Character Cafe Thursday

This is my last card as a guest DT for Character Cafe. I am submitting it to Cute Card Thursday. The challenge is to use a lot of "text".   It has been a lot of fun working with the other DT members at the Character Cafe.

Love Bug

The Paper Cutz Challenge this week is a color challenge. Use only red, black, yellow, blue and white.

Materials:

• Paper from K&Company
• Image from Inktegrity
• "Summer" from JoAnn Essentials

A Friend for a Lifetime

There is a poem out there somewhere about how some friends are with us for a particular time or purpose and then they move on. I've been lucky enough to have few friends that have been there through those times and for those purposes and they are still here.
Soft Pencil DT is using "Molly In Spring" this week. She looks just as happy in Summer as she did in Spring. She has a message for those special friends.

Thank you to all those friends that have stuck with me through good times and bad. Some of you have been around since high school (Mary) and others while we were raising our kids (Mom's Nite Out) and still others as kids became independent and the work force was calling (or maybe it was the checkbook). Some have been neighbors, some co-workers, some fellow musicians. You know who you are.

Bright Summer Colors at For Fun Challenges

Again we have a sponsor this week at For Fun Challenges. Thanks to the Stamping Boutique for providing the DT with images for this color challenge. Use bright summery colors - go neon if you choose. Be bright and bold and energized!

Bright enough for you?

Happy Birthday Max!

Our grandson Max is 4 years old today! Since he is into dragons I made him this card using the Doodle Dragon image.

Wheeee - Got Wheels!

It was so difficult to choose an image for this week's Paper Cutz Challenge card. The theme is wheels. With grandchildren I have collected a lot of images of children and children play with bikes and wagons and big trucks and little cars and.... doll buggies. Well, maybe not the boys, but the girls love them.

Materials used:

• Papers from We R Memory Keepers and from HOTP
• Image from Phindy's Place
• Fabric Sticker from Paper Wishes (possibly HOTP)
• Rocking Horse charm bought in bulk on eBay a couple of years ago

GIft Card pocket

Ever drop a gift card out of a birthday card when you take it out of the envelope? When you send someone a gift card do you worry that they'll lose it? This is a pocket card. It starts as a trifold card and then pockets are added on the 2nd and 3rd pages. Slide a sentiment or photo in one pocket and a check, cash or gift card in the other.










This was not a random choice of cards. The challenge at The Character Cafe is to make a pocket card.
I printed a second copy of the digi and colored/cut out just Froggy. He sits quite nicely in the pocket.

These are fun cards to make. Choose your papers well. I like when I find a good two sided paper. If not, I adapt. Let's see some pocket cards!

Thinking of You x 3

The Soft Pencil DT is showing off another set of the multi-lingual sentiments that Elizabeth has designed. This time "Thinking of You" is available in English, Spanish and Dutch.

I used some Soft Pencil digital paper, DCWV mat stack and some pale blue pearls. Just missing a kitty....

For Fun Sketch Challenge!

For Fun Challenges has a sponsor this week! Our thanks to Fairy Knoll for providing the DT with images for this week's sketch challenge.

 

Fairy Knoll ~ A place where fairies fly and dreams come alive. Fairy Knoll offers digital stamps filled with fantasy and magic ~ we hope you can visit us soon. 

The winner will choose 3 images of her choice.

I had to turn the sketch so that the image would be properly framed. Excuse the runaway ribbon please. No matter how I tried to get it straight.... it had other ideas.

Supplies:

• Paper from DCWV 
• Image from Fairy Knoll colored with Copic markers
• Butterfly Ribbon from Michael's
• Crystals from Michael's
• Purple outline Smooches
• Iridescent Flowers

From My Heart to Yours

The Cupcake Craft Challenge this week has the theme "Cats & Dogs". Now normally, you know me, I would have used a cat image. But, this doggy is cute, colorwise he fits the papers and I've been accused of being anti-dog. (I am).

I chose a gatefold card so that the layering would focus on the puppy. This is a more masculine card - perfect for a boyfriend, husband or father.

