Free to Be...

It is Teapot Tuesday Time again! (I have missed playing along and drat, but there have been some great parties in my absence...)

This week Mothermark has been inspired to write poetry:
Meet Brutus, the Bunny
Who's just a smidge funny!

He's totally of his rocker,
I know! It's a shocker!

His mom, bless her heart,
It's been hard from the start!

And throughout the years,
She's been driven to tears!

There! Look at that! He peed on that log!
What is his problem? He's a wannabee dog!

Be quiet! You'll hear it! The most incredible moan,
It's the pleasure he gets from his big juicy bone!

He's been known to just hollar!
It's pink! Not a dog collar!

He's a disgrace to all rabbits,
with the most annoying of habits!

He hates those orange carrots
Gives them all to the ferrets!

And when there's work to be done,
To bring children some fun....

He just sits on his keester,
Ignores all that is Easter!

Can you see? Don't you see? Why Thumper and Peter,
Are completely convinced, he's a big Easter Cheater!

Awww...Come on There Brutus!
Help us out or just shoot us!

Look at me! Look at me! I'm not a big fake!!
Look at me! Did you see? Now I can shake!!

(That's a puppy dawg shake ifn' ever I saw one!)

And here is the challenge:
"So, here's the story, Mory! Mory is Brutus' best friend. He's a ferret and the recipient of many a carrot! (At least 42,000!) He's a little reserved, a little shy, not a *in your face* kinda guy! He's not quite sure how to handle this whole identity crisis for his friend, Brutus. Part of him wants his little buddy to be a dog but part of him loves his cute widdo bunny friend! One thing is for certain, he is tired of stressing about this dilema. That's where we come in!
With only about a week before Easter, we need to either convince Brutus to be a bunny and step up to the plate and help out at Easter. Or we need to convince him to leave that life behind permanently and buy a new dog house! So, depending on your most valued opinion of this whole deal, bring a bunny, an Easter basket, pink ribbon or a carrot or two. On the other hand, bring a fire hydrant, a collar, a dog house or a dog bone or two! And if you are the wishy washy type (like me!) then bring a doggie in a bunny costume! Snort! You know the drill!"


I don't know about you, but this whole story reminds me of My Dog is a Plumber from Free to Be... You and Me (Am I dating myself? Oh, who cares? I don't have any problem admitting I was a child of the 70s):

My dog is a plumber. He must be a boy,
Although I must tell you his favorite toy
Is a little play stove with pans and with pots,
Which he really must like, 'cause he plays with it lots,
So perhaps he's a girl -- which kind of makes sense,
Since he can't throw a ball and he can't climb a fence,
But neither can dad -- and I know he's a man,
And mom is a woman and she drives a van.
Maybe the problem is in trying to tell
Just what someone is by what she does well?

Do you see the connection? I am all for letting a person (or a bunny as the case may be) be himself. For you, Brutus, here is my card...

The layout came from Sweet Sketch Wednesday. (#43);  I doubt it is going to win any prizes over there though. While looking for cardstock to match my ribbon, I came upon a piece that had been folded so the opening was in the center. It occurred to me that this sketch lended itself perfectly to that!

The bottom panel is embossed with flowers in circles, cuz it was the closest thing I could find to Easter eggs, so just pretend they are oblong, ok?

The top panel is a tribute to Brutus' true self. I hope his friends and family stop giving him such a hard time. How many Easter Bunnies do we need anyway? There is only ONE Santa after all...






Card Details:
Image: Peachy Keen Stamps, Inkadinkado, PSX, Stampendous
Sentiment: N/A
Cardstock: SU, GP
Ink: Memento, SU
Tools: Cuttlebug Embossing folder, Nesties
Coloring: Prismacolor markers
Embellies: Generic ribbon, SU dimensionals, Stickles

(Almost) April Showers

Wet day here today. There is so much rain that I have forgotten just how long it has been falling. In fact some schools are closing due to flooding. I have never experienced such a thing. Since I cannot play outside, I may as well stamp!

Princess A is wondering when it is going to stop raining, though as I explained to her this morning, all this glorious rain is going to make our flowers very happy. Well, it would if the previous owners had actually planted any, but that is a different story. This little bear has about the same expression on his face as she did. You can see in the background the torrential rain that is falling for all of the lighter blue panels are embossed with raindrops. The local waters have risen so high, there are fish swimming by his feet.

Many thanks to Sweet Sketch Wednesday (#42) for the layout. And since Bugaboo Stamps was their sponsor this week, I had to use one of their images.

Here is a photo of the pond in my back yard (yes, it is supposed to be there) that is much deeper than usual. Look at the surface. Of course it started rainy more heavily as I stepped close to take the picture.

And here is the stream that runs along the side of my house (there is another one in the back). Usually it just sort of meanders its way along. Today, however, some little critter could go white water rafting and have the ride of her life!






