Friday, August 29, 2014

The Outlawz Friday Coloring Anything Goes/Christmas Twist Challenge

Another mouthful for a title, yes? Still think acronyms would be easier. Drat, I just got that pop-up again for backing up my computer. Do you get them? I find them quite annoying and always have to delete them, as I am easily distracted. Where was I? Oh, yes, our new challenge. You can use any medium to color any image this week. And, if you are like me, you will take the opportunity to make another Christmas card per our twist. I am still woefully short in my finished cards for this holiday season. If I find my mojo, I just may make a few Christmas cards during the upcoming months. Egads! It's almost September. How in the you-know-what did that happen?

We are sponsored this month by the inimitable Bombshell Stamps, where you will find really fun and unusual images. Our randomly-selected participant this month will receive a choice of a digi set! So get your entries in quickly.


Hope you have had a good week! I have--I am still reading like a fiend; am now on the fifth book of the Outlander series. Yes, this is an addicting story for old ladies. Not too sure about anybody else, but I am really loving it. Will be disappointed when I finally finish it, I am sure. Of course, there is always the next book, and the next, and so on. 

My image this week is one from Rick St. Dennis, called Night Before Christmas Santa. He was a fun one to color, as Rick puts in so many shading lines to follow. I printed the image on X-Press It BC, and colored it with my Copics and Twin Touch Brush markers:

Skin:  E000, E00, E21, E11, E04, R20
Hair: W00, W0, W1, W3
Fur Trim: E40, E41
Suit: E07, E09, TTR1
Fabric Trim/Leaves: YG61, YG63, YG67

I used Stampin' Up CS for this card, added a bit of Washi tape, and cut some stars with Spellbinders Classic Stars dies. Yes, that's it. A rather CAS card this week--but easier for mailing at Christmas, don't you think?

So, have you got plans for this holiday weekend? I actually do not. I think I will veg a bit. Translation: read--a lot. The NFL played their last preseason games last night, so we won't see any more until next weekend. Bummer. I am anxious for the new season to start. Especially since I am NOT in any Fantasy leagues. I will have stress-less football this fall, and am really looking forward to that!

Do stop by and check out the fab creations by my talented teammates: Carla, Dawn, and Kathi! And then color something up and play along with us, won't you? Looking forward to seeing what you create!

Have a wonderful week!


Friday, August 22, 2014

The Outlawz Friday Coloring Angels Challenge

Hello, Peeps! And a very fun Friday to you all! Hope you have had a good week, and are planning on having a wonderful weekend! Today starts our Angels Challenge, since August 22 is Be An Angel Day. You can use any angel to color with your choice of coloring medium this week. We are sponsored this month by Bombshell Stamps, home to some really unusual and fun stamps. Our randomly-selected winner will win the digi set of his/her choice. So get those entries in! Quickly, like a little bunny...


I have to admit that my mojo is just barely surviving at the present time. (Happens to all of us at some point, I believe. And then, it miraculously comes back again.) I am still waiting for its wholehearted return. Anxiously, as a matter of fact, because I am really struggling to create much of anything right now. Perhaps it is just the doldrums of a long, hot summer that is affecting me. 

I chose an SCACD angel image by Carmen Medlin, called Winter Guardian, for my card this week. I decided to use the angel theme to create another Christmas card, as I am in sore need of them for this year. I printed my angel on X-Press It BC, and colored her with my Copics:
Skin: E000, E00, E21, E11, E04, R20
Hair: E50, E53, E43, E57
Wings/Dress: YG13, YG17, BG11, BG13, BG15, BG18

I added a bit of Glossy Accents to the globe, which I did color, but forgot to write down the Copics used--sorry! I chose DP from the Jillibean Soup Winter Tortellini & Spinach Soup collection, Zutterized it, and paired it with Stampin' Up CS. 

Lo and behold, I added some die cuts. I realize this is a tremendous shock to you all. I apologize for that. (Snort.) I used the following dies: Whimsy Ticket, Memory Box Country House, Cheery Lynn Atlas, and Cheery Lynn Dutch Doily Rectangle Frame. My sentiment is from the Whimsy Holiday Ticket Sentiments set. And that's it for this week's card.

We are hosting a Fantasy Football draft here tomorrow. I am not in the league--as I promised, I am not in any Fantasy Football leagues this year--too much stress for this old lady! But the party tomorrow should be fun. And then we are headed to the Arizona Cardinals game on Sunday. Can hardly wait for that!!! Hope your plans are exciting to you, too!

