Through The Craft Room Door

I hope you enjoyed our blog hop! It was fun to get so many thoughtful comments and new followers! I really do appreciate each and every one! Thank you! And we have new subscribers to the TTCRD magazine, too! If you don't have a subscription yet, please consider getting one. It's a great magazine, loaded with wonderful ideas, tutorials, and free digis. And you get access to thg previous digis when you subscribe! The new issue is the holiday issue, and Colleen did a fabulous job with it. There is a video on the right that will give you a preview, so please check it out!

My first order of business today is to announce my winner of the blog hop! Drum roll, please. (Insert sound of your choice here.) And the winner is: Chris of My Inspirational Journey! Congratulations, you have won a $20 gift certificate to Oozak! All you have to do is email me and I will get that taken care of post-haste. Or not. Naw, I am just kidding. I will get it sent out to you ASAP! :^)  Oh, yeah, I guess you need my email address:  pengar70@cox.net. 

'K, now for a word from our sponsor! Squigglefly will provide the winner of this week's challenge with three images of your choice. Cool, huh? So be sure to rev up your engines and get your two entries in this week. Gotta love "anything goes", right?

My sister, Merrilyn, had a party Sunday for the family in town. Her two granddaughters from Minnesota, Melanie and Nicole, were visiting. I had apparently met them over 20 years ago, when they were little. I didn't remember that, but I have selective memory now, it appears. Anyway, Merrilyn was also dog-sitting for my brother's Pomeranian puppy, Elmo. He is knee-high to a grasshopper and came running over to see me--so excited! Too excited. He peed on my foot. Lovely. He really is a little cutie, though. Wags his tail almost constantly. Also has very sharp baby-teeth. Guess how I know that?

The party was a lot of fun; I enjoyed seeing the family that I see so seldom since we live out in the middle of nowhere. And I don't crawl out from under my rock very often to visit. Merrilyn fixed delicious turkey on the grill, scrumptious beef brisket, and yummy squash. Gary, my love, took a fruit salad and tomatillo salsa. (Remember, he is the cook in this family, although neither dish required any cooking--just chopping.)

My daughter and her family couldn't attend the party, as her older daughter, Kelsey, is sick and needed to go to urgent care. Found out that she has pneumonia in one lung, and I guess that really frightened her. But she got antibiotics, so I am sure she will be feeling much better in no time. Meanwhile, she has decided she doesn't want to go to The Deli for Thanksgiving dinner this year. She wants a home-cooked turkey dinner. Yeah, well, I guess they are going to stay home, then, and Angela will be fixing a turkey. Because the first turkey I fixed for Gary and I in 1970 was also the last turkey I fixed. Get my drift? I. do. not. do. turkey dinners. Angela, I hope your child changes her mind, or you are going to be very busy at the end of November! (Insert extremely evil grin here. And that's from me, not my evil twin!)

My older sister, Barbara, will be coming out today from Wisconsin. She hopes to finish healing from her knee surgery here. We expect to go to the Rubber Stamp Convention in Mesa on Saturday. I plan to buy some items for blog candy. I am almost to 100 followers, wow--thanks so much, and need to celebrate when I reach that milestone. That means that one of you can win some fun stuff from me in the near future. Of course, you have to be a follower to qualify! :^) So, be on the lookout for that.

Guess I should get back to today's card.

Since Squigglefly is our sponsor this week, I have used an image from that store. I chose Cheryl Alger's "A Cat and Her Witch", because I got a kick out of the witch's costume and the cat's expression. I printed both this image, and my sentiment from Create with TLC, on Make It Colour Blending Card. My DP is from the Doodlebug Design Haunted Manor collection. I paired it with Stampin' Up CS.

Per my modus operandi, I used lots of die cuts on this card. Can you tell? No? Well, then, are you blind? Oh, sorry, that wasn't nice. Must have been that darn twin again. If you see her, would you give her a piece of your mind. I'd do it myself, but I don't have any pieces to spare.

Did I digress again? I apologize profusely. Kinda like I sweat. So back to the dies: they are, in no particular order, (I love saying that; heaven only knows why), Magnolia Doohickey Lovely, Spellbinders Lacey Circle and Grand Oval, Poppystamps Walking Cat and Sitting Cat, Cheery Lynn Polynesian Sails Oval, Memory Box Twiggy Tree and Perky Pumpkin Face and Great Pumpkin.

