A New Way of Life!

Yes, we are all having to make a lot of adjustments and changes to the way we're used to doing things. There is a lot of hard stuff going on around us, but there is also a lot of good happening in the midst of the hard. Families are having meals together, spending time playing games; and crafters are having time to do what we love doing!! One of my friends is making face masks for others to use. My husband and I were the recipients of two of them. Thank you so much, Renee!
I made 35 cards to encourage a group of senior adults in a low income group of apartments where, under normal circumstances, we operate a Food Pantry. Right now they are just getting pre-made bags of food plus a handmade card with a Bible verse in it to let them know they are being prayed for.

So on my Facebook page, Scrappindede's Doin's, I decided to try some challenges to give us something to focus on and maybe to motivate doing something crafty!

I wanted to offer the same challenge here!
In Shelter CHALLENGE #1
MONOCHROMATIC - make something using different shades of only one color. I'll be making cards, but you might do a scrapbook page, a painting, a canvas, or knit a pair of socks!

Post a picture of your project and tell us what you used.
I made a card using my favorite Stampin Up color - grapefruit grove - with a touch of Terracotta Tile. I used To A Wild Rose stamp set. Here's the photo

I would love to see what you make! Feel free to post in the comments!
Stay safe and do something fun!!

CAS Mix Up Entry #2

While I have my watercolors out, I decided to do one more CAS Mix Up card. Again, I used distress ink to watercolor the background, and I stamped both the sentiment and the penguins. I colored the penguins with Copic markers and used a die to cut them out. Then I added a touch of Wink of Stella to the bow ties and glossy accents to the eyes. I attached the penguins with mounting tape. I sprayed the whole piece with a light spray of Shimmer Spritz just to give it a little bit of sparkle. And that's it! So now I'm ready to add my 2nd entry to the CAS Mix Up March Challenge. 

CAS Mix Up Card Challenge

I can't believe it's been almost a year since I've posted to my blog. It's been a crazy year but really I have no excuses because I've certainly done a ton of cards, scrapbooking, and craft projects.  So this new challenge has motivated me to get busy and post my entry. I have fallen in love with water-coloring on my cards and am always looking for tutorials on new techniques. This water color resist technique was featured on StampTV. 
I used distress inks instead of markers and a little different stamping technique, but still incorporated the embossing, water-coloring, splattering ideas. It was so fun to do. Now I am ready to try it with some different images!!
I am entering this CAS card (Clean and Simple)  into the CAS Mix Up March Challenge using the required water-coloring and stamping techniques as well as the embossing and splattering. Thanks for looking!

World Card Making Day

What a great thing to celebrate...card-making! And these adorable hedgehog digis were designed by Diane at Daydream Designs as a give-away to celebrate this fun event. And to top it off, they gave the 'two hedgehogs with the envelope' digi as a freebie to use on your card to enter the contest. I'm not good at winning things, but it's always fun to take on a challenge and give it a try! Go to Daydream Designs to get your free digi and enter the contest but hurry...it ends tomorrow!

You have to use a Daydream Designs digi to enter so I took advantage of the freebie to make a card that I'll be sending this week to a friend who's mother is dying.

I used a kraft cardstock base and embossed the bottom edge. I cut the digi image, the sentiment (which I computer generated), and the script designer paper with nestibilities. I punched extra hearts, colored them with R35 Copic marker and stacked the ones on the envelope, placing the other two on the card. Then I added Glossy Accents to allow them to stand out. The flower is a random store-bought flower and the twine from The Twinery. The sentiment says, "Sending LOVE and PRAYERS your way!

MSMD #3 - a card

Guess who else enjoys a good card kit every now and then...Amy's Basic Grey kits are much more colorful than this one!
This is from a Fancy Pants card kit that I've been hoarding!! Time to break it out!!

My 2nd MSMD (Monkey See Monkey Do) Layout

This is another layout for Friends That Scrap's MSMD challenge. This time I picked someone who uses primary colors a lot, uses buttons on many layouts, and also uses Cricut cuts a lot...and she scraps boy pics a lot. How did I do Annette?
Funny, but I can see things in other's layouts, but can't for the life of me figure out what my signature might be!
This layout is of my grandson Caleb concentrating on a toy he is playing with.

Meet Trinity Jeanne' Finley

This is the first layout I have done of my new granddaughter born Jan. 27 in Kigali, Rwanda, Africa. Isn't she precious!! She weighed 2.2 kg (4.9 lbs). We arrived in Rwanda to meet her on March 2 and spent a sweet 3 weeks loving on her. We also go to spend some wonderful time playing with our 4 1/2 yr. old grandson Will.

So this layout was for a challenge on my yahoo group Friends That Scrap. We had to choose someone from the group and mimic their style. I chose Tara because I have always admired her use of dimensional flowers and ribbon on her layouts. I even had to go buy some flowers and gathered ribbon!! I once asked her how she ever fit those into her scrapbooks! And I'm not really sure I'm going to put this one into my scrapbook...it may go on the wall in a frame!! :-)  Not sure yet. But I love the way it turned out. And I have always admired her work.

I'm contemplating who my next victim will be!!! So stay tuned!

