Polly Paper Dolly

 I had completely forgotten that I used to love paper dolls when I was a little girl. What I loved most was to make my own clothes for them. I would draw around the doll on my paper to make sure it would fit correctly and then draw some pretty outfits and color them with my crayons. Well, Sherry West has made a digital version of a paper doll called Polly Paper Dolly. AND she even has some very pretty digital outfits for you to color in addition to making your own. The great thing about them being digital is you can make them as big or small as you want! Guaranteed hours of fun for a little girl, and perfect timing right before Christmas! I haven't yet had a chance to make my own clothing for Polly, but I did color up a few of Sherry's dresses and took some pictures. The other great thing about these being digital is that you can print multiple copies of one outfit and color it many different ways, and they will all look different! I colored all of mine with copic markers (love the coloring classes from Kit and Clowder!). I think Polly is so cute - have a look at my pictures!

Skin E000, E00, E21, E11, E04, RV02

Hair E33, Y26, E37, E18

Slip B0000, B00, B12, B24, B26

Pink RV17, RV13, RV04, RV00; RV95, RV93, RV91

Brown YR21, YR14, YR07, R08

Purple V06, V04, BV000; Trim RV95, RV93, RV91

Blue/Green BG75, BG53, BG10

Green BG57, G05, YG03

Scarf BV000, RV00, Colorless Blender

Wings B0000, BV000, RV00, Y11

Fun, don't you think? There are so many color choices for the clothing!

Come join our group on FB, Sherry West Art Coloring and Crafts for some fun inspiration, check out Sherry's Blog, or PM Sherry (on FB) to purchase her images!

I hope you have a wonderful day!

Kids

 Kids - what do you do with them? COLOR THEM! Or maybe color WITH them - lol! Sherry West has some really cute Kids images (I think her kids are cute, too). There are some new Kids and Elements images by Sherry that are being released by Stamp Addicts as clear stamps. You can tune into Hochanda TV today and Watch the show! If you can’t make it, watch the rewind at https://www.hochanda.com/cinema/745868. Sherry West Art designs for Stamp Addicts will be shown, along with lots of other great stamp designs and products! You can get the digital stamps as a complete set with elements or singles directly from Sherry at: SherryWestArt@gmail.com, or pm her by Facebook Messenger: Sherry West.

I have made a couple of cards and added my own sentiments. I colored everything with Copic markers - make sure you check out the Kit and Clowder coloring classes, they are awesome! I did use a white gel pen for some of the highlights on both cards. For the Girls card, one of the patterned papers is actually made of several papers cut in strips and then individually laid down at an angle. I used little heart embellishments from Honey Bee Stamps ( I LOVE their embellishments!). The butterfly embellishment is from Little B (they are a bit expensive, so I use them sparingly). The colored image is popped up on foam squares. For the Boy image, he is holding a kitty, so I also added a puppy from the Elements and then made up my own sentiment. I used an older Outlawz Challenges Wednesday Sketch Challenge sketch to make the Boy card. I used a gold washi tape across the brown striped glitter paper. The other brown, designed paper is a pretty paper sack I had been saving to use on a card (1 never throw anything away!).

Skin E000, E00, E21, E11, E04, RV02

Hair Y21, YR23, E15, E18; and Y21, YR14, YR07, R08

Clothes RV19, RV17, RV14, RV02; G28, G05, YG03; B28, B24, B12, B000

Butterflies B28, B24, B12, B000; Y21, YR14, YR07, R08; W3, W1, W00

Grass G28, G05, YG03

Flowers Y21, E15, B000

Skin E000, E00, E21, E11, E04, R20

Hair Y21, YR23, E15

Clothes B28, B24, B12, B000; R27, R24, R22

Cat and Dog - I did not write these down, sorry!

Sorry, I did not write the colors down but they are a combination of all the colors used in the above two cards.

There you have it! There are lots of other images available, too! Stamps Addicts has clear stamps and Sherry has the digital versions, so we've got you covered!

I hope you have a wonderful day!

Ellie With Kittens

Can you believe how fast November is going? I can't believe that Thanksgiving is next week! This month's cute image for the Outlawz Challenges Progressive Freebie Challenge is from Paper Nest Dolls and is called Ellie with Kittens. This image could be used for just about any occasion, but since Christmas is right around the corner, I decided to go with a Christmas theme. I also used this month's Outlawz Challenges Wednesday Sketch Challenge for the layout of my card - a twofer! I colored the image with copic markers (great coloring classes from Kit and Clowder!) and used a white gel pen for some highlights. The image was cut out with my Silhouette Cameo 4, and popped up with foam squares. I used a sequin and three embellishments from Honey Bee Stamps on the JOY tag and there is a large, very pretty red glitter Christmas tree behind the image. One of my sisters is a huge kitty fan (well, so am I!), so I might just send this to her. She's been very helpful and supportive to me when I've needed it. Let me know what you think!

Ok, now I'm off to start my Thanksgiving cards - lol! Have a great day!

Poppi Pokkadott's Christmas

 Well, Christmas is right around the corner, and, I don't know about you, but I am BEHIND on my Christmas cards! But, using these cute images from Sherry West, Poppi Pokkadott, I've been able to get a few gift card holders done. I colored the images with copic markers (check out those Kit and Clowder coloring classes!) and placed them on stocking gift card holders that I cut with my Silhouette Cameo 4. The top cuff of the stocking lifts up to reveal a gift card for the recipient! Since we'll be unable to have any family gatherings this year, my husband and I are giving a lot of monetary gifts for Christmas and these stockings are PERFECT! I used the poinsettia from the Elements images to add to the cuff of the stocking, too. I also used one of the images to make an ornament. I cut out four of the shapes, printed the image only on the front and back (I remembered to flip the image so it was reversed!), and, after coloring, I glued them all together. I had pre-glued the ribbon hanger between the first two shapes. I really love how she turned out! The images are available through several avenues: the artist directly, Sherry West on Facebook (digital images), Sherry West email (digital images), or Stamp Addicts (clear stamps), Hochanda TV Stamp Addicts (clear stamps) - CHOICES! Take a look at my creations!

