Thank you for your consideration

My projects are not to be submitted and/or used in any written publication, advertisement or contest without my knowledge. I am flattered if you use one of my projects as inspiration, but please give me credit when you do and, if possible a link back to this blog. If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to me using the contact form. Thank you

I appreciate my Followers!

Wednesday, April 27, 2022

Lazy Bear ...

AGE, something to brag about in your wine-cellar and forget about in a birth-day book. ~Charles Wayland Towne, The Foolish Dictionary, Executed by Gideon Wurdz, Master of Pholly, Doctor of Loquacious Lunacy, etc., 1904

Good morning,
Today I am sharing a birthday card I made for my husband whose birthday was last week. I know some people struggle with masculine cards but I really do enjoy making them. This was fun because the name of the image I used is Poncho the Polar Bear … but now he looks quite well tanned!


Supplies: 5 x 7 card
  • Image “Poncho the Polar Bear” from Just inklined printed on Hammermill color copy
  • Bling from my stash
  • Cardstock from The Paper Studio (Base) and Stamping Up!
  • Design paper from DCWV
  • Memento Ink
  • ProMarkers
  • Sentiment from Unity Stamps (Aging Graze-fully)
Thanks for stopping by!
(Hugs) Cara

Saturday, April 23, 2022

She had to dance ...

She had to dance — she just had to!... The music seemed to move in her body, moving through her. She leaped high and flung out her arms and oh, how she smiled! As she danced, Clara forgot her sorrow. ~Amy Ehrlich, The Girl Who Wanted to Dance, 2009

Good morning,
Today I am sharing a card I created for a young lady that loves to dance. Unfortunately, she was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer and will be undergoing an aggressive treatment program so hopefully this card will be one of many that cheer her up!

The cat ballerina is from a very old Stampin Up! Set and I fall in love with the set every time I use it! So stinking cute! For this card, I used the kitty ballerina. I stamped her twice. Once on gray cardstopck and once on a piece of design paper scrap so I could do a bit of paper piecing. Before I added the design paper to the image I fussy cut it out and then used a gray ProMarker to add some shadows.



Supplies: 5 x 7 card
  • Cardstock from Pen & Gear (Base) and Stampin Up!
  • Circle die from Make It
  • Design paper Unknown and Close to My Heart
  • Gold metallic cardstock from my scrap bin
  • Image from Stampin Up! (Beautiful Ballerinas)
  • Ink from Momento an Stampin Up!
  • ProMarkers
  • Rhinestones from Recollections
  • Sentiment from Studio G
  • Sketch used Mojo Monday #465
Thanks for stopping by!
((Hugs)) Cara


Sunday, April 17, 2022

Silly Blue birds ...

Just then the branches lightly stirred…
See, out o' the apple boughs a bird
Bursts music-mad into the blue abyss...
~Edwin Markham, "At Dawn

Good morning! A new Sunday Song & Rhyme Challenge has started at The Outlawz Challenges and will run through April 30, 2022
 
Our sponsor this challenge is: Patties Creations

Our Song/Rhyme this Fortnight was selected by Nan

The Birds' Bath
By Evaleen Stein

In our garden we have made
Such a pretty little pool,
Lined with pebbles neatly laid,
Filled with water clean and cool.

When the sun shines warm and high
Robins cluster round its brink,
Never one comes flying by
But will flutter down to drink.

Then they splash and splash and splash,
Spattering little showers bright
All around, till off they flash
Singing sweetly their delight.

Such a sweet poem and it makes me think of all sort of fun antics the birds might be up to while socializing and bathing so I opted for a really cute image from out sponsor called silly birds. These just make me smile!

I do like to use sketches so for this one I chose the Mojo Monday Sketch #3. I find that when I use sketch I am more likely to use my design papers!




Supplies, 5 x 7 card
  • Sponsor Image (Silly Birds) printed in Hammermill Card Stock
  • Cardstock from The Paper Studio (Base) and Stampin Up!
  • Design Paper from Stampin Up!
  • Ink from Memento
  • Marvy circle punch
  • ProMarkers
  • Sentiment from Unity Stamps (Let Love Fly)
  • Sketch Mojo Monday #3
Thanks for stopping by and don’t forget to stop by The Outlawz Challenges for more challenges and Inspiration!

