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

Now how is that for a lonnnnnnng title? Yeah, and for a CAS card, no less. I am sitting at my computer on a Thursday night, trying to figure out what to write for my Friday blog post. And, for the life of me, I cannot seem to come up with anything the least bit interesting. Or snappy. Or funny. I am truly uninspired tonight.

Which is OK, of course, since you won't be reading this until tomorrow. At which time, it will be today, and this will be uproariously hilarious, and have you in stitches for hours. Or not...

I have been dreaming about houses again lately. I was told that those dreams are actually about myself. I am the house. If so, that is really disturbing. Because my house, (in a recurring dream), has tons of space, but it is crammed with furniture, and all the windows look into a main hallway. Said windows are uncovered, so anyone walking down that hallway can see what we are doing in our "hoarder" house. Just what the heck is that all about anyway??? (I need to be "shrinked".)

Wednesday night my dream entailed Gary and I buying all sorts of new, fashionable living room furniture, and combining it with bedroom furniture and linens done in warm autumn tones of olive, orange, and brown. Oh, gosh, so. not. us! Neither one of us would live in a room with those colors. Not that they are bad colors, but they are not colors either one of us would wear or feel comfortable living in. (Gary is a summer kind of guy, and I am a spring kind of gal.) So why those colors in my dream? I have no earthly idea, although they are earthy colors.

Hey, speaking of earthy, my hair stylist just told me that her brother fell into a sewer in Mexico while on his mission. Apparently, there are no manhole covers in the town he is in. She said he fell in chest-deep and someone pulled him out. She thought that it probably scared the sh** out of him. Whereupon I had to add that no one knew, because he was already covered in it. Bada bing, bada boom...

On the home front, Gary has been scanning old family photos--they're so old, he doesn't even know who some of the people are. Guess that was so much fun that he decided to join Ancestry.com and find out about his lineage. He is spending hours upon hours researching. I hope our daughter appreciates it when he hands all the deets over to her. He found one great grandfather who served in the Civil War as a Rebel soldier. Which is appropo, as Angela was actually born in Georgia. What goes around, comes around...

Once upon a time, my dad's sister did a genealogy search on the Burr family. And she got us all the way back to 1660 in this country. So I guess you could say I am a dyed-in-the-wool American. At least on my dad's side. Heaven only knows what gives on my mom's. Perhaps I shall ask Gary to research them, too. It'll keep him out of my hair for hours on end. Sound like a good idea? It does to me.

OK, for having nothing of consequence to say, I did a bang-up job of saying nothing. And that makes sense to me, which is a wee bit scary. Heavy sigh...

This week's card is for Gary's birthday, which isn't until March. But looking ahead to DT needs, I felt this was the best time to make it. So I printed out a LaLa Land image, Summer Luka, on X-Press It BC, and colored him with my Copics. I thought that this image was perfect, considering that we just put in the swimming pool, although we probably won't be in it until after Gary's birthday, doncha know.

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

Hair: YR14, YR18, E08, E18

Inner Tube: YG11, YG13, YG17, Y02, Y04, Y06

Swimsuit: B12, B14, B16, YR14, YR18

Fins/Arm Floats: Y02, Y04, Y06

I realize the little boy has red hair. Which, if Gary had hair, would not be his hair color. But it went with the paper I chose. I call that "artistic license". Anyway, I used some DP from the Best Creation Splash Fun collection and paired it with Stampin' Up CS. I added a border made with a Memory Box Oceana Border die. And finished this card with some Glossy Accents on the goggles. Which made it difficult to take a picture, as the light was bouncing off the gloss. Ugh. That's why you see this card at a really weird angle. (But consider the source.)  

Our sponsor this month has been Art by Mi Ran, where you will find fabulous digital images. And our prize is a choice of 3 images for the randomly-selected participant. Lucky you, whoever you are. Or is it whomever? (I should ask my copy-editor child, she would know.) Be sure to get your entry in by coloring an image for your project. You can use any coloring medium you wish. To get you inspired, please check out the fab creations by my talented teammates: Carla, Kathi, and Laine! 

Have any of you been playing Words with Friends? I have, and I have to admit I am addicted to it. I mostly play against the computer. But "they" say it is good for my old brain to challenge it with word games and puzzles. And who am I to dispute "them"?

