Just Hanging Around

Hi Ya'll!  It's me again with a mid-challenge card for Sassy Cheryl's Layers Challenge.  Look at this silly
Bella hanging upside down from the tree. She is just having a fab time.  You know why?  IT IS NOT SNOWING.   That is one thing I hope you are able to say today where you live.  Here, yucky cold and rain, but thank the Good Lord, no snow.  I see so many posts from my Facebook friends who are so sick and tired of this endless winter.  But hang in there - SPRING IS DEFINITELY COMING!!!

This is an image from Sassy Cheryl Digi Shop called "Just Handing Around".  Sally is a cutie, but don't you just want to grab a ladder and get poor Bella down out of that tree.  I did hear she got down and was rewarded with lots and lots of doggie treats!

I colored her during a color along video Cheryl has on You Tube.  I tried to use the same colored pencils as Cheryl.  I didn't have all of the same colors, but I tried to match the best I could.  The background  was made with some chalk and a cotton ball.  I have learned a lot watching Cheryl's videos and they are quite entertaining.  If you don't know by now, Miz Sassy Cheryl has a great sense of humor and imagination.  Let me just say her videos are not boring.  LOL  I have provided a link if you want to check them out.

The paper was all in my stash.  I am using Stathmore Bristol  Paper to color on when I use my pencils.  The border stickers are from Elizabeth Crafts.  The stamp is from Penny Black  Friendship set.  Bakers Twine and charm were all in my stash too.

So this is the beginning of week two for this challenge.  You have one more week to finish your layers project.  You all seem to like the extra week for these challenges, so we are happy we made the change. I sure enjoy seeing all your creations each week.

Have a great crafty week people!   THINK SUNSHINE!

Linda

Friendship Tag

Here we go with a brand new challenge over at Sassy Cheryl's.  This week I have been practicing coloring with my colored pencils.  I have been watching all of Cheryl's new You Tube tutorial videos.  She is getting me to relax and let my color just kinda flow.  She teaches me the basics and then wants me to sit back, relax and color.    Let me tell you this is FUN.  I have been coloring all week.  My laundry is piled up, my furniture has 6 inches of dust on it and my green carpet is now speckled.  I do stop to do the dishes and cook.  I may allow dust, but I just can't stand dirty dishes.  Even a crafter has to set limits.  LOL.  My pillow has become my craft table.I try to cover my legs with a blanket, but my beagle, Snickers keeps pulling it down so she can sleep on it.  Yep it is a sorry state in the Compton house.  I not only have a Copic addiction, I now have a colored pencils addiction too.  Check out Cheryl's You Tube Channel here, it's free and so helpful.

For my Layers challenge, I made a tag by coloring Backyard Vacation.  This is one of three stamps in the Backyard Flowers & Birds stamp set.  I used Faber Castell Polychromos pencils to color the image and the Copic Air Gun to brush on the background.  Then I distressed the edges with a distressing tool and the sponged some walnut distress on them.DP on the front and back of the tag are from Imaginations

Mail Call

Jeanne Godbolt, a friend  from my Inky Digits Card Club asked us if we wanted to make some cards to honor local Vets.  Jeanne's Dad, Charles Baldwin is going on a flight with other Vets to Washington, DC. They will be honored there and get to tour all of the monuments in our nations Capital.  On the return home flight they have a "Mail Call" and hand out cards thanking them for their contributions to our county.

Yay, an excuse to make cards and say thanks to our Vets.  Whoo Hoo!  Vicky Lozier, Paula Butler and I got together in Paula's studio and made these cards.  Vicki pinned some patriotic cards on Pinterest and then we chose our favorites and each made one of the same card.  In all we made 15 cards to send over to the Vets.

Paula is a Stampin Up rep and had lots of punches and stamps and Vicki and I brought paper  to make the cards with.  We really had an enjoyable afternoon.  Look forward to some more crafting with friends days. I am a very lucky gal to live in a crafty community.  Myrtle Beach has so many crafty gals who love to color, cut, paste, and paint. Maybe that is why they call us "Inky Digits"!

Here's a special shout out to our very own Inky Digit Dad:
        Charlie Baldwin
Thanks for all you have done for our country!
                      We owe you, Man!

This post is being entered in the Sassy Cheryl's SMT Challenge.

I'll Be Your Umbrella

Hiddy Ho!  I am back again with a new sample from my coloring journey.  Today I colored this Sassy Cheryl image from  "Callie's Busy Day Stamp Set".  This is one of Cheryl's Oldies But Goodies and comes with Callie and an Easter Bunny and Callie in a Bathtub.  You get all three for $4.00.  Now that, my friend is a bargain.  Check them out here.  Better yet, buy them silly.  For a $1.33 an image, you can't go wrong.  While you are there check out all the other sets that are available for $4.00 too.

