COLLECTED CRAFTY COLLABS JUNE HOP 2020

Hey crafty friends!  How are you today?  I hope everyone is doing well!  Today I am here as part of an awesome blog hop that starts today, and will be ongoing monthly at least until this December!  Isn't that cool?  My friends Karen Page, Anna Mahtani, Virginia Fairchild and I created this blog hop because we wanted to shine the light on blogs a bit more.  I myself feel that blogs get a bit overshadowed by the convenience of YouTube videos, although I am just as guilty of getting sucked into watching them!  Now, we didn't want to be exclusive to anyone who wanted to participate, so we also have some YouTubers and even Instagram users in the hop.  This hop is also a way for us to break out some of those unused or underused supplies that we've been squirreling away, hence our Hop Graphic:

I don't know about you, but I definitely think that collecting craft supplies is another hobby in and of itself!  I get a thrill waiting for new crafty things to arrive from an online purchase, or when I am waiting for "just the right time" to use something.  Is that just me?  Sigh, ok.  LOL  Anyway...the theme for June is:

Since my girlfriends and I have taken to calling ourselves Squirrel Sisters (funny story behind that, you should ask one of us to tell you about it!), it seemed only fitting to have critters in our first hop.  And the stencils, well lemme tell you.  I have quite a few stencils, and many, many saved in my Silhouette library to cut out someday.  What was I waiting for?  I dunno; I guess it goes back to the thrill of anticipation to try something new.  I might be a tad bit weird.  LOL  Anyway, back to the hop...here is what I made:

Truth be told, I busted out quite a few unused things for this card, and I am quite proud of myself for doing so!  I used my Brother Scan N Cut (YAY!) to cut out the Lawn Fawn alpaca (finally!), I cracked open the jar of Martha Stewart Sugar Cube glitter paste to use with the SSS Falling Snow stencil, and I created the circle stencil from cheapo paper and ink blended through it.  Nothing like going all in, eh?  Sometimes a CAS look can take a lot of work!  😆

Alright, the next stop in the lineup is the awesome Donna Perisic, and I'm sure you won't be disappointed!

If you have never visited my blog before, I hope you have found something you like, and will consider following me here and on Instagram @anothercardmaker.  I would love to have you!  Here are a couple more views of my card:

Thanks for stopping by today, and until next time,

Take Care and God Bless!

~Marie~

GUEST DT SPOT FOR THE COLOUR CRAZY CRAFT CHALLENGE -- JUNE 19, 2020

Hello my friends, and welcome back to my blog!  I'm posting today as a Guest Designer for the Colour Crazy Craft Challenge blog, YAY!  I'm really excited to be their guest for this month and for July and August as well!  The challenge owner, Ruth, has set me up on Team D, and today is the day for Team D postings.  The theme is Anything Goes, and the sponsor is Scrappers Delights.  I chose the Chibi Make Mine A  image to play with, and here is what came of it:

I figured with this cute image, I could get some solid hair coloring practice in!  I still have a ways to go, I think; but overall, not too bad!  I really liked that the hair is already drawn with so much texture to it that I could concentrate on defining a section or two at a time.  I used Copics and Prismacolor markers to color the image, and the patterned papers come from the Colorbok 12x12 Hopscotch paper pad.  I went with a simple layout to let the image take center stage...even if it is more in the lower right corner!  LOL!  The sentiment is stamped in VersaFine Clair Nocturne ink, and comes from one of my oldest stamp sets, called Greetings, from The Paper Company.

Here's a close up of the image:

To finish it off, I added some white gel pen details.

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  Make sure you stop by the Colour Crazy Craft Challenge blog if you haven't already, to see what gorgeous inspiration the DT members have for you!  Until next time, my friends, please stay safe and healthy!

Take Care, and God Bless!  

