The Outlawz Friday Coloring "Anything Goes/Christmas Twist" Challenge--Our Anniversary Card

Happy Friday, Peeps! Hope you have had a really good week! I haven't been my most productive this week, having made only one card, but I did go swimming in our new pool for the first time on Wednesday. It was pretty chilly, in the high 70's, but I wore my wetsuit and got a little too warm. So shall try swimming without it the next time I swim.

Just have to mention that tomorrow would have been my dad's 100th birthday, if he had lived that long. So, Happy Birthday, Daddy!

Did I tell you that the birdies tried four times to build a nest on our patio? And Gary took down the first three? Before we went to the Big Island, I told him to let them finish nest number 4, because they were bound and determined to build one on our rolled-up shade screen. So they finished the nest while we were gone, and the female must have laid eggs--because they take turns sitting out there. One of the birds is really twitchy--every time we go outside it leaves the nest. The other bird is a little braver and stays on the nest unless we are too noisy, or out in the pool. I wonder when the babies will hatch...I don't even know what kind of birds they are, but one has a crested head with dark head and tail feathers. Wish I could get a good photo, but neither one likes their picture taken. They must subscribe to the Penny School of Modeling. (To be a member, you must run every time you see a camera facing your direction.)

My sister, Merrilyn, and I had lunch together on Wednesday. And our waiter saw the anniversary card I had made for Merrilyn and Ron. He seemed to love it, and asked if I would make one for his wife of four months for her birthday in June. Crazy. I think I will find time to do that for him, but it is a first for me...

I have about a bazillion more photos to show you, but thought I would go through my card details first. That way you can skip-to-my-lou through the photos if you wish. We still have Sweet Pea Stamps for our sponsor of this month. Last week of the month, though, so get your entries in for the prize of four digis! Lucky, lucky winner! Love, love, love the different artists that are represented by this store! (I think I have mentioned that on one or two occasions!)

So I picked a cool image for my card this week. And, no, it is not a Christmas image. I needed an image for an anniversary card for Gary. The image is actually of a bride and groom, which is why I used the "Remember When" sentiment by Stampin' Up. I have to confess, that I certainly don't remember when Gary looked like this groom. He never had that much hair--not even as a teenager. Of course, in those days, (before there was dirt), boys were not allowed to wear their hair long in high school. Neanderthal rules, for sure. Girls couldn't wear slacks to school, not even when it was below zero outside. And our skirts couldn't be shorter than our knees. They had to touch the floor if we were kneeling down. Redonkulous. Oops, guess I got off track there, didn't I? Strange...that never happens to me...

OK, so my image is by the talented Teresa Sherman, and is called Sweet Pea Stamps Gothic Bride and Groom. You can find it here. I printed the image on X-Press It BC and colored it with my Copics:

Skin: E000, E00, E21, E11, E13, R20

Hair: Y21, YR23, E15, E18

Flowers: E13, E15, E18, E84, E87, E89

Tattoo: Y21, Y26, Y28, E13, E15, E18

Buttons/Jewelry: Y21, Y26, Y28

Jacket:  T4, T6, T8

Veil/Shirt: W0, W1, W2

Tie: E13, E15, E18

My DP is from the Memory Box Nightfall collection and was paired with Stampin' Up CS. I used a bit of tulle and printed my sentiment on a Spellbinders Labels 4 die cut. Pretty much done. I would imagine Gary will chuckle when he sees the image, as neither one of us looks anything like the couple. Of course, neither one of us looks anything like we did when we got married, either. That was nearly 45 years ago--it will be on May 9, which is also Mother's Day every seven years. Ask me how I know that. Nevermind...

Be sure to check out the fabulous creations by my talented teammates: Carla, Kathi, and Laine. We have to say goodbye to Laine, as she is stepping down, which is so sad. But we will be welcoming two new designers, Vannessa and Karen, which is such good news. Anyway, do hand-color an image for your project, using the medium of your choice, and play along with us. Looking forward to your entries!

And now, for a continuation of our stay on the Big Island...

A turtle feeding in the shallows in Kona. You can see him right at the bottom of the photo. He proved to be as camera-shy as I am, but I finally caught his head poking above water--barely!

Another gorgeous sunset--this time at sea level.

Another early-morning, ho-hum view from our lanai.

Gary and his pretty drink at Annie's--home to yummy burgers, using Hawaii's grass-fed beef. Oh my! See the palm tree growing through the roof of the restaurant? Cool, huh?

