Christmas Birthday

Hope you all had a marvelous holiday! Here is a birthday card for one of my family in December. I can guarantee this will be my last post for 2011! I am showing you the inside of the card as well.

 After I kind of laid the card out, I thought, I wonder if I put buttons on that red cardstock strip? So it kind of looks like a car on the left! I love this paper pad but sure don't know which one it is! Sorry. I finally bought some twine looking stuff - its actually that sew easy stuff and I got 3 colors on a spool. I did the stickles very differently and like how unusual it is. There are also some stickles on the colored part. The background layering paper is black which is probably a first for me. I just don't think of black as a color! (It is, though).

I actually kept track of the copics! Hope you like the card as much as he did! copics: E00, E11, E31, E33, E35, E37, E29, R20, R59, C1, C3, C5, C7, C9, BG72, Y38. The sentiments are from Gina K. I found those cute car brads in my stash! I adore the buildings paper. Kind of thought it looks like a scene the way I laid it out? Of course that is Tim Holtz' distress ink around the edges.

Before I forget - I recently bought a Tim Holtz paint dauber - snow cap. I love that it stays a nice white unless you spread it really thin, then it mutes the color underneath it. I also bought a picket fence stain. (That also comes in a dauber like bottle). Loved both. I learned though that it does dry pretty fast! I kept waiting for it to dry as they were both so vivid! I also bought Tim Holtz' pine cone die and made a few pinecones! Love how that came out. Probably will show you in my next post. Found a youtube video on Cricut mat/book storage. She used a photo box (who doesn't have at least one empty one floating around?), the large index cards (think they are 5 x 7). You place the mat next to the book, write the title on the index card, file them alphabetically so you can find them again! -that is the real reason to organize. I also spent some time on my distress inks. I have bought at least 6 since the fall and I will take a photo and show you later. There are lots of ways of doing the inks, I use them in almost everything I do, so they need to be easily accessible without being "out". There is only so much room to put things out. So Happy New Year to you all!!!!! Lots of hugs and best wishes to everyone!! Please leave me a comment, so I start the new year all happy!! Barb F

As promised!! Happy Holidays!!

Hope you enjoy these!! I have to say I am very sorry that I forgot to take photos of the rest of them!! I managed to get myself into a state since I usually mail these out a lot earlier in December.  I put two on each sheet so they wouldn't take up a whole lot of room. Happy Holidays to all of you and a wonderful New Year!! Hugs to you all, Barb F

A Head's Up and special surprise

I have been working diligently on Christmas cards - there will be a few Chanukah cards also. I decided that I will photo all of them and do one huge post. I am not going to post that particular post to all of the groups I belong to. That is a special surprise just for you guys, my followers! It's my holiday gift to all of you. So far I have made all of 9 - I know, what happened to me? I have been following Tim Holtz's blog and his 12 tags of Christmas. Such wonderful ideas!! You will see some of the techniques on my cards as I am a real Tim Holtz fan - you can tell by the ink on my fingers! So be patient with me as I need to make lots more cards so I can get them in the mail. I came up with a kind of sketch idea that seems to work wonders at taking the hard out of the whole thing. I am just thinking present. You know, like gift? Wrapped with ribbon? You will see that they all have that theme. I have been watching videos on youtube as usual. Look up prairiepaperandink . The insides of my cards now make sense and are much nicer than last years groups! If you leave her a comment, be sure to tell her where you heard about her. She is wonderful!! So hopefully you will get to see this huge batch of cards before Christmas!! Hugs to all of you!! Barb F

Happy Holiday start!

Thanksgiving is officially behind us. Ours was so nice, hope yours was also. I did promise you that I had another card to post. My daughters are born within a couple of days of each other but 4 years apart. So this card is for the one that loves dolphins. For a change, this card just fell in place. Lately I have felt a bit brain dead when it comes to cards, but this one was easy. I got on my gypsy and found the neat things I wanted to cut out. Colored one of my fav Tildas and it just went! Hope you enjoy it. I hope she did also! Here are the copics: R05, R27, R20, E37, E35, E33, E31, E29, E00, E11, W2, C1, Y23, Y17. Lots and lots of stickles!!!Just have to have three things - stickles, ribbon and flowers!! The words/flamingo are on the Life is a Beach cartridge from Cricut. I actually paper pieced Tilda's dress and flower. That is a first for me. I just thought that the paper I used was perfect! The clouds were actually cut out of another patterned  cardstock!

