Let's Celebrate: Birthday Blog Candy

This is a sticky post!  It will remain at the top until August 7th.  Please scroll down for regular posts.

It's my birthday and I'll spend if I want to....  As a little birthday treat for all of my lovely followers in blogland, I have a $20 voucher to Saturated Canary up for grabs!  I just ADORE Krista's images, and I want to share the happy!  

Saturated Canary

$20.00 Voucher

 So, what do you need to do for a chance to win?  All I ask is that you:

•  Be a follower (current or new)
• Leave me a comment (birthday wishes optional!  lol)
• Post this candy on your blog (side bar, blog candy page, or post)
• Enter your name in the linky tool below

This candy will run through August 7th.  A winner will be chosen by random draw and announced on August 10th.

Thanks for helping me celebrate another year!  "Birthdays are good - the more you have the longer you live!"

Good luck!

{hugs}
Regan 

Witchy Woman

What better way to celebrate my birthday than by making a card for my favorite holiday!  Tickled Pink Stamps is sponsoring Creative Inspirations this week and the theme is "ANYTHING GOES"!  So of course I opted to create something Halloween!

I chose Lil Haunts Witch Lylah as my image.  I remembered that I had these cool Martha Stewart Elegant Witch coasters in my crafty stash.  I also happened to have the matching Elegant Witch paper mat stack!  Perfect!  I colored Lylah with Copics and fussy cut her (no easy feat as this image has lots of thin, delicate areas).  Here is a closer look at my witchy woman:

I created a "frame" for her with the Spellbinders Nestabilities Fleur de Lis and Classic Squares.  A little cheesecloth behind her gives her some definition against the busy background paper.  I really went a little crazy with the embellishments, also adding pearls, flowers, a doily, and a Magnolia Doohickey die cut swirl.

But I like the look of the finished card and think the cluttered chaos works perfectly for this bewitching lady!

Please head over to the Tickled Pink Stamps blog to see what the other talented {PINK} gals have created for this challenge!  Then play along yourself for your chance to win a fabulous TPS prize!

I'm off to enjoy my yummy chocolate birthday cake!  Hope your day was as special as mine!  Thanks for the visit and please know that all your lovely comments are always greatly appreciated!

Markers used: Copics (E11, E21, E00, R20, Y32, Y35, Y38, YG91, YG93, W4, W6, W8, W10). 

I'd also like to enter this card in the following challenges:
- The Crazy Challenge: #126-Black, White, and 1 Other (yellow)
-  Whoopsie Daisy: Die Cuts and/or Punches

{hugs}
Regan      

The Corrosive Challenge #155 - They Say It's Your Birthday

I'm back with my second post of the day to tell you about the new challenge at The Corrosive Challenge!  This fortnight, in honor of mine, the theme is "They Say It's Your Birthday"!  It's an easy and fun one and with a fabulous new sponsor too!  We are SO thrilled to welcome Krista Smith and Saturated Canary as our August sponsor!  Krista has generously offered 2 digis of choice to our monthly winner plus I have an extra surprise for participants who leave me some birthday wishes in a comment!

 
My card features the adorable Saturated Canary digi, Lioness.  She is supposed to be the Cowardly Lion from the Wizard of Oz, but I have used her as a representation my zodiac sign, Leo.  The amazing sketch is from The Sweetest Thing's Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge (#164).  And just FYI, Karen has an awesome prize up for grabs for this sketch - a $35 gift certificate to My Favorite Things!  I saw that and said "count me in"!  lol  

Lioness is colored with Copics and Prismacolor Art Markers, fussy cut, and popped up on foam squares.  

 Papers are My Mind's Eye - Lost & Found Two: Sunshine.  I had fun with the sketch and used a big flower I received as a thank you gift in an I Brake For Stamps order of WOC flowers.  The center rose is Michaels Recollections.  

A bit of bling, a sparkly binder clip, a Martha Stewart border punch, and a cute chipboard sticker sentiment complete the card. 