~Marie~

IT'S ANOTHER OLDIE BUT GOODIE THURSDAY AT CATCH THE BUG - JUNE 11, 2020

Hello my friends!  How are you doing on this fine Thursday?  I'm back on the old blog today to share my Catch the Bug blog Oldie But Goodie card with you all:

I've been wanting to make this easel card for awhile now.  I had this cutie Bugaboo Bee 03 image printed and die cut, just sitting on the desk, waiting for this card to be made.  I colored the image using a combination of Copics and Prismacolor markers.  I was inspired to try coloring the skin in a darker tone than what I usually do, and my awesome buddy Renee at Delaney Jane Cards was my coach.  She helps me out so much with great advice and tips, and not just about coloring!  I don't know where I would be without her!❤

For the card base, I used Spellbinders Blossom Five in the largest size, and then die cut this cute yellow polka dot paper from the Preppy Brights 6x6 pad from Pink and Main.  Which incidentally, I just won from the Word Art Wednesday challenge.  I also got a couple adorable stamp and die sets, which will make an appearance here on the blog soon.  Thank you Pink and Main!  😀  The hello die comes from Recollections, and I cut it 3 times from 65 lb. Recollections white card stock.  On the top layer, I wanted to do a fade from yellow to white, so I grabbed a yellow Copic, and colored it up.

To give it a little sparkle, I added clear Wink of Stella, which I think you can see a bit of in this picture up here. ^^^  I added a cute yellow button from my stash to hold the panel up (I wish I'd had a little ladybug button!), and that finished this easel card!

--CHALLENGES--

CHN Patterned Paper:  ATG using patterned paper

Love to Craft #47:  ATG (3/5)

Mix It Up #38:  ATG (3/5)

Besties International:  ATG (3/3)

Moving Along With The Times #119:  Things with Wings (1/3)

Color it, Create it, Show it off:  ATG (3/3)

Creative Moments #192:  ATG (1/3)

613 Avenue Create #234:  ATG (1/5)

Crafts Galore Encore #76:  ATG (3/3)

Daisy Chain #42:  Flowers (there's a flower in the image, and my shaped card is a flower)

Classic Design Challenge:  ATG

Digi Doodles Studios #28:  ATG (3/3)

2 Crafty Critter Crazies #39:  ATG using a critter (2/5)

Gem of a Craft Challenge #12:  ATG (1/2)

Word Art Wednesday #442 - #443:  ATG (1/5)

Cardz 4 Gals #123:  More than one fold

Crafty Friends #137:  ATG (1/3)

Colour Crazy #23:  ATG with coloring (1/2)

Lemon Shortbread #121:  ATG (1/3)

The Paper Shelter #431:  Things with Wings (1/3)

Polkadoodles #24: ATG (1/2)

Digi Choosday #23:  ATG (1/2)

Penny's Paper-Crafty #473:  ATG (1/3)

Crafting Happiness #52:  ATG (1/2)

Crafty Calendar:  Flowers (1/3)

C.R.A.F.T Challenge #559:  Easel Card

A Place to Start:  Shaped Cards (1/8)

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog today!  Don't forget to hop on over to the Catch the Bug blog to see what other Oldie but Goodie inspiration awaits you!  Until next time,

Take Care and God Bless!

~Marie~

BUGABOO ANYTHING BUT A CARD MONDAY INSPIRATION -- JUNE 1, 2020

Hey everyone!  Welcome back to my blog.  I hope your day is going well.  Another Monday has rolled around, so that means it's Anything But a Card day at the Catch the Bug blog.  Here is my project:

I created a gift card holder this time, although I do kinda feel like I cheated, since it still opens like a regular card.

This coffee cup is a cut file in the Silhouette Store, and it comes with the gift card holder as an insert to glue on the inside.  I made the white panel on the left side by creating an offset of the gift card holder.  I wanted to have a nice space for writing my message that was shaped the same as the cup itself.

