Dude!

Hello crafty peeps and welcome!

Got a card to share that I just made. I kept adding to it, and now

I think it's 'finally' finished. LOL!

 

 Here's the inside:

Things I kept going back and adding: detail coloring with Prismacolor pencils; I extended the

sand to the edges (originally just under the table and dude); added the ocean; masked and 

stenciled the clouds. I've been working on this panel on and off the last couple of days.

Anyone else like that? Anyone? Beuller? (crickets chirping)

Sigh.

Anyhoo, I'm really happy how it turned out and amazed that I didn't 

destroy it with all the additions. LOL!

That's all I have for now. I have more cards I've made, just 

can't blog about them yet. ☺

Thanks for hanging out. Have a great day!

I'd like to enter this at:

AAA Birthday #4 - For the Boys

Just Us Girls #499 - Summer

Addicted to Stamps and More #352 - Make Your Mark -
Oops! This one closed! Grrrrr!

The Male Room #117 - birthday

Supplies:

Stamps: Simply Betty Stamps - Surfin Christian digi stamp; Paper Smooches - Slang Gang, Digits, Happy Birthday

Ink: Memento - Tuxedo Black; Ranger DI - Salty Ocean

CS: Crafter's Companion; Thunderbolt; Darice

Accessories: Spectrum Noir markers; Prismacolor pencils; MISTI; Sakura - white Gelly Roll pen; Cloud template; Picket Fence Studios - blending brushes; GC; Avery Elle - pierced rectangle die

Adhesives: SA by 3L - tape runner

SHOPPING OUR STASH #193 - I Made This....Make your own background!

Good morning and Happy St. Patrick's Day! Time for corned beef and cabbage, and green beer! It's also the start of a new challenge at SHOPPING OUR STASH!! This week, we challenge you to make your own background! But - not just stamping a background stamp. Nope. You could make a collage, use washi tape, paint, stamps, stencils, emboss resist, or even alter patterned paper with doodles. Use your imagination! Here's my card:

and the inside:

My background was made using a wave stencil and three colors of Distress Ink. I started with one color, randomly sponging it on. I took the stencil off and flipped it around, then sponged on the next color. Repeated for the last color. I printed out this sultry mermaid digi and colored her up with my Spectrum Noir markers. The sentiment came with the mermaid. She was fussy cut and sits at the bottom of the ocean on cork 'sand'. A few holographic dots as air bubbles, some Stickles on the fin veins and scales, and she's done! 

I hope that you get a chance to make your own background and link up at Shopping Our Stash! We can't wait to see what you came up with! Please be sure to check out the fantabulous creations that my teammies came up with to wow you with! Have a happy St. Paddy's Day!! Erin go bragh(less!) 

Supplies: 

Stamps: Simply Betty Stamps - Spika the bad mermaid digi; Paper Smooches - Happy Birthday

Ink: Ranger DI - Salty Ocean, Broken China, Peacock Feathers

CS: Darice

Accessories: Spectrum Noir markers; Simon Says Stamp - waves stencil; Ranger - Crystal Stickles; Momenta - holographic dots

Adhesives: SA by 3L - tape runner, 3D foam squares

Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers #11 - S is for Steampunk!

Hello and welcome to another challenge at the SISTERHOOD OF SNARKY STAMPERS! The next letter in our Alphabet Soup challenges is the letter S - for Steampunk! We want you to step outside your comfort zone and embrace all that is steampunk! Here's my card:

and the inside:

Loved coloring these digis, love the papers I used, and I definitely loved the snarky sentiment on the inside! LOL!

I hope you get to play along this fortnight in the Steampunk challenge at the Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers! You may be crowned our next Queen of Snark! Please be sure to check out what my teammates and our newest Guest Designer, Shelly, have come up with to inspire and dazzle you! Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have a great day! Craft on, my friends!