All supplies are from The Angel Company. Papers are Hemingway and the stamps are from Furry Friends.

My Heart to Yours

The challenge at Crafty Hos'  this week is a sketch.  I used materials from The Angel Company (see my TAC blog).

Supplies:
Papers: The Angel Company - Hemingway
Tags: The Angel Company - Hemingway
Stamps: Furry Friends & Hello for All Seasons
Copics: Strong Red

Butterfly Bliss

The challenge at My Time to Craft (MTTC) is to use a butterfly image. I made this card with supplies from The Angel Company. I am a new demonstrator for The Angel Company which carries a wide variety of rubber stamps with cling - rubber stamps that cling to acrylic blocks. Easy to store, high quality stamps. We carry other card-making supplies and tools too. Check out my other blog: Angel Creative Updates or just click on Sir Chester at the top of the page. Sign up to be a follower and be notified of special offers, new products and other surprises.

Supplies: 
Paper: The Angel Company - Tuscany Spice
Tag: The Angel Company - Tutti Frutti
Butterfly and sentiment stamps: The Angel Company - Happily Grateful
Copics: orange & yellow            

Head Start

Cute Card Thursday is challenging everyone to get a head start on their Christmas cards. Well, I've made about 20 cards already, but I wanted to try out some of my new stamps from The Angel Company. (Remember I have a new blog, as a new Angel.).

Lil Fisherman

I didn't get to enter many challenges this past week because I working on setting up my new blog: Angel Creative Updates. You can reach it by clicking in with Sir Chester at the top of the page. I am a new Angel demonstrator with The Angel Company. If you live in the Kansas City/Lake of the Ozarks areas and want to host a FunShop (workshop) contact me. I would love to come and teach a "Make It & Take It" for you and your crafty friends. The Angel Company sells rubber stamps (which many are also good for elementary grade teachers), and papers, supplies and tools for card-making and scrapbooking.

Tonight, however, I found this little cutie at Phindy's Place. Phindy's Challenge this week is to use a Phindy image and the color blue. So here it is!

Lucky Horseshoe

The theme of the Paper Cutz Challenge this week is Cowboys/Western. Since part of the family lives in Dallas now, I have collected a few cowboy/western images

.
Materials list:

• More Ephemera paper pack from HOTP
• Image from Sew Many Cards
• Sentiment cut with Cricut Expressions George cartridge
• Border from Paper House

Character Cafe meets Cards for Men

The challenge at Cards for Men, closing Sunday, is to make a Christmas card for a man. I chose an image from Character Cafe.

This cute puppy has that "Oops, you caught me" or "Who me?" look. I kept the embellies to a minimum to give it a more masculine feel.

Froggy's House

Soft Pencil's DT is showcasing a fairly new character: Froggy and his/her house. Froggy lives in a Mushroom.

Supplies:

• Paper from 3 Bugs in a Rug
• Image from Soft Pencil
• Square brad from stash
• Tiny pink flowers - Prima

Summer Cutie

This is a new Phindy Cutie. Sir Chester insisted we play with it. I wonder why?.......

Clarification on FFC

The challenge at For Fun Challenges is just asking you to color your image (don't use precolored die cuts). If you like more of a challenge, try a new way of coloring. That is what I did. Helen had promoted using OMS as one of her favorite ways. I usually use Copic markers, but gave the OMS a try.

How about you? Use your favorite method or try something new this week.

OMS Technique (Odorless Mineral Spirits)

This week at For Fun Challenges we are challenging you to try a (possibly) new technique for you - using odorless mineral spirits with colored pencils. This technique works best if the areas to be colored aren't too little or too vast. Use the colored pencils (decent ones, not dollar specials) to color in the darker parts of the image (stamped or digi) and then scribble it through the rest of the area. Using a tortillion (or tightly rolled white cardstock) dipped in OMS - enough to wet the top 1/4 inch well, but not dripping. Then use it in a swirling motion to dissolve and spread the colored pencil through the rest of the area. It is recommended to have two tortillions - one for light colors and one for the darker. This will give your colored areas shading.

