Sweet Valentine Ben

~ sproatmeyer ~ 17 Comments

I made this small box following the Labels 17 Box by Alice tutorial over at Whiff of Joy’s Inspirations & Tutorial Blog. If you haven’t been there, you seriously need to go visit! It’s the cream of the crop when it comes to inspiring ideas and fun how-to’s! Anyway, when I saw this cute box I had to give it a go.


I used the adorable Sweet Valentine Ben as the main image, and yes, just like the Magnolia’s, I gave him a nose too. 😀 I altered the box dimensions a little by making it only 1/2″ in depth because I’m going to use is as gift card holder. I added minimal embellishments because I wanted Ben to be the star in this show and the big white bow is what keeps it securely closed.


Challenge: Whiff of Joy – Guest Designer Call
Challenge: Pear Tree Designs – Challenge #32 (Free for all)
Challenge: Stamps R Us – Challenge #12 (shaped cards)
Challenge: The Creative Cottage – Challenge #31 (shaped cards)
Challenge: Color Chef Challenge #70 (B/W, ocean & bright green)
Challenge: Craft Your Days Away – Challenge #12 (Love)
Main Stamp: Sweet Valentine Ben (WoJ)
Patterned Paper: Oliver (BG)
Metal Die: Spellbinders Nestabilities Labels Seventeen and Labels Ten
Copic Colors:
-skin: E000, E00, E11, E13, R12
-hair: E42, E43, E44, E47, E49
-clothes: B93, B95, B97 B99, T0, T2, T4, T6, G12, G14, G7
-other: R20, R21, R22, G12, G14, G7, R32, R35, R37, E39, T0, T2

Did you know? The American Quarter Horse is an American breed of horse that excels at sprinting short distances. Its name came from its ability to outdistance other breeds of horses in races of a quarter mile or less; some individuals have been clocked at speeds up to 55 mph (88.5 km/h). The American Quarter Horse is the most popular breed in the United States today, and the American Quarter Horse Association is the largest breed registry in the world, with more than 4 million American Quarter Horses registered.
[American Quarter Horse, Wikipedia.org]

Update: I was the winner at Stamps R Us for this challenge!

Flirty Seniors

~ sproatmeyer ~ 20 Comments

This week’s challenge at Make it Colourful is to color monotone, sepia or black and white. I made this card using a new image from Make it Crafty called Flirty Seniors, but this is only Gramps! I colored him with Prismacolor Pencils on Kraft cardstock using only blacks and white.


I’ve seen this technique done several times and thought I’d give it a try. This time I blended the pencils with Winser Newton Blending Medium and a blending stump which worked better. However, I had problems printing on kraft paper with the laser printer and had to manually heat set the image with a heating gun.

DT Challenge: Make it Colourful – Challenge #3
Challenge: Stampin’ Sisters in Christ – Challenge #72 (new stamp)
Challenge: Pile it On – Challeng #3 (Anything Goes)
Challenge: Gingerloft Challenge #9 (celebrate dads)
Challenge: The Cheerful Stamp Pad – Challenge #9 (relax)
Main Stamp: Flirty Seniors (MiC)
Patterned Paper: Snow Pear (Pyrus)
Dry Embossing: Cuttlebug Embossing Folders Heritage
Prismacolor Pencils: Black, Dark Warm Grey and White

Did you know? Winner Winner Chicken Dinner! The legend tells that years ago every casino in Las Vegas had a three-piece chicken dinner with a potato and a veggie for $1.79. A standard bet back then was $2, hence when you won a bet you had enough for a chicken dinner.”
[Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner!, Urban Dictionary]

Miss Anya Dressy

~ sproatmeyer ~ 7 Comments

Welcome to another day at Club Anya and Friends and today we have a perfect sketch to use for our Saturday Sketch challenge! I colored up another Miss Anya Dressy and cut her out to sit on a Park Bench for Two from Make it Crafty.


Because I wanted Miss Anya to stand out, I used neutral colors on the card and a simple layout with minimal embellishments. The Park Bench for Two was colored with earth tones which the mind usually reads as neutral colors.


DT Challenge: Club Anya and Friends – Saturday Sketch
Challenge: Sunday Sketch & Stamp – Challengr #45 (sketch)
Challenge: Quirky Crafts – Challenge #2 (garden, green & pink [coral])
Challenge: The Corrosive Challenge #99 (pearls and lace)
Main Stamp: Miss Anya Dressy (TGF) and Park Bench for Two (MiC)
Patterned Paper: Vintage (CM)
Copic Colors:
-skin/hair: E11, E13, E15, E17, W1, W4, W6, W8
-clothes: E50, E51, YR01, YR02, YR09
-bench: E53, E55, E57, E59, C3
-greenery: G40, G82, G94, G99, YG91, YG93, YG95, YG97, BG93, BG96, BG99, G20, G21, G24, G28
-flowers: Y32, Y35, Y38, YR01, YR02, YR09, R24, R29
-ground: W0, W1, W2, W3, W4, W5, W6

Did you know? Lad: A Dog is a 1919 American novel written by Albert Payson Terhune and composed of twelve short stories first published in magazines. The novel is loosely based on the author’s real-life collie, Lad. Born in 1902, the real-life Lad was an unregistered collie of unknown lineage originally owned by Terhune’s father. Lad’s death at the age of 18 was mourned by many of the story’s fans, particularly children. Through the stories of Lad’s adventures, Terhune expresses his views on parenting, obtaining perfect obedience without force, and the nature and rights of the “well-bred”.
[Lad, A Dog, Wikipedia.org]

Update: I was the voted winner at Quirky Crafts for this challenge!

