thursday - Challenge 260 Anything Goes (3/20)
For Your Inspiration - Photo Inspiration Challenge #41 (3/19)

Before I close for the night I'd like to remind you that there is still time to enter this month's challenge and take a chance at winning 5 KennyK digi images of your choice.

Next month's challenge is "Anything Goes" and the optional twist will be to make it "Clean and Simple" (CAS).  Additionally, remember that beginning next month my challenges will be posted on Monday, and a winner will be selected every other Monday (2 winners per month).  Hope you'll find time to play with us.

So until next time.....Hugs and Kisses!

~Lesia~

Tic Tac Toe

Hope you had a good week and have fun plans for the weekend.  I am real anxious for spring to step on up to the plate so we can stop playing the game of 45 degrees one day and then 75 the next.
Anyway, I am here to share my DT card for this week's challenge over at 613 Avenue Create.  It's our first challenge for the month of March and we're playing "Tic Tac Toe" so get ready!

My card base and mats are Recollections and the patterned papers are from Authentique Essentials Collection 6x6 pad. The image is The Vicarage Scene by Rick St Dennis.

I printed my image on Neenah paper and colored it with my Copics. I cut it out, added a mat and then used foam dots to pop it up on my card. I added green stickles to the bushes around the house for a little glistening effect.

I punched out a few pennant flags using my Paper Studio 2" pennant punch and then outlined it with my white gel pen. I also included a couple of brads and some bling. Lastly I stitched around the outside of the top layer to box in my image. The sentiment is by Poly Cling clear stamps.

Tracing my tic-tac-toe three times finished my card. I am entering this card in the following challenges:

All That Stickles - Use Green Stickles

Catch the Bug - Anything Goes

Thanks for stopping by and while you're here don't forget to enter our March "Anything Goes" challenge by clicking the tab above, and then hop over to 613 Avenue Create.

First Anniversary Card

Click Here For August Challenge

Don't Forget: Sign In To Be Counted For The Top Follower Prize

Hello all, hope you had a wonderful weekend.  My weekend was uneventful for the most part but there were a few events of interest. It was a 3-day weekend for me so that made my weekend even better (yipee!). I managed to get my hair taken care of, so as not to scare any more little babies at the grocery store and to eliminate all the stares.  Guess I should have kept my wig on...oh well, that wig just got to hot and since it was mine, I didn't think of what would happen if I  politely removed it from my head. Underneath the wig I did have my hair twisted so it wasn't a horrible sight at all, but it scared the dickens out of one little kid which disturbed the mother who stared at me with eyes of ice. I didn't respond to her stare...she looked younger and in better shape so I just prayed that her daughter would quit screaming.  I didn't kill anyone with my wig...I just took it off.

Anyway, I was enjoying the mornings without an alarm and the rush to shower and dress, let the dog out, put the food down and all the rest of a working morning. I didn't miss that routine at all.  Mother Nature cooperated this weekend by cooling the temperature with a few rounds of nice soothing and cooling rain.  Those beautiful drops of water falling from the sky were welcomed and appreciated after suffering the triple digit temperatures for a while now.

Our 100 store outlet mall opened this weekend and it was tax-free weekend as well here in Texas.  But trying to get to that mall was harder than trying to hide an elephant downtown.  Every highway was crowded and God forbid if you had anything going on in your vehicle because there was a policeman at every stop and turn.  Some folks love the thrill of the fight...its an adventure for them.  If my wallet had just a bit more green in it, I would have been out there with the rest of the bargain hunters, all for the deal of a discount.

During this wonderful weekend I had the opportunity to create an Anniversary card for a co-worker.  I tried to add a bit of elegance and flair and then afterward I decided to create a matching envelope.  I'll know tomorrow if she likes it, but I'd appreciate hearing your thoughts.

The CS and double-sided DP is by Anna Griffin.  I found one of her paper packs in my stash and it had the perfect pastel colors that I needed, so whoopee.

The bling and the flower is by recollections. I used a Cheery Lynn die to cut the doily and then inked the edges with tumbled glass distress ink.

In this photo you can see a snippet of the matching envelope I made.  I added a sentiment in the lower left corner of the envelope and on the inside I folded the paper so the coordinating pattern was visible on the opening flap.




The sentiment is computered generated and I picked up some chipboard stickers at Tuesday Morning that had numbers included.

I continued on the inside with the same paper and added a verse for my co-worker, while leaving room for a personal hand-written message.

Well that's my anniversary card and I can't wait to read your comments, so don't forget to give me your thoughts.