Sparkle Shimmer and Twinkle

Valentine Wryn

2012-02-02T07:42:00.000-08:00

Thank goodness for Wryn from Tiddly Inks!

This little lady has pulled me out of my anti-card making mood twice!

Today's card is super simple but still sweet. :)

The papers are from WRMK and one sheet came with all these cool oblong squares ~ which are awesome!

Wryn is colored with Copics and the sentiment was cut from the the WRMK's paper.

Hope you have a great day!

Challenges Entered:

Diva's By Design ~ Anything Goes

The Paper Shelter ~ Love Is In The Air

Stampin' Royalty ~ It's All About Love

Bellaric Kraftiness

2012-01-27T08:29:00.000-08:00

Do you know what today is???? It's Bellarific Friday of course! My card is base on the Bellariffic Sketch to the right. I used lots of blacks and pinks because they were so handy all spread out across my desk. :) The image is stamped on a light colored kraft paper and then colored with Copics.

I honestly don't think stamping on kraft is going to be something that happens alot around here. It's just not my style, but I was trying to get a little tiny bit out of the box. :)

Challenges Entered:

Simon Says Stamp ~ Anything Goes

Crafty Purple Frog ~ Valentines/Show Us Some Love

Pretty In Pink

2012-01-26T08:04:00.000-08:00

Today we have a new challenge over at Charisma Cardz Challenges ~ Pretty In Pink. Here is my card ~ and what a difficult card it was to photograph! I have taken too many photo's of it to count and this is the best shot I got. It must be the bling the made it so difficult? That's what I'm going with anyway. :)

I used MME Lost and Found 2 Blush paper with some very cherished (or ancient) Prima swirls. With You was added at the bottom using a partially masked off Verve stamp. The big filigree brad is from Stampin Up and the ribbon from May Arts.

This card will soon be winging it's way through the postal service to my mom...

cause you gotta let your mom know you love her! :)

Challenges Entered:

Everybody Art Challenges ~ Swirls

Crafts and Me Challenges ~ Pink and Sparkly

Whimsy Stamps ~ Pearls or Bling

Friends always have secrets...

2012-01-23T06:50:00.000-08:00

I adore Saturated Canary digi stamps! They are so cute and fun to color! :)

The paper is some new My Mind's Eye that is perfect for valentine or vintage feeling cards. The edges are distressed and then inked, though you can hardly tell after I covered most of them up. Lol! The ticket sentiments (and die) are from Whimsy Stamps and the doilies are Martha Stewart ones that were glittery white until I added a heavy dose of inking to them. :) The cutie patootie girls are colored with Copics. I think that's about it ~ hope you have a wonderful day!

Challenges Entered:

Crafty Blogger Network ~ Distressing

Make It Monday ~ Anything Goes

Sentimental Sundays ~ Die Cuts

Hpppy Birthday dear Charisma!

2012-01-12T06:05:00.000-08:00

Congratulations on your 3rd birthday!

To celebrate we are having a Happy Birthday Challenge with loads of sponsors!

So get your projects linked up to the Charisma Cardz Challenge blog and play along! :)

My card feature Wryn from Tiddly Inks. I fell in love with her the first time I saw her... what a cutie!

She is colored up with copics and resides on a base of Basic Grey Out of Print paper and Stampin Up cardstock. The flower was cut from the Out of Print dp and popped up for some dimension as was the sentiment (which came with Wryn ~ Yea!). The sparkle was added with Stickles.

Hope you have a wonderful day! :)

Challenges Entered:

Paper Sundaes ~ Saturated Colors

My Mum's Craft Shop ~ Here come the Girls

Whimsy Stamps Inspiration Challenge ~ Happy Birthday

Somewhere....

2012-01-05T08:26:00.000-08:00

Over the Rainbow... this is the fun new challenge at Charisma Cardz. :) I just moved and so everything is in disarray in my craft room so I took the easy route on this card. I searched the web for free rainbow clip art and a rainbow sentiment. I printed out two of the background images so that the sentiment cloud could be layered to give some added dimension. It was fun and very freeing to make a card this way! I hope you can join us this week as we have some fabulous sponsors ~ Simon Says Stamp and Crimson Cloud. Have a great day!

Smiles ~ Brandi

Last Minute Christmas Makes

2011-12-15T10:25:00.000-08:00

Today at Charisma Cardz Challenges the new challenge is Last Minute Christmas Makes. I made some more of the little tealight gift boxes as extra little gifts. :) You can see more details on this post.

I used stamps from Stamping Bella, Whiff of Joy and DigistampCharacters. Papers are from My Minds Eye and Authentique.

Challenges Entered:

Paper Play ~ Christmas

Southern Girls ~ Lets Celebrate

Crafting for All Seasons ~Christmas Cards and Projects

Seeing Spots with Charisma Cardz

2011-11-30T20:34:00.000-08:00

Seeing spots? Don't worry ~ they are really there! The challenge at Charisma Cardz this week is Spots!

Hopefully you can join us for this fun challenge!

My project is actually a hot cocoa gift set featuring Lily from Pink Cat Studios, some sparkly vellum and poofy snowflakes! :) Doesn't she look cozy all bundled up in that cute jacket? :)

Challenges Entered:

Kaboodle Doodle Challenges ~ Bundle Up for Winter

Craft Your Passion ~ Tis the Season

My Mum's Craft Shop ~ Keeping Warm

There is Snowbody like You!

2011-11-30T09:31:00.001-08:00

Wow have I ever been neglecting my blog! It just seems like once the Christmas season is on there is sooo much creating to be done. Lots of things are being made in the craftroom that I have been keeping to myself apparently! :)

This little treat box was made using the instructions for Maria's Treat Box from Splitcoast Stampers. I love this little gift set ~ it is one of my go to gifts every year. The candy is Hershey's nuggets wrapped with snowflake stamped labels and the warm winter wishes container holds a packet of hot chocolate. The cute little snowman is from Stamping Bella and the sentiment from an Ippity set. The papers are more of the much loved (and hoarded) Bo Bunny Winter Joy line.

Challenges Entered:

Make My Monday ~ Decorated Box

Hooked on Craft ~ Winter Wonderland

Partytime Tuesdays ~ Anything Goes

A Cozy Christmas Gift Idea

2011-11-23T07:53:00.001-08:00

Here is a sample of one of the fun little gift sets I have been making lately. This set features a coffee cozy, card and candy. :)

After I stitched up the coffee cozy I cut a vinyl "stencil" of a snowflake out on my Silhouette. Then using the stencil I lightly sponged on fabric paint, waited for it to dry and then added Stickles around the edges of the snowflake for extra sparkle. The top of the coffee cup is decorated with a Stickled snowflake and a small silver snowflake.

The card features one of the most darling snowmen (the digi version) I have ever seen from All That Scraps. He is just so cute! :) He was colored with Copics and accented with fake snow and glitter.

Thanks for visiting me ~ I hope you have a wonderful day!

Challenges Entered:

Digital Tuesday ~ Sparkle and Shine

Shopping our Stash ~ Christmas or Winter

Partytime Tuesdays ~ Snow Us What You Got

Paper Cone Wreaths and a Christmas Sentiment

2011-11-18T09:09:00.001-08:00

Christmas time is always such a fun crafty time ~ there are so many things to make that you know people will enjoy. :) Today I am sharing some paper cone wreaths. The first one uses Echo Park Holly Jolly paper and the second uses the new snowflake line from Bo Bunny. Both snowflakes were cut on my Silhouette and they are both outlined in (different colors of course) Stickles for added shimmer. They are both sooo much more sparkly in real life. It was hard to get pictures that showed them off the best. :)

Here is the sentiment I used in the top wreath.

Hopefully you can find a use for it. :)

Challenges Entered:

Joyful Stamper ~ Inspire Me Fridays

Crimbo Crackers ~ Make It Sparkle

Creatalicious Challenges ~ Christmas & Sparkles

My First Charisma Card!

2011-11-17T00:01:00.000-08:00

I have to tell you that I am just ~~totally over the moon~~ so excited to have been asked to be part of the Charisma Cardz Challenges Design Team! Insert happy dance here! This is my first card as a member of the design team and it features Snowfriends from The Stamping Boutique. The challenge for this week is Lace and Pearls. My lace did a bit of a disappearing act, but I can assure you that it is really there peeking out from under the purple snowflake border. :)

Challenges Entered:

Fab n Funky ~ Baby It's Cold Outside

Paper Shelter ~ Snowflakes

Craft Your Passion ~ Let it Snow

Tissue Box, Oh Tissue Box, Why must you be so lovely

2011-11-15T10:22:00.001-08:00

I have to quit making things that I love ~ so then it won't drive me nuts to give them as gifts. Unfortunately I haven't mastered that skill yet.... maybe someday. :) This paper (Winter Joy) from Bo Bunny is the first problem ... I think it is my favorite Christmas paper ever printed ~ I mean the main color is Purple! Things just don't get much more perfect than that. But then I colored this super cute elf from Saturated Canary in purple too... making things even more difficult. Heck by the time I get done typing this up the only person who will be receiving this for Christmas is me! :) Have a great day! :)

Challenges Entered:

My Mums Craftshop ~ Sugar and Spice

Sweet Stamps ~ Nontraditional Christmas Colors

Paper Sundaes ~ Digital Images

A Happy Tissue Box to chase away your sniffles...

2011-11-12T05:03:00.001-08:00

It has been crazy crafty here at my house! Bazaar season is about to be in full swing so I have been making some fun things! This is one of them ~ a tissue box cover made with a super cute elf from Mo Manning called Little Elf Pippa. She is just adorable swinging on her ornament. :)

The box was made using the template from Splitcoast, but because I used Puffs Plus w/lotion (gotta protect the nose!) instead of Kleenex it had to be altered some what. So if you make one you might want to keep that in mind. :) The paper is from My Minds Eye, the snowflakes were cut on my Silhouette and sparklyified with Stickles.