The dolphin is layered - I chose to make one of those silver glittered! Hugs to you all, Barb F

I am thankful I have so many followers and more keep joining (to my complete amazement!)

First November card

Above you will see the outside and then the inside of my older daughter's birthday card. She just loved it and I just loved making it! It seems that I never have the right words on a stamp. But lets start with the outside of the card.  The "lace" is a punch. The greeting is made from the smallest die from a spellbinder's set and raised on a dimensional adhesive. The background for Tilda is from the same set only larger! This Tilda is one of my favorites. I put a gem on her wand as well as stickles. Now, see all those stars? Didn't have the cardstock I wanted, so I took a few stamps and red and blue ink and made my own! All the other paper came from the same stack - sorry, I just have too many to keep track of. I cut the inside star and the little magician on my cricut. Realized too late that I used two sided cardstock on the little guy and he was white. Decided after I got him together that he looked a lot like a ghostie! Can't color with copics or it would bleed through, so I used Prismacolor colored pencils and odorless mineral spirits. And he came to life! I think he is just adorable. That background is kind of pieced to get the size I wanted with the stars going around the outside. I glitzed up the big star. I was so proud of myself to get the "have a great birthday" to cut as one piece! So using the xyron , I made it into a nice sticker! It seemed awfully plain so I added the dashed lines with my new white pen from pentel. I love that thing!  Here are the copics I used on Tilda: E00, E11. R20, E50, E31, E33, E18, B23, B28, B29, B0000. I will be posting another card soon as I have it made and sent.  Sorry for the lapse again. Things should really pick up between all the birthday cards I need and Christmas/ Chanukah. Hope you all enjoy a wonderful Thanksgiving. Hugs to you all, Barb F

rest of post

This is Popcorn the bear stamp. Don't miss the little duck! The butterflies are a border sticker. Lots and lots of copics!

I cut out the inside flower on my Cricut. Couldn't do what I wanted, so I ended up putting it inside. Next time - will make a huge flower out of two sided regular paper, not cardstock. Then it will be a bit fluffier.  Had a bit of trouble with blogger again so this is being edited to add the next card!! Copics I used on this one are: YR31, YR23, Y21, Y11, Y15, Y17, YG11, YG17, YG23, E31, E33, E35, E37, E18, E29, C3, C5, B0000, R17.

I give up on these two! For some reason blogger wants to put them in on their sides! Poor Edwin! The inside letters are cut all one piece. I love the ship and water which is all cricut! Even cut out the tiny crossbones on the flag!! So here are the copics for Edwin: E00, E11, R20, R27, R59, Y06, Y28, Y08, C3, C5, C7, E31, E35, E37, E29, B93, B95, B97.

Hope you get to see all three cards - the one previously is part of the same post! Hugs to you all, Barb F

At Last!

Hey everyone - here are three new cards! Sorry for such a huge gap - you just never know anymore!  I had three birthdays this month and needed to take the time to do the cards, well I am giving them out finally and managed to take the time to post them. Have been using my Cricut personal - it only cuts 5 1/2" max but I have lots of cartridges and also bought the Gypsy which has been wonderful! Thanks to DVD's from Aboverubiesstudios.com, I can really use that gypsy and also my Cricut which has been sitting idle since I discovered stamping! I bought the faces for my paperdolls from Peachie Keen. I have used pirate Edwin from Magnolia stamps which I bought either at Magnolicious or stampingscrapping.com. Of course lots of copics are here. Cut the curtains out from my drawing and shaded them with copics and prismacolor pencils. I even used a glue stick on some parts but decided that my xyron worked better. Tried a glue pen and loved it for the intricate stuff. Stickles on everything - can't live without my stickles - by the way my new storage is working out wonderfully! The stickles work well everytime now.  The images on this first card are from Kenny K and digital, although I know they come in rubber stamps also. Can't remember all the cricut cartridges I used. Did lots of welding on the gypsy as you will see.

