Month of Love

February is viewed as the month of love all across the U.S. and other countries as well.  It is also the month where lots of red, pink and white is in order and sometimes a touch of black.

So keeping with the traditional colors I created two cards using Graphic 45 paper.  Actually, I've had this paper collection for to long and needed to do something with it.  I found my inspiration on Pinterest and now to share with you in hopes that I can pass along the inspiration to you (if you need to be inspired of course, (smiles)).

As usual with Graphic 45 paper designs, the paper itself tells the story.  All you have to do is put it together so no coloring and the only stamping required is a greeting or a sentiment which works great when you can't find the perfect image. Below are my two creations; one for the male and one for the female.

I really like how this one turned out although I wasn't able to mimic completely the one I used for inspiration.  The papers are all from the Mon Amour collection and flowers are from Petaloo.  If you haven't matched the Petaloo flowers with Graphic 45 paper you should give it a try.  All I added was some stickles to the flowers and I used a Spellbinders die for one of the mats.

I design the inside using scraps from the same paper (as I usually do) and include a space for a personal message. 

For the gentleman, I used more manly colors from the same paper collection.  Again I added flowers from Petaloo and used a Memory Box die to create a spiral doily peeking out from the corners of my focal point.  For this card I didn't need to add a greeting because I used the paper for that purpose as well (pretty cool).

The inside was hit and miss because I didn't want to cover any of the paper but of course to add a personal message space I had to cover something.

This is all I have for this post and I hope to enter a few challenges with them.

Crafty Friends - #51 Anything Goes (2/24)(M53)
Crafty Calendar - Love is in the Air (2/28) (M74)
Patch of Crafty Friends - #51 Anything Goes (2/17)(M185)
Glitter 'N' Sparkle - #226 Love is in the Air (2/18)(M12)
Cupcake Inspiration - #394 Color Inspired (2/18)(M14)
Crafting When We Can - Flowers (2/17)(M51)
Come and Get It - Love is in the Air (2/17)(M12)

As always thanks for stopping by.

Sending hugs from Texas

~Lesia

Whoop-Dee-Dooo

Hello my family of crafters and friends! I have been away trying to recover from a state of depression due to the loss of a family member and a decline in my health.  

After recovering from family matters I had to focus on my health.  It took a while (longer than expected) but now it is under control and my whoop-dee-dooo attitude has returned just in time to for me to re-engage myself by joining a few challenges. 

Here is the card that I am entering.  Hope you like it.

I used the "Mummu" image from Mo Manning.  She appeared to have the attitude that goes well with the greeting "whoop-dee-dooo" that was part of a Stampendous clear stamp collection called "Birthday Wish".

I used three different design papers from Maja Design and Bazzil to create the layout. My embellishments include flowers from Wild Orchid and Recollections.  

The lace, bling and cheese-cloth I found in my stash.  I used lace although I have equal amounts of lace and ribbon.  I mostly use lace simply because I haven't mastered the tying of bows and I think when you use ribbon you have to add a bow.

My friends say I do okay with bows but until my bows resemble those made by Becca Feeken, I will continue to use lace as often as I can but that's not to say that I won't tie a bow from time to time or use ribbon on my projects. 

On the inside I used different leftover scraps and a couple of sheets from the same Maja paper pad.  I added a corner flourish and used a Hero Arts stamp for my sentiment.

The card size is 6 x 6 and my image was colored with the following copic markers.

E00, 11, 23, W0, 00, 01, 03, 04, 05, 07, BV000, 00, 01, 02, BG90. BG93, and V28.

I'd like to enter the following challenges.

Southern Girls - #153 3 or more Pattern Papers (M15)

Crafting With Attitude - #24 Anything Goes (2/24)(M101)

Mo Manning - #272 Anything MO Goes (2/24)(M18)

Simply Papercraft - #43 Anything Goes (2/22)(M120)

Creative Fingers - #124 Anything Goes (2/16)(M129)

Polkadoodles - Week #6 Anything Goes (2/24)(M09)

Crafting With Friends - #36 Anything Goes (2/15)(M121)

Thanks to everyone for stopping by and leaving a comment.

Sending Hugs from Texas

~Lesia~

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"

MoonLit Nights With Stampscapes Scenes

Hello Again Crafters

Seems like for the past week or so I have been a little busy bee with my sponging and stampscapes.  I've even reverted back to using my gamsol and color pencils on a few of my scenes, which I've already shared with everyone.  This time however I am attempting to do night scenes and this is really hard to do...at least for me it is.

