The Outlawz Friday Coloring Anything Goes/Christmas Twist Challenge--Tristan's Birthday Card

Well, wasn't that just a mouthful for a title? Obviously I didn't go for the Christmas twist on my card for this week. I thought I would post the birthday card I made for my great-nephew, Tristan, instead.

I hope this finds all of you feeling warm and fuzzy the day after Christmas. Heaven help you if you are out and about shopping today! There are two days I try to not venture out for shopping. The day after Thanksgiving and the day after Christmas. I am getting too old and creaky to fight the crowds. (Some peeps might mention that I am getting too old and cranky, but that's another story entirely. Which I will leave alone, doncha know.)

On Monday we took our granddaughter, Brynn, to Rania's Kebob Grill, (a wonderful little Afghani restaurant in Gilbert), for her birthday dinner. We gave her the choice of whatever restaurant she wanted. We were quite pleased with her decision, since we are always up for some yummy food from Rania's! Brynn enjoyed her meal and was such good company! She is growing up so fast. Almost as tall as I am and just turned 11 on the 20th. Oh my! Wherever is the time going???

For our Christmas Eve, we boogied on over to Fleming's in Chandler for a delicious Taste of the Season dinner. It started with yummy Butternut Squash ravioli, which was followed by a tasty chopped vegetable salad. Then we had small filets, beautifully seasoned and grilled, served over a fabulous braised mushroom ragout. And ended the meal with scrumptious almond butter cake with strawberries and a truffle. Did I finish every bite? Does a bear poo in the woods? (Well, not if it is running around in Mesa, like one here has been recently.) And you know, I forgot to take photos of the courses. Chalk it up to holiday exhaustion. (More likely, it was just senior forgetfulness, but don't tell anybody. Let that be our little secret. OK? Okey dokey, thanks.)

We had a wonderful Christmas afternoon with our little family: Angela, Jon, Kelsey, and Brynn. Jon's brother Barry and his partner, TJ, joined us for dinner. (The spaghetti was fabulous, btw.) Our sweet daughter took compassion on me and didn't use veal in the meatballs this year. YAY!

OK, here's the skinny on this week's card. First, our sponsor this month is Ppinkydolls Art, a shop for the most adorable images! Our lucky, randomly-selected participant will win 3 digital images from this fabulous shop! Be sure to color an image for your project, with any coloring medium, and enter for a chance to win this prize!

For Tristan's birthday card, (he turned four and got a guitar for his birthday), I chose LaLa Land Crafts Lil' Rocker Luka. I printed him on X-Press It BC and colored him with my Copics:

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

Hair: Y21, E31, E33, E35

T-Shirt/Hat/Jeans: B32, B34

Star/Shirt: YR30, YR31

Guitar: E42, E43, E44, E47, YR30, YR31

Shoes: E40, E41, E42

I added some Diamond Glaze to the Guitar. My die cuts are from Spellbinders Classic Stars and Memory Box Typewriter Upper & #'s dies. My DP is from the Carta Bella So Noted collection and was paired with Bazzill Kraft CS. And that's it!

Do check out the great inspiration by my talented teammates: Carla, Kathi, and Laine. (Although one or two may be a bit late in posting.) And then play along with us, won't you?

Hope you have a wonderful weekend! We will watch our Cardinals take on the 49ers in SF. Our team was Coyote-awful last Sunday. It was really embarrassing to see how easily they let Seattle run over them. Honestly, it didn't help that we were surrounded by Seahawk fans, doncha know. But I still love our team anyway. I truly do not expect to see another of their games until next fall. But you just never know, do ya...

The Outlawz Friday Coloring "Color/Photo Inspiration" Challenge--Brynn's Birthday Card

So, it is Friday once again. But this is the last, I repeat, the last, Friday before Christmas. How in the world is that possible? Am I ready? No, are you? If you are, raspberries to you. And why not hop over here and give me a hand finishing my gift wrapping/card addressing if you are that prepared. OK? OK...

