Sleep Tight Baby - Fab Friday @ Tiddly Inks

Another Friday is upon us, and it's my first Friday with my new computer.  \not that \i wanted to get a new computer.  \i liked my old one just fine.  \not much of a fan of change.....but my previous one was about eight years old and, even though \i was being very patient with it and set about embracing all of its quirks and little idiosyncrasies, it was getting to the point of ridiculousness.  \i used to bring my phone with me when \i started it up or when \i woke it up from Sleep \mode so \i could play a few levels of Candy Crush while \i waited.

And with the new computer came a new keyboard.  \i have a question......who in the heck stuck a \ key in between the left Shift key and the Z?  As you can probably tell, my old keyboard did not have a stupid \ button in between the Shift and the Z.  \i am very much annoyed by it.....can't seem to convince my left pinky to reach just a little bit farther and get that Shift key when \i need an uppercase letter from the left side of the keyboard.  And since this is my blog, and \i can type how \i want on it, \i've decided \i'm not going to bother constantly backspacing to fix it because, honestly, IT'S EVERY SINGLE TIME.  \you're probably wondering why \i just don't use my old keyboard.  Well, turns out it has a different end \9though why the ends changed\0 than what this one has so \i can't just do that.  \i know, \i could probably find an adaptive end piecey thing but \i've decided not to be a grumpy old lady about it and just get with the times.  Except when \i'm blogging.  \i've given myself permission to say, \'f.....orget it\\  \obviously \i'll get the hang of it soon, most of my work is done on this computer and \i can't be typing like this for it.  \it'll be the most boring progressive experiment ever.....\'\how \long Will \it Take JanR To Find That Shift \key and \use \it Consistently\/  \longer than this post, no doubt.

But, you didn't come here to listen to me moan, you came here to see what Tiddly \inks make \i have for you today.  Alrightly, here it is....

\i used Sleep Tight Baby and isn't it lovey\/  \you could colour it up as a girl or a boy and the blanket is just perfect for paper piecing.  \i did a herringbone background to use up some of the scraps from the very first 6 x 6 paper pad \i ever bought.  \it's still one of my favourites too.

Make sure you go check out the other fabulous Fabby Friday makes the rest of the DT has come up with. You can see 'em right here.

Also for:

Sweet Sketch:  sketch - I flipped it upside down
Digitally Sweet:  colour challenge
The Male Room:  babies & little boys
Crafty Creations:  paper piecing
Aud Sentiments:  anything goes + sentiment
As You Like It:  one layer or multi layers - I love layers, the more the better.  I don't think I could do a one layer card.....it would look naked!  :-)
Simon Says:  anything goes
Crafty Sentiments:  anything goes
Creative Card Crew:  anything goes
Tuesday Throwdown:  anything goes
Craft-Dee Bowz:  anything goes + handmade bow
Crafty Boots:  ribbon or lace
The Crazy Challenge:  ribbon
Craft for the Craic:  January blues
613 Avenue Create: anything goes
Crafting-With-Friends: anything goes
Simply Papercraft: anything goes
Crafty Girls Creations: anything goes
Artistic Inspirations: anything goes
Crafting From the Heart: anything goes
Craft Your Passion: anything goes
Through the Craftroom Door anything goes
Creative Fingers: anything goes
Creative Moments: anything goes
Our Crafty Corner: anything goes

They Say It's Your Birthday @ Little Red Wagon

This week at

it's my turn to choose the challenge and I went with "They Say It's Your Birthday" (Dun nuh nuh nuh nuh nuh nah, It's my birthday too, duh nuh nuh nuh, nuh, nuh, nah....actually it's not my birthday. Not even close. So I should really stop singing.) Anyhoo, I just wanna to see projects with a birthday theme! Pretty easy!

This is what I did.....

Digi is from Bugaboo Stamps. Love sketchy type images like this.

So why not celebrate the day someone was born and join us for our challenge?  Then you can head on over to Little Red Wagon and link up.  And, while you're there, be sure to check out the wonderful projects the other Girlfriends have created.

Mixed Media Confessions

I have a confession to make about Mixed Media projects.  There's some I absolutely luuuuurve.  Those ones with the cutesy snowmen, or funky flowers, or whimsical houses and the stamping in the background and the added little quotes and/or hand-drawn words and the doodling.....oooooooh squeeze squish sigh drool love!  So gorgeous.

But.....there's also Mixed Media projects I hate.