I added a bit of black netting, some miscellaneous ribbon, miscellaneous buttons, and a SU mini clothespin. Gee, lots of junk on this card, huh. What was I thinking?

I colored my pumpkin die cut as well as the witch with Copics. I used: C1, C3, C5, C7, C10, V12, V15, V17, YG21, YG23, YG25, E000, E00, E11, YR12, YR14, YR16, YR18. I also accented the image with a white gel pen and a bit of Copic Spica on the buckles and the cat's eyes. Then I used Copics to dot around both my image and my sentiment. Am I through yet? I believe so.

OK, Peeps, it's up to you now. Can't wait to see what you come up with this week! Have a great one!

The Outlawz Greeting Card Challenge Pop It Up!

Hello, I am a bit rushed to get this post done, so I will not be able to chit-chat. I promise I will make it up to those of you who actually read my blog. Or not. (That's my evil twin again. She's such a stinker.)

As a reminder, for the month of October, The Outlawz Greeting Card Challenges have three fantastic sponsors:

 Jackson's Digital Expressions - $12 worth of digital stamps

           
 Sweet 'N Sassy Stamps - 3 digis of winner's choice

Paper Temptress - 20 sheets of Cryogen paper

At our challenge this week we are celebrating National Popcorn Popping Month, (I didn't know there was such a thing!), and we want everyone to "pop it up". That means to use popcorn images, pop up cards with raised images, or make a pop-up card. I decided to pop up my layers with foam adhesive.

I chose a wonderful Jackson Digital Expressions image, "Around the Tree". I think it is just the sweetest, and I printed it on Cryogen CS. Love this sentiment with it by Paulette at Create with TLC, and it is printed on Cryogen CS also. I picked DP from My Mind's Eye Winter Wonderland collection, distressed it with my Zutter Distrezz-It-All, and inked it with Stampin' Up ink. The CS used for the rest of the card is from Stampin' Up.

I had fun making die cut embellishments with the following dies:  Spellbinders Labels 4 and Grand Labels 4, Cheery Lynn Christmas Lights Swag, and Memory Box Frostyville Wreath and Snowflake Corner. I do love die cuts, in case you hadn't noticed!  I added some bling with MS Birthstone Gem Stickers. My image got colored with Copics: C00, C1, C3, G19, YG61, YG63, YG67, YG91, YG93, YG95, YG97, R46, BG05, BG07, BG09, BG10, BG11, BG13, YR21, Y11, Y15, Y21, E000, E00, E11, E50, E53, E55. I accented the image with white gel pen and added Glossy Accents to the tree decorations.

OK, I am throwing the ball, so to speak, over to you. Now run with it and show us some fun "popped" cards, OK? Looking forward to them!

Through The Craft Room Door Holiday Blog Hop

Hey, we are still hopping at TTCRD! If you haven't joined us yet, please do! There are prizes to be drawn. Get your comments in! Details are here.

Stamptacular Sunday Challenge: Not Just An Ordinary Card!

This week’s challenge is going to be so much fun!  We can’t wait to see what you create!

This week's challenge is a…

“Not Just An ORDINARY Card!”

For this weeks challenge you will create a card that is out of the ordinary and not traditional!  No FLAT cards allowed!  This week's card should pop-up, stand up, turn into a box, slide, twist, etc...!  Oh…and don’t forget to stamp!  After all, we don’t call this STAMPtacular for nothing! 

You will have from now until midnight (EST) November 3^rd, 2012 to complete this challenge and post a DIRECT LINK to your submission into our InLinkz in order to be entered into the drawing for this week's fabulous prize donated by:

BIRDIE BROWN

PRIZE:  Winner’s Choice of 3 Digis!  

Wow, I am just astonished at how many entries we have had this past week! I guess when you have no rules, it helps everyone be more creative--less restrictive, huh? Well, you certainly kept my fingers busy with commenting! They are now blistered and broken. Black and blue. Swollen and crooked. Oh, just kidding. They're fine, and I really did enjoy seeing so many wonderful creations. So keep 'em coming again this week, OK?

