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! 

The Outlawz Friday Coloring Anything Goes/Christmas Twist Challenge

Howdy doody! Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving. A good day to stay home, in my humble opinion. I really do not like fighting crowds for a bargain. I'd rather go without. Or, shop online, like I usually do. So much easier. My fingers don't get tired. And I am in a peaceful state of mind. Well, at least until the computer freezes up, or a website does. Or my email stops working. Or I forget my credit card number. Hmmm...I guess there are advantages to both types of shopping, but online is at least physically safer. (Isn't it?)

I have been spending a good part of every day in my backyard, sitting in my glider, gazing at my pool, or reading a book. I am lovin' it! So is Donovan. He sits on my lap after he inspects all his trees and shrubs. And we got our four strap lounge chairs on Tuesday. They look really nice out there, all done up in turquoise and gray. We think we will order some matching strap dining chairs to go along the back side of the house. These chairs are commercial grade and very sturdy. Love them! How lucky am I? Believe me, I know, I know...

Switching gears, last Sunday was really awful for Cardinals' fans. What an ugly game! I am so glad I didn't watch it. We certainly hope for better this week in Atlanta. If we cannot win there, against a 4-7 team, we have no business in the playoffs. 'Nuf said...

I am terribly behind in my blog comments, and I apologize to everybody. I will catch up soon. I promise! I would make excuses, but sitting outside or making cards really doesn't cut it, right? I have to do better. And I will...

Our sponsor this month, The East Wind, is home to so many wonderful digis! Do check them out! Our randomly-selected participant will win a prize of three digital images.

 

This week's card is another Christmas card. Yay! Hope to make a few more before the season is over. I used a Make It Crafty image, Steampunk Christmas Tree, printed it on X-Press It BC, and colored it with my Copics: YG61, YG63, YG67, R12, R14, R17, T0, T1, T2, T4. Then I added a bit of Wink of Stella Brush Silver, some Diamond Glaze, a Wild Orchid Crafts charm, a couple of rhinestones, some Stampin' Up Sweater Trim Ribbon, and die cuts made with Cheery Lynn Holly Corner and Memory Box Frosted Christmas Tree dies. My DP, from Doodlebug Design Inc. Home for the Holidays collection was Zutterized and paired with Stampin' Up CS. That's it.

I hope you will check out the fab inspiration by my talented teammates: Carla, Dawn, Kathi, and Laine! (Such a great group to work with!) Then color up an image for your creation, using any coloring medium, and play along with us, won't you?

Have a wonderful weekend! (And don't go crazy shopping!)

The Outlawz Friday Coloring Color/Photo Inspiration Challenge/Patty's Card/Pool Photos

Wow, that's a lonnnnng title, huh? Lots going on with this post, for sure. I want to mention first that our sponsor this month is The East Wind, home to fabulous digis, and our randomly-selected participant will win a prize of three digital images! Lucky person! I used my image by The East Wind this week, and she was really fun to color!

Before I get to the card deets, I want to share my pool photos with you. I have been promising them for a while now, so thought I should follow through. If you just want info on my card, skip to the bottom on this post.

OK, so here goes: the pictures go in order, from how our yard looked before, to the various stages of pool construction, and right to the end with our completed project. (Oh, and the equipment gate went in yesterday, and made me very happy. It looks so much nicer out there, with the panels & pumps hidden!

We have four new lounge chairs coming next Tuesday in gray and turquoise to go near the turquoise umbrellas. And then, for the big empty spot between the table and the patio, we are ordering a couch, two chairs, hassock, and coffee table in gray resin wicker/aluminum with gray cushions and some turquoise pillows. So it should look really cool out there once everything gets here! Needless to say, we are spending a lot more time sitting outside now! Someone told us we wouldn't need to go to Hawaii anymore, now that we have the pool and palm trees. Well, hardeharharhar. I will still need my annual ocean fix, doncha know! (For as long as we can go anyway!)

On to my card. I used a really cool image by The East Wind, Yogi Kai, for Patty, a friend with a birthday coming up soon. Patty is a yoga practitioner, so I thought this would be a great image for her. I printed Kai on X-Press It BC, colored her with my Copics, and distressed the edges with my Zutter. I then added Frantage in Aged Ivory and Shabby White. My sentiment is from the Stampin' Up Word Play set; DP is from Basic Grey Picadilly; CS is from Stampin' Up. And my die cuts were made with the following dies: Memory Box Classic Staircase and MB Graceful Chandelier.

