Just Us Girls #323 TREND WEEK

Hi!  It's a new challenge at Just Us Girls and for TREND WEEK Lisa has challenged us to use SEQUINS on our projects, so here goes...
Please visit our blog~Just Us Girls~ for a look at some really inspirational cards! Then see if you can find the time to create and show us what you've been up to! Here's mine..

A few weeks ago when we had a one layer card challenge I started this card and never finished it. My card base is water color paper. I used Archival Black to stamp Hurly and Burly from Whipper Snapper Designs onto it.  Then I stamped the image onto some maskikng paper (from Simon Says Stamp) and sponged Pool Party around where the image was for some background shading. I also worked a bit into the corners of the card.  Then I pulled up the mask and used my Zig Clean Color Real Brush Pens to color the Image and a brush with water to move the color around a bit. After that, I got very brave, dipped my fingers into the water and 'threw' it at my card the way Tammy Tutterow taught us in class. I dabbed up the water afterward with a piece of paper towel and it left some white spots.  

After that, I just added my sentiment (Paper Smooches), stickles, and sequins and it was done!  I will probably end up using this as a belated Christmas card since I often get some of ours (many!) out late!
I hope you'll be able to join us in the challenge this week! YOu have until Thursday evening, December 17 at 9pm ET to add your card to our Mr. Linky on the blog.
Thanks for visiting!

Just Us Girls #322 Word Week!!

                                                
Good morning!  The Just Us Girls team is back since it's Saturday and Ina is our host for WORD WEEK!  She has a fun one, it's MERRY!! So get creative and let the MERRY begin!!
I tried to hustle to get my card done for the challenge as I had my idea last week, but it was not to be!
                                                                               

Teachers are under a lot of pressure when it comes to their Annual Profession Performance Review and I have been getting ready for mine which is this coming week.  That, along with a doctor's apppointment to get an unwanted diagnosis has my life in a turmoil at the moment.  But, now it's Saturday and I get to create and spend time with hubby Dave before the next crazy week, so it's all good!

I adore these polar bears from My Favorite Things last year and want them to see more ink this year!  I also ued a background stamp from MFT on water color paper and spritzed the heck out of it to get some color flow before dring with my heat gun.  The "Merry" is a die from Hero Arts and is cut 4 times from white. the top one was inked with a round ink applicator for a sort of ombra look.  I colored my bears with copics.  There are all sorts of dimensionals used on this one that I'm not sure you can see and, of course, stickles added at the for some holiday sparkle!!

Thanks for looking and please join us this week! You have until Thursday, December 10 at 9 pm to post your card with Mr. Linky on our blog (linked above).

Just Us Girls #321 PHOTO Challenge

Challenge 321 is a photo challenge and Vicki has picked a great holiday photo-full or sparkle and color!  I knew right away that I wanted to use this Hero Arts die that came with some word stamps to fit across the middle of the ornament.  Please check the JUGS BLOG for tons of pink inspiration!

 The rest I had to figure out as I went along! It was a fun process though! I cut the ornament die from white cardstock and used a round ink blending tool to add color in Picked Raspberry (Distress Ink), Purely Pomegranate (SU) and Scarlet Jewel ( PTI) to get an ombre look to the pinks. My card base is Grout Grey (MFT), then a layer of Raspberry Fizz (PTI) with the edge sponged in Purely Pomegranate, then a layer of silver glittter paper (SU, I think)

 I die cut 3 of the Impression Obsession pine bought (I love it and have used it often!!). I applied Evergreen Bough distress ink.  Then I added some brown with a copic marker and then some BG99 to the needles nearest the branch for more depth. I thought about adding snow, but decided the card didn't need it .

Behind the ornament die is a Spellbinders' circle die cut from a shiny silver heavy card stock.  That made the card a bit difficult to photograph!  the ornament is on dimensionals and is tied to the bough with some silver thread,
Please visit the blog (linked above) for inspiration and if you add your card with Mr. Linky by Thursday Dec. 3 at 9 pm ET you may have a chance to be our Gurest Designer for January!
Thanks for coming by!  Cheryl

Just Us Girls #320 Color challenge!