Since the paper I am using is glossy cardstock I am not sure if I can actually do what I want to do but I won't really know unless I try, right?  While I am busy trying to figure that out I am going to share my latest scenes with you that I am referring to as my "Moonlit Nights" although some don't have a moon anywhere in the scene (ha ha go figure).

I've tried four times to get a scene that I thought was good enough to share and finally did on my 5th and 6th one, so those I am going to share with you.  I have more because I just recently purchased a few more stamp sets and am trying to use every single stamp in the set in some kind of way.

If anyone else tries these stamps please let me know so I can see what you do with them but in the meantime here is what I have:

For both these scenes I used one stamp and got creative with my layering and stamping. On the scene above I simply added a few trees in the back to make it look fuller.

On the scene below I over laid the stamp itself to add depth and then surrounded it with water to change the perspective.  They are the same scene with minor changes made to each of them so they appear to be totally different.

I sponged the background using both pigment and dye based inks. I added a few stars with my gel pen and a couple of birds to add to the nighttime theme I was trying to capture.  I thought the water with its reflection also added that illusion of it being night. Using my silver glitter pen I was able to add a little sparkle to the trees and to the water.

Although some areas appear yellow the only yellow is in the moon and the purple in the sky is a value obtained when mixing to shades of blue (go figure, it works).  I stayed with the blue hue throughout the coloring of both cards and just changed the value of the blues to add depth. 

I really liked how these cards turned out and will continue to practice this new found technique. In the meantime as I seek to improve I would like to enter the following challenges:

Simply Papercrafts - Anything Goes

Creative Artiste - Anything Goes

Creative Corner - Anything Goes

Crafting With Friends - Anything Goes

Brown Sugar - Monochrome

Art By Miram - #62 Anything Goes

Little Claire's Design - Anything Goes

This is all until next time

Sending hugs from Texas

Lesia

Make Time to Make Stuff

Colors of Spring

Mema's Online Store - Click Here

Hello my fellow crafters! Mema here with warm wishes for everyone that visits my blog.  My heart is heavy today because of the attacks that took place in Brussels. I wonder how anyone can justify such devastation and the taking of another person's life.  

Although it is hard to find joy at this time, we must not allow these acts to change our way of life and make us prisoners of fear.  The attacks in Boston, France and now Belgium proves that no place is truly safe when there are folks without a conscience running free, so today take time to say a prayer for peace for everyone everywhere.

Now to try and brighten up this post I have an announcement.  One of my cards was selected as Spotlight #94 for the Hearts challenge at Crafting by Designs. That put a smile on my face!

Here is another attempt to brighten up things and that is a card filled with bright happy colors and I definitely needed to get back to coloring and using my array of markers. The old saying "if you don't use it, you'll lose it" is not a joke...trust me :)

The image is from one of my favorite illustrators "Mo Manning" and I believe her name is "Emma with Lamb". The paper collection is by Fancy Pants labeled "ParkBench". 

My embellishments include lace that I picked up at a local craft store "Big Mouth Scrappers" and my floral arrangement was created using Wild Orchid Crafts paper flowers. I added a few pearls, some stickles, a MS butterfly and a border punched with a really old EK Success border punch.   

On the inside I stayed with my typical habit of using any leftover scraps to maintain some continuity in the paper design.  I also added a sentiment from a set of stamps I just purchased from Stamp Simply labeled "He Has Risen" which is perfect for this time of the season.

Lastly I used a host of copic markers:

E57, 50, 51, 35, 34, 33, 25 

C05, 03, 01, 0 and R20

YR23, 21:  Y08, 21, 11, 06, 02

YG97, 95, 93: BG57, 53, 09

I would like to enter the following challenges:

My Time to Craft - #316 Flowers (3/24)
Sweet Stampin Challenge - Easter (3/24)
My Sheri Crafts - #177 Spring Fever (3/24)
Crafting With Dragonflies - Easter (3/30)
Allsorts Challenge - #355 Easter (3/24)
Gem of A Challenge - #365 Easter (3/30)
Scrappers Delight - Anthing Goes (3/29)
Digi Designs - Lots of Layers (3/25)
Crafty Friends - #27 Anything Goes (3/24)

Well that's all for today.  Hope you enjoyed my little card and will leave a comment.

Thanks for stopping by.

