The Outlawz: Thankful for you!

Valor is stability, not of legs and arms, but of courage and the soul. ~Michel de Montaigne

Good morning!

Today is the start of another awesome week (Must be positive here!) and also the start of another Clean and Simple Challenge at the Outlawz!

This week, we are "Thankful for You!" 

We, none of us, can never say thank you enough to family, friends, strangers.

This is another card that I made for an Honors Flight to Washington D.C.

It was so gratifying to make the earlier cards that I wanted to do it again so I contacted Kathy Mansur, the Veteran Coordinator for the Honor Flight Southern Arizona Chapter and she readily accepted my offer to make and send thank you cards!

I was in the nick of time too. They had one last flight leaving this year before they shut down until Spring and I had a little over one week to make 25 cards and get them mailed off to her.

I am looking forward to Spring when the flights start up again so that I can do this again.

If you live in Arizona and are interested in sending thank you cards here is the contact information for Kathy ... tmansur@honorflightsaz.org

Thanks!

Cara

Supplies:

Card stock from American Crafts

Embossing folder "Forest Branches" from Cuttlebug

Star punch from Fiskars

India Ink from Memories

Sentiment from Inkahootz!

Give Thanks for Friends & Family

Let us remember that, as much has been given us, much will be expected from us, and that true homage comes from the heart as well as from the lips, and shows itself in deeds. ~Theodore Roosevelt

Hi there!

Good morning. It;s the day before Thanksgiving here in the States and we are gearing up for some Turkey and dressing! 

Here's another Thanksgiving card.

I made 10 of these for family and friends

It was inspired by THIS card at Soapbox Creations

Card size is A2

SUPPLIES

Card stock: Stampin Up! & American Craft

Background stamp: "Crosshatch" by Stampin Up!

DP; Stash

Leaf punch: Marvy

India Ink: Memories

Versamark

Memories Corner Chomper

Thanks for stopping by!

Parental Thanksgiving!

As a child my family's menu consisted of two choices: take it, or leave it. ~Buddy Hackett

Good morning

These are the Thanksgiving cards I made for our parents.

The card was inspired by one I saw on Pinterest and tracked down to this card here on 52-Card Pickup

Card size is A2

SUPPLIES

Card stock: Stampin Up!

Sentiment: Inkahootz!

Embossing folder: "Falling Leaves" from Darice

India Ink: Memories

Flower, Brads & Ribbon: My Stash

CHALLENGES ENTERED

A GIRL WHO CRAFTS CHALLENGES
November - Anything Goes

ALL SORTS CHALLENGE BLOG
Week 286 - No Design Papers

CRAFTS GALORE ENCORE CHALLENGE
November - Anything Goes

HIDING IN MY CRAFT ROOM

#175 - Any Holiday

KITTY BEE DESIGNS

AFC# 37 - Thanks / Thank you

29th Wedding Anniversary

One advantage of marriage is that, when you fall out of love with him or he falls out of love with you, it keeps you together until you fall in again.

~Judith Viorst

Yesterday, my husband and I celebrated our 29th wedding anniversary and I will be the first to admit that marriage is not for the faint of heart. 

For one thing, it's not just about you anymore!

It's about living with another human being 24/7 and sharing the bed covers on a cold night!

It is seeing each other at our worst and still loving each other ... and just as important ... still liking each other.

It's learning to communicate and compromise with each other when we'd rather not.

Marriage is tough enough on a good day, but especially so when you really don't know how they are supposed to work .. right?

My parents divorced when I was quite young. Both remarried and the step-parents were not overly fond of having my two older brothers and myself underfoot, especially when they had kids of their own from previous marriages. To that end, my mom's second marriage only lasted around 5 years and we just never had much contact with our father over the years.

My only clue to marriage longevity was my mom's parents. It was obvious they loved each other, but that was the extent of it. However, it was enough for me to know that was the type of marriage I wanted for myself. Consequently, while most of my friends were marrying out of high school, I was in my early twenties before I agreed to say "I do".

My husband was luckier ... while his parents divorced when he was young, his mother eventually remarried an incredible man who took on the raising of two children as his own. I adore my "step" father-in-law. He is most awesome!

Our marriage has had it share if highs and lows, like most relationship. Divorce has come up several times over the last 29 years and only once was it a very real consideration and we managed to work out, but it was a tough time for both of us and something we are still working through ...

Has it been worth it? all the struggles, the arguments, the second guessing of the relationship ...

I have to say yes - yes it has.

Because we have two awesome kids that we raised together under one roof, there have been more highs than lows, more huggles than struggles and we are closer now than ever. We talk and plan more about our future together and we genuinely enjoy each others company.

