Let a joy keep you. Reach out your hands and take it when it runs by.
                    ~Carl Sandburg

Sometimes its fun to just get carried away . . . which I kind of did with this card. It looks like I tried to pack as much "joy" as I could into a 4-1/4" by 5-1/2" space. It might give you a little visual overload.

If you've followed my blog before (God love ya), you know I'm crazy about Mo Manning's digital stamps. This stamp, Soaking Up the Joy, was one of the very first images Mo created when she started offering her illustrations as digital stamps. It's such an amazing image to color – it just comes to life with each dab of ink. So, how cool is it that you can get this image now as a clear stamp. As much as I love her digital stamps, it's even more fun to ink up her images.

I cut out the face and upper body of the baby doll and attached her with 3D Foam Mounting Adhesive. Then I used a small paint brush to add Crystal Lacquer to the doll to help pop her off the page a little more.

The layout comes from Jen del Muro's sketch this week at i{heart}2stamp.

The color/bling inspiration came from this week's Cupcake Inspiration Challenge (CIC54) – love them cupcakes!

Here are the Copic markers I used and the rest of the recipe.

If that slide show is too hard to keep up with, here are all the markers assembled together.

• Embellishments – Ribbon from the Hearts Bloom Paper Kit (on sale at 20% off); tulle, Basic Grey Opaline half pearls
• Ink – Copic Markers (see above), Memento Tuxedo ink pad
• Paper – Neenah, Basic Grey Kioshi Paper Pad, Prism cardstock
• Stamp: Soaking Up the Joy
  
• Tools: Nestabilities
• Misc.: Crystal Lacquer, 3D Foam Mounting Adhesive

Maya Angelou once said: When you wish someone joy, you wish them peace, love, prosperity, happiness… all the good things.”  Here's wishing all you dear folks all the joy you can stand.

Hugs,

My framed Bella and Bronte for my friend's new granddaughter needed a card to go with it. And, Mo's Digital Pencil Challenge Blog had a cool sketch for me to try out.

I distressed the Baja Blue layer inside the circle and then added Distress Sparkles for some drama. Here's the inside.

The details for the framed Bella and Bronte and how I altered the frame itself are here. Here are the Copic Markers and the rest of the recipe for the card.

• Embellishments – A button from my Mom's button jar and Dress It Up Lone Stars buttons
• Fibers – Michael's ribbon
• Ink – Copic Markers (see above)
• Paper – Neenah; Stampin' Up! Baja Breeze and Pink Pirouette cardstock; Creative Imaginations Debbie Mumm
• Stamps – Mo's Digital Pencil Bella and Bronte
• Tools –  Outside Card: Stampin' Up! Jewelry Tag punch, Nestabilities Standard Circles Large, Cuttlebug Folder. Inside Card: EK Success 1-3/8", 1-1/2" and 1-3/4" circle punches, Stampin' Up! Border Scallop Trim punch 
• Misc.  – SU Pretty in Pink and Blush Blossom Stampin' Pastels, Tim Holz Distress Stickles (Rock Candy)

It's been a blast being Mo's guest designer for March. Thanks to the team at Mo's Digital Challenge for being so fun to work with! Be sure to check out all their great inspiration for this week's sketch challenge.

I'm putting together a little package for one of my dearest co-workers and sweetest friend to help her celebrate her first granddaughter. Knowing my friend, this little girl will be a true Texan, so any tribute to her needs to be Western and as rugged as little girls can be. I thought Mo's Digital Pencil  Bella and Bronte would be perfect, especially since the little granddaughter's name is Bella Grace!

Copic Creations is celebrating their one year Blogoversary – Congratulations! So, this week's challenge was to use one of our favorites among their featured techniques. I can't say enough good things about this site. There's so much valuable information for anyone who loves Copic markers. For this project I used tutorials for faces/skin tones, blonde hair, and coloring black images (the bottom of Bella's boots).

The frame used to be a black, cheapo frame from the Target Dollar Spot (one of my favorite places to find things stuff to alter). I coated it with crackle medium, and when the crackle medium dried just until it was a little sticky (not completely dry), I painted it with Making Memories Chocolate acrylic paint. Just to soften it a little, I sponged on Ranger's Walnut Stain Distress Ink. 

