NEW GOODIES & TECHNIQUE

Good morning everyone.  I wnat to start with a prayer for all those involved in the horrific and senseless violence that struck in Boston yesterday.  I can't even comprehend why people do these terrible, terrible things.  I am so thankful for all the medical help that was on site and were able to help so many.

With that said, I feel almost guilty telling you how much fun I had on Saturday.  I went to a scrapbook convention and got a bunch of new goodies!  One of the items I purchased is a kit from Krafty Kreations that included all I needed to do this technique.  It looks like stained glass!  I had no idea that you could color on super fine glitter!  Take a look at my results!

You use double sided sticky sheets, fine glitter, apply peel off stickers for the image outline, color with Copics, then apply to clear acrylic, lovely!  I also bought some packs of just the peel off stickers and look forward to experimenting with them.  Sounds like future posts to me!

Have a good day, and remember to hug your loved ones every chance you get!

GO BANANAS!

Happy Sunday everyone!  I hope you are having a nice weekend.  I did a bit of crafting yesterday and this is one of the cards that I did.  It's for a cousin for his birthday.  He likes monkeys, lol, so I pulled out this cute little Changito stamp that I haven't used in ages!  I added the palm tree that is a digi, colored it all with my Copics, then added the ribbon, button and bling from my stash.
 

I forgot to take a picture of the inside, oops!  It said, 
"It's your day, go bananas!"

See you again soon!

Entered in the following challenges:
Jelly Park ~ About a Book - mine: Jungle Book
One Stop Craft Challenge ~ Birthday
Dream Valley Challenges ~ Birthday

CHOCOLATE, COFFEE & CARDS CHALLENGES #36

WOW!  If the number of entries we had for our last challenge at CC&CC is any indication that you are ready for Spring, then you all certainly are!

Amazing, beautiful cards and what a turnout!  

Many thanx for your support!

This next challenge is a color inspiration.  I hope you enjoy working with this color combo!

Our super sponsor for this challenge is Sassy Studio Designs!  Be sure to check out their awesome digi images.  They have a super variety of lovely ladies that fit so many topics and occasions.

I used this cutie called "French Honey".  Of course when I chose her I wanted to do a French theme.  Here is what I came up with.

I colored her with my Copics, and I used some rubber stamps that I had on the background paper.  Then I added a bit of bling and called it good!

Be sure to pop on over to CC&CC and join in on this fun challenge.

See you there!

HAPPY SPRING!

Well, I'm pretty sure that everyone is really in the mood for Spring!  I have see some really beautiful creations from a lot of you and have truly been inspired.  Also helping my inspiration is my daughter and her husband.  They got a dandy little green house and have been busy planting.  I decided toget my own garden going too.  With all this Spring fever going on I created this card.  It is to congratulate my kids on the fab job they did building their green house!

I used a darling stamp from Dearie Dolls which I colored with my Copics.  I added some pre-made daisies and a gold charm that says "BLOOM".

Hope it is soon Spring in your neighborhood!  In the meantime, try making a Spring themed card to get in the mood!  Happy Spring!

Entered in the following challenges: 

Whimsical Designs ~ Pastels
4 Crafty Chicks ~ Easter 
In The Pink ~ Easter/Spring
Forever Friends ~ Girls
All That Scrap ~ Winged Things
Crafty Creations ~ Easter
Creative Belli ~ Easter
DigiStamps 4 Joy ~ Easter
Digital Tuesday ~ Spring Colors

CHOCOLATE, COFFEE & CARDS CHALLENGES #35

The birds are singing and the sun is shining ~ at least where I am!  Hopefully it is where you are too, or will be soon, because Spring is on the way!  To celebrate this lovely time of year our challenge over at CC&CC is BRING ON SPRING!  Our sponsor is the fab Doodle Pantry and they gave us two cute images to play with.  I used "Song Birdies", they look like they are chirping out songs of the season!  I used a die cut to frame them and colored them with my Copic's.  This was a really fun image to color!  I made a 3 panel background, added some ribbon and dew drops.

So fly on over to CC&CC and check out the inaspiration by our great DT.  Get your mojo working and join in the fun!