Hello!  I love Saturdays, don't you?!! One reason is because it's a new challenge at Just Us Girls!  This week our host is Sharon and she has a very timely color challenge for us: Red, Green and Gold!
We hope you'll join in this week!  Please visit our BLOG for inspiration!! 

                               
And now to my card for this week! I used My Favorite Things materials-Stamp set Birdie Brown's Santa's Elves and the Diagonal Cover-Up.

My card base is white, the gold paper is SUs gold glitter paper! It has the best sparkle! Almost a platinum golk, I think! I love, love it! The red card stock is from PTI-Poppy Red.

I colored the elf with my copics. I've been away from them for awhile and have been coloring with my Zig water color pens.  It was fun to use my copics again!! My crafty buddy, Lisa, put me on to Sandy Allnock a few weeks ago and I just watched the video of her coloring these elves. It's not terribly productive, but it is, oh so relaxing to watch someone else talk and color! Ahhhh! Anyway, I used the colors that Sandy did to color my elf.

This card will definitely go to a (lucky) retired teacher friend. She used to copy and color elf bodies, then she would take staff "headshots" to put on the elf bodies and post them in the faculty room during the holidays.  Each elf would have a speech balloon saying something hysterical and specific to their personality.  A new elf or two would appear each day and everyone would be laughing about them as it was all in good fun.  This friend is a very creative and talented writer!  She'll love the card, I'm sure!

Okay, better get going. Off to the pharmacy for some meds. to cure my sinus infection (diagnosed yesterday after work in an emergency dr. appt) and then to get some housework done while my morning energy lasts! Book club is here Monday night and I'm in a panic about that!

Please find the time to join in the fun challenge this week! We'd love to see your work!

Have a great weekend!

Cheryl

Just Us Girls-Challenge #319

Hello and welcome!  I'm so glad you stopped by today!  The Just Us Girls team has our weekly challenge ready to go! Maria is our hostess this week and she has a TRENDY challenge for you-Watercoloring! Use watercoloring somewhere and somehow on your card!  Watercoloring is everywhere these days! Check our our BLOG for tons of inspiration!

I adore all the washy watercolor backgrounds that I see areound the internet and on my favorite place,Pinterest.  They make it look so easy, but I don't find it to be so and I need lots more practice. My forte is the more controlled watercoloring with reinkers and a paintbrush and water.  That's what I've done here. I stamped this country cabin from Northwoods Rubber Stamps in Archival Black ink. Then I use my little palette ($.59 at JoAnn's, or so) and drip drops of color from my bottles of reinkers (usually SU colors) and color away with a brush and a little dish of wate nearby. along with a piece of paper towel. It's great therapy!

Once the painting was done, I added Stardust stickles pretty much everywhere I thought I could get away with! and cut coordinating cardstock to 'frame' my painting. The dies are from MFT.  I stamped the SU Flannel Plaid bg stamp in Scarlet Jewel onto Scarlet Jewel cardstock (PTI). The card base is Grout Grey (MFT) and is a top fold card.  The sentiment is from an old SU set and is heat embossed with silver embossing powder.
I hope I haven't ramble on too much and that somehow you are inspired to WATERCOLOR with us this week and show us your stuff!  You have until Thursday, Nov 18 at 9 ET to link your project on our site! WE hope you will!!

Just Us Girls #318 Word Week challenge!

Hi !  It's Saturday again and that means a new Just Us Girls challenge!  Sue has a fun one for us this week! You can pull out that paper, background stamps or whatever else has sparked in your creative imagination when you hear (READ) her word~ STRIPES! Pretty great, huh?

                              

I thought of my background stamps right away.  I'm waiting for my order of new 'stuff' from MFT which will contain bold diagonal stripes, but I already own the thin diagonal stripes so that's what I went to for my card base.