Well, I better get started on the rest of my Christmas cards - lol!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Wryn Have Heart

For my husband's birthday card I used a Tiddly Inks image called Wryn Have Heart. She is so sweet and comes with all these cute little extras that I had fun placing around the main image. I used 3 digital papers for the background and the images layered just perfectly for me on them. I colored the images with copic markers. I added my own text inside the heart banner Wryn is holding. I colored a wooden heart button with a dark blue copic marker, embossed it with UTEE and then while it was still hot I added a little glitter embossing powder too. Then I tied a twine bow through the button holes and used Glossy Accents to glue it to the card. My sentiment at the top is printed on vellum. Take a look and let me know what you think!

Skin E000, E00, E21, E11, E04, RV02

Hair E21, E23, E25, E27, E29

Yellow Y11, Y15, Y17, Y38, E35, E25

Blue B000, B12, B24, B26

Scissors W00, W1, W3

I hope you enjoy my card and have a wonderful day!

Red-y For Fall (& Christmas)

I previously blogged about a glorious image from Sherry West Called Mother Earth. Mother Earth is a Fall image. Well, Sherry also made this image with a Christmas look, and she is BEAUTIFUL! You can find this gorgeous image, and many more, on Sherry's Facebook page Sherry West Art, Artist, Author, Illustrator. And both images are available together! I diecut the image with my Silhouette Cameo and used Copic markers to color the image (make sure you check out those Kit and Clowder coloring classes!). My card layout is from The Outlawz Challenges Wednesday Sketch Challenge. I hand-wrote and gold embossed my sentiment on vellum and the gold strip on the diecut is a thin washi tape. I am really liking blue for a Christmas card and happened to have some blue Christmas paper on hand to go with my coloring. Take a look and let me know what you think about these colors for a Christmas card.

Skin E000, E00, E21, E11, E04, RV02

Hair E50, E33, E35, E37, RV69

Dress, Flower B00, B12, B24, B26, B28

Pinecones E50, E33, E35

Berries R20, R24, R39

Oak Leaves YG01, YG25, G94, G99

Holly Leaves YG03, G05, G28

Thin Leaves Y13, YG03, YG25, BG57

I also used The Outlawz Challenges Wednesday Sketch Challenge for my layout.

I hope you made it through your Daylight Savings Time change with no loss of sleep - lol!

Have a wonderful day!

Mother Earth

 Autumn is upon us, Christmas is coming and Mother Earth is full with abundance. Sherry West has created a beautiful image with versions for both of these seasons. Sherry's images can be found for sale on her Facebook page  and she has a great, fun blog you should check out. Sherry is also featured on the November issue of Glo Magazine - It is just out today! I've only colored the Autumn version, but I colored two in very different ways. I colored them with Copic markers and used my Silhouette Cameo to cut them out. In the first one I used richer, darker colors and went with the same idea in the cardstock I used. The two frames were diecut with my Silhouette Cameo. The front frame paper is a cover from a cruise line brochure that I saved because of the colors and images. I used foam squares under the frame and the image just to give them some dimension. I colored the second image with all 01 and 000 Copic markers, from the RV, R, YR, Y, YG, G, BG, B, BV and V colors. If the blend did not have an 01, I used the 02. I tried to go a little lighter in the cardstock and used a really pretty floral ribbon. I added three pink jewels to give it a little bling. And while you are checking things out, don't forget the coloring classes at Kit and Clowder. Take a look at my cards!

Skin E000, E00, E21, E11, E04, RV02

Lips RV02, RV21, RV000

Hair E21, E23, E25, E27, E29, Y02, Y15, Y17

Basket RV99, E37, E35, E33, E50

Pumpkins E07, E09, E18, YR04, YR14

Leaves and Acorns RV09, YR09, YR04, R22, R20, YG01;

E25, Y28, Y26, YG01, YG21, Y11

Dress RV69, R27, R24, R22

Colors 01 and 000 of RV, R, YR, Y, YG, G, BG, B, BV, V

(if 01 was not available, I used 02).

There you have it! Fun, fun fun! I hope you have fun experimenting with your coloring!

Sugar The Zombie

 This month at The Outlawz Challenges, in the Progressive Freebie Challenge, we have an image from Oddball Art Company called Sugar The Zombie. The image actually comes as a zombie and as a cute girl (not a zombie)! Since it is getting close to Halloween and I haven't even started my Halloween cards yet, I decided to use the zombie version of Sugar. I colored the image with Copic markers, then diecut the image and a grunge frame that I popped up on foam squares. I used a Halloween washi tape for the strip across the owl paper and then some paper flowers under that. I used Stickles to glue down the paper flowers and then Stickles in the middle of the flowers with a jewel placed in the middle of each. I diecut and printed my sentiment which is also on foam squares. I had a hard time deciding which sentiment to use, but decided on "Meet me at the apocalypse." I also thought about "Need a goulfriend" and "Can I be your ghoulfriend?" LOL! Any of them would fit, I think! I've decided to also use my card for the Crash Your Stash Challenge and the Wednesday Sketch Challenge at The Outlawz Challenges.

Skin B28, B23, B000, YG01

Eyes and Hair W7, W5, W3, W1, W00; YGO1 used in hair

Lips and dress RV19, RV17, RV13, YG01

What are some other sentiments you can think of for her? Let me know!

