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Star Light Star Bright,
First star I see tonight,
I wish I may, I wish I might,
Have the wish I wish tonight.

 

 

Oh yes, I must have muttered that little rhyme under my breath a thousand times growing up. I can't remember what my little girl wishes were, but I do know the stars aligned for me – all my dreams did come true!

 

This is my second card as a guest designer of Mo's Digital Pencil Challenge blog. Being Mo's guest designer has been such a blast. Thank you all for the kind comments and sweet congratulations!
 

This week we get to make a card that's anything but your regular A2 shape (4-1/4" by 5-1/2" card). I call it the "get in shape" challenge. My biggest obstacle with this challenge was that the biggest circle scallop die cut I had was only 4-1/4" by 4-1/4". I had to shrink Mo's image down to 2-1/4" by 2-1/4" – practically an "inchie." That really put my coloring and paper cutting skills to the test.

 

 

I bought the Bazzill In Stitch'z piercing template ages ago and have been wanting to add some hand-stitching to my cards. Grandma Black would be proud of me for remembering the satin stitch she taught me ages ago. I love the effect. 
 

Tip #1 – Cross stitchers know you never knot the thread under your projects. The same is very true with stitching on cards. Just tape the tails of your thread to the paper on the back to keep your project from unraveling.

 

Tip #2 – Want to add some shading to paper-pieced pattern paper? Just pull out your grays. I used C1, a cool gray, to add shading to the sleeping bag.

 

Tip #3 – I used a template from a Mojo Monday challenge that expired a few weeks ago, the MoJo127. If you're thinking about participating in this week's challenge over at Mo's place, it's a great sketch for both round and square cards.

 

Here are the Copic Markers I used and the rest of the recipe:

 

• Embellishments – Cosmo Cricket Garden Variety Buttons, Karen Foster Mini Charms (camping)
• Fibers – DMC embroidery floss (#725), Stampin' Up! Dotted Grosgrain ribbon in Crushed Curry. I found the twill ribbon in a garage sale – Score!
• Ink – Copic Markers (see above), Spica Buttermilk Pen
• Paper – Neenah. Stampin' up! Stampin' Up! Crushed Curry and Dusty Durango card stock, Bo Bunny Kitchen Spice Nutmeg, Reminisce Star Swirls
• Stamps – Mo's Digital Pencil Camping
• Tools – Bazzill In Stitch'z piercing template, Stampin' Up! Circle Scallop die cut

 

 

Be sure to stop a Mo's Digital Pencil Challenge blog to see some of the other beautiful samples for this week's challenge. If you play with us, leave me a comment so I can see come visit you and see your "get in shape" card.

 

I always run my cards by my family – I have them well trained to oh and ah appropriately. When my daughter looked at it she said: "Wow, there's a lot going on – this isn't a card, it's a whole outfit!" Yeah, I might have gotten a little carried away.

When I saw Dawn's fun sketch for Mo's Digital Pencil Challenge this week, I immediately thought of a pieced quilt block. It's been so long since I've put together a quilt top, well, it took me an hour or more just to do the math and remind myself how to put it all together. (I even elicited the help of my math-genius husband and pulled out some sewing books.) Where are my quilting friends when I need them?! Any of you quilters out there – please don't look too closely because there are a lot of misplaced stitches. Here's Dawn's fun sketch that I kind of twisted and turned.

 

I used these Copic Markers and a white and black Prismacolor pencil.

• Embellishments – Generic corsage pin, Stampin' Up! Button Bouquet
• Fibers – Generic string and fabric strips
• Ink – Copic Markers (see above).
• Paper – Neenah, Stampin' Up! Soft Suede and Robin Hood Red (retired) Cardstock.
• Stamps – Mo's Digital Pencil You're Kinda Cute
• Tools – Nestabilities Classic Scallop Rectangle Large and Class Rectangle Large, Stampin' Up! Word Window Punch
• Miscellaneous – Fabric scraps

Hugs to all my sew wonderful blog readers.  Thanks for sticking with me and being my cushion!