Shhhhh...it's an endangered species, who is very, very camera-shy! Note the alcoholic beverage. That's a first. Snicker...

And you know we had to go here, and get some yummy malasadas. No wonder I gain weight every time we go to the Hawaiian islands...

Sleeping turtle at Black Sand Beach, (Punalu'u Beach). I zoomed my camera--I am not that close to it.

Another zoomed shot when it awakened. But he/she went right back to sleep.

A larger turtle sleeping further down the beach--again, a zoomed shot.

Gary at Punalu'u Beach. I always have to tell him to smile. But he really is happy. 

Right before we left Punalu'u Beach. Sigh...I love it there.

Turtles moving up onto the shore at the Fairmont Orchid at Pauoa Bay. Guess they needed a rest! So many turtles there--we want to stay there to snorkel the next time we go back to Hawaii.

How's that for a gorgeous hunk of grass-fed beef? At Merriman's in Waimea, (high country). Scrumptious!

Came out of Merriman's and was shocked to see top of Mauna Kea with the observatories! It was always cloud-covered, so this was fun to see. Top is at 13, 796 ft., as I mentioned in my last post.

That's probably enough photos for this edition! Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Path of Positivity Challenge #25 Midway Reminder: Growth

So we are at the midpoint of our Growth challenge at PoP. Growth can represent many different things for each individual. I chose this sentiment by George Eliot because it really affirms my thought that we always have room for improvement, and can grow toward that, no matter our age or place in life. Age is not a deterrent to becoming who we really want to be, or were meant to be.

Of course, that doesn't mean that I think I need improvement. Because, as we already know, I am perfect just as I am. Snicker...snort...

Speaking of perfect, I wanted to show you some photos of our vacation before I continue on with my card for this midpoint reminder. Our trip to the Big Island was just about perfect. If I had not had my cold sore, and we had been able to go snorkeling, it would have been a perfect trip. As it was, I really loved my relaxing time on Hawaii.

So we had a fabulous room on the ocean. Gary spoiled me with the view and sounds each day that we were there. Loved having coffee on our lanai and reading my books, while the sun came up over Hualalai. (This volcano is the third youngest on the island, and, fortunately did not erupt while we were there!) I also spent time on our lanai after dark, too, watching the boats, and snorkelers, who were looking for manta rays feeding on the plankton.

Panoramic view from our ocean-front lanai

Sunset from our dinner table the first night we were at the Sheraton.

My miserable dinner partner--NOT. Teehee.

First night watching the manta ray seekers--lights from Kailua-Kona in distance

Sunrise over Hualalai

Same sunrise time, but looking at the ocean. Sigh...

My deeply-stressed (NOT) hubby at our favorite breakfast spot, The Coffee Shack.

View from The Coffee Shack--note the Vog moving in over the ocean from Kilauea Volcano. 

Lovely sign for southernmost point in the US, called Ka Lae, or South Point.

Gary, sitting at South Point, along with Hawaiian fisherman in the background.

Did I mention the fabulous Kona coffee we drank over there? It was so delish. Of course, we had to stop here, too! 

Second morning, there was a pod of more than a dozen spinner dolphins in our bay, swimming back and forth and playing with snorkelers. Here I caught one dolphin in the acting of spinning.

There are about nine dolphins visible in this photo. Really loved watching them! I used my binoculars to see them better.

The day we went to top of Mauna Kea. Stopped at 9,000 ft. to acclimate for an hour, and got a shot in the Visitor's Center garden of this silversword, which only grows on the Big Island.

There were Hawaiians chanting in prayer here when we first arrived in this garden area.

Another stop on the way to the top of Mauna Kea. It was getting pretty chilly.

Snow at the top of Mauna Kea, at 13, 796 ft. 

Some of the observatories on Mauna Kea.

Sunset on top of Mauna Kea, with observatories in distance.

So that's probably enough of a dose of our trip for today. I will try to add some new photos this Friday. So check me out then, too, OK? 

Back to my card for PoP. I chose another wonderful image by Sparkle N Sprinkle, who is the sole sponsor for our main prizes this month. Her name is Vivian Hat Lady, and she is another classy image. I printed her on X-Press It BC, and colored her with my Copics:

Skin: E000, E00, E21, E11, E15, R02

Hair: Y21, YR23, E18

Glove/Hat: E41, E42, E43, E44

Collar/Trims/Earrings: R81, R83, R85, R89

Blouse: W2, W4, W6

I kept things fairly simple, using a Cheery Lynn Silver Stacker L-7 Oval die cut, DP from the Glitz All Dolled Up collection, CS from Stampin' Up, and die-cut corners using a LaLa Land Crafts corner die. Then I added my sentiment, and voila! Fini! 