 I stamped the striped background stamp in Versamark ink on Sahara Sand card stock and heat embossed with clearn embossing powder. The edges of the card are sponged with Sahara Sand.  My Snowman image (Whipper Snapper Designs-Baymont #MY648) is stamped in Archival Black on watercolor paper and colored/watercolored with my Zig Clean Color Real Brush Pens. I cut it out with dies from MFT.  The Watercolored panel is mounted on foam tape.  I used MFT's Handwritten Holidays for my sentiment-stamped in Archival black on Vellum and then clear embossed. I used some glossy accents behind the words so it didn't show when I glued the vellum, but...

the glue showed on the left edge of the card so I white embossed some MFT snowflakes on vellum to cover that up.  I couldn't leave well enough alone and tried to move my main image panel a bit (not centered!!) and stuck my fingers RIGHT INTO WET stickles!! Smeared red all over!! So, I had to use a 2nd snowflake in an effort to cover that boo boo up! You can still see a bit of the mess, so don't look too close, K?

Please check the JUGS BLOG for tons of inspiration!! And join in the challenge by Thursday, Nov. 12 at 9 pm ET! We'd love to see what you create! And, welcome to Louise our Guest DT member for the month!

Warm wishes to you today! Cheryl

JUST UST GIRLS #317 WILD CARD!

Hello!  I hope I'm past a noncreative spell when work has consumeed all my time and efforts.  Each evening I look longingly and lovingly at all the stamps and dies I've purchased....
Anyway, it's a happy Saturday because though I'm late I've finished a card that ALMOST fits Sharyn's Just Us Girls challenge for the WILD CARD week-ONE LAYER! That is definitely a challenge for me!  Please check out the JUst Us Girls BLOG for more law abiding (and talented) designers than I! And here is my almost one layer card:

 I could have masked my sledder in, but with the die right at hand I didn't. Well, the card itself is one layer, right? I did use masking paper (I got mine from Simon Says Stamp) to mask off 1" edges on a top fold watercolor paper card.  I stamped some snowflakes in Versamark ink and embossed with white embossing powder so I could ink with my ink applicators using a Hero Arts Ombre pad.  Then I wiped ink off the snowflakes so they were white again.

I cut my Dashin By die from the same watercolor paper and colored her with my Zig Clean Color Real Brush Pens and mounted her on dimensionals. I love cards like this when I see them online (three umbrellas -BIG, BIG hero of mine!!) but when I make one I always think I should add more! KWIM? Well, I'm going to leave this one alone!! I did add stardust stickles to the snowflakes, girl's hat and Wink of Stella to the sled runners, but that's it!

Please join in our challenge this week and enter your card/project on our BLOG. You could win a chance to be our Guest DT member in January!!

Thanks for visiting! Cheryl

Just Us Girls #315 COLOR WEEK!

                             Hi there! It's color week at Just Us Girls and Chris has a great one for us! Use ORANGE, PURPLE AND BLACK on your card or project!  Very timely, me thinks!  Please check out our BLOG for loads of inspiration with these colors!  We'd love to have you enter!  You may win the chance to be a guest designer with us early next year!!

                                          
Here's my card:

I have been just crazy about MFT for a long time, but especially this year.  I love, love the Harvest mouse set and have made a few cards with these cute little fellows recently.  This one is stamped in Archival Black on watercolor paper and colored and "watercolored" with my Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers.  I just love how his purple sweater and orange vest look so cozy!  My gingham background stamp is stamped in Cajun Craze onto Pumpkin Pie cardstock.  The "purple"  on my card is actually Blackberry Bliss (cut from an MFT die)-I just can't seem to pick up my other purples-I love this one sooooo much! I did use a thin frame of black and then mounted it all on a white card base.  I'm not sure the BOO! die fits the cute little mouse, but it sure fit my card perfectly!! haha

It's from L'l inkers and cut from Apricot Appeal (which some company should make again!!!) sponged with distress Spiced Marmalade.

Thanks for looking! You have until Thursday, October 22 to join in on this week's color challenge over at Just Us Girls!! So, I hope you can make some time to create this weekend!

Cheryl

Just Us Girls #314 TREND Week!!

It's a great new week at Just Us Girls!  Nancy has the perfect challenge for us now that it's TREND week again!  STENCILS!! Us a little or a lot-it's your choice! They're inexpensive, fun to use, great techniques and you can't get any hotter than stencils right now! There is so much inspiration on the BLOG! Check it out!