Grandmas don't just say "that's nice" —
They reel back and roll their eyes and throw up their hands and smile.
You get your money's worth out of grandmas.           

                                         Author Unknown

Grandma's are so special aren't they. I have such sweet, sweet memories of my Grandma Ethel Heaton (Mom's Mom) and Grandma Flora Black (Dad's Mom). Grandma Black made dresses for my doll babies and taught me how to darn socks on her sleepy porch. I can still see her strong fingers crafting a beautiful edge on her pie crusts. Grandma Heaton would navigate us around the country roads to her homestead in search of mushrooms and pussy willows talking the whole way about the days when she called the square dances. I can still see the homemade egg noodles drying on her kitchen table. My Grandmas always made me feel like they'd been waiting to see just me all day and I made their days complete.

 

I love how this image by Mo's Digital Pencil captures the pure bliss in the Grandmother's face – she's just lost in the joy of a dance with her grandchild. Ah . . . Grandma's are so special!

I used the Sketch for Mo's Dream Team February Guest Spot and, for inspiration, the soft colors and buttons from the Cupcake Inspiration Challenge #47. You KNoW I love Cupcakes! I don't know how Rachel Hope finds all these incredible cupcakes – check out the ones that inspired this challenge:

In honor of her sewing-themed cupcakes, I sewed the edges of my background paper and plaid strip. And, lastly, I followed Lauren Meader's tutorial over at Copic Creations Challenge #22 to color my lavender and gold ribbon to match my paper.

Here are the Copic markers I used.

The sheet music is from an old Baptist Hymnal I found at the Goodwill for 25 cents (what a find!). I sponged it with Stampin' Up!'s So Saffron Ink, and Stamped it with Stampin' Up! background stamp, Sanded, again using So Saffron Classic ink.

 

Most of this image is paper pieced – yes I did a Lot of cutting! If you've never tried the paper piecing technique, here's tutorial I wrote a while back.

 

• Embellishments – EK Success Jolee's Jewels Crystallized Swarovski Elements Heart Lock and Key charm (what a mouthful). Chatterbox* Junkitz buttons.
• Fibers – Stampin' Up! 5/8" Satin Ribbon in Whisper White. Chatterbox satin ribbon colored with Copic Markers Y21 and BV02. Wrights Classics Lace (from JoAnn Fabrics).
• Ink – Copic Markers (see above). Stampin' Up! So Saffron Classic Ink.
• Paper – Neenah Solar White Ultrasmooth Classic Crest 80 pound cardstock. Chatterbox Parlor Scrapbook Walls*
• Stamps – Mo's Digital Image Mummu and Me. Stampin Up! Sanded
• Tools – Martha Stewart border punch, Creative Memories corner rounder punch, Nestabilities Classic Ovals Large.

*I bought these Chatterbox papers and embellishments years ago. I love them – the papers have this lovely linen look. Unfortunately, I honestly don't know if they're still available anywhere.

Hugs . . .

Grandparents are there to help the child get into mischief they haven't thought of yet.  ~Gene Perret

 

[Edited to add, February 23, 2010: I feel like Sally Field at the Oscars - "You Like Me, You Really Like Me!"   Scapbook & Cards Today magazine picked this up from my blog post and gave me a shout-out on their Facebook page yesterday - what a great surprise. Then, today, Scrapbook News and Review asked permission to feature it in their blog and include it in a Special Features Article of their March 2010 magazine. Well, Snap, Yeah! With Mo Manning's permission, her beautiful illustration and my little card will hit the e-magazine stands soon. Meanwhile, I have to remove the pictures until after the magazine publishes. No worries, it will return again sometime in April or May and you can still view it here.]

A dear friend of mine is expecting her second grandchild any day now. She's raised girl babies and has one granddaughter. This will be her first little boy baby and she's just a little nervous about that. Do you think this will ease her mind? Hmmm, maybe not so much, but it sure is cute.

