COOKIES!

I know that Christmas has come and gone, but I was still in the mood to do something "Christmasy" for fun!  I'm a bit behind with entering this for the challenge over at Magnolia-licous Highlites, but here it is.  The theme was letters.  I hadn't done a Tilda in a long time and had a lot of fun with this.  She is colored with Copics, the letters and scallop frame were cut with my Cricut, and the little cookie shapes I cut out by hand from some patterned paper and glued on.  Tilda and her frame and the letters are all raised with pop dots, then the finishing touch is the big bow.

WEDDING

A new year and a new beginning!  A January wedding is a wonderful way to celebrate!  This is for a BFF that is such a special friend and I wanted something fancy.  I was way out of my normal comfort zone on this one - lots of flowers and glitz.  But hey, like I said, a new beginning, so why not just jump into it and try something out of my normal realm!  The background paper was from Micheal's, Bride & Groom stamp is by Stampendous, little flowers from a prize package I won quite some time ago and hadn't yet used.  I added a bit of Stickles on the dots of her dress and added the silver ribbon.  The scallop circles were cut with my Cuttlebug using my Spellbinders and were raised with pop dots.  Let me know what you think - is it too overboard, lol?

 

The inside Congrats stamp and champagne flutes stamp I picked up from Micheal's dollar bin!

KIND THOUGHTS

This card is for a wonderful gentleman that visits my Dad. Yesterday he had surgery to insert a pace maker.  He and his wife are missionaries.  One afternoon my Dad was sitting outside in his wheel chair on the front porch and they stopped and spoke to him.  It's been 5 years since then and they have both become a blessing in my Dad's life.  As it was a card for a man, my mojo is always a bit slower!  So I looked through my pictures of card layouts and this one caught my eye - but I tweaked it a bit.  I had recently bought a paper stack by DCWV called "Linen Closet" that fit the bill perfectly.  Such nice soft hues of color.  I raised the two front layers with pop-dots, added a few dew drops and a bit of ribbon. The stamp was from Micheal's dollar bin (you know how much I love a bargain!)

 

MAHALO NUI LOA! (Thank you very much!)

WOW!  What a WONDERFUL turnout we had for the The Lime Light Blog Hop!  Thank you so much to ALL of you who stopped by, became followers and left such LOVELY comments!  It warmed my heart to read all the great things you wrote, not only here, but on all the blogs involved.  They are a great and talented group!  Be sure to stay tuned for all the projects we will be working on this coming year.  It's sure to be a great adventure!  Again, Mahalo for all your support!  Joanne

LIME LIGHT CHARITABLE DESIGN TEAM BLOG HOP

As we say in Hawaii, "E KOMO MAI", which means welcome, come in!  I'm Joanne, and I am so happy to have you here and am so pleased to share The Lime Light with you.  I am a "newbie" on the team and it's my first time to be on a design team and am VERY excited!  I can't wait to see what wonderful projects we will be designing.  I am so honored to be in the company of such a great group of creative ladies.  If you arrived here from Sue's Cricut and Crafts amazing blog, you are on the right track.  If not, be sure to go back and start from the beginning at The Lime Light so you don't miss out on any of them!

On to the fun!  I have two lovely tropical themed note cards (pictured below) that are 5 x 7 and are blank on the inside. Please become a follower of my blog and leave a comment after this post to qualify to win these note cards or any of the other SUPER GOODIES that are being given away!

On this first card I used a fun technique.  On the brown paper background you can see a light colored design.  This was made with the  pineapple stamp stamped randomly all over the paper, BUT, I used a bleaching technique not ink!  Use a piece of darker paper for the best results.  Fold a paper towel  several times, then lay it on a ceramic or glass plate.  Pour just enough bleach on the paper towel to fully saturate it.  Use the paper towel as if it were your stamp pad to do your stamp.  Let the paper dry, or hurry it along by using your heat embossing tool.  VERY IMPORTANT - IMMEDIATELY WASH YOUR RUBBER STAMP WITH WARM SOAPY WATER!  The bleach can damage your stamp if you do not!  Try various types of paper for interesting results, I used plain brown construction paper.  It's fun to see the image suddenly start to appear as the bleach dries!  I then used a corner punch for the rounded edges and stamped the lighter paper with the pineapple stamp, taped the layers on the card and VOILA!

