Monday, February 25, 2013

The Outlawz Greetings Card "Bling It Up" Challenge

We are sponsored this month by Bugaboo Stamps.

 

We are asking that you add some bling, glitter, rhinestones, or pearls to your card this week. I would expect to see lots of entries, since this is a really easy challenge--right?

Well, I just read some crazy news. Apparently, there is some blatant artistic copying going on that I was unaware of. I unknowingly bought some digis from a rather unscrupulous artist. I even made a card with one of them for another DT prior to hearing this news. I have pulled the card before it could be published. I feel really badly about it, because the birthday card was for my sister, Barbara--and now she doesn't get to see it on my blog post next Sunday. I am really sorry about that, Barbara; but in all good conscience, I can't advertise for this particular "artist". And I use that term loosely in regards to her. The other bummer is that I now have another card to get done for this week. Oh well...

At least Barbara really liked the card. She and I had a lot of fun crafting together for the past few days! She made some beautiful cards for her March birthday peeps---I know they will love them! And we got to go out to eat about five times--had some really good food, too! It was great having her stay, however briefly, and I look forward to that again next year! 

I am so sorry that I haven't been commenting on blog posts, but I am slowly getting back to that. It will be a bit sporadic this week as well, especially since I have to make an additional card now. And I will be spending tomorrow at the hospital since my other sister, Merrilyn, is having her other knee replacement surgery. She is so looking forward to having two painless, working knees. Of course, there is that pesky recovery period for her to get through; but I expect she will do it with flying colors as she did her other one last summer. Oh, gosh, how time flies--that seems like only yesterday. 

I was planning on posting some more photos from our trip. So let's get to that, OK? When we last saw our heroine, (and her sidekick, Gary), she was having dinner at Mama's Fish House in Pa'ia on Maui. (Insert heavy sigh here.) She made it safely back to her itty bitty hotel room outside of Lahaina for the night. Her sidekick is a pretty decent driver. Most of the time. Of course, she has to give him instructions now and then, so he understands the best way to get from place to place. Some peeps might call her a back-seat driver. But how is that possible, when she sits in the front seat?

Enough of the third person already. We spent most of our few days on Maui, just relaxing, since it was our third trip to the island. We had to go snorkeling at least once while we were there. After all, Santa had given us both wetsuits to wear in the cooler winter water. And we had brought all our snorkel gear--couldn't bring that over for nothing, now could we?

So we walked from the Westin down to the Sheraton--it's really a lovely walk, even loaded down with snorkel gear. Supposedly the snorkeling at Black Rock by the Sheraton is fabulous. Well, for us, not so much. There were only a few different kinds of fish that day, and not very many of any of them. It was wonderful to get back into the ocean, though. I heart that. I heart that a lot. Gary has a problem with the motion of the ocean, so he never stays in as long as I do.

And that's why I get to be the one to take underwater photos. (He doesn't enjoy underwater photography much at all.) Unfortunately, for me, that meant using an inexpensive film camera on this trip. (We really need to get a good underwater digital camera. Really. Really.) My photos are truly terrible. Which is sad because I had a sea turtle swim out toward me as I was going back to the beach. What? A turtle. Quickly, Penny, get the shot. Um, the camera wasn't wound. Crap. Well, wind it fast, and shoot. This happened so quickly you wouldn't have believed it. I was almost eyeball to eyeball with that turtle. I took three photos, but none really captured the moment.

The only reason that the turtle was heading my way was to get away from the snorkelers who were chasing it. Honestly, some people. We were told earlier in the week that some guy actually grabbed onto a turtle and let it pull him in the water. He was caught doing it and was fined $25, 000. Served him right. That's the story anyway, from one of the locals. Here are my poorly-lit and poorly-shot photos of a great experience.




Gary wanted to drive down to South Maui that evening. To the Fairmont Kea Lani to be exact. He wanted to see the sunset from the lounge at the hotel. We had done that in September 2011, when we spent a week at the hotel. The most fantastic sunsets ever. Truly. So he just had to take photos of it again. 

Our trip took us past the scenic whale lookout again. So we stopped to take more photos, because we had our "good" cameras with us. Best laid plans of mice and men. And dummies. The whales knew we were coming, and they went elsewhere. Got a couple of shots of whale parts, but there were only a couple of whales to photograph. Where were they? I think they were partying over by the Westin that afternoon. Because we weren't there. So this is what we got:



The photos above are my best 'whale parts' photos. Below are Gary's. And I imagine you'll have to click on mine to see much of anything; but Gary got a couple of pretty good shots. My second photo is looking toward Lana'i. Gary's second shot is looking toward Moloka'i.