I think I may keep this one for myself!  I just love how it turned out!  Please stop by The Corrosive Challenge blog to see what birthday wishes the rest of the design team have to share with you.  And I do hope you'll play along!

Markers used: Copics (E13, E11, E21, E00, R20, R81, E04, E23, E25, E31, E33, E34, Y32, Y38) and Prismcolor Art Markers (69).

I'd also like to enter this card in the following challenges:
-  Crafty Ribbons Challenge: #25-Seeing Spots and Dots
-  Delightful Challenges: Birthday
-  Do You Stack Up: #83-Polka Dots
-  Fashionista Challenge: #5-Baby or Birthday (birthday)
- Kaboodle Doodles: #130-Birthday or Any Special Day


Thanks again for stopping by and have a fabulous day (I will most likely be nursing a hangover from the bachelor/bachelorette party I attended this weekend!  lol)!  Enjoy your Sunday!

{hugs}
Regan

Too Cute To Spook

With all the Halloween crafty goodies starting to arrive in the stores I have been in the mood to making cards for my favorite holiday!  Tickled Pink Stamps is sponsoring Stamptacular Sunday Challenges this week!  They have a photo inspiration challenge for us and imagine my delight when it looked like THIS:

I was giddy!  I printed off Lil Pinkette Haunting Witch Audrey and used some dies to create a card that is too cute to spook!  I recently acquired the fabulous Tim Holtz Branch Tree die and this is my first time using it!  I know it is going to see many more times through my Cuttlebug before Halloween is over!  Witch Audrey is colored with Copics, fussy cut, and popped up on foam squares.  

 The moon was created with my Classic Circles Nestabilities and a Marble Texture Cube stamps from Stampendous.  

 
The sentiment, which is from a My Favorite Things set by the same name, has been stamped on one of the Spellbinders Fancy Tags dies.  Papers are My Mind's Eye - Halloween Scary Sparkles.  I added some black lace, a Martha Stewart punched bat (complete with rhinestone bling trail), and a metal corner.

My layout is from the current challenge for Terrifically Thrilling Thursday at Shelly's Images.  There is a fabulous sketch, but I'm afraid I took a few liberties with it, such as replacing the second rectangle with my tree.  I do hope that you'll stop by the Tickled Pink Stamps blog to see how the rest of the {PINK} ladies interpreted the photo inspiration.  And I hope you'll be inspired to play along!

Markers used: Copics (E11, E21, E00, E13, E15, E17, E19, W4, W6, W8, W10, R20, Y35, YR04, YR07) and Prismacolor Art Markers (149). 

I'd like to enter my card in the following challenges:
- Sentimental Sundays: #114-Fall
- Catch the Bug: Anything Goes
- Challenge Up Your Life: #75-Everything Goes
- Simply Create Too: #19-Anything Goes
- PaperPlay Challenges: '12-Week 31-Layer It Up 
- House of Gilli: #38-Fall Colors 

Thanks for visiting and I'll be back in a bit with my second post today for the new Corrosive Challenge!

{hugs}
Regan

So Many Candles, So Little Cake

August is a HUGE birthday month for me!  Not only is it my own, but I must have a list of 20 or so relatives and friends who were also born during this warm Summer month!  As well as what seems like half the Sassy Studio Designs design team! lol  While prepping for this challenge we realized just how many of us were August babies, including our fabulous artist/owner Lindsay!  

To celebrate, we are having a birthday themed freebie and challenge over at Sassy Studio Designs' Paper Craft Planet group this fortnight!  Today's image is called Birthday Surprise.  Isn't she tons of fun with that yummy looking cake?  The challenge is an easy one - create a birthday themed project.  Since I need lots of cards this month, this was an easy and useful project for me!  I selected the current sketch from Tuesday Morning Sketches (#157) as my layout.  It was fairly simple so I dressed it up a bit with some flowers and pearls plus a new metal corner that I snagged at Michaels recently.  My image is colored with Copics.  Here are a couple of close-ups of the details:

We have a brand new crew on FFF duty starting today so please head over to PCP to say hello and see what gorgeous cards they have designed for this challenge!  And remember to grab the freebie while you're there!  She's available for 24 hours starting at 8am EDT.  