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

Hair: YR20, E31, E35

Beads/Waistband: R02, R05, R08

Headband/Pants: B91, B93, B95

Top: YR21, YR24, YR27

Shadow: E41, E42

Here is the color/photo inspiration for you to use:

Do check out the fabulous creations by my talented teammates: Carla, Dawn, Kathi, and Laine! Then color up an image with any medium you wish for your project. And play along with us this week. Looking forward to seeing what you create!

And have a great weekend! We will be watching our Cardinals on TV as they are in Seattle on Sunday. Gulp!

Path of Positivity Challenge #20 Midway - Gratitude/Jenifer's Card

We are at the midpoint of the Path of Positivity challenge for "Gratitude". I try be be grateful for everything in my life. As I said in my last PoP post, for me gratitude is an attitude, the best attitude I can have. I like to think that if I passed away today, I would have lived a very full and rewarding life. And I am really thankful for that. My quotation for this card is by Meister Eckhart, and it is as true for me today as it was for him in the 14th century.

Our guest sponsor is Digistamps4Joy, and the prize package is $10 worth of images for the post or project that the DT deems the most inspiring of the entries.

Ike's Art will provide 3 digital images for a randomly-selected participant. Creative Bug Digital Stamps will provide one digital image for 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. And there will be one digital sentiment for every single person who enters the challenge.

So there are lots of incentives for you to enter our challenge, and we really hope you do! I neglected to mention on November 3rd that Gloria and Julie O. are our guest designers for the November challenge. Do check out their fabulous inspiration, along with those of the rest of the DT!

I needed a card for a friend of ours, who has a November birthday. I thought this image, Ike's Art KT Swing, was really perfect for her. So I printed the image on X-Press It BC and colored it with my Copics and Twin Touch markers. I took my color palette from the Bo Bunny Zip-a-dee-doodle collection:

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

Hair: T6, T8, T10

Tire: T2, T4, T6

Rope/Shorts: B93, B95, B97

Shirt: YG41, YG45, TTG46

I created a scene with die cuts using the following dies: Memory Box Woodland Branch, Memory Grand Oak Tree, Memory Box Set of Swings, MFT Fresh Cut Grass. And that's it!  

Btw, our Cardinals are now 9-1, still with the best record in the NFL. It's so much fun to go to their games and scream my heart out! Of course, we are still having injuries we don't want or need. The latest is our star receiver, Larry Fitzgerald. He hurt his knee, but played after getting hurt. I heard that he will have an MRI today to see what the damage is. (I am planning on it being a mild sprain.) We need him; we're getting a bit thin in our roster!  

And ASU lost Saturday night, which was most unfortunate. But I found out that they had 9 freshman as starters on the team, so they are bound to make mistakes while learning at the college level. They should still be very proud of their season to date.

On the home front: the rock for our backyard was installed on Friday, and it looks really beautiful back there! I will be organizing the "before and after" photos sometime this week and will show you the transformation soon!

I hope each of you has a really wonderful week. And please join us in this month's challenge!

The Outlawz Friday Coloring Thanks or Thanksgiving Challenge/Jon's Birthday Card

Is it me or does this Friday feel really special? Teehee. Hardeharharhar. It's me alrighty. We are getting our decorative rocks installed today, which will finish the backyard. Yup, you heard me. Finished! Now that is pretty darn good, considering they started the pool dig 4 weeks ago today. A.MAZ.ING!!! Right????

The pool interior was done on Saturday, with the acid wash on Sunday. Then we filled it Sunday and Monday; and they came back to start it up on Monday afternoon. The deck jets were installed on Wednesday. All we really want to do, besides putting in the rock, is add a gate to the pool equipment area. (My brainstorm, I will take a bow, thank you, thank you. Problem of ugly pool equipment solved.) And the gate people, (that sounds like somebody from a horror movie), will be here sometime today to measure for the gate. The rain gutters were installed yesterday, and we are still awaiting a date for the patio shade-screen. That is a minor detail in the big scope of things, though, and has nothing to do with the beauty of our backyard. Because it is stunning, if I do say so myself. And I most definitely do. Wait until you see the before/after photos! It is really an amazing transformation. (BTW, all of our plants were planted last Friday, and it was a wondrous thing, really. Guess I am over-the-moon about them!)

Oh, and did you hear about those Arizona Cardinals??? Still with the best record in the ENTIRE NFL!!! At least for this week, at 8-1. Of course, into each life a bit of rain must fall. And ours fell in a gully-washer last Sunday. Yes, we won the game. And, yes, it was pretty fantastic. BUT, we lost our starting quarterback, Carson Palmer, for the rest of the season. Sigh...only time will tell if our back-up can keep the offense chugging along. We can only hope.

