A Penguin on a Christmas Card

Jennifer Scull brings the challenge this week at There's Magic in the Air; she wants us to use any type of animal image and go wild on your creativity. Also, the challenge at Christmas Stampin' All Year Long is to use a bird image on a Christmas project  so I'll be entering my card in their challenge too!

I used the Paper Cupcakes image "Skating By" for my card. I suppose the "wild" element is the color combination -- it's completely different for me -- not my normal Christmas colors. However, I bought a paper pack after Christmas last year when they went on sale; it is called Magic of the Season (appropriate for the challenge, I thought!) and the colors are black, red, and white/ivory. This is my first time to use it and I think the color combo is quite interesting. It certainly works for the image!!

Bye for now,
Betty

Magical Painted Pony

Audrey has a challenge this week at There's Magic in the Air to do a card/project with some type of mystical creature such as fairies, angels, unicorns, mermaids, etc. If you need an image to complete the challenge, Nina is offering one of unicorns for only $1.

I have always thought that Nina's image Painted Pony is very magical so this is the one I used on my card. She has also a similar image titled Painted Cat that is also one of my favorites. I felt like bright, happy colors today, having been inspired by Stephanie at Annabelle Stamp's blog hop last night. Her card was so bright and beautiful!

Hope my card brightens your day,
Betty

A Birthday Card

The challenge at There's Magic In the Air/Paper Cupcakes this week is to make an easel card. I have used Nina's digi image Peony in a Bottle, colored with Stampin' Up markers. Sentiment is also from SU. The layout of the card front is a sketch from Repeat Impressions #M1811. Today is the last day to create a card for this challenge; I had a great time with the sketch! Designer paper is a ColorBok pack, by Tracy Porter that I've had for a long time. I really like the soft blues and yellow. Added very light yellow pearls to act as the easel stand.

We took a walk along the lake yesterday evening. The waves were coming into land so furiously we felt like we were seaside rather than lakeside. I even got splashed! This is a little park area that has been opened since I was here last year. During the day yesterday there were numerous families out under the trees with their picnic lunches, enjoying the beauty of the day together. Hope you enjoyed another glimpse of life "Lakeside" and that you'll come back again! Betty

Card with Flower

I had trouble sleeping last night so I made some flower embellies -- making our own flowers is the challenge at There's Magic in the Air/Paper Cupcakes and Fab N Funky Challenges. Cut out my flower layers with a Spellbinders Nestabilities die set, spritzed with water and crumpled up the layers and put them together with a brad. The paper for the flower and also for the background are from My Mind's Eye. I also used a couple of Martha Stewart punches and Spellbinders oval dies to cut out the sentiment which is from Gina K. Designs, Fanciful Tags. I'd also like to enter this in Donna Baker's stampTV Mix it Up Monday challenge to make a shabby chic card.

Praying and Sending Peonies

I will be entering the card I made today in the following challenges:
StampTV Mix It Up Monday -- Focus on Flowers
There's Magic In The Air -- Use Embossing

The image that I have used is by Nina May from Paper Cupcakes. Isn't it beautiful? I colored it with Koh-i-noor pencils and baby oil. To get your own "Peony in Bottle", click on the link above at There's Magic in the Air and join us in the challenge which is to use embossing. I have embossed the small flowers in white on the Pretty in Pink SU cardstock. The small flower is from a Gina K. Designs kit, Framed Friends. The premade background is also embossed with glitter; it comes from a paper pack by the Paper Studio, Poteeka Souffle. The sentiment is from another GKD set, Fanciful Frames.

We have a day trip planned for Wednesday to a village up in the mountains. We are actually up in the mountains here (around 5000 feet) but where we will be going is around 7000 feet. Looking forward to taking some pictures to share with you all.

Betty

Tons of Love

I made this card to send to Operation Write Home and I followed these challenges:
The Color Dare 76 -- Old Olive, Rose Red, Elegant Eggplant and Not Quite Navy
There's Magic in the Air -- Sketch challenge and using digital image from Paper Cupcakes.
Used my Nestablilities Ovals for the computer generated greeting and Martha Stewart's Double Loops border punch. Added a little paper piercing and a heart button and this sweet little elephant is ready to carry mom or dad's love back to their little sweetheart at home!
Betty

Gotta Cool Down!