I do hope you will join us this month! We have a new GDT, Julie O. of Muddy Paws & Inky Fingers; so be sure to check out her fun creations! And stop by to see the wonderful inspiration by my talented teammates as well. Here are the deets on our prizes this month:

Sponsor Info: 

Sparkle N Sprinkle is the sole sponsor for the main prizes of this challenge. They are offering up two prizes for this challenge, which will be:

• $15.00 worth of digital images for the post or project that the DT deems most inspiring of the bunch.
• $15.00 worth of digital images for a person chosen in a random draw based on all entrants.

There will also be:

• One digital image from Creative Bug Digital Stamps for each person chosen as a DT Delight.
• One digital designer paper (made to order in a few different ways) from Décosse's Dynamite Doodles for one lucky voter who leaves a comment.
• One digital sentiment for every single person who enters the challenge.

Hope you all have a wonderful week!

The Outlawz Friday Coloring "Color/Photo Inspiration" Challenge--Merrilyn and Ron's Anniversary Card

Happy Friday! And a fine howdy-doodles to you all! If you have missed my comments for the past couple of weeks or so, it's because we were on vacation again. Yes, I said AGAIN. Really, truly, loved it, but almost too much travel in a short space of time. We had to cancel a trip to Cancun in October, so had to use our airline tickets by April 2nd. After we returned from Maui on the 9th of March, we had three weeks at home before going back to my beloved Big Island in Hawaii for another 10 days in paradise.  Tough life, but somebody's got to live it, and it might as well be me. Snicker, snort...

I will be back in the swing of things shortly and return to commenting on all the fabulous blog posts that I missed--while sitting on my lanai, contemplating my belly button, as I listened to the surf of Keauhou Bay. Ooooh, this was such a relaxing trip. We had great food, at several fairly inexpensive restaurants, (inexpensive for Hawaii, anyway), and lots of lazing about. I managed to read 7 books during the trip. Lots of it done on my 4th floor lanai. Listening to the waves. Sigh...

We went to the top of Mauna Kea, (13, 796 ft.) to see the observatories up there, and look at the stars through a portable telescope, which was really fun. Did you know that stars don't twinkle when you get up that high? Amazing. It was really hard to breathe up there, though. I felt OK other than that, but it was a good thing they stopped at 9,000 ft. to acclimate us for an hour before heading for the summit. Gary suffered dizziness for several minutes, but finally felt OK enough to go topside with the rest of us. What a trip! And there was quite a bit of snow up there. Hilarious. You are about 30 miles from the beaches and you can have snowball fights. Well, you could if you could breathe well enough to bend over and make one and then throw it. I simply kicked a bit of it, just to say I touched the snow on the Big Island. (Bending over was out of the question--tough for me to do on a good day at sea level, doncha know.) Loved this excursion as it was so different than anything I had ever done.

Then there were 8 sea turtles sleeping on the beaches, which were so much fun to see and photograph. And I saw a Manta Ray swimming at night in the lights at the Sheraton at Keauhou Bay. Plus, the most wonderful, magical morning for me was spent watching a pod of two dozen or so dolphins playing in the bay, complete with them spinning and swimming with the snorkelers there. (Gary spoiled me with an ocean-front room upgrade for our stay there! Fantastic!)

We did not go snorkeling. Took our gear with us, expecting to go on at least one snorkeling trip. And then, on the flight over, a cold sore popped up on my lip. Whaaaaat? Really? On vacation? Fortunately I had some cream with me, so I started that right away. And the next day got an oral prescription, called in by my Arizona doctor, which kept me from blossoming into a nasty, blistered mess. However, the cold sore didn't disappear until the last day we were there, so I had a very sore lip, which would have hurt while wrapped around a snorkel mouthpiece. Ergo: we did not go snorkeling on this trip. That was the only bummer about the trip, though, as we had lovely weather and met some nice people. And ate great food. Did I mention the yummy food we had???

