Something Fishy Happened Today

LOL!!  Well, kinda sorta!

I've been looking for a riverbed background picture for my fish tank since August, but the stores have been sold out of the size I need.  I didn't want just plain blue or black, and I finally got tired enough of looking at the cords hanging behind the tank that I decided to make my own picture. 

I used Dustin Pike images - lots of them!  I used one of his designs as a template that I sized to 14" x 24" and then cut the sand and water out of scrapbook paper and added lots of fun characters.  The trickiest part was trying to be sure I was leaving enough room in the right spots for the heater and filter tube so that they didn't hide anyone. 

I don't know if my fish are happier with their new background, but I'm giggling and loving not seeing those dang cords!


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Happy Talk Like A Pirate Day!

ARRRRRR!!

Surfing Dudley Get Well Card

I found something more difficult for me to make than a masculine card - a masculine card for a teenager!  Ohgosh I tell ya, I seriously almost ran to the store to buy one this time, lol! 

I used one of my favorite Dustin Pike Dudley images and I wrote a little message inside that included bits like "back on your feet" and "have a fun summer".  I colored him with my prismas and then cut a scribble frame by Samantha Walker with my Silhouette.

Do teenage boys even like cards??


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Calendar for mini cd case

A friend of mine is starting her Christmas crafts and she asked me to make her a blank 2012 calendar set that she could stamp on and put in one of those small CD cases.  After creating the calendar part using my always awesome Storybook Creator 3.0 program (I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE that software!!!) I decided to take it one step further and I made a version complete with pre-colored images by Dustin Pike. 

I am now five months early starting my holiday teacher gifts!! woohoo!! Dustin, pretty please, don't ever stop offering colored versions of your designs!

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Bon Voyage!

A friend of mine is leaving for an overseas vacation today so I made her a little Bon Voyage card using one of my favorite Dustin Pike characters, Dudley. Since she had taken a little fall last month and hurt her arm, I decided to include a note on the inside that read: "I was going to wish you a good "TRIP" but I was afraid you would take it literally!"

I sure hope she chuckles at it, otherwise I can forget about any chance of receiving a European postcard from her, lol!



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School's OUT!!

Today is my daughter's last day of Kindergarten.  It seems like just yesterday I was trying to figure out if she would even be brave enough to step foot on the bus that first day it stopped at our house.  She did, and she smiled so big and proud while signing "I love you" in the window as it drove away.  Ok, now it seems like a lifetime ago too.  Time flies.

I made some cards and post it note holders for her teachers, the secretaries and the bus drivers.  Just simple ones since I waited until this past weekend to start them, ugh.  How can someone who likes to have things planned out be such a procrastinator anyway??  LOL!

Dustin Pike saved me once again with his pre-colored digis.  I used his fun freebie from a few weeks ago and added a caption and mat.  The insides of the cards simply say "Have a great summer!".

And I found a nice simple post-it-note holder pattern on Wendy's blog.

My daughter signed each of the cards herself using all of the colored note holder gel pens because she said she had to be sure they all worked good, lol!  A few of the cards are even signed in "rainbow colors".

I am still trying to process that today my little princess becomes a First Grader.  Wow.



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Fishy Sliceform

I wanted to send a friend a get well card but one thing or another (or a dozen) got in the way and I am super late mailing it now.  To try and make up for that I decided to add a little extra something to her card and came up with this fishbowl sliceform. 

I've seen so many sliceforms online and they have always fascinated me to my inner core, but it hasn't been until now that I've actually tried my hand at making one.

Oh. My. Gosh. WOW!

This is a super simple design really, but it is soooo cool.  I found the pattern on Extreme Cards blog, added a couple of Dustin Pike images and used my Martha Stewart branch punch.  It folds flat and tucks into a little pocket inside the card. 

So I'm sending my get well fishes late but I'm crossing my fingers that she smiles when she opens it!


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Pop-Up Twirl Birthday Card

Dustin Pike has a challenge this week to create a birthday themed card or project using two colors from his blog header.  Good grief how hard should that really be?!?? LOL!  Well I've spent the entire week brainstorming and coming up with what I thought would be great birthday themed projects but every time I try to limit my rainbow to two colors I end up banging my head on the wall.  I was really stuck but I was also really determined.  I decided to call in help and I asked my 5 year old daughter (who at the time happened to be dressed all in pink complete with a tutu, pearls, chunky bling rings and a tiara) what one color she liked best from the header and (of course) she picked pink, and then I asked her what kind of card she wanted and (of course) she picked princess.  She could not be more girly girl if she tried, LOL!  So off I went brainstorming again.