I want to give a shout-out to my friend, Teresa, at Tickell Expressions. She sent me a gift in the mail, with wonderful paper, doilies, and ribbon, just because I comment on her blog. Now isn't that just the sweetest thing? And you should definitely check out her blog--she is a truly talented artist, and I love to see all the wonderful pieces she creates. Thank you so much, Teresa! So thoughtful of you, and greatly appreciated!

Here's hoping you all have a wonderful weekend! 

The Outlawz Friday Coloring "Winter Wonderland" Challenge/Gina's Birthday Card

Time for a new theme at The Outlawz Friday Coloring Challenge. This week is "Winter Wonderland", and you may interpret that however you wish. You may even use the coloring medium of your choice. But you must color an image on your project in order to play along. Okey dokey?

Our sponsor this month is still Art by MiRan, home to so many wonderful digital images. Have a look why don't you, if you are not familiar with her work! Our randomly-selected participant this month will win a choice of 3 digital images from the shop. Kewl, huh? So be sure to get your entries in this month.

I am using the darling Winter Coloring Page Big-Eyed Girl for my card this week! I decided to use this card for Gina's birthday at the end of February, since that is technically still winter in much of the country--though not so much for us in the desert. It does feel like winter today, although our temperatures are really mild. But we have quite the wind whipping through the yard, so not much fun to sit outside, even in the sunshine. How one can complain in 60+ degrees in January is beyond me, and yet, I am. Go figure...

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

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

Hair: YR23, YR24, E25, E29

Clothing: BG70, BG72, BG75, BG78, E41, E42, E43, E44

My DP is from the Carta Bella Winter Fun collection, and my CS is Stampin' Up. I added a bit of baker's twine and a snowflake charm. And that's it!

Last week I won the  New Year's blog candy that Ann Marie Governale was giving away on her blog, My Eclectic Spirit. And I received the package from her yesterday. What a wonderful haul! So much fun to peruse the candies, and I shall put them to good use quickly! Thank you so much, Ann Marie! 

So, we took some photos of our backyard with all the furniture. We know we need to repaint the house, but other than that, I think it looks really wonderful out there! 

Gary took the above photos, and I was a little disappointed with his POV on them, but decided to show them to you anyway. There is one perspective missing from this group, but what the heck. You get the general idea. We are definitely into turquoise. We have that as an accent color inside and also outside. It just feels like the tropics to me, and I like that feeling. Duh...

Did I ever tell you that our neighbor directly behind us, who has the little palms, actually thanked us for planting all of our palm trees? She said it looks so pretty from her side of the fence. I am just glad that she also planted palms, because they will look great with ours once they get a little more size on them. And our neighbor behind us to the right, in the two-story, is putting in a swimming pool as I speak. The shotcrete was poured yesterday, so it is coming along very quickly. Good time of the year to get one put in, for sure!

We had such a nice time with Wendy when she was here. She is now retired and likes getting out of Minnesota in the winter. Her trip this time was only for two weeks, but she hopes to spend at least a month here next year. And even possibly buy a place down here after selling her acreage on the Mississippi. She will juggle her time between Arizona and Minnesota, and become an official "Snowbird". 

Today I am having lunch with my sisters, Barbara and Merrilyn, at Rania's Grill. Looking forward to seeing them both and having some Afghan food! Yum!! And I will not be frightening anyone with my lip. Thank goodness for antiviral meds and Denavir! However, there is still the driving issue, so I hope everyone is on the look-out for me today. If you are in the southeast valley anywhere along Higley Road, be prepared. Because the bat out of he** is on the loose...

We are going out with the dinner club tomorrow night to Pappadeaux--hoping to have some good Cajun-style food. And then we are headed to Seasons 52 on Sunday with Andy and Amy before the Pro Bowl. Guess I have to root for Cris Carter's team at the Pro Bowl, as he drafted all the Cardinals playing in the game. (I probably would anyway, as Cris played for the Minnesota Vikings when I was still a Vikings fan.) Anyway, if you watch the Pro Bowl, be sure to wave at me. I'll be waving at you. Up in my nosebleed seat. Which they oddly call the "Terrace", to give it some class, no doubt.