In the meantime, we have another challenge for you. It is our monthly color/photo inspiration challenge. And the colors are so pretty and so perfect for your holiday cards:

Our monthly sponsor for December is Ppinkydolls Art, home to fun, fabulous images that I absolutely love! Our randomly-selected winner this month will receive a choice of 3 digital images. Lucky you, whomever you are. (Or is it 'whoever'? I think it is 'whomever', but if I am wrong...in a word, whatever.) Anyway, I wish I was eligible. So be sure to enter this week with a creation featuring an image which you colored. You can use any coloring medium you wish.

I used my cutie-patootie Ppinkydolls image last week. So, this week I am using a Saturated Canary image, Wendy, for my card. I think this image is adorable and perfect for my animal-loving granddaughter, Brynn, who turns 11 tomorrow. We are going to a birthday brunch for her, which should be a lot of fun. Happy Birthday, Brynn!

I printed Wendy on X-Press It BC, colored her with my Copics and Twin Touch Brush markers, Frantaged her, and Zutterized her, (along with my DP from the Bazzill Basics Paper Believe collection.) I used Stampin' Up CS with my DP and added some tulle, ribbon, lace, a dog button, and a Cheery Lynn Nautical Wheeler Doily die cut. Hope Brynn likes this.

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

Hair: E51, E53, E34, E35

Gown: YG61. YG63, TTG43

Bows: R17, E07, TTR1

Dog: E70, E71, E74, E77

I had planned to show you photos of our completed deck and patio with the new furniture. But, alas and alack, we are still awaiting the delivery of four deck chairs. So I will wait until we have our furniture complete. BTW, it has been too cold to sit out there the last few days. I have had to resort to looking out the windows. (Not a bad view, though, for sure!)

We are headed to the Cardinals/Seahawks game on Sunday night. Plan to make more noise than I ever have, if that's possible. I am sure I will be annoying to any 'Hawks fans that are nearby, and probably will even annoy Gary. (I say tough darts. Use some earplugs.) I think the pundits are wrong, and that we will win this game. Certainly will be a brutal shock to Seattle when we do!

I hope you have time to play along with us this week. I realize that many of you may be as rushed as I am to get ready for Christmas. But do at least take a minute to stop by and check out the fabulous inspiration by my talented teammates: Carla, Kathi, and Laine! 

And I not only wish you a wonderful weekend, but I also wish you a very Merry Christmas. May this be a season of wonder and love for you all...

Path of Positivity Challenge #21 Midway - Faith

Middle of the month already? Yup. Amazing. Before you know it, the heat will be back and we'll be in our pool. And then we'll blink and the water will be too cold to swim in again. Time is going by at lightning speed for me. Hopefully, it is going a wee bit slower for you.

This is the midway reminder for our PoP Faith Challenge. And my image this time is Fresh Brewed Designs Christmas Candles. Such a pretty image for a holiday card, don't you think?

I printed this image on X-Press It BC and colored this with my Copics: YG61, YG63, YG67, E81, Y32 and my Twin Touch Brush markers: TTYR26, TTYR33, TTY34, TTY35, TTY36, TTR1, TTR14. Then I added die cuts using Memory Box Glowing Candles and Memory Box Pinecone Corner dies. My DP is from American Crafts Kringle & Co. collection, and it was Zutterized and paired with Stampin' Up CS. A bit of SU burlap ribbon was added beneath the image.

My sentiment just makes perfect sense to me. Faith is beyond the power of reasoning. It just is. There is no easier explanation for faith than this quotation. Thank heavens for the ability to have faith. It makes my trials and tribulations easier to bear, because I know that a power, much greater than I am, has been guiding me through life's experiences. I hope your faith restores you also whenever you need to fall back on it.

Some things I need to mention about our sponsors and prizes this month:
     - A prize package of a $7 gift certificate to Pickled Potpourri Designs, (good for any digital product), for the post or the project that the DT deems the most inspiring.
     - Three digital images from Fresh Brewed Designs will be given to a randomly-selected participant.
     - One image from Creative Bug Digital Stamps will be given to each person chosen as a DT Delight.

There will also be:
     - One digital designer paper, (made to order in a few different ways), from Decosse's Dynamite Doodles for one lucky voter who leaves a comment.
     - One digital sentiment for every single person who enters the challenge.

