The Outlawz Friday Coloring Anything Goes/Christmas Twist Challenge

Hello, Peeps. It's Friday again and time for a new challenge at The Outlawz. This week we are challenging you to Anything Goes, with a Twist for Christmas, if you like. I am all about doing the Christmas cards, as time is getting verrrrry short to prepare for the holidays. We are almost to October, after all. Really? Truly. A little terrifying if you think about that too hard. So I won't. Anyway, go ahead and use any medium to color any image you want for this week.

We are sponsored this month by the inimitable Vera Lane Studio, home to really quirky images. Our randomly-selected participant will win one set of images. I used mine last week, and they were really fun to color. So be sure to get your entry in!

This week I chose a Make It Crafty image for my Christmas card. It is called Christmas Eve Countdown. He is an odd Santa, but perfect for a CAS card. I printed him on X-Press It BC and colored him with my Copics:

Skin: E000, E00, E21, E11, E04, R20

Trim/Hair: T0, T1, T2, T4

Suit: B34, B37, B39

Chimney: E08, E09, E18, T1, T4

Belt/Boots: T2, T4, T6, T8

Goggles/Ascot/Sack: T2, T4, T6, T8, YG41, YG45

Watch/Buttons: T2, T4, T6, YG41, YG45

I added a bit of DecoArt Glistening Snow Writer, MFT Fishtail Flags Stax die cuts, and Tim Holtz tiny staples. My DP is from the Docrafts Christmas in the Country collection; my CS is from Stampin' Up. And my fun sentiment is from Create with TLC.

NFL update: we went to the 49ers/Cardinals game on Sunday. So. Much. Fun. OMG! Can you tell we won? Yup, and our little section in the rafters was very happy at the end. I will say, you really get your money's worth if you attend a Cardinals game these days. We are 3-0 right now and are having a bye week. Which is a really good thing, as several of our players are already banged up. They need the time to heal up. And the Cards head to Denver for their next game. Gary wanted to go up there for the game, but I really didn't. So we will watch from home and go to the next home game on October 5th. That gives me time to recover my voice, doncha know. (I am still one of the main screamers in my section. And I wear ear plugs so I can't hear myself. Hardeharhar. I do feel a wee bit sorry for the peeps around me, but they could wear ear plugs, too. So there.)

Things are moving very slowly on the pool front. But at least we got a really good appraisal and we passed our termite inspection. Yay! Still have not picked a pool builder, but are narrowing the selection down. We are currently looking at travertine pavers in lieu of acrylic lace decking. Of course, that's another luxury that we may not opt for. Will post here when we have decided on the main features, other than water, which is seems a bit necessary.

I have almost finished book seven of the Outlander series. I think I will settle down a bit after I finish it. Maybe not read for a week or two. Hmmmmm, so says the addict. Best laid plans and all that. I only have a bazillion books downloaded to my tablet--I keep getting the free ones. I think I have become an ebook collector. But at least they don't take up space in my house or need dusting. There is that.

Hope you all check out the fabulous creations by my talented teammates: Carla, Dawn, Kathi, and Laine. And then play along with us--easy peasy with an AG challenge! Looking forward to what you create!

We are headed to our older granddaughter's track meet tomorrow. She is doing so well in distance running, and it has been really good for her! Go, Kelsey!!! Then Gary will finish out the Diamondbacks season tickets on Saturday and Sunday with his friends. And I get to do whatever I want. Wonder what kind of trouble I can get myself into...

Have a wonderful weekend! 

The Outlawz Friday Coloring Color/Photo Inspiration Challenge

It must be Friday if I am posting again. Yes, my weekly post. Can't seem to get myself to make extra cards now, or write up extra posts. But I am faithfully here on Fridays, so you can set your calendars to that.

We are sponsored this month by Vera Lane Studio, which is home to really quirky, cute images. Our randomly-selected participant will win one set of images. Vera is offering a coupon special through September 24th for 10% off. Use the following code: TRYVERA10. 

I am using my Vera Lane Joyful set this week for our challenge: a color/photo inspiration. I love the colors here, don't you? 

I printed my images on X-Press It BC, and colored them with my Copics and Twin Touch Brush markers:  

Skin: E000, E00, E21, E11, E04, R20

Hair: E41, E43, E47

Dress/Stockings/Birds: TTYR26, TTY36, YR21, BG02, BG05, BG07

I didn't incorporate any DP in this design, just Stampin' Up CS. And my Joyful sentiment was edged with SU ink. Wow, talk about CAS for me, huh? Not even one die cut. Will wonders never cease.

