A Great Impression

Drats! My internet has been nothing but a big ball of frustration for the last two weeks but I finally, got a new wireless modem and have it all set up and running.  It's amazing how much I depend on this computer for all types of things.  I think perhaps creating a backup of my files would not be a bad idea at this point, so perhaps later this week I'll get right on it.

With the frustration mostly erased I had time to check on all my challenge entries and I am feeling a bit pleased with myself because my card entry over at Great Impressions was selected as one of their top 3 choices.  Thanks for selecting my card guys...that is very encouraging.

And now on to my next challenge.  Here is the card I am hoping to enter.  Hope you like it.

The card is actually quite sparkly, although this photo isn't showing the glitter on the flowers or the shimmer on the ornament.  I had fun coloring this little cutie from Mo Manning with both my Copic and ProMarkers.

Supplies for this card include white and red basic cardstock that was embossed.  Ribbon from Michaels and flowers from Wild Orchid.  The image is "Little Elf Finn" from Mo Manning Digital Collection and a Martha Stewart punch was used for the ferns.  I colored my image and then die cut a circle around it and adhered it to a scalloped circle that I cut using Spellbinders Classic Scalloped Circle die. Lastly I added a star brad and a die cut greeting to finish this 5.5 x 5.5 card.

I'd like to enter the following challenges:

Challenge Up Your Life - #54 Santas Helpers (11/22)
52 Christmas Card Throwdown - Old Fashioned Christmas (11/25)
The Ribbon Girl - Use Any Image (12/02)
Great Impression - Anything Goes (12/01)
Crafty Hazelnut Christmas - As Long As Its Christmas (11/24)
Angie's Digital Stamps - Anything Goes (11/24)
Addicted To Stamps - Die Cuts or Punches (12/01)

That's all for today...so until next time.

Make Time to Make Stuff

Sending Hugs

Lesia

Christmas Season

Greetings fellow crafters and card-makers.  The Christmas Season is closing in upon us and before you know it we will be rushing to get those cards made and in the mail.  I was so excited and ready to get started on my cards, so for this post I would like to showcase a Christmas card inspired by "Jo Jo's Bits N Bobs", that I enjoyed making.

This card features the cutest image from Lily of the Valley (LOTV) which is called "James In the Snow".  Isn't he the cutest little bear? I think there is a series of stamps that is designed all around the comings and goings of this little bear.

I continued on the inside with the same designer paper and included a blank space for a personal message. The paper I used is from the Vintage Autumn Basics collection by Maja Design.  The embellishments used include the Tim Holtz "Holiday Lamppost" die, Spellbinders Scalloped Circle, Wild Orchid Flowers, and lots of stickles.  I added a few snowflake stickers and stamped the "Let it Snow" greeting by Hero Arts.  Everything was inked with Vintage Photo before adhering together. The finished card is 5.5 x 5.5.

Copics Used: V95, V93, V91, V99, V01, V000, V0000, E31, E42, E50, B00, BG0000, C5, C1, C00

I'd like to play along in the following challenges:

Great Impressions - Oct Challenge Anything Goes (10/31)
Addicted to Stamps - #134 Lots of Layers (10/04)
The Pencil Case - #31 ATG Colouring Challenge (11/05)
MFP Stamp Challenge - #44 Anything Goes (11/04)
Allsorts Challenge - #387 Start on Christmas (11/04)
Kraftin Kimmie - #355 Lots of Layers (11/04)
Crafty Friends - #43 Anything Goes (11/04)
Christmas Card - #46 Create A Christmas Card (11/05)
A Gem of A Challenge - #181 Snowflakes (11/09)

That's all for tonight and thanks for stopping by.  Don't forget to leave a comment and tell me what you think.  I love hearing from you.

Sending hugs from Texas

~Lesia~

Make Time To Make Stuff

Little Witchy

Hello my crafting buddies.  I am smiling and doing a little happy dance because I finally have new counter-tops and a new back-splash.  I love the results so I posted a mini video on Facebook if anyone is interested.

Another reason that I am smiling is because I enjoy creating cute Halloween cards, although I only know 2 people with Halloween birthdays.  Creating cute spooky little cards is just fun for me.  Today I have a couple of those cards to share.

The image (Little Witch)) and greeting (A Little Witchy) is from Mo Manning.  The little cat is part of a collection of cats from an Impression Obsession die.  My selection of papers include purple and black as my main colors accented with a little orange to bring out my images almost pumpkin colored hair.  The card-stock is Bazzil, but the DP is unknown because it came from my scrap pile. I also pulled the flowers and the piece of ribbon out of my scrap pile, but I think they were part of a Recollections pack (not sure). 

I completed the inside using the same paper as the front as well as a second cat. Masked out a space for the moon and added a fence using a Tim Holtz die.

I used the following copics to color my image:

Cape:  BG45, 47, 49, 53

Outfit:  V04, 06, 09, YR07, 18, 19

Broom: E53, 57, 59

Hair:  E19, YR18, YR67

Kitty:  C3, 5, 7

Skin:  E01, 11, 13

I would like to enter the following challenges:

Crafty Sentiments - Anything Goes (10/24)

The Paper Shelter - #269 Halloween (10/24)

Inspiration Destination - #108 Anything Goes (10/24)

House That Stamps Built - 0916 Photo Inspiration (10/25)

Colour Q Challenge - #364 Photo Palette

My second Halloween card was all about the composition of the paper.  The stamped image is from Stampin' Up and I thought keeping it black and white was perfect for this particular card.