This grandson was the lead in this play at his high school - that ticket has cutout letters! I was thrilled with it!

I cut a frame out of the striped paper so now have the entire inside to use again. It is glued on top of the white cardstock. Did those cool letters on Microsoft Word!

Sorry to split this but blogger is acting up.

Best for last?

You know what they say about saving the best for last? Well, I am hoping that you think so - I am finally back using my Cricut! I bought a Gypsy and it has really made things exciting again! So this is a birthday and I thought about really trying to use my stuff! I put the stickles on the name to give it a little extra weight as when the glue sets up, it makes the paper thicker (or it feels thicker)! It also draws attention to it - after working on it, I didn't want all that work to be ignored!!!! Actually it wasn't very much work at all - more like easy! The image is a Kenny K digital and I altered a flower to look like a gear on the Gypsy!! That cool background is a Tim Holtz embossing folder - yep - still use the Cuttlebug!! When I embossed it, I should have dampened the paper slightly, and since I didn't, it showed signs that it could pull apart (the paper). So again with the stickles!!! You know - I just can't live without them!! I should own stock in the company by now!! Here are the copics - BG01, YR02, YR07, W3, W5, YG23, YG63, YG67, E00, E11, R20, E31, E33, E35, E37, E29, C2. That DP on the inside is a robot kind of paper - so cute, just can't remember what it's called - sorry. The greeting on the inside is cut from a spellbinder die. I put a check in the little pocket. That little gear on the front is cut from the dp with an actual pair of scissors!! Just thought it needed a little something right there. All of the paper came from the same package. And I KNOW you can find the stickles on this one!! That's it for me. Have a whole lot of cards to make for the next eternity!!! Hugs to you all, Barb F

I give up on placing these photos!!

A Lady's Birthday

Don't even know where I got this stamp, but I love it to pieces! I used to think it was torture to color, but now I am really enjoying it!! These are my friend's fav colors and I am hoping it will cheer her alot as she is ill right now.

I did keep track of the copics - B00, B01, B02, V000, V12, V15, V17, YG23, E00, E11, E31, E33, E35, E37, E29, E18, R20. I love, love the DP and save every tiny scrap of this one! I was amazed that I still have enough left to do a card!! See if you can find the stickles!! Hugs to you all - this is number 2! Barb F

Really Cute Peeker's Card

Have I got a few cards for you today!! Have just a tiny bit more absences and then I should be close to normal. I have sure missed going to all the blogs and looking at everyone's gorgeous stuff! Really missed your nice comments and so I will be fishing for some more and hoping that doing three posts will make us even! This first one was a card for a 9yr old granddaughter. The stamp is a fairly new line from Elisabeth Bell called Peekers! I think they are all just the cutest things! Wish my writing was nicer as I just had to make it say those words! There is less in the way of sparkle than I usually do - I am not changing, just adapting to the card!! And believe it or not, I did  keep track of the copics! RV06, BG000, BG01, Y23, Y00, YG17, Y21, Y28, E00, E11, E37, Y11, C1, C3, BG05. And here it is - love the inside enough to take photos!

So here are lots of hugs for all of you!!!!, Barb F

Finally caught up!

Our oldest granddaughter turned 21! Wanted to do a standup card for her as she keeps them forever!! This also is a digital stamp from Make it Crafty - they are located in Australia so I opt for digital when shopping there. She has the cutest stamps!! She is also the main reason my coloring has gotten better!!Zoe also is the reason I am using digital stamps at all!! I am going to be tied up for yet another week or so but will try to post when I can. Hope you enjoy this one - have lots of September birthdays coming up! Here are the copics for this one: E00, E11, E31, E35, E37, E29, YG23, R20, R27, R59, C2, C3, C5, C7, BG72.