I hope you have a Happy Ghoul-O-Ween!

Crocodile Rock Tom Turkey

 Just from the title alone, what do you envision? A turkey singing Crocodile Rock, a turkey dressed as a crocodile??? Hmmmm...... Well, I've combined some images, three counting the frame, all from Sherry West! The Crocodile Rock Tom Turkey, the turkey hiding behind a pumpkin, and the scalloped frame - so much fun! I added a speech bubble and, I'm sure there are SO many things that could be in that speech bubble, but I went with his hiding from those needing a Thanksgiving turkey. Of course, those sunglasses are enough of a disguise for the Tom Turkey - lol! I colored the image with my Copic markers - great coloring classes for both markers and pencils available at Kit and Clowder! I added some white and gold gel pen highlights, a twine bow to point out where someone is hiding, and a few jewel flowers for some bling, because anyone that wears sunglasses like that deserves a little bling! I also used Glossy Accents on those sunglasses. I diecut a scalloped frame from yellow cardstock to match Sherry's frame and used foam squares under the image to pop it up from the yellow frame. Take a look at the image and let me know what you would put in that speech bubble - I would love to hear it!

Pumpkins E07, E09, E18, YR04, YR14; G28, E44, E21, YG03, YG00

Turkey Comb R20, R24, E23, E07

Turkey Body E21, E23, E25, E27

Turkey Feathers R24, YR24, E55, E57, E47, E07

Turkey Beak E25, Y28, Y17, Y15, Y11

Sunglasses R27, R24, R20

Sky B0000

Ground W7, W5, W3, W1, W00

Frame Y17, Y15, Y11

Ok, so let's hear your suggestions - what do you think these two turkeys are talking about?

Try to laugh every day and have a Fun Day!

Friends

I used an endearing, tender image drawn by Sherry West for my card today. So many people are having a difficult time right now, and sometimes all they need to hear is that you care, and are here for them. This image, Amelia and Duckling, is available right now as a clear stamp from Stamp Addicts. I printed my sentiment on the cardstock before coloring the image with Copic markers. I used a white gel pen for the grass highlights. I cut lots of hexagon shapes from five different cardstock patterns to use as the background and popped those up on foam dots. I then added some rainbow rhinestones in the corners that I ordered from Honey Bee Stamps (they have some great embellishments!). I also added a very tiny rainbow rhinestone in Amelia's hand that is outstretched to the duckling. Sherry also has her own Facebook page, Sherry West Art Coloring and Crafts, which you should check out! There is a lot of inspiration and other goodies available on her Facebook page! I also want to give a shoutout to Kit and Clowder for the wonderful coloring classes! I have learned so many coloring techniques and still have many more to learn - lol! Well, here is my card showcasing Amelia and Duckling - let me know what you think.

Skin E000, E00, E21, E11, E04, RV02

Hair and sandal soles E21, E23, E25, E27, E29

Clothing BG75, BG57, BG53, BG01, BG10

Duckling and flower Y11, Y15, Y17, YR14, E23

Rock W5, W3, W1, W00

Grass YG01, YG03, G05, G25, white gel pen

Dragonfly B0000, BG10, Y11, E21, E23

I hope you enjoy my card! Lift someone's spirits today and let them know you are here for them.

Have a wonderful day!

Christmas Stocking

 I think Christmas is the most magical time of year, don't you? That's why, when I saw Christmas Stocking, I knew there was a little miracle, a beautiful surprise, inside the stocking. The image is drawn by Sherry West and is one of her beautiful images, available as a clear stamp from StampAddicts.com and spotlighted by them on HochandaTV. This week is Stamp Addicts 28th Birthday and they are having a HUGE celebration, so make sure you check them out! Sherry also has a Facebook page, Sherry West Art Coloring and Crafts, which you should check out - lots and lots of goodies there, too! I printed the image along with a few digital images I had from Designer Digitals. I colored the image with Copic markers using techniques I learned in classes from Kit and Clowder. Then I used a gold gel pen for the tree lights and a white gel pen for other highlights. I then mounted the picture on top of some Christmas cardstock and used some 1/8 inch Christmas ribbon to wrap the cardstock and the same ribbon for a bow. I tried to make the stocking contents look as if they are glowing, as a true magical, beautiful surprise would. Let me know what you think!

Skin E000, E00, E21, E11, E04

Hair and tree trunk E21, E23, E25, E27, E29

Pajamas and present B26, B24, B12, B00, B0000

Tree, stocking and present G28, G05, YG03, YG01

Star, stocking glow and lights Y11, Y15, Y17, Y38, E97

Tree skirt and stocking R39, R29, R24, R22

Dog W5, W3, W1, W00, E25, E23, E21

I hope you have not only a magical day, but a magical Christmas!

Signs of Autumn

 This month in the Outlawz Challenges our Progressive Freebie Challenge image came from Jan's Digi Stamps and is called Signs of Autumn. The image comes with two sentiments and even some pre-colored images. Although I printed this image at 3.25 inches tall, I used a ton of Copic markers to color the leaves. I searched the internet for a picture of autumn leaves and just tried to color something similar. Thanks to the coloring classes at Kit and Clowder, I am able to be brave enough to try different colors together like this! After coloring, I cut a very small piece of Saran Wrap, put it on top of the glass jar and then used Glossy Accents all over the top of it to hold it in place. A complete experiment, but I wanted to see if it would make the glass jar look any more realistic than just the Glossy Accents. I'm not sure if I accomplished what I was going after, but you can let me know. I decided to try a slimline card that seems to be all the rage right now. I made my own frame, diecut a pumpkin, and wrote my sentiment, all on my Silhouette Cameo. The frame is on some foam dots to raise it from the background. Then I added a few orange sequins for some sparkle!

