UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Please pardon the disorder......

A Close-Up Look

Several days ago I posted a set of birthday cards I created using the Whimsie Doodles Shell-a-bration set. You can see them here. Today I thought I would post a close-up look at one of the cards.

For those of you just beginning with alcohol markers such as Copic or Prismacolor don't be afraid of using grays. Besides using them for shadowing and on white items to add dimension they work well on images such as the Birthday Octopus.

I have been busy creating cards for the past few days. I need to photograph and post them....and then drop them in the mailbox. I love surprising people with cards. Sleep tight! Thanks for coming by! LindaC

'Something Sweet'

It is Wednesday, and time for a Whimsie Wednesday Challenge. Andrea, a Whimsie Doodle-licious Diva, has challenged all of us to make something sweet. It could be a card, a tag, a cute recipe card....anything your 'sweet tooth' desires. Check out Andrea's delicious tags on the Whimsie Doodles blog .

Here is my creation for the challenge. I used Whimsie Doodles Sentiment-edibles.

To make the tag I printed the image on Papertrey Ink cardstock and colored it with Copic markers. The circle and the scalloped circle were cut with Nestabilities. The bag is from Martha Stewart. It did not have a window originally so I cut one with a circle punch. I covered the window with acetate from packaging I had saved. I used my Crop-o-dile to cut the eyelet hole and set the eyelet. BTW, I have found that the Crop-o-dile works best with Making Memories eyelets. They hold their shape well.

Have a great day. Thanks for stopping by. LC

Tuesday

It has been one of those days. Tomorrow will be better!

Just for Fun

Here's a silly birthday card....just right for a child or an adult who likes fun!

This Whimsie Doodles image is from the Shell-a-bration set which has 7 images and sentiments. For this card I printed the image on Papertrey Ink paper and colored it with Copic markers. I colored the background with chalk and added Stickles around the circle. The circle and mat were cut with Nestabilities. When the Stickles was dry I sewed around the circle with a zigzag stitch. I added Glossy Accents and Dew Drops. 'I SEA' and the striped paper are from Sassafras, and the red alphabet stickers are October Afternoon.

I challenge you to have fun and make a silly card!

Happy Birthday Kyan

Some of you are blessed
with a very special child
On loan from God to hold
for just a little while.


On July 25, 2005, a sweet baby boy came into our lives when he was adopted by a friend. On April 1, 2007, he went to Heaven to be with Jesus. He miss him.

Alterations

I love shopping in thrift stores, and I usually never leave one empty handed. I buy old books to cut up for scrapbook layouts and cards, jars for storage, dishes, doo dads, what nots, and occasionally clothes. While shopping I am always on the look out for items to alter. I also look for items for friends and family. You might remember that prior to the wedding in KY, I spent time in thrift stores looking for ironstone dishes. To me, thrift store shopping is like searching an area with a metal detector; you just never know what you might fine.

Here are a few of my creations using thrift store finds:

I made these cupcake pincushions from wool sweaters I bought at the thrift store. I used the cuffs to form the cupcake shape and then used pieces of the sweaters and felt to make the inside layers. The plates were also thrift store finds. I have made many of these to give to friends.

I purchased this tray from Hobby Lobby for just a few dollars. It was battered and had many chipped places. The clear acrylic cover was cracked on the lower right corner. To alter it I covered the bottom of the tray with 7 Gypsies paper and applied rub-on words and flourishes. The chess pieces, the games pieces, and the small Scrabble letters adhered to the acrylic cover were found at the thrift store. I used a rub-on to cover the cracked acrylic and a black Sharpie to cover the chipped places. This tray entitled 'Playing for Keeps' is one of my favorite pieces. The journaling is about our many years of marriage. The photo was taken on our 25th anniversary.

This is my most recent alteration. I bought this frame at the thrift store for less than a dollar and covered it with Webster's Pages pattern paper. I inked the edges and added Prima flowers. This was an easy project that turned out beautifully. It now resides in a friend's scrap room.