I wanted to make sure and thank Mo after being the random winner last week at Bella and Bronte's challenge! So ~ Thank you! I am enjoying the images from your store so very much! :)

Challenged Entered:

Bella and Bronte's ~ Fancy Folds

Top Tip Tuesday ~ Anything Goes

Party Time Tuesdays ~ Bling It On

Willow ~ Bringing Light... well tealights anyway.

2011-11-09T09:48:00.000-08:00

The is such a wonderful gift to make for someone special ~ just make sure you don't choose an image that makes you obsess over shadows and light. This project would have come together quicker if it wasn't for that. ;)

The image is one I adore and have had for a long time called Willow with Lantern from Whiff of Joy. I have colored her so many times and I have to admit this is the first time I have felt completely happy with my coloring. :) Here is a link to the tutorial from Simply Sassy to make this fab gift.

Happy wishes for you! Hopefully you can get some crafting time in. :)

Challenges Entered:

Tip Top Tuesday ~ Anything Goes Christmas

Paper Sundaes ~ Rectangle

Papertake Weekly ~ First Christmas
Paper Issues

A Sparkling Winter Wreath

2011-11-07T11:03:00.000-08:00

This little project has been in the works for quite sometime! The idea started forming after seeing a toilet paper wreath on Pintrest. I have to tell you that I obsessed over that wreath for weeks! Finally my toilet paper roll stockpile got big enough for me to try out making one. I cut the rolls into 4ths and then cut some apart to make swirls.

They were then glued together using Liquid Glass from CTMH (other people have used a hot glue gun, but after my Halloween project not sticking together so well I decided against hot glue...) and a clothes pin. The clothes pin kept things together until it was completely dry. Then I painted everything white ~ but I didn't try too hard to be perfect about it because I wanted a bit of a rustic look. Side note: The large flower shaped snowflake under the image is also made from toilet paper rolls. When it was all together it was still a bit flimsy so I added more adhesive to a few more spots to stabilize the wreath. I also went around the edges and added more Liquid Glass and glitter while it was still wet. Then my Silhouette got to work cutting out loads of fabulous snowflakes and the sentiment, while I colored and cut out this cutie from Saturated Canary. The snowflakes were all inked in purples, blues, and pinks and glammed up with Stickles. A few pieces of bling and tada! A happy sparkly wonderful wreath to welcome the Winter season! :)

Challenges Entered:

Papertake Weekly ~ Anything Goes plus bling

Winter Wonderland ~ Sparkle

Paper Issues ~ Snow

Kisses!

2011-11-05T08:01:00.000-07:00

This little girl from Mo's Digital Pencil is just a doll!

I followed The Deconstructed Sketch, used Sweet Threads by Basic Grey dp, and Stampin Up Cardstock.

The sentiment is from Whimsy and the buttons were handmade from clay by moi! ;)

I'm not feeling very eloquent today so that's about it.

Challenges entered:

The Deconstructed Sketch ~ Sketch

Mo's Digital Pencil ~ Give Thanks

Dutch Dare ~ Give Thanks

DYSU ~ Teal

Sparkly Wishes

2011-11-03T17:56:00.000-07:00

I have been working on this card for a while ~ this cute little reindeer came from All That Scraps. I won this stamp and sentiment last month during the preview week. He has been colored patiently waiting for me to put him on a card (I wasn't really happy with my coloring, but he is so cute I couldn't not make him into a card.) and yesterday I finally found the inspiration I needed from the Tuesday Challenge at The Outlawz. Their color combo challenge this week was Heartthrob Red, Empress Teal and White ~ they just pop together. My colors aren't exactly the same but close! :)

Papers used are from My Mind's Eye - 12 Days of Christmas. The snowflake was cut on my Silhouette and the glitter is Diamond Stickles and Christmas Red Stickles.

Challenges Entered:

The Outlawz Color Challenge ~ Heartthrob Red, Empress Teal, White

All That Scraps ~ Anything Goes

Papertake Weekly ~ Anything Goes

Batty for You

2011-11-01T20:26:00.000-07:00

So I think I fibbed yesterday when I shared one last Halloween project... I had forgotten about these fun little creatures. They are made using my Silhouette ~ super easy! Just cut them out, add googly eyes (a must), staple in some candy (if you like to make things super easy like me! :) and glue on the fangs. Then hand them out and put some smiles on peoples faces.

I also wanted to give you all just a tiny glimpse at my Halloween.... it was so much fun this year! Making containers full of brains, spider legs, bat poop, bone dust... it was excellent! Now I have to set my sights on Thanksgiving and Christmas. Wish me luck!

Challenges Entered:

Charisma Cards ~ Anything Goes

Hooked On Crafts ~ Halloween

Bearly Mine ~ Anything But a Card

One Last Halloween Treat.....Box

2011-10-31T13:35:00.000-07:00

I couldn't let Halloween slip by without one last project post. This is another little treat box featuring a slightly altered Saturated Canary digi ~ her name is Wildflower Fairy. From the moment I laid eyes on her she looked like a witch to me... so I made her into one! She has been colored up since last week, just waiting for the right project to come along.

The box was cut on my Silhouette from the freebie file from Lori Whitlock. It is the same box pattern I used here. The bottom part of the box is the same paper as her hat. Having double sided paper is so nice when making projects like these. It just make everything cuter!

Hope you have a very Happy All Hallows Eve! :)

This box is entered in the following Challenges:

Saturated Canary ~ 1-2-3

(The embellishments are rhinestones, hat, and rosette)

Lollipop Crafts ~ Anything Goes

2 Sisters Challenge Blog ~ Black, Orange, Purple, and Lime Green

Halloween Silhouette Banner

2011-10-27T11:44:00.000-07:00

It's turning into a Spoooky All Hallow's Eve. :) I have been cranking out decor for the Halloween party at my brother's house... this is the latest installment. Everything was cut on my Silhouette ~ the spiderwebs are from Silhouette and the (ironically enough) silhouette's are a free download from Dragonartz ~ The Halloween Silhouette's Vector Set. Sorry for the not so awesome photo ~ These banners are huge and I live in a tiny house with little wall space. Hopefully I can get a better photo at the site of the party. :) Hope your day is filled with Halloween Fun!

Challenges Entered:

Diva's By Design ~ Something Spooky

Fab 'n' Funky Challenges ~Hubble, bubble, toil and Trouble

Delightful Challenges ~ Purple, Orange, Green and Black

Fanciful Halloween Treat Holders

2011-10-22T00:00:00.000-07:00

These were so fun to make. I think it was all the creative out of the box steps. I want to send a big Thank You out to Sue from Sue's Stamping Stuff for coming up with such a terrific idea!

The bases are made from candlesticks from the dollar store that are spray painted black and glued together with E6000. I learned the hard way to make sure and set them on a level surface that pets can't jump up on. :) The toppers are also from the dollar store and are either candle holders or vases. The two taller ones are two candlesticks glued with tops together so I could get some added height. I just love these ~ can't wait to decorate with them!

These will be entered in the following challenges:

Crafting for All Seasons ~ Halloween

Decorate to Celebrate ~ Halloween

Whimsical Wednesday ~ Halloween

The Hat that Refused to be Photographed....

2011-10-20T22:35:00.000-07:00

This is the story of a little chipboard hat named Hattie that was living her life quietly at Craft Warehouse until one day a questionable woman came in, swooped up her up and promptly relocated her. Poor Hattie had to live on a craft table for almost a week! She decided that it hadn't been so bad the day the woman came in and started ripping up paper and gluing it to her. Hattie was shocked! Eventually the woman finished and left Hattie alone for a time... but then... she came back! With ribbon and die cuts and tulle. And if that wasn't enough she ripped the back off a frame (that sent a shudder through poor Hattie's heart!) and took it outside and spray painted it black. After much fussing Hattie was finished ~ dressed in her finery for Halloween.

The woman is beginning to think that Hattie isn't too fond of all the changes she has had to endure. This revelation came after at least twenty photo of Hattie came out blurred or just plain weird looking. Hattie blames it on the tulle of course ~ she says if the woman wouldn't have smothered her in it she would take a phenomenal photo. I'm not so sure....

So to make up for the less than fabulous photo's a freebie sentiment located below. :)

This project is entered in the following challenges:

The Crazy Challenge ~ Halloween

Paper Sundaes ~ Halloween

Paper Play ~ Use Black

A Frightful Halloween Test Tube Holder

2011-10-13T00:30:00.000-07:00

I don't think there a better way to present Halloween candy than in this super cute test tube holder box. Whew that's quite a mouthful! To bad someone ~~my hubby~~ who shall not be name ate said Halloween candy...

Tamara at Happy Life Craft Wife has a free svg file for this box ~ Thank you, thank you, thank you! :)

It came together quickly and looks so darn cute.

I learned a few things along the way while making it about using the trace function on my Silhouette ~ I should let you know that I am a newbie at using it, but am learning as quickly as possible!

There are no stamps on this project, just die cuts from the Silhouette. I am loving my little machine! :)

The papers are Bo Bunny and the lone little spider sticker is from K&Co. The bling in from Stickles.

Challenges Entered:

Cupcake Craft ~ Halloween

More Than Favors ~ Treat Boxes or Bag

Simon Says Stamp ~ Halloween

Whimsical Wednesdays's ~ No Trick's Just Treats

Jinx - the Blue Haired Darling

2011-10-11T17:43:00.000-07:00

Here she is ~ Jinx!