Chris
Supplies:
Stamps: Simply Betty Stamps - Steampunk Romance Grace & Mercius digis; MFT - Twisted Threesome
Ink: Memento - Tuxedo Black; Ranger DI - Walnut Stain
DP: DCWV - Tattered Time stack
CS: Recollections (kraft); Copic - X-Press It
Accessories: Spectrum Noir markers; Grand Calibur, Std Lg Ovals Nesties; Tim Holtz - mini gears; OTC - gear brads; computer & printer
Adhesives: SA by 3L - MyStik permanent, 3D foam squares; Glue Dots 

You say Witch.....

Hello friends! I hope you are all enjoying your weekend, and Happy Labor Day weekend to my American and Canadian peeps! I'd like to share a card I made for the Simply Betty Stamps Facebook Fanpage August challenge, using the sketch from Mojo Monday #308.

Meet Mercedes the Witch:

Here is the inside:

and the sketch I based my card from. I made a round card! But I gave it a quarter turn to fit my needs:

Love Betty's images! Mercedes is a free digi! The only catch to get this is to join the fan page, and you have to use it for that challenge (Halloween colors for this challenge). Easy peasy! I'm still collecting Spectrum Noir marker sets, so this is another hybrid coloring, using SN and Marvy Uchida markers. Even more, I'm still trying to figure out how to color with the SN's. They react so differently from the MU's! Ugh! Well, I'll just keep coloring until I figure it out! ☺

Thanks for stopping by and I hope that you all have a great weekend! Craft on my friends!

Chris
Supplies
Stamps: SBS - Mercedes digi; Unity - You Witch! Itty Bitty; Hero Arts - Celebrate Everyday
Ink: Memento - Tuxedo Black; Tangelo; Clear Snap - Charcoal
DP: Authentique - Thrilling
Card stock: Bazzill Basics (black); Paper Smooches (kiwi); Recollections (purple); Bristol (white)
Adhesives: SA by 3L - MyStik, 3D foam squares; Elmer's extra strength glue stick
Accessories: Spellbinders Grand Calibur, Grand Circle and Labels 14 Nesties; Spectrum Noir markers; Marvy Uchida markers; Studio 112 gems; Jolee's Boutique - spider sticker; Tonic distressing tool; Martha Stewart - web punch

Bad to the Gills!.../SBS July Facebook Fan Page challenge

Once again, I'm entering a challenge at the 11th hour. But I couldn't think of what to do until last night! Betty from Simply Betty Stamps has a Facebook Fan Page contest where she generously gives you a digi image for free (I know! Cool Beans!), but there are two catches: 1) you have to be a member of the Facebook Fan Page and 2) you must use the free image for the contest it was designed for. (Seriously, it's a no brainer!) For July's contest, she offered two images to choose from - Roxie the Good Mermaid and Spika the Bad Mermaid. Which one did I pick? Well duh! Spika, of course! LOL! Here's what I came up with:

I made a tag! This, I think, is going to be my new bookmark! HA! Meet Spika, the Bad Mermaid! (She's really not bad, just drawn that way! LOL!) Ok, I know this is not the best coloring job, mainly the tail fins. There are a couple new things I've tried out on this tag. First, I finally bought alcohol based markers! (I have Marvy Uchida markers, which are water based) Thought it would be easy to use my new Spectrum Noir pens - not! They react differently than the M.U's do, especially when using the blender pen. I only have the essentials and pale hues sets, which I used for the skin, tail fin, and hair. The green is M.U. (I strongly hinted to my hubby that I'd like the rest of the sets for my birthday present! We'll see how that flies! HA!) Secondly, I tried the Fran-tage technique for the first time! I sprinkled champagne EP and Gilded & Tarnished Mica flakes at the bottom of the tag, then heated it from underneath. Worked like a charm! Spika is popped up on foam squares. Oh, and before I did ANY of that, I smeared my craft mat with distress inks, spritzed with water and layed my tag into the mess. Once dry, I printed the sentiment from my computer.  OH, OH! Thirdly, I used a water pen for the first time around the tag hole, since it didn't touch the ink at first. Here's a different angle so you can see the shiny EP and Mica flakes better:

I finished with some baker's twine and some rain dots to mimic air bubbles and was done! A cute little underwater scene. Except for the crappy coloring job on the fins, I LURV how this turned out!

