BC106 Wave The Flag

Happy Friday and Happy 4th of July Weekend. This weeks challenge is, Wave The Flag (Red, White and Blue). Seems that both Lisa and Kerry were thinking alike this week as they both issued the same color challenge. You can view my card for the 3CT in the post below this one.

Since I'd already done a Patriotic card I was going to go non-traditional with my red, white and blue colors and then I ran across this image that was already stamped (not colored) in a scrap box and since her basket included a "Flag" I thought why not go with this for my card.
The image is from a fairly old SU Hostess set from 2001 called, Country Charm. I colored it up using my Prisma Colored pencils and added some White Liquid Applique to the Pussy willows in the vase. I paired my image up with some more paper from the Sweetwater Firecracker paper collection. I also added a punched border of white and the sentiment is from a really old retired SU set (1991 - Americana) that I just can't bear to part with. I high lighted the heart with a red Spica glitter pen.
Colors used were: Night of Navy, Real Red, Brocade Blue and Whisper White. I also added 2 star brads (source unknown) and a punched Star with a heart button and some red, white and blue grosgrain ribbon (SU retired).

Be sure to stop by the other Bloggers Challenge members blog and check out their creations as well.

Have a very Safe and Happy 4th of July.

3CT - Hooray for the Red, White and Blue

Hello! - Can you believe it's July already.  Where has this year gone...the weeks are just flying by.  In fact it's time once again for Kerry's 3CT Challenge and this week we celebrate, "Red, White and Blue!"  -  Now I had thought about doing a non-patriotic card but I just couldn't resist and so here is my tribute to the Red, White and Blue.                                      I've had this adorable Statue of Liberty (Eureka Stamps) forever and have never inked her up - I know, what a shame because she is a cutie patotie, isn't she?  -  I decided to paper piece her dress and used some fun paper from the Firecracker Paper collection by Sweetwater.  I loved all the lines and wavy lines in the paper.  Next up I colored my image with Prisma color pencils and blended with gamsol.  I stamped the Firecracker (also Eureka) and cut it out and highlighted it with a yellow Spica Glitter pen.  Then I died some hemp twine with Lipstick Red Fluid Chalk ink (Colorbox) and attatched it with a couple of small dabs of Crystal Effects.  I mounted my image on Night of Navy cs and added 3 punched stars in Real Red, Night of Navy and Brocade Blue.  

The sentiment is from Effie Glitzfingers - St. Louis Stamp Designs.  I stamped it with Versa Mark ink and embossed it with Cobalt Tapestry EP (PSX) on Real Red cs.  Then I added 3 blue star eyelets and wavy punched layers of Night of Navy and Brocade Blue and tied White Grosgrain ribbon around it.  

So for some more fabulous Red, White and Blue creations stop by Kerry's Blog (Click on the 3CT icon on my sidebar) and then visit all the DT members blogs and leave them some comment hugs.  Have a great day.

Adorable Blog Candy Alert - Time is short

OMG aren't these cute!  -  Who wouldn't want to win them.  You can check it out here  Time is short though as the drawing is the 5th.  Hurry for your chance to win. 

Butterflies and Cupcakes

Don't these cupcakes look delicious and colorful.  I decided today to play along (my first time) with the Cupcake challenge on Hope Stamps Eternal

This is challenge #13 and it's taken me this long to finally play along but I'm glad I did.

  For my card I chose to highlight the bright colors of the butterflies and frosting. I started by chosing a sketch and went with the Mojo Monday78 sketch.  I know it's a sketch from clear back in March but I save the sketches to a file and try them out as I find time.  I liked the long panel on this sketch and felt it would work well for my rainbow colored flight of butterflies.
  I used a butterfly image from a CTMH stamp set that I've had for years.  I stamped and masked the butterflies in Tempting Turquoise, Only Orange, Green Galore and Pixie Pink.  I matted this to Basic Black cs and added some Dazzling Diamonds Glitter to the butterflies.  I was starting to panic when I couldn't seem to locate any Designer Paper that I liked and then I happened upon this colorful pattern that had all the colors I wanted and I got super excited.  I added a panel of Only Orange that I ran through the Cuttlebug with a Circle Embossing folder and added a pierced scalloped piece of Green Galore card stock tied with Turquoise Grosgrain ribbon.  I added a sentimet with a tiny turquoise flower and orange brad and below that 3 punched turquoise circles highlighted with Hot Pink brads to complete the card.
I love how bright and cheerful this turned out and hope you do as well.

BC105 Alter It

Happy Friday - I hope you have all had a great week. It's time for another Blogger Challenge and this weeks theme was (Alter) it. Now for those of you who don't know me very well I really struggle with these types of challenges. They are just NOT my cup of tea at all. I always think that I'll just skip the weeks we have a challenge to alter something as I just don't do well with that sort of thing and really don't have a lot of fun trying to come up with something to show.

I thought and thought about this challenge and decided I would alter a Mahjong Tile and make a pin with one. I purchase a number of these tiles several years ago and have only used them once so I dug them out and got to work on creating my pin. First I stamped the berries from Sun Ripened - SU 2005 now retired with Basic Black ink. My first attempts to color them were disasters. I tried using Copic Markers and was surprised to find that the black ink disappeared when colored with the marker. So then I decided to color them with SU Markers which worked quite well. Next up I sealed them by pressing the tile onto a Versamark pad and embossed it with clear EP. Then I used some Foil Adhesive on the sides of the tile and applied some rose colored foils. I added a pin back an my pin was complete. I had hoped to attatch it to a card but it turned out to be to bulky so instead I just made a matching card to go along with the pin.