She just cracks me up to even look at her! :)

This card was made entirely for the new challenge at Saturated Canary

~and~

wait for it....

I actually followed the sketch!

Yea for me!

A Wicked Halloween & Some Freebie Sentiments

2011-10-09T19:11:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I am such a space cadet. Here are some examples:

1. Planned on entering the 1st challenge at

Saturated Canary.

Fell in love with the theme ~ didn't look at the sketch. Duh.

Guess I'll just have to get to coloring. :)

2. Made these awesome sentiments.

Forgot to how to spell.

That's a problem.

Luckily for us my hubby caught my error and the sentiments are all better now!

Thank goodness for awesome hubbies!

That was close ~ I almost hurt myself banging my head on the counter trying to get these to load.

Heehee ~ Kidding of course. :)

Feel free to use these freebies ~ I would love to know if you make a project with them. Leave me a note and I'll check it out. :)

Papers are from Bo Bunny

Spiderweb ~ Cut on Silhouette

Cute Image ~ Saturated Canary

Challenges Entered:

2 Sister's Challenge Blog ~ Halloween

Paper Sundaes ~ Favorite Color Combo (Black and Purple)

Sentimental Sundays ~ Anything Goes Plus a Sentiment

Sparkles Forum Challenges ~ Halloween

~Halloween Treat Box ~

2011-10-08T10:17:00.000-07:00

Lori Whitlock (fabulous Echo Park Designer) in conjunction with Tamara from Happy Life Crafty Wife

is offering two free (to download, cut and create) boxes on her blog. They are super cute and went together quickly and easily. This one is called Cobweb Window Box.

I used my Silhouette to cut the file and then made another cut of the spiderweb (contained in a circle for my convenience.. lol) and offset it slightly to add a bit of dimension. I had to be careful to not get too cute on this box ~ it's for my nephew and he wouldn't really appreciate any extra "girly" touches. :)

Here is the front view. I used Bo Bunny Halloween papers, K&Co. Spiders, and a Studio G Halloween stamp. Have a happy Saturday!

Here are the challenge this box is entered in:

Fussy and Fancy ~ Fall or Halloween

Charisma Cardz Challenges ~ Halloween

Wickedly Cute Vinyl

2011-10-06T21:04:00.000-07:00

The cabinet doors in my kitchen are getting a makeover for Halloween... EEK! This the the first one I finished. The glass in the cabinets is supposed to be frosted and not see through, but it is totally see through which I hate. So after giving it a little thought I taped parchment paper to the back of the cabinet doors to add some opacity. The spooktacularly cute decals are cut from vinyl on my Silhouette. I am having lots of fun playing around with it lately. Just to add a shout out to the Silhouette store ~ one of the rolls of vinyl had lots of bubbles in it which made cutting difficult. One call and they are sending out a new roll ~ Great customer service! :)

Today is my Grandpa Ralph's 83rd birthday... it was fun to spend the evening eating pizza and hanging with the family to celebrate. What a milestone!

Too Cute to Spook ~ Hazel

2011-10-05T21:50:00.000-07:00

Ah ~ The allure of creating fun and adorable things for Halloween has drawn me back into card making.

Thank goodness!

I think it's all the wonderful colors and fun that go along with my personal version of Halloween that make me want to play with all of my crafty toys and get to crackin' on decorations.

This little darling witch is from Wee Stamps and her name is Hazel ~ isn't she just the cutest? I had such a blast coloring her... really and truly. My copics and I haven't had the slightest bit of quality time lately so I hit up some awesome videos on YouTube by Zoe of Make it Crafty to get me inspired. It really worked! The pleats on the dress would get an F (if I were being graded..hehe) but at least there is dimension.

Practice, practice, practice!

The cobwebs were cut on my Silhouette and then glittered into submission. The sentiment is from Tickled Pink Stamps. That about covers it for tonight... till next time. :)

Challenges Entered

Papertake Weekly ~ Anything Goes

The Paper Shelter ~ Halloween

The Pink Elephant ~ Trick or Treat

Made With Love Snow Woman Freebie

2011-09-24T21:38:00.000-07:00

Wow it's been so long that since I've checked in that Blogger has changed over to a new way of posting... I don't think that's a good sign... :)

Anyway I wanted to share a freebie with you... hope you like her. She would be great for Made with Love tags for homemade goodie gifts around Christmas.

She will only be up for approximately a week... in theory. :0) Hope you can find a use for her.

Smiles,

Brandi

Dream... a mixed media art piece

2011-07-08T14:57:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday... what a mixed up week this has been. It's been hard to tell if I am coming or going. :)

My creative self has been working full speed ahead on lots of projects. I'll have them to share in the next few days.

I have a bit of a love hate relationship with mixed media. I love how it looks when everything is done, but hate getting to that point. I think the problem is waiting for the paint to dry. By the time it's ready to add another layer, I have forgotten where I was headed with the project. lol! Transferring words can be tricky too ~ because my printer is an inkjet and not a laser I have to be super careful to not add too much water when removing the paper. It works out in the end.... the paper remnants add texture and interest to the final piece.

The weekly contest at Fun at Fairy Knoll is Cotton Candy... I interperated that through the use of clouds and hints of pink. Hope you can join us this week. :)

Here is a Friday Freebie for you.... Image has been removed.....

She will only be available till next Friday. :) Again if you use her I would love to see your projects! :)

Smiles ~ Brandi

A Labor of Love - Round 2

2011-07-06T22:00:00.000-07:00

Sometimes when we create something it literally gets loved to pieces. This is exactly what happened to the baby quilt I made my oldest niece. The quilt we are speaking of is approximately 8 years old and boy can you tell. It has been languishing in my closet crying out for attention for about 2 months now. The last time my niece saw me she asked when I was going to work on it, as her dollies really needed it back. So when I got home it came out of the closet and onto the sewing table.

After a little time looking at everything that needed fixed, I ripped off the binding (with a seam ripper of course!) and started trying to fix holes and tears. All the little stars were hand embroidered by me back in the day. It's was crazy to look at this quilt and realize how far I have come as a quilter and a seamstress. A good thing and a frustrating thing as well.

Here I am attaching the border back on again ~ notice the pucker where there the quilt used to be tied. Apparently children like to untie things ~ that is actually what lead to the quilt renovation. When Jo first brought it out she wanted to know if I could fix it "Cause all the insides are stuck in the bottom". :)

Stitching away...

Sorry for the weird coloring in the pic....After I started quilting it together (it was pinned and everything) I realized the backing fabric was not working out at all and the everything moved and got wiggly. What kind of fabric it is I have no clue ~ definitely not plain old cotton. Please see above ~ not so great. But in the end all that matters is that it will put a smile on a little girl's face. That's what it is all about anyway. So now I have a renovated quilt waiting in the closet for a certain someone to come pick it up and take it home. Her dollies will be so ecstatic!

Fireworks

2011-07-05T20:39:00.000-07:00

Fireworks ~ such fabulous creations! They do all the things that I love ~ Sparkle, Shimmer and Twinkle. I couldn't ask for more. :)

We traveled quite a distance to watch them this year. The 25th Annual River of Fire Festival in Kennewick, WA was the destination. I am so glad that we went. There is something about those big burst of color and all the booms that brings out the kid in me again.

This shot was taken while we were waiting for things to get fired up. :)

I think the photos were worth all the effort the fine employees in the watch department of Walmart went to. The batteries for my camera remote are apparently not so easy to find, but luckily after lots of digging they hooked us up. A new tripod went into the cart too ~ someone (insert whistling and eye contact avoidance here) misplaced the one we had. I wonder who could have done that... lol!

It was a beautiful evening ~ such a wonderful way to celebrate our country.

I hope that you enjoyed your evening as well.

Smiles ~ Brandi

Red, White and Blue

2011-06-30T21:36:00.000-07:00

The 4th of July is such an amazing day for our county and I am always so happy to see it celebrated so brightly and loudly with fireworks. So when it came time to make my card for the Red, White and Blue challenge at Fun at Fairy Knoll this week, fireworks immediately came to mind. The fireworks themselves are Stickles. The blue night sky is a piece of velvety paper from my stash ~ probably old SEI. The white paper is glittery Doodlebug and the red is most likely Stampin' Up. The dress on the image was fun to color ~ I just let my mind go a little crazy! :)

Fairy Knoll is looking for some additional design team members. If you are interested please email me at fairyknoll(at)rocketmail(dot)com with your blog address. Thanks!

Turns out the Copic class I took last night was a bit of a bust... very beginner info, but that's okay. Maybe I'll find another one that's not too far away to attend ~ my fingers are crossed. :)

I wanted to leave you with a freebie today ~ her name is Harmony. Sometimes she holds a little birdie in her hand, but not today. Harmony was drawn over a year ago and has lived quietly in my computer files. Please feel free to take her and use her, but please leave me a comment later on if you post a creation on your blog featuring her. I would love to see it.

Have a wonderful holiday weekend.

Smiles ~ Brandi

Challenges Entered

Craft Us Crazy ~ Red, White and Blue

Delightful Challenges ~ Red, White and Blue

Rainbow Lady's Challenge ~ Red, White and Blue

Wishing You The Best Day Ever

2011-06-29T13:23:00.000-07:00

Tonight I get to take a Copic Class at Urban Paper! To say that I am excited would be a major understatement! I adore my Copics and definitely have room to grow in learning to color. Tomorrow I should have some examples to show.

I broke out the Echo Park Summertime 6x6 stack again.. the colors are so bright and cheerful. They just make a person happy ~ and we can all use a little happiness now again right? The image is Swiss Pixie Birthday Gretel and the sentiment is Amy R ~ both are from All That Scraps. Don't you just want to give her a hug and tell her thanks for coming to the party? I cut the image out with a square die, leaving the balloons out for fun. That's about it, so as the sentiment says.... WISHING YOU THE BEST DAY EVER!

