Wishful thinking

I just had to pull out my flower images and create some birthday cards for those with February and March birthdays who are SUPPOSED to be seeing the first of the crocuses peeking out, but it's just not happening yet this year!  I even put a little snow in front of the crocuses so that we can pretend they will be out soon.  The crocus and daffodil images are digis by Delicious Doodles that I've had for ages and the first set of tulips are by Fred She Said.  The irises are by Sweet Impressions and the orange ruffled tulips were a free stamp I must have gotten with a purchase somewhere.  They were all colored with Copics.  The flourishes are a die by Memory Box. 
Here is the card folded up and ready to go into an envelope:

And here is another view:

This is the larger card in a box as found in the Splitcoaststampers tutorials.  I also made one with green cardstock, same flowers and design.  They are so much fun to make!

Till next time,
Thanks for visiting!

Gerlinde

Party Penguins

Nothing like a Penguin Party for a great Holiday Season!  These little guys were colored with Copics and are having a blast in all that glittery snow!  The icicles are a Cottage Cutz Die embossed with Sparkle N Sprinkle's Shimmer embossing powder.  Then the layer of snow is Aleene's True Snow that I found at Marco's Papers.  The snow is covered with Stampin Up's Dazzling Diamonds glitter before it dries.   The snowflakes are also covered in Shimmer EP and punched with a Fiskar's punch.  The letters are cut with my Silhouette.

 This is my second attempt at a Vertical Stair Step card.  Some of you may remember my Valentine one where I used the Noortje-design template which was in centimeters.  I needed a wider stair step to accomodate the fat little penguins, so I revised the template for a 3/4" wide step instead of the 3/8" step in the original AND I made all the dimensions in inches so that it's a breeze to lay the template on the cardstock and score it through the template on the scoreboard.  The cuts can also be made right thru the template - all you need do is attach it to your cardstock with removable tape. The template is below if you would like it.  You should be able to just click on it and print, but if that doesn't work you can copy and paste it into Word but make sure you set it at no margins and make the image fit the paper.  Then the drawing should be the 4 3/8" x 7 1/2".    If you have any questions, feel free to email me.

Here are a few more views of the card:

I am entering this into the following challenges:
Christmas Inspirations - Use Punches or Dies
Paper Creator - Punches or Dies
CAOTY - Funkelzauber (Glitter & Glimmer)
Crafting Muskateers - Christmas in October
Delightful Challenges - Holiday Spirit
Little Miss Muffet - We Wish You a Merry Christmas
Crafts-Too Challenge You - Christmas Festivities with a Twist - Create a Christmas Scene

Thanks for visiting!

Gerlinde

Friends Forever

This card is for a good friend who is a horse lover.  I managed to get her hair the same color as hers but wasn't quite comfortable enough with my coloring skills to make the horse look like her horse with the white in the middle of the face.  It is colored with Copics and it's my first time coloring black hair.  Unfortunately, I only had half the shades of black and gray that the YouTube video said I should use but somehow I managed - there is always the next time, right?  The image is by Delicious Doodles and the sentiment is by Netty's Cards.  I used the sketch offered in The Sweet Stop's Challenge this week.











I am entering this in the following challenges:
The Sweet Stop - Sketch #230
Delicious Doodles - Eyelets or Brads
Hiding in My Craftroom - Woman's Birthday
Crafty Catz - Birthday
Ooh-La-La Creations - F is for ....?(Friends Forever)

Thanks for visiting!

Gerlinde

First Christmas Card for 2013!

 Well, I've decided that in order to get more Christmas cards done this year than last I need to keep them Clean and Simple.  We'll see how long that resolution lasts! This is a digi stamp by Stitchy Bear Digis called O Winter Trees that I simply printed out in green ink and then covered with Sparkle N Sprinkles' Shimmer embossing powder.  Easy Peasy for a fabulous look!  The little tag is Stampin Up and the green cardstock is the discontinued Handsome Hunter - I wish they would bring that one back!

