It is going to be very hot tomorrow, but maybe you'll see me at the thrift store!

Whimsie Doodles Miyako

Here is another card I created with Whimsie Doodles Miyako with Cookies image.

The directions to this card are quite similar to those of the other Miyako cards. I printed the image on Papertrey Ink white paper for coloring, and then I printed the image on the American Craft red and blue paper so I could paper piece the kimono. The striped paper is also American Craft. I colored the image with Copic markers. The black beads are Prima, the corners were cut with a Sizzlet, and the butterflies were cut with a Stamp' Up! Sizzlet. I cut the image out and the blue mat underneath with a Spellbinders Nestabilities. The sentiment is a sticker.

Tomorrow I am going to share an altered project. Hope to see you back. LC

Whimsie Wednesday Challenge

It is Wednesday, and there is a new challenge on the Whimsie Doodles Blog . Today's challenge is to use a sketch. Give it a try...you could win a Whimsie Doodles image!! Be sure to post your card using the link on the WD blog.

Here is the sketch..........

Here is my card for the challenge. I used a new image from Shell-a-brations to make my card. Isn't that a cute worm? The inside of the card says "You have me hook, line, and sinker".

Have a good day. Stay cool!!

It's Tutorial Tuesday

Over at the Whimsie Doodles blog there is a tutorial on how to make a CD holder out of cardstock. This project also would hold a photograph, a note, or a recipe card. Jump on over there and check it out! I love how the front is decorated with one of the 'Shell-a-bration' images.

Today my card features the Whimsie Doodles image  'Miyako Cookies'.

To make this card I first printed the image on Papertrey Ink paper and then on Basic Grey paper so I could paper piece the kimono. I colored the image with Copics markers before I pieced the kimono. I have found it much easier to color before I adhere anything to the image. These colors are definitely not my usual choices; however, the Basic Grey paper had the Oriental look I was seeking. I added gray and orange cardstock to match the BG paper. The die cuts were done with a Spellbinder Nestabilities, the edge with a Martha Stewart border bunch, and the butterflies are from a Stampin' Up! Sizzlet. The butterflies are embossed which makes them really nice. Along with the Copic markers, I added Spica pens in green and gold and Glossy Accents. The flowers are Prima and Petaloo. There are Robin Nest dots on the corners.

Thanks for stopping by. Leave a comment. I would love to hear from you. LindaC

Shell-a-bration

  Last Tuesday on the Whimsie Doodles blog there was a 'Try It' inspiration for using only one sheet of designer paper (DP) to make several cards, so I thought I would give it a try. I used a sheet of Bo Bunny birthday paper to create these  birthday cards. I used Whimsie Doodles images from a set called 'Shell-a-bration'. There are 7 images in the set with sentiments. Aren't these cute characters?!
  Using only one sheet of DP sure made the card making easy and quick. Using the DP, I picked out several pieces of cardstock that coordinated. I printed the images, colored them with Copics, applied Glossy Accents (Stickles on the goldfish), and matted the images. Having the DP picked out for all 3 cards sure cut down on the decision making about what to use. Quite often we card makers and scrapbookers spend a great deal of time going through our stash trying to decide. Know what I mean??

Here are my cards for the Whimsie Doodles 'Tuesday Try It'.....

Card Tag

Did you ever play the game as a child where the participants sat in a circle, and the first person whispered a sentence to the second, and the second person whispered that same sentence to the third, and on around the circle it went? The goal of the game was to see if the sentence could go around the circle and stay the same. Of course it never did, and quite often, the sentence was entirely different. Kids probably don't play that game anymore; they would just text or call each other. I wonder if the results would be the same.

I played a similar game this week called 'Card Tag'. I was sent a card through email and asked to make a card based on it.....taking inspiration from the colors, the theme, the design, etc. I used the girly theme and colors from the card I received to make my card. My card is shown below.

You can see all of the cards from the game here. You can see the progression and how the last card is nothing like the first card. This was a fun game, and I hope to play it again. Thanks, Alicia, for asking me to join.