I am so excited! I got to do an entire laundry in just two days this week! Isn't that mahvelous, Dahlings! Hey, it really is--I know it sounds ridiculous, but we cannot wash clothes during the day here in the summer. The water is just too hot. So, my summer laundry routine is to put in one load each night, set the timer on the washer to 5:30 a.m., when our water is the coolest, and go to bed. It gets old after a while. That's why it was so much fun (?) to do all my loads over a two-day period. And, just fyi, I have 10 loads of clothes a week--for two people! That's because Gary wears at least two outfits every day, and I do four loads each week for just him. Then the two (sheets and towels) for the household, which leaves three loads for our joint clothing, and one load of my "hand-washables". Thank heavens I don't have to scrub them on a washboard. My fingers would be worn to the bones. That's a lovely thought--very Halloweeny, don't you think?

Ah, yes, Halloween is this week! All the neighborhood gremlins will be out begging for candy. And Gary says we are going out to dinner and not handing out treats. What? I don't think that's fair--oh, I am not worried about the kids. They will get enough candy to rot their teeth. No, I don't think it's fair to Donovan--you know, my dog who draws the stick figures. He gets so upset when the doorbell rings, and I know that the trick-or-treaters will ring it even if our light isn't on. So Don will fuss and bark and have a dog fit. And I won't be here to calm him down. What's a mother to do? If I figure that out before Halloween, I'll let you know. I would hate for the commotion to hamper my dog's creativity. Perish the thought!

I did not do another Halloween card for this challenge. I have one more to show you on Tuesday, but that's it. No, for this challenge I made an anniversary card for our daughter and SIL. Jon and Angela celebrated their 14th anniversary,  (I can't believe it's been that long!), on October 17. Of course, we gave them the card already, and they did like it. But I couldn't show it to you until today--well, you know how blogdom works, right?

Anyway, this was the perfect time to do a card out of the ordinary. So I did an easel card, which I thought the kids would get a kick out of, or some such thing. And they did. Or some such thing.

I had a cute little stamp to use: A Kiss for Chloe by Sarah Kay. I wanted to use my La-La Land Crafts Hot Air Balloon die, because I think it is so cute, so I found some DP that would work with it: Prima Romance Novel Collection. That even sounds right for an anniversary card, doesn't it? I combined the DP with card stock from Stampin' Up. I printed the image on Cryogen CS with Memento ink and then colored with my Copics: R20, R81, R83, R85, YR20, BG70, BG72, BG75, E000, E00, E11, E21, E25, E29, E31, E35, E37, E40, E41, E42, E43, E44.

You know, I know that you don't really give a hoot what colors I used. And that's OK. The only reason I put it in my blog posts is for my record. So I can remember what works with what papers, etc. So you have my permission--nay, my blessing--to just ignore that bit of my posts. (I am cackling now, like a right old witch. Must be something to do with this week.) Forgive me, I just had to digress for a moment.

Now, where was I? Somewhere on a little green planet in the Milky Way galaxy, far, far away.....

Oh, yeah, the image. Well, after I colored it, I gave it a spit-shine, howdy-do, and then Elmered it down. I what??????????????? OMG, I did not. (There goes my evil twin again. Dangnabbit. Stop that!)

OK, let's try that again: after I colored my image, I added a bit of white gel pen for accents. Then I popped it onto my card, which, as you can see--well, at least I hope you can see, otherwise, what is the point of showing this to you--oh, sorry, I am digressing again. And I am much too tired for that. I guess I should tell you what I popped the image on top of  on top of what I popped the image.

I began with the SU CS, (yeah, I know what that spells, and I doubt that Stampin' Up would be too happy about it, but since I don't work for them, I don't really care. So there.). I layered the following: my DP, tulle from my stash, die cuts from these dies: Memory Box Madeira Corner, Memory Box Distressed Tag, (stamped with the Memory Box Distressed Tag stamp), Memory Box Hot Air Balloon dies, the aforementioned La-La Land Hot Air Balloon, and Whimsy Postage Stamp, (stamped with a Whimsy Love Postage stamp). Also in the mix are two Tim Holtz Adage Tickets, a Tim Holtz Journaling Ticket, a Wild Orchid Crafts flower, and a couple of Queen & Company pearls.Well, you'd think that'd be enough for one card, but, nooooooo, somebody had to do an easel card and add a bunch of stuff to the bottom of it. So......

More SU CS, more DP, more Memory Box Madeira Corners, more Queen & Company pearls, another Whimsy Postage Stamp, more MB Hot Air Balloons, the word "happy" from the Memory Box Typewriter Lower Alpha die, a Magnolia/Doohickey Lace Tag, (from that die), some ribbon and laces from my stash, seam binding given to me by Jennifer Scull--hey, Kiddo!--and, a 14th anniversary image from Paulette at Create with TLC.