I had two deadlines to meet – the birth of the little baby and also Mo's Digital Pencil Challenge #19, "Clean 'n Simple." We could use white or cream cardstock, an image from Mo's Digital Pencil, and one ribbon – no additional layers. Well, I kind of cheated. I didn't use any additional layers, but I gave my card cover a scalloped edge that offered a peak to the pattern paper below. This "clean 'n simple" style was so easy – I think I may have to make more like this.

I used Mo's Digital Pencil image, Sumpin's Wrong, resized it and printed it directly onto the white cardstock. I printed it two more times onto patterned paper, using the paper piecing technique to compile the overall image.

Here are the Copic markers I used.

 

• Embellishments – Stampin' Up! Button Bouquet
• Fibers – Stampin' Up! Striped Grosgrain in Robinhood Red and Hemp thread
• Ink – Copic Markers (see above). Baby skin: E0000, E00, E02, and R81. Diaper: C1 and C3. Shading on britches; R29.
• Paper – Neenah Solar White Ultrasmooth Classic Crest 80 pound cardstock. Stampin' Up! Sweet Slumber Designer Paper (retired).
• Stamps – Mo's Digital Image Sumpin's Wrong
  
• Tools – Stampin' Up! Scallop Edge Punch

 

Welcome sweet baby boy.

We have a skeleton in our family's closet. I know, it's shocking. Try as we do to conceal it, it's true, we have a Sock Stealer! The name will be removed to protect the innocent. (It's Caitlin!) The Sock Stealer takes our socks, leaves them for the puppies to chew, and returns them mismatched and dirty. So, I bought her an adorable pair of socks for her birthday – white with a big ole' pink heart on it. The Sock Stealer said it was too cute for her taste, so I put it in my sock drawer – and she stole it!

Even Sock Stealers deserve a Valentine's Day card. So, I made the Sock Stealer this card for Valentine's Day.

And, here's the inside:

Isn't that just freakin' adorable? It's even makes up for all the missing socks.

I used the Mojo Monday sketch by Maria Gurnsey, MOJO125.

I won the last challenge for Mo's Digital Pencil Challenge Blog (#17), and got to choose any of Mo's Digital Pencil images as my prize. Oh, my, there are so many great ones to choose from. I picked Hope's Socks to use to enter, yes, the next challenge. Mo's Digital Pencil Challenge #18 asked us to use pink, white and red and to include a heart.

Here are the Copic Markers I used for the outside of the card.

Aren't those little sock charms adorable? I've never done this before, but I ran my Shrinky Dinks sheet through the printer to get Mo's sock image on the Shrinky Dinks. I let it set overnight to dry and then colored it with pencils. (I tried coloring with the Copics, but pencils actually worked better.)

And, finally, I used the Copic Creations Challenge #21, Feather Blending, to blend my baby girl's hair (using E37 and E97).

• Embellishments – Rose Art Shrinky Dinks (and my own, handmade jump rings), Stampendous Red Ultra Fine Jewel Glitter (applied with Crystal Effects)
• Fibers – Stampin' Up! Satin Ribbon Pretty in Pink
• Ink – Copic Markers (see above)
• Paper – Stampin' Up! cardstock: Real Red, Pink Pirouette, Whisper White. Neenah Classic Crest Solar White. ki memories Heartbeat Loving
• Stamps – Mo's Digital Image Hope's Socks
  
• Tools – Stampin' Up! Label Punch, computer font, Cuttlebug Embossing Folder, Nestabilities Classic Scalloped Circles Large and Standard Circles Large.

Happy Valentines Sock Stealer! 

God grant that I should live to fish
     until my dying day.
And when it comes to my last cast
     I then most humbly pray,
When in the Lord's safe landing net
     I'm peacefully asleep,
That in his mercy I be judged
     As big enough to keep.

                  A Fisherman's Prayer

 

Anyone who knew my Dad knew he loved to fish. Even more, he loved teaching children how to fish. When I saw Mo's Digital Pencil Too image, Fishing, I knew I would have to play with it. Mo's Digital Pencil Challenge #17 (about wood or would) spurred me on and gave me a deadline.