Bunches of hugs to you all!!! Barb F

Long time

Well, the love of my life is back to work and my other endeavors have slowed a tiny bit. Sorry for the huge lapse! My heart goes out to Cindy and Kev of Stampingscrapping.com at the loss of their wonderful daughter. I am not sharing the card I sent. Too personal.
I also did make the cutest birthday card for a granddaughter but you will have to take  my word for it as it is the first card ever that I forgot to take a photo!! Shows where my mind is - off in space! This one is a combination of two digital stamps. The cupcake shop is from Hambo stamps and Sugar (the cupcake fairy) is from Mo's digital pencil. There is a super cool program (free) out there called "Gimp". Watch a few tutorials on youtube and you can manuever those digital images around, also. This card is a birthday card made for a daughter who makes sooo many cupcakes for kids and work, that I thought of her when I saw both of these! I did keep track of the copics but can't for the life of me, find what I did with the paper. Sorry! If it turns up, I will post them. I recently bought a "Gypsy" to use with my Cricut and Design Studio, both of which have been sitting idle since I discovered Copics!! I couldn't remember how to use the Cricut and was shocked all to heck to find out how easy it was using the Gypsy! I am not even half way through the manual! (Yes, I printed it - amazed that I am actually reading it!!) Wish I could promise to post more but it will be another couple of weeks. Just squeezed this one in. Hope you like it!!
Did the inside with the Gypsy!! Cute - got a bit messy with the glossy accents though. Realized I could match the card if I used my white cardstock and just colored what I cut! So much easier than messing with all those different papers!! I have a small zyron that I ran the text through. First time I can recall that I welded the letters together so each word is a single unit!!

Green and Yellow

So sorry I have been so absent. This probably will continue until the middle of August. I keep coloring and just don't have enough time to make something out of the images. If things keep going like this I may just post the colored images. Let me know what you think.

So here is my first finished card in quite awhile. You will recognize my newest Tilda! I just love her! This is one of those cards that I picked out some papers and then colored the image to match. It is so much easier when you are making that card. You just have to keep things together until you actually make the card! Sometimes that isn't as easy as it sounds!

My latest challenge to myself is to come up with my own sketch based on absolutely nothing! I really enjoy trying shapes in unexpected places. Not sure how good this is, but it was fun. Here are the copics I used: E00, E11, E21, E25, E29, E31, E35, E37, E18, W1, W3, Y02, Y06, Y08, Y11, Y28, G21, G28, G29. You will see lots of stickles all over the place. The brown patterned paper looked a little dull, so I added cinnamon stickles. I finally found the pearls with the flat backs - guess I got a little carried away with them! But they really are so pretty!! And here it is ---

Hugs to you all for hanging in there for such a long gap!! Will try not to repeat that length again, but not promising anything. Let me know if just a colored image now and then would be ok. Until the next time - stay safe over the holiday!! Barb F

A Tilda and a Digital

This first card is a direct result of the second one. I made the second one as a birthday card for one of my sons who loves video games even though he is nearing 40! Thought he would enjoy the image. But I am not showing you his card first - I am showing you a Tilda with sunflower. I colored her awhile back as I was sure it wouldn't be too hard to find red and blue stuff to make her a card. I recently bought this spellbinder's die and just needed to use it - you know how that is! Well, first I cut it out of the red with stars paper. It didn't look too good. I had to cut Tilda out as she was too big to fit into the die. I know she would have fit if there had been more paper around her, but the way it worked out, I needed to cut her out. Good thing I loved paper dolls as a kid - I was one of the few that liked to cut! Love that red paper so decided to use a Martha Stewart corner punch on it. I do have the one for the sides also but didn't want that much of it. Also cut part of a doily (my newest have to include in a card) for behind her. Found the perfect little brads for the centers of the punches. Recut that spellbinder in white - that way the part of Tilda that I couldn't cut out isn't quite so noticeable. Decided it was too plain and pulled out my Distress inks - this one is sapphire. Look and you will see stickles on the flowers. Didn't like the red bow and it was too late to remove the red ribbon, so made a blue bow and stuck it on top! Found a little "gem" on my desk, so I glued it on while I was at it!! It needed a greeting and found this little one - since I stamped it after the entire card was put together, it had to be very small, indeed!! Used a deep blue memento ink on it. By the way, I bought those little inks shaped like drops in memento in a bunch of colors I thought I might like - sure comes in handy and doesn't take up near the room of the regular ink pads. Fairly recently, I bought the new Tim Holtz acrylic blocks for stamping. They are only about 1/4" thick and the set has a whole bunch of different sizes in it. I love the way it stamps - very seldom do I mess one up anymore. I also had one small enough to get into this space! This card is only 4 1/4 x 5 1/2!! So here are the copics I used: E00, E11, E31, E33, E35, E37, E29, R20, R11, R14, R17, R59, YG17, G29, Y11, Y15, Y17, Y28, B95, B97, B99. This is the first time I managed to color this Tilda without black hair! Hope you like her!!