This is a Shirleys2Girls image.

Want A Challenge?

Do you have the desire to be on a Design Team? Do you like challenges? Here is your chance.
Your Next Stamp has a Design Team call. You can check here for the details of the call. Take a risk, give it a shot, and Good Luck!

Taking a 'dose of my own medicine' I have decided to apply, and here are my entries for the call. Thank you for your indulgence. I know you have seen these cards previously.

I'll be back tomorrow with new Whimsie Doodles creations! Have a great Sunday!

My Handy Man

I am so blessed to have a husband who is handy. He has saved us a great deal of money over the years by being able to fix a leaky faucet, hang a light fixture, and repair machines. More than once he has fixed things  I misused or simply tore up (Southern for broke). Not only can he repair items, he can make things also. I often dream up projects for him...gadgets and gizmos.

This week I decided I needed a holder for my thread. I told him my idea, and he went to drawing. Remember when I told you he isn't a procrastinator?! Being a bit of a perfectionist, he measured, calculated, and drew the plans. Here is the result.

He made it to fit perfectly in the drawer of my 'Store n Style'. Awesome, huh? Thanks, Mike!

Now just in case you're thinking I'm a bit OCD because I have grouped my thread by colors...here is the 'before' picture! Ha!

You're So Sweet!

I created this card with a 'sweet' Whimsie Doodles digital image. Digital images are so easy to use and store. Just purchase, download, and save to your computer. Whimsie Doodles often has free images for you to try. When you want to make a card using the image you can resize the image to suit your card, print, and color. This image is an easy one to color, especially if you are learning to use Copic markers. I used several reds (R29, 27, 24, 22) and several greens (YG 17,6,3,00) to color this image. Super easy!! The key to using Copic markers is to have several colors that blend together well and practice, practice, practice.

Hope you have a great day. Thanks for stopping by. I appreciate it!

Who's the (em)Boss?

Today is Wednesday which means it is time for the Whimsie Doodles Whimsie Wednesday Challenge. I am excited because this is my first turn at presenting the challenge as a Doodlelicious Diva. That means I get to pick the topic for the challenge. I chose to challenge all the Whimsie Doodles blog readers to use embossing powder on their projects. Most of us have jars of embossing powder in a drawer or on a shelf being ignored. Now is the time to dust off the jars and plug in the heat gun. Whimsie Doodles will give a free image to a random winner!

Here is my card for the challenge. I used the Whimsie Doodles image 'Dottie Laid Back''. I colored her with Copic Markers, and the sand is Stamp-n-Stuff embossing powder. The diecuts were made with Nestabilities and Quickutz. The pattern paper is by Frances Meyer, the pail is from K & Co., and the definition is from Making Memories. Do you see the sand on her flipflops?

I hope to see you at the Whimsie Doodles blog. Invite your friends to join us. We can  hardly wait to see what you create! Have fun and stay cool!

A Gratitude Attitude

I have so much for which to be thankful.....family, home, health, friends, and security. Keeping a 'gratitude attitude' to me means focusing on what I have, not what I do not have. I have discovered in my retirement  that keeping up with the Joneses is not important. When I worked and was out in the world it was easy to get caught up in wanting the newest. Maybe my age is showing, but I am content. I am grateful.

I created a 'thank you' card today to sent to a friend. I want her to know how much she is appreciated. This card was made for the Crazy 4 Challengs blog. The challenge (C4C45) is to use red, white, and black. I used a Whimsie Doodles image, Copic markers, Glossy Accents, and Nestabilities. I embellished with ribbon and a button.

This is an easel card. The directions to make one can be found here.

Have a great day! Thanks for taking the time to visit my blog. I appreciate you! Leave a comment if you have the time.

          

From Our Yard

I took time yesterday to wander around the yard. Here are a few of the things I observed.