Please check out the fab inspiration by my talented teammates: Carla, Kathi, and Laine! And then play along with us won't you???

Have a wonderful weekend!

Path of Positivity Challenge #22 - Midway - Uniqueness

Well, I have good news, and I have bad news. The good news is that my beautiful lip is looking more normal, so I may even venture out of the house later this week! The bad news is that I may even venture out of the house later this week. (If you are in the Valley of the Sun, be on the lookout for a crazed old lady in her silver TSX. Scaaaaaaary.) Now back to our regularly-scheduled programming...

Today we are reminding you that our PoP challenge #22, Uniqueness, is at the midpoint. We are looking for more entries this month, so be sure to check out the fab inspiration by my teammates, and then get your creations in to our challenge. And be sure to let us know how your entry fits the challenge theme.

I have used a darling Scribbles Designs image, Birthday Chef, for my card. As my friend, Desire, knows: I heart penguins. I heart them a lot. I would have an entire penguin colony in my backyard if they could tolerate the heat. As it is, I'm leaving them in South Africa, because I know Desire will take good care of our bird babies.

I found a fun quotation by the great Dr. Seuss, which seems to fit this birthday chef to a "T". I am grateful for all the unique souls in our world. We each have something special to contribute to make this an interesting and exciting place to live. (And, yes, I know, I have more quirks than I care to admit. Don't rub it in, OK?) Life would be so dull if each of us marched to the beat of the same drum. What's the fun in that?

I get an email every day from Sunny Dawn Johnston with an affirmation. She calls it "Sunny's Sentiments -- Your Positive Daily Affirmation". Magically, today's affirmation is: "I am a unique and very special person who is worthy of respect from others." Just had to share that, as it cracked me up that I would receive it today--synchronicity at its finest. 

Oops, I seem to have forgotten to give our sponsors their due. So here are the deets for this month.

Our guest sponsors and prizes this month are:
- A prize package worth $10 of digi images, (digital papers not applicable), from Scribbles Designs, for the post or project that the DT deems most inspiring.
- A $10 Gift Certificate from Ike's Art, for a person chosen in a random draw based on all entrants.
- One digital image from Creative Bug Digital SnapShots for each person chosen as a DT Digital Delight.

There will also be:
- One digital designer paper, (made to order in a couple 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.

And now for the details on my card. I printed Birthday Chef on X-Press It BC and colored him with my Copics: T0, T1, T2, T4, T6, T8, Y13, Y15, Y18. Then I mounted him on Stampin' Up CS and added my sentiment using a couple of die cuts: Spellbinders Ovals and Spellbinders Labels 18. Another fairly CAS card for me, huh? What's up with that, anyway? Your guess is as good as mine. 

And I have just typed a lot of nonsense about nothing. I decided you would get bored reading it, so I hit the delete button. Well, actually I used my highlight and delete function, if you want to get technical about it. Anyway, I saved you reading a bunch of trivia, so you can thank me later.

For now, I hope you will all have a really wonderful week. We are having Gary's brother's widow, Wendy, over for a visit. And then I get to see my sister, Barbara, when she comes back from Wisconsin/Florida. I'll be back here on Friday. Hope you are on the edge of your seats awaiting my next post...

The Outlawz Friday Coloring "Color/Photo Inspiration" Challenge - Kelsey's Valentine

Okey dokey. We are in the first month of the new year. And I have my annual cold sore. I know this is now an annual thing, because I went to the doctor last January for a cold sore as well. Lucky me. So, I obviously get stressed at the start of each year. Why? Who knows? Furthermore, who cares?

But, let me tell you something. This baby is a big, big-big, really-big cold sore. Yes, my lip ballooned out so far, that if it was filled with air, I would be floating somewhere over the Grand Canyon right now. And probably wouldn't come down anytime soon.

And painful? Ah, yeah, you might say so. It hurts so much my eyes cross just thinking about it. Now, that's a pretty thought, eh? A cross-eyed, balloon-lipped, slightly-crazed old lady. (At least I think I am a lady. I know I am old.) Sigh...

I promise I shall feel better in a month or three. And look better, too, hopefully. Not much I can do about the "old" or "crazed" parts, but I got new meds to take care of the sore. Thank you. And amen.

