Thank you for your consideration

My projects are not to be submitted and/or used in any written publication, advertisement or contest without my knowledge. I am flattered if you use one of my projects as inspiration, but please give me credit when you do and, if possible a link back to this blog. If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to me using the contact form. Thank you

I appreciate my Followers!

Saturday, September 30, 2017

Halloween Hoot ...

Hold on, man. We don't go anywhere with "scary," "spooky," "haunted," or "forbidden" in the title. ~From Scooby-Doo

Good afternoon,
Every month I play along with the Progressive Freebie Challenge offered by DigiStamps4Joy on her facebook page

This month, our image is the cute “Fall Owl (mp462)



I decided to have a little fun and make a “Spring” style card which I have not made in a long time.

The overall card size is a 5-1/8 square. They are very easy to make and are a great way to use 2 sided papers.

Supplies:
  • Fall Owl digi image (DS4J)
  • Bow punch (Stampin Up!)
  • Card stock (Stampin Up!)
  • Design paper (Unknown)
  • Halloween paper clip (Unknown)
  • ProMarkers and Copics

Thanks for stopping by!
(Hugs) Cara

Tuesday, September 26, 2017

Let is Snow ... in monotone

And there is quite a different sort of conversation around a fire than there is in the shadow of a beech tree.... [F]our dry logs have in them all the circumstance necessary to a conversation of four or five hours, with chestnuts on the plate and a jug of wine between the legs. Yes, let us love winter, for it is the spring of genius. ~Pietro Aretino, translated from Italia

Hello my Lovelies!
Today ushered in a new color challenge at The Outlawz Challenges

This week’s challenge comes to us from Jeanie and she is asking they we make a monotone card/project with one color to pop!
Our sponsor this month is sheepski designs with a prize of 3 images to her etsy store.



I am using her awesome and fun image “Snowmen Selfie”

I absolutely adore this image and I am not a selfie fan! Anyway... I am attempting a black and white photo look here and added a bit of jade to the image for my pop. Not going to lie, I've attempted these before with really disapointing results. This time I used a previous image I had colored for another challenge and ran it through my copy machine to give me a photo in black and white. Then I sat down with my alcohol markers and proceded to color this one up using the photocopy as a guide. I'm really happy how this one turned out ... so here is my 5 x 7 card


Supplies
  • Image "Snowmen Selfie" colored with pro-markers and copics
  • Card stock from Stampin Up! and The Paper Studio
  • Confetti embossing folder from Close to My Heart
  • Glitter paper from Recollections
 Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to come on over to The Outlawz Challenges where a new and different challenge starts every day!
(hugs) Cara



Tuesday, September 19, 2017

Fall is almost here! ....

Thought for the Day

“Maybe you don’t see people looking at you because you aren’t looking at them.
Maybe you don’t hear all the good things people say about you because you’re too focused on the bad.
Maybe you’re a lot more wonderful, beautiful and special than you give yourself credit for.”
~ Author Unknown

Hello everyone … running late seems be the name of my new theme song these days (sigh) …
A new color challenge started today at The Outlawz Challenges and it is a really fun tic tac toe chart so come play along! You can take inspiration from the colors and/or pictures in each frame. I am using the far right row, from top to bottom.

Our sponsor this month is Sheepski Designs with a prize of three images from her store.

I am using her lovely image “Rachel



5 x 7 card supplies
  • Digi Image “Rachel” (SheepSki Designs)
  • Base card stock (The Paper Studio)
  • Card stock (Stampin Up!)
  • Design Paper (Hot off the Press)
  • Die: Pumpkin Jack (Sizzix)
  • Embossing folder: Leaf Flourish (Crafters Companion)
  • Ink (Stampin Up!)
  • Prisma Color Pencils
  • Rhinestones (Close to My Heart)
  • Sentiment: Season by Season (Stampin Up!)
Thanks for stopping by!
(Hugs) Cara


Tuesday, September 12, 2017

For Daughter Mine ...

