My Minds Eye

I made this card for the Monday House Mouse and Friends Challenge. The challenge was to glitz up your card. Usually that is not hard for me to do. I love dazzling diamonds and the more bling the better! However, I had a hard time with this card. I wanted to use the paper from My Minds Eye, Festive & Frost that I purchased at Michaels for 40% off. There's lot of sparkly paper in this pad and the colors really appealed to me. Not your typical christmas colors, ykwim? I coordinated the paper with Sage Shadow, Chocolate chip and blush blossom.
I embellished the card with some May Arts Velvet Ric Rac and some lucious chocolate chip satin ribbon. I added Prima flowers and some Prima Center Kisses. And then for the finishing touch I added some Heidi Swapp Ghost Snowflakes! I am loving these Ghost Shapes. You can embellish your cards without having to worry about them coordinating with colors! You all know that I am color challenged at times! lol!
I hope that you are enjoying your day and find the time to create all those beautiful projects that I love to see.
xoxoxo
Lorraine

Dream Puff and Polka Dots

Two posts in one day! Wow!
This is a card that I made for House Mouse and Friends Monday Challenge. The challenge this week was to use polka dots! The image I used is Dreampuff! She's just too cute. I hope you like her!
Thanks for the visit! Enjoy tomorrow! I can't wait for the pumpkin pie!
xoxo
Lorraine



Recipe:
card stock...Barely Banana, Black, White, Ebony & Alabaster DP by BM Paper Society
Image...House Mouse, Dream Puff
Ink...Momento Black, Copic Markers
embellishments...Ribbon, Heidi Swapp Ghost Heart Shape, Bella Pearl Bauble, stickles and Nesties

Out on a Limb

I'm a day late, but I think that I either broke or chipped a bone in my foot vacuuming! Don't ask!!!! All I can tell you is that it hurts like heck and I can't put any pressure on my right foot. I'm hobbling around here in pain! My husband says that I don't deal well with pain. Well, I ask, who does? LOL! I think that I need to go and get an xray! Hopefully, I just bruised it badly.
Enough about me! Let's get to the card!
I love Monday's! So many challenges to participate in. The challenge over at House Mouse and Friends was to make a Christmas Card. The image I used is called Out on a Limb. I colored in the image using my copic markers. I am so glad that I still have some of the Dashing DP from SU. I really am in love with this paper. It is so cheerful and perfect for making Christmas cards.
I am so happy with the way this card all came together!
Thanks for stopping by!
xoxoxo
Lorraine

Junk Draw House Mouse Challenge

The challenge over at House Mouse Monday was to use something from your junk draw. I had just cleaned my junk draw out! It's totally organized and everything was put back in it's place. So I had to rumage through another draw in my butler pantry. I found a set of coasters and decided to use that. The coaster is behind the scalloped image.
I colored the image with copic markers and used Tim Holtz distress ink on the edge of the image.
I used my new Martha Stewart branch punch (I saw this used on a card on a blog Going Buggy and had to have it...Thanks Enfys!) and bordered the coaster with all the punched out branches. I added some May Arts Polka Dot ribbon, a bow and a charm to complete my card.
Thanks for stopping by!
Smiles :)
Lorraine



Recipe:
Image...House Mouse wreath
Paper...Riding Hood Red, Wild Wasabi
Embellishments...May Arts Polka Dot Ribbon, charm, Martha Stewart Branch Punch

House Mouse Challenge Monday is here

Well it's Monday and that means another challenge over at House Mouse and Friends! This weeks challenge was a sketch. I just love sketch challenges.
The image is Monica with Pacifier and I think that she is so sweet! I used Berry Bliss DP with Pretty in Pink, Close to Cocoa, and Purely Pom. I added some prima flowers and some baubles and some organza ribbon and then used the sentiment from warm words and printed it directly to the paper.
Thanks for looking and have a wonderful day!
Smiles :)
Lorraine

