Coloring Down The Lines -- Baja Breeze

It's another Wednesday Coloring Down the Lines blog hop.  You should have come from Helen's blogsite.  I haven't seen her contribution yet, but she always has something really great.  I am posting my card on Sunday night because we are expecting Hurricane Sandy to visit us.  Our power often goes out during bad weather, so we are preparing to be without for at least a couple days.  Pray I am wrong.  So, it is Sunday and I am doing this post and scheduling it to show on Wednesday.

Our color selection was Baja Breeze with Basic Gray and Cajun Craze or Baja Breeze with More Mustard and Cherry Cobbler.  I chose the first.  This is a very simple card as I wanted to keep it pretty clean and just one last fall type card -- I know, I already said that.  I am working on Christmas cards but could not see these colors for Christmas.  I hope you like it.

This is a picture of my crazy, goofy, grandkids horsing around in the front yard just before they headed home today.  They visited for the weekend.  If you wonder why my grandson has pink (PINK??) socks on, it is because he has his football pants, socks and cleats on in this picture.  He and his whole team agreed to wear pink socks in honor of Breast Cancer month.  And my granddaughter still has her cheerleading uniform on.  They rushed up here yesterday afternoon right after their football games and discovered they didn't bring any other clothes along.  Oh my, good thing grandma keeps a few things here for them to wear while here.  But I sent them home in what they were wearing when they arrived.  So those are my crazy grands!


I hope you like my card today, and also my grands from the weekend.  Now hop over to Teri's blogsite to see what she has done.  I'm sure it is something nice, it always is.  Come back to visit soon.  I hope you're surviving Hurricane Sandy without too much trouble.  Stay safe.

Crafty Hugs,
Sandy

Sweet Hot Chocolate

Today I have a card I made with the super cute little Scentsational stamp set.  I love all the stamps in that set.  I am working on several ideas for a workshop coming up in 2 weeks.  I won't be putting all my samples on my blog until after the workshop.  I don't want to show everything before the gals get there, but a little tease won't hurt, right?  So here is a peek.  I've done so many cute things with this set, cards, tags, gift and hot chocolate pouches, notebook cover, pen holder, and even a candle ring.  The candy cane is such a beautiful touch to any card, and that little gingerbread guy makes me smile every time I see him.

 The designer paper on this card is Be of Good Cheer, and is another of my favorites for this holiday season.  You'll be seeing more of it.

 Here's a close up of the cup.  I decided my hot chocolate will be served with a fancy cup, thus all the glitz.  The canes may be used to sweeten the chocolate, or just to enjoy.  Ummmmm, I can almost taste it.










Speaking of tasting, I may have to go out in the kitchen to see if I have some hot chocolate.  My hubby and I just finished putting a bunch of wood on our front porch, and with wood and fire, hot chocolate is a must.  In fact, the weather forecast for us this week is a little scary.  We have Hurricane Sandy headed our way (and before you try to tease me about the name, trust me, everyone I know is coming up with jabs about my namesake, but I bet no one will mess with me after this).  I'm in the mountains of West Virginia, and I hear we can expect snow -- yikes!  snow?  Not yet, I'm not ready for winter!  How much snow?  Who knows.  We're told the higher elevations around here could get more than 2 feet.  I hope we aren't too high or too close, I'm not ready for more than a half inch or so.

Wherever you are, stay safe, and I hope the hurricane does not cause you too much grief.

Until next time.......................

Crafty Hugs,
Sandy

Coloring Down The Lines -- Wild Wasabi

It's Wednesday blog hop time again.  You have probably arrived from Pam's blogsite, but if you started here just follow each next person and eventually you will finish all and even come back here. Wasn't Pam's card super?  What a "bootiful" and unique card.  She always has something fun to see.

The colors this week are Wild Wasabi with So Saffron and Wild Plum or Wild Wasabi with Marina Mist and Early Espresso.  I chose the first.  Forgive the shadows and "stuff" in my pictures.  It is 6:00 p.m. and I can't find much daylight anywhere.

 

I used the Snow Much Fun stamp set and a piece of the Festival of Prints DSP in the Holiday Mini.  Love that pack of paper, there are so many pieces that are fun.  I'm working away on Chrismas things and using lots of that paper and Be Of Good Cheer DSP, and that pretty champagne glimmer paper. 

Hope you like my challenge this week.  Now hop on over to Teri's blogsite.  Amazing some of the things she has been doing.  Wait until you see what she has for you today.

Hope to see you again soon.............................