Card Details:
Image: Bugaboo Stamps
Sentiment: N/A
Cardstock: SU, GP
Ink: HP Printer
Tools: Nesties, Fiskars Texture Plate
Coloring: Prismacolor markers
Embellies: Oriental Trading Company ribbon, generic dimensionals

Critters Love Jellybeans

This week's challenge with the Crafty Hos is inspired by this prayer:

Jelly Bean Prayer
Red is for the blood He gave,
Green is for the grass He made.
Yellow is for the sun so bright,
Orange is for the edge of night.
Blue is for the sins we made,
White is for the grace He gave.
Purple is for His hour of sorrow,
Pink is for our new tomorrow!
A bag full of jelly beans,
So colorful and sweet.
Is a prayer, is a promise. . .
Is a special treat!

Is it any surprise that my card is all about jellybeans?  The sketch came from The Pink Elephant (#59) and the color scheme from Catch the Bug Challenge Blog. My card is a three-fer!

Every year on Easter, Main Squeeze and I set up an egg hunt for Princess A using plastic eggs filled with stickers, safe candy and pocket change. One year we thought we would be smart and set it up the night before. Most of the eggs were fine (I had to say that  up front so you would not worry that Princess A was disappointed), but there were a few that the critters had opened, and one or two that had bites taken out. I am talking about the plastic eggs; the inside candy was nowhere to be seen. I still wonder what they bought with the cash...

Perhaps this little fellow was there that day. Even if he missed it, he certainly looks happy with his latest stash of candy. I stamped the cascading jellybeans in the three colors on the yellow card stock, then again on white and cut some out. The extras are on generic dimensionals so they stand out . Then painted with Twinkling H2Os, just to give them another reason to feel special. The jellybeans in the mouse's hands (and the one between his feet) are coated with Crystal Effects; they look and feel more like jellybeans than paper.

This year will be the first Easter in our new house, with 4.3 acres of land to hide eggs. Princess A is going to need all the help the little critters are willing to offer.






Card Details:
Image: House Mouse Designs, SU
Sentiment: N/A
Cardstock: SU, GP, unknown designer paper
Ink: Memento, SU
Tools: N/A
Coloring: Prismacolor markers
Embellies: Twinkling H2Os, Crystal Effects, generic dimensionals, unknown ribbon

Missed the Game

Have you ever checked your calendar only to discover that the event you were planning to attend had already happened? Well, that happened to me this week. Not so much checked my calendar, but the Catch the Bug Challenge Blog to find out that although challenges are posted once per month, they are only open for a week. I am clear on that now. In fact I already have my card ready for the new challenge, but you will have to wait til tomorrow to see that...

Main Squeeze has told me of times in his childhood when his parents forgot to pick him up after practice. It was a long walk home. Even so I think this little guy would have preferred that to what he did. He showed up late and missed the game entirely! See? There are flowers growing on the soccer field already.

Even though the game is over, I enjoyed making this card. Besides I needed more practice using digi stamps...

Now if only there was a little boy in my life. I have one daughter. My brother has two daughters. Main Squeeze's brother has two daughters. My two closest stamping friends have five daughters between them. Perhaps Princess A has a little boy in her class she would like to send this to. (I am just kidding, I know you don't believe in the existence of boys)... (yet)






Card Details:
Image: Bugaboo Stamps
Sentiment: N/A
Cardstock: SU, GP
Ink: HP Printer
Tools: Fiskars Border punch
Coloring: Prismacolor markers
Embellies: unknown flowers

Everyone is Irish on St Patrick's Day

Everyone is Irish on St Patrick's Day... or March 25th as the case may be...

This month's hostess at the Sisterhood of the Traveling Cards, Susan, chose to honor St Patricks Day, in a fashion. Cards are to showcase other little green creatures, ie frogs, crocodiles, dragons, etc.

While perusing Michael's one day, I came upon this set. Of course I was not there to buy stamps, but I had to look in that aisle anyway. You understand. Anyway... I picked it up, put it down, picked it up, put it down, picked it up...  Finally I decided, "oh why not?" and brought it up to the register. (Main Squeeze was a big help in this department. He always tells me if I want/need it I should buy it. Very dangerous proposition) What luck - it was 40% off! Whoo hoo!! When Susan's theme was posted, I just knew I had to use one of my new monster friends.

A cute little guy like this needs the right background. Have I ever mentioned how much I adore SU's designer series paper packs? They are so much fun and the way a pack coordinates - it reminds me of Garanimals. Although I was too big when they first came on the market, I could certainly appreciate the concept. A 'must have' for me when it comes to choosing paper.

Lastly I needed something to dress him up. Those spots you see; they are metal dots by Colorbök. I cannot find a direct link to them, but I can tell you they are self adhesive and dimensional (as in they are not flush with the paper) Pretty cool, eh?