Do stop by and check out the beautiful creations by my talented teammates: Carla, Dawn, and Kathi! And then play along with us this week! Looking forward to what you create!

Have a great weekend!


Friday, August 15, 2014

The Outlawz Friday Coloring Color/Photo Inspiration Challenge/Carol's Birthday Card

Wow, that title is a mouthful, huh? Should have just used an acronym. Let's see, that would have made it TOFCCPICCBC. What???? Oh, never-mind. Just remember that we have a new challenge today for coloring at The Outlawz. And you can use any coloring medium you wish. But, be sure that the photo/colors inspire your creation this week.


Also, remember that this month we are sponsored by Bombshell Stamps, home to really fun and unique stamps! Our randomly-selected participant this month will receive one digi set of his/her choice. Lucky duck!


So, I have another good friend with a birthday this month. Carol's big day is August 26th, but we are seeing her tomorrow night in Scottsdale for our monthly dinner club get-together. So I needed to get this card done a wee bit early in the month--you know how I hate to mail my cards--it is so expensive! I should just make A2 skinny cards, I guess, if I expect to mail them. But then I would not be able to see an image to color it, as it would be too small. Soooo...the next best thing to is hand-deliver, yeah?

Oh, speaking of being able to see. Which I was. I had no idea that my vision was so bad, when I got my eyes examined last week. I mean, I knew I had a bit of trouble seeing things, but it was such a gradual change that my brain hadn't comprehended that I needed a new prescription. Good thing the ophthalmologist realized it. Anyway, I got my new specs in a record 5 days!!! I know, I know, I can hardly believe it either. The new lenses certainly helped me see all my boo-boos on this image, drat it all anyway. Perhaps next week I will be a little more adept at coloring with my new glasses. I am still adjusting to the change in the prescription for my right eye. Anyway, long story shorter, I have new glasses, and I will get a new photo taken. Which, horror upon horrors, means that my wrinkles will show even more, as I am two years older than I was for my last photo. Perhaps I should use photo-editing to make myself look younger...(it's going to take a LOT of editing for that!).

Before I get to my card, I just want to mention that we went to our first preseason Cardinals game last Saturday. Boy howdy, was that fun! A final score of 32-0, and we stayed until the last tick of the clock! Really enjoyed seeing all the newbies playing during the game. Even though they are men, they are young enough to be our grandchildren. Scary thought, that! Am really looking forward to our next preseason game! Yes--really! 

Okey dokey. On to my card for the week. Because Carol is a cat-lover, I chose Saturated Canary The Seasons Springtime II, which I printed on X-Press It BC and colored with my Copics:

Skin: E000, E00, E21, E11, E04, R20
Hair: E21, E25, E29
Basket/Cat: W1, W3, W5
Flowers: R81, R83, R85
Leaves: YG93, YG95, YG97, YG99
Dress: R81, R83, R85, YG91, YG93, YG95, YG97, YG99

And you know I had to use die cuts with my Zutterized Basic Grey Out of Print/Plumeria DP and Stampin' Up CS. Right? So I chose the following:
Memory Box Corner Bow
Memory Box Darling Poppies
Poppystamps Walking Cat
Poppystamps Sitting Cat
Poppystamps Grassland Border
Whimsy Small Balloon 

My sentiment is from Whimsy Balloon Sentiments. I added a few rhinestones, a bit of baker's twine, and some Frantage to the image and DP. That's it. All she wrote. You wish.

I hope you all check out the fab creations by my talented teammates: Carla, Dawn, and Kathi! And then play along with us this week. Remember, you can use any medium to color your images!

Have a great weekend!



Friday, August 8, 2014

The Outlawz Friday Coloring Picnic or Barbecue Challenge

Well, did you know that August was National Picnic Month? Neither did I. Anyway, that's why we are celebrating this week with a picnic/barbecue challenge for you. And it requires that you color an image for your creation, using any coloring medium you wish.

Keeping this brief. My eyes are still a bit dilated from my eye exam and it is hard to look at the white screen. Imagine that.

Our sponsor this month is Bombshell Stamps, a place for some fun and unusual stamps! I have used their Desert Background for my little bbq, as I live in the desert. So does my friend, Ellie, whose birthday was this week, on the 6th. So I made a birthday card for her, combining my desert background with a Lacy Sunshine stamp, Eleanor and Pickles Smores. I thought this was perfect for her, as she is a chocoholic just like me. Right, Ellie? Or did I suddenly reveal a secret? Harhar.