Smiles ~ Brandi

Challenges

All That Scraps ~ Punches or Dies

Flutter By Wednesday ~ Open

Crazy Amigo Challenge ~ Cupcakes

Adventures in Veggie Shopping

2011-06-29T11:48:00.000-07:00

Gardening is an Adventure! You start out with a vague sort of a goal in mind, but are soon distracted by all the pretties and the fabulous descriptions. Here are some examples of excellent marketing.....

Immediately you think of visiting Italy and if you are like me you mind wanders off to that movie you saw... what was it? The one that made you want to chuck your life and go buy a villa... oh right.. Under the Tuscan Sun. As if most of us could just up and move on over to Italy and buy a villa ~ even one in considerable disrepair. It could happen... I'm almost positive.

Anyway I digress... so there we are in Italy at a little bistro table enjoying a fabulous dish complete with sun dried tomatoes and a glass of wine... okay that does it. In to the basket these go.

Black Prince... a dashing gentleman who will sweep you off your feet and shower you with... tomatoes??? Hummmm.... I'm not quite buying into this fantasy. What's so romantic and lovely about being covered in tomato juice? Then I read... produces a large and early crop and reality strikes ~ hey that was one of the requirements on my list. These beauties join their Sicilian friends in the basket.

Yum! Chili sauce ~ I can make that and can it and have it in the winter. Enchilada's here we come!

If it wasn't for my hubby's love of hot stuff, these would not have come home with me... oh the sacrifice... just kidding! :)

Love, love, love sweet peppers. That's all they had to say. Though I almost passed them by when I saw the picture. After all Red = Hot in my little world.

BUTTERFLY MAGNET...... gotta have them!

The picture did me in... As hard as I try to only buy perennials with a few basket stuffer annuals, some gorgeous flowers sneak home with me. These were simply too hard to resist.

The best part about getting these plants and the pictures was that it truly was an adventure. After stopping at a local Saturday market and purchasing only 2 veggies ( did you see those prices ~ Yikes!) the lady selling them told us about the end of season sale they were having at their greenhouse the next day. So the next day off I went on an hour long drive in hot pursuit of fabulous deals on plants ~ and boy did I strike while the iron was hot. All the veggies and annuals were 50 cents each. Perennials and shrubs were 50% off... all in all it was fantastic day. I got to go somewhere I had never been to before (the nursery is up a little windy road and closed to the public for the most part) and I got a truck load ( a slight exaggeration) of plants of pennies. Not too shabby. :)

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

2011-06-25T13:17:00.000-07:00

Can you just say YUM?

Honestly I was so scared to make this pie.... Even thinking of Rhubarb made my face crinkle up in the most obnoxious way. But ~ and this is big but~ there is so much rhubarb down at my parents old house that was going to waste. That just goes against everything in me to allow that to happen. So I hopped in our little beater pick'em'up truck and went Rhubarb hunting. It was a dangerous mission ( in my mind at least) as I slowly crept through the grass toward the rhubarb patch. I even wore my cowboy boots just in case I stumbled over a sneaky snake. I was wishing I had brought along my trusty sidekick Daisy as I stood staring at the plants. Come on Brandi just reach in there and pull some out... you can do it. After my little pep talk I reached in and ripped some stalks out as fast as I could... Whew... no snakes! On a little side note ~ when we lived down there growing up it wasn't uncommon to see a snake often times a rattlesnake and since my Mom wasn't there to protect me I was a little (okay a LOT!) nervous. Seriously I can be such a baby. So after removing the poisonous leaves and the ends of the stalks it was off to the truck and back home....

To make this awesome Strawberry Rhubarb Pie...

3-4 Big Stalks of Rhubarb, sliced
1 Quart Strawberries sliced or chunked (I used equal amounts of rhubarb and strawberries)
1 Cup or a little less of Sugar
3 Heaping TBSP cornstarch

Dough for a two crust pie ( I used the recipe out of my old Betty Crocker cookbook)
1 Egg ~ beaten
1 tsp sugar

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine rhubarb, strawberries, sugar and cornstarch. Line pie plate with one crust and then add filling. You can use the lattice technique which is super simple ~ even though I thought it would be way hard~ cut your rolled out top crust into strips and starting from the center lay them down and weave them in. Crimp the edges and brush egg over the lattice crust then sprinkle with sugar. Bake from 60 -70 mins. Be sure to place a baking sheet underneath to catch any runaway pie filling.

And that's how it's done. Rhubarb is actually awesome ~ who knew? Smiles ~ Brandi

Summer Challenge at Fairy Knoll

2011-06-23T22:31:00.000-07:00

I love this sentiment ~ Doesn't it put a smile on your face? It does for me! This card was made for this week's Challenge at Fairy Knoll ~ Summer. The papers are all Echo Park Summertime ~ of course! The image is a new one from Fairy Knoll called Jo and the sentiment is from Pink Cat. The background paper is so fun and cheerful. I love the little roller coaster in the right hand corner so I mimicked it by rounding the corners of my two layer papers. Thanks for dropping in for a visit. Smiles ~ Brandi

Challenges Entered in:

Sketch Saturday ~ Sketch

Southern Girls ~ Anything Goes

New Blog Design = New Blog Additude

2011-06-23T10:44:00.000-07:00

So back in the day I used to be able to write clearly, concisely and comically. Somewhere along the way that got lost. It's time to bring back the 3 C's.... hopefully anyway. : ) And for that to happen things are going to have to change a bit around here. In case you haven't noticed I have lost my passion for cardmaking. Maybe lost is to harsh of a word, but there it is. I said it ~ now it's out there. Cardmaking will still be apart of what I share because it is a part of me, but it is not the whole of me or what I do. Never fear, my creativity hasn't dried up! In fact it is overflowing all over my house.

This is my little "nest" area for working on the binding of my (in my husband's words) ultra chaotic quilt. If fact he proceeded to tell me that it was a good thing it was machine quilted to pull it all together because otherwise it just didn't work for him... all you ladies out there who have put many an hour into building a quilt can probably sympathize with me right about now. Talk about a heartbreaking statement ~ this is a quilt being made because we don't have one made by me, which hubby thought should be rectified. All the fabric were chosen with him in mind.... but luckily now he likes it... Whew... cause I was worried.... sorta. I however adore it and can't wait to show final photo's once that pesky binding is attached.

Attaching the binding the worst part for me. I dread it. But then as I am happily curled up stitching away it doesn't seem quite so horrible. So wish me luck... Smiles ~ Brandi

Sparkling Mojo

2011-06-17T10:03:00.000-07:00

So what do you do when you have lost your Mojo? You head on over to the Mojo Monday blog and get some! At least that's what I do. :) Today's card features a very sparkley (the theme for the Fairy Knoll Challenge is Sparkle) Ellie from Fairy Knoll on a fabulous Mojo Monday Sketch. The hello tag is so glittery you can hardly read the greeting... which makes it pretty darn awesome in my book! The papers are pretty random as are the embellishments ~ mostly just pulled from my stash of no name treasures. I did add liquid pearls for an extra bit of shine. Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

~Smiles~

Fun Birthday Card

2011-06-02T22:32:00.000-07:00

Today's card is bright cheerful and makes me happy! Meet Henri ~ a new addition to Fairy Knoll. He showed up on my sketch pad this week along with some other silly critters. The paper is Echo Park Summer Days and the sentiment is AmyR for All That Scraps. I had to add the mist around the card cause it seems fairytaleish... :)

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

~ Smiles~

For the Record - I Love Echo Park!

2011-05-07T00:01:00.000-07:00

Hello.... such a simple word, but very versatile. I finally ordered (from All That Scraps) and received the Ticket Sentiments by Whimsy Stamps. They are wonderful! I'm pretty excited about my goal to only make cards that will be used. Nothing's more depressing than a box of cards with nowhere to go. The older one's I made had lots of glitter so they couldn't be sent to OWH ~ darnit!

Okay let's get this train back on the track... toot, toot! The image is one of the new ones from Fairy Knoll named Kellie, the paper is For the Record (again from All That Scraps) by Echo Park... seriously swoon worthy paper.... I love, love, love it! The clouds were cut of Echo Park's Summer Day's paper and one was popped up to add some depth. The flowers are from the overflowing (and ever growing) stash. :) The swirls were made on the Cuttlebug with a Quickutz die. Below is a shot of the inside... just a few left over scraps and some lovely white cardstock.

One thing I wanted to mention is the image is a little tweaked from the one for sale at Fairy Knoll ~ you can see her below. I added some bricks for her to sit on and made her shirt super groovy... every girl needs a happy tiedye shirt ~ right?

Wishing you a Hippiedy Happy Saturday!

~Smiles~

Mother's Day Challenge Card

2011-05-06T00:07:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday! Be prepared ~ I feel a rambling post coming on. :) Today I wanted to share a card I made using one of the new releases from Fairy Knoll ~ her name is Iris. Quick sidenote ~ Iris was actually drawn so that I would have an image to use on a card to give to my mom for Mother's Day. :) Now back to the previously scheduled post ~ Please join us at Fun at Fairy Knoll for the Mother's Day challenge this week. :)

This card as a couple of neat features... there are some close-up's down a little farther about making your cardstock look suedelike. The ribbons are layered ~ a lilac polka dot over a satin purple. Looks pretty cool in real life. :)

A shot of the inside... this paper is so very fabulous to work with. It has such happy colors! The name of it is Lime Twist from My Mind's Eye.