Crafty Hugs,
Sandy

Halloween Finale

This is the last of the Halloween cards.  I mentioned a while back that I had found a really cute card on another blog.  I absolutely love this card.  I rarely copy, exactly, a card created by someone else.  Usually I take the idea and change it around to make it my own.  This one is by Aime Crelsinger and I love it just the way she made it, right down to the color combination.  I knew my grandkids would go nuts over these characters and the googly eyes.  I can't wait to see how they react.  My treat packages using the googly ghouls stamps and the designer kit (in the Holiday Mini, pg 27) are ready to go in the mail this week to the West Coast, and for the local grands, their treat packages have already been delivered to their dad and hidden away for the big day.

So for this card I did change 2 things -- guess that makes it "mine" after all.  I used the scallop punch because it is current and she had used the pinked one retired last year.  The other thing I changed, she did another level of black around the windows and I left it "bare."  I started to use orange and black, but liked hers so much that green it is.  What do you think, isn't it just the cutest?  Of course I used so many of the googly eyes that I need to go order some more.  Glad they are inexpensive, 'cause I'm buying several packs.  I have been using the eyes for most of my cards lately that have any sort of character with eyes.  Love those little moving eyeballs!

Here is the inside, simple but spooky.  I left plenty of room so grampa and I could write some well wishes and a few scary words.











Here are a couple more vacation pictures.  If you are tired of vacation pics, just skip them.  I promise there will only be these 3 and perhaps 2 more from the last city we visited.  Have a happy Sunday and hope to see you thisWednesday for our next Wednesday blog hop with the color coach.

 This is of a couple castles seen while cruising along the Danube -- which is mostly green, not blue.  But it is the beautiful Danube.  Wonderful, lazy, cruise for 4 days.  Just what I needed for a little rest from all the walking around we had done for the first week while in Prague and Vienna.

And this is a pic of our river ship.  The ships used for river cruises are very long and rather flat.  Only around 150 passengers, which makes for a nice cozy, friendly, experience.  We love the river cruising.

And here is my funny, loving, travel companion (a/k/a hubby) and me.  This was taken one night at dinner.  Oh my, the food on that ship was wonderful!  Luckily for us we walked so much during the rest of the vacation that we both lost weight rather that gained from all that food.





Thank you for visiting today and come back soon.

Crafty Hugs,
Sandy

Silly Birthday

If you are still wondering what, in my opinion, were mistakes on yesterday's cards, they are 1) I started distressing with Soft Suede the white background to the main image, but did not follow through with the white of the sentiment, and 2) I did not anchor the cup with some sort of line or shadowing in order to keep it from looking like it is floating in air.  That is my perfectionism coming out in wanting the card to be totally error free.  Ok, so now I can quit obsessing, right?

Today I have a card using mostly Stampin'Up! product, but not totally.  All the paper and ink and dies are SU but not the stamped image.  I suddenly remembered today that we had not sent birthday cards to a son-in-law and a daughter-in-law.  I asked my hubby if he wanted to pick something from my stash.  Although he is totally supportive of my hobby, and often says the cards are really cute, most of the time his sense of humor leans toward the crazy and silly cards he finds at the drug store.  When he said he would just run up to Target or CVS -- which are both about 40 miles away -- I went upstairs and started going through everything I own looking for something silly.  This stamp is what I found and this card is what I made.   Success!!!!  He loved it.  He laughed, and although I intended this for the SIL, he asked if I could make a second one for the DIL.  I just never know when he will really like something.

So here is my card for today.

And here is the inside and the envelope.












I hope you like my quick birthday cards for today, there are two of them.  

I just remembered that I never finished showing you a couple more vacation pictures.  I would like to show one or two from the cruise ship and BudaPest, so I will dig out about 4 more pictures and see what I can show tomorrow.

Until then..........

Crafty Hugs,
Sandy

Coloring Down The Lines -- Certainly Celery

A while back I was on a roll adding creations to my blog left and right.  Here it is another Wednesday Coloring Down the Lines blog hop and I realize I have only added to my blog on Wednesdays lately.  Ok, time for a good kick to the rear for motivation to get movin.  However, in the meantime, here is my entry for this week's color challenge.  You should have arrived here from Pam's blogsite and she did yet another of her wonderful creations.  I always love to peek at her site to see what she is up to. We were to use Certainly Celery and add to it either Soft Suede and Pink Pirouette or Whisper White and Marina Mist. I used the first.  

I wanted to add another challenge for myself, I wanted to use those unlikely Christmas colors and make a Christmas card, so here is what I came up with.

I used my new Scentsational stamp set.  That little gingerbread boy is just the cutest!  And, of course, the cup of hot chocolate is nice too.  I wonder if he is going to be eaten by Santa for Christmas.  Next card I do with these stamps will more than likely be a little more like Christmas with greens, reds and sparkle.  Never thought pink and green were Christmas colors, but this turned out ok.  Can you find my mistake -- or at least what I think is a mistake, actually two mistakes???!!