Patti Nelson has issued the challenge at There's Magic in the Air to make a card using a Paper Cupcakes image and be inspired by the phrase "Dog Days of Summer".
Growing up in Mississippi (we didn't have ac until I was a teenager), during the "dog days of summer" all I could think of was cooling down! Boy, it was hot and humid there. What could be better than going ice skating? My image is called "Skating By" and I've got another Christmas card made!!
Of course, I never went ice skating in Mississippi (or never have, for that matter) but this little guy sure does seem to be having fun!

Hope your week has a bit of fun too,
Betty

Kitty Treats?

Here is my card for the challenge at There's Magic in the Air.. Olga Jewell wants us to use a Paper Cupcakes image and showcase it on a container of some sort, bax, bog, etc. My container is a Diaper Fold Pouch and the tutorial is here at Splitcoast Stampers. It's very easy to make and very cute to give! Thanks for coming by!

Betty

Seeing Spots??

I hope you're seeing spots because that's the challenge from Pat Pedder over at There's Magic in the Air today. We are also to use this cute free image from Paper Cupcakes so hurry over to the TMITA site and snag the image so you can play along too! I found a piece of 12x12 dp with pretty pastel spots that matched well with Gina K. Designs' Pure Luxury Ocean Mist card stock. Also found a piece of spotted ribbon that I purchased at Michael's -- the brand is Winter Whispers. The Color Challenge over at stampTV this week is to use pastel colors -- hoping my pastel background will work for that! I colored my image with Bic markers and sponged the blue and green areas with Garden Green and Bashful Blue from Stampin' Up. The design team at TMITA inspired me to get spotty and I hope that I've helped to inspire you!!

Bye! Bye! Betty
(does that make anyone think of Bye, Bye Birdie! ???)
I'm showing my age now, aren't I?

TMITA Monochromatic

I didn't get to play with this cute little guy from Paper Cupcakes last week so here he is on my monochromatic green card for the challenge at There's Magic in the Air this week. The image is colored with pencils, blended with baby oil and the sentiment is Stampin Up's Boho Backgrounds. Ribbon is from Michael's. I'm so glad to be feeling better today -- spent 6 hours ine the ER yesterday with a horrible stomach virus. Didn't think I'd ever stop throwing up!! Bless his heart, my DH told me a while back that when he promised to love me in sickness and in health, he didn't realize how much sickness there would be! But he's stuck with me for over 30 years now!

Betty

TMITA CAS with Sue

Sue Walsh, designer for There's Magic in the Air, has challenged us to make a Clean and Simple card with this free image from Nina May. I have used the sketch from OWH Stars and Stamps Challenge 16. Hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend!

Betty

Lilies

This is my second card to post today (hope you'll take a look at the first one, too!) The image of the lilies can be yours free from Nina May at There's Magic in the Air. Sue Walsh is hosting the challenge this week to use this lovely image on a card. I colored it with Stampin' Up markers and the sentiment is from SU's Vases in Vogue. The layout comes from Crazy 4 Challenges. Their challenge is to CASE one of eleven cards posted by their creative design team. I'm sure you'll find one that is calling your name!
This is the card I CASEd; it was made by Lynda Benden. I fell in love with the image and that scalloped border with the bling in between each scallop. Finally, this card is being entered in the Dare U 2 Digi challenge since I have used a floral digi image as my focal point. But the floral could be a patterned paper, embellishment, or a punch too!

Enjoy your day,
Betty

There's Magic in the Air

Hey, everybody! I am back again; this is probably a record for me. I have been having a great time today with a bunch of different challenges! This card is for the color challenge at There's Magic in the Air and the sketch challenge 134 at Mojo Monday. And, since my sheep is all glittered and ready for a party, she is perfect for Sharri's Blast from the Past challenge at stampTV. Check in at There's Magic in the Air and pick up this sweet little freebie and play in their challenge. You'll have lots of fun if you do!

Betty

Have You Hugged An Egg Today?

Here's my card for Vicki's Sketch Challenge over at stampTV. The image is by Nina from There's Magic in the Air. I printed the image last night and after I colored it this morning, I had a "senior moment"!! Sue Walsh who hosted the challenge at TMITA wanted us to use this image on an Easter basket and guess who forgot all about it ------ yep, Moi! As you can see, this ain't no Easter basket!! But it did make a really cute card and it does match the pop-open box that I made last week for my grandson. Any hoo, sorry Sue! And thanks to Vicki for the sketch!