Leaves E57, E55, E53, FY1;

YR09, YR27, YR24, Y11, RV02, RV00;

RV09, YR09, YR04, R22, R20, YG01;

E25, YR09, YR04, YG03, Y21, Y11;

E25, Y28, Y26, YG01, YG21, Y11

Jar B000, white gel pen

I said it was a ton of Copic markers - lol!

I hope you enjoy my card and that Harvest Blessings come your way!

Nuts About You

 Nuts About You - isn't this a great sentiment?! And it's the name of a new image from Sherry West Art Coloring and Crafts. This cute Squirrel is soon to be released! Check out Sherry's Facebook page for more images coming soo, too! Since I seemed to be on a roll with the bookmarks I made for some of Sherry's other cute images (and those were for girls), I thought I could make bookmarks for boys with this cute squirrel! The sentiment I put on the bookmarks was "I am nuts about books!" Perfect! I colored the squirrel with Copic markers and added some highlights with a white gel pen. I cut them out with my Silhouette Cameo and glued on the bookmarks, then added two 1/8" ribbons in contrasting colors for the top. I used a glitter pen for the lettering. I won't do that next time, as you cannot take a good picture with it. I think they're a great little gift for some boys that like to read! Let me know what you would do with this cute Squirrel and check out Sherry's Facebook page for more ideas and images!

I hope you are having a wonderful day!

Azaleas Forever

 Have you discovered Power Poppy stamps yet? They are simply beautiful and they are offered in both clear and digital format! Although I have purchased many (MANY!), all digital, I haven't been brave enough to color most of them. I'm afraid of my coloring not doing the stamps justice. But, I was inspired by a thank you card I received from Honey Bee Stamps. Did you know that when you order from Honey Bee, they include a little thank you with each order? My first two orders (lots of embellishments) had a cute card to color, which I made into cards to send to friends. The card was a picture of a flower spray split in half, with a message in the middle saying, "sending you sunshine." So I used an image from Power Poppy called Azaleas Forever and applied the same idea. It worked! I am really happy with the way this turned out, and I think I might try it with a few other Power Poppy images! I colored the image with my Copic markers, used a white gel pen on the tips of the stamen and added a few colorful sequins. Let me know what you think!

Flowers RV09, RV04, RV02, RV00

Yellow Y17, Y15, Y11

I'm sorry, but I don't remember the colors I used for the leaves and stems.

I can't wait to try this idea on a few more images!

I hope you have a colorful day!

Mini Poppis

Sometimes you just need to think a little outside of the box, right? I was thinking about these four little images from Sherry West Art, and what I could do with them. They could be combined on one card, like I did with the two Fall images, or, what? I thought about bookmarks! Each one could be made small (that's what I love about digital images!), cut out and put on a bookmark! I cut the images out with my Silhouette Cameo. I looked through all my patterned paper scraps and cut out bookmarks with my Silhouette. I used Copic markers to color the images and tried to match them up with the different papers and glued them on the bookmarks and then added two ribbons to the top of each bookmark. They turned out really cute and I love the different colors! I have a friend with an 8 year old daughter and he was just telling me how much she is loving school and reading this year, so I put these in an envelope with a note and gifted these to him. My note said for his daughter to choose her 2 or 3 favorites and give her friends the others. I took two pictures of the bookmarks, one without bling and one with bling. I couldn't decide which I liked best, but hopefully they will make some little girls happy!

Let me know if you like them with or without the bling!

I hope your day is fun and colorful!

Fall Poppi Pants and Overalls

 Can you believe August is almost over? That means Labor Day is right around the corner and then Fall! As a Sherry West Art Guest Design Team (GDT) member, I received some really cute Fall images to color. Rather than making two separate cards, I reduced the size of the images and put them together with some digital Fall words. One of the images comes with three extra leaves, so I printed those separately on an orange background, did a little bit of shading with Copic markers, cut them out and spread them around my card randomly. I used some Fall colored cardstock and chalked the edges to soften the color just a little bit, and added some sheer orange and yellow ribbon behind the image. The card really came together pretty fast, once I finished my coloring! I have to apologize because I did not write down my colors :-( I do remember using a little bit of R20's to darken the oranges and a little bit of YR0's to darken my yellows, if that helps! I did use a white gel pen for some highlights here and there. And look at that cute little kitty!

Aren't they they cutest together? They remind me of the days I loved playing in all the leaves that fell and the wonderful Fall smells!

If you want to color these sweet images, too, head over to Sherry West Art on Facebook and check the Events/Calendar! They are FREE for a very short time!!!

I hope the rest of your Summer is wonderful!

It's Tea Time

 This month at The Outlawz Challenges our Progressive Freebie Challenge features an image from The Paper Shelter called It's Tea Time. Their images are great to color and come with so many options - a pre-colored image with and without a background in both jpg and png, a background paper you can use if you want, and the image to color yourself in both jpg and png. So many options for you to play with! I cut the image out with my Silhouette Cameo 4 and colored it with Copic markers. I used a white gel pen for a few highlights - her eyes, the leaves, and goggles. I used Glossy Accents on the watch, goggles, and the other little bits in her hair. I added my sentiment on vellum and just a little blue bling in two corners with the image popped up on foam squares. The background paper is a digital paper that I had and recolored to match the blue on her outfit. It turned out to be a fun little birthday card!

Skin E000, E00, E21, E11, E04, RV21

Hair E21, E23, E25, E27, E29

Pink RV09, RV04, RV02

Clothes RV99, V25, V12, V04, V01, V000;

B26, B24, B12, B01

Gold Y11, Y15, Y17, E97, E23

Wood, Clock face E44, E43, E41

Leaves G28, YG63, YG13, Y11

So, take a break have some tea and enjoy the day as if it is your birthday!

