Digi Galore Challenges: Something New With Floppy Latte

Happy new year!  I can't believe 2012 has come and gone.  I don't know about you, but I am looking forward to 2013 and the many goals I have set to achieve!

Our first challenge of the year over at Digi Galore Challenges is "Something New", and our sponsor is Floppy Latte Designs.  I chose to work with this gorgeous silhouette fairy image.  I have to say that I loved that I didn't have to color anything!  That certainly helps to make the card come together quickly.

You can't tell in this picture, but I added some Stickles to the stars in the image.  I just had to embellish it a little.  I added some pink gem stones and some gorgeous cherry blossoms.

Here is a close-up of the pretty flowers.  I added Stickles to the edges to add some sparkle to the card.

The sentiment is from Ginger's House.  I thought this saying went perfectly with our theme and with the image.  I added some Stickles around the sentiment to add some sparkle.  Overall, I wanted to add shimmer to the card to give it a sort of magical fairy feel, matching the digital image.

Well, that's it for my first post of 2013.  One of my goals is to create a LOT more this year, so you will be seeing a lot more posts!  Thanks for stopping by.  I wish each of you a very happy and prosperous new year!

Entering into the following challenges:

Kaboodle Doodle Challenges:  Anything Goes
Charisma Cardz Challenges:  Anything Goes

Corinne's Surprise Birthday Blog Hop!

It's December 29th, and the Simply Betty gang is surprising Admin Corinne with a blog hop.  Betty provided us with this awesome digi image she drew of Corinne for us to use on our projects.

Corinne has been quite vocal about her dislike for LEAVES, so I searched through my paper to see if I could find anything that would fit the bill.  This paper is the closest I could get.  I think it's pretty!  It's from the My Mind's Eye All Spice paper pad.

I colored the image with Copics and then added some flourish bling.  The sentiment is from a Unity set, and I thought it went perfect with this sassy image of Corinne.  I hope she likes it!

In closing, I have to say that Corinne must be an AMAZING woman because AMAZING women are born on December 29th.  How do I know?  Because today is also MY birthday!  WOO HOO!  My hubby is off tonight, and he is taking me to dinner.  Looking forward to it, especially dessert!  HEE HEE

Now, please hop on over to Tanya's blog next to take a look at her project.  Thanks for stopping by!

Entering this card into the following challenges:
Aud Sentiments: anything with a sentiment
Charisma Cards: Anything Goes
Little Miss Muffet Challenges: Anything Goes

In Memory Of The Newtown Victims

Many of you are well aware of the tragic event that occurred less than two weeks ago in Newtown, CT.  My heart goes out to the families of the innocent victims, and I pray that the Lord brings them healing in their time of sorrow.  In memory of the lives lost that tragic day, I have made a card with a digi so graciously provided by Betty of Simply Betty Stamps.

Betty drew this beautiful angel and has offered it to anyone wanting to make a card (or cards) to be sent to Sandy Hook Elementary.  All you need to do is join the Simply Betty Group on Facebook.  She occasionally gives out freebies, and the gals there are really great.  So, be sure to check it out.

I decided to go with a simple card using a white-on-white color scheme.  The white background cardstock was embossed with a Swiss Dots embossing folder. The angel was colored with Copics and her wings Stickled to add sparkle.

I wanted the angel to look even more heavenly, so I decided to add clouds.  I used a cloud template that I've had for many years.  It's definitely one of the handiest tools I have.  I used it to sponge the clouds onto the background with Tumbled Glass Distress Ink.  I first made sure to print a duplicate image of the angel and then cut it out to use as a mask before sponging.  This protected the main image from being sponged while adding the clouds.  

I then finished off the card with a simple white ribbon bow.  I really love this image and will definitely be using it again in the future, not just for sympathy cards but also for cards with scripture quotes as well.

Thank you for stopping by.  If you feel so inclined, please take a moment to say a prayer for those affected by the Newtown incident.  I appreciate all of you who take the time to stop by my blog.  I wish you all a safe and merry Christmas filled with love, peace, and joy.  Aloha!

Christmas Card Swap Blog Hop

Welcome to the Christmas Card Swap Blog Hop! You should have arrived here from Sandra's blog.  