Here is the mini-tutorial I was telling you about. Being the brainiac that I am, I forgot that Stampin Up cardstock doesn't have a white core.... something that come to light after I had been sanding away for a while. :) The picture below shows the paper prior to sanding..... but wait for it..

this is the paper after sanding! You may have to click to enlarge the photo to see exactly what I am talking about, but doesn't it look like suede? A happy error on my part!

Hope you have a fun and fabulous Friday!
~Smiles~

Bellarific Friday a Day Early :)

2011-05-05T07:47:00.001-07:00

Inside ~ Terrible lighting I know.. :)

Jessica Rone has a challenge called Forgotten Stamp Friday on her blog. How could anyone not join in after reading this ~ "Every week, I challenge myself, and all of you, to make a card using your poor, lonely, dusty, unused, forgotten stamps."? Now all I can hear all the sounds my poor desperately lonely stamps are making.... crying out for attention. Just a little ink, that's all we need... please, please, please. It's heartbreaking I tell you. So like any kind stamper would do I told them all about this challenge and that they would get a turn if they would just be patient a little bit longer, grabbed the first unused stamp off the pile, closed the lid on the rest of them and put them in the closet. :)

So if you read the title, you already have deducted that this is my card for this week's Bellarific Friday. The theme was flowers. I adore my stamps from Stamping Bella ~ they work with anything and look so darn cute! It was also made for the greeting card challenge at The Outlawz ~ Mother's Day or Girl card. And thankfully it's open week at Flutter By Wednesday's so it's a perfect fit there as well.

I am loving this gorgeous paper from Bo Bunny. When you use it, the card's just seem to make themselves. Well that's about it for today. Do you have any fun plans for National Scrapbook Day tomorrow? I am headed out to my local (well it's only about an hour away...) scrapbook store Urban Paper to celebrate. They are hosting a crop so it should be lots of fun!

~Sending You Smiles~

What's On Your Desk Wednesday

2011-05-04T11:00:00.000-07:00

Perhaps it should be what isn't on your desk Wednesday for me! This is the 100th WOYDW ~ it's about time I joined in! It's one of those things on my to do list now moved to my done list. WhoooHoooo!

What a disaster area... which is a completely good thing, considering my scrap/card making space has been looking clean and tidy for awhile ~ which is not a good thing. When the creative bug is biting messiness rules my craft room. Sometime you just need a little break ~ but other times you just need to get back in the game. It must be my turn at bat. Lol!

You can see the images I am coloring for the new releases at Fairy Knoll. Also check out all those new paper pads among the rubble. Lord knows I have about ten thousand other paper pads to use, but there is just something about a cracking open a new one. :) It's way up there on my list of favorite things.

Hope you have a messy day too!

~Smiles~

A Wonderful Mini-Hike

2011-05-04T00:01:00.000-07:00

Warning ~ very photo heavy post! :)

For those of you who don't know I live near the Columbia Gorge. It is a fabulous place to live if you are active.... unfortunetly I am not very active. It is on my list of aspirations to be so. :)

My hubby and I took a mini-hike to a waterfall this past Sunday ~ the day was breathtakingly gorgeous. This is one of the first photo's of the day of Mt. Hood in the distance.

Some very happy flowers...

Gorgeous Wild Apple Blossoms ~ at least I think they are....

A shot of the view down toward the highway.

A brave little birdie enjoying the view.

Our first glimpse of the waterfall high upon the hill...

As we got closer....

Zooming in....

Hiking back....

I am so thankful for the wonderful day we had and feel so blessed to be able to remember it through photographs. Here's hoping for many more wonderful days.

~Smiles~

It's a Beautiful Morning! :)

2011-05-03T06:40:00.000-07:00

It is so lovely outside this morning ~ The sun is shining and it didn't freeze at all. Hurray for that. Now I'm sure it's just a teaser, but I will take it and be so happy with it!

Projects abound around me, but I just can't seem to pick one and stick to it.

~Here are a few examples ~

#1 ~ an uncompleted quilt top

Look Mom ~ I even cut out all of the pieces ~ and still haven't put it together! Usually cutting the fabric is my sticking point. :)

Now these next two projects are completed, I just haven't decided to keep them or sell them. First of all I would like to thank my ancient Snoopyish doggie for posing for me . These pictures just wouldn't be the same without his help.

This is such a fun little ruffled hat ~ perfect for a little girl. :)

This hat is a cosy little number with excellent capablities in the ear warming department. One of these hats as been to a marathon on my sister-in-law's head ( Go B! I love that you compete in marathons!) It also looks super cute on my eldest niece. :)

And of course my Art Journal pages.... When I started out to AJ, the plan was to actually journal ~ wow what a great idea, right? So far I just draw and color and paint which makes me happy. My fairy looks a litte grouchy around the edges ~ wonder what is up with her.

The very best thing about an art journal is that it is portable. When the family goes camping and fishing I can take out my journal and be perfectly happy drawing and coloring. It is very relaxing.

There are some other UFO's (Unfinished Objects) floating around my house, but I will get to them eventually. Too bad the one day at a time saying doesn't translate to one project at a time. It's doubtful that it ever will for me. :)

Have a wonderful day!

~Smiles~

A card and some spring photos....

2011-04-29T11:02:00.000-07:00

As I was making this card I kept thinking that it might be time for me to take a beginning card class... somehow since the last time I made a card I forgot the why and how for everything. :) Thank goodness for the sketch at Cardablilites ~ it is awesome ~ one for the files. This card is for the challenge over at Fairy Knoll ~ Birthday.

Do any of you have issues with Blogger? I can't publish without saving and going to the edit blog post page.... it is way irritating!

Prepare for a 180 subject change ~ SPRING!!

Oh where are you spring? I don't think I can take many more windy, cold and nasty days. And then you throw in the snow... no more of that please! It's almost May.

Here are some pictures I took in Portland... maybe to encourage you to come this way....

cause I miss you.

~Smiles~

Fairy Knoll Love or Faith Challenge

2011-04-15T17:52:00.000-07:00

This weeks challenge at Fairy Knoll is themed Love or Faith. This lovely lady had love written all over her. :) The papers are Stella Rose from My Mind's Eye (love!) and the pearls are from Close To My Heart.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Smiles ~ Brandi

Paintings and Sketches

2011-03-31T12:08:00.000-07:00

I wanted to show some updated sketches and paintings. Painting is the bomb! Don't get me wrong, I love my Copics, but when you mess up a painting you can just paint of the error and keep going. :) The photo above is my first painting ~ Believe.

This photo is called The Girl and the Moon.

The two photos below are a sketch and painting I made after learning my oldest friend's dad had passed away.

Sometimes art can help us to say what words cannot. Until now, I had never experienced working on a project that broke my heart progressively more as it neared completion.

The title of the painting is "I Will Keep You In My Heart Forever" a saying that means so much to my friend.

I have been working more on stamp sketches this week, so but hopefully I will get some painting done next week. It's hard to tell though ~ spring is coming and the brings lots of time spent outside. :)

Have a happy day

~ Smiles ~

Sketch progress

2011-03-10T00:01:00.000-08:00

Today I started a class on mixed media by Adriana Almanza ~ I found the link after watching many tutorials on youtube. All of the lessons are on video and pdf. I love the way she starts from the beginning with drawing basics. This is something that I have never had or learned as all the drawing I have done is basically self taught. Here are two pictures of the sketch I worked on today. Not sure why the top one looks so crazy ~ must have been the lighting. :)

The reference points helped so much! Hopefully tomorrow I will get a chance to color her. :)

Till then...

Only from the Heart.....

2011-03-08T22:38:00.000-08:00

Today I made my first piece of mixed media art. It was so much fun ~ I don't know why I put off trying for so long! Mixed media has been popping up all over the place lately and youtube is filled with videos to get you started off in the right direction.

The painting is not perfect, but it makes my heart so happy ~ and that's what's important about art. It needs to speak to you directly and not suffer from other people's opinions.

The only thing I would like to try to do differently is instead of painting on canvas I'd like to try a different background like wood, an art journal or art board. She ended up with a crease on her cheek when I transfered the image to the canvas and I think with a harder surface that wouldn't be an issue.

Wishing you a day of heart happiness!

~Smiles~

Think Spring

2011-03-04T13:43:00.000-08:00

Hello out there in blogland ~ it has been sometime since I visited.... a funny thing happened when I started drawing ~ the urge to make cards slowed way down. But this is an important date ~ the start of the 40th challenge at Fun at Fairy Knoll ~ I can't believe it! :)

So with rigid determination last night I set out to make this card. Coloring the Step Dancing Fairy was the only thing that was accomplished though! :) No worries I thought ~ I will jump right out of bed in the morning and finish it up... lots of hours and obstacles later I did~ Yea! :)

Hope you are having a wonderful day ~ if you visit leave a comment and I will visit you in return. :0)

~Smiles~

Valentine Challenge

2011-02-11T11:46:00.000-08:00

This card I made for this weeks challenge at Fairy Knoll which is to be Valentine themed. I wanted something simple, so using Adobe Photoshop, I placed the image, placed a shadow behind it, added an extra layer behind that with "grunge" brush strokes, added the sentiment and printed it out. Finishing it up was simple after that... colored the image with Prisma Pencils and added little glitter. Cut to card size and scored.

Hope you are having a wonderful day!

~Smiles~

Fairy Knoll Thank You Challenge

2011-01-14T08:43:00.000-08:00

It's time for another Fairy Knoll challenge ~ this week the theme is Thank You. My card features one of the newest releases from Fairy Knoll called The Rose.

I opted for a simple layout using layered spellbinder die cuts, a layered flower, three butterflies, and a sentiment from AmyR.

Have a wonderful day!