                          
And here's my project: (Sorry, I took just a FEW picks!) ;)

 This is a Ranger tag that I made in a class my crafty friend, Lisa and I took last Friday at our LSS-Buffalo Stamps! We had such fun learning techniques from Tammy Tutterow-who is an artistic genius and a great teacher!

 We laid the tag on our mat, the stencil on top and sprayed with distress spray for this one! How easy is that! But she had so many more great step by step techniques, if you ever get a chance, take a class with her!  See the red spatters on the left?  that was an accident! When I was spraying some other tags at home (distress ink -berries) this tag was a little too close by!  I decided I liked it, though!  It works with the dark rush wrinkly ribbon I used to tie at the top. Happy accident!

 My stamp is from Rubbernecker and I bought it at the local stamp and scrap show Lisa and I go to in August.  I thought it would fit a tag perfectly. It didn't, but with the little edge left over I took my gold paint pen-bought 2 years ago and still in package- to line the edges.  Loved the look when it was done.

Oh, the stencil is also from Ranger and is called flourish!  Stencils are so easy and fun to create with and we all hope you'll join us this week in Nancy's challenge! Details are on our JUGS blog!
You may have a chance to be a guest designer with us in the future if you win Chic of the Week!
Have a great weekend!

Just Us Girls #313 WORD WEEK

Sue has the challenge for us this week and the word she's chosen is Sympathy.  They are the cards we don't really want to make but, all too often, seem to need.   It's also World Cardmaking Day, so besides showing this card, I'm hoping to make at least one other card in honor of our great hobby!

                              

Here's my card for the challenge:

I fully admit to being in a creative drought at the moment and to CASEing Jan Tink for this card! Here's the link to her blog post:  THINKING OF YOU I love that she has purple in her card. I just wasn't sure about using it since my card is going to a friend who has lost her husband. I have a really juicy Black Archival ink pad so I glued the cloud to the card base and stamped the tree direct to paper.  I was pleased at how well it worked.  My cloud die is from Papertrey Ink.  My Hills are cut from dies by My Favorite Things from various Stampin' Up and PTI designmer papers.  I cut some 5,5 inch papers and then matched them up the way I wanted them to look on the card, glued them together and then trimmed off the edges to fit the 4.5 inch card front.  The piece was then too think to go into my corner punch so It is glued to the card front and then I hand-trimmed the corners.  The finial step was to sponge the edges-vintae photo distress ink.  The sentiment has two parts so I colored the part I wanted with a water color (not copic) marker, huffed on it and stamped it to the card front.

Thanks for looking today!  We sure hope you'll join in our challenge this week and Happy Worlk Cardmaking Day!!

Cheryl

Just Us girls #311-Color Challenge Week!

Hi! It's still warm in Western New York, but this is the last weekend of summer! Autumn is official on September 23 (or is it 22nd?)  Anyway, Maria has an autumnal color challenge for us this week! She wants us to use RED, YELLOW and ORANGE on our projects!  Great challenge, Maria!

Here are my cards!  I have an August birthday and I have NEVER been SO late with my thank you notes!  Because of that I've made 15 variations on this first card so that I can get them written and sent soon!  I'm showing you three of my cards, so I hope you like!

 First up, I used Paper Smooches "Best Buds" stamp set , stamped on water color paper and colored with clean color real brush zig pens and water on a regular paint brush.  This one got a little dirty when I used a stencil brush on the edges with soft suede and got to much in an area. I had to 'dirty' up the rest in an effort to hide my error! I used a black sharpie for the ziggy lines around and also used lots of stickles for sparkle and shine!  The 'thanks' die cut is from Your Next Die. A perfect fit!

Same card, different photo-see the sparkle?

 And, two different cards with an altered placement of the focal image.

We sure hope you'll join the JUGS team in the challenge this week!  LOTS of DT inspiration can be see HERE!  Link your card or project to the site by 9 pm ET on Thursday, Sept. 24!  You may also have a chance to be our Guest DT member for November!

Thanks for coming by today!