Critter Pumpkin

I know I said no more Halloween cards, but I needed one more to send out, and this image is so cute I just couldn't resist. The challenge over at House Mouse & Friends for this week was to make a card using a tag. I really struggled with this one, I usually don't incorporate tags into my designs, they usually don't work for me.
I used my prisma color pencils to color in the image, and then OMS to blend. I also added some crystal effects to the pumpkin.
See that little pumpkin tag on the card? I received that as blog candy from Holly! She sent me a whole package of these adorable Halloween charms. I tore open the package and forgot to take a picture.
the sentiment and the bats on the tag are from Gina K designs, Spooky Silhouettes.
I probably won't be posting the rest of the week. My husband and I are having a dinner party on Saturday. With all the cooking and cleaning that I have to do I should probably stay out of my craft room! LOL!
Thanks for stopping in.
Smiles :)
Lorraine

It's Monday

and that means a new challenge was posted over at House Mouse and Friends. The challenge for today was stitching. This one is right up my alley. I love to sew on cards!
This image is called Comfort and Joy. I used SU Holiday Harmony dp, always artichoke, and river rock.
Thanks for stopping by. I hope you're all having a fun day!
Smiles :)
Lorraine

A Carrot between friends

This is a card that I'll be posting on SCS for the Sketch challenge 194. I flipped the sketch on it's side to accommodate the image. If you've never tried a challenge of any kind you should really try one. They are fun to do and you get to see all the beautiful cards that were created for the challenge.
I really like the colors used in this. It's so nice and soft. The picture did not capture the paper, but if you click on the picture you can really see the dp.
Don't forget to leave a comment here if you want to be in on the blog candy for the House Mouse images!
Have a great day!
Smiles :)
Lorraine



stamp...House Mouse -A carrot between friends
paper...certainly celery, blush blossom, dp from Gina K ( a long time ago)
embellishments...Sheer ribbon, scallop border punch

House Mouse and Friends

After I chopped 10 pounds of onions, cut up about 15 lbs of meat I decided that I just had to play for a little while. Everything has to cook for hours....so here I am posting again! LOL! I have really been anxious to ink up a House Mouse stamp that hadn't seen ink yet, and I wanted to try out my new Brillance Ink Pad. Both are fantastic.
There was a sketch challenge over at House Mouse and Friends and I have been thinking about it all week long. What image should I use, what paper, etc., and before they post another sketch on Monday I wanted to get this one in! lol ****I just went over there, and this is an old challenge, they are on to a new one! lmao. Well, I still had fun making this even if I am a week too late! ****
This image is called Take Time to Smell the Flowers. I used creamy caramel , riding hood red, river rock, & pink pirouette card stock. the dp is from K & Company. I hand wrote the sentiment with choc chip marker and colored in the image with, what else my copics!
Thanks for looking!
Smiles :)
Lorraine



I'm am thrilled that you are really enjoying my blog. Every now and then I get an email for some images. I am so happy that I have inspired you by one of my cards that you would like an image to try for yourself! If I have it, I'd love to send it.
And that's when I started thinking about Blog Candy! How would you like to receive a collection of stamped House Mouse images. I have a whole bunch...a box full, in fact. I'll stamp 2 images of all my House Mouse stamps, including my Hoppers and Gruffles and send them to one lucky winner. Leave a comment, and we'll pick a winner on Monday, September 22nd. That will give you all a chance to spread the word around to all of your house mouse loving friends! :)

Bewitching Pumpkins

I have two cards to share with you today. They are both the same image, Bewitching Pumpkins from House Mouse.
I wanted to compare coloring them in using prisma color pencils and copics. The photos of these two cards isn't the best... something with the lighting...but you tell me which one you like better. I think that they are both adorable, and both are not designed the same way, different layouts and different embellishments which make a huge difference in the overall feeling of the completed cards
While in my travels yesterday I came across a blog Joy in a Jar. Her card which featured a house mouse design made me gasp. It was so beautiful. From her blog I traveled to House Mouse & Friends. They have some great challenge sketches. While my cards don't even fit the requirements for their sketch challenge, I certainly was inspired by both blogs. You really should go visit.
Thanks for the time today!
Have a great day!
Smiles :)
Lorraine