On the second card I used the same brown construction paper but no bleach technique.  I tore the edges by hand and did the same to the light colored paper with the stamp on it.  Then all I had to do was tape the layers on, very simple.

I hope you enjoyed your visit here as much as I have enjoyed you stopping by, come back again soon!  And be sure to keep up with all the great projects we will be doing on Lime Light.  Now on to the next wonderful designer who is one of our honored guests on this blog hop.  She has tons of ideas for your Cricut that are sure to excite and inspire you!  It's JOY at everyday Cricut.   ALOHA!

GIFT CARD HOLDER

Well, again I have to give a big MAHALO to my blogging buddy Christine for this wonderful idea.  She made several of these and they are beautiful!  I have one friend that I bought a gift card for, so I wanted to try making one.  It has a paper band that slides around the card to keep it closed so the gift card is more secure.  The ornament I drew and cut out by hand because the glitter paper was so thick my regular Cricut blade wouldn't cut it.  The ovals were cut with my Cuttle bug using Nestabilities.  I added the gold rhinestones and snowflakes which were all stick-ons ready made.  The colors are much prettier than in the pictures, I wish they showed up better!

WONDERFUL WHITE

This card is for a challenge over at Creative Inspirations.  The challenge is to use only white.  I used the Cuttle Bug and Swiss Dots folder for the background, cut the tree with my Cricut using a SCAL file with nice layers.  Used glitter for some bling, then added the ribbon for a final touch. Voila, simple and all white!

GREAT NEWS!!!!!

I am SOOOOO EXCITED!  I have been select to be a Design Team Member for "Lime Light Scrappers"!  They make and donate projects for all branches of our military, and various charities and organizations.  I will have to do 6 projects over the next year, making 15 each time of whatever the item is we are to design.  Something so worthwhile to occupy my time!  They are having a Blog Hop on the 17th of December at 8 pm central time.  Come join in on all the fun and prizes and visit all their talented designers. I have always wanted to be on a Design Team, but to do it for such a great purpose is so wonderful!  Wish me luck!!!

CHRISTMAS CARDS

My cards have been done since way before Thanksgiving, now I just need to get them in the mail~!  The tree is up and the houses is decorated so the cards go out tomorrow, then the baking begins, oh joy!  These two cards are very simple ones.  Some gold embossing fitted into a pre-cutout card and a stamped message.  I have not made as many layered cards this year to keep the postage $$ down.  When you send 40 cards it starts to get a bit pricey!  I try not to think of myself as "cheap", just thrifty!

SNOWMAN CANDY WRAPPERS

I am sending out a big Mahalo to my good blogging buddy Christine!  I saw these posted on her blog, they are too adorable!  She got the pattern from Laurie who has it on her blog where you can download it for free!  They are very simple and fun to make.  My Dad is a complete chocoholic so I bought the large size Hershey chocolate bars and made one for him and also for 3 other friends.  The hat and scarves are made from some soft socks I got at the 99 cent store, how I love to find all kinds of goodies in that store!  Just cut off the "foot" end of the sock then tie the end shut, voila, a cute hat!  They really are a great idea for a nice little gift. 