You can see the shading effect the best on the strawberries and the mouse. Materials:

• Vintage Sara Papers from HOTP
• EKSuccess colored pencils
• Image from Phindy's Place
• Paper Lace from Creative Imaginations

Having some fun

Just having some fun tonight. Made a pocket card with Soft Pencil images. Thought I'd share.

Thank you Hero

As usual I was having trouble sleeping last night. Woke up at 230 and thought it was "morning". So I checked email and then went to the dashboard to see if there were any new/interesting challenges posted. Allsorts was as far as I got. The theme is July Love and the requirement is to have a heart predominantly on the card (not just a little one tucked in a corner somewhere).

If you look at my previous post, I have been working on Operation: Write Home cards for the military. (Blank cards since there isn't a Hallmark shop in Baghdad)  OWH also collects "Any Hero" cards - thank you cards with notes & signed - thanking the individual soldier for their service. So above is my entry to the Allsorts Challenge and then I will add my note and it will go in the box as an Any Hero card.

This is a USA project and I realize that Allsorts is visited by people all over the world. Maybe there is a similar program in your country.... or consider asking about starting one. On a smaller scale, see if there is a hospital or nursing home that would like your cards. Just in leftover challenge cards I have 10 or so a week. I've been making some cards specifically for the project and will drop off my 2nd 100 cards since June 1st next week.

Have a good weekend.

Orange, Purple & Black

We've had many challenges over the last few weeks that have included the colors: red, white & blue. Rightly so. But..... then the challenges went to Christmas is July type colors: red, green, white. Many more challenges were "summer" so that was blue (water/sky), tan (sand), bright colors for beachwear and accessories, BBQs, etc.




So I checked the OWH (Operation Write Home) webpage and saw that Halloween cards will need to be done no later than mid September.
While that seems a long way off, We are talking roughly 8 weeks.




All three of these cards used images of Tayla from Sew Many Cards.
Since the project started in 2007, over 469,000 cards have been shipped out to our military units. Thanks for helping.

Romantic mood

This simple but romantic image of the flower in the wine bottle is the second design for July from Delightful Inspiration.. I colored it and chose papers to support the 100th challenge at Color Throw Down. The colors this week are: Certainly Celery (wine bottle), Real Red (sentiments, neck band on bottle and flower), Regal Rose (fluid in the bottle, center of flower) and Baja Breeze (bottle label, background paper. This card will be sent to OWH.

Blog Hop Winner

The Character Cafe Blog Hop winner from Purrfect Sentiments is DianeL. You will be receiving your Poppies image from Kendra. Thanks to all for participating in the Character Cafe Blog Hop.

Don't forget to check out this week's new challenge.

Season's Greetings

Paper Cutz Challenge this week is to create a Christmas card without any red or green. So I used blue, white and brown. The image is RooCat from Prairie Fairy. The paper is from American Crafts. "Season's Greetings" is cut from teal vinyl on the Cricut Expression using the Beyond Birthdays cartridge. Blue and silver snowflake brads were purchased at Paper Wishes.

Now it is your turn.

Who's at the Gate?

The Character Cafe Challenge this week is to make a gate fold card. There are some on line video instructions available. I, of course, accidently picked the more involved gate fold card. But it was fun.

Quinn the duck was my first attempt. I think it came out okay. I used double sided heavy weight designer paper. The blue would be easier to write a note on , so it got the priority. The backside is the orange which I used to mat the image.

 This nutty rascal is so cute. I used him for another challenge earlier in the week (on regular rectangular card). I like the way this one came out.
While not as colorful, the shades of brown are rich and appropriate for

this guy.

Happy Birthday in any language

I'm a gate card obsession at the moment. The Soft Pencil team is highlighting the "Happy Birthday" sentiments available in three languages: English, Spanish and Dutch. The outside image is Michu and Ratiny singing Happy Birthday (or any other song you choose).

Then on the inside are the English and Spanish birthday greetings. You can purchase a sentiment in the three languages or several sentiments in a single language.

