Just Us Girls Challenge!!

Hello!! Let's be honest~~We have a tough (but very fun!) challenge for you today at the Just Us Girls Blog.
It's Winter One Layer!  Yep, ONE layer!! I know-you're thinking what about my background paper and stamps!?  Put them away for today!
I loved the challenge so much (once I got going!) that I made two cards!
                              This first one is Chinook from Whipper Snapper Designs.  I cut a piece of water color paper that was 4.25 by 8.5, scored it with my Scor-Pal and folded it for a small square card.  I rounded the bottom corners with a corner rounder and stamped my image right on the card base.  He is colored with distress markers and a water brush.  I wanted to just add some white embossed snowflakes around him , but they just didn't show up. Got out a sponge and pool party ink to make them show up.  Then I added some glitter to them with my stardust stickles.  I'm not sure you can tell but I also painted some pure white watercolor (in a tube) paint on his hat and on the snow below him.

 This second one is made with Whipper Snapper Designs Bestie Snowmen.  IMO these guys are pretty cute too!  I made a card base (once again, from watercolor paper). This time it is 4.25 x 11", so scored and folded it's a regular A2 card.  I colored with distress markers and water brush.  Went through the same process of wanted my snowflakes to show up.  I used the same stamps (retired SU), but this time used White Satin and Diamonds Embossing Powder.  They still didn't show up enough so I went to sponging-this time with Distress Tea Dye ink.  I also used pool party and a retired snow flurry stamp to place more snowflakes around them.

The funny thing is that both card looked pretty neat with just the colored images on them and the edges sponged.  With a sentiment stamped near the top they could be declared, "DONE!"  Sometimes you just have to keep going though, ya know?  I may make a few more and keep them very simple.  they would both make great 'thank you' cards.

Well, guess that's it for now! Hope you'll consider joining us this week for this "Simple" challenge!!

Cheryl

                                                                                   

Another tag card!

It's been coming since Halloween, but Holiday time is finally here!!  I have another tag card to show today.  You can see two others below on my blog.  This one uses Whipper Snapper Designs Holiday Penguin.

 He's really cute, isn't he?  The image is about 2" square and perfect for the center of my Impression Obsession wreath.  The little guy is stamped on water color paper and colored with distress markers and a water brush.  I used Impression Obsession's gingham cover-a-card background stamp to make the mat layer for my tag card.

Tiny snowflakes came from a Martha Stewart border punch.  I added sparkle to the hat and snowflakes.
Thanks for visiting!! Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving (in the U.S.) and are headed for an equally great weekend!!  (NO shopping for me today. How about you?)

Hope you'll return tomorrow for the new Just Us Girls challenge!!
Cheryl

Holiday stocking!

Good morning!! A quick post as I must get ready for work!  Here is another card inspired by the current Just Us Girls challenge-an inspiration photo.  I love the row of stockings hanging and, of course, the colors in the photo, so that's what inspired this one.   Won't you join us in the challenge?  You can click on the link above to see the photo and DT inspiration cards!

 I used a coral card base and a great EK success punch that I borrowed from a friend for the border!  The large snowflake is a die from MFT and the stamp is from Art Gone Wild.

Thanks for visiting!! I'm working on Christmas cards like crazy right now and have some to show, so I hope you'll return!  You won't want to miss this Saturday's JUGS challenge, but, in the mean time you have until Thursday evening to upload a card to the Just Us Girls blog for this challenge!
Have a great day!  Cheryl

JUGS Challenge #216 Inspiration Photo!

Hello!  Over at Just Us Girls we have a great challenge for you this week!  Christmas cards to make?  Thank yous to have on hand? Or just Thinking of you cards?  This photo inspiration is great for all of them!! Please make a visit to the BLOG to see the Photo Inspiration  that Vicki chose for us!  And, thanks to Nancy for the graphic!

 I have to admit I pulled out an older card to repost for out challenge this week!  I have another card in the conception stage, but this has been one crazy week at school!!  So, my new card will have to wait until the weekend.  Hope you don't mind this one!

 I used Tucked Tilda from Magnolia (#3077).  I always buy mine from Diana Crick at Magnolia-licious. She has the best prices and great service!  This one is from the Sweet Christmas collection of 2011-wow!  Two years ago!  She is colored with copics to match this My Mind's Eye dp.  And there's some Bo Bunny double dot in there too! And, of course, Papertrey Ink ribbon!