Also, we have a special GDT this month, Sue, from Sue's Paper Crafts. Be sure to check out all the wonderful creations by Sue and my talented teammates, too! Then, get your entries in and let us know how your creation relates to our theme of Faith.

Before I go, I will leave you with a couple of photos of our backyard after the lighting was installed and turned on. I hope to show you some of our new patio furniture in my post on Friday.

Have a wonderful week!

  

The Outlawz Friday Coloring "Gifts" Challenge

Hey, y'all. It's Friday-funday again. Time for a new challenge--this week we are challenging you to color an image that relates to gifts somehow. You can use any coloring medium for your image on your creation. Really looking forward to seeing what you enter!

Our sponsor this month is the inimitable Ppinkydolls Art. The prize for our lucky, randomly-selected participant is a choice of 3 digis. These digis are sooo cute! I heart them; I heart them a lot. I used my image this week for the gift challenge.

My adorable Ppinkydolls Art image is Christmas Gift. (See how bright I am? To use an image for our gift challenge that has "gift" in the title? Can't pull one over on me, I tell ya.) I printed this on X-Press It BC, and colored it with my Copics:

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

Hair: Y21, YR23, E15, E18

Scarf: RV21, RV23, RV25, E50

Hat/Boots/Coat: E50, E51, E53

Shadows/Trim: W00, W0, W1

Gifts: RV21, RV23, RV25, YG11, YG13, YG17

Mouse: E50, E51, E53, E55, E57, RV00, RV21

My DP is from the Jillibean Soup Winter Tortellini and Spinach Soup collection, and it was paired with Stampin' Up CS. My die cuts were made with Cheery Lynn BAF Embellishments #1 and Cheery Lynn Merry Christmas dies. I added a bit of rhinestone bling and called it a card. (A desperately-needed card for a recipient this year!)

I am trying to simplify my Christmas cards this year for two reasons: (1) I am running out of time to make enough, and, (2) It is easier to mail flatter cards, if you get my drift. I am still going to be woefully short, though, I believe. I beg forgiveness from those friends of mine who don't receive a card this year. I will try, again, to do better next year. 

Since I last blogged, our Arizona Cardinals team, AKA the Cardiac Kids, have won two games. They won at home against the Kansas City Chiefs last Sunday, as yours truly screamed her bottom off. (If only. I wish. I would love a trimmer derriere. Unfortunately, screaming at a football game just irritates the visiting fans. It does nothing for reducing buttock flab, fyi.) Anyway, it was fun to be at yet another close, exciting win for our team. And then, four days later, they had to travel to St. Louis to face the red-hot Rams. Pretty much nobody picked us to win that game. But win, we did. We now own the state of Missouri. Figuratively speaking, of course. (As a matter of fact, I just found out that the Kansas City Chiefs are from Kansas City, Missouri. I thought they were from Kansas City, Kansas. You learn something new everyday...)

However, our last win was vewwwwy costly. Our Cardinals lost our back-up quarterback during the game last night. For Pete's sake. Unbelievable. Really? Football players are going to quit signing with our team, as they all seem to get hurt playing for us. Good golly, Miss Molly. So we sit at 11-3. With two games left in the season. And have to use a "back-up" to a "back-up quarterback". Whaaaat???? Seriously? Yes, seriously. I am serious as a crutch, whatever that means. Sigh...

And so it goes. On the bright side, our bistro set for the travertine deck should be here by Wednesday. And we are getting the rest of our patio side tables today. The balance of the deck chairs have not yet shipped, but we have them to look forward to. And the lighting guy is installing the lights for all of our palm trees today. Merry Christmas, Penny and Gary. Merry Christmas. 

We are going to a wedding tomorrow at 10:30 a.m. And then will have a champagne brunch. Yum! Our friends that have sat next to us for four years at the Cardinals games are finally tying the knot. I am really happy for them. So I am finishing up their wedding card today. Which I may post at some point in the near future. Or not. We'll see. 

No Cardinals game on Sunday as we played last night. So I can relax and watch other teams instead. I am actually looking forward to that. Hope you have some fun plans for the weekend!