The paper is a combination of sheets from My Mind's Eye and the Chillingsworth Manor collection released by Echo Park. A Spellbinders die and an EK Success border punch was used to create a mat for the image.

Here is a side peek of the inside.  It pretty much follows the layout of the front, which I often do with my cards if I have enough paper left.

Thanks Jen of iCreate for the inspiration to create this card.

I'd like to enter these challenges:

Cardz 4 Guyz - #142 Boo Halloween (10/23)

Kraftin Kimmie Stamps - Wonderful Wednesday ATG (10/24)

The Male Room - #46 Halloween (10/24)

Craftin' By Designs - Halloween (10/24)

Addicted to Stamps - #216 Anything Goes (10/25)

I hope everyone has a great week and for those that do go out for Halloween, I hope it's spooky and fun for the kiddos.

Thanks for stopping by.

Sending hugs from Texas

~Lesia~

"Remember to make time to make stuff"

Spellbinders Heirloom Legacy

Can you believe the day has finally arrived and my counter-tops are in the process of being upgraded!  I'm afraid of being excited because nothing has went right with this project so my excitement is less than what it should be.  We shall see how it turns out but for now, I wait patiently in my craft-room and use this time to create.

I decided to play with a few of my Spellbinder dies that I hadn't used in quite some time, and the results are shown here in my card.

I used grey and ivory as my main two colors and shades of purple as an accent that I mostly used inside.  The layers were created using Spellbinders Heirloom Legacy dies and foam tape to stack and pop-up each layer.  The greeting/sentiment is from Our Daily Design stamp set titled "Anchor."  The edges were inked with Distress ink while still in the die.

I prefer to purchase my flowers from a select group, but sometimes depending on my mood I will attempt to create a flower using Heartfelt Creations dies and techniques.  Not to mention that I am one of those folks that enjoys instant gratification so when the work has been done for me then why waste time practicing when I can have it immediately and in several colors.  No I am not lazy...I have been known to make a flower or two in my crafting but mostly I prefer to purchase them.

For this card I used a mix of Petaloo (one of my favorite brands) and Recollections (my stand-by) flowers for the floral arrangement.  A little White Gesso and Tattered Angels Glimmer Spritz was added for sparkle.  Lastly I added a few Maya Road stickpins to the arrangement.

On the inside I used paper scraps and leftover graphic 45 designer paper as my basic background.  I then used the smaller Heirloom Legacy dies to create space for a personal message.  My last step was to make a matching envelope using scraps for the liner (no photo).

I'd like to enter the following challenges:

Cute Card Thursday - #446 Anything Goes (10/12)

Crafty Girls Creations - #27 Anything Goes (10/18)

Crafting With Attitude - #20 Anything Goes (10/30)

Aud Sentiments - #165 Anything Goes + A Sentiment (10/09)

As You Like It - Favourite Flowers (10/18)

4 Crafty Chicks - #319 Die Cuts (10/11)

Thanks for stopping by.

Sending hugs from Texas

~Lesia~

Make Time to Make Stuff

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

Season Change

The season change is slowly creeping upon us.  In the last week we have had temperatures in the mid-90s and now our meteorologist says to expect rain within the next couple of days and the good news is that immediately following the rain our temperature will fall into the comfortable 70s which is perfect for me and the season of course!  

I am so excited..I love this cool weather.  The only sad thing for me is I still haven't had time to get my hot tub back up and running (phooey).  Between stoves catching fire, remodeling issues in the kitchen and dryers blowing cold air, my focus has been on many things and unfortunately the hot-tub was not one of them.  Lucky for me, I can always raise my windows to let the cool air in while I sit in my craft-room and create.

Speaking of creating...I have another card to share. Its an image that could be considered Fall or Winter.  I decided that since it hasn't snowed here in Texas, I decided that it would be a scene with dusty dirt (its what we call it) that is found during the Fall time of year just before Winter.  The basket reminds me of a bushel of apples...ummm...like I said in the beginning...I love this time of year.

This is another gorgeous image from Northwoods Rubber Stamps called "Birds on Water Pail" (PP8884).  Make sure you check them out.  I used my copics and promarkers to color this image.  

I think the paper is My Minds Eye "Portabella" collection (don't hold me accountable for this guess).  I embossed one of the mats with my dots folder and used Walnut Stain to ink the edges of my paper.  Everything was adhered to Kraft card-stock that was cut to create a 4.5 x 6.5 card.

I'd like to enter the following challenges (mostly ATG).

Inspiration Destination - Challenge #104 ATG
Digital Delights - Delightful Challenge #14
Crafty Girls Creations - Challenge #26 ATG
Crafting With An Attitude - Challenge #19 ATG
Cardz 4 Galz - Challenge #31 Anything But Square
4 Crafty Chicks - Challenge #317 Colors of Fall

Well now its time for me to go demonstrate my domestic ability, you know what I mean...dishes, vacuuming, folding clothes, and other stuff that fall under housework.

Thanks for stopping by and remember all comments are welcomed.

Sending hugs from Texas

~Lesia~

Make Time to Make Stuff