Friday, April 15, 2022

The Outlawz Crash your Stash Challenge: Buttons

I guess we never get too old to do goofy stuff; we just get old enough to think we do. ~Leave It To Beaver, "Beaver's Rat," 1961, written by Joe Connelly and Bob Mosher [S4, E31, Ward Cleaver]

Good morning!
We have a new Crash your Stash Challenge starting at The Outlawz Challenges which will run through May 14th

Our sponsor this month is Polkadoodles with a prize voucher for 3 digital images


INSTAGRAM HASHTAGS
#POLKADOODLES, #POLKADOODLES_CRAFTERS

The challenge for this month is to use those buttons!

I have
So.
Many.
Buttons!

However, I just don’t really use them that much because to mail a card with buttons on them is getting ridiculously expensive. So, if I use them (which is rarely) It’s because I am making a specific card which will be hand delivered.

Some of my favorites though are clear one I got from Stampin Up so many years ago! I love them because I can glue bits of design paper to the back and I never have to worry about them matching my card colors. Which is what I did for this card. I just used a circle punch close to the size of the button so, in this case, no trimming required!

They are thick buttons though which means this card will have to be hand delivered.


Supplies for 5 x 7 card
  • Sponsor image Honeypie sweet bouquet printed on Hammermill Color Copy
  • Banner Punch from Stampin Up!
  • Cardstock from The Paper Studio (Base) and Stampin Up!
  • Circle punches from Stampin Up!
  • Clear buttons from Stampin Up!
  • Design Paper from Catherin Pooler (Fleur)
  • Momento Ink
  • Pro Markers
  • Scrappers Floss from Karen Foster
  • Sentiment from BoBunny

Now come on over to The Outlawz Challenges to play along with us or one of the other challenges that are always in process!

Thanks for stopping by!
(Hugs) Cara

Wednesday, April 13, 2022

Someone Remembers ...

Someone remembers, someone cares;
Your name is whispered in someone's prayers.
~Author unknown

Good morning,
Recently I won a challenge at Penny’s Paper-Crafty Challenge and was asked to be a guest DT … so here I am, sharing a card I made using a lovely image from Colour of Love who is the sponsor offering a prize of 3 images from their shop HERE


This image is called Sunflower Kokeshi doll. I love sunflowers and think Kokeshi dolls are awesome so win-win for me to color up this sweet image which can be found HERE if you are interested in purchasing!


Supplies: 5 x 7 card
  • Cardstock from The Paper Studio (Base) and Stampin Up!
  • Gold Silk from Fun Stampers Journey
  • Image printed on Hammermill Color Copy
  • Memento Ink
  • ProMarkers
  • Sentiment from Unity Stamps
Thanks for stopping by!
(Hugs) Cara

Saturday, April 9, 2022

Snips and snails, and puppy dogs' tails ...

Hug a firefighter and feel warm all over. ~Author unknown

Good morning,
Today I am sharing a card I created for a young man whose birthday has now passed. He loves firetrucks and I happen to have a set of old stickers I had been gifted that had a couple fire engines that were perfect. I didn't realize the set was fairly old until I tried to remove the sticker from the release backing and couldn't without risk of tearing so I just cut around it the added pop dots to lift it off the page just a bit.



Supplies: 5 x 7 card
  • Cardstock from Pen & Gear (Base) and Stampin Up!
  • Design paper from Momento
  • Embossing plates: Cuttlebug (Diamond Plate) & Stampin Up! (Subtle)
  • Firetruck sticker from Stickopotamus
  • Metallic cardstock from my scrap box
  • Sentiment from Inkahootz!
  • Sketch used: Mojo Monday #463
Thanks for stopping by!
(Hugs) Cara

Tuesday, April 5, 2022

Multiply your Joy ...

To multiply your joy, count your blessings. ~Author unknown

Hi everyone!

Today I am sharing a card I created for our Color Challenge at The Outlawz Challenges using an image from our Sponsor, Polkadoodles


This fortnight we are using a Tic Tac Toe board for our challenge.
I have chosen to work with the far right column: Butterflies, Colors of the Peacock and the Wreath!




Supplies for 5 x 7 card
  • Digital image, Jump for joy, printed on Hammermill Color Copy
  • Cardstock from The Paper Studio (Base)
  • Design paper from My Mind’s Eye (Bohemia Series)
  • Dies from Poppy Stamps (Freida Wreath) cut into pieces & Stampin Up! (Beautiful Wings)
  • Ink from Momento
  • ProMarkers
  • Sentiment from Studio G
  • Sweet Sunday Sketch 286




















Thanks for stopping by and don’t forget to stop by The Outlawz Challenges for more challenges and Inspiration!
(Hugs) Cara

Sunday, April 3, 2022

Spring is coming! ...