Card Stock: Old Olive, Rose Red, Pretty in Pin, and Raspberry Tart DP

Ink: Basic Black, Pretty in Pink and Stampin Pastels

Other: Lace Border Punch(Martha Stewart), Pink Grosgrain Ribbon, Swiss Dot Embossing Folder and Foam Mounting Tape.

So there you have it. I have survived another "Alter It" challenge. - Be sure to check out the other great projects by clicking on the Blogger Challenge Icon on my sidebar.

3CT - Where Do You Live

This week the 3 Clover Thursday Design team was given a most unique (and FUN) challenge thought up by fellow DT member Elena - Our challenge to create card about where we are from, City, State or Country. I absolutely LOVE where I live and would never think of living anywhere else so this was a really fun challenge for me. I chose to highlight something about the City where I live. Yes we grow "Onions" here but not just any onion. We are famous for the Walla Walla Sweet Onion. You can read more about them here

Let me tell you there is nothing more delicious then a slice of our Sweet Onions on a grilled hamburger. It makes my mouth water just thinking about it.

I wanted to use an onion for my card but there was one slight problem, I don't own any onion stamps. Then I remembered that SU had a set with an onion in and thankfully I was able to locate a customer who had purchased the set I wanted and she let me borrow it.

For my card I chose to use this adorable onion stamp from a long retired SU set called, Stewpot Pals (2005 Summer Mini Catalog). Next up I picked out my paper and chose to use this colorful stripped pattern from Cosmo cricket's, Mr. Campy line. I stamped the onion image with Basic Gray ink on watercolor paper and colored it with ink pads and an aqua painter. I cut it out using Labels 2 Nestabilitie Dies.

My card base is Dusty Durango layered with Crushed Curry (2 of the new upcoming "In-Colors"). I added some Swiss Dot embossing, piercing, brads (Pink Hedgehog Paper Crafts) and some antique knit lace that I found in my scrap ribbon box. The cocktail glass is covered with Crystal Effects and I added some clear Spica Glitter to my onion (which is really hard to see in the scan).

There were so many different things that came to mind about the City, State that I live in that I may do a feature on my blog in the future with more Where I Live theme related cards.

Don't forget to check out the other DT members blogs and see how they captured the essence of where they are from and then give it a try yourself and stop back by Kerry's blog to leave a link to your card about where you are from.

My Life - Pictures of the week

Time Flies! - Here we are again at the start of another week and I'm a day late for sharing,   My Life - Pictures of the Week.  It was just a BUSY week and with yesterday being Father's Day I waited until this morning to get my pictures ready to share.  Here they are without further ado.  No that is not my hair (I wish I had such curly hair)...Last Sunday evening Greta and Coleen were over and she was playing with Coleen's hair when she happened to notice something seemed odd about her hair.  That's when she discovered that Coleen had cut her hair.  It seems that while mommy was busy she found some scissors and went into the bathroom and cut her hair.  We ask her why she cut her hair and her reply was,  "Because it was just too, too, too Long!"  -  Then I ask her what she did with the hair  she cut off and she said, "Threw it in the garbage."  I'm not sure her mom wanted to cry or laugh about it.  The hair here is what we took off the back because that was the only part Coleen couldn't reach.  She actually got her hair pretty even on the sides as you can see in my next photo.  Not bad for only being 4 years old.  We've told her though that from now on if she thinks her hair is getting to long she is to tell mommy and mommy will take her to the Beauty Shop for a haircut!

This next picture is another photo of our cat, Harley.  He loves to lay in the bathroom sink.  He's so huge he barely fits but doesn't he look regal here.  Coleen was playing with him so that is why all his "toys" are laying up on the sink.  We have 4 other cats so eventually I'll be posting pictures of them too as I snap interesting shots of them.  

This past week was fun because we had a chance to meet a new family member.  My nephew, Michael who is in the Army and stationed in NC right now got married last year and we were not able to attend the wedding so we had never had the chance to meet his new wife.  They had some leave time and traveled up this way to visit family.  They were able to stop in for just about an hour (not near enough time) for a quick visit.  I took this picture of the two of them in my mom's front yard.  Michael hates to have his picture taken and usually makes a silly face but he cooperated for me and this is the result.  His wife, Kacie is really sweet and very easy to talk with.  I hope they will be able to come back again and stay a little longer as I really enjoyed visiting with them.

Have you ever seen such a messy face!  Right after Michael and Kacie left we drove out to Klicker's Produce store and picked up yet another 1/2 flat of strawberries and some fresh cherries.  Coleen loves both fruits and as you can see she had a grand time eating them.  Reminds me of clown make-up for some reason!

Wednesday when I went in to get my Allergy shot as I was getting ready to leave my niece, Krissy walked in so I spent a little time chatting with her and I was joking with her about her ever getting a "ring" from her boyfriend, Eric when she just popped out with the news that she was getting one on Friday.  I was so excited but she made me promise not to tell her Grandma so I had to keep it a secret until Saturday.  Believe me that was not easy as I have never been one to be able to keep exciting news from my mom but I did it!  They were able to come over and show off her ring on Saturday so I took this picture of them.  I took one of the ring as well but alas I am so not a great photographer and it was to blurry to really see how lovely her ring is.  No date yet for the wedding but we are still happy and excited for them.  Finally I leave you with a picture of the finished flower bed at our new church.  My mom and I planted the flowers on Saturday and our first service there will be this coming Sunday (June 28th).  You can see the weedy looking bed in this post:  http://faithartistry.blogspot.com/2009/06/my-life-pictures-of-week_14.html - I think you'll agree this looks so much better.  That's it for this week.  I hope you have enjoyed my little photo journey of my life in pictures.  Have a great day.