Happy Day Crafty Friends!

Thanks for stopping by for a visit. Today I am sharing my DT card for Monday Greetings Group at the Outlawz Challenge Site. This lovely image of a family of polar bears is from SheepSkiDesigns, called Ice and Cubes. The theme this week is Happy Holidays.  I hope you will be able to stop by.

Thanks for looking. Have a Blessed day.!!

Hugz,

Shirley

Hello and Happy Happy!

Another day, another reason to be thankful. I have been MIA due to some physical challenges but today is a great day to have a great day. My DT card that I created for the Monday Greetings group at the Outlawzchallenges site uses the Countess Van Bloot image by this week's sponsor,  Rick St. Dennis. I had a lot of fun playing with this image. 

The challenge is Creepy Nite Greetings. My greeting is "How You Booing?" Hope you have a chance to join in the fun.

Have a Blessed week!

Hugz,

Shirley

Let's start over...Okay Monday , here we go

We had so much rain over the weekend. Even the River Walk  located in the heart of the Loop (downtown area of Chicago) was closed due to flooding. We got 4 inches of rain on Sunday. Too much at one time.

Moving on to today. It is going on in the Monday Greetings group. The theme is Get inspired by your favorite actor/actress or singer. Our sponsor this week is Mari Digis Stamps. I selected the image, Sound of Music. I loved this story as a child. This image brings back good memories and as my sentiment says, Listen to your heart. 

Thanks for stopping by. Have a Blessed week!

Hugs,
Shirley

Happy Fall/ Autumn Y'all!

Happy First day of Autumn / Fall.  So hard for me to believe that it is the first day of Autumn! It is 85 degrees in Chicago.  Loving every minute of it.

Welcoming in the change of the season with a colored image that I matted to be placed in a photo frame. I love this image by Mo Manning.  What 'painting' are you creating? Here is the one that I made.

Hope you are enjoying this day. Thanks for stopping by. I appreciate it.

Stay Blessed!
Hugz,

Shirley

Happy Monday - Fancy Fold Cards

Hello friends! It's Monday and that means a new challenge at the Monday Greetings Challenge Group over at the Outlawz Challenge site. This is  my first time posting the challenge and it was a little challenging. I could not get the names of my team members to align properly. I finally got it done on my laptop but when viewed on my android phone, the names were still skewed! Oh well, the challenge is posted and hope you come and join us! The theme is Fold It, make a fancy fold card. My DT members have created beautiful cards to inspire you. Here is the card that I made, a Gatefold Window Card.  I got my inspiration from Beccy's Place where she has compiled a large array of card fold tutorials , A-Z of Folded Cards. Thank you Beccy!!! Go check it out at beccysplace.blogspot.com

Well, it had to happen sooner or later...summer is almost over and Autumn will officially be here on Friday. I saw a wonderful Autumn quote that I will be using in one of the other challenges on the Outlawz Challenge site. Come back on Wednesday to see what I made. 

Thanks for looking and have a Blessed day.

Hugz,

Shirley 

School Daze...

Hello friends!

It's time for this week's challenge at the Outlawz Monday Greetings group. This week as always, my DT teammates created some beautiful cards! The theme is Back to School.

This is my DT card for this week's challenge. I used ULA Be Strong image and sentiment by Polkadoodles.

Thanks for stopping by and hope you join us at the Outlawz Challenges for Monday Greetings. Have a great week!

Hugz,

Shirley













 

A little late posting this...

Sorry  for the late posting...life happens but all is good. Hope you are all doing well.  Here is my card for Outlawz Challenges, Monday Greetings for this  week. I love this image by Sheep Ski Designs, our sponsor for the week, called Emmy's  Hat. Visit them at their etsy shop. You won't be disappointed. A new challenge for Monday greetings begins now. Hope you join us.

Have a wonderful week! Thanks for looking.

Hugz,

Shirley

Happy Sunday!

Monday begins another challenge over at the Outlawz Challenges site. This is the DT card that I made for this week's challenge with the theme, flowers. The image on the card is by Bugaboo Stamps. Isn't she cute! 

Thanks for stopping by. Wishing you a productive week. Stay Blessed!

Hugz,

Shirley

Monday - Make it a fun day!!!

Good day my friends!