Betty

Cute Treat Box

Hello all! My card today is not a card but is an Anything But A Card Challenge from Karen at stampTV. The box was made from 4 pieces cut with a Sizzix Bigz Scallop Envelope die. The tutorial can be found at Splitcoast Stampers. The cupcake image comes from Nina May at There's Magic in the Air/Paper Cupcakes. Their challenge was to not make an ordinary card but to use a special fold. Well, I didn't make a special fold card but I didn't make an ordinary card either! I made a box -- is this okay, friends at TMITA? It was a fun project to make but I can tell you from experience, be sure to read the directions carefully!!

Later, Betty

TMITA Pot of Gold

This card is for the challenge over at There's Magic in the Air/Paper Cupcakes. Nina is giving us the image to play with and the challenge is to use metal along with the colors green and gold. Well, my metal is in the ribbon and the glittery gold cardstock. Sentiment is from Stampin' Up "A Little Birdie Told Me" and is embossed in gold, punched with SU small oval punch, and adhered to the Spellbinders Ribbon Tag Trio. Then, that is attached to the card with a "golden thread" (lol). Please forgive Mr. Leprachaun's face -- I messed up a bit trying to color his beard. Got brown on his face and didn't like brown after all -- it needed to be gray. Think I fiddled too much trying to get the brown off his face (first with WhiteOut which didn't work, then with a white pen) Finally, colored his face with a Bic marker (which I used on the entire image as well) and was "sorta" okay with it! Also had another Oops -- the gold pen I used to color the coins in the pot covered all the coin outlines -- drew them in with pen but they seemed to disappear. Finally decided to gold emboss them. My card looks okay as long as you don't click on it to make it larger!! Be kind, ok? Found some coins from our travels (Indonesia, Singapore, Australia, Hong Kong, The Netherlands) to add to the photo.

Later, Betty

Lucky Bear, Pure and Simple

Hello all! I had a lot of fun coloring this sweet bear image today for the challenge at There's Magic in the Air/Paper Cupcakes. However, part of the challenge was to use distressing. I was slightly "distressed" to have to do this to the perfectly cut scallops that my nesties provided, but I bit my lip and did it! I used colored pencils and baby oil to blend the color on the image and glittered up the highlighted portion of the shamrock. I sponged some Close to Cocoa around the distressed edges and Barely Banana to highlight the image. This sweet boy's name is "Lucky Bear" so I guess he's headed off to enter to win some blog candy -- wish him luck!!

Betty

Painted Pony in a Circle

Good Evening to all my Stampin' Friends!! This card is my entry in There's Magaic in the Air Monday Challenge. Selma has challenged us to use lace and a circle along with one of Nina's images. I have chosen Painted Pony -- I just love coloring this little guy. I used my Bic markers and the color scheme from a page of my favorite My Mind's Eye paper. You'll find this paper in the corners with the ProvoCraft die cuts, for the little butterfly and also as a border around the Spellbinders Shapeabilities ribbon tag. A paper doily is used to simulate "lace" and the circle was cut from Brocade Blue Stampin' Up card stock. Little "pearls" form the butterfly's body and the card base is SU Cameo Coral. Hope you like it!!

Betty

Bears for Brianna

My card today is a Valentine card for my 3 year old granddaughter Brianna. I have four Valentine bears on a shelf in my closet, in varying sizes. Each time she is over here she asks me to get the bears for her to play with. The image is from Nina May at There's Magic in the Air, challenge hosted by Sue (Tillymint). Sue, my project had a mind of its own and I ended up without the tag and without the stitching!! Am I terrible, or what??? Linda Payne gave me the inspiration because she resized the images for her project. After printing the images, I colored them with markers and cut them out. The sentiment oval is cut out with a ProvoCraft die and attached with a shiny brown ribbon. I am also entering this card in the DareU2Digi Challenge to use hearts or valentines and a digi image. I know Brianna will love the bears and we'll have to wait and see if it makes her thinks of the bears at my house!!

Betty

There's Magic in the Air This Evening!

Here is my treat container with Nina May's terrific giraffe image. I love how some of his spots are heart-shaped! I haven't filled it with anything yet because it will be for my MIL who was transferred to a rehab hospital today following hip surgery. She is a diabetic so I have to think of something other than candy to give her as a surprise! If you haven't been playing in this Monday challenge get on over to There's Magic in the Air and have some fun!


Betty