Will blog more on Monday with some photos to show you. Oh, and after we returned our water heater started shooting water out of the top of it, which is a weird place to leak, don't you think?. (Thank heavens it was after we returned and not while we were gone!) I was annoyed, but not angry. And I earned my annoyance, as this was our second water heater in less than 5 years. Cheap piece of crap that Shea Homes installed, and even cheaper piece of crap that was replaced by Riggs Plumbing. Yes, I am naming names. The original water heater lasted only 3 years, and the replacement a mere one+ year. Not the end of the world, but annoying anyway. Oh, well, we are having a very good model installed today--thank goodness, as I am getting ripe waiting for my hot-water shower. Ooooh, TMI? Sorry...

So, our new challenge is a color/photo inspiration, which I ran with to create my sister and BIL's anniversary card. Hopefully, she won't look at this today, as her anniversary isn't until the 27th.

 

Our April sponsor is Sweet Pea Stamps, whom I love, love, love. I have taken advantage of their sales to get more of their images. You should, too, if you don't win this month's prize of 4 digis, because there are such wonderful artists at Sweet Pea, and there are a bajillion fab images to choose from. (Well, that might be a slight exaggeration.) Anyway, do check out the website!

The darling image I chose this week is Sweet Pea Stamps First Kiss by Conie Fong. I thought it was such a cute image to use for a couple celebrating 53 years of wedded bliss. (Snort. They are happily married, for sure, but nobody has that much wedded bliss. Gag me.) I printed the image on X-Press It BC and colored it with my Copics:

Skin: E000, E00, E21, E11, E13, R20

Her Hair: E33, E35, E37, E39

His Hair: E51, E53, E35, E37

Daisy: E40, E41, E42, Y21, Y23, Y26, G20, G21, G24, G28

Bow/Dress/Her Shoes: Y21, Y23, Y26

Shirt/His Shoes: G20, G21, G24, G28

Jeans: T1, T2, T4 

My DP is from My Mind's Eye Collectable Remarkable collection, and it was paired with Stampin' Up CS. I used a Whimsy Corner die and a Cheery Lynn Daisy Strip die for the corners and flower, along with an SU brad. Pretty simple, hey? 

In case you didn't see it above, the Big Island is home to so much yummy food. Many restaurants use island-grown, fresh ingredients. My favorite things to eat or drink over there: avocados, macadamia nuts, grass-fed beef, and Kona coffee--oh, my, yum, yum, yum, yum, yum. And then there were the delicious Mai Tais, too. Sigh...

Be sure to check out the beautiful inspiration from my talented teammates: Carla, Kathi, and Laine! And then play along with us by coloring an image for your project, using the medium of your choice.

Have a wonderful weekend!

The Outlawz Friday Coloring "April Showers" Challenge

Yes, yes, it is actually another new challenge, so that must mean it is Friday. Ye gads, again? My head is spinning at how fast time is flying. I think I say this almost every week, but I don't think I am the only one to feel this way. Right? 

Anyway, we have an April Showers challenge, which means you can do a project about rainy weather, umbrellas, etc., etc., etc. I managed to combine the rain with the umbrella and added a dragon for good measure. Unique? Yes, but it is a fabulous image by Lisa Victoria, called Rain Dragon. And it is carried by Sweet Pea Stamps, our fantastic April sponsor! As I mentioned last week, the prize this month is your choice of four digis. Good luck narrowing it down! There are so many wonderful images, that you can literally spend hours looking at them all! To enter, just color an image for your project with any medium you wish. Easy peasy, right?

I took my color inspiration from my DP, which is from the Prima All About Me collection. And I paired this DP with Stampin' Up CS. I printed the dragon on X-Press It BC and colored it with my Copics:  

Dragon/Rain: BG70, BG72, B32, B34, B37, B39, YR00, YR01, YR02

Umbrella: YG61, YG63, YG67

My design is quite simple. I merely added some Memory Box Petite Umbrella die cuts and some ribbons. So that is all for this week. 

Another week with little chatter from me. I will try to make it up to you next week. In the meantime, do check out the wonderful inspiration by my very talented teammates: Carla, Kathi, and Laine. And then play along with us, won't you? 

Have a fantastic weekend!

Path of Positivity Challenge #25: Growth

Welcome to a new monthly challenge at PoP! We are all about "Growth" this month. And, no, I am not talking about my expanding waistline. Which I would be thrilled to mention, if I was about 40 years younger, and expecting a baby. But I am not. Ergo, I am not...