Also pretty amazing is the fact that my alma-mater, Arizona State, has an 8-1 record right now as well. Don't know what's gotten into these AZ football teams, but it would be pretty fantastic if they could both keep it going.

On the Gary front. Well, his original back problem is much better. He says it hurts only at a 2 on a scale from 1-10. And he did see his urologist, who confirmed that he does not have any kidney stones right now. Nor does he have evidence of kidney cancer, which Gary apparently is concerned about, as his paternal grandfather died from kidney cancer when Gary was a little boy. Either I didn't know that, or I totally forgot it.

Anyway, even though his lower back is much better on the right side, he now has a backache on the left side. He said he caught his arm in the sheets in bed and somehow twisted his back getting his arm out. Ahem. So now he hardly sleeps because it hurts so much to lie down on his back. Gag me. I told him to go back to the family doctor and get a new prescription for muscle relaxers. That should take care of his new problem. Other than that, things are really hunky-dory around here.

OK, back to our regularly scheduled program...yes, this is Friday, so it is a new Outlawz challenge for the Friday Coloring group. You may use any medium you wish for coloring your image on your project. We are sponsored this month by The East Wind, and our lucky randomly-selected participant will win a prize of three digital images! Good luck to you all.

So, on to this week's card. I combined our SIL's birthday card with the theme for the week. I used the Jellypark image, Boy Leaning on Word Son. I printed this on X-Press It BC, colored it with my Copics and Twin Touch Brush markers, added my own sentiment and some lettering from Memory Box Typewriter Lower dies, and added a bit of baker's twine. My DP is from the Basic Grey Out of Print collection, and it was paired with Stampin' Up CS. Here are the colors I used:

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

Hair: YR20, E31, E35

Shoes/Shirt: Y11, TTY49, TTY44

Jeans: B93, B95, B97

T-shirt: TTGY175, YG93, TTY42

Before I go, I want to mention that my talented teammates, (Carla, Dawn, Kathi, and Laine), have made some fabulous inspirational pieces. Do check them out. And then play along with us again this week, OK?

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend! We will be back at the stadium to see the Cardinals beat the Lions!  (Right? Oh, I surely hope so!)

The Outlawz Friday Coloring "Leaves" Challenge/Ron's Birthday Card

I would imagine that many of you have experienced the changing of the leaves. Here in the desert, not so much. But I prefer it that way, actually. Even though fall leaves are gorgeous, I don't like looking at naked trees during the winter. I prefer to see green all year round. Anyway, our challenge this week is for you to use "leaves" in any way you wish. As in leaves of a tree, or the actual act of leaving somewhere or for somewhere. Have I made that clear as mud? If so, I apologize. My mind is off on an adventure right now.

Our sponsor for the month of November is The East Wind, where you will find some spectacular digis. (I will be using mine a little later in the month.) Our randomly-selected participant will win a prize of three digis! Kewl, huh? So do play along with us this month! You can use any coloring medium for your image on your project. And, again, I am looking forward to seeing what you come up with!

Before I get to my card, which is also a birthday card for my BIL, Ron, I will give you an update on the pool/yard. We did get the Bismarck planted on Wednesday, and it looks fabulous out there! A little lonely, but the rest of our plants are coming today, so it will soon have company. The pool interior is actually being done tomorrow, with the acid wash on Sunday. Then the fill will start, and it will really look like a pool! Our irrigation had to get postponed until Sunday, which is no big deal. And we have the Cardinals/Rams football game on Sunday. So this is going to be a wild weekend for us!!!

Gary is still having pain in his back. The CT scan showed nothing conclusive, only that there had been evidence of past stones in his kidney. No kidding. So, he is off to his urologist next Thursday, and may have to see his kidney specialist after that. But the good news is that he feels well enough to work in the yard. He dug up the old irrigation in the back, and has been moving the rock out in front. So he is not incapacitated like he was two weeks ago. We will just have to wait and see what the specialists discover. I am expecting the best...

As I mentioned above, this card is for my BIL. I have it done way in advance of his birthday, oddly enough. But the "leaves" theme fits him, as he has been working in his yard for weeks now. Doing various things, like building new vegetable gardens and brick walkways in the back. And, most recently, adding a patio area out front. So, just for Ron, I have used the Bugaboo A Kid's View Scarecrow Rake image, printed it on X-Press It BC, and colored it with my Copics and Twin Touch Brush markers:

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

Clothing: TTY35, TTY34, TTYR33, G21, G24, G28, YR14, YR16, YR18

Shoes: E02, E08, E09, TTR1

Rake: G21, G24, G28, E02, E08, E09, TTR1

Bag: TTY35, TTY34, TTYR33, YR14, YR16, YR18

Leaves: E02, E08, E09, TTR1, YG61, YG63, YG67, YR14, YR16, YR18

My DP is from the Bo Bunny Autumn Song collection. It was paired with Stampin' Up CS. And my leaves were made with Spellbinders leaf dies. Pretty simple, huh? 