I truly look forward to the years I have left with the love of my life.

Here is the card I made for him.

SUPPLIES

Card stock from Stampin Up!

DP unknown

Embossing folder from Darice

Heart die from Spellbinders

India Ink from Memories

Image & Sentiment from "Clocks" by Sizzix

Brad & Pearls from my stash

CHALLENGES ENTERED

Stamphavie & More
Challenge 225 - Anything Goes

Penny's Paper-Crafty Challenge Blog

#204 - Anything Goes

Lia Stampz

#77 - Anything Goes

The Crafters Cafe Challenge Blog

#91 - Anything Goes

Fan-Tastic Tuesday

#62 - Anything Goes with a Masculine Twist

The Outlawz: "Bling" it on!

It is the life of the crystal, the architect of the flake, the fire of the frost, the soul of the sunbeam. This crisp winter air is full of it. ~John Burroughs, "Winter Sunshine"

Good morning!

I imagine many of you are are fretting over the amount of snow piling up on your lawns.

Me ... not so much - more like the leaves falling off my tree.

I live in the "Valley of the Sun" ... getting snow here is a rare event.

I grew up in house at the base of South Mountain and I only recall a couple of times that it was cold enough that the snow not only fell but stayed long enough for us to trek up the hill and play awhile.

These days - if we want a snow fix, we gotta head up North ... or I make snowmen outta paper!

Today is the start of a new Clean & Simple Challenge at The Outlawz!

As Lynn asks don't we all love the Bling in some form or another? Sooooo our challenge this week is to added glitz and glimmer to our cards or projects while still keeping in CAS!

Here's my card

I have to admit - the snow peeples are not of my making. They were a gift and I thought they were perfect for this challenge because of all the lovely glitter on them! 

Card Size is A2

SUPPLIES

Card stock, rhinestones and embossing folder "Snowflakes": The Paper Studio

Sentiment: Hero Arts

Snowpeeples - Gift from Marie Franklin

CHALLENGES ENTERED

THAT CRAFT PLACE

November 23, 2014 - Anything Goes

CHRISTMAS STAMPIN ALL YEAR LONG

November 23, 2014 - Must comment on DT blogs

COMPLETELY CHRISTMAS

#39 - Anything goes with a twist ... Embossing

LACY SUNSHINE CHALLENGE BLOG

November 23, 2014 - Northpole Challenge

HIDING IN MY CRAFT ROOM

HIMCR #174 - Any Holiday

TTCRD - Anything Goes with Little Blue Button Stamps!

“Life is precious, do not waste it doing anything that your heart does not respect or agree with.”

~ Leon Brown

Good morning!

Our sponsor this week at Through The Craft Room door is

Little Blue Button Stamps

I chose this image called "Steam Punk Jessica".

Now to be honest, I've never really tried steam punk, so this was a new experience and I probably didn't pull it off so well .. but I still think the card came out pretty cool!

Card size is 5 x 7. I colored the image with my prisma color pencils and OMS. Added a touch of paper glaze to her lips then fussy cut her out when everything was dry. 

I lightly inked up my embossing folder before adding my paper and running through my big kick.

I added glitter to the hat and her hair for fun.

Supplies

Image "Steam Punk Jessica" from Little Blue Button Stamps

Card stock, rhinestones & border punch from Stampin Up!

Prisma Color pencils

Oderless Mineral Spirits

Sentiment is from Halo Rubber Stamps

Embossing folder "Steam punk Gears" from Sizziz

Thanks for stopping by!

Looking forward to seeing you over at TTCRD!

CHALLENGES ENTERED

INSPIRATION DESTINATION
#8 - Anything Goes

CREATIVE FINGERS CHALLENGE BLOG
#57 - Anything Goes

BROWN SUGAR CHALLENGE BLOG
#121 - Use 2 or more colors

CARD MANIA
CMC #60 - Use a Digi

CRAFTY LITTLE FAIRIES
November - Not a Square

The Outlawz: Movie Night!

I've got a dream too, but it's about singing and dancing and making people happy. That's the kind of dream that gets better the more people you share it with. --- Kermit The Frog 

Good morning my crafty peeps! 

A new day - A new CAS challenge at the Outlawz. and it's MOVIE NIGHT!

We all have those absolute favorite movies. You know the one I'm talking about ... we can watch them over and over .... and over. We laugh, we get mad, we cry and sigh ... always at the same places. They bring back memories and smiles no matter how messed up our day has been!

For me it's Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.

Released in 1954 (quite a few years before I was born - ahem) I remember watching this movie every time it was on the Saturday afternoon matinee on TV!

I would leave my friends house to make it home in time to watch this one!