Our Cardinals barely squeaked out another win last week against the Giants. I have to say, it is getting almost embarrassing to be an NFL fan, with all the ugly stuff that has come out in the last couple of weeks. Good grief, Charlie Brown. And one player is even on our roster, darn it all anyway. Had hoped we would have better-behaved players than that. Heavy sigh...

Nonetheless, I am excited to go to the game on Sunday. Hopefully, it will be well-played, with the Cardinals being victorious.  Have you got any fun plans for the weekend?

We are getting our bids in for the pool. And Gary is having a splendid time going through them with a fine-tooth comb. It appears we were a little too optimistic about some of the design features. Will have to cut some to meet our budget. Not like our last pool, which was pretty sophisticated in its time. But, what I really want is a pretty pool with plenty of room to swim in. And some nice patio surfaces with lots of room for chairs. I'll have to take before and after photos. (Perhaps even some during construction, which I am looking forward to like a dental visit. Messy it will be. And noisy. My two least favorite conditions. Oh well....)

Do stop by the challenge to check out the fab designs by my talented teammates: Carla, Dawn, Kathi, and Laine! And then color something up using our color/photo inspiration and play along with us. Remember, you can use any coloring medium! 

Have a wonderful weekend!

The Outlawz Friday Coloring Hats Challenge/RK's Birthday Card

Goodness me, it's Friday again. Time for another new challenge, and this week we are celebrating Make a Hat Day, (September 15). So get out whatever your coloring medium is, color up a hat--or a character wearing a hat--and play along with us!

We are sponsored this month by Vera Lane Studio, home to fun, quirky images. Our randomly-selected participant will win one set of images. And I will be using my set later this month. Vera is offering a coupon special through September 24th for 10% off. Use the following code: TRYVERA10

Before I go into my card, I must give you an update of our trip to the Cardinals Monday Night game at the University of Phoenix Stadium. The night before the game our "Valley of the Sun" was deluged with rain. Rain, rain, and more rain. More rain than we had had since the 1930's. Holy moly, Rocky! Freeways were flooded, to say nothing of the streets; schools were closed; general mayhem rained, or, reigned, whatever. We were worried that we couldn't get to the stadium.

Ah, but never fear. We dropped Donovan the dog at my sister's around 1:00 p.m. on the way to the downtown Phoenix Westin, where we were staying after the game. We checked in, put our luggage in our room, and took off for Glendale, northwest of Phoenix. (The stadium is about an hour from our house in Gilbert.) We avoided the freeway, though by that time I think it was fairly clear. We got out there so early, (about 3:00), that we had to kill some time at Gordon Biersch, because we couldn't get into the stadium until 5:30. One very so-so Margarita and a couple of appetizers later, we drove to the parking area. Since we were so early, we parked in an area closer to the sidewalk than we normally do. Which led to us being lost after the game--we went to the wrong sidewalk in the dark and couldn't find our car. We spent a half hour looking and finally told stadium personnel that our car had been stolen. Then a nice policeman drove up, asked us a couple of questions about where we had entered the parking lot, and proceeded to take us to another parking area, by a different sidewalk. Lo and behold, there was our car. (It's hell getting old and confused.) To top off the experience, we got wet as it began to rain again while we were searching for our "stolen" car. Yeah. Not cool. Well, actually, it was kinda chilly, come to think of it. We didn't get back to our hotel until midnight. And pretty much collapsed into bed.

The next day we both thought we were coming down with colds. No, it was just damaged throats from yelling during the game. On the bright side, the Cardinals made it another really exciting game. On the even brighter side, they won by one point. So it was worth sore throats, getting wet, and losing the car in the parking lot. Can hardly wait for the next game in town!!! (We'll need to check the parking lot numbers to help remember where we park!)

Okey dokey, on to my card. I needed a card for a friend of ours--he was celebrating his 52nd birthday. I figured that Make It Crafty Mad Hatter would be a good "hat" image to use for a guy. (And, btw, he did love his card.) 