You really will want to visit Just Us Girls to see the graphic and for all the Design Teams fabby inspiration!!  We'd love to see what you create!  Upload to our site by Thursday, Nov. 28 (Thanksgiving!) at 9:00 pm ET.
Thanks for visiting!  I'll be back with another card for this challenge soon!!
Cheryl

Impression Obsession Challenge!

Hi
 ! I wish I understood Blogger better!  This post is giving me fits!  Here is another Tag card I made for the current challenge on Impression Obsession!  I used the  used their wreath die again (LINKED Here!)  and the Santa Head stamp (Linked Here! for this tag.I stamped the Impression Obsession Cover-a-Card background stamp on kiwi kiss in Ripe Avocado ink.  The wreath is cut from Kraft cardstock and sponged with soft suede and early espresso.  Santa is stamped on Blending card stock and colored with copics.  His beard and hat have Star Dust stickles for sparkle.  I used a Martha Stewart border punch for the tiny snowflakes.  They are also 'dusted' with stickles and then three of them have pearls added..I'm linking this tag card up to the Impression Obsession Challenge for this week. 

I'll be back to fix my post if it doesn't post right 'cuz blogger is acting weird!!!
thanks for looking!! cheryl

Snowy Portrait Tag!

Good morning!  I'm so sorry it's Monday because the weekend went by soooo fast!  But, I do have something I created yesterday to show you!  This is for this week's High Hopes Challenge-anything High Hopes Christmas.

 I used some precut tags that I have had for a long time to make my tag/card/ornament!  I love that it could have all those uses. I stamped Snowy Portrait on watercolor paper and colored with my distress markers and waterbrush.  Stickles (stardust) were added after it dried.  The snowman is mounted on a die cut grapevine wreath (IO).  The bg of the tag is stamped with dark green with a gingham bg stamp.  The small snowflakes are are from a MS border punch.  They are the pieces you would normally throw away!

Everything is raised on dimensionals.  Pearls were added to some snowflakes.  I think I could also go back and add some snow, but for now I think it's done!
Thanks for coming by!  Off to work!
Cheryl

JUGS215 AWEsome Color Challenge!!

                                                                                 
Hi there!!  The Just Us Girls team has a great color challenge for you this week!!  Below is a graphic made by Lisa to give you ideas!!  We saw red, kraft, white and chocolate brown in these cute pics! You can visit the JUGS blog for loads of inspiration!

                                                   

                                                                         And, here is my card!  It opens at the bottom.  That seems to be a favorite style of mine lately!  I used a kraft card base, then a layer of cherry cobbler.  The final two layers are some older Cosmo Cricket papers.  I ran the brown sheet through my Calibur in the snowflake folder.  My stamp is Whipper Snapper Designs A Snowman's Mitten.

My snowman is stamped on water color paper and then colored with distress markers. After that I watercolored  the image with a water brush.  I think the mitten came out looking like wool!  A happy accident! I cut the image with a spellbinder's die.  The next size die was too big, so I just traced the metal die itself and traced it on cherry cobbler and cut out for a size that is about 1/8" bigger. I raised the focal image on dimensionals.  then I decided I wanted a bow of some kind so I had to thread my twine through the dimensionals.  That was tricky!  I had red and white twine but colored the white parts (as best I could) with the tea dye marker.  I did add stickles here and there for sparkle.

Please enter your creation with these colors this week!  We'd love to see what you come up with!!

And, thanks for coming!! Cheryl

And...more words!

Hello and thanks for coming by!!  We have snow in Western New York this morning making it the perfect day to post another snowy card!  I used the JUGS challenge for the week to make the background!  Yes, it is the same as the card I posted for the challenge on Saturday! (see post below).  I just love the darker turquoise on Hawaiin Shores card stock!  

This time I used Bermuda Bay for my ink because that inkpad is wetter than my Taken with Teal.  I used PTIs Wonderful Words snow mini stamp set.
I made my Snowman in a Jar with PTIs Friendship Jar and Friendship Jar Holiday Fillers stamp sets.  Mason Jars are all the rage now (do you Pinterest??) and Nichole was ahead of the trend with this set since it's been out for awhile!  I haven't used mine enough!  I love, love, love it! The image was an easy one to color, too!  Could make a bunch of these!  I used copics in BG10 and BG72 for the jar.  I think I used Y24 on the lid and shaded the edges with a bit darker color, but I don't remember which color!  Sorry!  I added some Liquid Applique to the base for snow.  Let it dry then puffed it up with my heat gun.
The snowflake is another of Anna Wight's glitter glass, then red twine and a button finished off the card.
You have until Thursday, Nov 14 at 9:00 pm to join in our Just Us Girls challenge (words for your background!  All the details are on the blog!
I appreciate you stopping by!  Have a great day!  Cheryl

Just Us Girls Challenge #214 Words, words Words!!