Well, that's it for now. Thanks for hanging on till the end of my post. For that you deserve an ice cold beverage of the alcoholic kind! LOL! Have a great day!

ETA: I'm also entering this for the CAS on Sunday #14 - Tag it challenge! Thanks Barb!

Chris
Supplies:
Stamps: SBS - Spika digi
Markers: Spectrum Noir; Marvy Uchida
Ink: Ranger DI - Broken China, Peeled Paint, Vintage Photo
Strathmore water color paper
Adhesives: SA by 3L - foam squares
Accessories: tag from my stash; Cloud 9 Designs - Rain Dots; Doodlebug twine; Stampendous - Champagne EP, Gilded & Tarnished Mica Flakes

Hey Girlie!.../SBS - Summer Fairy challenge

Good Morning Peeps! I'm back to share a card I made for the Simply Betty Stamps Summer Fairy challenge. Betty is very generous in that she gives you a free digi stamp to use! The catch is that you must be a member of the Facebook fan page, and, you must use the stamp for that challenge. Joining is free so, seriously, it's a no brainer! For this challenge, we are prompted to create our own back ground - but you can't use stamps to make it or just use patterned paper either. Here's my take on the challenge:

...and the inside:

Meet Summer the Fairy! Isn't she gorgeous?! Love her! I colored her with my Marvy Uchida markers, used Stickles on the wings, and once dry fussy cut her. For my background, I took Broken China and Peeled Paint DI, swiped them on a craft mat, spritzed water on it then lay a white card stock panel on top of the mess. This was the first time I tried this, so I made a couple panels. Once dry I doodled some pine trees on one of the panels, but I really disliked how it came out. I didn't want to waist the panel so that was used on the inside. ☺ Summer is popped up on foam squares and I added some rhinestones to add some more bling!

While I'm at it, I'm going to enter this in the Simon Says Stamp anything goes challenge.

The background technique I tried was so much fun, I'll be trying that again! Thanks for stopping by and I hope that you have a great day!

Chris
Supplies
Stamps: SBS- Summer digi; MFT - More Essential Sentiments
Ink: Ranger DI - Peeled Paint, Broken China; Memento - Tuxedo Black
Card stock: Bazzill (black); Recollections (white)
Strathmore Water Color Paper
Adhesive: SA by 3L - MyStik, 3D foam squares
Accessories: Marvy Uchida markers; Studio 112 rhinestones; Ranger Stickles

Drunken Stampers #133 - Edward Scissorhands

Hello and good Saturday morning to you all! It's time for the newest challenge at Drunken Stampers #133 - Edward Scissorhands!

Our challenges are based off of movies this term. You can create a project based on the title, the theme, in this case: sewing, or go all out and do BOTH!! This week is team Midnight Margaritas turn to wow you. I choose to combine the title and sewing theme on my card:

...and here is the inside:

I. Love. Tim. Burton. Movies!!!! The more bizarre the better!!! This is one of my favorites of his! And, Johnny Depp. Need I say more?! LOL!

I very recently started using digi stamps. This is by Simply Betty Stamps, and I love how it turned out! After coloring and cutting him out of an oval, I pierced the edges and whip stitched around the panel. I added a heart charm to the bow because, after all, this was a love story. (Aren't ALL Tim Burton movies?!! LOL!) I finished the inside with the perfect sentiment, colored in the heart, stamped a pair of scissors and I was done!

Thanks so much for stopping by! Don't forget to check out what the other Midnight Margaritas have in store for you! Even better, play along! You could be crowned the next Life of the Party!!