This is my son's birthday card. It is a digital image from Mo's digital pencil called video boy. It wasn't as hard to color as I thought it would be, although it was a challenge. The pants were originally a blue but I didn't like them and colored over them with the red - it was really wet when I did it and I am amazed that it came out the color that it did!! I used a spica pen for the wire - will never be that good with the copics!!! I had the paper with the airplanes that I just had to use even though it doesn't make much sense with the image. I wanted to show it off and it was too small for the card - this card is 5 x 7.  Found that my buttons were really old looking (that's because they are old!!) and just guzzied them up with stickles! My what a shock! I think I got a little carried away with the layout, but I ended up liking it - do you? Hope he does!

I want to thank all of you not only for the super, uplifting comments you leave, but for also following me. Sure does my ego wonders!!! I don't always get to thank you because sometimes your email adddress doesn't come through with the comment. So every once in awhile, I just need to thank you on my blog!!! You guys are the absolute BEST!!!! Hugs to you all, Barb F

Forgot to post the copics for you: E00, E11, E31, E35, E37, E29, R20, R14, R17, C0, C5, C7, BV23, YG03, Y06, YR23, B23, B0000, B95

Two today

First, I have a friend in the hospital, so I made her a card. Will get it in the mail tomorrow. Since she is probably on oxygen, I opted to leave out any artificial flowers. I also went with the choice of keeping it simple. Hope she likes likes it and hope she gets well quickly.

The stamp is from Gina K. I got to use some doilies. Colored one of them with perfect pearls and ranger ink. Made it over a year ago so I am not so sure of the "formula"!! Of course I stickled the background paper as well as almost everything else!!  I did color the image with copics, not too well as this card was when I found out that most of the copics I refilled the other day were overfilled! One of the great uses for stickles! Covers up a lot to the naked eye!

Moving on to the next card - you know, two?!! I promised myself I wouldn't buy more stamps for awhile. I was doing pretty well but then I just had to have this Tilda with Hawaii flower. (I am pretty sure that is her name.) She came in the mail last week and DH was still home. I did manage to stamp her but not to color. It was driving me crazy!!! So DH left to work this am. That left me with lots of time!! I hit my room running this morning! This Tilda always has black hair in my imagination, so of course I colored her luxurious locks black! (We know that there is actually no black, just gray.) Then I picked out some papers that I thought I would just love with her. That is the easiest way to make a card. Chose papers, match copics to the papers. Not always the way I do it, but the way I choose if I can. There are the doilies again - this time colored a pale yellow. I also colored a white flower yellow in the corner using my copic. I used a couple of brads that actually were a pale peach - didn't like the color, so I copicked them! (Like my new word?) Thought I would try a real different paper arrangement so I did some paper piecing. And of COURSE stickles all over! Hope you like it! Here are the copics I used: C1, C3, C5, C7, C9, W3, E00, E11, R20, Y06, BG72, BG000, YR68, YR61, YG03, YG63. So lets have a drumroll --------- here she is!!

Don't you just love her! Hugs to you all, Barb F

A Kit?

