Christmas Wishes

 

This image is from Mo's Digital Pencil.  I colored it with Copic markers, pencils and chalks.  The paper has been in my stash forever. The words were cut out from the other side of the paper.

I am entering this card in the following challenges:

Dragonfly Dreams - Lots of Layers  

Jingle Belles - Spirit of Christmas Past 

The Holly and Ivy Christmas - Anything Christmas Goes

 

Blue Eyes

 

I made a couple of cards with my Blue Eyes design.  I am always mesmerized by her eyes. The image is by the ArtByteShop on Etsy.  I colored the image with pencils and pastels.  The papers are from Stampin' Up  This image I started coloring two years ago.  I usually get bored coloring an image with so much detail and the image was fairly large.  I put it away and finally took it out recently and decided ti finish it.  Since there was no way I would color it more than once I scanned it and reduced it significantly so I could use it on a few cards.  This is it for this one.  I usually don't like to repeat cards.


I am entering the top card in the following challenges:
 
 
C.R.A.F.T. Challenge - Anything Goes
Creative Inspiration - Anything Goes 
Ellibelle's Garden Party - Anything from a Garden 
A Place to Start - Anything Goes  
Beautiful Blossoms - Anything Floral Goes 
Triple B - Birds, Butterflies or Blooms 
 

 

Some Playtime with Cameo 4

 

I almost never use my Silhouette Cameo.  Frankly, I find it extremely frustrating to use.  This weekend was no different, but I did manage 3 cards, with much effort.  I thought this card and envelope set would have been my favorite.  It's not. I wish I would have used glitter papers instead of flat colors.


This candle card, as simple as the design is, is my favorite.


I finally got up enough nerve to try a box card, not perfectly...but it will do.  I had to cut the pieces multiple times.  somehow the pieces kept doing a disappearing act. It is supposed to fit in a 5X7 envelope.  That's not happening.  I'll have to go with 6X8. It was definitely a learning experience! 

Christmas Cards

 

I am building up my stash of Christmas cards.  I already have this year covered.  I am working on next year.  With all the health issues I've been having who knows when I won't be able to do this anymore.  Then I'll have to train my husband to do them.  Haha.  Actually he helps me when I do lighted cards.  He does the wiring for them.  This card uses an image from Lily of the Valley.  It is colored with Copic markers and pastels. The paper is from Stampin' Up.
 
 
This card used images from Silhouette.  I colored them with Copics and fussy cut them. 

Splitcoast Stampers/Dirty Dozen/February 2025


Those Blue Eyes

I was so excited to see "show your coloring skills" as a Dirty 
Dozen theme. I haven't perfected my skills yet, but I work on them frequently. I started this picture about two years ago, got bored and put it away. As soon as I saw this challenge I decided to take it out and finally finish it. I did not make it into a card. I may do that when I print off the image a little smaller. I used Luminance and Polychromos pencils to color this image.  The background is done with pastel pencils.  For now it will go into my book of colored images.



Praying for You
 
I have several angels by Crafts and Me. I use them often. The angel is colored with Copics. The background is done with pastel pencils. I searched for about and hour to find the perfect paper. I finally found what I wanted in my junk drawer of papers. 



The two cards below use a Power Poppy image.  The first is strictly Colored traditionally with Copics.  
 

The second uses a Pointillism technique.

 

Splitcoast Dirty Dozen January 2025

 

This card uses Spellbinder's quilt dies and Stampin' Up paper.


This card was definitely an adventure. I threw away 3 finished cards before settling on this one. It was settling, I am not very happy with this one either. I had a lot of difficulty using the glaze for the tiles. This one did turn out better than the other three, but not by a lot. The tiles are still not as smooth as I would have liked them. The image is colored with Copic markers.


I got this image probably ten years ago. I can't recall who offered it. I have wanted to color it for years. I finally got around to it.

I found an old image on the internet to use for this card.  I used a Stampin' Up stamp for the wood look background.

I found this image somewhere in my vast collection of digital images. I didn't write the maker down when I pulled it from the file, unfortunately. This is one of my favorite cards for this challenge.  I drew lines with a fine tip markers to extend the points of the poinsettia and colored the image with Copic markers. The papers are from Stampin' Up.



 I have used this image a few times, first in 2010. I call this "faux dotted swiss." I always color the dress the same way. I love the dotted swiss look.  The image is colored with Copic markers and the paper is from Stampin' Up.

Morgan's ArtWorld July 2025

 

 
 
I chose Wild 8 as my Creative Team entry for Morgan's Art World this month.  I used Copic markers, Prismacolor pencils and pastels to color this image. I colored this image last year, it was published on my blog in May 2025. I prefer the way that one came out,  oh well.  I have been trying to color the fur with small pencil strokes.
 