The best way to brighten a person's day is to send them a card, and the holidays give everyone the perfect excuse to do that. When you add talent to the mix, you have the perfect hand-made holiday card to brighten anyone's day.

That brings us to today's hop. We have gathered some of the most talented card makers around to bring holiday joy to each other while showing off their talents.

Today, some of these wonderful ladies will be showing off the cards they made. We hope you have fun hopping and hope you get inspired to send out cards if you haven't already!

If you've just joined the hop, please hop on over to Lorby's World where you can find all the details on the blog hop candy.

Now, on to my project:

For me, the key to making multiple cards is sticking with a fairly simple design and an image that is easy to work with.  In this case, I turned to a pre-colored digi from The Paper Shelter.  That's right -- PRE-COLORED!!!  All I had to was print and then cut out with my Nesties.  I used a snowflake embossing folder and some cute striped paper from Doodlebug.  The "jingle" sentiment is a stamp from the Perfect Ending stamp set by Stampin' Up!  How cute is that?!  

Thank you for hopping today and please continue on to Shawnee's blog and check out her beautiful card! Below is the complete blog hop lineup in case you get lost along the way.

1. Jearise ~ http://lorbysworld.blogspot.com
2. Melissa Pinter ~ http://pinkpolkadotscrapping.blogspot.com
3. Shelly Lynn ~  http://kccroppers.blogspot.com
4. Sandra Merritt ~ http://merritt-vergaray-connection.blogspot.com/ 
5. Dena Jones ~ http://missdjones.blogspot.com/
6. Shawnee ~ http://quiverofangels.blogspot.com
7. Beth ~ http://motherdaughterdesigns.blogspot.com
8. Tonya ~ http://www.creativeaddictiontopaper.blogspot.com/
9. Ashley W ~ http://marinewifesscrappinlife.blogspot.com
10. Dana T ~ http://danascraftycorner.blogspot.com
11. Sharon ~ http://simplysweetbysharon.blogspot.com/

Warm And Cozy Winter Blog Hop

It's another blog hop!  Today, it's the Warm And Cozy Winter Blog Hop hosted by Lisa at Honeybearz Designs.  You should have arrived here from her blog.  If not, you'll want to be sure to start there to get all the details on today's hop, including the blog candy.

I love gift bags and always have a stash on hand.  The plain Kraft ones are always handy to have so you can decorate them according to the occasion.  That's exactly what I did for a cocoa gift set.  It's a super cute mug and two packets of Salted Caramel Hot Cocoa.  YUM!

A while back, I cut a bunch of Gingerbread men from a Sizzix die and embellished them for a swap.  I made extras to have on hand, and it sure helped to make this project go quickly.  I started by matting some cute patterned paper by Doodlebug.  I then glued to a plain Kraft gift bag.

Next, I added the gingerbread man using dimensional foam stickers.  My teenager wanted the words "for you" on the front of the bag, so I took white alpha stickers by American Crafts, stuck them on brown cardstock, and then fussy cut each letter before gluing to the bag.

Sheer red ribbon, Christmas twine, and some red jingle bells hot glued to the bow were the finishing touch.  I love pretty packaging, and I hope the recipient of this cocoa set loves it, too!

Thanks for stopping by.  Please hop on over to Ashley's blog next to check out her cute project!  Below is the complete lineup in case you lose your way:

Lisa ~ http://honeybearzdesigns2011.blogspot.com/

Dena ~ http://missdjones.blogspot.com/  (YOU ARE HERE)

Ashley - http://thebloghopprincess.blogspot.com/   (GO HERE NEXT)

Elecia - http://creationsby-kahaulani.blogspot.com/

Crystal - http://crystalscreativecorner.blogspot.com/

Kim- www.puppiesandpapercrafts.com

Melissa ~ http://iamapapermaniac.blogspot.com/

Haidee~ http://created2bunique.blogspot.com/

Cookies Make Everything Better Blog Hop

I'm in another blog hop today called Cookies Make Everything Better hosted yet again by the amazingly talented Lisa over at Honeybearz Designs.  You should have arrived here from Haidee's blog.  If you are just joining us, you will definitely want to start at the beginning so you don't miss any of the projects created by the talented designers in today's hop.  Lisa's blog is also where you will find details on the blog hop candy and eligibility rules.