Girl With Puppy

Fur and hair - I think these two things are the most difficult to color with Copic markers, but that is just my opinion! This image from Lee Holland Art has both hair on the girl and fur on TWO dogs! It is called Girl with Puppy, and if you sign up to be on her mailing list you can get 10% off on your first order. This image was used for the Kit and Clowder monthly marker class in June 2018. I did two versions, one with a blue dress (shown here) and the other with a pink dress (the alternate version offered in the class). At Kit and Clowder there are SO many different classes you can take, Flowers, Animals, Markers, Pencils, and she gives you a conversion chart for most available types of markers and pencils. This means if you don't have the brand she uses, you can use her chart to know what colors to use of the brand you have - for both markers and pencils. If you aren't sure, check out the free classes available first! Her classes really are great! I've added a double bow with a flower in the center to my card front, as it doesn't need too many embellishments since the image and scene say it all - a birthday card for my niece!

I hope you enjoy my card and have a relaxing, summer day!

Fab Fall Fairy

 The ONLY way you can get this Fabulous image, AND FOR FREE, is at Sherry West Art's Facebook page. Don't walk, don't run, but FLY there NOW and pick her up because she won't be available very long!!! It is a super-fun image to color, and, after seeing all the different takes from the other DT and GDT members, I think I am going to have another go at this. There are SO many women right now that could use a card with this image on it and with just the right sentiment. I'm sure you can think of a few. I used my Silhouette Cameo to cut out the image and colored it with my copic markers. I used Crystal Stickles on the wings, yellow Stickles on the crown and added a few crystals to the crown. I did learn that I cannot use Stickles to adhere crystals (or even sequins for that matter) because they don't stay on. I had to use Glossy Accents to re-glue the crystals on (and some sequins on another card) when they fell off a couple of days later. I also added a little bit of Glossy Accents to the glasses. I used a beautiful vellum paper for the background and then white vellum for the sentiment. I diecut a crown with my Silhouette, using white pearl and gold paper. Then, just a few sequins spread around for more fun, and pau (finished in Hawaiian)! Don't forget to check out Kit and Clowder's coloring classes, too - there are several free ones for you to try out! Take a look and just imagine how much fun you could have with this great image!

Skin E000, E00, E21, E11, E04, RV21

Wings Y11, Y38, YR04, YG13, G07

Clothes BG53, B00, BG000; V01, V12, V15, V17; RV02, RV04, RV09

Hair R29, R24, R22, YR07, YR04, Y17, Y15, Y11, G28, G07, YG13,

BG53, B00, BG000, V12, V15, V17, RV02, RV04, RV09

So, there you go! Join Sherry West Art's Facebook page and grab this Fab Fall Fairy before she's gone!

I hope you have a FABulous day!

Baby and Butterflies Boy Version

 I just found out my second cousin is expecting a baby boy and her baby shower is in 5 days!! So I did a blue version of the card I posted on July 30th. The image is from Sherry West Art and is so sweet. I added a digital frame and a digital image of baby clothes on a clothesline to make a little scene. I colored the image with copic markers and again paper-pieced the jammies. I used the copic marker B12 on the jammies for a little shading. I forgot to add some highlights with my white gel pen, as I was in such a hurry to finish it. I used the same sentiment, but in blue, and added a blue ribbon and bow - finished and mailed! I don't think my card will make it in time for the baby shower, but it will get there before the baby comes - lol! Have a look-see!

Skin E000, E00, E21, E11, E04, RV21

Jammies B24, B12, B000

Butterflies B24, B12, B000, YR04, Y15, Y11

Grass YG13, G07, G28

Take some time and check out the coloring classes at Kit And Clowder, it will be well worth your time!

Stay positive, Stay safe, Stay healthy!

The Conductor

 Happy Sunday to you! Today was my great-nephew's 4th birthday. He has been through so much for a little guy - he was diagnosed with epilepsy a year and a half ago. The doctors tried every medication in every combination and dosage, to try to help him. Nothing helped. It was like the epilepsy could see through the medication, adjust, and keep going. The last resort was brain surgery to ablate the area where the seizures were originating. His parents decided to go ahead with it, even though there was less than a 50% chance it would work. Well, we are 8 months post-surgery and no seizures so far! Thank goodness this happened before the virus shut everything down, too! He is now a very different little boy, talking, loves trains, dinosaurs, hot wheels cars, puzzles and Legos. I used a Tiddly Inks image called The Conductor (no longer available) for his birthday card and placed it on a background of a train yard. I colored the image with copic markers (sorry I did not :-( write them down). I added some diecuts from my Silhouette Cameo and used it to write his name in gold on the engine diecut. I added an ice cream button (shank cut off) to the other diecut and used tiny buttons for the wheels of both diecuts.

I hope he enjoyed his 4th birthday party!

Have a great day!

Back To School Poppi

Can You Believe It??!!! I was asked to be a Guest Design Team member (GDT) for Sherry West Art! I am scared and excited at the same time. I do not feel like my coloring is that good, let alone my card-making skills; add to that the deadlines for projects, and I was hesitant at first. But, with this shelter-in-place continuing and our lack of travel (we've cancelled ten trips!), I thought maybe I could give it a try. SO, my first project is an image Sherry released today for a Craft and Coloring Contest! The image is Back to School Poppi. Check out the events on Sherry's Facebook page, Sherry West Art Coloring and Crafts, to find out about the contest and get the image FREE to color! And, while you are out there internet-surfing, go to Sherry's Etsy shop and take a look at all her other cute images, all for $0.99! I colored my image with copic markers (you really should check out the coloring classes at Kit and Clowder!), cut it out on my Silhouette Cameo and diecut everything else on my card for a "back to school" theme. I added some flower buttons to the tops of the flowers and popped my image up on foam squares. I think Poppi is ready for school!

