HM Challenge #38... A Happy Hopper in the Tub!

Hello everyone!

Today I'm just playing for the fun of it! A group of friends on SCS have a weekly challenge we do together and last Friday we were to case our sweet friend and sister in Christ, Pat Smethers. She had sent me a card with a cute HM image of a Happy Hopper taking a soak in an old barrell. Her colors were like this and she has the cutest way of coloring these little critters. I tried to case her overall style.

I also used the HM Sketch Challenge #38 for my layout. I used Bazzill Bling and Textured CS, and EK Success DP, which I ran through the Cuttlebug with the bubbles embossing folder. I used Copics to color my image. I used the following colors: W1, E00, E53, R11, RV32, C5 and Blender 0. I also used a tiny leaf image, a flower image, and a tiny dragonfly image from the Rubber Stamp Tapestry Co. and cut a little See D's dots stamp in half to give it a better shape to dot around the image. I added Stickles to all the bubbles and the flower centers, and I painted Shimmerz Candle Light onto the dragonfly wings. I punched the lower edge with my Martha Steward little hearts border punch. The ovals are cut with the small classic Nesties, and the bling was the finishing touch.

This is headed out to my sweet friend with a bunch of images including lots of Scriptures, because she loves Jesus too!

Thanks for stopping by my blog! I'd love to have you say hello while you're here!

House Mouse Springtime Monday Challenge

Hello everyone! I feel like I have been gone for a month!!! I am totally exhausted to the point of hardly being able to put one foot in front of the other, but I'm thankful that I was able to help my daughter and son in law move into their own home. They are very happy to be out of their rental, and into their home. They have beautiful mountain views in every direction! I had a hard time prying myself from the windows!!! God is so good!!!

I really had a hard time getting back into stamping this afternoon for some reason.... I guess the long absence made me lose my mojo. I saw the House Mouse Monday challenge to use a Springtime theme, and that is what got me going.

I used my "Singing in the Rain" stamp by Stampabilities, stamped it in Archival Jet Black on Georgia Pacific White. I colored the image with Prisma Pencils and blended with Goo Gone... a trick shared with me by my in real life stamping friend, Dawn. It seems to slide over the GP paper a bit smoother than odor free mineral spirits.

Once I had the image colored I still wasn't quite feeling a great layout for it, but I kept thinking "umbrella".... but I don't have any umbrella images. I decided to try hand drawing one, and this is the result. I drew the umbrella on DP by Daisyd's. I love this pack of dp! I drew in the seam lines in pencil, then pierced them closely, and then doodled in faux stitching. I erased the pencil lines and drew a handle on a scrap of tan cs, cut it out and glued it behind the umbrella. I stamped the sentiment (Studio G) and matted it in the violet I used for my base (a textured cs from Walmart... unknown brand). I used my SU! slot punch to punch this panel, then "hung" it on the umbrella handle and mounted it on dimensionals. This little mouse has cast off her umbrella and is just enjoying every drop of spring rain!

My white panel is cuttlebugged with the bubbles embossing folder. I wanted to add ribbon but couldn't make it look uncluttered with it... so left it as is. I added Stickles to the Violet, the raindrops, and her little toenails. I know the night time photos never show the cards well, but I just wanted to post this tonight. I hope you enjoy it and thanks so much for taking the time to look and leave me a comment! It means ever so much!!!

Single Layer Challenge: Three Cards

A small group of friends on SCS do a weekly challenge. We upload on Fridays, but since I will be away I did mine tonight. The rules for this challenge were VERY resrictive!!!

We had to make THREE cards, and the ALL could only be ONE single layer! We were allowed to use One Punch if desired, one embellishment, and one ribbon on each. The cards had to be appropriate for a birthday card...although they did not have to have a birthday sentiment on them.

1. One card had to be a cutesy animal card.

2. One card had to be a guy card.

3. One card had to be a coffee theme or brown in color.

Whew! Talk about hard! I never realized how many layers I use until I was told I could only use one! LOL!

So this is my cutesy animal card. I chose this cute little house mouse image from Stampabilities. It's called Buzzy Friends. I stamped with Stazon Jet Black ink and colored with Prisma Pencils and blended with Odor Free Mineral Spirits. I love coloring these little guys... they're so cute! I had to add a little sparkle so on their wings I lightly colored with my pencils and then painted "Shimmerz" in Angel Wings over top... did two coats. Shimmerz is such a great paint! I love the shimmer it gave the wings. I also colored over the lines of the wings with my clear glitter gel pen. The photo does not show it but they are sparkly and really pretty. I added Stickles to the anntenae. I thought this ribbon was about perfect and helped fill the space on this single layer card. Did I mention these card have to be single layers?

I'm glad I did this challenge! I never thought a single layer could look good, but it really isn't that bad. I hope you like it... it's good to challenge ourselves every now and then, and this one challenged me! I was dying to layer some black matting on here but I restrained myself!

A Challenge that was difficult!!!

This was my third single layer card... the one that had to have a coffee theme. I stamped the Stampabilities House Mouse image and colored with Prisma Pencils, blended with odor free mineral spirits, then painted the mug with a couple of coats of Diamond Glaze, which really gave it a shine. I stamped the Stampabilities sentiment and the little coffee bean from a Hero Arts Clear set in Chocolate Chip. I sponged Creamy Caramel around the edges, and also Ranger Distress Ink in Antique Linen. For the scalloped border I used my corner rounder without the guard on it. I used a camel color ribbon with a cranberry colored thread woven through it. I added some shimmer with my clear glitter gel pen... the wafts, coffee beans and the little mouse' toenails, eyes and nose have just a dot.

I hope you like this trio of single layer cards. Never have I done any more difficult challenge than this! Oh how I longed for a few layers!!! LOL! But I did not cheat and I feel I learned a few things along the way... and that's what a challenge is all about!

I will be gone for a week and a half at least, so please don't give up on me... I'll be back and will be chompin at the bit to stamp and share again! Thanks for looking!

Seed Shooter

Hello everyone! Thanks for stopping by my blog today! I made this card for today's Color Challenge over on SCS, and also for Jamie's sketch on the House Mouse Monday challenge. There is a link for the House Mouse Monday Challenge down on the right side of my blog toward the bottom of the page. Why don't you take a peek?

The image I used is called Seed Shooter. I had this really fun glittery DP by DCWV called "Sweet" collection. I layered that with More Mustard and Rose Red Bazzill to meet the colors of the color challenge. I stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black and colored with my Copics. If you don't use Copics but want to get started, I highly recommend stamping with the Memento line.... it is about the only ink I have found that does not run with the alcohol in the Copics.

I added some glittery doodling around the scallops and some Basicgrey fibers, and three brads. I wish my photo showed all the glitter and dimension this great dp has... but it's the best I can get. Thanks so much for stopping by and if you haven't signed my guest book please do.... it's at the bottom of the page!

This is a card I made for a color challenge on SCS. I really am not a big fan of "garden green"... but I really liked how this card came out, even with garden green! LOL! The colors we were to use were Garden Green, Brilliant Blue, and Pumpkin Pie. The highlight of this card is my punched Bachelor Buttons, using my Martha Stewart cornflower punch. Each flower is punched twice and I bent up each petal just a bit for dimension. I used another Martha Stewart punch for the leaves, and I added veining with my embossing stylus and then lightly sponging ink on the edges and in the grooves. The Stampabilities butterfly is colored with SU! markers. The sentiment is Great Impressions.