 Anyway...the Bugaboo image I used is called Coffee Time - Perfect Blend.  I think it's supposed to represent a guy and gal couple, but I think it works for friendship as well.  I colored the image using a mixture of Copics, Prismacolor, and Spectrum Noir alcohol markers.  In hindsight, I'm not sure I should have used such dark blues on the cup on the left, but I think it turned out OK.  Also, I used the same sentiment the image comes with; however I used a font in my Silhouette program to write it and color it the way I wanted it. I used Spellbinders classic and scalloped ovals to cut out the image panel, and a light pink mat for behind it.  I thought it went well with the color of their little cheeks!  I blended some brown markers on the "inside" of the cup so it would look like coffee, and then covered it in Glossy Accents to make it look more like a liquid.  That's all there is to this gift card holder!  Here's another view:

--CHALLENGES--

Love to Craft #47:  ATG (1/5)

Mix it Up #38:  ATG (1/5)

Besties International:  ATG (1/3)

Color It, Create It, Show It Off:  ATG (1/3)

Crafts Galore Encore #76:  ATG (1/3)

Classic Design #6:  ATG

Digi Doodle Studios #28:  ATG (1/3)

Gem of a Craft Challenge #11:  ATG (1/2)

Lil Patch of Crafty Friends #132:  ATG (1/3)

Word Art Wednesday #440 - #441:  ATG (2/5)

Colour Crazy #21:  ATG with coloring (1/2)

Simon Says Wednesday:  ATG (1/5)

Sweet Stampin':  Cute (1/3)

Polkadoodles #22:  ATG (1/2)

Digi Choosday #21:  ATG (1/2)

Penny's Paper-Crafty:  ATG using paper (1/3)

Crafting Happiness #51:  ATG 

Thanks again for stopping by today!  Don't forget to pop over to the Catch the Bug blog to see what the other DT members have made for today!  Please stay safe and well.  Until next time,

Take Care, and God Bless!

~Marie~

CHRISTMAS CRAFTS ALL YEAR ROUND JUNE 2020 --USE A RECYCLED ITEM

Hello friends; welcome back to my blog!  I'm glad you have taken some time to stop by and see what I have to show you today!  As always, I hope you are all staying safe and well as the world starts to open things back up.  I am anxious for things to get back to more of a "normal" routine!

Anyway, I'm back today to share with you my DT card for the current Christmas Crafts All Year Round challenge --USE A RECYCLED ITEM.

My recycled item of choice is a tissue box.  Whether or not I buy a tissue box depends on if I think I can reuse it as patterned paper!  😉  This is the third time I have done this, once here, and also here.  I loved both of my other cards, and this one is no exception!  I have 6 other Christmas-themed tissue boxes in que, just waiting to be opened, the tissues used, and then recycled.  😀

So, this fella is called Winter Louie. He is an old Digi Stamp Boutique character, but sadly, the company ceased operations a couple of years ago.  I still love this guy though, and I have him in many different types of images.  He is just too stinkin' CUTE!  He was colored using Prismacolor alcohol markers, and I used some light blue Copics for the snowy ground, and his "aura." I would like to point out that I did something my buddy Renee at Delaney Jane Cards had done recently to another cute bear...you can watch her video here.  Obviously, I had to color him in red and green to match the tissue box pattern.  For sparkle and shine, I added Star Dust Stickles to the snowy ground and the white areas of his hat.  I cut him out using a Spellbinders classic oval, and then glued that to a dark green scalloped oval, also from Spellbinders.  These are the PERFECT size to cover the opening in the tissue box.  I channeled my inner Jennifer McGuire by using small strips of a dark red card stock to "mat" the tissue box panel.  The sentiment comes from a stamp set by Our Craft Lounge called Merry and Bright, which I had somehow won YEARS ago.  It is stamped in Memento Cottage Ivy ink.