To be glad of life, because it gives you the chance to love and to work and to play and to look up at the stars... and to spend as much time as you can, with body and with spirit, in God's out-of-doors — these are little guide-posts on the foot-path to peace. ~Henry Van Dyke, "The Foot-Path to Peace"

Good morning!
We have a new Sunday Song & Rhyme Challenge to share at The Outlawz Challenges. It will run through April 16, 2022

Our sponsor this fortnight is: Morgans ArtWorld
The prize are these 3 images used by the Team

Our Song/Rhyme this Fortnight was selected by me

Just above the meadow
The cuckoo bird flies flapping
Its wings to perch in a tree
To sing its song of spring
Song of love for flowers and
Butterflies and surly bees

The sprouting leaves in
The wind flutter softly lending
Music to the cuckoo's song
In the sultry afternoon
The stream too sings with the
Cuckoo as it moves along

--- Anil Kumar Panda ---

Spring is coming!

Doesn’t this poem inspire visions of blue skies, varying shades of green and lovely butterflies flitting from place to place? I live in Arizona. Our Springs are short – very short – and while not my favorite time of year I still appreciate and respect the rebirth of the world around me. When the barren desert lands bursts with colors ranging from golden yellows, delicate pinks to vivid reds and purples. This is when I am truly in awe of what nature is capable of.





My card pulls from those thoughts… The blue skies, the shades of green and those lovely, delicate butterflies …

As with many of my cards, I did not add a sentiment to this one right now so that I can use it for whatever I need at the time…

The image is from our sponsor Morgan's Artworld

Supplies, 5 x 7 card
  • Sponsor Image (Fae 18) printed in Hammermill Card Stock
  • Cardstock from The Paper Studio (Base) and Stampin Up!
  • Cardstock from The Paper Studio, Kraft
  • Design Paper unknown
  • Die from Gina Marie Designs (Christmas Wreath) & Poppy Stamps (Freida Wreath)
  • Embossing folders from Stampin Up! (Subtle & Timeworn Type)
  • Glitter cardstock from Recollections
  • ProMarkers
  • Sketch 8, Always playing with paper

Thanks for stopping by and don’t forget to stop by The Outlawz Challenges for more challenges and Inspiration!

Friday, April 1, 2022

Progressive Freebie Challenge: April 2022

Christmas is most truly Christmas when we celebrate it by giving the light of love to those who need it most. --- Ruth Carter Stapleton

Good morning!
A new Progressive Freebie Challenge has started at The Outlawz Challenges.

If you are not playing along and wish to join the rules are very simple:

You need to be a member of The Outlawz Challenge, join the challenge the send us an email to outlawzprogressivechallenge@gmx.com. We’ll send you the image. All you have to do is enter a card/project made with the image supplied before 6:00 pm Outlawz Time on the last day of the month and you will automatically get the next image. If for any reason you don’t get your project made and you would like to rejoin us, contact us and we will let you know how to jump back in. And as long as you enter before the end of the month you will get the next one free and you will then get them automatically each month you enter a project.

The months image from MMedelIllustrations
https://www.etsy.com/shop/MMedelIllustrations

Here’s my card made using their image called Christmas Angel


Supplies for 5 x 7 card
  • Image printed on Hammermill Color Copy
  • Cardstock The Paper Studio (base) and Stampin Up!
  • Design Paper from my scrap box
  • Embossing folders from Stampin Up! (Old Word Paper)
  • Gold Smooch
  • Momento Ink
  • Nuvo Crystal drops
  • ProMarkers
  • Embellishments are Raindrops from Cloud 9
  • Sketch by Me CCBC21



 

Now come on over to The Outlawz Challenges to play along with us or one of the other challenges that are always in process!


Bring on the Boos ...

Tea is so tame. A cocktail is lots more naughty. ~Richard Florance, "It: The Usual Play with an Unusual Ending," in The Smart Set: A Magazine of Cleverness, December 1915

Good morning,
Today I am sharing another card made with an image by the talented and missed Sandra Caldwell of Babycakesdnd.

While her shop is still active, I am unsure how long that will be. Sadly, you will not be able to purchase this image but she has many more to look at!



Supplies for 5 x 7 card
Image Witch Sippy Cup 3302 printed on Hammermill Color Copy
Cardstock from The Paper Studio (Base) and Stampin Up!
Design paper from Me & My Big Ideas and Teresa Collins (Haunted Hallows)
Liquid silk from Fun Stampers Journey
Momento ink
ProMarkers
Rhinestones from my stash
Sentiment from Stampin up! (Making Spirits Bright)
Sketch from Feltmagnet.com


Thanks for stopping by!
(Hugs) Cara