Mo's image captured my Dad so well. He fished with live bait, often in a small boat just like this in the lakes and ponds around Owen County, Indiana. So, you'll have to indulge me a bit because I can't possibly share this card with you without sharing a few precious pictures of Dad.

In the background, helping my kids wet a hook in his backyard pond.

Captain of our boat . . .

 

Here are the Copic markers I used for the water and sky with the Copic air system:

And here are the markers I used for the rest of the image:

• Embellishments – Tim Holz Ideology Foliage
• Ink – Copic Markers (see above)
• Paper – Stampin' Up! cardstock: Summer Sun, Not Quite Navy, Basic Black. Neenah Classic Crest Solar White. Karen Foster Fishing Lures.
• Stamps – Mo's Digital Image Fishing
  
• Tools – EK Success border punch

Love you always, Dad.

Shew, I have so much to tell you, so grab a seat and get comfy.

Have you figured out yet that I'm obsessed with Mo's Digital Pencil images? I can't seem to get enough. They're whimsical, poignant, funny . . . well, you can find an image for just about any mood you want to set. This one makes me just want to pinch those delicious chubby cheeks.

When I was a little girl I was constantly pulling at the corner of my eyes trying to convince my eyes to look like pretty China doll eyes. Don't laugh. I was convinced it would work, and, hey, I wasn't much older than this little baby girl. When I saw the Copic Creations Challenge this week was to create Ethnic Skin Tones(Challenge No. 20), I knew I wanted to take a stab at creating Asian skin tones. Well, okay, I'm not sure I succeeded, because my China doll doesn't look much different from my baby girl. Oh well, at least I gave it a stab. 

Here are the markers I used for the China doll (YR0000, YR00 and YR61 for her skin).

And here are the markers I used for the baby girl (E0000, E00 and E21 for her skin).

If you want a better idea of markers to use on Asian and other ethnic skin tones, be sure to check out the challenge; there are links for some great ideas and tutorials.

Once again, I really went to town mixing up challenges. They're just so much fun and they're such a great jumping off point for designing. I used the sketch from the Card Patterns Challenge #48.

And, I got my color theme from Mo herself, at Mo's Bronte and Belle Challenge Blog, Challenge #15.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot . . . here's the card!

• Fibers: Stampin' Up! Satin Ribbon
• Ink – Copic Markers (see above)
• Paper – Stampin' Up! cardstock: Bashful Blue, Whisper White, Almost Amethyst, and elegant Eggplant. Stampin' Up! Designer Series Paper in Almost Amethyst. Neenah Classic Crest Solar White.
• Stamps: Mo's Digital Image I Love It CG
• Tools: Cuttlebug Embossing Folder

Before I leave you, I have some very exciting, Stop-the-Presses news to share. One, is just a hint to stay tuned next week for a big ole' fun announcement. Oooo, that's just a tease, but that's all you get for now. 

The other news I have for you is that the Catty Cruise Line has weighed anchor again. The Catty Cruise is a blog hop of some of the most amazing paper craft artists highlighting the latest Stampin' Up! catalogs (aka Catty's). You will not want to miss seeing their beautiful creations – they're stunning. They're also very sweet and dear friends of mine, so be sure to leave them some love (comments), and tell them Linda sent ya.

You can jump on to the Catty Cruise at their home port, here, or just click on the icon below.

Anchors Away!

Oh Happy Day! It's the weekend. The Indianapolis Colts are still in the playoffs. My babies are home. And, I got to color and play today – that's always a happy day!

I made this card for the Embellish Magazine challenge. Such classy colors aren't usually my style. I'm a jeans and sneakers kind of girl. Once again, I kind of loosely interpreted the challenge – goin' against the man, man . . . pushing the edge . . . that's me. But check out these images to kick off the challenge, aren't they stunning?

You still have time to join me in this challenge. The deadline is Thursday, January 28. Just click here to check out the digital patterned paper for the challenge,  beautiful projects by the design team and the cool prize package.

 

 

I used one of the adorable images from Mo's Digital Pencil. You won't find this image on her web site, though, because it was a gift to Mo's Paper Craft Planet group when we reached 500 members. Come join us, and you can download the image here.