Do check out the great inspiration by my talented teammates: Carla, Kathi, and Laine. And then color something with a gift theme and play along, won't you?

The Outlawz Friday Coloring "Drinks/Bartender Appreciation Day" Challenge /Nicole's Birthday Card

Hey, this challenge is right up my alley. And right up Nicole's alley, too! Hers even more than mine, since she is a sommelier! So I found the perfect image for her, and voila, instant card! Have a great weekend!

Oh, just kidding. I intend to say more than that. Like how our wonderful sponsor this month is a new one for us: Ppinkydolls. If you have never heard of these images, you are in for a real treat when you go to check them out! They are fabulous! And our randomly-selected participant this month will receive a prize of three digis! Lucky you, whomever you are! Be sure to play along this month. You just need to color an image with any coloring medium you wish for your project!

One sad note for our DT: Dawn needed to step down from her DT duties. She has moved back to the UK and now has a position with Cambridge University. She has so much involved with her new career that she will be unable to find crafting time for a while. We are going to miss her so very much; she has been on this team for a long time, and is such a talented designer. Bummer for us...

One other note I want to make. Gary and I are checking out lighting for our backyard. Apparently it is going to cost a small fortune. Drat! On the upside, the yard will look so dramatic at night. All the palms will be accented with lighting and the shadows will fall on our block wall. Too pretty it will be. Excited for it, I am! (Yes, yes, that is my Yoda imitation. Weak, huh.) Will have to take some photos after it is finished.

This week I am using Jellypark Dressed Up And Ready To Go Out, which I think perfectly fits the challenge. I printed this cutie on X-Press It BC and colored her with my Copics:

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

Hair: E30, YR31, E33, E35

Dress: BG45, BG49

Jewelry/Purse/Shoes/Wine: YR20, YR21, YR23, YR24, YR27

For confetti, I added some die cuts made with Memory Box Party Glasses, and my Create with TLC sentiment was die-cut with Spellbinders Labels 4. Fairly CAS for me, huh? Guess that's what happens during a week that has been so busy.

I am now working on a birthday card for my great-nephew, Tristan. Had a holiday party last night. We're going out to dinner tonight. Tristan's birthday party is tomorrow. And we have a Cardinals (gasp) game on Sunday. What a whirlwind! Hope your weekend is fun, but not so crazy!!

Do stop by The Outlawz to check out the fab creations by my talented teammates: Carla, Kathi, and Laine! And then be sure to color something up and play along with us! 

SCACD Holiday Inspiration Day

Hello, Peeps! Hope you are having a very good week! I was invited to participate in another SCACD digi day; this time for the very fast-approaching holidays. (help!) I am taking every opportunity to make holiday cards right now because, as per my usual modus operandi, I am behind in my card-making. (Funny how I manage that year after year. You'd think I'd learn. In this case, you cannot teach an old dog new tricks. Woof.)

Anyhoo, today is a day to showcase creations made with digital images from SCACD, created by the uber-talented Carmen Medlin. The complete list of participants is at the Store blog. Be sure to check them all out! I chose SCACD Holiday Owl by Carmen Medlin for my holiday card. So stinkin' cute, huh?

I printed the owl on X-Press It BC, colored it with my Copics, and fussy-cut it. Colors I used:

R02, R05, R08, E40, E42, E43, E44, E47, E49, BG11, BG13, BG15, BG18, YG93, YG95, YG97, YG99

I chose my colors loosely based upon my DP from the Prima North Crossing collection. That DP was Zutterized and mounted on Stampin' Up CS. My finishing touches were some Star Dust Stickles, some rhinestones, and a die-cut sentiment using Cheery Lynn Merry Christmas. Another holiday card done--YAY!!!

It is a bit of a miracle that I was able to write this post. I think I almost had a heart attack on Tuesday. 'Almost' being the operative word. I had done my exercises, (yes, believe it or not, I am still working on them, and hey, quit laughing), but hadn't yet taken my shower. Consequently, I really looked charming. My hair was sticking straight up in the air. I was still in my jammies. No makeup naturally. What I am trying to say is that I looked like an old witch. 