--CHALLENGES--

Christmas With The Cuties#38:  ATG 

Merry Little Christmas #23:  ATG  (1/5)

Love to Craft #47:  ATG (2/5)

Mix it Up #38:  ATG (2/5)

Besties International:  ATG (2/3)

Color It, Create It, Show It Off:  ATG (2/3)

Crafts Galore Encore #76:  ATG (2/3)

Classic Design #6:  ATG

Digi Doodle Studio #28:  ATG (2/3)

2 Crafty Critter Crazies #39:  ATG using a critter

Lil Patch of Crafty Friends #132:  ATG (2/3)

Colour Crazy #21:  ATG with coloring (2/2)

Fab 'n' Funky #483:  Christmas

Simon Says Wednesday:  ATG (2/5)

Penny's Paper-Crafty #472:  ATG using paper (2/3)

Crafting Happiness #51:  ATG

CHNC #492:  ATG Christmas

The Outlawz Festive Fridays:  Christmas

Christmas Craft Creations:

Thanks again for stopping by today...don't forget to pop over to the Christmas Crafts All Year Round blog to see what the rest of the DT has created.  You will not be disappointed!

Take care, and God Bless.

~Marie~

BUGABOO OLDIE BUT GOODIE THURSDAY AT CATCH THE BUG -- MAY 21, 2020

Hello friends!  How are you all doing this fine day in May?  As you're reading this, I am hard at work; BUT I took a vacation day tomorrow so that I can have a nice EXTRA LONG, long weekend!  For those not in the States, Monday is our Memorial Day.  With all this crazy virus stuff going on though, it's going to be a quiet one.  Hubby and I are still leery about being around too many people, so we're just going to stay home and have burgers and stuff.

Anyway, I want to share what I made for the Bugaboo Oldie But Goodie day at Catch the Bug, so here goes:

I used Poppi Xmas Candy Cane for my card--you all knew it would be a Christmas card, right?  Gotta build up that stash, ya know!  ;)  I was inspired by my other recent Christmas card (here) to color Poppi in pastels with my alcohol markers.  I love how he looks in these lighter shades!  😍  I used an old Papertake Weekly sketch for my layout (still love using those!), and the patterned papers come from the My Mind's Eye Merry 6x6 paper pad.  I totally love this paper pad!  I guess it's a good thing I bought 5 or 6 more! 😉  The sentiment is from the Lawn Fawn Ho Ho Holidays set, and is stamped in Versa Fine Nocturne ink.  Every Christmas card should have some sparkle, so I added Candy Cane Stickles to the berries and the pink parts of the candy cane, and Stardust Stickles to the white parts of his hat.  A white Gelly Roll pen, size 08, was used to add highlights to the image.  The big scalloped oval behind Poppi is from Spellbinders.

--CHALLENGES--

12 Months of Christmas Link Up #65:  ATG (2/10)

Merry Little Christmas #22:  ATG (2/5)

CHN Patterned Paper:  ATG using patterned paper

Love to  Craft #46:  ATG (2/5)

Mix it Up #37:  ATG (2/5)

The Cutie Pie Challenge #147:  Pretty in Pink (1/3)

My Besties International:  ATG (3/3)

Color It, Create It, Show It Off:  ATG with coloring (3/3)

Crafts Galore Encore #75:  ATG (3/3)

Crafty Gals Corner #207:  For the Ladies (1/3)

Classic Design Challenge:  ATG 

2 Crafty Critter Crazies #38:  ATG

The Paper Funday #17:  ATG (2/4)

Word Art Wednesday #440 - #441:  ATG (1/5)

My Time to Craft #432:  Food Stuffs

Colour Crazy #19:  ATG (1/2)

Polkadoodles #20:  ATG (1/2)

Digi Choosday #20:  ATG (1/2)

Crafting Happiness #49:  ATG 

CHNC #490:  ATG Christmas

Cute Card Thursday #635:  Critters

The Outlawz Festive Fridays:  Christmas

Christmas Craft Creations:

image closeup

Thanks for stopping by today--don't forget to pop over to the Catch the Bug blog to see what other members of the DT have made with some Oldie but Goodie images from the Bugaboo shop!