Now that you are grossed out, (and really glad to be far, far away from my beauteous, but contagious self), I will give you the details for this week's card. Firstly, our monthly sponsor is Art by Mi Ran. You will love her anime digi images--they are so, so cute. (And none of them has a balloon lip. Fortunately.) Our randomly-selected winner this month will receive a prize of 3 digis of his/her choice. I wish I could play. Anyhow, if you submit a project with an image you colored, (using the coloring media of your choice), you will be entered to win. So play along!

Our theme this week is a Color/Photo Inspiration. I chose to make a Valentine for my older granddaughter using this color palette. My image is one I have had for quite a while, and finally decided to use. Kelsey, you see, is a dedicated dragon fan. So I thought this Crafts and Me Sadie's Dragon image, by Hannah Lynn, would be perfect for Kelsey's Valentine. I printed the image on X-Press It BC, colored it with my Copics, and then mounted it on Stampin' Up CS. I added one die cut made with the Memory Box Caserta Bloom die. That's it. Pretty CAS for me, huh? And here are the colors I used:

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

Hair: E53, E23, E57, E59

Egg/Blouse: Y13, Y15, Y18

Flowers/Bow/Ribbon: R30, R32, R35, R37, BG11, BG13, BG15, BG18

Wings/Dragon: BG11, BG13, BG15, BG18

Oh, yeah, here is the Color/Photo Inspiration:

 

Be sure to check out the fab creations by my talented teammates: Carla, Kathi, and Laine. And then join us, won't you for this challenge?

Have a wonderful weekend! (I will still be hiding in my house or backyard, waiting for my lip to heal.)

The Outlawz Friday Coloring Fairy Tale/Myths Challenge - Brynn's Valentine

Hi, Peeps! Hope you are all starting your New Year with a bang and not a whimper. I am ready. For what, I am not sure. But there must be something around the corner to celebrate! Oh, yeah, we are going to my sister's for a gathering of relatives on Sunday. A nephew I haven't seen in 15 years or so is coming to town. It will be good to see him and the rest of my crazy family that lives in the Valley of the Sun. 

This month our Outlawz Friday Coloring challenge is sponsored by Art by Mi Ran, which is a fabulous digital company; go check out the images to see how creative they are! Our randomly-selected participant will win 3 digis of his/her choice. So be sure to enter this month for a chance to win. All you need to do is color an image on your project with any coloring medium you wish. I will be using my image later in the month.

This week we are celebrating Fairy Tales and/or Myths in our Outlawz Friday Coloring challenge. I am trying to get some cards done in advance, so mine is also a Valentine for my granddaughter, Brynn. I used Saturated Canary Sleeping Beauty for my image this week. (Unfortunately, she is no longer available in the Saturated Canary digi shop. I feel lucky that I got her before she was discontinued.) I printed this beauty on X-Press It BC and colored her with my Copics:

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

Hair: E53, E35, E37, E57

Nightgown: G00, BG32, BG34, G16, W1

Pillows: G00, BG32, BG34, G16, W1, W4, W6, W9, E01, E02, E07, E09, E18

I had to use some W1 to gray out the greens, as they were far too bright for the paper I chose, which is from the My Mind's Eye Cut & Paste collection. My CS is from Stampin' Up. I added a couple of die cuts made with Spellbinders Classic Scallop Edgeabilities and Memory Box Precious Hearts dies. I also added a few rhinestones.

Oh, btw, I am such a happy camper! Our deck chairs arrived yesterday and really help finish the resort look of our backyard. I would have taken photos to show you, except it is too cloudy out. I will await the return of our sunshine to take the pictures. We have seating for 20 out there now, which will be good for family pool parties, don't you think? 

Be sure to stop by and check out the fab inspiration by my talented teammates: Carla, Kathi, and Laine. And then play along with us this week, won't you?

Have a wonderful weekend!

Path of Positivity Challenge #22 - Uniqueness /Abby's Birthday Card

We are starting the New Year with a new challenge: Uniqueness. Now, I don't know about you, but I always feel unique. (Some have called me weird. And they might have been right. But I prefer the word unique, don't you?) I think each of us is a spark of life that is like no other. It takes all kinds to make this world, or universe, go 'round, and I celebrate the uniqueness of each of us doing our part.