~Smiles~

CDAC Challenge and Freebie Info

2011-01-13T00:01:00.000-08:00

Today Fairy Knoll is sponsoring the color challenge over at Crafter's Digital Art Center and I got to choose the colors! So you know they had to be bright! The colors are Hot Pink, Lime Green, and Bright Blue. Fun springy colors! :)

My card features I Love My Teddy ~ the freebie being offered for the challenge.
Papers are all from my scrap stash, flowers from my flower jar and star bling is beads.

Have a happy, happy day!

~Smiles~

An Attempt at Elegance

2011-01-08T12:47:00.000-08:00

Sometimes the cute just doesn't cut it! Now that is rare for me, but still once in a while I have to make an attempt at making an elegant card. :)

This card is fairly simple with the kraft layer distressed and the top black layer embossed. The Music sheet was sprayed with Treasured Hymn Shimmerz and then smashed into a ball so it would look older and tear easier. The black Spellbinders diecut was also sprayed with Shimmerz. I cut two slits in the music heart to slide the ribbon through and topped it with a bow. The sentiment stamps is from Verve and the bling from Michaels.

Hope you all are having a wonderful Saturday. I am waiting on pins and needles for my hubby to get home, though who knows when that will happen. :)

~Smiles~

All That Glitters

2011-01-06T21:46:00.000-08:00

It's Friday, so that means it time for another challenge at Fairy Knoll. This week the challenge is All That Glitters. I added liquid glass and black stickles to the Miss Bug digi to forfill the glitter requirement. :) All papers are from my scrap bin, the velvet ribbon is May Arts and the sentiment is from Verve.

I thought this would make a fun Valentine for my eldest niece. :)

Have a wonderful Friday!
~ Smiles ~

Onesie Fun

2011-01-05T10:34:00.000-08:00

Stamping on Onesie's has to be the most fun thing I have done in a long time! I can't wait to give this set to my niece and her mama!

It's super easy too.. just make sure to use a lot less blending action/coloring with your Copics and have a piece of paper behind the image when you stamp/color so the inks stays where you want it to. To find out how to do this I went on Youtube and typed in stamping on onesie's. There are several tutorials out there. I lucked out and had a black Palette stamp pad on hand ~ it seemed to be the most recommended ink pad. I also heat set after stamping and then again after coloring.

Here is the matching card. I went simple to match the onesie. The stamp set is from the clearance bin at Craft Warehouse. I think I paid .50 cents for it ~ what a bargin! :) I picked the onesies up at Michaels ~ was kinda shocked to find them there actually. lol! :)

And here they are together! Yea! Can't wait to start another set. I'm thinking of giving them a set for each month's birthday. We'll see how that goes! :)

Have a beautiful day!

~Smiles~

P.S. I am also entering this in the Crafty Ho's Babies challenge. :)

Something New

2011-01-04T00:01:00.000-08:00

I was so happy to see the challenge at Paper Sundae's was Something New... sometimes I need a kick in the hinney to use some of my fabulous stamps. This challenge was just the thing I needed to break open one of my new stamps from Stamping Bella (you know they had that fabulous sale awhile ago? And I just had to orders some stamps and then *gasp* never used them!) called Prezzies for Lulu.

So out comes the stamp... and I stamp and I color it with my Copics and then disappointment. This was not how these prezzies were supposed to look... what the heck? Ok I can do this! So out comes the stamp (again) and I stamp and color it with my Tombow watermarker and CTMH inks.... still not quite there. So two images in the trash and I thought 3rd time is the charm.... in the end maybe not exactly right but okay. I can live with this one! After that the card came together fairy easily with scraps from my scap bin and a little lace and ribbon. Hopefully it will make someone happy! :) Never give up my friends, never give up! Lol! :)

Have a creative day!

~Smiles~

Colorful Kisses

2011-01-03T14:38:00.000-08:00

It's a gorgeous day here in my part of the world.. still very cold, but oh so beautiful. The sun is shining and my cat is lying about soaking it up without a care in the world. It must be nice to be a cat. :)

My card today features Blowing Kisses (again I know) from Fairy Knoll. She is so much fun to color and I wanted to color her as a blonde as well as a brunette. The color scheme is Pink, Red and White from Color Create, for Stamp Something and Stamp Insanity we have Sparkly and Glitter. It's funny how those two things just seem to perfectly go together! :) The glitter on the hearts is this wonderful glass glitter from Stampin Up. It is chunky and so fun to work with. There is Art Institute glitter on the smaller hearts, but it isn't showing up so well.

Have a beautiful day!

~Smiles~

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T21:06:00.000-08:00

It's here... a brand new and fresh year. There is something so wonderful about the first day of the year. It has an almost magical quality to it, bringing with it so many opportunities and chances to work toward our dreams. May your New Year be filled with happiness and blessings!

Today was such a fabulous day for me. All relaxation and no worries (after we ironed out our new plan for the year) makes me a happy girl!

I have been working on my coloring and in particular I want to learn how to make clothing look like it actually has folds. I used Copics and Prisma pencils on the skirt to try to add some dimension. Somewhere I had read you could use plain old rubbing alcohol to blend when using Copics and Prisma's together. It worked fine for me! I was careful to use my Copics prior to using the Prisma's to protect the blending tip on my markers. My image is a new one from Fairy Knoll called Music, so it seemed perfect to make a gift card holder for music. :) Papers are Basic Grey Lime Rickey and the sketch is from Cardablities.

Have a beautiful day!

~Smiles~

Blowing Kisses

2010-12-31T00:01:00.000-08:00

Hello and Happy Last Day of 2010. It's hard to believe tomorrow will be the start of a new year. I would like to wish each and everyone of you a Happy and Prosperous New Year!

My card features Blowing Kisses (one of the new releases from Fairy Knoll) on Kaisercraft paper with a computer generated sentiment. In this last Fairy Knoll challenge of the year, the theme is once again Anything Goes. Hope you can join us! :)

The card layout is based on this week's Mojo Monday sketch.

~Smiles~

Waiting for Santa

2010-12-24T09:44:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas!

I'll be quick ~ today's card features Waiting for Santa (a new FREE digi) from Fairy Knoll. You can find her on our Facebook page or at our PCP group. All of the papers are from Cosmos Cricket Mitten Weather, the sentiment is from Whimsy Doodles, flowers are from Making Memories and are coated in Stickles.

I hope you can join us in our challenge this week at Fairy Knoll... Anything Goes!

Have a wonderful, wonderful day!

~Smiles~

Whimsie Doodles ~ Mojo awakeners! :)

2010-12-15T13:33:00.000-08:00

Thank goodness for Whimsie Doodles! These happy digi stamps have lit a fire under my long lost mojo.... Today's card features one of their cute snowmen ~ Cup of Cocoa. How can you help but end up with a happy heart after making a card with this cute little guy?

It is a very simple card ~ colored with Copics, some cute little die cuts made using my new Slice (love this little machine!) that my husband let me get at Joann's on Black Friday, add in some ink distressing and Stickles and there you have it! :)

Hope you are having a wonderful day!

~ Smiles ~

Thank You Card in Autumn Colors

2010-11-23T07:15:00.000-08:00

Happy Tuesday! Thanksgiving is right around the corner ~ I am really excited for it this year. Everyone is meeting at my parents house on Thursday. My niece and I are planning on starting to cook and prepare tomorrow. It should be lots of fun!

Today's card features lots of scraps and several items from Stampin Up. I adore the Cherry Cobbler paper and seam binding. The cardstock looks a little less dark because it is inked with Distressed Ink in Rusty Hinge. The seam binding is so much fun to use in place of ribbon. The softness and flexability of it results in fabulous bows. The sentiment stamp is from Verve. Liquid pearls in Gold and a couple of touches of bling add the finishing touches.

Wishing you a wonderful day!

~Smiles~

Thanks a Latte

2010-11-21T19:18:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving Week!

In celebration I will attempt to post cards that celebrate being Thankful.

Today's card features stamps from Fiskers in a coffee and tea theme. The cup was stamped directly onto a Making Memories journaling page and colored (with a very light touch) with copics and accented with Stickles.

Papers are Bo Bunny, ribbon ~ Ctmh, and jewles ~ Doodlebug.

Have a good Monday!

~Smiles~

Thankful

2010-11-18T23:04:00.000-08:00

Thankful ~ that's the theme of the Fairy Knoll challenge this week.

My card features the Thankful Pumpkins, K&co Papers, some fabulous May Art ribbons and some brads.

Don't forget about the Fairy Knoll Holiday Hop ~ it is on-going through Sunday!

Have a happy day!

~Smiles~

Fairy Knoll Holiday Hop

2010-11-17T00:01:00.000-08:00

I hope you are all enjoying the hop! You should have arrived here from Audrey's wonderful blog!

My card features Peppermint Patti ~ she wasn't too sure about being on the blog hop and so this is actually the second time she was colored for this project. :) I made this simple little treat holder (instructions here) because it is always so nice to have the option of giving someone a quick little gift during the holidays.

Well it's probably time for you to hop on over to see Claire ~ I'm sure she has a fabulous treat in store for you!

Happy Hopping!

~Smiles~

Jingle Bells...

2010-11-15T21:04:00.000-08:00

Hello there... weird to see a post from me on a Tuesday isn't it? I wanted to share a sneak peek of a new more vintage feeling digi from Fairy Knoll that will be released tomorrow during our first blog hop. I hope you can join us ~ there will be hidden prizes along the way and a grand prize of EVERY WINTER/CHRISTMAS digi we have! :)

This card is made with K&Co Christmas papers, lots of sewn details and Shimmer Spritz.

Hope you have a fabulous day!