Wishing you  joy and dreams realized. The Greetings Group has a new challenge posted today on the Outlawz Challenges site.  Check it out and please join in the fun.  Here is my DT card for the challenge.  I used a free digi that was created by one of the DT's  on the site, Sandi Huggett. Thanks Sandi! She has other great freebies available on the site. The theme this week is to use cut paper anywhere on your card.

Wow!!! We got a lot of rain this morning so I don't have to water anything outside. Will be going outside later to do some weeding while the soil is still wet. Also I enjoy being outside after a rain. The air smells clean and nature seems so peaceful. I love it!

Thanks for stopping by and have a Blessed day!!!

Hugz,

Shirley

Great day in the garden

Good afternoon, my crafty friends!

Cool temps, rain last night so I didn't have to water the garden. I hope that you are having a great day, too. Here is a card that I made for last month's  Freebie/Progressive Challenge at the Outlawz Challenges site. The free image is a lovely female, "My Fair Lady" by Andrea H Norris of  SheepSkiDesigns on Etsy. This is a beautiful image and I had to create something special to showcase her. This is what I came up with:

Also including some pictures from the garden.

The first shot is of my backyard. I have a few more spots to clean up but it is coming together.

The second shot is of my front yard.

Thanks for stopping by.   Have a Blessed day!


Hugz,

Shirley






 

Happy Monday!

Today is the beginning of a new challenge in the Monday Greetings group on the Outlawz Challenges site. Hope you get a chance to join in the fun. The theme is vacation. Now that is something I know we all would like more of.

My teammates have done a great job in providing inspiration for this challenge. Our sponsor this week is Scribbles Designs.  I used one of their  digi images called, Tropical Drink. I love this image. You can check it out with this link. While you are there, check out all the other great images that are available. http://buyscribblesdesigns.blogspot.com.

Here is my DT card for the challenge. Hope you get a chance to join us.  http://outlawzchallenges.ning.com.

Thanks for looking. Have a wonderful 4th of July celebration with family and friends!!!

Hugz,

Shirley

Woo hoo!

Hello friends!

I am so happy to say that I am a member of a Design Team on the Monday Greetings Challenge group on the Outlawz Challenge site! Woo Hoo!!

Some of you may already know that, scrapsofcolor.ning.com will be closing in a little over a month. It will be a very sad occasion for all the members. This was the  first crafty site that I joined where I found so many friendly people who were willing to help me on my journey to become a card maker.  When I first joined the site there were a lot of scrapbookers who created  layouts but  it evolved into a site filled with  card makers, crafters, mix media artists and more! I received so much guidance and inspiration from the members who I will always call friends. In addition, the owner of the site, Classygirl, aka, Tiare Smith has been a great role model and continues to provide inspiration to all. I love them all and hope our friendships continue to grow as we inspire each other in our art.

Here is my first card for the Monday Greetings challenge. I used a digital image by Creative Bug Digis, http://scrapbookingforbeginners-naomi.blogspot.ca/p/creative-bug-digis.html, called Wine and Bouquet.  The challenge  theme is Anything Goes. Hope you like my card.

It has been hot in Chicago but today the temps are in the 70's. Ahhhh! Here are a couple of pics of my  my backyard garden. It is a work in progress...It is always in progress, lol.

Last year, I planted  a variety of plants that monarch butterflies depend on both for food and reproduction. The plants came back this year healthy and are now blooming.  Over the last two days I have noticed a couple of monarch butterflies in my garden. Yesterday, they didn't even fly away when I approached. I have to keep reminding myself that the caterpillars are good, the caterpillars are good. Don't kill the caterpillars!!! Will post pics next time of the front garden.

If you want to challenge yourself in your card making, check out the challenges at the Outlawz Challenge site. There is a different challenge each day so there is no chance that you will get bored. All the participants in the challenges are so talented and you will receive a lot of inspiration from them and the wonderful artists on each of the Design teams.

Thanks for stopping by and wishing you all  a great week!


Hugz!

Shirley

Summer Fun!

Hello everyone!
It is hot in the city today and for the next five days, highs in the 90's!!! I have a few more gardening chores to do and then it is maintenance only. That's the part that I enjoy.