Now hop over to Teri's blogsite.  Teri has been on a roll lately adding many great and interesting things to her site.  I know you will be amazed.  Don't forget to come back soon.  I hope to have something long before next Wednesday -- that kick I just gave myself sent me half way to my craft room......................

 Crafty Hugs,
Sandy

Coloring Down the Lines -- So Saffron

It's our color challenge blog hop time again, and you probably arrived from Pam's website.  She   usually has something really nice for you.  I hope you love it just the way I love it.  I will make this quick today before my internet falls off the side of the earth again.  Our provider has been working hard, but it was down all day yesterday and was still down at midnight last night when I went to bed.

Our color this week is So Saffron, and we could mix with it either Rose Red and Wild Wasabi, OR Riding Hood Red and Soft Suede.  I chose Riding Hood Red and Soft Suede. 

I wanted to do something with an embossing resist, so I took my Everything Eleanor stamp and stamped with VersaMark and heat embossed with clear powder.  Then I cut my sized pieces and sponged one with Soft Suede and the other with Riding Hood Red.  The card base is Soft Suede and the mat is So Saffron.  I hope you like my take on the color challenge this week.

Now, before my internet goes down again, let me direct you to the next person on the hop, Teri's site.  I already took a little peek at her creation, and it is special.  I know you will like it a lot.

Until next time....................

Crafty Hugs,
Sandy

Coloring Down the Lines -- Pink Pirouette

Unbelievable!  It's Wednesday already.  That means it is time for the Butternutsage Designs Coloring Down the Lines blog hop.   Therefore, we have another color challenge today.  You should have arrived here by way of Pam's blogsite.  Pam has met the challenge this week with those pretty teacups.  Wasn't it a super creation?

Our challenge this week is to create something using Pink Pirouette with either Sahara Sand and  Always Artichoke OR with Baja Breeze and Early Espresso.  I chose Sahara Sand and Always Artichoke because I thought it would be harder and I wanted it to challenge me.

 This is my card for the challenge.  Trust me, the second mat is Sahara Sand even though it looks green.  I don't know why my camera insisted showing a shade of green.  The bottom layer is Always Artichoke and the top layer is Pink Pirouette.  I used Pink Pirouette ink for the butterflies on the Pink Pirouette cardstock. But I wanted a brighter butterfly, so I cheated and threw some Bashful Blue in there, and also some Dazzling Details for bling. 

I hope you like my challenge card.  Now you can continue the hop by heading over to Teri's blogsite.  Teri has been creating some really nice things.  The other day she did another iris fold card,  and I'm going to learn that technique -- soon.  But let's go look at what she has for us today. 

Until next time...................

Crafty Hugs,
Sandy

Halloween Witch

I am still working with Halloween cards.  I think I have maybe 6 more to go before I'm finished.  I need to finish the grandkids and 3 friends.   This one may be for my granddaughter.  She loves anything with girls -- princesses, fairies, witches.  I think she will like this.  However, when I started, this is nothing like I envisioned.  I was thinking the witch on a label and some DSP and maybe a little embossing.  But I started, then went about 5 different directions and ended with this.  Won't do another, though, because there is too much "fussy cutting."  And I would rather watercolor than just stamp in colored ink like I did here.  What I like the most is the bright red glassy eyes on the cat.  I used some clear Dazzling Details and mixed a little Real Red inker and made my own color.  Spooky cat.

I hope you like my little witchy scene. 

Here are a couple more vacation pictures.  These were taken in Vienna.

 This is one of museums in Vienna and is indicative of the architecture of most of the buildings in the City Center.

I show you this one because you can see how narrow the streets are in the downtown area.  Often my husband I did a sort of seat dance to the right or left when we felt the bus driver was about to scrape a car, sign, or building.   We find that a lot of European city streets are extremely narrow.

And this is just a fun picture.  It is of the Vienna River -- right, you heard, this is a river.  The Vienna River for the most part is underground.  The way the history goes, the architect back in the designing days "brought the river up" above ground and it flows through the city like you see here.  According to the guide, most inhabitants of Vienna wish the river was back underground.  My husband took a picture of me on this bridge and sent it to my sister.  Her comment was, "I certainly hope that isn't the Danube or you guys are in for a very problematic cruise."   Fortunately the Danube is much wider and deeper, so our cruise ship had plenty of room.

And speaking of the Danube, I'll show you just a couple more pictures next time.  And, those will include at least one of the Danube.

Until next time......................

Crafty Hugs,
Sandy