Card Details:
Image: Recollections
Sentiment: N/A
Cardstock: SU, GP
Ink: Memento
Tools: nesties
Coloring: Prismacolor markers
Embellies: Colorbök metal dots

Double Dare

My first attempt at double embossing. For that matter, my first attempt at embossing with nesties. Not so simple as others make it seem, I can tell you...

Vivian is hosting a swap with your choice of double embossing or blank embossing. I decided to try my hand at double and if that did not work, easy enough to fall back on the blank. (OK, so it was a swap not really a dare, but doesn't the alliteration sound better?)

This stamp set always makes me smile. For some reason, I missed it in the SU catalog, but discovered it at a tag sale and had to have it. Sometimes I just like to look at it. Always good for a grin. I think of Miss Congeniality and Gracie Lou Freebush. That movie cracks me up! Oh, and of course Benjamin Bratt... drool! He is on my list...

It took quite a while (and a few sheets of cardstock) for me to get the right "sandwich" to emboss leaving the middle clear. Then another while to outline a frame in the center instead of cutting it out. Thank goodness that was the hardest part - I don't think I could have taken much more frustration. Using a real ribbon for her sash was a strike of genius, I thought; Pity the scanner crushed it, cuz it truly follows the image on the card when left to its own devices. Finally, there are Stickles on her shoes, her crown and on her single tear. (Aww!) 






Card Details:
Image: SU
Sentiment: SU
Cardstock: SU
Ink: Memento
Tools: Prismacolor markers, Marvy punch, SU punch, embossing folder,nesties
Coloring: Prismacolor markers
Embellies: Stickles, ribbon, generic bling

A Cappella Sheep

I have been wanting to make a card with these sheep ever since Marilyn made a comment in rehearsal about "Lazy Day" making her feel like a sheep. (All you barbershoppers out there who sing the harmony parts know what she was talking about!) Channeling harmonious sheep or not, it is still one of my favorite songs to sing.

Today's card is for the Crafty Hos. One of our members, Scrappy, drew the sketch for this week's challenge. You can see that I did not follow it exactly, which though unusual for me, is exactly the beauty of a sketch. Words as the largest focal point is another abnormal feature (for me at least). Since my inspiration is a fellow chorus member, however, I thought the sentiment was particularly apropos.

Crystal Stickles cover the butterfly which was first colored with Prismacolor markers and the "sky" in which it flies was sponged. The sheep are plush with an addition of Liquid Applique.





Card Details:
Image: All Night Media
Sentiment: Inkadinkado
Cardstock: SU, unknown designer (glitter) paper, GP
Ink: Memento, SU
Tools: SU punches, Fiskars Border punch, sponge, heat gun
Coloring: Prismacolor markers
Embellies: Stickles, Liquid Applique

Bleeping Digital

Digital is the wave of the future. Digital books, digital music and what some people call digital stamps, though I usually just use the word 'images' Michele has a swap right now for cards made using digis. Within it she has a category for Fancy Folds/Techniques/Shapes card. Thinking I should try something new, I signed up for this one.

Now I am fairly computer savvy, but digis just stump me. They never come out the size that I want. And oh, for this card, I used two, cuz the fish is a digi, a whale actually, that I altered a wee bit (I can do that no problem). I know how to change the size, but cannot seem to figure out how that translates on the paper. At least I am no longer resizing by percentages anymore - OY! That was a bear of a math problem. As for the whale, altering the image was easy; took some time to alter the frame around the image (cuz after all that is the size you are changing, not the picture itself.) Printing it how I wanted - ERG, that took many, many trips through the printer to perfect.Only one sheet of paper, though, cuz I am cheap (green?) like that. Finally I got the whale shape printed and cut out. The turtle was a little easier as I was using him as is and his frame is already tight, so though he took quite some time to get sized correctly, he only one test print. (I used the test page from Belassiz; did I mention I am cheap? In fact, once a page is too full to continue to print, it becomes my desk protector when I do real stamping. I say that cuz after I made this card I thought I will never do digis again! I will, though, and I will get better at it. Certainly could not be any worse...

An inked embossing folder was used for the underwater section of the "fish", and there are Stickles on both the fly (on the fishing line) and the edge of the whale tale. Originally I planned on a Happy Fathers Day sentiment, but did not like any of the placements, so I ditched it. Even without, I think GB will likely be finding this in his mailbox in June.





Card Details:
Image: Dustin Pike - with some parts of the image removed (card shape) , Bugaboo
Sentiment: N/A
Cardstock: SU, GP
Ink: Memento, SU
Tools: Embossing Folder, Brayer
Coloring: Prismacolor markers
Embellies: Stickles, ribbon

Fairy Tale Froggy

What else would you expect to find in an Enchanted Forest than a Prince who has been turned into a frog? Being of short stature, (vertically challenged), this froggy fellow is leaping into the air to get your attention. He does not want you to waste your time kissing those regular old run-of-the-mill frogs by mistake. Not only will they not become your Prince, but you might get frustrated from a lack of expected result and stop kissing frogs altogether! No, no, we mustn't have that...

