What's on My Kitchen Counter

The Outlawz Paper A La Mode Challenge this week is to use an irregular card shape.  I use to make every card an easel card so that is what I went with.  I used a SB Label Die.      The challenge sponsor is Star Stampz and I used Candy Girl .  I love her images in her Etsy Shop and will be getting more of them!  I am also sharing this in the Star Stampz blog challenge (to add snow to or snowflakes to your creation - I have snow mixed in there with the candy - lol).    I colored her with some watercolor pencils and Liquid Pearls.  She was super fun to color up.    This one is going to one of my daughters for Valentines.    Hope your week is going well.  Many Hugz!  

At DRS Designs, this week's challenge is a color challenge based on sweet candy hearts.   The Design Team cards are soooo pretty - you need to check them out.  I promise my pinks really did start out matching the colors in the color block a lot better than they do in this picture.  The sponge I used for my pink sun rays had some yellow on it as did my stencil so the pink has a little yellow tint.  I call this adventurous creating, but really it is being too lazy to get a clean sponge or clean the sponge or buy more sponges or be careful with the sponge.  I die cut my butterfly and sponged it and then I stamped, sponged and cut out two Ornate Corner Tile images to put on the butterfly.  My sentiment is Hugs and Kisses Valentine's Greeting .  These colors are so perfect for Valentine's.  Hope you will come play in the challenge too. Hugz

Have you caught the Bible Journaling bug yet?  I am still really new to it, but I am addicted.  Here are a few pages I have done lately.  The lion page is pretty much my version of one from Pinterest but the others are my ideas.  My handwriting is awful and my drawing skills have issues (just look at that rib cage on the skelton - after I was done I had to remind myself that rib cages are rounded), but I love to do this.  It is a way two GIANT loves in my life meet up and that is fun, fun, fun!!! Lion done with a black ink pen and chalk pencils: Done with a Micron Pen Done with Brushos, white gel pen and a Micron Pin (plus a sheep stamp):   Many Hugz!!!    

Valentines is just around the corner so it is time for me to get busy making some cards.  This one was made for the current DRS Designs Challenge which is called " Heart to Heart " - use hearts on your card in some way (paper, dies, stamps, etc.).  I used the new Small Silhouette Heart on my card,, but you have to look closely.  I stamped it in ink mixed with water on the front panel so it is kind of blurred.  On the bottom panel, I stamped it in some spun sugar distress ink so the hearts are very light.  I also used the new Hugs 4-in-1 Wording stamp for my sentiment and the Happy Bee image. I made my background using the smooshing with acetate technique (you can check out Laura Bassen's video here - warning: her technique is light years better than mine plus you will be addicted to this technique after trying it!).  Hope your week is going great!  Hugz

The current DRS Designs Challenge is all about the Weather Outside.  I needed a Sympathy card so I thought it would be nice to do a peaceful snowy scene with a little sunset.      The Snow Tree with Fence image worked perfectly - all I had to do was color the tree and fence posts with some colored pencil and sponge on a bit of orange and blue.  Then I flecked some Snowtex mixed with acrylic paint to make some snow (I mix acrylic paint with my Snowtex because my Snowtex is dried up - the paint revives it).  I added the Brush in Deepest Sympathy greeting.  Hope your weekend was wonderful.  Mine as super busy as we did a big 80th Birthday party for my Mom.  She loved it! Many hugz!

I was just playing around with this cute little Leonard the Pig's Dance of Joy image to see if I could make a cute little Valentine's Card.  I am such a fan of Leonard the Pig!  He adds so much fun to any card.  I thought I would use him to hold this new Hugz stamp.  I always spell Hugs with a "z" on the end, so  I was so thrilled to see the versatile new 4-in-1 Hugs stamp .  Wouldn't this hugz sentiment be cute next to a bee image too?     My background needed something so I added some Sea Grass and a moon, and then topped it off with the Love You to the Moon Greeting .  I sponged the whole card - even Leonard.  I had to go back in and whiten his teeth with some gel pen and fix some of my quick Sea Grass over stamping with the pen too (is it just me or does everyone totally love their white gel pens?).  This as a very fast card to make, and I think I will make another.  Hugz

Now that the holidays are over, I am hoping to have more time to stamp and visit blogs.  I do plan to catch up with everyone soon.  This weekend, I had a bit of time to craft in between looking at new cars.     I played in a few of the SCS challenges.  This one was made using the crackled glass technique.  I used a new Christmas Truck stamp I bought at Mike's a few days before Christmas (it was on a great sale so I had to get it).  The stamp is from Stampendous and is really large, but I focused on the truck and used the DRS  Designs Stained Glass Oval stamp to give it even more of a cracked glass feel.  My bg panels were all stamped with the DRS Designs Woodgrain stamp and sponged.  Everything on this card other than the berries started out as white.  I love me some ink!     The next card is made with a Delicious Doodles deer image - I love this image.  The challenge was an inspiration challenge.  I picked a fun deer picture as my inspiration.  Most the pictures in th