I would like to enter this card in the following challenges:
Gingerloft - Trees
ABC Christmas Challenge - O is for O' Christmas Tree
One Stitch at a Time - Anything Goes
Lexi's Creations - Christmas in July
Jellypark Friends - Christmas in July
Crafting for all Seasons - Christmas in July

Thanks for visiting!
Gerlinde

Mo Manning Sympathy

 Thank you Deann! - For getting me inspired to get into action again!  My only New Year's resolution is to finish all the cards I started last year! LOL!  And there are a LOT of them!  I've had these adorable little angels colored for some time now but just couldn't find the right background papers for them.  This one is Graphics 45 "A Ladies Diary" and goes perfectly with the Wild Wasabi green.  The clouds are from a template I found online and covered with Sparkle N Sprinkle's Twinkling Clouds.  The sympathy banner I cut freehand.  The corner dies are Sizzix.

 Deann needed three of these, so I have slightly different versions.  The pink background paper is Paper Pizzazz and the lavender is from a paper pad called Dreamcatcher.  The corner embellishments and oval frame on the lavender one  are simply white cardstock colored with a gold leafing pen. And the blue one uses Ballet Blue with Sparkle N Sprinkle's Shimmer embossing powder.
Thanks for looking and hopefully You'll be seeing me soon again!

I'd like to enter this into the following challenges:
Card Makin Mamas - Anything Goes
Lexi's Creations - Anything Goes

Bismarck's Gift

Here is the second in my doggy series - this one is another Mo Manning called Bismarck.  He is colored with Copics and cut out using Spellbinders Labels Two. The DP is not marked and I'm sure something I picked up for 25 cents.  The trees are Hero Arts Merry Christmas Trees embossed with Sparkle N Sprinkle's White Spark embossing powder and the poinsettia rhinestone is from JoAnn's with a little strip of ribbon behind it.  Bismarck reminds me a lot of my little Schnauzer "Schatzi" that I lost two years ago.  (Although she wasn't so little since she ate everything in sight!)
I will be entering this in the following challenges:
52 Christmas Card Throwdown - #9 Gifts of the Season
Cute Card Thursday - Christmas
Christmas Cards All Year Round - Christmas Presents
Craft Punked - Pets
LEJ Designs - Winter Wishes
Papelitos Challenges - Anything Goes
Bearly Mine - Anything Goes
Through the Craftroom Door - Anything Goes

Thanks for Looking!
Gerlinde

Merry Christmas, Doggone it!

Warning!  This is the first in a series of cards for my friends dog grooming shop and who else would I go to for images, but Mo Manning! This Christmas Sheepdog (with hat) is colored with Copics and cut with Spellbinder's Labels Twelve.  The DP is K & Company Shimmer Paper and the Santa hat  has Sparkle N Sprinkle's Twinkling Clouds on the white fur.  The embellishments are just from my stash.  I won't tell you how many I colored and threw away, but that's the fun in tackling a new challenge, isn't it!
I would like to enter this card in the following challenges:
Christmas Crafting - Traditional Christmas Colors
Sparkles Forum Christmas Challenge - Sparkle & Bling
Lia Stampz - 3 R's - Red, Ribbon, Rhinestones
Anything Goes - Early Christmas
Mema's Crafts - Holiday Bliss
Stampin for the Weekend - Starting Christmas Early
Nutcrafters - Countdown to Christmas
Ladybug Crafts Ink - Christmas

Thanks for visiting!
Gerlinde

Christmas Kisses

Hi!  I'm back again with another of Michelle Perkett's fabulous digi images now available at Sparkle n Sprinkle!  Isn't she the cutest?  She is colored with Copics and has a little Sparkling Snow glitter on her wings.  The Mistletoe is a Silhouette die cut that has been glittered and embossed.  The branch is embossed with Christmas Green and the berries are rounded out with Dimensional Glue and sprinkled with Sparkling Snow.  The bow has been glittered with Collegiate Garnet.   It's never too early to get your Christmas cards done, so check out all the great Christmas images at the Sparkle N Sprinkle online store!
TFL!
Gerlinde

Woofie Under the Tree

Sparkle N Sprinkle now has a new line of Digi images by Michelle Perkett! This one is called "Woofie under Tree in Box" and is perfect for all those dog lovers out there! The sentiments come with it and are just so unique!  I punched "Season's Slobbers" out with an ornament punch and used an internet clip art bone to trace over the "Wags and Wiggles" sentiment and cut out. You can find complete directions for this card here, but please check out all the other Michelle Perkett stamps and digis on the SNS online store.