Character Cafe Blog Hop

A couple of days left on the Character Cafe Blog Hop. 
Click here for my post on the hop!

Patriotic Mrs Comfy

My second entry for Phindy's Challenge is Mrs. Comfy. She was a challenge since there is so much detail and only a couple of colors.... What do you think??

Summer Fruits

The Cute Card Thursday Challenge this week took a different direction than most of the others. The theme is Fruit. The fruit can be on the paper, the embellies, the image - wherever.

• Paper: K&Company
• Image: Bugaboo
• Sentiment: Cricut Expressions Beyond Birthdays cartridge cut from Oh My Vinyl

Mini Book

The For Fun Challenge this week is a minibook. Ever wish you had a couple picture of the kids, grandkids, pets, new house, etc? Or maybe a sample of some of your creations? Make a minibook.

Cut a strip of cardstock or heavy designer paper 10 in x 2 in and score it every inch accordian style. Then fold it. Cut 5 piece of solid colored cardstock 2 in x 3 in. These are your pages. Glue or adhere them to the
back of each binding flap. The last one you can put on the front side so 
the decorative binding shows on the outside. 

I made my minibook about my 3 grandsons (soon there will be a 4th): Max, Zerek and Mason. I selected some photos and printed them out in index size (20 photos to an 8 1/2 by 11 photo paper sheet).

I choose a patterned cardstock for the binding and solids for the inside pages. The solid cardstock was different colors front/back. One side is a
cinnamon color and the other is a yellow-cream. One photo fit on each page. You can add some rubber stamping, Dazzles or other flat embellishments before or after mounting the photos. 

Thinking ahead these would be good stocking stuffers for Grandparents or great-grandparents.

Hi There Kitty

I like the simplicity of some of the Squigglefly images. Of course the kitties are my favorites. The Squigglefly Challenge is open. You just need to use Squigglefly image(s). The Allsorts Challenge is to create a scene using 2 or more images. I am entering this card in both challenges.

Bilingual Birthday Bear

Digital Tuesday Challenge is asking for Red, White and Blue this week.These images (the bear and the sentiment box) are from Soft Pencil.

The ribbon had a sprinkling of yellow dots along with the blue ones so I covered them with white pearls. It kept the red/white/blue theme and added some dimension to the card.

Going Nutty

If you are looking for the Character Cafe Blog Hop, click here.

 This little guy is my entry to the One Stitch at a Time Challenge. He is an image from the Character Cafe. I think he is just soooo cute! The challenge is to use some ribbon, lace or a bow. I used 2 strips of paper lace to border the top and bottom of the card.  "Happy Birthday" was cut with the Cricut Expression's Beyond Birthdays cartridge.
 

Ice Cream Yummy

The Prairie Fairy challenge this week is wide open! With all the heat, I chose the ice cream cone image.

This Imaginesce paper is purrfect with its beach scene on one side and frozen favorites on the other. I added some ribbon and some pearls. The image is cut twice and layered with dimension dots. That is hard to see in this photo. Stay cool and enjoy some crafting!

Blogger Problems

Blogger doesn't want to post comments after I've checked them. I am going to remove the moderation temporarily and see if it will take a direct posting. Sorry, I can't control Blogger.

Three Wishes

If you are looking for the Character Cafe Blog Hop, scroll down.

At Designed to Delight they are having a blog hop which includes a hunt for the first free digi for July. Make a creation using the digi and upload it by Thursday. Everyone who enters will then get the next digi for the month sent by email. You need to get in at the beginning of the month. So hurry up.
I used a pre-printed card from HOTP. Printed and colored 3 copies of the Wish digi. One is mounted on dimensional foam stickers, another on cardstock. The 3rd is glued directly on the card. Three wishes for a "Happy Birthday".

Truckload of Daisies

If you are looking for the Character Cafe Blog Hop either scroll down and enjoy the other cards along the way or click HERE.