This is my last week to be a guest designer at the CAS group over at the Outlawz Challenge website. Then back to being a participant in one or all of the daily challenges that are available at the site. You should give it a try. It's a lot of fun and provides great inspiration.

Here is my card for CAS. Hope you are staying cool and will jump in the challenges at the Outlawz.

Thanks for looking.

Hugz,
Shirley

Happy Saturday!

Hello my friends!
I am a guest designer for two weeks  for the Clean and Simple group over at the Outlawz site. I have been so busy that I did not post the first week. I cannot post the second one until tomorrow.

The challenge last week was to use a technique and share it with the group. I used the shape cut edge technique. All you need to do to create your own design is stamp an image or more along the edge of your card. I used one stamp image that I repeatedly stamped along the edge of card stock. I turned the stamp slightly with each stamp. You can use several stamp mages to create any design along the edge of the card.

Now fussy cut out the edges of the design along the edge of the card stock. I added a sheet of gold paper to the inside of my card.  This is a fun technique that can provide a lot wow to your project.

Have a great day. Thanks for stopping by.

Hugz,

Shirley

Happy Memorial Day Weekend!

The Memorial Day Weekend begins! Love and honor to our troops who through the  ultimate sacrifice or temporary sacrifice of the lost of their families and friends, keep my family and me safe!!!

Well this is also the unofficial start of the summer season. Why??? Can't we just wait another month until the real start of summer...slow down you're moving too fast. Enjoy the Spring and all it brings. Currently, in Chi-town, we are having a lot...I mean a LOT of rain. My garden is loving it. I guess I am also because pulling weeds is a lot easier when the soil is wet.

I have not been in the craft room a lot but got a chance recently to play around with the 'spotlight' technique for a challenge over at the Outlawz site. I like how it came out and I am sharing it below.

I hope that you get a chance to play in your garden and in your crafty space this weekend. Also, take time to remember those who are fighting to maintain our freedoms. Don't forget to play with your spouse, children, family, friends and if you have none of the aforementioned...God loves you and loves hearing from you.

Thanks for stopping by.

Hugz,


Shirley

You have a friend in me...

Hello Crafters! Hope your Mother's Day was a wonderful one. Mother's Day is a day that brings mixed emotions because I have lost two important women in my life, my mother and sister. However, through pictures and fond memories, I celebrate them and the other wonderful mothers in this world!!!

I am busy making some cards to send to friends for National New , Old Friends week. It is celebrated the third full week in May. This year it will be celebrated May 21-27. You still have time to get those cards made and mailed to your friends. They are just like family, right? Yes! They are. Here is one that I made.

Thanks for stopping by!

Hugz,

Shirley

How You doing?

There has been a great challenge going on at the SOC website. MJ has been hosting the Robert Jackson Television Talk Show Host progressive image challenge. Say that three times. The challenge lasted five weeks. Each week you received a new image if you created a project with the previous image. Wow! Images by Robert Jackson. How awesome is that??? tooo!!!! 

This is the last week of the challenge and I just completed and posted my creation. Exhale. This challenge has been a blast! I hope you like my card. 

All the images that were used in the challenge may not be posted in his gallery yet but they will be soon. Until then, check out Robert Jackson's other images at his website, Fine Arts by Robert Jackson at :

http://fineartsbyrobertjackson.com/new-digital-arrivals.html

Thanks for stopping by. Hugz and have a Blessed evening!

Shirley

Hey...It's the weekend!

It is 2 a.m., CST. Why am I still awake. I have an appointment in 11 hours. Got to go to bed. Well not before I post this cute image that I purchased at From the Heart Stamps blog.  I wanted to get in on the site's progressive monthly digi challenge for March. Have to post before 10 pm tonight so that I will be able to receive April's image free.  Well, I got it done. Yay!  I am looking forward to receiving the next image.

Do you have something planned for the weekend? If not, no worries. You deserve to just chill. Enjoy whatever you do.

Got a chance to complete the card that I made for at a friend's request for a 12 year old who is terminally ill. Abbie likes the color turquoise, Disney, soccer and dogs. Here is the card that I made to send to her.

Thanks for looking.

Hugz,

Shirley

Happy Monday!

Craft month is winding down and I said that I would use some of my supplies that I have not used or rarely use. Well, I had many to choose from, LOL. Looked at those two sets of gelatos that have been sitting on my desk for far too long.

