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

Color Time

Hello my crafting friends.  Hope everyone had a great weekend and is having a great start of the week. I'm here to share a couple of fun cards with you.  I created these cards after spending a couple of days just sitting in my craft room without really thinking.

Sometimes, I like to just sit in my craft room and play with my crafting stuff.  I haven't mastered all my markers so I decided to practice a bit with watercoloring using my distress pens and Aqua ProMarkers.  Then I practiced coloring and mixing Copic with Spectrum Noir.  It wasn't about being perfect but more of relaxing and relieving a bit of stress.

The two cards I have to share is the product of my playtime.  They were both made with leftover scrap paper, reducing the small mountain I had going on (smiles). Another technique I tried during this playtime was creating liners for my cards.  After watching about 4 different ways to create a liner I finally settled on one that worked best for me.

On my first card you can see that I am truly challenged when it comes to mixing water and ink...I sometimes think it looks like something exploded on my paper and definitely not close to being perfect so if anyone has ideas for me then please share!! Watercoloring is so outside of my comfort zone but fun.

Sorry about the discoloration of the images.  I tried but evidently I am not real good with this new Samsung phone or the lighting in my photo area needs replacing.

The paper used on this card was leftover paper from my hat-box I altered and previously shared. Its from the Bo Bunny Enchanted paper collection which I have had stashed for quite some time now.  I used both Aqua Promarkers and Ranger Distress Markers to color my image and it was a good start for practicing.  My reservoir of Aqua Markers is limited to 12, but I have a complete selection of Distress Markers. Not sure if I will purchase more or not at this point.

Entering this card in the following challenges:

The Ribbon Girl - April Any Image (4/30)
Craft Your Passion - Anything Goes (4/23)
Crafting From the Heart - #108 Anything Goes (4/23)

My second card was created using My Mind's Eye paper collection and I have no clue which collection because the front cover has disappeared from the sheets I have left (I've had it for a while now).

I used an image from LaLa Land Crafts that I think is called "Marci With Umbrella".  She was colored with Copic and Spectrum Noir Markers. I was really pleased with how she turned out especially the umbrella. I wanted to create a clear plastic look.

Didn't do a lot to this card, just a piece of Offray ribbon and a MS Border Punch to create a couple of embellishments, and I used a Spellbinders die to cut out my image after coloring her.

Hope to enter "Marci" in the following challenges:

Lost Coast Portal - #23 Anything Goes (4/24)
Crafty Boots - Use A Sentiment (4/23)
Cuttlebug Mania - April Showers (4/25)
Crafty Sentiments Designs - Anything Goes (4/24)
Pixie's Crafty - Snippets (4/23)

As usual I used any leftover paper to decorate the inside of the cards and this time I used the leftovers to create my envelope liners as well.

Well that's all for today.

Thanks for stopping by and until next time...

be creative and enjoy life 

Sending Hugs from Texas

~Lesia

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