Color Throwdown 181

Hello everyone! It's Wednesday, so that means it's Color Throwdown time! This week's challenge is being hosted by Lynn Put and I was thrilled to see some green on board!  The colors were just perfect to get out my trusty Copics and color up this rose image.

Here's what I used:
STAMPS: Lenten Rose (Flourishes), Calla Lilies (Flourishes) - sentiment
PAPER: Blush Blossom, Ruby Red, Certainly Celery, X-Press It Blending Card
INK: Memento Tuxedo Black
ACCESSORIES: Leafy Flourish Dienamics by Flourishes, Diamond Stickles, Copics, Oval and oval scallop punches by SU.

We'd love to see what you create with these colors!  Remember, if you don't have the exact colors,  please feel free to substitute colors that are close! Make a card or paper crafted project and post it to your blog. Then use the direct link from your blog and link it to the Color Throwdown blog using the linky tool. If you post to an online gallery please add CTD181 to the keywords.  For more inspiration, you'll want to check out the other design team members' creations: Barbara Anders, Broni Holcombe, Danielle Kennedy, Joan Ervin, Keva Brown, Kerri Michaud, Kristin Eberline, Lori Tecler, Lynn Put, Tammy Hershberger, and our fabulous guest designer - Jenny Peterson!  

Color Challenge

Julia has a great monochromatic Color Challenge on SCS today: River Rock, Lucky Limeade & Garden Green. The dessert option is to make it Irish or add a blessing.  The Irish blessing is very subtle on this card and was stamped off once using Soft Suede ink on a River Rock tag using an MFT tag die.  The BG was created by brayering Lucky Limeade ink over a houndstooth EF then embossing it.  The butterfly punch was sponged with the 2 different greens.  This will be going out to our pastor who had back surgery and is having a difficult recovery time. 

STAMPS: Loving Thoughts (SU), Take it to Heart (SU), Blessings (Verve)
PAPER: River Rock, Lucky Limeade, Garden Green, Vintage Cream
INK: Lucky Limeade, Garden Green, Soft Suede
ACCESSORIES: Houndstooth EF, Butterfly punch by MS, Jute twine by May Arts, Tag die by Lil' Inker Designs, Tag You're It Dienamic by MFT, Leafy Flourish Dienamic by MFT, Antique brad (SU).

Flourishes Limelight Designer Cards

Can't believe the last Sunday in February is already here...and with that comes my last Limelight Designer project over on the Flourishes blog!  Here's a sneak peek of my two cards...with an emphasis on "paying attention to details" in my post.  Hop on over and check it out!

Viva la Verve

 Hello friends! I started to say "good morning" then looked at the clock and saw it was after noon already! It's a really windy and blustery day here in VA...not sure I want to venture out for errands, but may not have a choice if we want to eat - lol!  I made this card for the last Viva la Verve Challenge in the Verve forum on SCS which is another CAS sketch by Tosh.  It took me much longer to decide what I would use than it did to create the card!  I was also inspired by some pottery from a Canadian arts and crafts gallery that was posted on the Inspiration Challenge...some really awesome stuff!  I love green and needed to build up my stash of sympathy cards, so this was a perfect solution for me.  Ribbon is from the Robert Stanley collection at Hobby Lobby and the DP is from MME's new On the Bright Side-Two pad.  Stamps are by Verve.

Raise the Bar 93

Good Friday everyone! This week's Raise the Bar Challenge takes its inspiration from Mardi Gras - use purple, green and one other color (I used brown). The DP is from DCWV's Latte matstack which also has a nice textured surface.  This was a chance to play with some new SU toys - gotta love Sale-a-bration time and the freebies that are offered!  I loved layering this Triple Treat Flower and jazzed it up (Mardi Gras...jazz...you get it - lol!) with some rhinestones.  The Sizzix Embosslits Sweetest Stem die was also a new toy - instant texture and cutting in one swoop!  The Pear Pizzazz pleated ribbon matched the DP perfectly and I love, love, love this ribbon!  The sentiment, stamped in Elegant Eggplant, is from Flourishes' new Calla Lilies set.  Thanks for stopping by...hope to see you join us in this fun challenge!  Be sure and check out what the other bartenders have created for your inspiration...
Joni Wilson
Thanh Vo
Julie Smith
Peggy McCurry

Dirty Flashback to August

I thought I'd post my card entries for the August Dirty Dozen gallery.  Our theme that month was "In Your Footsteps" and I thought Lydia summed it up so well in her description: "No one creates art in a vacuum. Each of us has been inspired by people, places and things - we all have heroes of one kind or another - and the strongest influences are always present in our creations. Join us on a journey to the heart of artistic inspiration this month as we reveal whose footsteps we walk in!" 
 Here was my favorite card for the month...inspired by a trio of shabby chic heroes (Teresa Kline, Linda Duke, Andrea Ewen).