I love the quotation I used today by Deepak Chopra, one of my favorite authors. "Each of us is a unique strand in the intricate web of life and here to make a contribution." And sometimes I think we contribute in spite of ourselves, but that's another matter for another conversation. Suffice it to say, I love the fact that we are all so different. It makes life much more interesting, even when the "other" believes differently than I do. Wouldn't life be boring if we all agreed on everything? I think life would feel colorless--just shades of gray...

Speaking of color, I used very few for my image today. I love this image: Ike's Art Vaguely Goth, because she is so pretty and reminds me of my niece, Abby. (Who is also a very unique person, and one I love very much.) That's why I chose this image for Abby's birthday card. I printed her on X-Press It BC, and colored her with my Copics:

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

Hair: Y21, YR23, E15, E18

Eyes: BG90, BG93, BG95

Jewelry: T0, T1, T2, T4

I chose my DP from My Mind's Eye Lost & Found Halloween collection, and paired it with Stampin' Up CS. My die cut was made with the Memory Box Corner Bow die. A simple design to feature the beautiful image.

Our guest sponsors and prizes this month are:

- A prize package worth $10 of digi images, (digital papers not applicable), from Scribbles Designs, for the post or project that the DT deems most inspiring.

- A $10 gift certificate from Ike's Art, for a person chosen in a random draw based on all entrants.

- One digital image from Creative Bug Digital SnapShots for each person chosen as a DT Digital Delight.

There will also be:

- One digital designer paper, (made to order in a couple 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.

If any of you follow football, you know that my Cardinals are one and done in the playoffs. Not a good showing, for sure, but in all honesty, it was what I expected. Just can't go down to your third-string quarterback and really do much, especially if your defense is worn down, which ours was. I choose to celebrate the fact that we had 11 wins, (one more than last year), and to look forward to the next season with all its turbulence.

On a brighter note, we found out that our deck chairs are to be delivered this Thursday, so I can hardly wait to see the backyard all finished. Hopefully, I will be able to sit out there again soon. We have had such cold weather, (for us), that we even had to cover our Bismarck palm for over a week. At least sunshine is once again here, whoopee! This "unique" person requires her sunshine for her mental health! (Hey, watch what you're thinking.)

Do check out all the fab creations by my talented teammates and our Guest Designer, Mimi from Crafty Animal. And then join us in our "Uniqueness" challenge, running from 1/5 through 2/1--be sure to let us know how your project relates to our theme! 

Have a wonderful week!

The Outlawz Friday Coloring "Birds" Challenge

Hi, there! Today's challenge is all about birds, because January 5 is National Bird Day. Another new one for me. Say, can you believe it is 2015? Isn't that mind-blowing? I mean, it seems like yesterday we started 2014...

Our sponsor this month is Art by Miran, another wonderful digi artist! And our randomly-selected participant will win a prize of 3 digis. Kewl, huh? Be sure to check out these fab images if you are unfamiliar with them. And also be sure to play along this month by coloring an image for your project with any coloring medium you wish.

FYI, I am using my Art by Miran image later this month. Today I have chosen an SCACD image, Special Delivery, drawn by the talented Carmen Medlin. I printed my image on X-Press It BC, and colored it with Copics: B21, B24, B28, C0, C1, C3, C4, C6, C8, Y13, Y15, Y18. (My colors were chosen based upon the colors of a Hyacinth Macaw, one of my very favorite parrot species.)

I also used die cuts from the Memory Box Typewriter Upper and Lower dies, as well as those from the Cheery Lynn Gears dies. My CS is from Stampin' Up. I added some baker's twine to the rolled up paper. And that's about all she wrote for this card.

I hope you check out the fabulous inspiration by my talented teammates: Carla, Kathi, and Laine. Such a fun variety of creations! Do join us this week, won't you? Unless you are too exhausted from all your New Year celebrating...

Tomorrow is the playoff game for our Cardinals. They put up a better showing against the 49ers than they did against the Seahawks. But, with our quarterback situation still sucking big time, I expect one and done. I love my Cardinals anyway, and am looking forward to this next season.

I do hope you all have some fun plans for the weekend! I will be back again on Monday.

And Happy New Year!