I have been watching and re-watching Cheryl's new You-Tube tutorials on coloring with  colored pencils.  I am able to incorporate some of the same techniques with pencils as I use with Copics, but she explains how to hold the pencils, the amount of  pressure and direction of your strokes.  Cheryl explains in detail how to achieve results while she is coloring so you get a thorough step-by-step tutorial.  I keep pausing and replaying the video so I can color along.  She has one speed coloring tutorial where she is coloring along with music from her favorite  group, Piano Guys.  I love that one because the faster the music goes, the faster she colors and the entire time she has perfect control of her pencil and application techniques. They are all free, so check them out here.  Be sure to subscribe to her site so you can keep updated as to when new tutorials are available.  While there, be sure and leave her some love.  If you have any suggestions for future tutorials, tell her in a comment, so she can do future tutorials.

We are beginning the second week of the "Anything Goes" challenge at Sassy Cheryl's Challenge Blog.  Check out what the rest of the Design Team posted on their blogs to inspire you and help get those creative juices flowing.  I have links to their blogs on my left sidebar.  Just click each designer's name and you will pop right over.

Hope you enjoyed my colored pencil project.  I plan to continue to practice my pencil skills and will post my attempts so you can see my progress too.  If you have any constructive criticisms, please leave me a comment.  I promise not to get my feelings hurt and cry all over my laptop.

Hugs,

Linda

Challenges:

Through the Craftroom Door- Anything Goes

Fairies and Stars

I have been playing around with coloring and sketching this week.  I have been watching some videos on You Tube.  Last night I colored along with Alyce Keegan whose Copic coloring skills I am in awe of.  Alyce had a free session she posted over the weekend.  It will be up and free for two weeks, if you want to watch it.  Here is a link that will take you right there.

The  image is a Tiddly Inks image called Fairy Fae Catches a Star.  You can get her here.  I am entering my card in Tiddly Inks Challenge which calls for us to use the color green.  Alyce used the same image in the tutorial and as her DT entry.  I am working on improving my coloring skills, but I must be crazy to enter the same challenge using the same image, colored the same way.  Alyce encouraged us to enter our colorings in The Tiddly Inks Challenge so I went for it.

 I love vintage, but I don't try to create the look very often.  It is definitely outside of my comfort level.  Fairy Fae just seemed to belong in a Vintage setting . The orchid paper is from Graphic 45, the green and gold DP and tag are from Imaginations..  The ribbon pearls, flowers and jewels are all from my stash.  The butterfly on the tag is one I cut out of the DP and added to the tag.    I added some Frantage and distressed the edges with Vintage Photo Distress Ink.

I enjoyed my play time this weekend and am really enjoying Alyce's classes.   She has several free ones on You Tube  for you to check out.  There is one on coloring transparencies I am going to check out next.  Maybe I will post one of those cards too.

Whatever you are up to this week, I hope crafting is part of it, and I hope you enjoy every minute of it.

Linda

Sassy Girl's Rule

Hello my darlings!  Here we are the first Tuesday of the month and that means it is Anything Goes over at SASSY CHERYL'S.  Last week you saw Gilbert Schmilbert reading his comic books and this week it is adorable Gabby reading away.  Look at her expression.  I imagine she is enthralled in the daring adventures of powerful, beautiful, magical sassy gals saving the Universe.  If you would like to have her for yourself, click here and you will be popped right into Cheryl's store.

My friend Cathy saw this card and told me I should have issued a "shades alert".  It is just a wee bit bright, isn't it.  I thought it looked like a big ole'bowl of rainbow sherbet.  I had fun coloring this with my Copic Markers.  I did use  Faber Castell pencils a bit on the face and hair.  I was coloring the face when I smeared the black ink from my printer on her left eye.  I was not a happy camper, because she was all colored and ready to go when I saw a teensy spot I decided to touch up.  Well that is when I pulled out those colored pencils and did a bit of makeup to the face.  My hubby says I never know when to stop and he was absolutely correct this time.  Go ahead click on it to enlarge it.  You know you want to see my screw-up - go ahead, I can take it.  LOL

I would love to see you join us in our Anything Goes Challenge.  All you have to do is use a Cheryl Alger image and make anything you want.  If you think you can't color, she has some pre-colored images in the store you can use.  So please join us.  Our challenges now last for two weeks to give you more time to create.  Just take a picture of your completed project and post it here.  A winner is randomly drawn and will get two free digis for Sassy Cheryl's store of your choice.  Need some inspiration?  Check out the ubber-talented Sassy Cheryl Design Team's projects.  Awesome, I tell you just plain awesome.