In order to help your wish along, I have included your very own parachute ball. Better be quick, for some are already blowing in the wind! (If you look closely above the sentiment you will see the complete dandelion seed with stem. Or perhaps you just have to trust me that it is there. It is visible in person. At least you can see the ones that are blowing in the "blush blossom" area of the card. You can see them, can't you?)







Card Details:
Image: Inkadinkado, Great Impressions
Sentiment: Elzybells
Cardstock: SU, GP
Ink: Memento, SU
Tools: Nestabilities
Coloring: Prismacolor markers
Embellies: Googly eyes

Pink and Black Challenge

Welcome to my first project for the Crafty Hos Challenge Blog! As I joined late, I only had a couple of days to complete this challenge - I did not want to miss my first one!!

I had an idea of what I wanted to do, but did not own a brayer, so off to the LSS I went. Despite chanting, "Brayer, brayer, don't for get the brayer" in my head the entire ride, I came home with a cute raccoon stamp I have been coveting for months and an embossing folder I had special ordered in December, but NO BRAYER. Yup, totally forgot.

Got up early on Saturday morning and arrived at A.C. Moore shortly after opening, 50% coupon in hand. I am now the proud owner of a Speedball Soft Rubber Brayer (isn't she gorgeous?).

On to the challenge: Pink and Black. That's it. Simple, right? My, how I struggled. Took me a while to come up with an idea, then two trips to actually remember to purchase the brayer, and finally to put it all together. You would laugh if you knew how many times I needed to start over because I forgot to mask out the circle for the moon.

The expanse of snow needed a little something, too. I experimented with prima flowers and brads, but finally decided, between the sunset background and the house in shadow, "With Sympathy" was the most fitting.





Card Details:
Image: PSX
Sentiment: SU
Cardstock: SU, GP
Tools: Brayer, Scallop blade (in rotary cutter) 
Coloring: SU pads (brayer and sponge), Prismacolor marker
Embellies: N/A

Two Embossing Folder Challenge

Don't you hate when you finish a card (or even worse a set of 8) and you see a bunch of things that you could have done differently, but just don't have the time? That is how I feel about this card. Well, to be truthful, there is really only one thing I can think I should have done differently (other than the whole card itself) and that would be the ink color of the sentiment. Should have matched the green I think. Or at least tested that to see which was better.

I could not think of any embellies to add, so there are none. At least I fulfilled the swap requirements of using at least two embossing folders.

I admit it, I do not love this card and I feel guilty to sending it to Paola, as I do really like her. Of course, one of the great things about Sweet P is her forgiving nature. Looks like I will be putting it to the test with this one!




Card Details:
Image: N/A
Sentiment: SU
Cardstock: SU, GP
Tools: Cuttlebug Embossing Folder (x2) 
Coloring: N/A
Embellies: N/A

Looking to Spring

February's Sisterhood of the Traveling Cards theme was a stumper. Seems pretty easy at first read, a flower theme and use buttons. But, I am not usually a 'pretty' stamper - I tend to lean more towards cute or funny. Sadly the only way I can think to use buttons with flowers is right at the center. Not terribly original and not terribly creative, so I put it off. And put it off. Then suddenly I remembered that February only has 28 days; I could not put it off any longer.

Finally, inspiration. I had received some flower buttons as part of a Secret Sister gift (thanks Lorie, you saved me!). Next to find something to hold the flower. My new Build-a-Roo started hopping and round chanting, "Pick me! Pick me!"

I tell you, it is hard to resist a begging kangaroo.



Card Details:
Image: SU Build-a-Roo and Kindness (wheel)
Cardstock: SU, GP
Tools: Nestabilities, Stampin Around (large), generic dimensional
Coloring: Prismacolor Markers
Embellies: (unknown) flower button, Stickles

Crafty Hos Challenges

I finally got around to sending my head shot to Audrey so that I could be linked up with the Crafty Hos. What took so long? Well, I am really not a fan of having my picture taken. I used to like it. In fact I used to dive into all sorts of photo ops, with or without an invitation. But then along came prednisone (vile stuff!) and pigment changes on my face in inconvenient areas. And well, I am just not a fan anymore...

But if I want to be on a DT, a head shot is a necessary evil. That said, you can find me on The Crafty Hos Challenge Blog sidebar. Somehow being last put me at the top of the page.

New challenges are posted every Sunday and you have until the following Saturday at 11PM EST to upload your creation. Now if I could only figure out where to find the challenges BEFORE they are posted with the DT samples I will be all set.

Please join us if you can!