Cheryl

Just Us Girls-Trend Challenge! #310

Hello!  Now that we are back in school I sure welcome the weekend!  So happy that Saturday is here! One reason to ALWAYS be happy it's Saturday is a new Just Us Girls challenge! This week it's my turn to host and I picked BALLOONS as the trend !  They are every where lately, don't you think?!  In dies and stamps and in all shapes and sizes!

I used a new stamp set from Darcie's Heart and Home rubber stamps that I got when Lisa and I went to the Stamp and Scrap Tour show when it was in town. It's so much fun to see sooo many products in person! We spend the day and a few dollars there! I colored the duck with my Clean Color Zig Pens and fussy cut him out by hand. (I'm such a wimp-I want dies for every stamp now!).  The balloom is cut using a die from MFT. I used real twine to tie it in his open wing.

The background is made on watercolor paper using Ken Oliver's Colorburst Powders.  Lisa showed them to me when we were in our Local stamp store in August.  She is such an enabler!  I bought 3 or 4 that day. Before even using them I saw that Taylored Expressions was carrying all the colors and as long as I was ordering I ordered the rest of the colors!  Geez! Anyway, I tapped a little powder onto watercolor paper in a few areas (crimson, yellow and orange) and then spritzed carefully with water from a distance away.  Then I waited and watch the water work.  If the paper curled and water went to the edge I used a little paper toweling to wick that off.  I wanted it kind of splotchy so I dried it with my heat gun. I did the same with green and ultramarine blue on paper before cutting the balloon. I used a little clear wink of stella on the balloon to add sparkle.It picked up a little color.
I understand Ken Oliver has some You tube videos so I think I'll watch how he uses his powders before I play again! However, I kind of like how mine came out!

We, at Just Us Girls, sure hope you'll look over your crafty supplies and find balloons you can use (or even just circles!) and join us in the week's challenge!
Check out our blog for tons of inspiration!

Just Us Girls #309 WORD WEEK!

Hello friends! Well, I'm in a fallish mood despite the extreme summer heat we're having here in Western New York!  Lisa is the Just Us Girls Host for this week and she has a challenge with a touch of fall as well!  Her WORD CHALLENGE to inspire us this week is APPLE!! Isn't that perfect!?  I couldn't wait to get started on it! Luckily I didn't have school today so it was first on my list this morning! (And I always have a Looong list!! You too?)  Use the link above to visit the blog for loads of apple inspiration!

 For my card I used this great Gary Paulsen image from Impression Obsession.  I don't know the title, but if you love it just search Impression Obsession. They have stamps sorted by artists, and he's a true artist!   I stamped it on watercolor paper in Ranger Archival Jet Black ink (waterproof).  The image is colored with my Clean Color Real Brush Zig Pens and a paint brush with water.  It's so fun to water color this way.  I love those things! Easier and quicker than getting out my reinker bottles.

I used a piece of craft foam to mount my image on instead of dimensionals. that way the main panel doesn't sag.  The orange layer is Summer Sunrise (PTI) stamped in Cajun Craze using the large gingham stamp (Impression Obsession).  Those pieces are mounted on a Blackberry Bliss card base.  It's a perfect purple with oranges and yellows for those fall cards!  
Oh, yes, and I sure hope you can see the APPLES in the image so you know I did follow Lisa's challenge!
Please join us this week in the challenge!  The details are on the Just Us Girls blog!  You have until Thursday at 9 pm ET and could win a change to be our guest DT for November!
Have a great weekend!
Cheryl

Just Us Girls #307 Photo Week!

Hello there!  I have been unintentionally absent for far too long! My apologies, but I won't offer excuses!  I'm back today with Chris' Just Us Girls challenge #307.  She has a super photo to challenge and inspire us this week!  You can see her post and the photo HERE!  AND, there is tons on DT inspiration, too!

So, here is how I was inspired!  I think this is the funniest (and, yes, the truest!) stamp I have seen in a long time!  I adore it with it's accompanying sentiment!  My friend, Luanne, gave me a round tag she had made using it.  I will get a photo of her tag to post soon. I came home from Luanne's and ordered these stamps (ebay, HERE and HERE) immediately! 