I'm not going to go into detail about those.....that would hardly be fair and would actually be mean.  But art is art, and art is about provoking a emotional response, so, personally, I think it's a-okay to hate some art.  I don't ever disrespect the artist who made the art that I don't like.  I appreciate their talent (as everyone should appreciate anyone who says, "Here, look!  I made This Thing" and shows it for all to see) and can recognize that it's just not my cuppa and move on.

So, as you can see, I'm torn when it comes to Mixed Media.  But, since there's parts of it I like sooooo much I've dabbled a time or two.

And, guess what?  I loathed the mixed media pieces I made.  Seriously, they were gawd awful.  For some reason my attempts would drift into the realm of all I didn't like about some mixed media creations and I couldn't pull myself back from that.  So I would finish the piece, get grumpy about how ugly it was and the time I had wasted on it, and then I would shove it in the corner behind a bunch of stuff so I wouldn't have to look at it ever.

Of course I would then vow to never again try any Mixed Media projects.  And the last time I declared that I really, really, really meant it.

But then I happened to come across the DecoArt Media Winter Wonderland Contest where the winner will receive over $120 in DecoArt supplies.  Well, my heart skipped a beat there, it did.   And I knew I just had to give mixed media another go.

So, without further blathering, here's what I managed....

I wanted to capture a winter night sky.....where the stars seem to shine brighter and the air is so crisp and you wonder how it can be snowing lightly when there doesn't seem to be any clouds.  The whole time I was putting this together those lines from Coldplay's "Yellow" kept repeating over and over in my head.  So I put them on there to shut my head up.  Didn't actually work, every time I look at it I hear Chris Martin singing those words but I can live with that.

Wanna know what else I can live with?  This piece.  I don't hate it.  Actually, I kinda like it.  I do know it's fairly basic, kinda baby-steps mixed media, but if that's what I gotta do to be happy with it, then that's what I'll do.

The base and the stars are made out of cardboard.  I used the following DecoArt products:

DecoArt Acrylic Gesso
DecoArt Dazzling Metallics Paint - Black Pearl
DecoArt Glamour Dust Paint - Lemon Drop
DecoArt Americana Paint - Cool White (mixed with water)

So, I'm really glad I gave Mixed Media another whirl.  (I'd be even gladder if I won - tee hee.)  At any rate, this one ain't going in the corner.  I'm gonna hang it up so I can look at it from time to time.

So thanks to DecoArt.  And thanks to Pamellia at My Little Craft Things (I'm starting to feel like I'm stalking this talented lady, honestly, Pamellia, I'm really quite harmless!) for resparking my interest in Mixed Media.  I thoroughly enjoyed making this.  And I'm looking forward to the next time I give it a go.

Fairy Nice @ Little Red Wagon

This week at

it's Heather's turn to choose the challenge and she has gone with "Fairy Nice" which just means she'd like to see a fairy on your project.

This is what I did.....

I used a Saturated Canary image that I cropped.  Super duper cas compared to what I normally do, and look ma, no patterned paper!  Though I think the only reason that happened is because I made some boo boo (though I'm still not sure what) and everything printed out larger than I intended and one of my kids then jumped on the computer so I decided to just go for it rather than waiting (or cajoling said child off the computer) to reprint.  So, there was just no room for patterned paper in the end.

So why not grab at least one wee winged one and join us for our challenge?  Then you can head on over to Little Red Wagon and link up.  And, while you're there, be sure to check out the wonderful projects the other Girlfriends have created.

Thank You @ Tiddly Inks

For the next two weeks at

we've got a pretty easy challenge for you. We're asking you to be grateful, by showing us your thank you projects....using a Tiddly Inks image, of course!

This is what I did.....

I used Beary Sweet.  Isn't she adorable?  I coloured her up to look like my daughter....though she's turning 11 in three months so she's lost a lot of her little girl look and is definitely heading into the tween style of look and dress.  Well, I got the hair colour right at least.  Thought she could give this to her teacher at the end of the school year in July.  I know, I know, talk about getting it done in advance!  To tell the truth, I don't have much need for thank you cards other than for teachers.  Not sure if that means I don't get stuff done for me that I should be grateful enough to send a card or if I'm just a grumpy old sour-puss who's never thankful - ha!

So why not grab a Tiddly Inks image, and a bucket of gratitude and enter the challenge?  And be sure to also check out the fabulousness the DT has come up with.

Also for:

Incy Wincy:  tic tac toe - twine, red, button (I know it's lacking in the red department but there is some on there....)