ELEGANT AND SLIGHTLY "DECO"

When I saw this beautiful pack of papers by "The Paper Studio" it was definitely love at first sight!  From the rich colors and textures to the glittery designs.  The paper has a bit of fabric texture to it that adds such elegance.  I immediately thought of simple, elegant Deco designs and my Martini Christmas stamp!  It was also a fantastic deal at the Hobby Lobby, 50% off, how could I loose?!!  I bought the little Christmas trees - they were buttons and I cut the loops off their backs, and glued them on.  The stamps are done with silver embossing powder.  Oh, and notice, I didn't even add any bows, lol!  The first card was entered into the challenge at One Stitch At A Time for "Celebrate in Style" (a martini is always a way to do that!), and the second at the challenge over at Crazy 4 Challenges for their "script" challenge.

MALE BIRTHDAY CARD

Yes, I too struggle with cards for a man!  It's hard not to use any ribbons, rhinestones or frills!  This card uses the stamp resist technique and also the layout from a card done by Gina K.  I combined two of her cards to come up with my version.  I computer printed the "Happy Birthday" script, stamped the leaf design with Versamark and used clear embossing powder.  Then I used Ranger  Rick inks on a pad and blended it over the clear stamp, and added a few buttons (not too feminine!).  It made a nice card for my male friend!

THANKSGIVING CARDS

I finally got all of my Thanksgiving cards done!  I have a new stamp set that I  ordered from "Kitchen Sink Stamps" that is one that you do in layers to create a look with more depth.  I love it!  It is the Autumn tree and it was so fun to work with.  I saw the set used on a card in the November issue of Card Maker Magazine and had to have it!  Now I want to try more of their stamps that you do in layers.  I kept these pretty simple as the stamp itself is so nice it didn't need a lot of embellishment.

On this one I used my Nestie's for the layers.  I really liked the background paper.  When I got it all laid out I noticed the "apple picking" words were in the perfect place that I could hand a little apple charm!

I also used my Nestabilities to cut out the pumpkin on this one.  Then I used a rubber stamp for the designs on the pumpkin and the corners.  I also added a little sparkle with a few tiny rhinestones in the squash blossom flowers.  Happy Autumn and Thanksgiving to you all!

PATCHQUILT PUMPKIN

Back from my WONDERFUL visit with my daughter and son-in-law in Oregon.  It was the best trip up there that I have had yet.  The gorgeous colors of Autumn were everywhere!  I got some great card making goodies at several shops and am about to embark on a new venture. . .  I am going to make my first album.  I took so many lovely pictures and I want to do something special with them.  It will be a while before it's complete, but I'm excited about starting it.

This card is one I did today for Thanksgiving.  I love the little turkey, he was a button that I got on my trip, and also the paper came from a craft store in Salem.  The pumpkin is pieces of paper I put together like a quilt and cut the shape with my Nestie's, then I used a pen to make stitch marks.  I added some raffia, a leaf and buttons to finish it off.  It's pretty colorful!

FOR MY GHOULFRIENDS!

I have seen many variations of this card and I have loved them all!  This was my take on the "Fall Accessories".  I cut the letters with my Cricut, ran the green paper through the Cuttlebug, the accessories were printed with my computer, colored with Copics and then cut out by hand.  It was a bit labor intensive, but worth it for my 4 best gals!  I added a little sparkle with some rhinestones on the corners, and the button with just a "dash" of ribbon.

I loved this sentiment and the way it is arranged, so used it on the inside:

HALLOWEEN CATS N' SPIDERS

I really fell in love with these background papers!  I love all the great colors, you can mix so much with it.  As usual I kept it pretty simple and on the first two added my favorite fancy, ribbon, and used my great eyelets from Gina K.  (so ezzy-peezy!) to put the ribbon through.  I printed the cats and spiders from my computer.

AUTUMN IN OREGON

Aloha all!  I am up in Oregon visiting my daughter and son-in-law.  When I arrived I picked up my rental car and headed up to the Columbia River Gorge, my favorite place up this way!  It was a beautiful day with huge clouds and sunshine, about 62 degrees, perfect!  The leaves are changing colors and are GORGEOUS!  It was a marvelous day!