HAPPY SPRING!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Like many of you, I love to celebrate St. Patrick's Day, but I am not Irish!  But like they say, "I'm Irish for the day!"  Here are some cards I did in celebration.

Entered in the following challenges:

Just Add Ink ~ Just Add Green
Wags 'n Whiskers Stamps ~ Go Green 

CHOCOLATE, COFFEE and CARDS CHALLENGES and GREAT NEWS!!!

Welcome to challenge #34 at CC&CC!  I have some VERY exciting news!  I am now the official owner and blog master of Chocolate, Coffee & Card Challenges!  Jenn, the former owner had to step down.  I wish her everything good and positive, and she will be missed.  I am very honored to be following in her footsteps.

So, lets get to it!  First off, I had the pleasure of introducing our new DT, a super group of talented ladies.  Be sure to drop by and get introduced and see their lovely creations.

Our generous sponsor is Crafty Sentiments.  I have used their cute image called Mia.  Our theme is BANNERS, fun!  I colored my image with my Copic's and framed her with a die cut frame.  I then added the glitz, lace and flowers.  I made up a new fold and call it "The Flying Nun Fold" because it reminds me of Sally Field's hat in that program, lol!  I added two pieces of balsa wood (painted with pink nail polish) to the top of the card to hold up my banner tied with pink and white twine.  The banner pieces were cut with my Silhouette and then I added the peel off letters.

Please come join us for this fun challenge at CC&CC and a chance to win 4 free digis from Crafty Sentiments and meet our new DT!!  See you there!

MAHALO! (thank you!)

As I was working on a few things here on my blog today, I started reading lots of past comments that you have posted.  It got me thinking about how fortunate I am to have your support.  So, no card today, just a very sincere THANX for taking the time to drop by!  Whether you leave a comment or not, your visits are so appreciated.  And to those of you who do leave comments, your kind words and interest in me and my blog hold a special place in my heart!  Without your support I probably wouldn't be sharing my creations with you.  I love visiting your blogs so much and am so inspired by all the amazing talent I see!  LOVE YA'S!!  Have a great week!

CHOCOLATE, COFFEE & CARDS CHALLENGES #33

Aloha blogger friends!  Are you ready for another great challenge over at CC&CC?!  Our sponsor this challenge is one of my favorites, Bugaboo Digi Stamps!  Their images are so great and I love using them.  This time our theme is "Buttons and Bows", how fun!  I chose this cute image called JJ Sewing.  I colored her with my Copic's and paired her up with some adorable papers by DCWV called The Crafty Stack.  I thought they were perfect because they had buttons and scissors which matched JJ.  I also really liked the colors.  Of course I then had to add more buttons and the ribbon bow.

So hop on over to CC&CC and join us for this fun challenge.  Our DT team has made some lovely cards that are bound to be inspiring!  I know you have an idea brewing and ready to be created!  See you there!

SNOW IN PHOENIX?!!?

Hello all.  This is not card or craft related, but I just HAD to share!  Yesterday we had a real cold storm with lots and lots or rain.  Then late in the afternoon we got a BIG surprise!  SNOW!!!!  Now that is something you really don't see HERE very often!  In fact I have NEVER seen it here in the city like this!  Usually if we do get some, it never sticks to the ground, it just melts as it nears the ground.  Some areas of the city really got socked!  Take a look at what we had yesterday!

It didn't last long, and in our area it was only a dusting, but it sure 

made my day!

FRIENDS ARE LIKE TRUFFLES

Hello, and happy Wednesday.  Hang in there, only a couple days till the weekend!  I want to start the day with this card, another Valentine that I made but didn't post.  I made quite a bunch that didn't get posted, so forgive me if Valentine's keep popping up from time to time, lol!

 I really like the sentiment with this one, I think it is so true!

I used a die cut for the base beneath the image which I colored with Copic's, added some flowers, lace, ribbon and embellies.

Then I made up this sentiment for the inside:

Mahalo for stopping by, and enjoy the rest of your week!