Napping on thistle

What a crazy weekend we all had. It was a whirlwind of activities celebrating my sister's birthday. She is so much fun to be around that I wish that we could see each other more often. She lives in California and it's not always easy to get together. She left Sunday and I miss her already! My two sisters are planning a 12 day cruise to Ireland next summer and they want me to come along with them. Just us sisters! I hope that I can convience my husband to let me go. It's one thing to take a two week trip as a family, but a whole different ball game traveling for that long without them!
This card is a HouseMouse, and is called Napping on Thistle. I used my copic markers to color this in. (I only have Box A of the copics and am thinking that I need to get another set, probably Box B. I'll have to wait a month or two. I have been ordering lots of stamps from different companies and need to stop spending so much, especially if I want to go on that cruise next year! LOL)
Getting back to the card, I sponged around the image, and attempted to use the SU scallop border punch and screwed up on one punch so I kept screwing up and liked the outcome. It kind of looks like a fancy border. I added a little stickles to the flowering thistle.
Enjoy! Have a great day!
Smiles :)
Lorraine

Mr. Gruffles smells the lilacs

My husband did drag me away from my copics last night, and we had a fantastic dinner al fresco at a lovely restaurant in Greenwich, CT. Our evening was very romantic but as soon as I came home I went back to coloring. LOL! I liked working with the copics. This was actually my first time using them, (and they are an investment) and I need to work with them a little more to get the blending to work. I have been working with the prisma color pencils and OMS for awhile and know what to do with them. But I have to say that coloring with the copics took so much less time!
I used crystal effects on the flowers and then sprinkled a little dazzling diamonds on top of the flowers while the ce was wet. I tried to weave the ribbon through the side, added photo corners and punched out circles using my cropadile and placed them under the baubles to add some color.
If you don't want to be enabled, stop reading now! Dick at HM Stamps has announced that HM has just added over 30 new images of House Mouse to their line! They are adorable. My order went in right away!
Enjoy!
Smiles :)
Lorraine

Hanging out to dry

I'm posting a little later than usual today. It's been one of those days. Busy, but a good day. All the kids were working, and that's a very good thing! I love it when they earn their own money! It means that more of my money stays in my wallet. Yippee...more money for me. I just spent the day getting them there, picking them up...you know how it is...today, I wore my taxi hat!
I ordered some Verve stamps...can't wait to get them.
Have a wonderful 4th of July. We'll be BBQing, hanging out good friends, watching the fireworks light up the sky! God Bless America.
thanks for visiting
Smiles :)
Lorraine

I started off attempting a color challenge from SCS...but just couldn't pull it together with this image. THis is what i finally came up with. I don't think it's a color combo challenge, but I certainly think it should be!


Image...house mouse Pocket Fuzz
paper...Only orange, purely pom, night of navy, wild wasabi (some combo, huh?! lol)
ink...stazon black, prisma color pencils, gamasol
embellies...ribbon

Time for some candy...

Blog candy that is! I'm going to put a nice little package together, sort of a surprise package. I will give you a hint, there will be some yummy ribbon, and an SU stamp set in the package.
Just leave a comment. With the 4th of July right around the corner, I'd love to hear how everyone will be celebrating for the 4th!
A winner will be picked on July 7th.
Thanks for taking the time to visit and for leaving a comment!
Have a great day!
Smiles :)
Lorraine

This is a HM image. I think that it is so cute. It's a pretty straight forward card. It's a very simple layout..and I wanted to make this red, white and blue. This is going in the mail to my nephews Peter and Paul.