Suddenly, through birthing a daughter, a woman finds herself face to face not only with an infant, a little girl, a woman-to-be, but also with her own unresolved conflicts from the past and her hopes and dreams for the future.... As though experiencing an earthquake, mothers of daughters may find their lives shifted, their deep feelings unearthed, the balance struck in all relationships once again off kilter.  ~Elizabeth Debold and Idelisse Malav

Good morning!

I am late once again with my posting for the new Color Challenge which started this morning at The Outlawz Challenges!

Our sponsor this month is Sheepski Designs with a prize of three images from her store.

I am using her adorable image “Fuzzy Friends” which you too can have for your very own! Just follow this link <HERE> to her etsy store!

I will be sending this to my daughter who lives in another state and I miss :O) 


 Supplies
  • Image printed on Georgia Pacific Premium Card Stock 110wt/92bright
  • Alcohol markers
  • Card stock (The Paper Studio and Stampin Up!)
  • Dies (Spellbinders “Sunny Days”)
  • Embossing folder (Sizzix “Clouds”)
  • Glitter paper (Stampin Up!)
  • Prisma Color Pencils
  • Sentiment (Close to My Heart “For Every Occasion”)
  • Stickles Glitter glue (Ranger)

Thanks for stopping by and make sure you come check out The Outlawz Challenges where something new starts every day of the week!
(Hugs) Cara 

Friday, September 8, 2017

Wishing you enough candles ...

When we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives mean the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a warm and tender hand. The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing, not curing, not healing and face with us the reality of our powerlessness, that is a friend who cares. ~Henri Nouwen

Good afternoon … I am sharing a birthday card I made for a very good friend of my husbands, actually, he is more like a brother to my husband. I don’t get to make many masculine cards so I enjoy the process when the opportunity arises.

I created the element using a metal embellishment that is supposed to look like a smashed bottle cap. I punch out a circle from a scrap of the DP used for the background. Glued it into the bottle cap then filled with Aleen's Paper Glaze. To be honest, I really like that the glaze did not dry perfectly clear and has some imperfections as it makes it work that much better with the overall card.
  


Card Size: 5 x 7
  • Card stock (The Paper Studio and Stampin Up!)
  • Dies (Sizzix “Classic circles”, “Decorative accents w/flowers” & Stampin Up! "Lattice")
  • Design paper (unknown)
  • Sentiment (Inkhootz!)
  • Bottle top, Silver card candy (Stash)
  • Aleen’s Paper Glaze
  • India Ink
  • Embossing folder (Cricut “Acanthus”)
  • Based on the sketch MFTWSC251 

Thanks for stopping by!
(Hugs) Cara


Wednesday, September 6, 2017

Autumn Daze ...

No spring nor summer’s beauty hath such grace
As I have seen in one Autumnal face....
~John Donne, "Elegy IX: The Autumnal"

Good evening … I am late sharing my DT card for the new color challenge which started at The Outlawz Challenges yesterday morning. :O(

Our sponsor this month is Sheepski Designs with a prize of three images from her store.

Our colors this week come from Kimberly and I chose to use “Rachel” with the colors and her twist of “Fall”

Shere is my 5 x 7 card based on sketch MFTWSC327





Supplies:
  • Card stock (The Paper Studio, Stampin Up!, Bazzill)
  • Classic Circle dies (Sizzix)
  • Design paper (I think it is from DSWV but not positive)
  • Image colored with alcohol markers
  • Pearls (Close to My Heart)
  • Stitched Banners and Stitched Circle dies (Gina Marie Designs) 

Thanks for stopping by!
(Hugs) Cara


Friday, September 1, 2017

Little Monsters ...

I would be most content if my children grew up to be the kind of people who think decorating consists mostly of building enough bookshelves. ~Anna Quindlen, "Enough Bookshelves," New York Times, 1991 August 7th

Hi There!
Today starts a new monthly challenge at SheepSki Designs and our theme this month is “Feature a Creature”.