I printed my images on X-Press It BC and colored them with my Copics. I fussy-cut Eleanor & Pickles and pop-dotted them onto my desert background. The sun was made with a Marianne Designs Pointy Circle Frame and Flower die and a pearl sticker. My ticket sentiment was made with a Stampin' Up Eat Chocolate sentiment and a Whimsy Ticket die. The corners were die-cut with a Whimsy die as well. Cardstock is from Stampin' Up.

My talented teammates, Carla, Dawn, and Kathi, have made some fabulous cards--be sure to stop and check them out! And then play along with us this week!

Wishing you a wonderful weekend!

Copics:

Skin: E000, E00, E21, E11, E04, R20
Hair: C5, C7, C9
Eyes/Chocolate: E23, E25, E27
Jeans/Glasses/Ribbon: B91, B93, B95, B97, Y02, Y18
Shoes/Shirt/Fire: Y02, Y06, Y18, Y19
Pickles/Bag: YG61, YG63, YG67
Sky: BG0000
Ground: E42, E53
Cactus: YG00, YG01, YG03, YG17
 Crackers/Wood: E53, E55, E57, E59
 Cloud/Marshmallows: C00, C0, C1


Decided to enter this into the Lacy Sunshine Summer Challenge. Haven't entered a challenge in ages, so this feels a little weird!

Friday, August 1, 2014

The Outlawz Friday Coloring Friendship Challenge

Good Friday to you all. It is time for a new coloring challenge at The Outlawz. This week we are celebrating "Friendship" in honor of Friendship Day, which is the first Sunday in August. Yes, People, I did say August. Can you believe it? Neither can I. Anyway we have a new sponsor this month--Bombshell Stamps--and the prize for our randomly-selected participant will be one digi set. So get busy coloring, with any medium, for a chance to win this month!
I will use my Bombshell digis next week. At least, that is the plan right now. But this week I have selected an Aurora Wings digi, Circe, which I printed on X-Press It BC, and colored with my Copics:

Skin: E000, E00, E21, E11, E04, R20
Hair: YR20, YR21, YR23, YR24, YR27 
Lion: YR20, YR21, YR23, YR24, YR27, E59, Y21, Y23
 Flowers/Dress: RV63, RV66, RV69
Pods: YR21, YR23, YR24, YG21, YG23, YG25
Flowers: RV00, RV02, RV63
Leaves: YG21, YG23, YG25
Spica Gold & Spica Pink

I added portions of die cuts done with Marianne Designs Garden Branch, a bit of pearl spray, and some Wild Orchid Crafts flowers. And that's it for my friendship card. I know the "friend" on this is a bit unconventional, but hey, it's me we're talking about here. I rest my case.

Gary and I have had a couple of really fun evenings since I last posted. Wednesday night, for instance, we had a wonderful wine dinner with Bob and Connie at Eddie's House in Scottsdale. My brain must have been on vacation, because I forgot to take photos of all the fabulous courses. But, without you seeing them, let me just say that everything was top-notch, from each wine to each bite. Loved it all, though I did wake up with a headache the next morning. Too much white wine, methinks. Well, that and the Liquor 44 Connie bought for me to try, which I really didn't need, but, boy howdy, was it ever yummy!


And, the other fun outing we had was to the concert for The Voice. We got VIP tickets, so that we were able to go in early for the sound check, a Q&A with the performers, and time for photos in the lobby before the concert started. I have to say, even the singers that I am not really crazy about gave fantastic performances that night. And it was fun to do the meet and greet. Here are some photos we got:











My two favorite performances were "Say Something" with Will and Christina, and Tessanne's standing-ovation rendition of "I Have Nothing". I have to say that I think Tessanne sings that song better than Whitney Houston ever did. Oh, and if you click on Tessanne's photo with Gary, you might just see that not only is she beautiful, but her skin is just flawless. And, yes, she is a very sweet person, too! I didn't get very many photos that turned out due to the stage lighting. But I enjoyed every minute, (except when the teeny-bops next to me were screaming), and we had wonderful seats in the orchestra pit, 3rd row. It was a night to remember...

I hope you all have a marvelous weekend! Please check out the fab creations by my talented teammates, Carla, Dawn, and Kathi. And then play along with us this week, wont' you?