Such a fun movie full of singing and dancing. I remember laughing as I watched poor Milly cope with a new husband and 6 outrageous brother-in-laws. She proves herself to be no push over either even though she is outnumbered and out-sized by all that testosterone!

I never get tired of watching it even to this day.

So ... here is the card I made based on my favorite movie, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers

Spoiler alert!

It's a wedding card ...

LOL

Card size is 5 x 7

I made the sides of "film strip" with a small border punch I have. I stamped my image 8 times ... one to color and 7 times (get it?) to cut in 1"x 1" squares to look like film clips. I colored the main image with my Prisma color pencils and a alcohol blender pen and added liquid pearls to the frame for accents and attached to the card with foam dimensionals. The dress I painted with Smooch to give it a nice glimmer but try as I might I just could not get a good picture of it so you'll just have to take my word for it!

Supply List

Card stock from The Paper Studio and Stampin Up!

Image & Sentiment: "Wedding Bliss" from Hampton Art

Black India Ink from Memories

Prisma Color pencils

Liquid Pearls from Ranger

Smooch Pearlized Top Coat from Clearsnap

Border Bunch from Punch Bunch

Foam dimensionals

Looking forward to seeing what your favorite movie is!

Click HERE to come play along!

(Hugs) Cara

CHALLENGES ENTERED:

Digi Choosday Challenge
Week 45: CAS

Sister Act Card Challenge
#83: Anything Goes

Word Art Wednesday
#158 Anything Goes

Brown Sugar Challenge
#120 Anything Goes

Jo's Scrap Shack
FFC #66 Anything Goes

Confirmation: A renewal of Faith

Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.

Dr. Seuss

Good evening ....

I made this card for my niece ... 

I am so proud of her and the person she is growing into.

She has a sweet heart and a ready smile and will do great things with her life out there in the world.

I have to say though, her confirmation was quite an emotional day for me.

... watching her stand there in front of the congregation taking ownership of her baptism and making her faith commitment to Christ, the Church, her family and herself.

I remember standing there at the front of that same church almost 16 years ago holding her little wee self in my arms while the pastor baptized and blessed her. I remember feeling as though I was being baptized all over again myself.

I felt such a deep connection with that baby I held in my arms start that day and although not mine, she became mine.

From that moment in time, she claimed and moved into a huge piece of my heart.

I often wonder if Joseph felt the same way the night Mary gave birth to Jesus and he held a child not his.

Did his heart open wide to take in that moment and that child?

Not because he was commanded too, but because his heart said, "Yes! This child is as much yours as any child from you - hold him, teach him ... love him ... always."

I like to think so

My card here is 5 x 7 in size.

I heat embossed the image onto watercolor paper. I misted it few times, then starting laying down colors with my crayons and water where needed for more blending. After it was dry, I took a tissue and lightly wiped away any residual watercolor from the image.

Supplies:

Card stock from The Paper Studio and Stampin Up!

Image " Romantic Rose", border punch, watercolor paper, white embossing powder and watercolor crayons from Stampin Up!

White pigment ink from Colorbox
Ribbon from my stash

Stick pin made with jewelry findings and beads from my stash.

Thanks for stopping by!

Cara

CHALLENGES ENTERED

Art By Miran

#19 - Anything Goes

Brown Sugar Challenges

#120 - Anything Goes

Love to Create Challenge Blog

#141 - Anything Goes

That Craft Place

November 9 - Anything Goes

Crafty Little Fairies

November - Not a Square

The Outlawz: Feeling Thankful

Good morning!

Another glorious day to be alive isn't it? Another day to hug the ones you love, forgive the ones that hurt you and make amends to the ones you have hurt. 

November is traditionally a time of Thanksgiving in the United States, but I think it's something we should do every day of the year, regardless of where we live. 

We all have someone that we owe a bit a gratitude to ... that teacher who gave your child a little extra one on one time. The co-worker that covered for you at the last minute. Maybe the neighbor who fed your cat, walked your dog and watered your plants while you were out of town.

Just remember!

"Feeling Gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it." Arthur Ward

Today is my posting day for The Outlawz Clean and Simple challenge and I would really like to see your CAS Thank you cards or projects this week.

My card is going to someone that possibly saved my mothers life...

My Mom lives some distance away so it is not possible for me to just drop by and check on her. But I do try and call her if not every day, at least every other day.

Recently she fell very ill and didn't tell me just how sick she was because she did not want to worry me (so like a mom right?!). A friend happened to stop by the house to check on her and found her in bed, almost too weak to stand.

The friend immediately called me to let me know that she and her husband were getting Mom to the emergency room and we were to meet them there.