I decided to try a new card I just saw last week on Split Coast Stampers called Pop-Up Twirl Card.  Oh-My-Gosh this has got to be the absolute coolest card I've ever made!  I did a test run with scrap paper first to be sure it would work and it did!  I used yellow as my second color, added some dark pink mirror paper for matting, used my Prisma pencils to color (and NO blending solution which was my own personal challenge that I added), printed the sentiments on my computer and popped up the castle on the cover for a little dimension.  When I took pictures to post I really could not convey the amazing twirling movement so I did a quick video and I hope it posts ok for you to see. 

See it in action!!

This was really fun and actually quite easy, well the mechanical part was easy at least - the color limitation is another story, ugh!  I did stick to all pinks and yellows except for the charcoal in the windows of the castle, and even though the rooftops look a bit purple they are a raspberry pink.  I admit I may have stretched the rules a bit with the grass at the bottom of the castle though because I did use a very yellowy'ish light green.  Slap my hands if you must but I'm sorry - pink and yellow just don't look right for grass!

I might still add a bit of stickles and some faux stitching, but my daughter will probably wear the card out before I get a chance, lol!  I guess she approves!


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um Mom, there's a little problem with my lunch...

just having a little fun creating transparencies...

LOL!

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Birdie Birthday Card

After fighting off a migraine all week (and not winning a couple of the days) I finally finished my birthday card for Dustin Pike's current It's A Party challenge.  What made the brain pain even worse was that I had my fancy schmancy new Prismas sitting on my table all lined up purty and staring at me the whole time just waiting to be played with.  I used my first two images that I was finally able to color for the card and WOOHOO how I love these pencils!  I used odorless mineral spirits with them and I'm amazed at the blending effect.  I did figure out some tricks to the blending and shading while coloring these images, but for me these are really so much easier than the Copics and Bics that I've been struggling with.  I think I've found my favorite coloring tools!!

For the card I decided to try the swing design that I have seen so many times and it totally amused my 5 year old, lol!  It is really such an easy pattern I'm not sure why I've never tried it before.  Paper is by K&Co (recognize it deb?? heehee! ).

CLOSED CARD VIEW

OPENED CARD VIEW

"SWINGING" CARD VIEWS

Another fun challenge in Pike's Playground!


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Easter Checkers Game

I'm entering another of Dustin Pike's challenges and this week he has challenged us to make an Easter themed non-card project.  Oh I love non-card challenges but gosh Dustin, this one week time frame is killin me, LOL! 

I decided to make a checkers game for my 5 year old using some of his pre-colored images.  I used an Easter digi for the regular side of the checkers and then I used a different image on the other side and added a crown that I cropped out of yet another of his images to make the checker "Kings".  I was afraid that the checkers would be difficult to grasp so I decided to put a foam pop dot in between the front and back layers and this made them just thick enough to easily pick up. 

For the board I cut strips of two patterned papers and wove them together and then glued and zig zag stitched the edges.  I didn't think through the board design well enough beforehand because the checker part of the board ended up 12x12, so to make a mat border I had to cut strips of paper on the diagonal and then glue under the edges of each side and trim.  I kind of got stuck when it came time to find chip board the right size too, oops.  I used cardstock pieces to fill in under the entire board and it did turn out pretty sturdy but a 5yo is kinda tough on toys so we'll see how long it stays flat, LOL!

I also made a little box to put the checkers in and I used another Dustin digi that I added the text "Checkers" to on the banner.  This image is colored with my Bics and Copics and I added stickles and a bit of Diamond Glaze too.  There's also some stickles on the checkers.

My daughter has driven me crazy the last couple days asking if it was ready to play with yet, and I kept telling her that I had to finish it and take pictures first.  But when that time finally came - I was missing ONE checker!!!!  It appears that this morning my darling daughter could not resist stealing one of the checkers to play with when I wasn't looking.  She had misplaced it and it took 20 minutes to find it tucked inside one of her coloring books, yikes!  I guess I should have made extra checkers to begin with...  LOL!


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Dance in the Rain

Dustin Pike's challenge this week is to use his digis with a "Spring Showers" theme.  I wanted to do something different than a card and decided to make my daughter a small wall hanging for her room.  I used the same quote that I put in her high school yearbook when she graduated.  I love this quote.  Words to live by indeed.

It was fun doing a non-card project again, I miss that.  I was going to hang this in her room at home but she is stealing it for her dorm room instead and that is ok with me because that means she really likes it, yay!


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