Do stop by The Outlawz to see the fab inspiration by my talented teammates: Carla, Dawn, Kathi, and Laine! And then join in the fun, won't you?

Have a great weekend!

Path of Positivity Challenge #20 - Gratitude

What, this is Monday, and I am posting? I know, right? Well, this is for a really wonderful reason. Lisa Decosse asked me to become a DT member of this cool challenge group, Path of Positivity, and I am so tickled! (She might not be after she has to deal with me for a few weeks, but don't tell her, OK? Mum's the word, right?)

The theme for this challenge is gratitude. And I think gratitude is an attitude. The best attitude. I try to be grateful for the many blessings this lifetime has brought my way. In fact, my prayers are always from a grateful viewpoint. No matter what or whom I am praying for, I always preface that with a "thank-you". Hence, my quotation for my card this week, by Eckhart Tolle. Like Eckhart, I believe that a grateful heart draws more good.

Challenge #20 begins today and lasts through November 30th. Our guest sponsor is DigiStamps4Joy, providing a prize package of $10 worth of images for the post or project that the DT deems the most inspiring of the entries.

Ike's Art will provide 3 digital images for a randomly-selected participant. Creative Bug Digital Stamps will provide one digital image for 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. And there will be one digital sentiment for every single person who enters the challenge.

As you can see, there are lots of incentives to enter this challenge, so please do. We would love to see what makes you grateful. Be sure to mention how your project relates to the theme of gratitude. This month of Thanksgiving should provide a perfect platform for you to do that.

I want to mention that Gary is feeling quite a bit better, so we think that the stone has moved to a less-painful spot. He had a CT scan on Friday, so we should see results from that shortly. But, I am very grateful that he feels better--he is much happier, and no longer doing his imitation of Oscar the Grouch!

I also have to say that I am very grateful that our Arizona Cardinals won again yesterday, in Dallas of all places! Woohoo! That gives us a 7-1 record at the midpoint of the season, best in the NFC, and even the best percentage of wins in the entire NFL. I want to savor the moment. It may not last, but I am so happy to have experienced the silly high that comes with your team making its mark! We have St. Louis coming in this next Sunday, and they have beaten both the Seahawks and the 49ers, so that will not be an easy game for us. I'll have to put my earplugs in and scream my heart out, hey?

We spent most of Friday and Saturday picking out plants for our new landscaping around the pool. Oh, my, I think it is going to look FAB.U.LOUS out there! For trees we chose: 7 queen palms, 2 mule palms, 2 Mediterranean fan palms, 2 Mexican blue palms, and one Bismarck palm. We added several penstemon shrubs for color and to attract the hummingbirds back to our yard. Haven't seen any since we cut down all of our plants, and I really miss them. The Bismarck should get planted on Wednesday, and the rest of the plants on Friday. Then the irrigation specialist comes out on Saturday to put in the PVC system. And then we can added the pretty gravel that we have picked out.

I believe that the pool will get the interior finished at some point this week. Just as soon as the north-facing wall has finished curing. Then they have to acid wash the pebble finish before the pool gets filled. So we should have a really beautiful backyard in about two weeks. Again, I say woohoo!

Ok, it's time to tell you about my card for this challenge. I was given the sweet Lillies for You image to use. I printed her on X-Press It BC, colored her with my Copics, and distressed her, (and my Bazzill Basics Vintage Marketplace DP), with my Zutter.

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

Hair: E21, E25, E29

Sweater: R32, R35, R37, R39

Vest: YR30, YR31, R30, R32, YG21, YG23, YG25

Pants: R30, R32, R35

Shoes: YR30, YR31, R39

Flowers: YG21, YG23, YG25, YR30, YR31, R30, R32, R35

I added die cuts made with Stampin' Up CS and Memory Box Bella Bouquet and Whimsy Corner dies. Then I adhered some Wild Orchid Crafts flowers and pins, as well as cheesecloth, lace, Stampin' Up ribbon, safety pins, and little trinkets. A busy card for sure. I would have added the kitchen sink, but it wouldn't fit. (Believe me, I tried.)

Do check out all the wonderful creations by my new teammates: Desire, Suze, Vicky, Sandy, Lynda, Pat, and Monica. And then please join us this month! 

Have a terrific week!