Yes, it's a bit over-the-top. Why do you ask? You should know me by now.

OK, Peeps, let's see what you got! Hit me with it. Well, not literally. Really. Some people. And their kids. (Who will be here in three short days, hounding us for candy. Poor Donovan.)

Through The Craft Room Door Holiday Blog Hop

Welcome to the TTCRD Holiday Blog Hop! Today's card is my contribution to the Hop. Oddly enough, I keep typing Hope instead of Hop. What is that about anyway?

I hope (yeah, yeah, I see now) that you are having fun at each stop on the hop. I know that some of us are doing tutorials and some are giving away prizes. I am giving away stick-figure digital images. Drawn by my dog. He's very talented. And I am just kidding, which I hope, (there's that word again), that you realized. If you didn't, I deeply apologize for my sense of humor...or not. 

Actually, I am giving away a gift certificate to Oozak.com. So be sure to leave a comment before you move to the next person on the hop. Speaking of which, you should have come here from Darlene's fabulous blog. Here is the blog order in case you are lost:

0.  TTCRD Blog Challenge

1.  Sandi Huggett

2.  Jo Ham

3.  Roxann Suits

4.  Anne Fenton

5.  Darlene Lyons

6.  Penny Mull (you are here)

7.  Jen LeeFlang

8.  Deonna Bemish

9.  Colleen Holmes
10. Danielle Linton

11. TTCRD Magazine

Before I move on and describe my card, I want to direct your attention to the TTCRD Holiday Issue video at the upper right of my blog. Be sure and watch it, so you can see samples of the content in the magazine. If you do not have a subscription yet, I recommend that you get one. You will get free digital images in each issue, and have access to the previous digis as well. And the magazine is packed with craft and gift ideas for the upcoming holidays. 

Okey dokey, as they say in Minnesota. Not that I would know anything about that--although I did spend almost 10 years of my life there, freezing my behind off in the winters. Brrrrrrrr.......oh, the memories. Sorry, I digress.

I chose a Christmas theme for  my card today. Mainly because I haven't started my Christmas cards yet, and you know, it is getting closer to that holiday! Time to get to gettin', if you know what I mean. And, if you don't, tough. Oooh, that was mean--sorry about that. I digress again. (Somebody must have spiked my iced tea with a bit of nasty today. Shame on her! She's evil, I tell ya, evil.) (BTW, did you know that if you spell evil backwards, you get "live"? That was pointed out to me when I was in high school, about a million years ago. Before there was dirt.) Still I digress. I am so sorry. She made me do it again. Well! Onward, peeps, onward...

I chose an image from the Fred She Said Emma the Caroling Angel digital series. I wish I could tell you why she doesn't have a halo, but I have no idea. I know that one exists. But my angel is without. I hope she didn't cry about it. I printed her on Cryogen CS; the rest of my card stock is from Stampin' Up. My DP is from My Mind's Eye All is Bright collection, which I chose because it had music printed on it--and my little angel has musical notes floating around her head. (Why, you ask? I have no clue. But if I figure that out, you will be the first to know.)

I have used a sketch to construct my card. I chose Sketch #230 from the Sketch Saturday Challenge:

Per usual, I changed a few things, but the main sketch is still fairly intact.

My sentiment comes from the Stampin' Up A Cardinal Christmas set. I printed that on SU card stock. My die cuts are from the following dies:  LaLa Land Crafts

Wings Set and Filigree Corner; MFT Double Scallop Border and Musical Notes; and Memory Box Treble Clef. I also used some lace and some cheesecloth from my stash. 

My image was colored with my Copics: R20, BG70, W0, W2, YR20, C00, E000, E00, E11, E31, E35, E81, E84. I accented her with a white gel pen and applied Stardust Stickles to her wings. Some SU ink was rubbed around the image and Queen & Company pearls were added to three corners. That's it, that's all she wrote. I have no idea who "she" is, but if I find that out, I will email you. Just don't hold your breath. 

Please do leave a comment, because one of you will win a gift certificate to Oozak. That's one website I love giving the business--I mean giving the business to. Rusty has great prices and excellent customer service! And do check back here because I will announce the winner, and will then need that person's email address.