Yesterday I went shopping in a wonderful scrapbooking store!  Got some super papers, eyelets, new Cricut blades and Diamond Glaze - really been wanting to try that stuff!  This week I'm going to a great stamping store called The Stampin' Cat.  Can't wait.  Have a good week!

 

CREEPY!

Halloween cards are so FUN to make!  I love all the wild colors you can use - so why did I choose mostly black and white, LOL!  I loved this graphic but wasn't sure how to use it.  I printed it and it laid on my table for at least three days until I started staring at it and decided to tear the edges and do some distressing.  Then it just all seemed to  fall into place!  I really like the background paper.  It was from a pack that I got at Big Lots.  It's hard to see, but the word "creepy" was cut out with my Cricut, then I added the rhinestone spider.  I'm giving this to my daughter as she HATES spiders, but hey, it's Halloween and things are supposed to be creepy and spooky!

BIRDIE HELLO

Happy Saturday all.  Hope you are having a good one.  The weather here is finally getting cooler, great golf weather!  I played yesterday up in Cornville, really BEAUTIFUL course.

This was a fun, quickie card.  I got the birdie stamp some time ago but had never used it.  I think it goes well with the back and white paper.  The paper clip circle was just a little touch to jazz it up a bit, I think it works (?).  

BABY GIRL

A girlfriend of mine here in Phoenix is a Grandma for the 1st time!  Her son and daughter-in-law had a beautiful baby girl.  It was so fun to make a baby card for them.  I don't do many of those and it was a nice change.  I kept it very simple as a lot of my supplies had not arrived yet, so I used Precious Moments stick ons.  Later I hung a little gold safety pin charm from the pink bow, but I forgot to take another picture with it on. . .

HAPPY 50th ANNIVERSARY

Lots of fun doing this one!  I really love the white on white cards, they look so elegant.  The heart was cut out  with the Cricut, used the Cuttlebug for the embossing, added some little pearls, and ribbon.  The inner heart edges are heat embossed with sparkle embossing powder and I computer generated their names.  Happy 50th Peggy & Ed!

BIRTHDAY POSIES

A simple birthday card for a special lady.  Added the "Swiss Dots" using the Cuttlebug and of course some ribbon which I always like!  The posies are a stamp that I did twice but cut out one and used on at the bottom.

I'M BAAAAACK!!!!

Aloha ALL!! I have been gone from here longer than I expected, but am SO GLAD to be back! All my card supplies that I shipped from Hawaii to my Dad's house made if safely, thank goodness. It has been quite an adjustment to say the least, but I am doing pretty good and anxious to be in touch with all my wonderful blogging friends again! Thanx so much for all your support!

I want to start out with a the card I did for my daughter and new son-in-law for their wedding this past June.  The wedding was lovely and they are so happy! I kept the card simple and a bit elegant. The paper was such a pretty, soft cream color with gold.  I'm really glad that they liked it!

The wedding was held in Eugene, OR and they were blessed with perfect weather - sunshine and no rain!  Early that morning I got up and went out into the forest and picked ferns and wildflowers to weave my daughter's haku (head wreath).  It turned out beautiful.  Here is a picture of the happy couple!

GARDEN ANGEL

This card was inspired by my daughter's Spring planting.  She has been working very hard planting and decorating her garden.  She bought the cutest garden angel to hang on her picket fence and when I saw it this card idea took root!  The background paper was a piece of printed scrapbook paper that had the grass printed on it.  The angel is an SVG file I cut with SCAL and also all the little flowers were free SVG files except the sunflowers whick are from A Walk In My Garden Cricut cartridge.  I used a printable paper that looked like wood for the fence and added some color to it.  I raised the fence and angel with pop dots for some dimension then added the little worm, butterfly and dragonfly.  It was a labor of love and lots of fun!

I'M SO EXCITED!!!