Our doorbell rang. Gary was out back brushing down the pool. So I had to answer the door. There stood three young men, all looking very serious and actually a wee bit scary. The nearest one pulls out and flashes his official ID badge, and says, "U.S. Marshall, m'am. Is Gary Mull here?" And I said yes, and must have looked like an old doe caught in the headlights...well, that, and my hair sticking straight up, probably alerted him that he should reassure me. He said, "He's not in any trouble. We just want to speak to him." 

Hey, there was NO way I was inviting them in. So, I said, I'll send him around to you and closed the door. Good grief. Now what? (Gary has a short history of leaving me "holding the bag" with people in official capacities, but that's a story for another time.) So I go out back and tell my sweet, innocent hubby that the U.S. Marshalls want to speak with him, but that he isn't in any trouble...

The marshalls are looking for someone who used Gary's old cell phone number within the last week. He gave up that phone number at the end of March when he retired. He didn't want any contacts from work being able to reach him regarding work issues. And that was the end of that phone number for him. So...we have no idea what is going on, but that whoever has that cell phone number now did something that isn't exactly kosher. What we don't know. But it was a bit scary. I want to assure you I looked the part of a scared old lady. Oh, and btw, these guys were not dressed in suits--they were in casual jeans and windbreaker jackets. I asked Gary what they were driving and he said he really didn't notice, but that maybe it was a black Escalade. Well, hardeharharhar, Gary.

I shall be back tomorrow with another post. In the meantime, be sure to stop by SCACD for the complete listing of all the participants in this holiday showcase. Be well. And don't answer your door with your hair sticking straight up. Put on a baseball cap. I wish I had...

Path of Positivity Challenge #21 - Faith

It's the first of December already? How in the world did that happen? Seems like just yesterday we started 2014. Holy moly, Rocky. I need an extra week or three added to December, because it is for certain that I am not ready for the holidays. Are you?

But, since it is the first Monday of December, it is also time for a new PoP challenge. This month, fittingly, the challenge is faith. I do not know your religious or spiritual beliefs, nor do I need to. I think it is enough for us to just have faith in something greater than ourselves. To expect that life is guided by more than our own two hands, and to be grateful for that fact. To carry the burden of everything there is would be an impossible task. It is far easier for me to rest my faith in a higher power, and so I do.

I love the quotation by Helen Keller that I used on my card today: "Faith is the strength by which a shattered world shall emerge into the light." That touches me on so many levels. And it goes beautifully with the lovely image provided by Pickled Potpourri Designs, Christmas Candle, that I used on my card. 

I printed this image on X-Press It BC, and colored it with my Copics: C00, C0, C2, Y11, Y13, Y15, Y17, R02, R05, R08, YG61, YG63, YG67. I Zutterized the edges of the image and used Stampin' Up CS for the card base and die cuts. I used Memory Box Glowing Candles and Cheery Lynn Holly Flourish dies. A fairly simple card with a very complex message...

I want to mention that we have a special GDT this month, Sue, from Sue's Paper Crafts. And be sure to check out all the wonderful creations by the talented DT, too!

The sponsors and prizes this month are:

    - A prize package of a $7 gift certificate to Pickled Potpourri Designs, (good for any digital product), for the post or the project that the DT deems the most inspiring.

    - Three digital images from Fresh Brewed Designs will be given to a randomly-selected participant. 

    - One image from Creative Bug Digital Stamps will be given to each person chosen as a DT Delight.

There will also be:

    - One digital designer paper, (made to order in a few different ways), from Decosse's Dynamite Doodles for one lucky voter who leaves a comment.

    - One digital sentiment for every single person who enters the challenge.

So, as usual, there are a lot of wonderful prizes to be won this month. Be sure to get your entries in and let us know how your creation relates to the theme of Faith. 

If you know that the Cardinals lost yesterday, you know that I am feeling a bit down. All of the fans are today, I am sure. We can still hope to make the playoffs, and I do. But if they do not, at least the team gave us a fantastic run this year before we lost our starting quarterback. And, for that, I am grateful. Go Cards! 

Wishing you all a wonderful week!