I am talking about growth in more subtle ways. Like the growth we experience as we learn something new, in business or in pleasure. Sometimes we can have a light-bulb moment, which opens our eyes to possibilities we had never imagined. Ways in which to grow--mentally or spiritually. We can even grow when we learn new ways to interact as parents or grandparents. I love the quote by Oprah Winfrey that I chose for this month: "The whole point of being alive is to evolve into the complete person you were intended to be." This may seem a bit woo-woo, but I think it is really applicable to our lives.

I am still evolving, and no I am not just talking about aging. Though there is that component as well. But I am changing my ideas and opinions as I grow older. I no longer hold all the same beliefs that I did as a younger version of me. And I am really OK with that. I like to think of myself as being a kinder, gentler version of me when I am at my best. When I am at my worst, all bets are off...

But I digress. Suffice it to say, that I have grown in ways that I could not have imagined when I was in my 20's, 30's, or even 40's. So there is always hope. As long as we are still taking a breath, we can grow and change into more of what we were meant to be.

I chose a wonderful image by Sparkle N Sprinkle, who is our sole sponsor for our main prizes this month. Her name is Maryanne, and she is a classy lady, don't you think? From a bygone era, but one my mother certainly lived in. I love that about this image. She reminds me of Mom. Perhaps that's why I colored her hair and eyes the way I did--which I just noticed as I was writing up this post. Interesting...

Anyway, I printed Maryanne on X-Press It BC and colored her with my Copics and Twin Touch Brush markers:

Skin: E000, E00, E21, E11, E15, YR02

Hair: E35, E39, E59

Eyes: E23

Trim: TTG46, TTG43, R43, R46, E51, E53, E55, E57

Hat: BG32, BG34 W1, W2

Scarf: E51, E53, E55, E57

My DP came from the Prima Anna Marie collection, (thanks, Ann Marie Governale!), and it was paired with Stampin' Up CS. I added some Pearl Pen, Whimsy Corner die cuts, and an MFT Double Scallop die-cut border. And that's about it!

I do hope you will join us this month! We have a new GDT, Julie O. of Muddy Paws & Inky Fingers; so be sure to check out her fun creations! And stop by to see the wonderful inspiration by my talented teammates as well. Here are the deets on our prizes this month:

Sponsor Info:
Sparkle N Sprinkle is the sole sponsor for the main prizes of this challenge. They are offering up two prizes for this challenge, which will be:

• $15.00 worth of digital images for the post or project that the DT deems most inspiring of the bunch.
• $15.00 worth of digital images for a person chosen in a random draw based on all entrants.

There will also be:

• One digital image from Creative Bug Digital Stamps for each person chosen as a DT Delight.
• One digital designer paper (made to order in a few different ways) from Décosse's Dynamite Doodles for one lucky voter who leaves a comment.
• One digital sentiment for every single person who enters the challenge.

Hope you all have a wonderful week!

The Outlawz Friday Coloring "Fairies" Challenge

Well, it's the first Friday of April, can you believe that? Color me stunned. One quarter of 2015 is gone--whoosh, just like that! Lucky us, though, at our Outlawz Coloring Challenge, because Sweet Pea Stamps is still our sponsor for this month, too! Another monthly prize of four digital images from one of the best stamp companies online, IMHO. After all, there are so many different artists to choose from, and each one has created fabulous images. So do play along with us again this month! Just color up your project's image with any medium you like. Easy peasy...

I chose Charmaine Flannery's Libelle for my image this week. I had done a fairy wedding card last week, which, in retrospect, I could have saved for this challenge. But I am not the brightest bulb on the planet, so I didn't plan ahead that well. Sigh...

Anyway, I was tickled to use this image, because she is really sweet. I printed her on X-Press It BC, like usual, and colored her with my Copics:

Skin: E000, E00, E21, E11, E13, R21

Hair: Y21, YR23, E25, E29

Eyes: E23, E25

Dog: E40, E42, E44, E49

Wings: BG70, BG72, BG75

Sweater: RV91, RV93, RV95, RV99

Trees: YG21, YG23, YG25, E42, E44, E49

I chose DP from the BoBunny C'est La Vie collection, and paired it with Stampin' Up CS. (BTW, most of my DP is from old collections, so they probably are no longer available, unless someone has some on Ebay--I apologize for that.) I added some Chevron Stripes using a MFT die, and finished the card with a few pearls in the corners.

I am going to away with myself for now, but will be back with another post on Monday. I apologize for the brevity of this one. Please check out the fabulous inspiration by my talented teammates: Carla, Kathi, and Laine. And then do play along with us this week, won't you? Fairies are really fun to color!

Have a great weekend!