About a year ago I participated in a card kit exchange. When all my kits got here, I didn't know what to do with them. None of the kits contained the one paper I could color on at that time. So I put them away and promptly forgot about them. I was looking for some thing the other day and came across the kits. They each had 3 stampings of the same image, some embellishments, maybe ribbons, and several 6 x 6 papers. I decided that I needed to see what I could do with them. This little gal was calling to me! She is stamped on watercolor paper with memento inks - that means no watercolor things or the ink runs. I really didn't want to try my copics on it either. (By the way, I now color on anything I come across - just takes practice as most papers have their own special good points as well as not so good ones.) So I thought, why not try my prismacolor pencils? I do have quite a few of them as I used them for needlework several years ago. OMS = odorless mineral spirits (Gamsol is one brand). You put some on a pencil stomp (tortillion) and wipe over where you colored with the pencils. It "melts" the pencil and makes it look smooth. I colored some on scrap paper - just a solid scribble - and used my stomp and oms to blend colors! Never thought of it until I was coloring and didn't have a color I needed! It works! Anyhow, I was pretty happy with the way my Tilda came out! It wasn't hard at all and I think this might be a way to go when you are traveling and don't want to take a chance on wrecking your copics! This kit had red and green papers. I punched the edges to make them lacy and the "ribbon" was made of cotton! Just had to use the buttons that also came with the kit. I made a spellbinders scalloped oval out of a patterned paper that was also in the kit. The only thing not in the kit are the roses and those leaves I cut from a new die I just got. Of course I stickled the flowers as I needed more stickle. I also have been dying to use some doilies I came across when I found the kits. I love red and green and especially together. Can hardly wait to try another kit now! Hope you enjoy it. I would love to give credit to the gal who sent the kit, but am not sure she would want her name published for nothing. Guess I was just too much of a newbie when I did this exchange. I was thrilled with what I got, just wanted to keep the kits together - you know as kind of a challenge? Here's a special hug to those gals that sent those kits! By the way, it was the Magnolia-icious yahoo group. That was the first one I joined and it was quite awhile before I joined any others. I still belong and love it - the other ones, too!! Hugs to you all, Barb F

Another Grad



showing the folds



This one is called a Joy fold card. I didn't have a clue what that was, so I followed directions to make one! All the directions I found were for a square card. I wanted one to fit in my 5X7 size envelopes. I think that is what the actual card measurements are. So I worked with it until I got it. I made a template so I wouldn't have to do it again, down the road! Just wanted something special for another grandkid - this one a guy. I colored Edwin and he sat for a long time. Here are the copics: E00, E11, E53, E15,E18, R20, B91, B93, B95, B97, B99, C1, C3, C5, C7, C9. My DH had this poem written in his special stuff, so we thought it super appropriate. The black and gray papers were from paper pads that I can't remember the names. Sorry. I just  couldn't find any paper that I really liked, so I made the black and blue paper that says congratulations. Don't know what I would do without those Tim Holtz distress inks!!  Hope you like it, but really hope he does!!



front



Inside - with sides open





close up



This card is made from 2 pieces of cardstock. They are both folded in half. One card is inserted inside of the other card. I used a lot of 3d stickers on this one. That is actually glittered paper that I cut the ovals from. That's supposed to be the world at his feet! Thanks for all your support! Have I got a real different card ready for next time!!!! Hugs to you all, Barb F

25th Anniversary

Well, I never thought I would live to see this happen! This is my second marriage (the first lasting 19 yrs) and we celebrated our 25th anniversary! I asked for a trip and I got it which is why I have been inactive for a little bit. Made this one for DH and really enjoyed his reaction! He thought it super cute! I had a hard time with the color on the dress. I (believe it or not) got remarried in a pink dress. It wasn't the shocking pink that I had the first time I colored this cute couple! Recently bought some papers from http://www.lovetostamp.com/ (I think Webster's pages but not sure). They came separately in a wrapper and are 6 x 6. Just loved the ones I got! This paper is from that order. So I recolored "me" to match the paper's pink and voila! It seems to be the right color now. DH wore a blue-ish suit. The RV colors were the first colors and I went over them with the R colors. Of course you have to be sure they are really dry - like days - before you recolor them. And before I colored, I decided to refill my copics. I now have a new rule - DO NOT FILL COPICS WHEN ANYTHING ELSE IS GOING ON IN THE HOUSE!! I do think I refilled some of them more than once. You know when you go to color and the ink drips off the end of the brush that you messed up something terrible!!! So now I have another rule, too