Mom was lucky - She had not eaten anything in close to a week and could not keep fluids down. She was critically dehydrated and after several tests, it was determined she had a extremely bad case of salmonella poisoning.

She spent almost a week in the hospital recovering and it now home sassy as ever!

I really believe that if it has been one more day, we might not have been so fortunate!

So I am very grateful because my Mom is all I have left ... My dad and two older brothers are deceased ... and while I know that eventually she will also pass, I'm really not prepared to let her go just yet no matter how much we argue!

So here is my Thank you Card!

It is A2 and the layer is popped up on foam dimensionals

Supplies: 

Card stock - The Paper Studio

Flower and sentiment - "Many Thanks" from Hampton Arts

Ink & clear button - Stampin Up!

Scrapper floss - Karen Foster Designs

Photo corner - stash (colored with SU! ink pen)

CHALLENGES ENTERED

CRAFT HOARDERS ANONYMOUS
Challenge #19 - For all that you do, Thank you!

CREATIVE FINGERS CHALLENGE
#55 - Anything Goes

613 AVENUE CREATE
#97 Anything Goes (optional twist: Random Act of Kindness)

WORD ART WEDNESDAY
#157 - Anything Goes

SUNSHINE MAIL BLOG
November 1st - Anything Goes

TTCRD - Anything Goes with That Craft Place!

Hold on, man. We don't go anywhere with "scary," "spooky," "haunted," or "forbidden" in the title. ~From Scooby-Doo

Good afternoon ---

I am a day late getting this up and posted!

A new challenge week started at Through The Craft Room Door and our Sponsor this week is That Craft Place!'

And I am using an adorable Halloween Kitty Image called Twixie!

Card size is sA2

After printing Twixie on white card stock, I colored her up with my trusty Prisma color pencils and OMS. Then I glittered up her fur some. I fussy cut her out and attached her to the card with foam dimensionals. Added a Bit-O-Bling for the spider friend. The little bats are actually the leftovers from a bat border punch I have.

Supplies

Digital inage - "Twixie" - That Craft Place

Card stock - Bazzill & Stampin Up!

Web punch - Martha Stewart

Bat Punch - EK Success

Prisma Color Pencils

Odorless Mineral Spirits (OMS)

Classic Circle Die - Sizzix

Glitter - Oriental Trading Company

Bling - Stampin Up!

EF - Polka Dots - Sizzix

Thanks for stopping by!

(Hugs) Cara

CHALLENGES ENTERED

IMAGINATION STATION
#6 Anything Goes

THE STAMPING CHEF
#54 Anything Goes

CREATIVE MOMENTS
#55 Anything Goes / Celebrate

SUNSHINE MAIL CHALLENGE BLOG
November 1st - Anything Goes

CRAFTING BY DESIGN
November - Anything Goes

Through The Craft Room Door Magazine Release

"The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience.”  ― Eleanor Roosevelt

Good Morning!

This is a month of new beginnings for me! I am so excited ... 

On November 1st, 2014,  I officially took over ownership of Through The Craft Room Door Magazine and Challenge Blog from Colleen Holmes, a very talented lady who worked hard to make the magazine the success it is today.

The Website is http://craftrmdoor.ning.com/

The Challenge Blog is http://ttcrd.blogspot.com/ and new challenges start every Tuesday!

November 3rd, 2014, I released my first on line magazine to our Subscribers.

It has lots of fun tutorials, some yummy holiday recipes from the team, some awesome images from both Sandi Huggett, the Featured digi artist, and Anne Fenton and so much more!

Plans are in the works for some changes in 2015 and we are looking forward to having some fun!

Come check us out! 

Cara

Winter Birthday

Just remember, once you're over the hill you begin to pick up speed. ~Charles Schulz

Good Morning!

Today is the start of another Clean and Simple Challenge at The Outlawz!

Charlene celebrates a birthday this month so she is asking us to make Winter Birthday cards or projects!

What's funny is that I too have a winter birthday ... coming up next month actually ... so one would think this would be an easy card for me to make but not so much ... took me a good week to come up with this one ... I can't tell you how many I started and tossed ... *sigh* ... but I happened to be rifling through my embossing folders for yet another idea when I came across the snowman and the little light bulb over my head flashed on! (that happens now and again - sometimes it startles me!)

Quick and sweet - love this card and I hope Charlene does too because this is going out in the mail to her!

Happy Birthday Charlene!

SUPPLIES USED

Card stock (The Paper Studio), Sentiment (Inkahootz!), Glitter glue (Studio G), Prisma Color pencils, mini button (stash), Embossing folder "Snowman with raised arms" (Darice), Banner die (My Momenta), Aleens Paper Glaze

Thanks for stopping by!

Cara