So, disappointed in the lack of whale activity, we left the area to head to South Maui. The lounge at the Fairmont Kea Lani is really beautiful. And it has really good drinks and appetizers. So that's what we had for dinner while we waited for the sunset. Which was an absolute disappointment. Because the sun sets at a different angle in January than it does in September. It doesn't set over the ocean, but rather behind Lana'i. Boo. Hiss.

However, before the sun set I managed to get a couple of decent shots of a whale passing by the hotel beach. And Gary did get a fairly good sunset shot.




Gary rented a cabana for our last full day on the island. He went out there earlier than I did, because he can tolerate more sun and heat than I can. But I did spend about five hours out there--covered in sun screen and shaded by the cabana. The cabana turned out to be two wooden lounge chairs with padded seats, which sat underneath an adjustable canvas cover. There was a table that joined the chairs.

I took my iPad and camera down and was set for the day--we had ice water served hourly, we ordered drinks and lunch, and had a pretty fabulous relaxed day--with one notable exception. The Westin property is smoke-free, but the beach is not. And some **^%$%^*** was smoking a cigar, non-stop, down on the beach; and wouldn't you know, the wind blew it right into our cabana. However, there were other cabanas available that day, and they let us move to one where the smoke didn't reach us. Honestly, cigar smoke is an odor that I just cannot handle. I think I would rather smell baby poo.

Before I got down there, a whale breached fairly close to the beach and Gary got to see it. Did that happen again after I arrived? Are you kidding me? Of course not. I did see several whales passing by throughout the day, so I took a few more shots of them. I got a some pictures of our pretty views, one of my sugar-daddy, and even one of a lizard--guess which is which. Snort. Pfffffffffffft!

Toward Lana'i:


Toward Moloka'i:








I have to admit that these photos are so very ordinary compared to the ones Dawn showed me of her trip to Alaska. OMG! Those whale shots were unbelievable! Of course, the whales feed up there, so they behave very differently than they do in Hawaii. The photo ops are very different. Which makes me want to go up to Alaska in the summer just to observe humpbacks in their summer habitat. Besides, it would get us out of the desert heat, which sounds like a plan. Hmmmm....perhaps I should bring this up to my beloved.

Well, that's the end of my photos. Gary took some of the hotel grounds on the day of checkout that I might show you on my next post. Unless you protest too much.

On to today's card. My image is from Saturated Canary, called "Dance Music". I printed her on Make It Colour Blending Card and colored her with Copics: Y28, R20, R22, BG70, BG72, BG75, BG78, YR20, YR21, YR24, YR27, E000, E00, E11, E21, E31, E35. I added Copic Spica to her eyelids, lips, headphones, star, and iPod screen.

I chose DP from MME Lost & Found Sunshine and paired it with Bazzill and Stampin' Up CS. My sentiment was die cut with Memory Box Typewriter Lower Case dies. It was mounted on die cuts using Spellbinders Labels 20 dies. The other dies I used were: MFT Notes & Treble Clef; MB Musical Interlude, which I cut in half; and MB Treble Clef. My bling came from MS Birthstone Stickers and Recollections Rhinestones. And so it is.

Hope you play along with us on this challenge. Be sure to check out the Greetings Card Blingmeisters, AKA my DT mates. They did it up royally this week.


24 comments:

  1. Gorgeous bling creation Penny. Love the music theme. As usual your holiday pics are awesome. The sunset one is my favourite.
    Hugs
    Desíre
    {Doing Life – my personal blog}

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  2. Oh Penny, I can't begin to say how much I've enjoyed looking at your photos. I might have moved half way across the world, but I haven't started travelling yet. I especially love the pictures of the turtles, even if you apologize for them - they absolutely capture a moment and that is perfect.
    Your card is beautiful today and that seriously annoys me about that artist. I agree with you by not posting it.

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  3. The photo's are beautiful again Penny! Love the seaturtle photo's!
    Your card is stunning, coloring is so beautiful!
    Hugs,Sandra

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  4. ooooh she is so fun! how beautifully coloured...love all of those music notes too! your photos aren't loading properly for me so i will have to check back later! :( xxx

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  5. Fabulous card, Penny! Love the fun image and all the great music details! Fab coloring! More awesome pics! TFS!

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  6. totally love your card Penny, especially the dies
    hugs
    céline

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  7. I'm so woefully behind on blurfing and commenting. I do hope you can forgive me.

    I love reading your posts about your trip and think you most definitely should go to Alaska to get respite from Arizona's summer heat, to see another far-flung state, and to see lots of whales.

    I do think it's cool that you can see whales from the shore. I've never had that experience. I've seen 'em from a tour boat, which was not very exciting. All we saw were a few fins and a tail or two... at a distance.