Hello!! My good friend and fellow design team member, Lisa, has set a terrific challenge for us this week!  Use words to create your own background!  This was fun!!  Please see the JUGS blog for tons of inspiration and a link to a tutorial on how to do this.  Mine is not perfect because I just jumped in without marking my paper!  JUGs BLOG

 This card has so many things I love!!  And isn't what it's all about-using things we love?!?  I love turquoise and red for colors, whether it's a Christmas card or a winter card!  I love this High Hope Santa Claus face (so cute!).  Anna Wight's Diamond Dust snowflakes are also so fun to make and use!  I kept the layout simple and maybe you can tell it looks a bit like our (JUGS) sketch from last week!  Just flipped!

 I stamped my PTI words (a 5.00 set!!) in Taken with Teal on Hawaiin Shores cardstock.  I just stamped the word SNOW alternating it's placement and leaving 1/4" in between so I could add in 'Let it snow' afterward.  The dotted paper is from Bo Bunny.  Snowflakes are punched from white card stock, sponged with a little Coastal Cabana and then covered with glossy accents and Diamond Dust Glitter Glass. 
I leave these to dry for quite a while before handling.

My Santa is colored with my distress markers and then color was moved around with a water brush. I also added Stardust Stickles to Santa's hat for extra sparkle!
Please take a look at your word or sentiment stamps and see what you can come up with for this challenge!  We'd love to see what you do!
We also have a guest designer for this month!  Congratulations to Nancy at Artful Notions!  Please check out her blog too! Lovely creations!
Have a great day!! Cheryl

Celebrating Another Life!

Hello, friends!! A friend of mine has a birthday today and this is the card I made for her!  She is a cat lover so this Whipper Snapper Design image is perfect for her, though I don't think she'd let her cat get THAT close to her cake!!

I stamped my image on water color paper and colored it with Tim Holtz distress markers.  Then I used my water color brush to blend and move color around for the look I wanted. My card base is Hawaiin Shores (I think) and I stamped it with Taken with Teal using a plaid background stamp.  The dotted piece is Harvest Gold dp from Papertrey Ink.  The yellow edges are sponged with More Mustard and the Hawaiin Shores edges are sponged with Taken with Teal.  I  added Stardust stickles so that the card went with my sentiment-Hope Your Day Just Sparkles (Inky Antics).
This is a nice flat card that will mail easily!
Thanks for stopping by on this U.S. Election Day!! Remember to VOTE in your area!  I have to get out of the house a bit early today to do just that!
Have a great one!  Cheryl

Sketch-Just Us Girls #213

Hello!  Thanks for coming by my little blog!  The Just Us Girls (JUGS) challenge this week (the first Saturday in November!!) is a sketch challenge! This means I've been on the team a whole month!  Now you know we would love to have you join us in our weekly challenge so here's the link to the BLOG

 You know I've said I love our challenge because you can use ANY stamps you want!!  This week I've used some 'Oldies but Goodies from Stampin' Up!  The apple bucket is from Give Thanks (2006).  My backgrounds are Paisley (also retired SU) and Flannel (SU too).  I stamped Chocolate chip cardstock in Early Espresso and Kiwi Kiss cardstock with Kiwi Kiss.
I'm super excited to say I stamped the image on watercolor paper with Versamark Black and then colored it with my new Tim Holtz Distress Markers!!  I'd put off buying them long enough, so made my purchase from Amazon about 3 weeks ago. I loved coloring with them and then adding water from his brush for the watercolored look.  I hadn't watercolored in a long time and this was so easy!  Now I'll be torn between my copics and distress markers!
At first the sketch intimidated me, but once I decided on colors and image it was fun, fun, FUN!!
Remember you have until Thursday, Nov. 7 at 9 pm Eastern time to enter your creation!!
You DO have Thanksgiving cards, Christmas cards and maybe a birthday card or two to make this month, right?  Try our sketch!!
Have a great day!! Cheryl