Skin E000, E00, E21, E11, E04, RV21

Hair, Shoes Y11, Y15, Y17, E23, E97

Dress, Bows, Socks BG000, B00, BG53; V000, V12, V15, V17

Book, Eyes YG03, YG63, G28

White Gel Pen

I think this image would be great for a person that likes to read and that you are giving them a book for their birthday. Books can take you to faraway places.

I hope you have a wonderful day!

Baby and Butterflies

We have a friend who is going to have a baby girl around Halloween. I have this darling image from Sherry West Art that is a crawling baby with a couple of butterflies. I digitally layered the image behind a frame and a clothesline of baby girl clothing and colored it with Copic markers. Then, I decided to paper-piece the baby's jammies, except for the feet, which I colored. Paper-piecing can be a really fun way to fill in different parts of an image and color the rest. I used the same paper for the jammies that I used for the background matting panel. I made my sentiment on the computer and added a ribbon, bow, tiny pink flowers and a little bit of glitter gel pen and Stickles. I used a Copic marker to give a little shading to the jammies, too. Now, I will put together a scrapbook for our friend to use, too. The scrapbook will be filled with pages I put together of cardstock and embellishments, some for the sonogram, pre-delivery, and then delivery and monthly post-delivery pages. I provide some double stick tape and all our friend has to do is add a picture from each month and her scrapbook will be complete! Here's the card that will accompany her gift.

Skin E000, E00, E21, E11, E04

Hair #21, E23, E25, E27

Feet RV02, RV04, RV09

Butterflies V06, V01

Grass YG03, YG99, YG67, YG63, YG25

Shadows C1, C0, RV02

White gel pen, pink glitter gel pen, Cotton Candy Stickles

I hope you have a wonderful day!

Sunshine

Our neighbor gifted us with a bag of delicious mangoes! I thought I could make her a little Thank You card for such a wonderful surprise. Our neighbors are in their 80's (she's 85 and her husband is 88) and the sweetest people you could ever meet. I usually make her a birthday card every year and we go to the same church (although our church has been closed these last few months). So when we went to pick up the mangoes, we used our masks, kept our "social distance" and chatted for a little bit. I used a Sherry West Art image called Sunshine. Now, unfortunately, I don't remember where I picked up this image, I think it might have been her Facebook group. I digitally added a Thank You sentiment at the bottom of the image and colored it with Copic markers. I used a white gel pen on some of the teardrop shapes and a gold gel pen on the Sunshine lettering. I added a few sequins using yellow Stickles to bling it up a little bit and some yellow twine and bow. Believe it or not, I actually wrote down the Copic markers I used this time, so I'll list them below the picture.

Stems/Leaves YG11, YG25, G07

Flowers Y21, Y15, Y38, E13

Flower Centers Y15, Y38, E71, E74, E77, E49, E08

Bees C3, C1, C0; Y11, Y15, Y38

I think this is a great way to say Thank You! I hope you have a Sunshiny Day!

Sew Much

My mom is an awesome seamstress and can make just about anything. So I used a Tiddly Inks image for her birthday card, and it fits my mom perfectly! The image is called Sew Much and I was inspired by the card made by one of her DTs for the coloring of the image. There were some extra images included with the main image that I recolored digitally to make everything in lavender/purple, my mom's favorite color. I did some paper-piecing on the image for the bow and a couple of the purple pieces of the skirt and colored the rest with copic markers. I embellished the card with buttons and a little bit of twine. My mom really liked her card! Let me know what you think!

I hope your life is like a quilt, too - I know mine is, because I am so blessed to have such a wonderful mom and family! Have a blessed day!

Fans

I follow several artists for digital stamps and a fairly new one (for me!) is Sherry West Art on Etsy. She has the cutest stamps and I love her little stories of daily life at her home in Indiana with her kids and animals. She posts these stories on FB. She also has a blog, which you might be interested in reading. I also found out that she has a cute children's book titled It's Raining Cats! It's Raining Dogs! It's Raining Bats! And Polywogs! I ordered two of these books for my great nephews who are turning 4 and 5 and Sherry even autographed them for me! They are really cute books for the small ones! Anyway, I have purchased several of her images from her Etsy shop (they are all only $0.99!!!) and haven't had a chance to color any yet; however, she offered a freebie on her FB page of this beautiful image called Fans. I wasn't sure I could do it justice, but I gave it a try! I colored the image with Copic markers, using a stencil for the lines on the back "spotlight." I used Crystal Stickles to glue on some crystals for the jewels. The crystals are part of a mix of different sizes and shapes from Honey Bee Stamps. Then, I tried to used Wink of Stella on the ruffles of the dress, but it just bled out the color and I thought I had ruined the picture! So, I tried the Crystal Stickles - lots and lots of it - and it brought the color back!!!! I was SO relieved! I stopped while I was ahead, and made a background for the card using cardstock and washi tape, and mounted the image. I am not sure what occasion I will use this for, but I really like all the glitter! Take a look and let me know what you think.

I hope you have a colorful day!

Cupcake Hamster

One of my nephews just turned 19, and I was having a hard time coming up with what kind of image to use for him. He played basketball all through high school, and I've used all of Mo's Digital Pencil images having to do with basketball on his previous birthday cards. Now that he's in college, what do I use? Well, I showed several choices to my husband and asked for his opinion and we decided on the Cupcake Hamster. It is actually perfect because this 19 year old is an eating machine - lol! I placed it on some digital paper I had from The Paper Shelter. They include digital backgrounds with their images, so it's very easy to use for all sorts of cards. I colored the image with Copic markers, trying very hard to keep the fur fluffy. I'm still working on that! I glued all sorts of beads, confetti and bits to the cupcake icing for the "sprinkles." I used the image's included sentiment, which just cracks me up! Take a look and let me know if it makes you laugh, too!