Entered in the following challenges:

Bearly Mine ~ Lace, Ribbon Twine
City Crafter ~ All that Glitters
Digital Tuesday Challenge ~ Pink and White
Flourishes ~ Use Red
The Ribbon Carousel ~ Love Is In The Air
Ladybug Crafts Ink TLT ~ Pink +

SLOW DOWN

Another Monday and a brand new week!  I'm starting it out by posting a card I made for a dear friend who broke his knee and is laid up for a while.  He's having a hard time keeping still as he is a very active person.  So I thought I would try to cheer him up a bit.

I kept it very simple with just a few layers for color and the image is colored with my Copic's.  Add several buttons and the sentiment and voila!

Mend quickly my friend, I miss you!

Entered in the following challenges:
 Cards In Envy ~ Polka Dots and/or Stripes
Forever Friends & Co ~ Animals and/or Butterflies and/or Birds
Ink It Pink ~ In The Garden
Squigglefly ~ Use A Sentiment
Craft Room Challenge ~ For A Man
Loves Rubber Stamps ~ Lots Of Layers
Through The Craft Room Door ~ Anything Goes 

VALENTINE FISHES

HAPPY VALENTINE"S DAY ALL!  I wish you love and happiness whether you are a single or a couple!  Today's card is the one I made for my sweetie.  We had a big laugh because the one he gave me is the same subject (kissing fish) and also most of the same colors!  I guess after 26 years together we are still on the same wave length, lol!

The image is colored with my Copic's, mounted of a die cut, then I added glitter and ribbon.  This is the card I made for him:

This is the card he got for me!  It even has glitter on the fishes fins too!

LOVE IS BEAUTIFUL

I really do believe that love is beautiful, all kinds of love.  Because I think it all boils down to respect, admiration, dedication, and loyalty to our partner in life.  This card was made for a very dear girlfriend and her lovely partner of ten years.  They are two of the sweetest gals you will ever meet.  I wanted to do something very special and personal for them.  I went vintage and really enjoyed doing this card.  I used lots of distress ink, pearls and lace.  I also added a cupid charm, twine and a flower made of fabric and pearls.  The image was an old post card I found in an antique shop.  I really love how it all came together, and I am so happy they were thrilled to receive it.

VALENTINE DAY KITTY HUGS

Aloha all, another week has started and I'm busy getting ready for Valentine's Day!  I really enjoyed making Valentine's this year, but I didn't make as many as usual.  I had to apologize to some friends and family because I just wasn't able to get to all the loved ones on my list.  Thankfully, they understand!

This card is for my daughter.  She told me she would like a card with a cat and a fleur de lis, both things she loves.  So here is the end result.

 

 The image is by Dearie-Dolls (soooo cute) and was colored with my Copic's.  I used a Martha Stewart around the corner heart punch for the background, added a die cut corner frame, flowers and various other bits of bling.  She got the card in the mail and called me to tell me it is her most favorite card I've made her!  Success!

This card is entered in the following challenges:

Come and Get It Challenges ~ Show us Your Heart

Corrosive Challenges ~ Hearts and Flowers

Glitter n Sparkle ~ Girls Are Made Of

Great Impressions ~ Have A Heart

PanPastel ~ Love and Romance

ABC Challenges ~ Red, Pink, White/Vanilla
Card Mania ~ Love
Craft Your Passion ~ My Valentine
Creative Creations ~ It Must Be Love
House of Gilli ~ Pink and BLing
Kaboodle Doodles ~ Valentines
My Craft Spot ~ For Your Sweetheart
Ooh La La Creations ~ Love Story
Paper Playtime ~ Border Punches
Victorine Stamps ~ Valentine's and Hearts

CHOCOLATE, COFFEE & CARDS CHALLENGES #32 ~ HOBBIES

Welcome back to another fun challenge at CC&CC!  Let's give a BIG drum roll to  announce our new Design Team of very talented ladies!!!  We are so lucky to have them on our team.  I know they will bring you LOTS of inspiration in the months ahead.