    I think your turtle photos are fabulous and also think your Sugar Daddy should get your an underwater Digital camera for Christmas. Tell him I said so.

    On to your card. That image is really cute and I love, Love, LOVE how you colored her. I love the color combo, the shading, and her hair. Especially her hair.

    I love all the die cuts you used. Of course. And I love the bling because I'm a magpie.

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  8. I forgot to wish your sister good luck with the surgery and recovery.

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  9. Penny, You did a fantastic job on this image. I've had it for about a year and still looking at it. I love the embellishments, your beautiful coloring and everything else about this card. I understand about the artist...I've been looking at her photos too and been tempted but heard a long time ago that company was stealing designs from others. So sad and that woman they say designed them looks like a famous person so they are probably using a fake photo...Krista also wrote a blog post about this a long time ago, just don't remember when.

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  10. Penny i love your card and your story...my favorite photo is the sunset..and i like your underwater turtle pictures..the whale pictures...hee, hee.. Wow, i can't believe that fine..i guess the person watches too much tv..to think they could have a turtle pull them along.

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  11. This is fabulous Penny. Love the image and the musical papers are gorgeous. Love the scrummy bling in the corner.
    Keep the photos coming - I have really enjoyed looking at them
    Hugs Sharon. x

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  12. hmm, i wrote a comment, but i didn't select a "name" so i don't know if it will show up and now i can't remember all that i said..so if it sounds similar and shows up later, i am sorry, Penny! I love your card! My favorite picture was the sunset and i thought the underwater pictures looked great..maybe not how you actually viewed them, but they looked great! I couldn't believe someone would try to have a turtle pull them..too much tv i guess? The fine was a surprise..i guess that must be posted somewhere? The whale pictures made me chuckle..i could only see a black dot..and that is disappointing i am sure.

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  13. First of all - great card, love all the musical embellishments and such gorgeous colouring. I know how you feel about the copying issue - it sucks!!! makes me so disappointed in people :(
    Anyway, another great set of photos and narrative - makes me feel like I've been away with you (well, almost!). I would whole-heartedly recommend a trip to Alaska - it was, without a doubt, the most amazing vacation we've ever had. We did a cruise from Vancouver combined with some rail/coach travel to Denali and all of it was incredible - I'd do it again in a heartbeat :)

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  14. Wow Penny, I have yet to come across this copying crap and I hope I never do. Your card is fantastic! Love the colors, papers and funny musical embellies. You did an excellent colouring job on the image as well.
    ;)S

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  15. Your image is gorgeous. Love ALL the notes ( you have quite a few). Great pictures!

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  16. Hello Penny,
    your card is so fantastic !! I love all these cute images!!
    And your photos are really great!!

    Hugs,
    Conny

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  17. Wow, I feel like I am with you and DH on your vacation. I am living Hawaii thru you. Your creation is brillant, loving the embellies and image.
    Hugs

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  18. Beautiful card- love the coloring and love the musical theme and background : ) The pictures from Maui are fabulous! We went there many moons ago and saw whales too- it was this time of year too. I have no idea who sells 'not legit' images- I hope I do not use any of them......!

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  19. Beautiful photos, Penny. You had quite the vacation. I feel relaxed just looking at the scenery.

    Gorgeous card. Your coloring and design are fantastic and I love those musical scales.

    blessing hugs,
    Teresa

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  20. Penny, love embellies on this card and colors. Thanks for stopping by and leaving the lovely comments.
    Hugs
    Berni
    berni46blogspot.

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  21. I just LOVE this card Penny!! You are such a talented woman! The photos of your trip are so beautiful and I wish you had packed me in your suitcase!
    Have a wonderful weekend!
    Hugz,
    Sheree

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  22. I have so enjoyed your vacation story! It was as if I have been sitting down with you - totally fun.
    Your card is so adorable, great job on your design!
    hugs,
    JoyceAnn

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  23. Gorgeous card, Penny! Your coloring is amazing, as usual :) I think you are an awesome person to not publish the card with the image in question. Truly loyal and admirable! I am saying prayers for a speedy recovery for Merrilyn! Love the awesome photos...especially of the turtle...how cool was that experience??? Wow!!!

    Love and hugs to you my DT Sistah!

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  24. WOW!!! WOW!!!! Penny a couple of these pictures are truly stunning. The one with the sun down (I think) you could frame that picture is so beautiful and I LOVE the ones with the turtles fantastic... Thanks again for sharing my friend.
    I just did a card with these colors, I love the BG's 70's with yellow. You did an awesome job coloring and love SC image with your music theme you have amazing dies and love your background paper and the gems.
    Hugs

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Thank you for visiting my blog! I appreciate the kind comments more than I can say! :^)
Hugs, Penny