Here's a little better view of the sentiment:

Hope you enjoyed!  Stay tuned for another digi by Michelle Perkett soon!
Gerlinde

Kris Kringle

I really should have called this the "not-so-simple simple card".  What started out as a quick card using another digi, this one by Squigglefly, ended up by my adding and adding this and that and Oh! that too!  The ornaments are cut with my Silhouette and as you can probably tell, I had to add the sentiment by hand with a gold gel pen.  And of course, there are lots of Sparkle N Sprinkle supplies too - Snow White Flocking on Kris's hat, Crystal Ice glitter on his beard, and Sequin Gold glitter on the ornaments.  The background paper is from The Paper Studio and the frame around Kris is a sticker frame from Flower Soft.  Have a great week!

Happy Holidays

I wasn't going to post this one, since I needed to quickly get my last three German cards together for my standing order of eight German cards, but he turned out kind of cute, so here he is.  I have to admit, I cheated.  Yes, I used a pre-colored digi stamp!  This one is by Inger Harding and he is just too cute.  The snowflake is cut with my Silhouette and the card itself is a digi pattern by Martine McKnight called Winter Wonderland.  It printed out the perfect size so that all I had to do was fold it in half and the backside of the card is patterned too!  A little glitter, some ribbon, and a computer generated sentiment cut into a tag and tied on with silver wire and you have a super quick card.  Stay tuned...... I'm on a roll.

Letters to Santa

Being with my 2 year old and 5 year old grandsons on a daily basis, I'm constantly reminded of the magic of Christmas - Christmas as seen through the eyes of a child.  There's the mailing of a letter to Santa.  Then there is watching a deer cross the road in front of us as Carter asks if that is Santa's reindeer and just at that moment the big buck stops and stares at us as we drive on.  Yes, I said, he's checking on you and reporting back to Santa.  And then last week Carter followed the chimney sweep out the door asking if it's true that the chimney has to be cleaned so that Santa can come down easier.  This is so much better than concentrating on the shopping!
The digi image I used on this card is by Elizabeth Belle and was colored with pencils.  Sparkle N Sprinkle's Sparkling Snow Glitter on the snow and Snow White Flocking on her hat and coat don't show well in the photo, but add some nice texture.  Stampin Up's Hello Doily in the background is done with Winter White Embossing powder (also Sparkle N Sprinkle), which has a nice subtle glitter to it too.  The dark green scalloped circle (Nestabilities) and the dark green flourish (Silhouette) are embossed with Sparkle N Sprinkle's Opaline.  Then last but not least is the Poinsettia die by Spellbinders and stamp by Heartfelt Creations.  You would not believe how many Poinsettias I had spread out on my table and none of them filled the space quite right.  Then yesterday the dies and stamp set came in the mail and I KNEW that was going to be perfect! Thanks for looking - back to the drawing board for me!
I am entering this card in the following challenges:
Christmas Inspirations - Bow
Card Makin Mamas - Die Cut
Cheers & Challenges Eclectic Ensemble - 4 Embellishments
4 Crafty Chicks - Die Cuts
Paper Crafting Journey -Use a Digi