Now, on to my project:

 (click on pic to enlarge and read journaling)

It's been a while since I've done a digital layout, and I've forgotten how much I love the ease of digi scrapping!  I found a super cute digi kit over at  The Shabby Shoppe.  All of the digi paper and elements used in this layout are from the Superplum Dreams digi kit and add-on.  I just love the yummy colors and elements.  This is a pretty simple layout considering all of the elements that come in the kit.  There are soooo many cute items to choose from.  I really wanted to use everything, but that just wouldn't have looked right.  LOL

Since this hop is about cookies, I decided to do a layout about one of my favorite cookies to make:  Rolo Cookies.  You can click on the picture to read the journaling and get the recipe.  It's an easy-peasy one!

Thanks for looking!  Be sure to hop on over to Diana's blog next.  Below is the complete blog hop lineup in case you lose your way:

Lisa ~ http://honeybearzdesigns2011.blogspot.com/

Ashley - http://thebloghopprincess.blogspot.com/

Amy E. - http://www.scrapthissavethat.blogspot.com/

Haidee~ http://created2bunique.blogspot.com/

Dena ~ http://missdjones.blogspot.com/  (YOU ARE HERE)

Diana - http://daisylovecreations.blogspot.com/  (NEXT STOP)

Janet R. - http://janetscreativeworld.blogspot.com/

Maria Matter ~ http://joyfulstamper.blogspot/ (dot)com

Christine - http://hotberrydesigns.blogspot.com/

Sheila - http://2pawprints.blogspot.com/

Vanessa- http://wwwpaperkraftsunlimiteddesings.blogspot.com/

Michelle- www.scrappinwithmybug.com

Mary ~ http://irongatestamps.blogspot.com/

Elecia - http://creationsby-kahaulani.blogspot.com/

12 Days Of Christmas Blog Hop

Today, I am a guest designer for Lisa's 12 Days of Christmas Blog Hop.  This hop started on November 24th and today is the last day!  There has been a blog hop each day with many talented crafters participating.  If you haven't already, you may want to go back and visit some of the hops for some Christmas crafting inspiration.  For more information, please visit Lisa's blog.

I created a Christmas card using an adorable digi from Tiddly Inks.  I have a few favorite digital stamp companies, and Tiddly Inks is definitely one of them.  I especially love this cute little gal named Wrynn.  She is so adorable and easy to color!  

I colored Wrynn and her snow friend with Copic markers.  In the last card I posted HERE, I used Flower Soft in Polar White to add dimension to the jacket collar and trim.  On this card, I decided to use some white Fun Flock.  I'm on a mission to use stuff that's been sitting in my stash unloved for far too long, and my jar of Fun Flock was definitely needing some attention.  LOL

The sentiment is also from Tiddly Inks.  I love the playful font!  After printing, I used my oval and scallop oval punches to cut out the sentiment and matte.  I used some 3-D foam squares to add dimension.  The card was finished off with red ribbon, twine, and a sticker that I've had in my stash.

Thanks for looking and be sure to check out the rest of the stops on this hop!  Below is the complete list of the guest designers and participants:

Guess Designers:

CallyAnn-http://callyanncraftycreations.blogspot.com/

Dena Jones ~ http://missdjones.blogspot.com/   (ME)

Heather ~ http://www.paper-junkie.blogspot.com/

Blog Hop Lineup:

1. Lisa Pontious ~ http://honeybearzdesigns2011.blogspot.com/

2. Ashley - http://thebloghopprincess.blogspot.com/

3. Theresa~ www.thescrapbookingqueen.com

4. Sheila- http://www.2pawprints.blogspot.com/

5. Jillian - http://www.paperalamode.com/

6. Pam (Mama LoveBug) - http://lovebugcreations3.blogspot.com/

7. Rebecca~ http://blog.scrapprincess.com/

8. Teresa~http://freshandrenewed.blogspot.com/

9. Madge- http://www.thescrappinlounge.com/

10. Jessi http://mylifeinartsncrafts.blogspot.com/

11. Miranda http://www.nanasscrapspot.com/

12. Shawnee ~ http://quiverofangels.blogspot.com/