Marvin with Flowers

~ sproatmeyer ~ 29 Comments

Welcome to the 3rd Day of the Valentine’s Blog Hop from The Stamping Bazaar and today is also a challenge day! Our challenge this week is to use stitching, faux or real, and on my card I changed out my thread and used red this time. 😀


Another different aspect of this card are the Prismacolor Pencils! After my last fiasco it was hard to get them out again but this time I was able to blend the colors better. I mainly used the pencils for blending with a little bit of the paper stump in the lighter areas. Now the only difficulties remaining to deal with is smearing and one heck of a hand cramp!

The three lovable digis illustrated by Marina Neira will be released this Saturday, January 22, but you can have to chance to win them now! There will be lots of prizes given away each day for commenters… so make sure to leave everyone luvs along the way! Finally, at the end of the week one lucky winner will be chosen to win the entire set of three (3) digis!!

Here’s the complete blog hop list:

Barbara {me}
…and then it’s back to The Stamping Bazaar Blog.


DT Blog Hop: The Stamping Bazaar – Valentines Blog Hop Day #3
Challenge: Crafty Cardmakers (Spotlight on Pencils Challenge)
Challenge: Meljen’s Designs – Challenge #42 (Pink and Red)
Challenge: Oh, Alice! – Challenge #46 (mostly red)
Challenge: Guylou’s Inimitability Challenges (Red)
Main Stamp: Marvin with Flowers (TSB)
Patterned Paper: scraps
Metal Die: Spellbinders Nestabilities Labels Seventeen
Prismacolor Pencils

Did you know? The Care Bears are a set of fictional characters created by American Greetings in 1981 for use on greeting cards. In 1983 they were transformed into plush teddy bears and made their debu TV appearance in 1983. Each Care Bear comes in a different color and has a specialized insignia on its belly that represents its duty and personality. Adding to the Care Bear family are the “Care Bear Cousins”, which feature a lion, rabbit, penguin, raccoon, and other such animals.
[Care Bears, Wikipedia.org]

Monster Bubbles Freebie

~ sproatmeyer ~ 26 Comments

Whoo-hoo! 400 Followers already and in such a short time! So as promised here is another Monster FREEBIE!! My Mom (at Grandma’s Pearl) is also climbing just as fast and she has a new freebie too… Easter Lamb. Do you think we’ll increase another 100 before the Blog Candy ends?? Spread the word and lets find out!

Reminders:
(1) Update your blinkies on the sidebar with the new ones
(2) Be sure to enter in the Blog Candy if you haven’t already
(3) Head on over to Grandma’s Pearl for the other half
(4) Use your new freebies and enter Forgotten Scraps Challenge #1
(We love to see what you create with them!)

Monster Bubbles


CLICK HERE to download
(Update: This image is no longer available for free,
but check the sidebar for more freebies if they’re available.)

This freebie will be available for a limited time so get him while you can!! When I reach 500 Followers then I’ll offer a 4th one – so spread the word and grab the blinkie from the sidebar! I’ve enjoyed all your wonderful comments – thank you!!

From my design team who are 100% motivated by chocolate chip cookies! 😀
Cassandra and Lydia:


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Monster Bubbles

~ sproatmeyer ~ 23 Comments

What do you think of this little guy? He’ll soon be available for FREE once we reach the 400 Followers mark and we’re so close!! So far I think this is my favorite color scheme and with this pose you finally get a glimpse of the horns on his back!


I made this card for the Lollipop Crafts challenge this week which features an inspirational sketch to use. There is only a few more days left so come on over to play along! The bites punched out of the card is direct inspiration from Dorcas who participated in the Forgotten Scraps current challenge. She let her monster take a chuck out inside her card and I loved it!


Remember those hearts and wings I did last time with Liquid Pearls? This time I tried pink Stickles Glitter Glue on a wing. It applies evenly but I’m not so sure about the transparency. (Although it worked for this card.) Perhaps if I cover it with decorative paper first? I have a whole package so I’ll continue to experiment more.

DT Challenge: Lollipop Crafts – Challenge #22 (sketch)
DT Challenge: Forgotten Scraps – Challenge #1 (use freebie)
Challenge: Res-Q Challenges #66 (bright colors)
Challenge: 2 Sisters Challenge #22 (flowers)
Challenge: Totally Gorjuss – Challenge #63 (Cuddly)
Challenge: Simply Create – Challenge #35 (Punches)
Challenge: Cooking it up with Katie – Challenge #45 (make it cute, use some green, add some brads)
Main Stamp: Monster Bubbles (LMMS)
Patterned Paper: Lemonade (BG)
Metal Die: Spellbinders Nestabilities Small Scalloped Circles and Circles
Copic Colors:
Y000, Y11, Y13, Y15, Y19, Y17, E000, E00, E02, E93, R11, R12, R114, W00, W2, YR12, YR14, YR18, G40, G82, G94, E42, E41

Did you know? The term framing device refers to the usage of the same single action, scene, event, setting, or any element of significance at both the beginning and end of an artistic, musical, or literary work. The repeated element thus creates a ‘frame’ within which the main body of work can develop. Framing devices are very common in storytelling. They are often employed to hold a story together and provide context, to create interest, to provide resolution and/or to move a story along.
[Framing Device, Wikipedia.org]

Update: I’m the winner at Cooking It Up With Katie for this challenge!