Until next time,

Take Care, and God Bless!

~Marie~

BUGABOO ANYTHING BUT A CARD MONDAY --MAY 11, 2020

Hello friends!  I hope you're having a great day today!  As I'm writing this post it's Monday, and at Catch the Bug, that means it's time for the DT to share some Anything But a Card projects.  Here is what I have made for you:

I can never decide what I want to make when my make day falls on a Monday, so I usually default to making a tag.  Today is no exception, but this time I wanted to make a tag that would be used as a decoration.  This tag measures 3 5/8" by 5".  I figured I could hang it up here in my craft room when I need a little cheering up.  My image choice for this tag is Unicorn Set.  There are 3 images in this set; the unicorn (obviously), the cloud, and a rainbow.  The way this unicorn is drawn, it sits nicely on both the rainbow and the cloud.  I wanted to make my own rainbow, so I chose to have him sitting on the cloud.  I don't have any rainbow dies, so I just used my Spellbinders classic circle dies in the large set to cut from Recollection 100lb. card stock.  This works out pretty well; I think you just need to be aware of how you position your finished rainbow.  Also, I made a kind of booboo by taping all of my cuts together BEFORE I colored them, but I just tried to be careful.  Next time, I'll color them first.  :)

The rainbow pieces and image were all colored with a combination of Copics, Spectrum Noir, and Prismacolor markers.  Oh yes, and I ink blended some clouds on the tag using the template I made with my Lawn Fawn cloud dies, Taylored Expressions blending brushes, and Tumbled Glass Oxide ink.  I also blended some ink around the edges of the tag for a more finished look.

So, I really think that rainbows and unicorns should sparkle...ALOT!  To achieve that look, I added Spectrum Noir clear shimmer pen to the rainbow, yellow Stickles to the horn, and to the stars in the cloud.  Hmm, maybe I should add more shimmer to the unicorn somehow?  I'll think on that.

--CHALLENGES--

Creative Fingers #185:  ATG (2/3)

Love to Craft #46:  ATG (2/5)

Mix it Up #37:  ATG (2/5)

My Besties International:  ATG (2/3)

Color It, Create It, Show It Off:  ATG with coloring (2/3)

Creative Moments #190:  ATG (1/3)

Crafts Galore Encore #75:  ATG (2/3)

2 Crafty Critter Crazies #38:  ATG using a critter

The Paper Funday #17:  ATG (1/4)

Gem of a Challenge #10:  ATG (1/3)

Lil Patch of Crafty Friends #131:  ATG (1/3)

Word Art Wednesday #438 - #439:  ATG (1/5)

Colour Crazy #18:  ATG with coloring (1/3)

Fab 'n' Funky #480:  Cute Critters

Polkadoodles #19:  ATG (1/2)

Digi Choosday #18:  ATG (1/2)

Penny's Paper Crafty #470:  ATG (2/3)

Crafting Happiness #48:  ATG 

Cute Card Thursday #633:  ATG 

Thanks so much for stopping by today.  Don't forget to head over to the Catch the Bug blog to give the other DT ladies some love on their ABaC projects.  Until next time,

Take Care, and God Bless!

~Marie~

CHRISTMAS CRAFTS ALL YEAR ROUND -- PASTEL COLORS

Hey everybody!  Look at this; two posts in one day!  That's a rare occurrence, for sure!  LOL!  Well, my second post for today involves a Christmas card, as it is time for a new challenge at Christmas Crafts All Year Round (CCAYR).  For this month, we wanna see you pull out those pastel colors for your Christmas creations!  I know that I don't often associate Christmas with pastel colors, but I do think they can translate well into the theme.  Here is my card:

OF COURSE, I went with a Bugaboo image.  They are just so cute that I can't resist playing with them!  This cutie is called Christmas Mouse - Mistletoe, and I just love her little winky eye!    I had this little lady printed and die cut already, so I just picked out some pastel alcohol markers and started coloring.  I love these shades of light purple!  I didn't notice this until afterwards, but when I colored in the ground, I made it going up hill to the right!  Soooo, the house she lives in is an old one, and not everything is square and level.  ;)  She doesn't seem to mind it though...she must live with a very nice family.  The papers come from the Recollections Northern Lights 12x12 pad, and I used Shaded Lilac Distress Oxide ink to stamp the Lawn Fawn sentiment, which comes from the Mice on Ice set.