 
Another group of heroes we never want to forget...our military men and women who serve our country...

 My MIL was anything but the stereotypical MIL...she was a faithful prayer warrior who had the most amazing green thumb and loved her flowers...indoors and out!

 There are always those special teachers who have inspired us along the way...

 This card was based on Wendy's inspirational photo...

This is a CASE of our birth announcement for our oldest son. I had pre-made the cards except for the image. After his birth, I had the nurse "stamp" his actual footprint on paper then photocopied multiple copies. I cut out the image and added it to the cards with the sentiment "A Miracle Has Stepped Into Our Lives". Fun memory! Of course, the original had no roses, ribbons, die cuts or embossing folders - lol!

 My dad was always a spiritual leader in our home...quiet...serving by example...

 And last but not least, my late mother was definitely a huge hero in my life.  This shadow box was a trip down memory lane as I used elements that were all representative of her life and influence.  

 A good cook...winning pie awards in local community competition...loved to garden and preserve fresh foods...great seamstress, quilter, crocheter (these flowers were made by her)...

 

Loved to travel (thus the map) and wintered in Florida (sea shell scene was created by her many years ago)...

So that's it for today.  I'm going to head back to work this afternoon after battling bronchitis for over a week.  I'm better but still not 100%.  I'll be back tomorrow with a new Raise the Bar challenge...see ya then!

Color Throwdown 180

Check out the fun colors that Lori has thrown down for us this week: Bashful Blue, Pumpkin Pie, Barely Banana & Basic Gray!  I've had this image and sentiment for quite awhile and decided it was high time to ink it up.  I kept it clean and simple with a male birthday recipient in mind.

STAMPS: Art Impressions
PAPER: 365 degrees DP by pinkpaislee
INK: Memento Tuxedo Black
ACCESSORIES: Labels Eighteen Nesties, Basic Gray satin ribbon, Large flag die by Lil' Inker Designs, Pumpkin Pie corduroy buttons by SU, Copics:
Skin: E00, E000, R20
Shirt: YR12, YR14
Pants: B91, B93
Shoes: E41, E43, E44
Hair: C1

We'd love to see what you create with these colors!  Remember, if you don't have the exact colors,  please feel free to substitute colors that are close! Make a card or paper crafted project and post it to your blog. Then use the direct link from your blog and link it to the Color Throwdown blog using the linky tool. If you post to an online gallery please add CTD180 to the keywords.  For more inspiration, you'll want to check out the other design team members' creations: Barbara Anders, Broni Holcombe, Danielle Kennedy, Joan Ervin, Keva Brown, Kerri Michaud, Kristin Eberline, Lori Tecler, Lynn Put, Tammy Hershberger, and our fabulous guest designer - Jenny Peterson!

Surprise Blog Hop for Julee

Hopefully you have stopped here after visiting Toni Storie's  blog and then you already know that some of the divas and friends wanted to surprise Julee Tilman with a blog hop filled with Mojo Monday card creations and a bit of advice for the expectant parents! In about a month, their world will be quite different after the arrival of their identical twin boys...so that's why I chose the sentiment "Look out world"!  I paper pieced a pair of the delightful animals from Verve's "To the Moon" set, using papers from MME's "Dwell" pad.

So...what advice to give Mark and Julee?  My babies are 23, 25 and 28, so it's been awhile since I've dealt with that stage of life...BUT... expect your life to be turned upside down, but also expect to have all the wonders of childhood re-opened for you and to feel a greater love than ever before. Those little ones will love you unconditionally and it will fill your heart!  Don't expect everything to go by the book, because it most definitely will not!  Lastly, take time for you...take time for you and Mark together...and most of all, take a nap whenever you can! :-)

From here, you will want to visit Amber Hight, a talented diva who is guaranteed to have a gorgeous Mojo card for you!  

Flourishes Limelight Designer Project

Good Sunday morning!  Here's a sneak peek at my third project for this month's Limelight Designer posts.  More details on how to create the Ohio Star quilt pattern are on the Flourishes blog HERE.

 

Viva la Verve & Copic Class Pics

I needed a "card fix" today after being gone 2 days. This is for Laurie's Viva la Verve sketch for week #3...a fun layout to use lots of coordinating DP! I broke into my new MME "Be Happy" pad in the Follow Your Heart collection...some gorgeous pastels I tell ya! I added faux stitching at the top of the flag banner and touched some Frost White pigment ink on the crimped heart...easy peasy card!  This was also my first time to ink up Verve's Plain Jane - love this verse from Jeremiah 33:3.