When my kids were little, trips to the bookstore or the local library was met with almost as much excitement as a trip to the toy store! For my card this month, I am using "The Book of Little Monsters” which made me think of all the different stories they read as they were growing up.


Supplies
  • Image printed on Georgia-Pacific Premium Card Stock and colored with alcohol markers
  • Card stock from Stampin Up! and The Paper Studio
  • Classic Circle die from Sizzix
  • Design Paper from Color Bok
  • Embossing folder “Splat” from Fun Stampers Journey
  • Glitter glue from Studio G
  • Googly eyes from my stash
  • Stitched Square die from Gina Marie Designs

Now ... You have two ways to play along with SheepSki Designs!

BLOG ... Where you can use any hand colored image for a chance to win 3 images ... BUT, if you use a SheepSki Designs image and are the winner, you get an additional image choice

or

FACEBOOK ... Where you must use a SheepSki Designs Image for a chance to win 3 images 

As a bonus, when you are done shopping in the STORE, if you use my code SKICARA10 at check out you will receive a 10% discount off your purchased! So, come along and play one or both! Can't wait to see what you create!

Looking forward to seeing your lovely creations!

(Hugs) Cara

Here kitty, kitty ...

Cats were put into the world to disprove the dogma that all things were created to serve man. ~Paul Gray

Good morning!

Today is the 1st of September and the start of a new Progressive Freebie Challenge at The Outlawz Challenges. Each month we will send you a free digital image to use in the Freebie/Progressive challenge. Once your creation is completed, upload it into the freebie challenge and you will automatically receive the next month free digi.  We will have one image per month so you have plenty of time to create a project using the image.

If you would like to participate, please register with your name and email address to: outlawzprogressivechallenge@gmx.com

This month our sponsor is Anne Fenton with a cute kitty image.


Supplies (5 x 7)
  • Image printed on Georgia-Pacific Premium Card stock 110 wt/92 bright and colored with Zig water color pens
  • Adhesive tape
  • Card stock from Stampin Up! and The Paper Studio
  • Mixed Media Glue
  • Palette Ink, Black
  • Sentiment from Close to My Heart “Tiny, Tender & Precious”
  • Stitched Squares from Gina Marie Designs
  • Yellow Stickles from Ranger
 Thanks for stopping by!
(Hugs) Cara

Water Ballet ...

Never worry about the size of your Christmas tree. In the eyes of children, they are all 30 feet tall. ~Larry Wilde, The Merry Book of Christmas

Good morning Everyone!
Today is my Growing in Unity 2017, Day 5 and final show and tell!

I’m sure you can tell that I love Christmas and I love making Christmas Cards! I hope you have enjoyed my cards as much as I have enjoyed sharing them and reading all your wonderful and sweet comments!

Today’s card features another little favorite of mine … a Penguin! Funny little flightless birds that appear so awkward on land as they waddle around on their flippers but perform amazing ballet in  the water! I just love to watch them.

This 5 x 7 card features one of the few penguin images I own and I love that I always get a nice, crisp & clean image when I use this Unity stamp.


Supplies
  • Image/Sentiment “Tinsel in a Tangle”
  • Card stock from The Paper Studio and Stampin Up!
  • Confetti embossing folder from Close to My Heart
  • Cross Stitch #2 embossing folder from Sizzix
  • Design Paper (unknown) from my scrap bin
  • Glitter glue from Studio G
  • Heirloom Ornaments 2012 dies from Spellbinders
  • India Ink from Memories
  • Prisma Color Pencils
  • Rhinestones from Made by Me
  • Silver card stock (unknown) from my scrap bin
  • Sparkle punch from McGill
  • Yellow vellum (unknown) from my scrap bin 

If you are interested you can find out more about Unity Stamp Company by visiting their website and social media sites:

Blog 


Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to comment for a chance to win some awesome stamps! I'll be drawing two names and announcing them sooooon!
(Hugs) Cara