Oldies but goodies

Before I start to work with my new stamps I wanted to share the House Mouse cards that I have already made. I hope that you like them. They are really fun to work with. Yes, there is lots of coloring involved and lots of shading, but I really don't think that you have to be that talented to achieve the outcome...I just think that it is persistence that makes these cards so beautiful. These images are in my SCS gallery. They need some more love!
Thanks for taking the time to visit with me. Leave a comment...it always makes me happy!
Smiles :)
Lorraine

Mice all over the house

thank God they were all in a box! Now I know these didn't arrive yesterday, they must have been delivered on Saturday and were left outside on my front porch! Where's the love? My mail man and i have a love hate relationship. If my dog is outside he won't deliver my mail...sometimes he'll just leave it in the street.and he's mean to her...she's as gentle as can be and he knows that!
I have a big beautiful mailbox and if it's raining he insists on leaving my mail on my front porch steps so that my mail gets soggy. and when the sun is shinning brightly he puts it in the mail box! LOL! One year I left his Christmas envelope taped to the top of my mail box. He never got his envelope cause he never approached the mailbox. All of the neighbors can't stand him and even passed around a petition to get him moved to another route. He says that he loves our neighborhood and just won't go!
I can't wait to ink these up. Aren't they all so cute.

This finished card is the first card i made using a house mouse stamp. I saw the image in a gallery on SCS and quickly became addicted.

Thanks for the visit and have a great day!
Smiles :)
Lorraine

A House Mouse

a day keeps the blues away! LOL! I am anxiously awaiting for a box to come with all my new House Mouse Stamps! OMG I can't wait to get this one! I have quite a collection of HM stamps and just keep adding to it.
they've come out with some new ones, I think that they are called gruffles, but not too sure about the name. I do know that they are bears and oh so adorable.
I love the thrill of coloring in something so detailed and then seeing it all put together. This one is called Special Delivery. Colored in with many prisma color pencils and finished off with gamasol. that stuff really is magic! You really can't see it in the picture unless you enlarge it, but all the rain drops have glitter on them. IRL this is a fabulous looking card.
If you haven't played with a hm stamp yet and would like to, please let me know. I would be more than happy to send you a stamped image to play with! You'll fall in love. I did!
Thanks for checking in!
Smiles :)
Lorraine

Monday Blahs continued

Mondays Blahs are turning into a twisted Tuesday. I just have no mojo, no motivation, no nothing. It's raining out and i just feel like crawling back into bed. How's that for whining and complaining! lol

I finally went down into my dungeon and worked on a card. This image is a house mouse and it's called O Lucky Day. I must admit that this image did bring a smile to my face. I think Mudpie is just adorable playing with all the clover. And I won the special bingo over at HM Stamps and was able to pick out $50 worth of free stamps, so I have some fabulous new House Mouse stamps coming my way! Yippee. I can't wait for them to come. Coloring is very therapeutic.
Thanks for visiting and spending some time with me. I hope you all are having a wonderful day!
I still havent' heard from Joan b about her ribbon win, i'll give her another 24 hours, and if i don't hear by then i'll pick another winner!

She loves me!

Yesterday I received some sad news.! My "Aunt" Margie passed away. She really wasn't my aunt, she was one of my moms best friends. When i was little and i would run away from home i used to run away to her house. She lived 3 houses away! As i got older I would still run away to her house! lol! she was a cool lady and i loved to sit and talk to her. so many great memories... i'll miss her. so this card is for Margie...i loved her and she loved me!
If i do not post for a few days, i'm sure that you will understand.

Recipe:
Stamps: HM - She loves me!
paper: going gray, black, white, pixie pink, & unknown dp
ink: bb, pixie pink, wild wasabi, prisma color pencils and gamasol
embellies: ribbon, prima flowers, stickles, rhinestones, heart brad

Mudpie Munch

I just love these HM stamps. This is Mudpie Munch and I made up this card for my Goddaughter's birthday. I purchase all of my HM stamps from Dick. He's got the best prices! I have no affiliation in any way.

Tonight after my shows...gotta watch Ghost Whisperer, Moonlite, and Numbers...I'll draw a random number for my blog candy. So if you haven't left a comment...what are you waiting for? lol

***Thank you all for your good wishes for my step mother. I spoke to Maria last night and she sounds wonderful. She was up and walking and her spirits were high. And the best part was that she said she no longer had pain in her back! Amazing!***