TEST COPICS OFF YOUR IMAGE SHEET BEFORE USING FOR THE FIRST TIME THAT DAY. I did ruin an image that was almost finished! So now I am not sure how many I overfilled. Guess my mind was on the up and coming storm!! So the sun is shinning today and I am posting a card I just love. Hope you like it too! Also hope you can learn from my mistakes!! I did!!! Copics I used are: RV000, RV69, RV21, RV23, RV29, B91, B93, B95, B97, B99, R11, R14, R20, C0, C1, C5, C7, E00, E11, E31, E33, E35, E37, E29, YG63, YG67. Of course you know this is really Tilda and Edwin (Magnolia stamps). I used silver stickles - a lot. That blue plain looking paper is white cardstock colored with saphire distress ink and then silver stickled. Sometimes it is just better and easier to make your own paper! The inside of the card is Gina K stamps. Hugs to you all and enjoy the sun while it shines!! Barb F

My Friend

I have a special girlfriend who I wanted to know how thankful I was that she was in my life. She is one of my best friends and our deal is needlework. She doesn't do paperarts but really appreciates anything I do. Her Mom was an artist so that was a major part of her life. I decided to use this digital image as she loves irises.  It came from LaPashe.com. This is one neat site (for me, anyhow). They have a template for a very cool standup card and sell fantastic images that you use with the template! It was so much fun getting the stuff I sent for (they are in the UK) on the day my friend was here and I had given her this card!!

By the way - one of you asked me for the maker of the big guy with the dog - it is Mo Manning of digitalpenciltwo.com. Sometimes when I get a comment, there is no email address. If you don't get a thank you from me, that is the reason - I had nowhere to send it. Also if you ask me a question, I will answer you if I have an email. If you are not sure, you could email me directly at barbanjohn@comcast.net. Also, please remember that I am an amateur, still working on improving my techniques. I love to pass stuff along.

So here is my card for now:

The yellow with the ice cream cones is the inside - that is DP. I fell in love with the paper and just had to use it! And I am the stickle queen! Here are the copics I used on the iris:YG11, YG17, V12, V15, V17, Y11, Y17, C3. That is a spellbinder's die with a Gina K sentiment. Think I covered about everything. I did learn something very important though - I put the iris on dimensionals and then stickled the edges. If you do it the other way around, it can lay flat while drying and won't be all ruffly. Do you love that purple paper???? I made it!! It is done on a shiny paper with Tim Holtz' alcohol inks. Made it long ago and just wouldn't use it on anything! A lot of it shows here, so I thought it was perfect.

I am in the process of making a graduation card for one of the grandsons. I could be through with it, but it seems lacking something. So it will sit until the inspiration hits me, or I have to give it to him!! It is done with Edwin (of Magnolia fame). Hope you enjoy this card - it was soooo much fun to make! You know one of those that just falls in place?!! Hugs to you all and a great big thanks for following me! Sure inflates my ego and keeps me going!! Barb F

Here is a close up so you can really see the paper. I wish there was someway you could see the shine. It sure was fun to make. I did learn though not to make a whole lot of papers in advance. For some reason, they don't actually go with anything unless its by accident. Better to make them when you need them. That way you can  put all the colors you are using into them. Problem is, its so much fun to make the papers, that you don't want to stop!!  I did make the main paper that I used on the upcoming graduation card as I made the card just because I couldn't find the right paper!!!! Bye, again!!