Sending hugs from Texas

~Lesia~

Getting Started

Mema's Online Store - Click Here

Hello Everyone!  Bet you thought I had forgotten about the "Comment Winner" but guess what I didn't forget.  

I've noticed a drop in my followers and that saddens me but for those of you that have stayed, I appreciate you. 

Okay so Valentine's Day will be here in a couple of weeks and Mother's Day isn't to far behind so I'm thinking we should be getting started on our cards.  Today I have a card to share and hope you like it.

 This is a simple multi-layered card made using an old Graphic 45 collection called "The Romantique" (I think).

The paper is gorgeous with greens, browns and a peach or salmon color.  I absolutely loved this collection.

The flowers are Wild Orchid (as usual) and the punches are Spellbinders and Martha Stewart.

I used the remainder of the paper on the inside to decorate and allow space for a personal message.

I didn't see a need to add any additional treatments or embellishments because I felt the beauty of the paper was enough.  This was a quick view of a quick and simple card that could be used for Mother's Day or any special event (hint: the greeting says it all).

Now before I call it a night I must say congratulations to the winning comment from my post titled "One Stamp - Multiple Card"  and the winner of a eCertificate for two digital images of their choice is:

Entry #3 who wrote the following:

Your cards are lovely. The cross is beautiful 

and your designs nicely highlight it.

Congratulations to Sheila of 

Lala Crafts!

Contact MemasCrafts2@gmail.com

to claim your certificate before

Sunday, February 7th.

Well my fellow crafters and friends...that's all I have until the next time we meet.

Take care and create beauty in all things.

Sending

Hugs and Kisses

From Texas

~Lesia~

The Canadian Collection

Mema's Online Store - Click Here

Can you believe it??? We are days away from Christmas and only about a week away from the start of a brand new year!  Time passes so quickly that we must grab every second of life awarded us and live it as if we will not get another one. I'm always amazed and filled with joy at the beginning of each year because I celebrate another birthday and realize I have been blessed once again.

I'm sure you all have heard of John Next Door or you have seen his wonderful work at least on Pinterest.  Well he uses alot of dies by Creative Expressions (Sue Wilson) which are very intricate and just beautiful.

Well I managed to get my hands on a couple from the Canadian Collection and did my best at scrap-lifting his design.  He gives you the basic construction of his design but you have to figure out the measurements yourself and other details about the card just by looking at it, so to say the least my version didn't quite turn out exactly like his, but I'm pleased with it overall.

Here is the original design by "John Next Door"

I thought this was absolutely gorgeous although it is a larger card than what I am accustomed to making.

The impact of this simple card is amazing with its strong colors and elegant flair.

I say if you want to try something that would work for almost any occasion give this one a try.

Now to show you my version of this masterpiece....please don't judge me but give me credit for trying instead.

Well here I go cautiously unveiling my rendition of  the Canadian Collection card.

My accent color is more of a teal or turquoise combined with white. (I didn't have any paper close to the color he used). 

Additionally, since I didn't have any actual measurements I tried using the die as my starting point but the card was going to be bigger than I wanted to go so I had to made adjustments.

My margins/borders are much smaller than the original and my card base still ended up being a 6 x 8, which for me is quite large.  My comfort zone usually ends at 5 x 7.

Anyway he has another one where he used the same dies so I think I'll give that one a try as well.

In the meantime give me your thoughts on how I did and as always thanks for stopping by.

Hugs from Texas

~Lesia~

The Minc Foiling Sensation

Mema's Online Store - Click Here

Hello my crafting friends!  It has been a couple of weeks since I last blogged but I have been busy with part-time job interviews and getting my Christmas shopping completed.  I always start early to avoid the rush but it seems I always manage to miss someone or forget some important detail, so I had to spend time going over my shopping list and checking off things.

Additionally, I was able to steal one of my Christmas presents early and I have been playing with this new toy and of course shopping for all the accessories to go with it.  What is this new toy you ask, well Heidi Swapp released her new Minc machine and I am enjoying it!  I've seen the Minc by Anna Griffin on HSN but never thought I would use one but now it appears that every card I make would look better with a little foiling added to it (smiles).  

Now that I have a Minc I decided that I just had to have a laser printer, after all I did want to create my own designs and stuff and I'm sure I'll use it for other things as well in the future.  Anyway let me share with you one of the cards I created with my new machine.