So...a bit about my trip to Richmond with my good stampy friend, Teresa Kline.  Thursday was a dismal weather day...rainy but not terribly cold and I was just thankful it wasn't the white stuff!  We spent most of our time at Hobby Lobby and Charming Charlie - my first time at this ladies' accessory store.  Oh. My. Word.  We spent an hour and 5 minutes (yep, Teresa timed us - lol) in that store!  Prices are so reasonable and they have an endless selection of jewelry, bags, some shoes, scarves, you name the accessory...they have it!  Between those 2 stores, we had a delicious lunch at the Cheesecake Factory in Short Pump Town Center...with our dessert in a to go bag. :-)  Following our bling fest at CC, we headed to the Marriott hotel to check in. 

On Friday, we had our long awaited Standard Copic Certification class with THE coloring guru, Debbie Olson!  Michelle Boyer was a fabulous assistant and has some rockin' coloring skills as well!  We were scoping out the large class (about 40 in all) when who should we see but my Dirty Dozen sister (Audrey) and her friend, Pam (known as Pam124 on SCS)!  We had no idea they would be there, so it was wonderful to sit with them and have lunch together!  I just love when you can meet someone for the first time and feel so comfortable and at ease...like long lost sisters!

Let me just say that the Copic class was super and I learned a wealth of information!  Now, it's up to me to practice, practice, practice what I learned. Afterward, we were fortunate enough to spend some time with some of the Color Throwdown gals...Lori Tecler, Bar Anders, & Broni Holcomb!

It was great to meet Lori and Broni for the first time!  If you're wondering who our photographer might have been, I'll clue you in with this final picture - lol!

I have a feeling that Broni's husband is quite the character!  He couldn't resist this self-photo after he took several group shots!
Have a great w/e everyone! 

A Side of Chips

Good Friday everyone!  The bartenders are serving chips today!  Join us at Raise the Bar and use some chipboard on your creation!  This was a great chance for me to dust off a chipboard butterfly by K&Co that I've been hoarding in my stash.  I found papers from Prima's Melody Collection and from Memory Box Co.'s Spearmint collection that matched the colors in the butterfly.  I used Sankari's fabulous Viva la Verve sketch for week two in the forum on SCS...totally love the layout!  The Plain Jane Proverbs 3:5 verse (Verve) was stamped using Cranberry Crisp ink.  The 2 banner elements were die cut using Lil' Inker Designs' die.  Remember, if you upload to a public gallery, use the keyword RTB92 so we can see all the creations in one place.  You'll want to check out the other bartenders' cards for more inspiration:
Joni Wilson
Thanh Vo
Julie Smith
Peggy McCurry

That's all from me for now...I'm hopefully absorbing some of the teaching from the ultra talented Debbie Olsen as I take a Copic certification class from her today!  I'll fill you in on that trip when I return!

Color Throwdown 179

It's Color Throwdown Challenge time and Kristen has some really yummy colors for us this week!

 

This was the Valentine card I sent to our oldest son and his wife who are both avid bikers.  I downloaded and printed some designer paper from the Candy Kisses collection at My Time Made Easy - LOVE this pattern!  The card is 5 1/4" square and the paper was printed at 5 x 7" size which scales the pattern to a perfect fit for cards! 

The hearts were die cut using SU's new Framelits Hearts Collection.  The kraft heart was run through a crimper and sponged with white pigment ink.

We'd love to see what you create with these colors!  Remember, if you don't have the exact colors,  please feel free to substitute colors that are close! Make a card or paper crafted project and post it to your blog. Then use the direct link from your blog and link it to the Color Throwdown blog using the linky tool. If you post to an online gallery please add CTD179 to the keywords.  For more inspiration, you'll want to check out the other design team members' creations: Barbara Anders, Broni Holcombe, Danielle Kennedy, Joan Ervin, Keva Brown, Kerri Michaud, Kristin Eberline, Lori Tecler, Lynn Put, Tammy Hershberger, and our fabulous guest designer - Jenny Peterson!

STAMPS: Take It to Heart (SU), Tiny Tags (PTI)

PAPER: Poppy Parade, Kraft, White, Digi paper from My Time Made Easy

INK: Color Box Frost White & Scarlet pads

ACCESSORIES: Crimper, Framelits Hearts dies by SU, Tiny Tags die by PTI, Blushing Bride ribbon by SU, Rhinestones, Square lattice EF.