Digital Tuesday Challenge 'Use Your Scraps!'

Hello and welcome to another Digital Tuesday Challenge. This week's challenge is to 'Use Your Scraps'. If your like me, you probably cut into a fresh sheet of paper every time you make a card, so the Digital Tuesday Design Team is challenging you NOT to do that, and to use your leftovers! Our sponsor this week is the fabulous Dustin Pike and he is giving away 3 digi's to one lucky randomly chosen winner.

For my card today I used the Dustin Pike image 'Bookworm'. Isn't he a cutie? To make my card, I used scraps of paper for every part of it except the card base! The designer paper is DCWV 'School Days'. And I made the Apples using my Cricut Expression. Here is a close up so you can get a better look at this adorable image.

If you'd like to play along with us this week simply click on the Digital Tuesday Challenge Blinkie in my side bar and it will take you directly to the Challenge Site with further instructions.

Have a great day! Amy

Wink Wink Ink Easter Decorations!

Easter is almost here! I don't know about you, but I'm really looking forward to Easter this year. Our close friends recently bought a 'mansion', (and I'm not kidding when I say a 'mansion'; in the few pictures I saw it looks like 'Tara' from 'Gone with the Wind' it has the long tree lined driveway and everything! ), and they invited us over to see their new home and spend the holiday with them. Since we have no extended family, it will be really fun to spend the holiday with other people instead of always being alone. We will also be having a Good Friday Service and Potluck at our church, followed by a delicious Easter Breakfast on Easter Sunday Morning. Good thing I haven't started that diet yet! LOL! As if I ever will!

Anyway, onto today's project. I decided to make some Easter Decorations for my home using the fabulous spring Wink Wink Ink image 'Spring Babies'. Its the perfect image for Spring or Easter Cards. I made an Easter Basket, an Easter Decoration, and a Card. Here is a group photograph of the three projects together.

First up is my Easter Decoration. To make this I simply printed the image as large as my computer would allow. I chose to print it in color (Wink Wink Images are available uncolored and pre-colored) because I didn't want to dry out my very expensive Copic Markers coloring the image myself! LOL! I then cut the image out, but left some white card stock on the bottom. I then cut a slit in the bottom and added another piece of card stock so the image could stand up. To cover the base of the decoration, I cut some grass using my Cricut Expression, filled it with Easter Grass, and added some Robins Eggs for more decoration.
Here is the decoration without the grass so you can see how it is assembled. Kids would love to make this project and decorate their home for Easter this way!

My next project is a hand woven Easter Basket, yes, I wove this basket myself using only one piece of 12 by 12 card stock. And, I will never try this again. LOL! I got the directions off of SCS in their Resources Section, and the instructions seemed so simple, yet, I really struggled with it and it took me hours to complete it. I could have bought one for $1.00 at JoAnn's and saved myself all the time and grief! LOL! Anyhow, to decorate my hand made woven basket, I printed the 'Spring Babies' image out, again pre-colored so I wouldn't have to dry out my markers, cut it out, and glued it to the basket. I then added grass and eggs. The sentiment is a stamp that I glued to a ribbon-covered skewer.

Here is a close up of this adorable image.

And here is a close up of the sentiment. I used Spellbinders Nestabilites 'Blossom' and Circles' for the shape.

My third project is a Spring or Easter Card. This time, I colored the image myself, because I DO like to color, I just don't like coloring big areas that dry out my markers! LOL! The sentiment is a dollar stamp from Michaels. The paper is Basic Grey, and I think this is a Sweet Sunday Sketch. The eggs are buttons from JoAnn's.

Here is a close up so you can see my coloring.

And finally, here are the projects decorating my dining room table along with an Egg Tree I purchased at JoAnn's.

And no, my dining room table isn't always this clean. It only looks this way until about 4:15 when my son comes home from school, then he throws all his books, coat, and other paraphernalia all over it and it stays that way until the next morning. Ugh! Kids! I am so looking forward to August when he leaves for college and my table will be clean and spotless 24/7!

Have a great day! Amy

Digital Tuesday Challenge 'Happy Spring!'

Hello and welcome to another Digital Tuesday Challenge. This week's challenge is to make a Spring Card or project using at least one digital image. I don't know about you, but the weather is beautiful where I live in Northern Wisconsin. Its so much nicer this time of year than it was last year. I'm actually able to get out in my garden and get my garden beds ready for the growing season, and I have daffodils popping up all over the place. Soon I'll be able to start sharing pictures of my flowers again! Anyway, onto my card. This week's sponsor is 'Stitchy Stamps' and they are giving away 3 digital images to one lucky randomly chosen winner!

For my card today I used a duck image from the 'Stitchy Stamps' set 'The Quack Pack'. There are actually 3 adorable ducks in this image, but I chose to use only one for my card. I created a 'spring scene' by cutting out clouds and raindrops from a sheet of designer paper and gluing them on to a piece of 'Bashful Blue' card stock. The duck was colored with Copic Markers and cut out. The umbrella was printed twice, cut out, and popped up on dimensionals. I made the grass and flowers using my Cricut Machine. Here are a close up so you can see the coloring and dimension. The sentiment is from Penny Black.