You may be wondering about the title of this post. There's the truck, where are the daisies?? Do you ever have trouble naming your photos? Dates just don't work for me unless they are Christmas or a birthday and the photos are related to that holiday.
This card is my submission to the Daisy Doodle Challenge. It is a 1-2-3 recipe challenge this week. One digi (Daisy Doodle preferred), 2 patterned papers and 3 brads. The truck is a Daisy Doodle digi colored with Copics. All three papers are HOTP. There are 2 patterned papers plus the mat paper is a tone on tone. The 3 brads are the green circles along the bottom of the card.
So a truck for the Daisy challenge makes it a "Truckload of Daisies".

Cupcake Sports

If you are looking for the Character Cafe Blog Hop, scroll down or click here.

The theme at Cupcake Craft Challenges this week is "World Cup" in honor of the soccer/football competition. So....  you must use sports in your creation - not necessarily soccer/football. I love these two images from Bugaboo. They are colored with Copics and the buttons selected to match the uniforms. 

Weekend Productivity

If you are looking for the Character Cafe Blog Hop, scroll down. Enjoy the other cards on your way!

Crafty Ho's Challenge theme this week is "Fun in the Sun". This Bugaboo image is so typical of little boys (and sometimes little girls) during the summer as they explore the world. There is a certain fascination with bugs. The bug paper is from HOTP. I added the dragonfly brad. The sentiment refers to "dirty face" and "cut on his finger". A good description of any boy who has been out of the bathtub more than 10 minutes.

 

Pear Tree Designs is sponsored by Character Cafe this week.The challenge is to have an animal on the card.  I fell in love with this Character Cafe image (and the sentiment) as soon as I saw it. Character Cafe has a special on this week: 6 images for $5. This one of my 6. "You're not going to make me light them ALL are you?" is so light-hearted. The "Happy Birthday" box is from another digital image store: Soft Pencil. They have several sentiments available in English, Spanish and Dutch.

As always, any cards not already in mind for a personal friend or relative is sent on to OWH.

Heroes

If you are looking for the Character Cafe Blog Hop, just scroll down. 

This week the Phindy' Place Challenge is to use a Phindy image and the colors: red, white, blue. Since fire trucks are red, this was an easy one to choose. The military, police and firemen are good heroes for children to look up to.

Have a safe and fun 4th of July no matter where you live. They do have the 4th of July in the rest of the world. The USA just gives it extra significance.

The Character Cafe Blog Hop!

Guess who is the guest DT for The Character Cafe this month?? Me! They gave me the wonderful image of "Poppies" (the flowers - NOT puppies). The first thought that came to mind was Dorothy, the Cowardly Lion, the Tin Man and the Scarecrow falling asleep in the field of poppies after the Wicked Witch of the West cast a spell. Glinda, the good witch, saved them by conjuring up some snow flurries. Now maybe this is just because I live (at least part time) in Kansas or maybe because The Wizard of Oz was a favorite of my children when they were little.

On to the Blog Hop information: If you arrived here from the Character Cafe then you are on the right track. The line-up is:
                      
                       The Character Cafe
                       Guest DT Mary Ski @ Purrfect Sentiments 
                       Fink
                       Angie
                       Lola
                       Margie
                       Deanette
                       Queenie
                       Georgia
                       Rachel
                       Sara
                       Audrey
                       The Cafe Blog

Please leave a comment at each blog you visit. Each DT member will draw from the comments and give that person the image showcased on that particular blog. Check back next Friday, July 9th to see if you are a winner.

• We are offering a sale to our readers:  BUY 6 images for $5.00!!!!  The sale will last through Friday, July 9th 
• Grand prize is 2 new release images and $5 gift certificate to The Café store.
• Hoppers can create a project using any TCC image and link to us for a chance to be Guest Designer for August (Guest Designer will receive 2 images to work with for the month).

If you like what you see, please become a follower of the Character Cafe (and any of the DT members) or join our webstore for the newsletter. Above all - Have Fun!! The best part of Blog Hops is seeing a variety of techniques and styles. There should be at least one and probably many inspirations along the way.