~Smiles~

Changing Leaves

2010-11-11T19:28:00.000-08:00

Happy Friday! Today I have a card for the challenge at Fairy Knoll ~ Changing Leaves. The image is a new release called Autumn Fairy. :) She was fun to color ~ I can't remember when I last did so much shading... the leaves were my favorite part. They have just a hint of glitter. The swirls were sprayed with gold shimmer spritz ~ very sparkley in real life. :)

Hope you have a fabulous day!

Happy Fall... :)

2010-10-31T22:40:00.000-07:00

Well, I am finally getting around to posting a card. Time has been cruising past me so darn quickly. This weekend has been fun though ~ lots of Halloween activities. :)

Here is my card ~ featuring Autumn from Fairy Knoll. The papers are Bo Bunny and the sentiment and swirls stamp are from Verve.

Hope you had a fabulous Halloween!

~ Smiles ~

Music Saves My Soul Saturday

2010-10-16T00:01:00.000-07:00

Happy Saturday!

It's time for our weekly installation of Music Saves My Soul! Hurray!

Join us over at Marcea's blog to see what everyone else is listening to!

There are a couple of words that might be offensive to some of you ~ so I couldn't find a clean version. Sorry ~ I just love this song though! ;)

Happy Halloween

2010-10-15T10:20:00.000-07:00

Wow ~ it's been a long time since I posted! Life seems to just get more bizzzy (rhythms with dizzy ~ the way I sometimes feel! lol!) every day! It's seems to me that ever since I started drawing images my cardmaking mojo has dried up. I don't know if it is because my creativity is being filled by drawing or what. Hopefully it will come back again.

Anyway on to todays project... a Halloween treat bag featuring Batgirl. She is all decked out for a Halloween night on the town. Glitter (check) Stickles (check) Fabulous Blue Wig (check) Spectacular Costume (check) ~ now she's off to fill up her candy bag! :) Be kind to her ladies ~ she looks a little nervous about her new look! :)

I hope you can join us for the challenge (HAPPY HALLOWEEN) over at Fun at Fairy Knoll. :) I would love to see what you create! Hope you have a wonderful Friday!

Smiles,

Music Saves My Soul Saturday

2010-10-02T00:01:00.000-07:00

I love this song.... it is so stuck in my head. :) Thanks for dropping by ~ make sure to check out Marcea's blog to see what everyone else is listening to. :)

Have a happy day!

~Smiles~

2010-10-01T00:01:00.000-07:00

Did I spook you? Probably not! :) This week we are kicking off the "Haunting Halloween" challenge over at the Fun At Fairy Knoll Challenge. Obviously I didn't take the super scary route! :)

The image I used for this card is called Halloween Cupcake Fairy. I tried really hard to get some shading worked into her outfit, but it's not quite there yet ~ maybe next time. Papers are from K&Co and the shimmer is all Stickles. :)

Fairy Knoll is also taking part in a CDAC blog hop today, which has some AWESOME prizes. Be sure to check it out! :)

Hope you have a fabulous weekend! Mine looks like work... cutting and stacking firewood. Oh well at least we will be warm this winter. :) Bye!

2010-09-28T22:52:00.000-07:00

Here are a few layouts I did for the Scrappy Sunday challenge on Paper Craft Planet. Thank goodness I have my niece and nephew ~ they give me lots of stuff to scrapbook! :)

It was nice to get some layout's done again. I am slowly getting back into the groove of scrapping... hopefully I can stay in it! :) Sorry for the less than awesome pic's. I still haven't figured out how to take better pictures of scrapbook pages. Anyone have any hints?

Have an awesome day! :)

~ Smiles ~

2010-09-27T00:01:00.000-07:00

Hi there! Here's a quick little card I colored up this weekend. It is very simple ~ just the image on some fabulous velvet paper. No glitter or messy stuff ~ just a clean and simple card to start off the week. :)

The image is from Di's Digi Downloads and the sentiment is from All That Scraps.

Hope your week gets off to a good start! :)

Test Post

2010-09-25T19:16:00.000-07:00

Test Post :)

Music Saves My Soul Saturday & Some Happy Scrappin'

2010-09-25T15:55:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it is Saturday already! Here is my song for the week: Notice Me. Be sure to check out the link list on Marcea's blog to hear what everyone else is listening to. :)

Scrappy time! Dixie Pieces is having a Glee Club contest. Every week we make a layout based on a certain theme ~ last week the theme was Classic Rock and we had to pick a song (from a list) by The Beatles and use it in our layout. My layout also is based on the cover art from the album Please Please Me. This contest is loads of fun and you still have time to join in if you would like! :)

This is little card if from a mini challenge from Dixie Pieces. I stayed with the 60's theme and just went for fun! :)

Colorful Christmas

2010-09-24T05:20:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday! :)

Today we are celebrating Colorful Christmas at the Fun at Fairy Knoll Challenge... the only requirements this time are to use color and a Christmas image! :)

My project is a little box that I made (I traced a box I had taken apart) that should be just perfect for giving away truffles at Christmas time. The paper is from K&Co, the image from Fairy Knoll, and the sentiment from All That Scraps.

Hope you have lots of fun weekend plans! Smiles ~ Brandi

Pardon the dust

2010-09-21T12:27:00.000-07:00

Major blog revamp happening... hopefully everything will be back to normal tomorrow! :)

Blinged Out Birthday

2010-09-18T11:48:00.000-07:00

Break out your glitter girls ~ this week the Fun at Fairy Knoll challenge is Blinged Out Birthday! Talk about a challenge with a lot of possibilities!!! :)

My card features Birthday Cake Fairy ~ she can also be purchased as Birthday Cake Girl to make her a little more versitile. :) Isn't she cute! I worked in an opposite manner from my normal routine and picked out my papers first.... that made coloring so much fun! I can't image picking out this color combo without inspiration. The dots and the sparkle on the flowers are brought to you by Stickles. The DP is from Bo Bunny, sentiment stamp from PMS, hearts from a Martha Stewart punch, and Kaisercraft pearls. That's about it I think. Hope you have a awesome weekend! Smiles ~ Brandi

Music Saves My Soul Saturday

2010-09-18T10:16:00.000-07:00

Marcea has started a fun Saturday tradition ~ Music Saves My Soul. Every Saturday post a song to your blog... any song that moves you! Isn't this a fantastic way to share other sides of yourself? I love this idea! So here is my first song to share:

Happy Saturday! :)

Sunny Sunflowers

2010-09-14T04:34:00.000-07:00

Hello out there... how are things in blogland? Today I wanted to share a few pictures from my garden. Every morning now I wake up with the fear that the frost has come in the night. So far it hasn't, but as crisp as it has been it won't be long now.

One of my glads... the weather is tricky here so sometime we don't even get glads ~ not even the ones we plant from bulbs in the spring. It's lovely to go out in the garden in the morning while the dew is still clinging to all the flowers and leaves... it's magical.

This is a random tree that I saw on one of my road trips.... you know the road impassable when wet kinda road trips. They are the best!

These last three photos are of my happy, happy sunflowers! Nothing puts a smile on your face like a row of gorgeous sunflowers. :) There were several industrious bees working happily away. I didn't bother them and they left me alone as well.

Hope you can gather some internal sunshine from these pictures ~ they make me happy, so hopefully they can do the same for you. Have a wonderful day! Smiles ~ Brandi

Friday Fun!

2010-09-10T00:02:00.000-07:00

Hello! Today I have a slightly overshaded card to share with you... this card was made for Friday Fun at Fairy Knoll... there is a sketch this week and the option of using Monochromatic colors to get an extra entry into the drawing for a free digi. So to get back on topic, I went a little crazy with the shading. The thing that I forgot is.... some Copics dry (as opposed to when they are still wet from coloring/shading) to a different color ~ you know ~ the color on the marker. Dur!!! Sometime I wonder where my head is! It was still lots of fun and kinda neat to try a little harder to get some shadows and highlights. The sentiment will be another freebie for all play along at this week ~ hope you can join us! :)

Smiles ~ Brandi

A Glimpse of Walla Walla

2010-09-09T00:01:00.000-07:00

2P's had a crop this weeked and I actually made some layouts! Go me! My Tim Holtz masks finally got some use ~ they are great fun ~ especially with Shimmerz Spritz. The letter stamps are from Close To My Heart... other than that a very simple layout.

Steve and I drove over to Walla Walla to check it out last fall ~ it's a great town! There are so many spectacular older buildings and really unique features there. Here are a few photos of things that caught my eye. If you are ever in Eastern Washington you should check it out!

There are so many other wonderful things there as well!

Have a beautiful day! Smiles ~Brandi

Busy, Busy Me!

2010-09-08T00:01:00.000-07:00

Life has been like a non stop treadmill lately ~ In a good way though! Here is a card I made this weekend. I just cut out the basic shape of a to go coffee cup, cut out a lid and sleeve, stamped and distressed and there you have it! A fun little card for those coffee drinker in your life.... like me ~ Just sayin! lol!

Have a great day! Smiles ~ Brandi

Home Banner

2010-09-04T08:30:00.000-07:00

I wanted to share a pennant banner that I made with you... There are lot of projects that go through my craft room that never end up on my blog. The goal is to share them with you, but the reality is I forget to take photos of them or I just flat run out of time. :0) That never happens to any of you does it???

This banner uses Websters Pages papers for the base ~ cut very specifically. That way I could showcase the wonderful images from them, especially my favorites. :) The butterflies were super simple. Just cut out a butterfly with a punch and add some bling to the center ~ Tada!

If you are interested in how to make the round medallions, let me know and I will make a little tutorial. :)

Have a fabulous Labor Day weekend everyone! Smiles ~ Brandi

Vintage Glam...