The image is stamped on watercolor paper and colored with the wonderful clean color real brush zig pens and a little water with a paintbrush. I used the 'sun' spellbinders die.  the rest of the dies are from MFT.
Thanks for visiting. It was so fun to create something again.  Now I want to create 8 more of these for teacher friends!  Wonder if I'll get that accomplished!  First up today, though, is to finish the closet I started yesterday.  It looks like it threw up its contents all over the floor. better get crackin'!  Have a great weekend and try to find time to join in the challenge! You have until Thursday at 9 pm ET!
(You could win a chance to be our Oct. Guest DT member!)
Cheryl

JUGS #305 TREND WEEK!

Hi all!  Welcome to my little blog! The Just Us team has a new challenge for you this week!  The trend is to use vellum on your card or project.  You have it, I know you do! BUT, do you use it very often?  I know I don't! What are we afraid of, anyway? That we'll ruin it? So what, we can just cut another piece!  So, get it out and start crafting with us!  The DT over on the BLOG has some great inspiration for you! Don't miss it! 

My Favorite Things had a release this week. I was inspired by some of the new cards to get out this older set of MFT dies -LJD Scribble Flowers and get to work!  I started with a white card base.  Heavy white PTI card stock is my favorite. I made a top fold card.  Then there is my layer of vellum, cut just slightly smaller than the card front.  The card cover is a PTI die-diagonal stripes.  that is all adhered together with little dots of glue.

I cut my flowers, scribbles and leaves from the same white card stock. Putting the scribbles aside so I wouldn't get them inky I went to work with my Tim Holtz round sponge applicators.  I sponged on Pool Party and then Lost Lagoon in the center.  The leaves have a few different greens, I just couldn't seem to get what I wanted.  I used PTI Simply Chartreuse and Ripe Avocado mostly.  I used my Clean Color Real brush Zig pen to free hand the veins-not perfect, and next time I think I'll try something else, but it worked for now.
Pretty simple card, really, but I like how it came out.
Thanks for visiting! I sure hope you'll visit our blog and then join in the challenge.  Chics of the week chosen in August have a chance to be out guest DT member in October!  You can enter up to 3 cards too!
gHave a great day and weekend!  Cheryl

Just Us Girls #304 WORD WEEK

Hello! It's Saturday again and that means the Just Us Girls (JUGS) team has a new challenge for you! Maria has the word challenge this week and she has challenged us with the word AUTUMN!  A fun challenge, if you ask me! I love all things Autumn (well, except for going back to work!). The smells, the colors, the decorations, the leaves falling, the apples, the wine! All of it!

So, I got into that box that hold my beloved autumn stamps and pulled out this beauty. I think she's seen ink, but I'm not sure I've ever gotten around to coloring her.  I put off the cleaning I'd planned to do today and colored her up with my Zig Real Brush Clean Color Pens (or something like that-it's a mouthful!) Watercoloring made easy!  She is a stamp from Whipper Snapper Designs called 

Happy Scarecrow. Since it was my first time to color her I stayed pretty true to how she was colored on the WSD website.  I like pink and orange together anyway!

My card base is white, then there is a layer of pumpkin pie, cut with an MFT Blueprints die and sponged with Cajun Craze. then a layer of PTI dp (Berry Sorbet) also cut from an MFT die and finally to image which was stamped on water color paper and cut with an MFT cross stitch rectangle after the water coloring.  I mounted the focal image on the dotted dp and then cute the same size rectangle from craft foam so that panel could be raised without sagging.  After adhering those together, I wrapped my orange twine around twice and tied before using Scor-tape to stick that panel to the pumpkin pie.  Everything is very securely stuck together.  This card opens in the traditional book way which has become unusual for me.  I make so many top fold cards now.

So, thanks for coming by to look.  We sure hope you'll take up the challenge this week and join in. You have until Thursday, August 6 at 9:00 pm to link your card up to our main site.  And take a look at all the DT inspiration over there too!!  Here's the link: Just Us Girls Blog

Just Us Girls #303-Photo week

Hi! It's my turn to host over at Just Us Girls AND I finally had time to make a card, so it's ALL GOOD!  Here's the photo I chose:
                                   
I hope you like it and find some inspiration in it! I just loved the relaxing atmoshere and the gorgeous colors along with the clean crisp white.  I want to be there!
Check out what the DT has created to show you on our blog, linked above.