HOBBIES!  I know you all have at least one, and probably many more!  Join in and make a card showing us your favorite one!  Our super sponsor Milk Coffee gave our DT a variety of images to choose from and this cute chickie family was my choice, tooooo cute!  I colored it with some new markers I purchased.  They are Spectrum Noir.  On the whole they are very cost efficient and work pretty good.  They have a few things I find negative, but are quite useable.  They will NEVER replace my Copic's, but I didn't expect them to!  (I may do a full review sometime soon.)  In any case, after coloring I mounted the image on a circle cut with my Cuttlebug and added the little flowers and the sentiment.  

Here is the result.

OK!  Now it's your turn to join in and have some fun.  Show us your creations and also, be sure to stop by and say hello to our new DT!

KOALA BEAR

Hello.  I have finally gotten around to posting a new card that is not for a challenge, lol!  My cousin has a birthday on the 1st of Feb. and this is for her.  She loves koala bears.  This image is in an instruction download I purchased that shows different coloring techniques with Copics.  It was perfect for her.

Thanx for stopping by, enjoy the rest of your week!

CHOCOLATE, COFFEE & CARDS CHALLENGES #31

Sorry for posting this a bit late, but life is still throwing some punches at me!  With that said, onward!

This two week challenge over at CC&CC is titled ROCK ON!  We are being sponsored by the great Kenny K digi stamps.  They have a great selection of really "hip" images.  I chose to use this cutie called "Tracy Champstamp".  For the background I used a paper that has deep blue glitter on it.  I cut out the pink glitter letters with my new Silhouette, colored the image with my Copic's and added some blue glitter on her jeans, pink glitter on her top and a bit of black on her hair.  The final touch was some pink and black dew type drops that match the pattern of the background paper.

 

  Be sure to come by and join in on this fun challenge!  And while you are there, don't forget to check out the great cards done by our guest designer and our super design team!  YOU ALL ROCK!!!

CHOCOLATE, COFFEE & CARDS CHALLENGES #30

ALOHA!  Please accept my wishes for a Happy New Year even if they may be a bit late.  It has been quite a while since I have posted anything on here.  Well, life took some unexpected turns as it sometimes does.  I woke up Christmas morning to my Pop being violently sick.  Horrid flu!  All I did most of the day was keep him cleaned up.  I washed 3 loads of laundry and washed the floor 4 times along with the carpet twice.  Then the next day I came down with it, what a mess it was!  We just celebrated Christmas dinner on the 6th of January!  There were still unopened gifts and our full stockings hanging over the fireplace!  I sure hope I have seen the last of that nasty bug!  On top of all of this, my daughter and her husband arrived Christmas day!  Thankfully they were staying in a lovely condo near by and avoided our bug.  BUT, now they have it on their return to Oregon.  YUCK!

ANYHOW, it is time again for a new challenge at CC&CC.  Our generous sponsor this challenge is Robyn's Fetish, and our theme is "For The Birds".  Use a feathered friend on your card!  My image is called Sailing, Sailing.  I printed out the word "onward" on the sail with my computer, colored the image with my Copic's, added the ship's wheel cut with my NEW Silhouette Cameo (my Christmas present from my Pop!), and the button and mini sand dollar.

 

 I am sending this card to my daughter and her sweet husband as a thank you for my Christmas presents.  They treated me royally!  The word "onward" represents them bringing me out of the dark ages of my old cell phone and into the new world of technology ~ they got me a new iPhone!  What an amazing gadget!  I must say I do love it and it is not as hard to use as I thought it would be.

So there you have it.  Another great challenge at CC&CC.  OH, and I almost forgot, we are looking for new DT members.  I am happy to be staying on for another term, my 3rd one!  So if you are interested be sure to drop by and apply!  See you soon, thanx for dropping by!

Entered in the following challenges:

Crafts for Eternity ~ Moody Blues

Creative Corner Challenges ~ Cute As A Button

Joyful Stamper ~ Anything Goes

Card Crafters Circle ~

Fairytale Challenge Blog ~ Animals & Pets

CHOCOLATE, COFFEE & CARDS CHALLENGE # 29

WELCOME!  Christmas day is quickly approaching!  I hope you are ready for the big day.  We are celebrating at CC&CC with this challenge.  Our theme is SNOWMEN!  I love them, and I had such a good time doing this card.  The image is by Stamp Fairy, our generous sponsor this week.  It is called Cocoa 

and is a real cutie!  I wanted to do something a bit different from the traditional red and green.  This paper pack by The Paper Studio called All Seasons II was perfect.  It's filled with coordinating color papers making it so easy to create the perfect combo of papers.  The layers of paper make Mr. Snowman really pop!  He was colored with my Copic's, I added the ribbon, snow and the snowflakes, and that's it!