I am entering this card in the following challenges:

Dream Valley Challenge:  Anything Goes/Twist: For the Guys 
Stamping Sensations  Our Furry Friends 
Creative Fingers ; Anything Goes 
Krafty Chicks:  Masculine 
 

July 2025 Special Cards

 

I made this card for my son-in-law Gabriel.  He is commissioning into the Arizona Army National Guard Reserves as a Chaplin Candidate.  He has been working on his Divinity Degree for a number of years and doesn't have long to go.When he completes his Masters in a few months, I believe.  He will be a Chaplin.  When he met my daughter he was in the Army training for Explosive Ordinance Disposal (Bomb Squad.)

My other projects this month are the Fourth of July cards for my five grandsons.  It is a tradition now that I make a crda for each grandson on every holiday.  I add a ten dollar bill in each one.  It''s not a lot, but it is 50.00 every holiday.  My oldest daughter shows them the cards and puts them back in the envelopes with the money so when they get older and understand about money they will have a little stash to spend on the fun things in life.

All images below are from Silhouette.  It saves a lot of time to use pre-printed images when I have to make so many. 

Lucas, age 12

 
Ethan, age 10
 

 
Logan, age 4

Aidan, age 2


 Ari, age 1


 

Splitcoast Dirty Dozen December 2024

 The Dirty Dozen theme for December 2024 was Wintergreen.

This is an image from Lili of the Valley.  Such a cute, chubbie little bird.  
I believe it is colored with pencils.

             The above image is from the Spellbinder's Betterpress Collection. 

It is colored with pencils.

              This is another image from the Spellbinder's Betterpress Collection. 

 It is colored with pencils. 


 Lastly, is another Betterpress image.  I have a stencil for this image, 

but I preferred to color it with pencils.

I actually ended up being two cards short.  I had re-injured my back.


Lighthouse

 

I used a lighthouse image that I got from Etsy.  I got a whole set and hey were very inexpensive!  I use the when I need a quick birthday card that involves almost no work.

Morgan's ArtWorld Challenge Blog June 2025

 

I chose this beagle image for my card this month.  It is available at Morgan Fitzsimons Art Studio.  I colored the image with Copic markers.

Card for Aunt Katy

 

I made this birthday card for my Aunt Katy.  She's my favorite aunt.  Funny story, my second daughter was named after my Aunt Katy Brown, although I spelled it differently. Of course, my daughter had the last name Ahlers.  She ended up marrying someone with the name Brown.  Now there are two Katie Browns in my family!  Anyways I got my love of country decorating from my aunt.  I decided to make her a quilt card.  This was cut with my silhouette.  I went through mu stash of embellishments and found these cute flowers and bow already tied up perfectly.



Splitcoast Dirty Dozen-November 2024


I was on the design team for Morgan's ArtWorld for several years. I have a very large collection of her images due to design team work. This is one that I have done before. I have recently begun working on using pencils to add to areas with hair or fur. I like this one quite a bit better than the last time I colored it. I really enjoy learning new techniques, I study the work of artists I like. Then I try to replicate how they color. I don't copy their images just apply their techniques to whatever I want to color. This image was colored with Copics, Prismacolor pencils and pastels. The theme is "Into the Woods." I had almost forgotten how much I used to love coloring animals.  Maybe you'll see a lot more of them.

 

Christmas Cabin

I have had this Power Poppy image for quite a while. I had never colored it. When I saw the theme could include a cabin I remembered it right away. I added some Stickles to the snow. The small rope came with a hummingbird I bought last week. I had it sitting on my craft desk trying to figure out what to do with it. The light bulb finally turned on and I thought of using it to frame the image. It worked perfectly!

For Eileen

 I loved coloring this image. I have colored it several times over the years. She's just so adorable. The image is by Mo's Digital Pencil .  I colored it with Copics This is for my sister-in-law's mother. Unfortunately, she is nearing the end of life. I have been making cards and sending them to her over the past year. Unfortunately, she has recently lost her vision so she won't be able to see this darling baby fairy.

Looking for Her Prince


I thought of this image by Mo's Digital Pencil instantly when the theme was "In the Woods." It includes frogs.and a hollowed out tree This is another image that I have never colored. I am so happy that I am getting to use images that I hadn't used yet.This was colored with Copics.  I used a Spellbinder's die to frame this pretty little princess.


I love this "Into the Woods" theme. My passion has always been coloring animals. When I saw that animals were one of the things we could use I was thrilled. I haven't colored animals in so long. I had almost given up card making. The Dirty Dozen has brought joy back to my card making.


 This is my final card for the "In the Woods" theme.  Seemingly looks like a blizzard is taking place.  I was a little heavy handed on the snowflakes!  The image is from Lili of the Valley   He is such a sweet little snowman.  It is colored with Copic markers and Carbothello pastel pencils.   I'm not sure who the paper is from.  The sentiment is from LOTV, also.

 


 This card doesn't use the in the woods theme, but does use the card layout for November.  I used a Whimsy image and colored it with Copic markers.



 

Christmas Wishes

  This image is from Mo's Digital Pencil.  I colored it with Copic markers, pencils and chalks.  The paper has been in my stash forever....