Sympathy card

Into everyone's life some rain must fall, sometimes. This is the kind of card I am not fond of making. I went into my room to make the card and then decided I really needed to put some stuff away first - you know the procrastination routine?! So I was cleaning and putting things where they belonged and while I was about that, I looked through my stash of colored images. This Tilda couldn't have been more perfect for the card. It just about put itself together!! I bought some - actually a lot - of the new My mind's eye papers and knew the second I looked at Tilda that I had papers to go with her!! This is a really unusual card for me to make since there are no stickles and no paper flowers and the ribbon is so tiny!! I did recently buy a gold pen and used it to make little dashed lines around everything - thought it classed it up a bit. I used two spellbinder's dies and my cuttlebug. I find that I don't use my cricut much anymore. I used to use it a lot before I started coloring. This card had to fit in a standard type of envelope as the recipient is not aware that I make cards. So it is 4 1/4 x 5 1/2. That is pretty small. I am not usually so confined. And here are the copics I used: BG01, BG05, BG09, Y17, YG63, YG67, E00, E11, E35, E37, E53, R20, W1, C3, C9.  I used Tim Holtz' distress inks, scattered straw and antique linen, around the edges of my cutouts. I also put Tilda on dimensionals. That's about it for this one. Hope you enjoy it as I hope she gives a little comfort to our friend. Hugs to you all! Thank you all so very much for the nice comments! I do really appreciate them. Sometimes I am in a really grumpy mood lately and find how much a nice word lifts me up. I am sure that is true of all of us. Barb F

a few more

As I said before, there are one heck of a lot of May birthdays in my life. Here are some more. Thought I would group them and just make one huge post since I am not completely through! This first one is done with NO coloring!! How odd for me. I used gold embossing and tried to make this a very classy card. It is done on black cardstock. the brown is the box I take photos in. There are no stickles on this one either! And I used pearls!!

This next one I colored the image with just a couple of copics. I found background paper in the colors this gal always seems to choose. She really liked the card as did the first lady.  Both of these cards were made with stamps from Gina K. I love the verses and usually use them on the inside. I guess I am getting hum drum with the layouts. It is quite a challenge for me to make these cards, which I guess is why I keep trying to find an easier way. I love flowers and bows and stickles. This next card has all three!! I knew she would love this paper so I put it on the inside also. The blue flower is stickled after I colored it.

This next one is for one of our sons. He loves to fish, so he usually gets some kind of card with that theme. I do need to find something else, but not this year! This one is a digital image. I have had a major breakthrough on those things. We bought a new wireless Kodak printer and the ink is absolutely perfect on any paper I choose to use! So here are the copics for the fishing card: R11, R14, R17, R20, E31, E33, E35, E37, E11, E15, E18, E51, E53, E57, E59, B91, B93, B95, B97, B99.

I added a touch of hemp and used a few buttons. The stickles are the dots between the buttons, the waves and the centers of the buttons. I decided after I got the card together, that I should have made his tummy a little pinker. It looks funny to me, but it is mounted and I am not taking it apart!! The striped paper is copper stripes. I love copper and was just dying to use it. 

So moving on to the last card for today, this one is for an adult grandson who loves to run! I thought it was adorable, even though he isn't heavy! He does have a tiny dog though! It is also a digital stamp. The colors I used are: W1, W5, C2, R29, BG000, Y17, R27, BG72, R59, E31, E33, E35, E37, E00, E11, R20. Sorry for the order, you get them as I write them down!!

I really liked the way this one came out. I can assure you that I will give a different layout a shot on the next card I make!! I need an anniversary card and a graduation card before the next birthday hits!! And that isn't long!! Hope you enjoyed these.
Now I have a special tip for those of you who actually read what I write! While watching some more videos on youtube (I don't know how I would know so much if it wasn't for all those videos!!), this gal was explaining about how the copics are numbered - the second number from the right can be thought of as: the higher the number, the more gray in the color. She said that sometimes you want to do shading and the colors seem too bright. That is because there isn't enough gray to tone them down. Look at the color chart and find another color with that second number much higher. I don't have my chart here at present so you will just have to know I am just giving numbers for an example - don't use this combo without actually checking first!! I haven't got any idea here!! So for example B11 ( the next B colors are a bit bright to shade with so you look at B74 (don't know if there is such a color) The 7 indicates the presence of lots of gray, the 4 indicates a deeper blue. See? The rv color family is one she used for her example and she showed you this using real colors. It made me understand that to shade, you need to use subtle colors, even sometimes going outside of the color itself - like using bv to shade b colors. All is acceptable if you like the results. You can always test it out on a scrap of the cardstock you are coloring on. If you like it, use it. I am not an artist and some of this stuff was difficult for me to grasp. So when I get a tip that makes it easier, I like to pass it on. Have a great day/night!!! Hugs to you all! Sorry my posts are so crazy timewise!! Barb F