I am entering this in Mo's Digital Pencil Challenge Blog #293 - Happy Birthday.

I hope you have a wonderful day!

Celebrate!

When I was a kid, July 4th was always so much fun! During the day we would put on our roller skates and skate up and down our driveway and play outside. Then, before dusk we would pile blankets into the car and drive to the reservoir and watch the fireworks. After the fireworks we would go home and light our own fireworks, mostly sparklers. Our dad would do the bottle rockets and other stuff while we watched. I was lucky enough to be gifted this image, Celebrate!, by the artist, Sherry West! I thought it would be great for birthday cards - for the recipient to celebrate! BUT, seeing as how we were a couple of days from July 4th, I thought I would color her up for the holiday - Red White and Blue! I used Copic markers to color the image and sparkler, then metallic gel pens of different colors on the little sparkles around the center. I used a ton of Stickles on the sparkler - more than I wanted, but they just came pouring out of the bottle because I had stored it upside down! After putting the card together I added three glittery star buttons to the top that I had cut off the shanks from the back. Take a look and let me know what you think - Long May She Wave!

I hope you had a memorable July 4th holiday and Celebrate!

World's Best Dad

I know, I know, Father's Day has come and gone and I'm LATE! But life just got in the way this week, what can I say. Anyway, here we go! I used Dr. Digi's House of Stamps image World's Best Dad. I think it is difficult to find good images for masculine cards, but Dr. Digi's has some awesome images to use for the men in your life. They also have some great images for women. The original image says I love tea on the mug, but I put "coffee" in place of tea because my stepdad loves his coffee - he especially loves a McDonald's  frappe! I colored the image with Copic markers and heat embossed the sentiment tag under the image. I put Glossy Accents on his glasses and on the coffee cup. I saw a great diecut background with different sized circles on someone's card and thought maybe I could make that on my Silhouette Cameo 4. So, I worked on it over a couple of days to get it with just the right number of circles spaced apart - almost looks like swiss cheese - lol! Then came the paper under the diecut. I came across some gold-marbled paper I purchased at Joann's several months ago and thought it would look nice under the swiss cheese diecut - yay! With all those gold swirls, I decided not to add any other embellishments. My stepdad loved the card and thought it was the best one yet! I'm so glad he liked it! Take a look and let me know what you think!

Happy Aloha Friday and have a great weekend!

Pack Light

Good Afternoon! I did something a little different for my granddaughter's college graduation card. After her junior year she did an internship in Morocco and had planned on another internship this year in Tanzania (cancelled now due to the virus). In past years my husband and I had taken her and her brother on several trips abroad, so she has travelled quite a bit by now, and it is very clear to us that she loves to travel. The image I used for her graduation card is from Krista Smith, called Pack Light. I colored the image with Copic markers, as I continue to practice my lessons from Kit and Clowder. I used my Silhouette Cameo 4 to cut around the image and a slightly larger image for the matting. I also used my Silhouette Cameo to diecut the other images: globe, graduation cap, and airplane. This is the first time I have colored an image based on the paper I wanted to use rather than coloring an image first, in the favorite colors of the recipient, and then trying to find paper to match. I used a gold pen to make/color the tassel on the graduation cap and I popped up the main image on foam dots. I completely made up the verse on the inside using the phrase, "Oh the places you'll go." I know that is a Dr. Seuss book, but I only used that phrase and made up the rest to rhyme - I like to try to write little poems for the cards I make - lol! It makes them a little more personal when the recipient knows you wrote something just for them. Let me know what you think of my card!

I hope you have a wonderful week - ALOHA!

Pony Plait

This month at The Outlawz Challenges our Freebie Progressive Challenge image is from Hetty Clare Art and is called Pony Plait (and it is on sale right now!). I had some copic markers out for another image I am coloring, so I thought I would use them for this image, too. I was really pleased with how this turned out, so I decided to use it for a friend's birthday card instead of another image. Then, I looked at The Outlawz Challenges Wednesday Sketch Challenge and thought I could use that as my layout for this image, too! So I printed a little sentiment and used it for one space. Then I used a little colorful and glittery paper scrap for the other space. I added a ribbon and made two little bows for the area below the image. I thought about adding Stickles, but decided I should stop here. Sometimes it is hard to know when to stop adding embellishments and things, and maybe I could add more, but I thought the image would speak louder here if I just left it alone. I did use my white gel pen to add a little bit of sparkle to the girl's purple underskirt. Take a look and let me know what you think about this colorful image and card!

I hope you have a wonderful day!

Birthday Fairy

Fairies are so much fun to color - you can do anything you want with their hair, clothes, wings. My cousin in Las Vegas is having a shelter-in-place birthday party for her soon-to-be 8 year old granddaughter and asked friends and family to send birthday cards, so I thought I would use this cute Anniversary Fairy from The Greeting Farm. I used this same image in May for another birthday card. This time I used more purples and yellows from my copic markers. I also made her hair ombre with pink and purple on the ends with yellow in the middle. I added stickles on the stars in her hair, her wings and the flower wand. The background is a digital file from Raspberry Road. I also added three little sequins to the front. A super-cute fairy with lots of possibilities! Fun, Easy and Fast!

I hope you have a Fairy Nice Day!