2010-09-03T12:20:00.000-07:00

Break out your sequins and glitter and come play along in the Vintage Glam challenge at Fairy Knoll. My card features Dancing Glamour... one of the new releases this week. When I was drawing her I kept thinking of Doris Day, but somehow she ended up with a Marilyn Monroe face. It's all good anyway! :)

Anyone who plays this week will recieve the following sentiment! Hope you can join us! :)

This card was a lot of fun... of course anytime the glitter comes out I have a good time! The ruffle on her dress was made with Sparkly Fluff ~ I always forget how fun it is and what a neat effect if give to things. The black paper is embossed cardstock with Making Memories glitter glaze lightly brushed over it. The dp is old WRMK for the scrapbin.

Hope you all have a fabulous weekend! :) Thanks for dropping in to visit! :) Smiles ~ Brandi

A belated Friday Fun...

2010-08-28T19:40:00.000-07:00

I sat down to write this post about an hour ago, but I couldn't think of a thing to say... so I went outside and enjoyed a few moments of a cool summer evening. Time is passing quickly this year. The garden has hardly had a chance to grow and the evenings are already turning cool. It's kinda sad. Soon it will be crisp days and nights, with a fire crackling in the woodstove... hopefully not too soon though. :) On to the subject at hand! lol!

My card features Snowman Building from Fairy Knoll. The papers are from Bo Bunny and some Disney vellum. The snowflakes are stacked individual irridesent snowflakes topped with a Dewdrop. The ribbon is coiled loosely and adhered at anchor points with glue dots. Border punched snowflakes and a glitter pen added the finishing touches. :)

This card is entered in the following challenges:

Friday Fun At Fairy Knoll ~ Anything Goes

Friday Sketchers ~ Sketch

The Pink Elephant ~ Ribbon and Sparkles

A Pocket Full of Posies ~ Winged Things

Winter Wonderland ~ All I want for Christmas ( for me sparkly snow and time to play in it!)

The Crazy Challenge ~ It's Never to Early for Christmas Cards

Friday Fun in a Winter Wonderland

2010-08-23T09:11:00.000-07:00

Thank you for visiting! :) This is a very quick post ~ everyone is waiting on me so we can head out the door! Today's card features the new Winter Wonderland digi from Fairy Knoll and is for the Fun at Fairy Knoll Challenge.

It was a lot of fun coloring in the image and adding dimension with Flower soft, glitter, stickles, shimmerz, buttons and diecuts. Winter images always make me want to get out all the glitzy stuff! :)

Hope you have a "Fairy" Fantastic Day! :)

Friday Fun with Fairy Knoll

2010-08-12T23:00:00.000-07:00

So here is the thing I love about sketches.... they are the springboard for your imagination, not the anchor to pull you down. Obviously I didn't take the sketch to the left completely seriously... it is flipped on it's side and the elements are a lot different. But... if you look close you can see the interpretation at work. :)

The sketch is for the Friday Fun at Fairy Knoll challenge (hope you can join us!) and features Shelly, also from Fairy Knoll. The papers are all from the scrap bin. :) The image is colored with Copics and her hair has shimmer in it, I just didn't get that great of a photo. :( The shell and her tail are covered in Liquid Glass to give a wet look. The inside says "Hello Sunshine". :)

Hope you have a happy Friday! Smiles ~ Brandi

Christmas Gift / Friday Fun at Fairy Knoll Sketch

2010-08-06T08:09:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday! :) Today's card is for the Friday Fun Challenge at Fairy Knoll. This is our tenth sketch and we are looking for people to play along! You could win a free digi from Fairy Knoll just for participating! :)

My card features the Christmas Gift Fairy with K&Co Christmas Cheer papers and Suprise sticker. All the panels are stiched, the gold dots are Liquid Pearls from Ranger, the ribbon and flowers are from my stash. :)

Hope you have a wonderful weekend. Smiles ~ Brandi

Sparkly Winter Dance Tunnel Card

2010-08-04T06:27:00.000-07:00

Hello!!! Today's card features Winter Dance from Fairy Knoll.... I love, love, love making winter/Christmas cards. It must be all the fun stuff (glitter, flowersoft, paint, liquid glass, dewdrops) that is used to decorate a winter card.

Making this card was so involved, but it was a wonderful feeling of involvement... you know the feeling you get when you create something that you haven't made before.

And oh the sparkly stuff that I used! That warmed my heart and made me so happy to be playing! :)

Here is the inside! Isn't this a fabulous way to showcase a favorite sentiment? You can find the tutorial to make this type of card here at SCS. :) Mine is altered just a bit so I ended up with a 5.5 x 5.5 inch card.

Here are the card details for those of you who are interested.

Card Front: The first thing I did was color my image and add the background snow dots with my copics. The background cardstock was random stamped with a Daisy Bucket snowflake stamp and spritzed with Shimmerz Spritz. Then I added Polar White Flowersoft to the snowman and then the liquid glass and glitter dots. The chipboard snowflakes were painted with a Pearl Ranger Paint Dauber as was the border (outside and inside) of the card. As a finishing touch I added light blue dewdrops and liquid glass and glitter covered Quickcutz diecut swirls.

Inside of Card: The sentiment is from All the Scraps and the snowflakes were from Jolee's (I think). The cardstock was random stamped again and spritzed. The hanging bauble was strung on Karen Foster Paper floss and consists of two (back to back) rhinestone centered beads and three clear/sparkly beads. It is adhered between the two layers with super sticky tape.

Hopefully that answered all of your questions ~ don't hesitate to ask if I didn't cover something! :)

This card will be entered in the following challenges:

Papertake Weekly: White and Bright ~ Project Tuesday: Tunnel Card ~ Tuesday Throwdown: Monochromatic

Hope you all have a fabulous day! Smiles ~ Brandi

2010-08-03T05:48:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone out there in blogland! I have been cleaning up my craftroom (more like shifting everything about ~ but we won't go there!) and I have found all this cool stuff that I own.... a cricut, cartridges for the cricut, shimmerz spritz, a distressing tool, cuttlebug folders, brads, sentiment stamps... talk about awesome finds! :) So I decided to use them all on this card and then when I was done with everything I put somewhere I could find it again... this is a major accomplishment for me. My craft room pretty much always looks like a major bomb went off in it!

The card features paper from DCVW, the image is Jess from Fairy Knoll, the diecuts are from the Home Accents cricut cartridge, and the brads are from Making Memories.

I am entering it in the following challenges:

Dare U 2 Digi Stamp: Sketch ~ Party Time Tuesdays: Summer Birthday Card ~ Flutterby Wednesday: Open with Fairy ~ Magical Monday: Sparkle ~ Paper Play : Anything Goes ~ Dutch Dare: Anything Goes

Have a great Tuesday! Smiles ~ Brandi

Friday Fun Sketch Challenge

2010-07-29T23:29:00.000-07:00

It's Friday again... I can't believe it snuck up on me! My card today features one of the new releases from Fairy Knoll... She is the Fortune Teller Fairy. There is a new sketch over at Fun at Fairy Knoll... come join us for the chance to win a free digi of your choice! :)

She was lots of fun to color... I loved adding all the bright vivid colors to her wings! The inside of the card says "Your Birthday Will Be Fabulous". Wouldn't she be great for a Halloween card too? All dark purples and black with glitter of course! :)

Paper is from K&Co, swirls from Prima, frames from Spellbinders. Have a fabulous day everyone!

Smiles ~ Brandi

Challenge Cards

2010-07-20T21:07:00.000-07:00

Fairy Knoll is sponsoring two great challenges this week ~ Cooking It Up With Katie and For Fun Challenges. I hope you get a chance to play along! :) We are also releasing two new images: Swim Goggles and Beach Ball.

Cooking Up With Katie is a recipe challenge ~ Buttons, Bows and Blues. For Fun Challenges is the sketch shown to the left.

My card features the image Swim Goggles ~ for the life of me I could not come up with a sentiment for her. Poor thing ~ she is so befuddled by those swim goggles! :) Hope she at least gives you a bit of a giggle! Have a wonderful day! Smiles ~ Brandi

Friday Fun Sketch Challenge

2010-07-16T00:01:00.000-07:00

Hope this Friday finds you well!

The card I am sharing with you today features Moonlight Mermaid from Fairy Knoll ~ she is framed with an altered Spellbinders diecut. The background paper is Basic Grey spritzed with Memories Mist and the felt is from Prima.

The new sketch is up at Fun at Fairy Knoll ~ please join us for the chance to win a free digi! :)

3D Thursday

2010-07-15T07:27:00.000-07:00

Happy Thursday everyone! :) Fairy Knoll is sponsering a 3D embellishment challenge over at Crafter's Digital Art Center. The challenge is to use your image as your main embellishment using dimension. Lovely Lilac will be offered for free to everyone who wants to participate in this challenge.

I have to tell you that this card was so fun for me to make. Things were just clicking! So often it feels like I put on my creative blinders and just sort of stumble about slapping things together. Even if it isn't quite right, it is good enough. That phrase is sort of evil to me... "Good Enough"..... if you are going to do something shouldn't be the best that you can do? I think so! Hopefully I am out of the Good Enough mire for awhile! :) Sorry for the off the subject rant!

The papers used for this card are from MME & Basic Grey. The layer behind the fairy (Lovely Lilac) was embossed with the Cuttlebug and a green ink pad was ran over the raised embossing to add depth. The flourish background is from the Fleur De Lis Spellbinder die cut. I simply cut it out, then cut it in half and attached the 2 halves to the back of my layered image. Then everything was popped up and attached to the card. Liquid Glass is the sheen seen on the leaves and the die cut.

Hopefully you enjoyed today's card! Have a great one! Smiles ~ Brandi