I hope you have a wonderful day and are enjoying the Spring Weather wherever you are! Amy

Wink Wink Ink 'Owlfie' Card Set

Hello! Today I'd like to introduce you to the cutest little owl named 'Owlfie'. Isn't he adorable? I just love the expression in his eyes. 'Owlfie' is a digital image by Wink Wink Ink. Because he is so cute, I couldn't just make one card with him, so I decided to make 3 cards plus a matching box for those cards. Here is the entire card set. It includes a box that holds three cards and matching envelopes.

This is the outside of the box. It is a free template available from Gina K. Designs. It was so simple to make. You simply take an 8 by 11 piece of card stock, score the lines on the template as directed, cut, fold, then glue together. It literally took minutes! My type of template! I'll definitely be making more of these! The box is held shut by the ribbon which you can either slide on or off or untie. All the grass on the box and the cards is designer paper which I hand cut. The flowers and sun were made with the Cricut Machine. The sentiment is retired Stampin Up!

Here is what the inside of the box looks like.

This is a close up of the tree card. I made the green portion of the tree using 'Blossom' Nestabilities. The trunk was hand cut. I used a white gel pen on the tree leaves and the grass in all the cards. All the owls are mounted up on dimensionals. This sentiment is from MFT.

Here you can see one of the matching envelopes which was made with the Cricut Machine. I so love that I can make professional looking envelopes in any size I want now! Before I bought my Cricut, I had to hand cut them....they didn't look so good. LOL! This sentiment is retired Stampin Up!

This sentiment was computer generated. The flowers were made with the Cricut.

I hope you enjoyed looking at my 'Owlfie' cards today. Owls are certainly popular right now. There are so many owl fabrics and owl products out right now....I see them everywhere!

Have a great day! Amy

Digital Tuesday Challenge "Make It Green!"

Hello and welcome to another Digital Tuesday Challenge. Since St. Patrick's Day is tomorrow, your challenge this week is to make a card or project using at least one digital image that is either has a St. Patrick's Day theme, or uses the color green. Our sponsor this week is The Stamping Boutique and they are giving away three red rubber stamps of the randomly chosen winner's choice!

To make my card, I used The Stamping Boutique pot of gold/horseshoe digital image. I stamped the four leaf clover on white card stock to create my background. I used my Cuttlebug to emboss the top of the card with 'Swiss Dots'. The main image panel is mounted up on dimensionals and colored with Copics. I also used lots of Stickles so this image is really shiny in real life. I decided I didn't want my card too green, so I used a yellow ribbon to bring out the colors in the rainbow and pot. The four leaf clover on the ribbon is a button from JoAnn's. Here's a close up so you can see the Stickles.

If you'd like to play along with us this week, simply click on the Digital Tuesday Challenge Blinkie in my side bar and it will take you directly to the Challenge Site with further instructions.

I hope you all have a happy St. Patrick's Day on Wednesday. A lot of my Irish friends at work took the day off to celebrate because they have big plans. I didn't know it was such a big holiday. I've never really paid much attention to it before. Apparently they start the day by drinking Irish Coffee, and it just go on from there. They are going to be awfully giddy by the end of the day! LOL! Have a great day! Amy

Wink Wink Ink Spring Garden Set

I just read on a billboard last night that there are only 12 more days till Spring! Yippee! Can't you just feel the excitement in the air as everything starts to come to life around you? I just love Spring. Wink Wink Ink came out with a fabulous new spring image that I think is my favorite yet. Probably because I love to garden so much, and I also just love the expression on this cute puppies face! And aren't those boots adorable? We sell garden boots like that at JoAnn's and I'm always so tempted to buy them every spring. I usually wait till they go on sale, because they are about $39.00 regular price, but by the time they are marked down, they disappear out the door before I can get to them. UGH! Anyway, onto my project for today. I made a Spring Garden Set that includes a pot of potted paper flowers, a watering can filled with Robin's Eggs, and a Seed Pocket Card. Here is a full view of the set: Here is a close up of the Potted Paper Flowers. I used my new Cricuit machine to make the flowers. I glued wooden skewers in between the stems to make them stand up. There is Styrofoam on the bottom of the pot. I covered the top with moss to hide the Styrofoam. I sponged all the flower dies with pink and green ink. The pot was originally just a plain Terra cotta pot that I painted with a high gloss enamel.

I added a bow and a tag for embellishment. Here is a close up of the tag:

My second project is the Watering Can. I got the tutorial from Splitcoaststampers under their Resources Section. This is the front of the can:

This is the back of the can. See those yummy Robin's Eggs? They are one of my favorite Easter Candy's!

And here is the back of the can. I used a variegated pastel ric rac and primas for embellishment.

And finally my Seed Pocket Card. I actually started using this weeks Midnight Madness Sketch to make this card, but it ended up taking on a life of its own and doesn't look much like the original sketch. The sentiment is from Crafty Secrets 'Garden Girls'. I used my Cuttlebug to emboss the white background with dots and make the butterflies.