Okay here you go.  The photo isn't the best because foil is very difficult to capture, but trust me it did turn out very nice.

The ornament background is actually a die that was cut and foiled using the Minc.  There are two ways to accomplish this:

1.  You can scan and print the die using a laser printer or scan the die and take the file to your local supply store (OfficeDepot, OfficeMax, Kinkos, Staples) for printing.

Once you get your image printed (it has to be printed using toner because a inkjet will not work) then you can go home and start playing with it by using different color foils to run through the Minc.  

2.  Secondly you can create your own toner paper or purchase printed toner paper and use this printed toner paper to cut out your dies.  If you do this then your dies will be ready to be covered with foil and ran through the Minc.  Both options work great and you don't have to use one color foil on your dies.  

I created the banner by actually cutting the banner and stamping the greeting on it the way I typically do.  Then I placed the cutout die back inside the die and scanned it using my laser printer and printing it out.  Now I had a scanned image made with toner that I could cover with foil and run through my Minc. Once it was covered with foil I simply used the original die to cut it out and of course it was a perfect fit leaving a perfect border of silver and the stamped greeting was foiled as well.

I'm still playing and finding ways to do things and keeping a record of what works best for me and things to avoid when using toner paper.  I've even figured out how to use stencils to get similar results.  The possibilities are amazing!  

This can actually be done with a laminator, but when I tested it I found the Minc reaches a heat level that is higher than my laminator (I think it gets hotter) and the results are just a bit smoother with the Minc but if you don't have a Minc and want to purchase something less expensive then you might want to purchase a laminator from your local office supply store.  I think Scott makes one for around $25.

Okay ladies, make sure you leave a comment and click on my blog candy and add your name if you haven't already.  I have my last set of Spellbinders dies to give away so don't miss out.  Additionally, it is my plan to give away $100 should I reach 1000 followers...do you think that will happen in 2016? We shall see...so tell your friends.

Thanks for stopping by

Hope you'll come again real soon

Sending Hugs From Texas

Lesia

Back to Copics

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Beware! this post is long!

Before I share my newest creations I have to let you guys know that I was a WINNER at Cheery Lynn designs!  Yahooooo! and I will get to go shopping for a couple of new dies which I have already picked out.  I just had to share that bit of news because I don't win very often and when I do I get totally excited.

Secondly, I've noticed that there are those out there that will join your blog if you're giving away something and then leave if they don't win. Personally, I find this to be very rude and don't appreciate that behavior. It is so unfair to those that do follow and visit from time to time...not every week or day but from time to time. So to those that are only looking to win a prize please go elsewhere and don't stop here!

I would hope that you join not only for the prizes although I know they are important but because you like my work and find inspiration or can get ideas from my blog. I follow over 200 blogs and I definitely can't visit them all on a regular basis but I do stop by from time to time for inspiration or to just read the post.

I'm sorry if my saying this offends anyone but it is how I feel and if this does not apply to you then please ignore and know that I appreciate your time and thank you for your support however small it is.

Now to share two very different cards with you.  Both cards consist of images that I have had for some time but for some reason never got around to coloring. However, now that my tub of boxes aren't grabbing my attention I have wandered over to my bin where I keep printed digital images ready to be colored. I think there were 18 images in this bin needing some color to bring them to life.  Whew!! I do truly believe I am a mini hoarder or perhaps I just want to do more in my craft-room but time just isn't on my side. 

I need to use some of these paper pads I have all nicely stacked up before I run out of space for new stuff (haha).  Having said all that I'll get started with what I have to share with everyone.

For my first card I used paper from Authentique called "Blissful" and standard Hobby Lobby card-stock.

The image is from Mo Manning called "Gimme B".  I used a glitter gel pen to color her pom poms but didn't do very good since the pens were almost dried out.  Phooey! The greeting is a clear Fiskar stamp and the dies are from Spellbinders.

 I kept the inside clean and simple but used papers from the same collection.

Did I mention that I have a son that is a Cheerleader and Gymnastics Coach and that is why I found this image to be such a cutie. 
Copics I used to color this image:
Skin: E13, 11, 01,00 
Clothes/Poms: Y21, 19, 17, W8, Black
Hair: E59, 53, 49, 25

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

Lacy Sunshine Color Your World - Anything Goes (10/15)
Lil Patch of Crafty Friends - Challenge #19 Anything Goes (10/15)

Yep I have another card to share with you.