And, here's my card:

I am always inspired by color, but I also loved the pattern on the mat on the floor.  I chose a clean, white card base, then pumpkin pie layer, then the blue pattern paper (Graphic 45) and some wonderful new MFT stamps and dies.
I used dies from  MFT Blueprints 13 and 20 for my rectangle layers. I love the stitched looked edges without having to get out the sewing machine.  Then I cut the stitched circle frame from white. I cut another from craft foam to raise it up. Craft foam makes it so it won't sag. I learned that from Jennifer McGuire. I'm practicing with distressing and 'splattering' watercolor paper. I'm not very good at it, but that's what I did on the background circle using Adirondack ink pads in butterscotch and sunset orange.
Finally, the cute bear (and accessories) are from My Favorite Things set Birthday Bears.  The dies were cut then stamped in Stazon black ink.  Then I used (for the FIRST time) my Zig Clean Color Real Brush pens.  Not too bad for the first try, I guess.  They are very fun to work with.  Again, I thank Jennifer McGuire for her tutorials, but especially my good, crafty friend and CHIEF ENABLER, Lisa Kind (KIND CREATIONS) for showing me that I needed these markers that are really brushes!\
Enough detail on my card. PLEASE consider jumping in on the action and creating something to show us this week at JUST Us GIRLS!  More details on the blog! And DT inspiration, too!
Thanks for coming by!  Cheryl

Just Us Girls #301 Trend Week

Hello all!  Welcome back!  Lisa at Just Us Girls has a great (and trendy) challenge for us today!  It's to incorporate GOLD somewhere/somehow on your card or project.  How fun is that!  Well, I've been cleaning house since it's summer 'vacation' for me, so I wasn't feeling the creative juices.  Then I remembered Nichole Heady's post from last month's release and I TOTALLY cased her creative card! After that creative theft I kept going and created a few more using the same basic elements, but adding sequins, layers and changing the orientation of the card. Here are two of the results fitting Lisa's challenge.

The one below is pretty much like Nichole's except I love layers (!!) and I added sequins.  Can you see the gold? Kind of subtle, huh?

I'll show you two others later in the week!  These were really fun to create and I see some gift sets being created in the near future.

Please visit the JUGS Blog to see tons more inspiration from the Design Team! We sure hope you'll create something 'golden' to share with us this week! We'd love to see! Remember, playing along gives you the chance to be chosen as our guest designer for September!

Thanks for visiting!

Cheryl

Just Us Girls #300!!! Word Week!

And, the word is CONGRATULATIONS!  Congratulations to us and to YOU!! All of our followers and participants!  We sure appreciate you!  And to show you how much we have PRIZES for this big occasion!
Please visit our blog to read about the PRIZES!!  JUST US GIRLS!


So, our challenge is to make a card fitting the word 'congratulations' that Vicki has challenged us with!
My card is a rather simple one. Now that school is over I seem as busy as ever, but now it's with house cleaning and a bit of painting (rooms, not art!), and even some cooking!
Anyway, here it is:

I'm a bit stuck on clean crisp white and berry sorbet (PTI) lately!  I used an old SU set-Welcome Fruits and an old technique-Rock and Roll for my focal image.  Inks are Berry Sorbet and Cherry Cobbler. The basket weave folder is from My Paper Studio. To show off the pattern I inked it a bit with berry sorbet and cherry cobbler.  The sentiment is from SU.
I'm happy to have had a need for this card.  A dear friend of mine (24 years!) is retiring from teaching this year.  Actually, this is his 3rd day of retirement.  I know he's happy and satisfied with closing out his career. He is a wonderful teacher and has had such a positive impact on so many young lives over many, many years of teaching.  He deserves all happiness in his future.
Well, in addition to that Happy Birthday to all Americans today! Enjoy your Independence Day!
Cheryl