Chris
Supplies
Stamps: Simply Betty Stamps - Edward Scissorhands digi; Paper Smooches - sentiment from Needle Little Love; Unity Stamp Co. - scissors from September 2012 KOM
Ink: Staz On - Jet Black; Clear Snap - Charcoal
DP: Nikki Sivils - Dan the Record Man collection
Strathmore water color paper
Card stock: Bazzill Basics - black; Core'Dinations - red; DCWV - red
Adhesives: SA by 3L - MyStik; Recollections - red tape; American Crafts - foam dots
Accessories: Marvy Uchida markers; Fiskars ovals template; DMC floss; May Arts ribbon; Darice hemp cord; heart charm

Lilliana...SBS May challenge/SSSC#185/SOS#103

Hey peeps! I have a card to share with you all. I was coloring up in the craft cave last night. Haven't done any major coloring in a while it seems, so it was past time! This pretty little fairy is Lilliana. She's a free digi image to anyone who's a member of the Simply Betty Stamps Fan Group. All Betty asks is that you use the image for that month's challenge. Lilliana is for the May challenge.  (A gorgeous free image to color? Yes please!) Plus, the fan group has really helped me improve my coloring skills, what with all the tidbits of information and helpful coloring tutorials! (and signing up is free!) Anyway, onto my card:

Here is a close up.

And the inside:

My card is based off the the current Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge #185, I just substituted the bling for the ribbon.

Since I used some older papers (the small strip is from Basic Grey's 2008 Ambrosia collection, and the chevron paper is from Recollection's 2011 Simply Autumn collection), I'm also entering this for the Shopping Our Stash #103 graduation  challenge. Also on the SBS challenge, you were prompted to use the colors white, black, yellow, and orange. I knew I wanted to use that Basic Grey paper, since it has all the colors in it. (It's hard to see, but there is even some yellow in it! Sweet!) After coloring her, I added some Stickles to her wings, because every fairy needs a little sparkle! The inside sentiment was printed using Microsoft Word. I thought it was a perfect pairing with the image and the graduation theme!

That's all for now. Thanks for stopping by, and even though I'm entering these challenges all at the last minute, there's still time on all for you to enter them as well, if you are so inclined! Have a great evening!

Chris
Supplies:
Stamp: Simply B stamps - Lilliana digi 
Markers: Marvy Uchida
DP: Recollections - Simply Autumn (2011); Basic Grey - Ambrosia (2008)
Card Stock: Bazzill Basics - black; The Paper Co. - orange
Strathmore Water Color Paper
Adhesives: SA by 3L - MyStik, 3D foam squares
Accessories: Grand Calibur; Fleur de Lis boarders and Labels One Nesties; Stickles; Recollections - adhesive rhinestones; sentiment printed from Microsoft Word

Simply Betty Stamps Facebook Fan Page April challenge

Good Morning my lovelies! If you are looking for my Drunken Stampers post, simply click here, or just keep scrolling down!

I was coloring this gorgeous image yesterday, and wanted to share the card I made with you all.

Here is the inside:

This is a free digi from Simply Betty Stamps called Elaine. You can get this for free (very generous!) when you join the Facebook Fan Page, and you must use the image! (no brainer there!) For the April challenge, you use the Elaine image plus ribbon and swirls on your card. I used a swirls embossing folder on the solid yellow panel and that gorgeous green crinkle ribbon. Finished the inside with the sentiment and another swirl stamp and I was done!

My card is based on sketch #83 by Freshly Made Sketches.

Thanks for stopping by! It looks to be a beautiful day today and I may spend it outside planting flowers (or at least getting the flower beds ready for planting!) Have a wonderful weekend!

Chris

Supplies:

Stamps: Simply Betty Stamps - Elaine digi; Hero Arts - Happy Mother's Day; Unity Stamps - swirl from Twisted Metal tags & accents set
Ink: Memento - Tuxedo Black, Bamboo Leaves; Ranger DI - Walnut Stain
Markers: Marvy Uchida
DP: DCWV - Lemon Flower Stack
Card stock: Bazzill Basics (white, yellow, black); Core'Dinations (green)
Strathmore water color paper
Adhesives: SA by 3L - MyStik, 3D foam squares; Helmar 450 glue; Recollections - red tape
Accessories: Grand Calibur; Ovals Lg. & Lacey Ovals Nesties; Cuttlebug Musical Flourish EF; May Arts ribbon

Drunken Stampers #123 - Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow

Happy Saturday my peeps! It's time for a new challenge at Drunken Stampers! This week is challenge #123: Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow!