 

 

 I know we are all busy preparing for Christmas Day, but I hope you can find the time to join us for a bit of fun!  

I send love, hugs and a big MAHALO to all my followers and my great blog buddies for your kind support.  I know how busy we all get, and taking the time to stop by and say hello really means a lot to me.  Have a very blessed holiday and all the best to you in the New Year!

MELE KALIKIMAKA, ALOHA NUI LOA!!!!!

SANTA IS HERE

Well, the tree is up, all the decorating is finished and my Christmas cards are in the mail ~ heavy contented sigh!  Only cookies to be baked and that leaves me time to enjoy the holiday festivities.  Now I can post some of the cards that I have made.  This one is a scene using my window die and a lot of pine branches cut with a punch.  I made the branches into a wreath, added red Stickles for berries then the bow.  The scene outside the window was printed with my computer onto a partially inked area, then colored with my Copic's.  I also added a bit of white glitter here and there for sparkling snow.

I hope you are making progress on all your holiday preparations and enjoying the joy of the season.  Thanx so much for taking the time to stop by.  

Merry, Merry!

CHOCOLATE COFFEE & CARDS CHALLENGES #28

Well, it's time for another fun challenge over at CC&CC!  This week we have a recipe for you:

3 Flowers

2 Design Papers

Ribbon

Our sponsor this challenge is the lovely Sassy Design Studio, such great images.  It was hard to pick just one to use, but I decided on this cutie called Santa's Helper.  My 3 flowers (I used 4, uh-oh!) are poinsettias that I made.  I cut them on my new Cameo, LOVE that machine!  The image is colored with Copic's.  The blue glitter paper flourish is a die cut.

Now it's your turn to get busy and show us what you can do!  You may even win a prize!  Good Luck!

Entered in the following challenges:

Sassy Design Studio ~ #154 A Celebration
Divas By Design ~ Snow
Fab N' Funky ~ Not A Traditional Christmas
 Freshly Brewed Challenges ~ Christmas
Shopping Our Stash Challenge ~ Winter Holiday or Snow
Ruby's Rainbow ~ Non Traditional Colors
Whimsey Stamps Inspirations Challenge ~ Festive
Crafting For All Seasons ~ Flowers
Celebrate The Occasion ~ No Red Or Green
Crazy Amigo Challenge  ~ Surprise
Die Cuttin' Divas ~ Holiday Spirit

LAMP POST IN THE SNOW

Well, I am finally just about done with my Christmas cards, whew!  Now I need to take the time to post a few, lol.  This one was fun to do.  I colored the image with my Copic's then added some Flowersoft for the snow and the wreath.  I set it all off with a bit of ribbon and that was that!

Thanx so much for dropping by!  I hope you are having a good week and are getting into the Christmas spirit!

This card is entered in the following Challenges:
 CanYouDigiIt ~ Baby It's Cold Outside
Clean  It Out Challenge ~ Christmas (red, white & green)
Everybody-Art Challenge ~ Christmas
Jackson's Digital Expressions ~ Inks and Such
LEJ Designs ~ Countdown to Christmas
Love To Create Challenge Blog ~ #44 Holiday Cheer
Oldie But a Goodie ~ Let It Snow (Flowersoft)
Papertake Weekly ~ Anything Goes
Paper Play TIme ~ #90 Christmas Colors
Shopping Our Stash ~ Winter Holiday or Snow/ Winter Theme
Squigglefly Challenge ~ #48, SFC4812 Winter Wonderlan
Sweet Stamps ~ #94 Winter Greenery
The Stamping Boutique ~ Holiday Cards
Tip Top Tuesday ~ #91 Christmas