             Praying Mantis

                            Mike's Tomatoes

Bell Pepper Blossoms

Marigolds

          Sweet Potato Vine I Grew for Fun

                                             Flag Among the Impatients and Hosta

Totally Tilda Challenge

There is a new Magnolia Stamp challenge blog called Totally Tilda. Their first challenge is to create a Chocolate Tilda, a Tilda card that features brown and creams. You may add a dash, but only a dash, of another color. There are 2 sponsors for the challenge so there are 2 prizes. Here is the card I created.

I thought this would be a great card to give to a new neighbor or co-worker. We've all had days when our neighborhood or place of employment would qualify for the term 'jungle'. This was a difficult challenge for me since I normally don't use a great deal of brown. I tend to like bright colors and use them frequently. I guess that's why they called this a 'challenge'...it was for me; however, it's important to step out of ones comfort zone and try something different.
Which colors do you use frequently? Which colors would be a challenge for you to use? Give them a try!

Magnolia Stamps can be purchased from Magnolia-licious
and Stamping Scrapping .

Thanks for stopping by!

The Newest of Charlie's Angels

Linda, Mike, and I spent part of the day at On Target in Murfreesboro. Mike gave Linda shooting lessons while I watched and took photos. Then she and I hit the thrift and antique stores, along with Hobby Lobby.

Ear protection and safety glasses are a must. But the ear protection sure messes up ones hair!

Here we go!

Point the gun at the target.

Good job!

Fun in Bell Buckle

Linda and I spent the day in Bell Buckle, TN. We had a great time going through all of the antique stores.
Here are some photos from the day....

Phillips' General Store was one of our favorite stops. Billy, the owner, has such a knack at displaying and presenting his merchandise. There are 1000's of items in his store...from old wooden spools of thread to fishing lures...even lye soap.

Then we went around the corner to the Blue Bird Antiques. We both loved this sign.

                                           

  There were lots of things to look at, but what caught our eyes were the Moon Pies!  There were varieties we had never seen....strawberry, mint, orange, and peanut butter. Of course, they had the standard chocolate, banana, and vanilla. We each bought a sackful. If you have never eaten a Moon Pie after its been heated in the microwave you are missing a real treat; however, Southern folks know the proper way to eat a Moon Pie is with an RC Cola.

Bell Buckle has an annual Moon Pie Festival. Today we learned 25,000 people were in Bell Buckle for the  festival several weeks ago.

So many of the shops had cute and unique displays. One store, The Doodlebug, sells primitive decor which Linda and I both love. There were shelves, lamps, signs, and dolls. We both love handmade dolls.

What a fun day we had! We plan to hit more antique and thrift stores tomorrow.

Whimsie Wednesday Challenge

It's Wednesday and time for the Whimsie Wednesday Challenge on Paper Craft Planet. You can read all about it on the Whimsie Doodles blog. It's "Toes in the water, Rump in the sand" time of year. Here is my creation for the Whimsie Wednesday Challenge....it is 'Dottie Laid Back' sunkissed!

Linda and I are off to Bell Buckle to look at antiques and junque and to have a country meal! Later!

Whimsie Doodles Science Guy

Whimsie Doodles is sponsoring this week's challenge at Tuesday Morning Sketches. TMS is celebrating its first birthday with a fun challenge. This challenge is to use any of the past sketches. On the right of their blog is a link to all of the sketches. I chose sketch #49. Here is the sketch and the card I created:






I really like this
Whimsie Doodles 'Science Guy' image.
It reminds me of our son, Griffin, since
he is studying science at MTSU and
spends a great deal of time in the lab.

To create this card I printed it on Papertrey Ink cardstock and colored it with Copic markers. The pattern paper is from the Basic Grey 'Recess' collection. I used a Nestabilities die to cut the shaped piece under the image. My cardstock colors are orange and teal. I put Glossy Accents on the flask, test tube, and the glasses. The sentiment is computer generated and matted with a Nestabilities. The inside of the card says "spend it with me".


Thanks for stopping by. I would love for you to leave a comment so I know you were here. Thanks. Have a great day!