Dogs In A Boat

Doesn't the time seem to just fly by? Three months ago when the whole shelter-in-place thing started, I thought time would just drag on and on. But, here we are three months later and I still don't have that one room cleaned up and organized! Of course I have been procrastinating a little on that project - lol! I have been able to keep up with my card-making, though, without having to scramble too much to make it in time for birthdays, anniversaries, etc. If you haven't found Mo's Digital Pencil yet, you really should check out her images. There are plenty of images for every sort of occasion you can imagine! I used her image, Dogs In A Boat, for a birthday card for a dear male friend. Instead of using the included sentiments, I decided to go with the theme "They say it's your birthday," from the Beatles song - it just seemed to fit and made me smile thinking that's what these dogs are singing. My friend is a dog-person, too, so I thought it was a great image to use for his card. I added a digital image of fireworks I had for the background and added stickles to light them up. I sponged Distress Ink, Broken China, for the water. I colored the dogs with Copic markers. I haven't mastered coloring fluffy fur with Copic markers yet, so I colored these cute guys using shading. I used lots of the E, N, C, and W Copics. I am entering this in Mo's Digital Pencil: Challenge #292 - Anything Goes (with a Mo Manning image).

I think this turned out to be a really fun card and I can't wait to hear from my friend after he opens it!

I hope you have a wonderful day!

Three (or Four) Little Oinks

Have you been lucky enough to find Sherry West Art yet? She has super-cute digital images and has published at least one book (which I hope to get for my two great nephews later this year)! Sherry  was generous enough to give away one of her images, Three Little Oinks, to the Kit and Clowder Facebook group. I did modify it a little bit - the original image comes with three little piggies and I have three siblings (meaning four kids). So, I took the little one on the right, cropped the image down to that one, flipped it and added it to the left side. I'm still waiting to hear from Sherry that that was okay with her - I hope so. I colored the image with copic markers, used pink and tan background paper with washi tape and six plastic purple hearts along the washi tape borders. The washi tape was too wide for my area, so I cut it in half (not very straight, but I think it looks okay). I entered my card in three Outlawz Challenges - Tuesday Color, Wednesday Sketch and Crash Your Stash! Fun, Fun, Fun! Let me know what you think of my card.

I think my mom will enjoy this!
Have a wonderful day!

Amelia Mermaid

This month's Progressive Freebie Challenge at The Outlawz Challenges uses an image called Amelia Mermaid from Elena Zinski Art. We received two images to choose from - a pre-colored version or uncolored version. I decided to color the image, but I cropped it so you cannot see the water or swimsuit top. Then I placed it on a flower frame from Tiddly Inks and added a sentiment also from Tiddly Inks (neither of which are available any longer). I think I can use this card for almost any occasion! I used Copic markers to do my coloring and Distress Ink, Broken China, for the shading (maybe I got a little carried away with the shading!). Then I used The Outlawz Challenges Wednesday Sketch Challenge for my card layout and the Crash your Stash Challenge for adding ribbon to my card! Three-for-one! I used ribbon in two places - the bow at the top left and the wide floral ribbon down the center (I think it is so pretty!). The wide ribbon had wire along the sides which I just pulled out. I added a small bling to the middle of Amelia's hair bow. Then I used a dark pink sparkly gel pen to fill in the middle of the frame doodles. I think it turned out as a really fun card! Let me know what you think!

Skin  E04, E11, E21, E00, E000, RV21; Eyeshadow G00

Flowers  RV29, RV25, RV23, RV21

Leaves, Stems  G09, G05, G03, G00

Flower Centers  E15, Y38, Y35, Y11

I hope your day is beautiful!

50's Anniversary

In January I made an Anniversary card using The Greeting Farm image 50's Sweetheart and thought I would do another one in different colors. I think I will use this image for all of my Anniversary cards this year - all in different color schemes! The one I made in January was in purples and this one is in turquoise - the favorite colors of the intended recipients. I used copic markers to color the image and cut it out - that's one of the great things about The Greeting Farm images, they are easy to cut out by hand or with your Silhouette. I made a shaker card, cutting the heart out with my Silhouette and  used foam tape on the back. For the shaker elements I used sequins, tiny clay hearts jewel hearts and dew drops. I added an embellishment sticker (the flower flourish) and a ribbon for the bottom. I also added a little bling on her bow.

Take a look at my January card, too, and compare the two - I love them both! I hope you have a wonderful day!

Birthday Fairy

With all this shelter-in-place stuff going on, people are getting creative for children's birthday parties. My cousin in Indiana asked all of his friends on FB if they would send his granddaughter a birthday card to surprise her, as she is turning 6 years old. So I colored up the really cute Anniversary Fairy from The Greeting Farm. It is a digital image, so you can make her any size you want. I made a little scene with some digital images I had in my stash and made the sentiment to print on top. Before printing the Fairy I placed a digital image of a jewel flower on top of her wand (the image normally has a star on top of the wand to match the stars in her hair). I colored the Fairy with copic markers cut her out and added clear Wink of Stella on the stars, jewel flower and wings. I used foam squares to pop her up on the card, added 3 little glitter pieces and a rainbow bling strip down the right side. Take a look and let me know what you think!

Copic used:

Skin  E04, E11, E21, E00, E000, RV21

Hair  Rv29, RV25, RV23, RV21

Clothes V09, V06, V01, V00

Wings and Stars  Y11, V00, B00, RV21

I hope you have a Fairy Nice Day too!

We've Got You Covered

I just LOVE Dudley - he's a free digi from Whimsy Stamps that you must have! I printed him on digital paper that I had, trying to make it look like a room (or bathroom!) and then colored him with Copic markers. I made a little slit in the end of each TP roll and added a tiny piece of real TP for effect. I made 8 of these cute cards and sent them out to friends and family with a poem I made up. Have a look! SO MUCH FUN!

Have a Great Day!