--CHALLENGES--

12 Months of Christmas Link Up #65:  ATG (1/10)

Merry Little Christmas #22:  ATG Christmas (1/5)

Christmas Craft Creations:  Use a Stamp (2/3)

Creative Fingers #185:  ATG (1/3)

CHN Patterned Paper:  ATG using patterned paper

Love to Craft #46:  ATG (1/5)

Mix it Up #37:  ATG (1/5)

Besties International:  ATG (1/3)

Color it, Create it, Show it Off:  ATG with coloring (1/3)

Creative Moments #189:  ATG (2/3)

Crafts Galore Encore #75:  ATG

Crafty Animals #38:  ATG with animals

Classic Design Challenge:  ATG

2 Crafty Critter Crazies #38:  ATG using critters (1/5)

Gem of a Craft Challenge #9:  ATG (2/2)

Lil Patch of Crafty Friends #130:  ATG (2/3)

Word Art Wednesday #436 - #437:  ATG (2/5)

Colour Crazy #17:  ATG with coloring (1/2)

Fab 'n' Funky #479:  Christmas

Polkadoodles #18:  ATG (1/2)

Digi Choosday #17:  ATG (2/2)

Penny's Paper Crafty #470:  ATG using paper (1/3)

Crafting Happiness #46:  ATG

The Outlawz Festive Fridays:  Christmas

Thanks for stopping by today!  Don't forget to stop by the CCAYR blog to see what the other DT members have created to inspire you, and to join in the challenge!  Have a nice weekend, stay safe, and until next time...

Take Care, and God Bless!

~Marie~

BUGABOO FREEBIE FRIDAY AT CATCH THE BUG -- MAY 1, 2020

Hello everyone, and Happy Friday!  YAY!  Friday is such a great day; it's the end of my work week, today it's the start of a new month, AND also FREEBIE FRIDAY at Bugaboo's Catch the Bug blog!  WOOHOO!  Today's image is a cutie, so make sure you head on over to grab it for your collection!  The DT has some beautiful cards there as well, so make sure you give them some love!  Here is my card:

This sweet image is called Two Girls, and will be available all this coming week, as you know.  The beauty of this image is that it can be interpreted in different ways...this could be two sisters or two friends, and could be an encouragement card, friendship card, or a thank you, depending on what sentiment you use.  I love that!  I went the encouragement route today, with this sentiment from Lawn Fawn's Slow Down and Enjoy stamp set.  It's laid out all in one line, so I did some masking and moving to get the words on top of one another.  I *ALMOST* forgot to remove the piece of tape before stamping the last line...could you imagine!?  All that time spent coloring...of course you can see I remembered at the *last second*!!  WHEW!!  

Speaking of coloring, I went back to my tried and true alcohol markers for this card.  I am still trying to get skin colors right, and I have been trying to use a BV marker underneath the E11 shadows, like my buddy Renee does over at Delaney Jane Cards.  It's a work in progress...sigh.  It looks way better in my edited picture than it does IRL.  LOL...another thing about interpretation with this image.  While I was coloring away, I thought the whole time that the little girl had a headband in her hair.  Right after I colored it that way, I realized that the little oval on top of her head was *supposed* to be the other girl's hand...OOPS!  Well, I think she looks cute either way!  LOL

--CHALLENGES--

*will add these later*

Well, thank you again for stopping by!  I wish you all a good weekend, and I hope we all get some crafty time in!  Until next time...

Take Care, and God Bless,

~Marie~