• Embellishments: Vintage buttons from my Mom's button jar
• Fibers: Stampin' Up! 1-1/4" Striped Grossgrain in Old Olive, linen thread
• Ink – Copic Markers, Memento Tuxedo Black
• Paper – Stampin' Up! cardstock: Whisper White, Chocolate Chip, Elegant Eggplant, and Kraft
• Stamps: Mo's Digital Image (link above) and Stampin' Up!'s Everday Flexible Phrases
• Tools: Cuttlebug Embossing Folder, Stampin' Up! Medium Jewelry Tag punch

Go Colts and have a Very Happy Day!

                                All you need is love.
                                All you need is love.
                                All you need is love, love.
                                Love is all you need.
                                         – John Lennon, 1967

As promised here's my answer to the next Copic Creations Challenge (CCC), Challenge #19, Fur. What a fun challenge.

If you click on the image, you'll see I added a little Crystal Effects on the puppy's nose, and a tiny bit of Flower Soft on the bird's nest.

I used the sketch from the Mojo Monday 120 challenge to make this early Valentine's card.

Okay, admittedly, I may have tried to accomplishment too much with this card. I'm afraid it may have come out a little on the busy side. When I showed it to my daughter she said, " Wow, my eyes don't know where to go." – not a good sign. Oh well – it was still good practice and the tutorials on the CCC site were, as always, great.

Such a busy card takes a lot of ingredients . . .

• Embellishments: Stampin' up! Sweet Pea Stitched Felt, Nut Brown Flower Soft

• Fibers: Stampin' Up! Ribbon Original Flirty (retired)

• Ink, Copic Markers –
  • Dog: E00, E29, E31, E37;
  • Eggs/Dog Collar: BG45;
  • Cat: W00, W1, E5, W7;
  • Bird: R85 & Y21;
  • Sky/Grass: B20, G24, BG10

• Paper: Stampin' Up! cardstock: Regal Rose, Chocolate Chip and Tempting Turquoise; Stampin' Up! Designer Series Paper Love Me (retired) Neenah Classic Crest Solar White

• Stamp: Mo's Digital Image, Coexist

• Tools: Stampin' Up! Circle Cutter and Coluzzle system, Martha Stewart Picket Fence Edge Punch, Nestabilities Classic Scallop Circle, Cuttlebug embossing folder.

I created the sentiment on my computer using Quigley Wiggly font and RGB code R68, G28 and B28 to match the Stampin' Up! Chocolate Chip paper.

I'm loving these challenges. Hmmm . . . which one shall I tackle next?

One of my "Vigor and Vim in 2010" goals for the new year is to participate in all the Copic Creations Challenges. I love, love this digital stamp from Mo's Digital Pencil, Boughs for the Wreath, so I knew immediately what I wanted to do for Challenge #18 – Pine Trees/Branches. I took my color inspiration from this amazing card by Linda Heavens. Linda used colored pencils, but, of course, I wanted to tackle it with my Copic markers and the Copic air system Santa brought me (thanks Tom!). 

• Copic Markers: I used BG10 and B00 colors with the air system to get the blue sky. Hats and scarf: E04, E09, E0000 with E00, E3, E31. Face: E0000, E00, R81. Boots: W0, W3, W7. Jackets: G99, YG63. Boughs: G28, G24, G21, and a little B29.
• Paper: Basic Grey Fruitcake Marachino Cherry, Archivers ANW Crestwood Bright White Cover, Stampin' Up! Almost Artichoke and Soft Suede cardstock.
• Glitter: Stampendous Crystal Snow, Twinklets Diamond Dust
• Tools: Spellbinders Nestabilities

  

I followed the instructions in Susan Tierney Cockburn's book, Paper Bouquet to make the pinecone and boughs with the following ingredients:

• Paper Bunch tool kit
• Paper Bunch punhes: small pear, mega fern, and pine bough.
• I air sprayed the punched out branches with G28 and the pinecones with E29.

Onward and forward to the Copic Creations Challenge #19 – Fur!