Here is a close up of the image and butterflies.

And here is what the inside of the card looks like with the seeds inside a pocket.

I hope I've brought some spring joy into your life today! Have a great day! Amy

Digital Tuesday Challenge 'Piercing!'

Hello and welcome to another Digital Tuesday Challenge. This week's challenge is 'Piercing'. Simply use the technique of piercing somewhere on your card or project. Our sponsor this week is our very own 'Digital Stamp Oasis' and they are giving away 3 digital images to one lucky randomly chosen winner!

For my card today, I used the Digital Stamp Oasis image 'Sammy Drives a Steam Engine'. What a perfect image for a boy's card! My piercing is in the upper right corner. I colored the image with Copic Markers and mounted the main image panel and the center part of the train up on dimensionals. Here is a close up so you can see the coloring and the dimension.

If you'd like to play along with us this week, simply click on the Digital Tuesday Challenge Blinkie in my side bar and it will take you directly to the Challenge Site with further instructions.

If you'd like to purchase this image, simply click on the Digital Stamp Oasis image in my side bar and it will take you directly to the Etsy Store.

Have a great day! Amy

The Long Awaited Post of My Newly Redecorated Living Room!

Well, for those of you who have been anxiously awaiting (And I'm sure there is not a whole lot of you out there. LOL!) seeing pictures of my newly re-decorated living room, today is your day! I finally finished those blasted drapes yesterday! It sure took me long enough! As most of you already know, my daughter is getting married in June in our home. I wanted to redecorate the living room before that big event because my old living room was very outdated: country lace curtains that came with the house, hunter green walls (which I hated, but had to live with because it was the only color that matched my rug, which I also hated! LOL!), a hunter green/pink Oriental Rug, and, furniture that was as old as my daughter and on its 4 set of slipcovers. So this really needed to be done. It was not a luxury expense.

I'll start by showing you a picture of the entire room. Its a very small room. We have another room that's about 3 times the size of this one that we use when we have company. But this is the room that our small little family congregates in most of the time. Mostly because its very cozy and warm because of the wood stove, and its also closest to the kitchen. LOL! My daughter and I painted the room a blue color called 'Urban Nature' by Dutch Boy. The furniture is from Ashley Furniture, my favorite furniture store where I buy everything, and, as I already stated, I made the drapes myself. Here is another view of the center of the room. I'm taking the picture from my dining room, which is open to the living room. The open staircase leads to the third floor where are bedrooms are located.

The ceiling is bead board. My husband put in all the intricate moldings in our first renovation.

Here is my brand new Soap Stone Stove which cost about as much as a third world country, but it was worth every penny. It heats our entire 3000 square foot house with wood. If your wondering why the alcove is red, its because my dining room is red and that room is open to this room. I wanted to bring a bit of the red into my living room. And even though I don't like the way my rocking chair looks in the room, its staying. Sometimes, comfort just has to come before design. That, and I need it for when old people come and visit. Its always their favorite chair.

The black furniture is actually used furniture I purchased from a friend. I just painted it a Satin Black, sanded the edges a bit, and added some gold highlights.

When purchasing new furniture for this room, I was amazed at how big furniture is compared to how it was 20 years ago. I had the hardest time even finding anything that fit this room. This corner sofa piece is actually called a 'Chair and a Half' which is the same size as my old love seat. And, the Love Seat on the center wall, is the same size as my old sofa. Can you believe it? Either houses are getting bigger, or people are getting bigger.

View going up the staircase.

A view of the right corner.

The rug I purchased from Menards. I couldn't believe how well it went with the furniture. It has the same patterns and colors! What are the odds of that ever happening?

And now for some detail shots. Here is a close up of the fabric I used for the curtain panels. All the materials were purchased at JoAnn's. This material is so high quality and has a beautiful sheen to it. I lined the other side with an insulated liner to keep the room warm in the winter and cool in the summer.

Here is a close up of the valence. The hardware finials are from K-mart. The valence hardware and the tie backs both match, and go with my black furniture very well. As much as I love my new curtains, I will not be making new ones for a very long time. I spent $269.00 on the panels, $64.00 on the lining, $131.00 on the hardware, $25.00 on the valences, and $20.00 for the trim. Sheesh! I sure hope I don't sick of them too fast! LOL!

Here is a close up of the tie back. These make the curtains so easy to open and close everyday.

I first saw this pillow on HGTV 'Color Splash' and fell in love with it! Mostly because I'm a big bird lover, but also, because I just loved the design. Then, one day, while my daughter and I were shopping at Target I saw the pillow! I absolutely squealed with delight, and even paid full price for it. Something, I rarely do on anything. But this was one treasure I just had to have.

I bought this print awhile ago, and was so happy it matched the room. It was such a pleasant coincidence.

Well that's all for today, I'm off to work a long weekend as always. Maybe I'll have some time to catch up with you all again Monday Night. For those of you not in retail, have a great weekend! Amy