Well, I must say, I have been having fun playing with them.  Here is a card that I made using them. Hope you have been having a great National Craft Month and played with some of your supplies that have been sitting waiting for your attention.

Thanks for stopping by. Have a Blessed day.

Hugz,

Shirley

Hey...it's the weekend!

Yay, it's the weekend! Happy St Patty's Day. I had a good week. Completed my Bible journal page and completed a few cards for some challenges. I also have been playing with my mix media supplies that have been waiting for me to open them. Currently waiting for my Tim Holtz Distress Oxide Inks to arrive. Placed an advance order and now I am holding myself back from ordering just one to try out. Tired of seeing people having fun on YouTube while they play with them. Exhale, inhale. They will arrive soon. I hope...

Above is one of the cards that I created this week. The main die is from Tattered Lace. It was free with magazine #39. The sentiment is from Anna Griffin die set and the flowers are colored die cuts from Tattered Lace.

Thanks for stopping by and wishing you a great crafty weekend!

Hugz,

Shirley

Good Morning Sunshine

Hello my crafty friends! I am a Guest Designer this week in the Twisted Thursday Challenge at The Outlawz site, www.outlawzchallenges.ning.com/.  Woo hoo!!!

The Outlawz is a great site that has a different challenge to participate in each day. A good way to get your mojo back or keep it going. In addition, these challenges have wonderful Design Team members and participants. Check them out and participate in one or all of the challenges. Hope to see you there.

It is National Craft Month (NCM) . Okay, I think every month is craft month. However, in honor of NCM, I am learning a new craft. What will that be? So many to choose from...  Will be back later and let you know how it turned out. Until then, here is my card that I made for the Twisted Thursday Challenge. 

I used the flower, butterfly and sentiment from MHK designs, Beginnings and Endings collection. 

Thanks for stopping by. Now go out and create smiles with your creations. 

Hugz,

Shirley

HAPPY FRIDAY!

Hello my lovelies!
I am stepping to Mary Mary as I type this post. Have to get those last steps in on my FitBit, lol.

It's the weekend and I always have things that I would like to do but time keeps on ticking into the future no matter how often I try to get it to just pause!!!

I have been spending too much time lately on the designs of my card and it is slowing me down. Need to get the craft room organized, too. Here are a couple of cards that I made.

I used papers from Club Scrap (http://clubscrap.com/) and the digi is by Robert Jackson (http://fineartsbyrobertjackson.com/new-digital-arrivals.html). I also used dies from Stampin Up. The embossing folder is by Anna Griffin.

Thanks for stopping by. Have a Blessed weekend!

Hugz,

Shirley

What's going on?

Hello my crafty friends!
Yesterday was such a beautiful day in Chicago. The temp got to 70 degrees. WHAT???? I have been enjoying the great weather but the temps will be falling and snow...oh no...snow is predicted for the weekend. Oh well, it is still winter. I know my garden bulbs are confused. Praying for all the gardens to become stronger as a result of this brief Spring weather.

So what have you been crafting lately? I have been catching up on my cardmaking because I got so far behind. Here are a few that I made.

Wishing you a Blessed day and thanks for looking!

Love ya!

Shirley

It all about Love

Hello everyone!

What are you crafting? I am back in my craft area after not feeling crafty for about a month. Here is a Valentine card that I made for my hubby. Love him more. The image is from Faery Ink . www.faeryink.com/. I love this  image. It is called, Aja Warm Drink Cold Day.

Let your love ones know today that they are loved.

Thanks for looking.  Have a Blessed evening.

Love ya,
Shirley

Happy Friday!

Hello everyone. I am posting a valentine card that I made for two challenges; Robert Jackson Valentine Challenge on Embrace Your Art/Scrapsofcolor and Paper A La Mode Challenge, Full of Hearts Challenge on The Outlawz Challenges. Wishing you a wonderful weekend!

Love,

Shirley

Happy New Year

The new year is in full swing. Dealing with some challenges in health of family members but moving forward with faith and love. Just getting into the mood to finish my New Year's cards and mailed most of them today. I will attempt to be use my stash and post more of my creations this year. Here is the first card for 2017.

Today is my niece's birthday. Happy Birthday Niecy! Wishing everyone a great weekend.