I am so excited!  I won my first card challenge for my card over at Copic Colour Challenge.  It was for the "crazy party lady" card.  It meant a lot because the winner is not chosen by a number generator, they are picked by the design team.  So thanx so much, I can't wait to use the $25 gift certificate over at Simon Says Stamps!

MAY YOUR DAY BE FILLED WITH SUNSHINE

You know it's funny sometimes how things turn out...  I like the eyelets on cards and decided it was time to check into getting an eyelet setter.  After doing a bit of research I found they were a bit "pricey" and bulky to use.  I was also surprised to learn they could be noisy!  In any case, I decided to wait a bit and look at them on the mainland when I go next week.  THEN, I got my weekly e-mail from Gina K. at Stamp TV and guess what her tutorial was on!?!  Setting eyelets with a ballpoint pen, yes a pen!  Check out the video.  Well, I took the bait, hook line and sinker!  And am I ever glad I did.  For a fraction of the price and so much less work I made my 1st card using their technique.  It was so simple and fun!  It's a shame the ribbon covers so much of the eyelets.  Can't wait to use them again and have them where they are more visible.  Something else new on this card is the stamped sentiment.  It's a cute stamp I picked up on E-bay for 99 cents!  With postage it was a whopping $3.49, lol.  I think I'm starting to sound like a cheap skate, but like I've said before, "I love a bargain!"  ALSO I have entered this card over at Flutter By Wednesdays.

PARTY TIME!

We are having a much needed rain shower!  Considering the Big Island has the highest drought rate in the US right now, we really need it.  It made for a nice afternoon listening to the rain and crafting, great combo!  I love this crazy ol' gal!  She just screams PARTY! to me.  I colored her with Copic's and then added the champagne charm and a bow.  I tried to find some wild paper, but this was the best I had.  It seemed to fit because it has some sparkle to it.  Time to party!  I entered her in the Copic Colour Challenge.

These are the colors we were to use:

BIRTHDAY BALOONS - POLKA DOODLE CHALLENGE WEEK 13, BIRTHDAY

This is a scraplift of a card I saw some time ago.  I loved it because of its simple, clean lines.  You know me, the ordered and tailored look!  I did it in two different color schemes and I'm not sure which one I like best.  Both were colored with Prisma pencils and Gamsol and I did some embossing lines around the stamped area.  The sentiment is computer generated.  I added the glazed look on the balloons with clear embossing powder.  I want to find some "crystal lacquer" when I go to the mainland on the 19th - oh boy, fun craft supply shopping time again!  I entered this card in the challenge over at Polka Doodle where the theme is "Birthday".

LITTLE KIMONO GIRL - MO'S DIGITAL STAMP

Mo's Digital Stamps has the MOST adorable selection of stamps!  When I saw this one I knew it was the one for me.  I find I am using digital stamps more and more.  I love being able to download a design and have it right away - instant gratification, lol.  It's also nice to be able to manipulate the size of the design to fit your project.  I submitted this card to their call for a guest DT for the month of May.  How fun would that be!?!  The image was colored with my Prismas and Gamsol and a little bit with my Copics.  I added the faux coins which I got at the craft fair in Tucson on my last trip to the mainland - love to shop for card goodies when I get home.

This is the layout that we were request to use:

MOTHER'S DAY

I am busy getting my cards done for Mother's Day.  My Mom passed away a few years back, but I have several Aunts that are very dear to me and are like a mom to me.  I always remember them on their special day as they are mothers too! 

There is a fun challenge going on over at The Pink Elephant and the theme is NATURE.   I bought this stamp last week on E-bay and love it.  I thought it would be perfect.  It looks so much like Spring and could be used for Easter too.  Both cards are very different in their color combos, but I like them both.  I stamped them with marker pens applied directly to the stamp then used my Nestie's to cut and emboss their edges.  I added some ribbon, a few dew drops on one and tiny crystal rhinestones on the other.  I also used the Cuttlebug to emboss the background paper on the second one.  Hope you like them and are inspired to make a great card for your Mum!