I know, right?! This term is all about the movies. You can create a project based on the movie title, or the theme. (In this case - Steampunk!) Or you can go all out and combine BOTH! This week is Team Midnight Margaritas turn. Here is my take on this challenge:

and the inside:

I know, I went with my usual corny/punny sentiment on the inside of the card. But I just love doing that! LOL! So, I've been trying out digi stamps lately, and I'm happy to say I'm pleased with them. This little cutie is by Simply Betty Stamps and is called Steampunk Rio. (She came with the dirigible and skull key images also: BONUS!)  After printing out the image, I baked it with a heat tool so the inkjet ink wouldn't smear when I colored it. I found the perfect paper to use for this card (Love those gears!) and also embossed a card stock panel with a diamond plate design, then inked it so the diamonds were more visible. Added some silky ribbon and a few mini gears and it was done!

Thanks so much for stopping by and I hope you play along this week with the Drunken Stampers! Make sure you check out the individual blogs of Team Midnight Margaritas to see what fabulous creations they dreamed up! Have a fantastic day!

Chris

Supplies:

Stamps: Simply Betty Stamps - Steampunk Rio Digi

Markers: Marvy Uchida

Ink: Ranger - Walnut Stain

DP: DCWV - Tattered Time

Card stock: Recollections (kraft, black); DCWV (brick red)

Strathmore Water Color Paper

Adhesive: SA by 3L (MyStik, 3D foam squares); Helmar 50 adhesive; Recollections - red tape

Accessories: Grand Calibur; Std small circles & Classic Scalloped small circles Nesties; Cuttlebug diamond plate EF; Mary Arts Ribbon; Tim Holtz idea-ology mini gears; Cosmo Cricket alpha stickers

Medusa.../SBS/MM287

Happy Wednesday morning to you! I think Spring finally grew a backbone and is kicking Winter out on it's butt! Going to be in the low 50's today, but the temperature goes up everyday from now on! (at least for the next week!) BONUS! I can't wait to put away my winter coat, hat, and gloves! Bring on the Spring weather!

Today I'd like to share a card I made for both the Simply Betty Stamps March Fanpage Challenge and also for Mojo Mondays #287:

And the inside of my card:

Here is the sketch:

Ok, now that you've snorted coffee/tea/cola out of your nose, here are some details. ☺ For the Simply Betty Stamps challenge, she is very generous and gives you the digi image to use for free, plus some prompts. For this month (March, which this challenge ends on Friday), the image is Medusa and you have to create a card using black, cream and your choice of one color. I chose green. Now, in order to get the free image you DO have to join the group first, then request the image be emailed to you. And most importantly, you have to use the stamp for the challenge it's for. (It's only fair - she's GIVING you a free digi!) No problem there! I'm very new to using digi stamps. (This is only my second card I've made using one! You'll have to wait to see what I did using another Simply Betty Stamp! - future post)

Coloring hair is NOT my strength. I spent a good amount of time the last couple of days researching how to add highlights/lowlights to hair. Watched countless tutorials on YouTube. Stalked blogs. Really took a good look at other artists' work to get a sense of how to color. I got to tell ya, I am THRILLED at how well my snakes turned out! (Yep, patting myself on the back!)

So then, I had to come up with a sentiment for the inside. This kept me up for quite a while as I lay in bed, pondering what to do. Then it hit me! And I laughed out loud. And woke up my husband and the dog! I was so excited that I couldn't go to sleep. (I did eventually, but I'm barely functioning this morning.) All hail to Caffeine!

So there you have it. I'm going to go and admire my card some more! LOL! Have a great day and thanks for stopping by!

Chris

Supplies:
Stamp: Simply Betty Stamps - Medusa
Card Stock: Bazzill
Strathmore water color paper
DP: Echo Park - Times & Seasons
Markers: Marvy Uchida
Adhesives: SA by 3L - MyStik, 3D foam squares
Accessories: Grand Calibur, Lacey Ovals Nesties; MME - brad; Recollections - Ribbon, Rhinestones; Colorbok - Black Metal Dots; Fiskars corner rounder; Sentiment - computer generated