Week 19 FTS Challenge

I have completed the FTSCC card challenge and hope to complete the layout tonight...we'll see what I get done.
The sketch that we were given is below. We had to use 2 techniques and 3 embellies. My two techniques are 3+ pattern papers, stamping; Then I used ribbon, flowers and a tag. Here is my card.

This card is also entered in the following Challenges:
 *Simon Stays Stamp! - anything goes
 *Make It Monday - anything goes

I finally got the layout done. I used the following sketch. The two techniques I used: misting with a mask and monochromatic. The three embellishments I used are ric rac, something wood (heart with paw) and a ticket. I also did handwritten journaling. Our son's family just acquired a dog. Todd had been opposed to having a dog but the kids finally won him over. BUT, the compromise they had to make was letting Todd give the dog a middle name...Johnny Football! So they got the dog and named her Keisha 'Johnny Football' Blackmon! They brought Keisha with them at Christmas and she and Sadie met for the first time. It didn't go so well - they ended up in several brawls! So we kept a close eye on them and kept them separated most of the time.

Friends That Scrap Challenges

I'm still working on Christmas photos but these are from this year! These two photos show the children listening as their mom reads the Christmas story to them from The Brick Bible story book. We give them a book that tells the Christmas story every year at Christmas. We look for something that will be fun and hold their interest as well as tell them why we celebrate Christmas. This year's book was a lego book - all characters were constructed from Lego blocks. It was very cute! My layout used the Wk. 18 sketch which I rotated and used border punches. My colors are monochromatic, I used sticker letters, and replaced the flowers with strip banners and journaling strips.

I also just completed the card for our weekly card challenge. These were the requirements and the sketch, then my card and what I used.

Use 2: square card, punches, chipboard
Use 3: monochromatic, black and white, an animal, ribbon or twine, bling, 2+ ink colors, something metal

For my card I used:
square card and border punches
black and white, twine and bling

This is a window card so the images are actually on the inside peeping through the window.

O Deer

Here's another Christmas 2010 layout. I'll finish this year eventually! Will is watching his BaBa set up the animated deer in the front yard. He was fascinated when the deer started moving their heads back and forth. We cherished every precious moment with him, knowing that he would soon be leaving for Africa with his parents who would be going to Rwanda on the mission field. After that, we will be lucky to see him once a year.

This layout was submitted in the ACOT January Trends and Techniques Shiny New Year challenge. The requirement was to use anything shiny and blingy on the layout. So the title letters and the Joy tag are both glittered, the deer both have diamond dust stickles on them, and there is bling scattered around the paper on the upper right corner. It was a fun layout to do.

Bucket Bath

This was such a fun layout. Our grandson, who lives in Rwanda, Africa, loves to bathe in a bucket outside on the patio. Granted he is only 4 and things will probably change in the near future, but for the year and a half that they have lived there, that has been Will's 'bath of choice'!! This layout fits the requirements for the following challenges:
     Friends That Scrap Quad challenge - banners, twine or chevrons
     Scrapfit - layered embellishments (the title block has a minimum of 4 layers...cardstock, letters, washi tape, flair button, stick pin with tag, and rubber duckie
     Red Carpet - Anything Goes

The card qualifies for the Quad challenge as well.

Wk. 15 Layout for FTSSC and other challenges

This layout used the sketch below and the following techniques: fussy cutting, embossing, and distressing. It also used pastel colors, brackets, and a household item.

It has also been entered in the following challenges:
*Word Art Wednesday   "Anything Goes"
*Pink Elephant  "Anything Goes"
*Tuesday Alchemy  "Hopes/Dreams &/or Resolutions"
*Pin and Tack  "Anything Goes"
*Lasting Memories  "Inspired by a book/ quote/ story/etc."
*Colorful Creations "Inspired Challenge"
*Use Your Stuff    "Circle Game"

Thinking of You card

This card uses the Friends That Scrap Wk. 15 sketch and qualifies for our group's weekly Quad challenge to use chevrons, banners and twine. I rotated the sketch. My two techniques were edge punching and stamping (the sentiment.) Then I also used eyelets, ribbon (yellow), 4+ patterned paper and a bug. I made this card to give to a friend of mine who has had a family member die.

Bugaboo Anything Goes Challenge

I made this card using Bugaboo's Little Penguin Winter. I added the sentiment myself.

3rd Colorful Creations Challenge Layout

This layout is for the Colorful Creations Say It With Words Challenge. The word to be used is 'blessed'. The pictures on this layout are of friends and family members who attended our Christmas Celebration pageant. Tori (our daughter) and Teri (our adopted daughter) were both there. Clint's brother James, our nephew Corey and wife Megan and daughter Avery came from Arlington. My friend Rhonda was also in the choir. And our sweet friends The Haynes Sisters were the featured vocalists for the presentation. Our friends and family are such a blessing!

Another Colorful Creations and an ACOT challenge

This layout is for Colorful Creations 'Anything Goes' challenge and uses the Becky Fletch sketch for ACOT's first 2013 sketch challenge.

FTSSC (using Counterfeit Kit) and FTSCC Wk. 4

I used my Counterfeit Kit for Week Four's Sketch Challenge. Here's the sketch and my layout. Then you'll see my Wk. 4 card sketch and my card.

 I was excited to try the 'window' technique on my card and just love the way it turned out!