Here's Bella and Bronte again so you can see how I colored them a little better. I added just a little bit of Stampin' Up!'s Stampin Pastels (chalks) around Bella's face and Bronte's face and belly. I love how the chalks blend so softly with the markers.

• Embellishments – A button from my Mom's button jar
• Fibers – Stampin' Up! chocolate taffeta ribbon, Michael's ribbon
• Ink – Copic Markers (see above), Rangers Walnut Stain Distress Ink (on frame)
• Paper – Neenah. Stampin' Up! Baja Breeze and Pink Pirouette cardstock, Creative Imaginations Debbie Mumm
• Stamps – Mo's Digital Pencil Bella and Bronte
• Tools: Stampin' Up! Jewelry Tag punch
• Misc.  – SU Pretty in Pink and Blush Blossom Stampin' Pastels, Making Memories Acrylic Paint, Delta Dreamcoat Crackle

Stay tuned. I made a matching card that's stinkin' cute.

See, how she leans her cheek upon her hand!
O that I were a glove upon that hand,
That I might touch that cheek!
                                William Shakespeare

My Tom had has the most wonderful cheeks. Nice, pudgy, gotta-pinch-them, cheeks. He hates them. He says no matter how much weight he looses he still has this round face. I love his cheeks – they make the greatest smiles.

See what I mean – don't you just want to pinch!   

So, Nice Cheeks had a birthday last week. He was out of town, and I was up to my ears at work. Even as he walked in the door I was putting the finishing touches on his Double Nickle birthday card. He smiled (swoon, those cheeks again), and maybe even giggled.

Check out the inside (before I signed it and wrote something naughty you do NOT get to see).

Over at Mo's Digital Pencil Challenge Cathy's got a fun, fun challenge for you all this week she'll reveal tomorrow. Can you guess what it is by looking at my card? Ah, only time (just a few hours) will tell.

This week's Card Positioning System sketch (CPS158) jump started my design. Of course, I flipped it over a bit.

You know I LUV cupcakes. I mean, really obsessively love cupcakes. Especially cupcakes with lots of icing and sprinkles. So, I went to town with this icing. I used a 1/8" paint brush to paint on Stampin' Up! Crystal Effects and then sprinkled some Vintage Glass Glitter onto the Crystal Effects before it dried. It's really sparkly and yummy in person.

Oh, and I had fun with those Hamster cheeks. After I colored the hamster with different shades of brown Copic Markers, I added some Stampin' Up! Stampin' Pastels (chalks). Didn't they turn out cute? Here are the Copic Markers I used and the rest of the recipe.

• Embellishments – Stampin' Up! (SU) Button Bouquet
• Fibers – SU Grosgrain ribbon in Mustard, SU Gold Cord, SU Hemp Twine, SU Dotted Grosgrain
• Ink – Copic Markers (see above), Spica Lemon Pen
• Punches – Outside: SU Jewelry Tag, SU Slit, Creative Memories Corner Rounder. Inside: SU 1-1/2" Circle Punch, SU Circle Scallop, EK Success Border Punch, Word Window Punch 
• Paper – Neenah. SU Blush Blossom card stock, American Crafts Botanique and LetterBox
• Stamps – Mo's Digital Pencil Birthday Hamster
• Misc.  – SU Pretty in Pink and Blush Blossom Stampin' Pastels, SU Crystal Effects, Art Glitter Vintage Glass glitter

Tip – To make the round-tip green shaped tab in my card, I used the Stampin' Up! Slit punch. Cut a strip of paper 5/8" wide and a good 1" to 2" longer than you want your overall tab to be. Insert your strip into the top of the punch and pull it through the bottom so it looks like this. (Tweezers help.)

Be sure to check out all the other great inspiration for this week's challenge at Mo's and Card Positioning Systems. Leave me a message if you decide to play with us so I can see all your fun creations.

Gotta run. Gotta go pinch me some cheeks!

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.

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.