I realize we haven't gotten past Halloween or Thanksgiving but this image just needed my attention and it makes for a great Winter or Christmas card.


It's another Mo Manning image but for the life of me I can't remember her name. I think it is "Urchin With Bird" but not sure.

I used Graphic45 Christmas paper collection from last year for this little cutie. I added some snowflakes that were punched and embossed using Tim Holtz's embossing glitter. Behind is tucked a bit of cheesecloth and a corner die from Marianne Designs and a paper doily cut with a Cherry Lynn die.

A few Recollection flowers, pearl stick pins and ribbon from Bo Bunny helped me complete this card.

On the inside I used a journaling tag and cut out a few border strips from the paper for the left side of the card and added space for a personal note on the right side.

The image was colored using copics:
Skin: E15, 13, 11, 00
Clothes (reds) R89, 39, 37, 35 and (browns) E99, 97, 55, 53

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

Glitter and Sparkle - Challenge #157 Anything Goes (10/09)
Crafty Hazel - Challenge #249 All Wrapped Up (10/08)
Crafting With Dragonflies - Challenge #44 Anything Goes (10/09)
Fab N Funky - #275 Anything Christmas
Crafty Hazelnut's - Christmas Challenge October (10/30)

I know this was a really long post and I thank you for hanging out until the end...so much so that I am going to select a winner from the comments on this post to receive a gift certificate from Mo Manning Digital Pencil.

Hugs from Texas

Thanks for stopping by

Lesia

Happy New Year

I've made it through another year of joy, pain, laughter, sadness, hope, and so forth.  As usual I will start the year with three resolutions the same as last year, and I'll reminiscence of the days past and imagine the days that will come this year.

What better way to celebrate the New Year than with a card and perhaps a small glass of wine combined with a sampling of various cheeses from around the world.  I just hope the effects of the wine isn't reflected in my card...you be the judge.

Created with basic Bazzill Espresso card-stock and My Mind's Eye "Portabello Road" Designer Paper. I printed the calendar from the Internet and re-sized it to fit my card. 

My embellishments include a velvet piece of ribbon and two  studded brads.  I also used a Petaloo flower and used a Martha Stewart fern punch to add some greenery. 

My image is Mo Manning's Digital Pencil "Herald Harry" that I colored with copics.  My inspiration came from Tracy McDonald.

Copics Used:

skin--E000, E00, E11, E13

hair--E21, E23, E25, E27, E29

clothing--B0000, B000, B21, B41, B45, B97

To all my lovely friends, crafters and followers

thanks for stopping by and don't forget

to join in our newest challenge by

clicking on the Challenge Tab above.

!!!HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Hugs

~Lesia~

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

Pencils and Markers

First of all thanks to everyone that played with Mema's Crafts and her M&M Girls in last months challenge. Hop on over to the challenge and see what the DT has created for you. 

This month our challenge theme is:

 "Make It A Duet" 

and

I've selected a couple of really cute images 

to use for this month's duet challenge.

Here's what I have to share with everyone. 

My first card was colored with Prismacolor Pencils and mounted on Recollections Kraft Cardstock.  The image is from Stitchy Bear and the illustrator is Delicious Doodles.  I believe the image is "Plowing the Fields"  Oh and I didn't forget...for my Challenge "Duet Colors" I used Blue and Brown with White as my accessory color.

Entering this card in the following challenges:

Ladybug Crafts Ink - Anything Goes (07/06) - 80

Fan-tastic Tuesday - #42 Anything Goes (07/06) - 75

Creative Card Crew - #65 Masculine (07/12) - 26

This lovely image comes from Kenny K and is called "Socialite".  She was colored with Copic Markers and outlined with a Prismacolor Pen.  Lace, Pin and flowers are all from WOC.  The heart banner is a die by La La Crafts.  I sure hope I got these names correct. My Challenge "Duet Colors" on this one is Lavender and Grey and White is my accessory color.

Entering this card in the following challenges:

Tuesday Throwdown -#202 Anything Goes (07/06) - 61

Papertake Weekly - Anything Goes (07/06)-126

Well I think I'll hop over to the challenge area and see what the M&M Girls have been up to.  Come along with me by clicking on the July Challenge tab, and don't forget to submit your entry and you can enter up to three times.

Don't believe me ....check out the rules.

Stay Safe Where Ever You Are

Hugs

~Lesia~

Remember to check the winners channel for the announcement of our final June Challenge Winner!

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.

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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~