I printed the image on X-Press It BC and colored it with my Copics:

Skin: E000, E00, E21, E11, E04, R20

Hair: E21, E25, E29

Hat: N4, N6, N9, B32, B34, B37, B39

Teapot/Cup: N0, N2, N4

Goggles: N2, N4, N6, G21, G24, G28

Shirt: N2, N2

Pants/Bow Tie: B32, B34, B37, B39

Jacket: B32, B34, B37, B39, G21, B24, G28

Vest: G21, G24, G28

Shoes: N0, N2, N4, N6, N9

I chose Bo Bunny Zip-a-dee-doodle DP, paired it with Stampin' Up CS, and Zutterized it. I Zutterized the image and distressed it with SU ink. My sentiment came from TLC, and I made die cuts, using the following dies:

Memory Box Typewriter Upper

MFT Always Time for Tea

Cheery Lynn Mini Playing Cards

I finished the card with my tiny stapler, some baker's twine, and an SU Tea Time Trinket. So that's it!

Oh, forgot to mention that I had my physical yesterday--my first as an official senior citizen. And my doctor is very happy with me--my BP was good, my weight has gone steadily down for two years, and I passed the dementia test. He rewarded me by giving me a pneumonia shot and a prescription to get a shingles shot. And still have to have: a mammogram, my fav; a bone density test; and my new favorite, a colonoscopy. Yippee...

I shall practice for my mammogram by lying down on the garage floor and letting Gary drive the car over my boobs a few times. Or else I will run them through a wringer washer. Can't wait. 

That's it from the birds and bugs. Do check out the fab creations by my talented teammates: Carla, Dawn, Kathi, and our newest member, Laine! (And a big welcome to Laine!) Then join us, won't you? 

And have a wonderful weekend!

The Outlawz Friday Coloring Teddy Bear Challenge/Miles' Birthday Card

Wow, it's not only a new week, it's a new month. Again I say "already?". If I wasn't such a classy gal, I would mention that this makes me almost upchuck. But then, I am classy, so I won't mention that I have a really sour taste in my mouth now.

Hey, welcome to my blog post! Now that we've gotten the housekeeping urps out of the way, I want to mention that we have a new challenge and a new sponsor. Since Teddy Bear Day is on September 9, we are asking for teddy bear images for this challenge. And, I have to say that I had a really cute bear image, so I went with that. More on this below.

Our new sponsor for the month is Vera Lane Studio, home to really unique, quirky images. And the prize will be one set of images for the lucky, randomly-selected participant. So be sure to enter for a chance to win this prize! (I will be using my set of images later this month.)

For those of you who don't know, I am an NFL fan of the first (or is that worst?) kind. And the season is now underway! Let's hear for the boys!!! Can't wait to get to my first game this Monday. Oh yeah, Baby, it's the Arizona Cardinals on Monday Night Football! Doesn't get much better than that. Well...I guess it could get better if my team wins, after all! Can you tell I am a bit jazzed? (Of course, that could be due to my double Cappuccino, too.) Hope your teams win this week, as long as you are not a Chargers fan--because the Cards really need to beat them, KWIM? BTW, don't expect to see me on national TV, because we sit in the upper deck--doubt very much if the cameras will be up there!! If you do see me, my angel wings will probably be flapping like mad, along with my mouth. (My angel wings are my upper arms, doncha know.)

We are also in the throes of planning for a swimming pool. Looking into all the gory details, like financing, design, landscaping, etc., etc., etc. No wonder Gary's BP has been going up and down. Kind of like my weight. Should we decide to put one in, we will be swimming in it this winter--in our wetsuits. (Otherwise, we'd freeze.) And, I'll be darned if I wait until next spring/summer to use it, after all. Gary decided he wanted a pool again, now that he is retired and has the time to take care of it. I fought him on the idea for a while, but capitulated at last--and now I am excited to do this, too. We shall see. Stay tuned...

OK, enough chatter. On to my card for the week. I needed a birthday card for Miles, the son of our Deli chefs. So I decided to use a fun bear image, Trash Can Bear, from Stamps by Judith. I also used a sentiment of hers, Looking Everywhere. I bought both of these stamps at a rubber stamp convention in Mesa a couple of years ago, before I got into digital images. Stamped them both on Cryogen CS with Versafine ink by mistake--but it worked well. (I usually use Memento.) Then I colored my bear image with these Copics: W0, W1, W2, W3, W4, W6, W9, YG91, YG93, YG95. I added some Pearl Pen black and Frantage Chunky White. My die cuts are from MFT Fishtail Flags Stax. My DP from Basic Grey Oliver was Zutterized and paired with Stampin' Up CS. And that's pretty much all she wrote.

Do stop by The Outlawz to see the fab creations by my talented teammates: Carla, Dawn, and Kathi! And then please join us with a Teddy Bear of your own, using any medium for coloring! We are excited to see what you create!

Have a wonderful weekend!