Pumpkin Harvest

I know, I know.... I said I don't usually do fall cards.....but I discovered all sorts of possibilities in my fall digi files. This one is from Karen's Doodles and she has some fabulous Christmas digis too!  Or maybe I was just having too much fun with my watercolor pencils?  I left it with no sentiment so that I can add that later for an appropriate occasion.  The image background is finished with pearl chalks and cut out with Spellbinder's Curvy Rectangles.  The brown wood DP is Bo Bunny, but I have no idea what the rest of the papers are - let's just say "from my stash".  The flowers are colored with H2O twinkling paints (I like to buy natural flowers and color as needed) and layered with the Martha Stewart leaf punch.  The tiny little flowers I bought at convention in sprays and cut them off the stems. And, of course, I HAVE to add bling with the rhinestone flower centers!
I will be entering this card in the following challenges:
I Brake for Challenges - Fall
Crafting for all Seasons - Fall
Penny's Paper-Crafty Challenge - Fall
 Scrapbook Sisters - Autumn Colors
Tuesday Throwdown -Fall
 Digi Doodles Shops Best - Autumn Colors
Delightful Challenges - Fall
The Crafty Purple Frog - Fall
4 Crafty Chicks - Fall
Crafts 4 Eternity - Autumn Days

A Touch of Fall

Just had to take a break from Christmas - and I'm usually not much of a fall theme card person, but it was a nice break.  This digi is from Fred She Said, which I've had quite a while.  I would love to have that arrangement on my dining room table!  It is colored with watercolor pencils and cut with a circle cutter (didn't have a Nestie that big).  The background cardstock is Old Olive, Espresso, and probably an "In-Color" from SU that I didn't mark.  The fall leaves DP is from The Paper Studio and the sentiment is Stampin Up.  The lace was half price at Hobby Lobby and then dyed with Lumiere metallic paint in Bronze.  I do have a couple of close friends with September birthdays - this will be perfect!  Thanks for looking!
I will be entering this card in the following challenges:
Crazy 4 Challenges - Fall colors
Digistamps4joy - the colors of fall
Happileigh Scrappin - Fall leaves
The Crafty Pad - Autumn Colors
Lexi's Creations - Autumn
Digital Tuesday - Celebrate the Season
Digi Doodle Shop -Autumn Colors

Vespa Santa

Love this Santa by Elizabeth Dulemba!  Quite a break from the traditional Santa - this guy is ROCKIN'!  I have no idea where I got the background DP, but it seemed to give the little Vespa movement!  Unfortunately I had only enough for 5 of the cards, the rest are done with the paper shown below in version 2.  My goal is to make 10 each of 10 designs.  I may not have time for fall cards. Santa and Vespa are colored with a combination of Copics markers, Prismacolor markers, colored pencils, and gel pens.  Since I don't have a large collection of any of these I had to combine the media. The sentiment is from Happy Everything by Inkadinkadoo. The cardstock is Gable Green and Real Red by SU.
Here is version 2:

And for the German friends and relatives it will say "Frohe Festtage!"
I am entering this card in the following challenges:
Sparkles Forum Christmas Challenge #8 - Santa
Winter Wonderland - Santa Claus is Coming to Town
Cuddly Buddly - Add a tag
Crafters Companion - Christmas wishes
Scrapbook Sisters Card Challenge #51 - Ho Ho Ho
Oldie But a Goodie - Christmas in September

Peaceful Holiday

Last year I ran out of Christmas cards and had to make a "quickie" at the last minute.  Below is the white card that I threw together using a Delicious Doodles digi and cased from someone on SCS, but I don't remember who.  I liked it so much that I decided to make some more and change it up a bit.  I used Marina Mist cardstock and Fiskars, Heidi Grace Frost Blvd DP.  I used watercolor pencil in blue to highlight parts of the image and covered it using Tacky Powder and glitter from my stash.  The ornament is SU punch and various snowflake stamps which I embossed with White Jewels after embossing the Peace in silver.  On to the next one!
I am entering this card into the following challenges:
Christmas Crafting - Sparkle
Christmas Inspirations - Glitter
Crafters Companion - Christmas Wishes
Stampin for the Weekend  - Holidays
Divas by Design - Christmas in August
Card Makin Mamas - Digital
One Stitch at a Time - Use a Digi
Stamp Something - Digi
Cute Card Thurs - Use a punch