And speaking of birthdays, I hope you'll check out my birthday blog candy, found here.  I am off to start my day.  Work, a few errands, baking, and crafting await me!  Enjoy your day and I hope it's a brilliant start to your weekend!

Markers used: Copics (E11, E21, E00, E31, E33, E23, E25, E27, E04, R20, R81, V09, V12, Y32, YR07, YR15, BG10, BG13, BG15).

{hugs}
Regan  

Bring Home the Silver

With all the talk of the Olympics, I have gold, silver, and bronze on the brain!  But today I'm here to share a different kind of silver with you - a silver anniversary!  One of my co-workers asked for a special card for her parents' 25th wedding anniversary.  And how could I resist playing with May I Have This Dance? from My Favorite Things?!?!  I absolutely love this stamp set for anniversary projects!  I  colored the couple with Copics and paper pieced the woman's dress.  I decided to fussy cut them to accommodate my layout.  And if I'm going to use MFT stamps and their current sketch (MFTWSC83), why not go all out with MFT dies too, right?  I've used two Die-namics here: Dizzy Doily and Fishtail Flags Stax.  Papers are My Mind's Eye Stella & Rose - Hattie.  I added a few flowers from my stash, chipboard glitter numbers, and some punched Martha Stewart butterflies for the little details.  I adore My Favorite Things and though I often use their sentiments, it seems I just don't get to play with the rest of my collection nearly enough!  I have resolved to make it a point to do so more often going forward!  Goodies this fun weren't meant to sit on the shelf!  They need to be inked up!  The sentiment here is also MFT, created by combining two of the words found in the Make the Date set.

And right now they are previewing their August collection which will be release on my birthday (August 7th)!!!  If you haven't taken a peek yet, you should visit the MFT blog!  There are fun stamps and dies for every crafting style!  Click here if you'd like to go shopping!

I apologize for the short post tonight but I'm off to craft and to get organized for tomorrow's Sassy Studio Designs' Fabulous Freebie Friday!  Be sure to check back to see what awesome image Lindsay has up for grabs this week!

Also, I hope you'll check out my birthday blog candy!  I have a Saturated Canary $20 voucher to give away to one lucky follower!

Markers used:  Copics (E11, E21, E00, B34, B37, B39)

Have a wonderful evening!

{hugs}
Regan

Find Your Sunshine

Ever have a day where you need to remind yourself that things aren't so bad?  We all have, but there is usually something, or someone, that can perk us up and lift our spirits.  Shopping and crafting are tops on the list for me, but more importantly, I have my very own personal ray of sunshine in my life!  One smile, one hug, one laugh can turn my gray skies blue again!  That small man of mine has no idea how he brightens my world!  I was lucky enough to spend some extra time with him Monday as he accompanied me to work for a couple of hours.  I snapped a few photos, of course....

Wait, let me get my crayon to jot this down!

Forget whistling...  Smile while you work!

 Don't let those photos fool you, though!  He did more goofing off than he did working!  lol

After a long day at the office (2 hours for him, 9 for me), we were both tired.  Still, that evening I settled in at the craft desk ready to create and with sunshine on my mind.  I was asked to make a 50th birthday card for my co-worker to give one of her dear friends.  I was told she likes to cook and loves the sun.  I went with the latter.  After selecting Gloria at the Pool from Mo's Digital Pencil as my image I decided to try the "out of the box" technique that I so admire.  I watched a couple of tutorials and five tries later finally managed to cut a usable image!  lol  They make it look so easier in the tutorials so I'm not sure what my problem is!  But I persevered and was rewarded.  Luckily, I waited until AFTER I cut the image out to color her!

The layout is the latest one over at Sketch Saturday (#218).  Gloria is colored with Copics and Prismacolor Art Markers.  Here is a close up of my finished image:

    
Papers are My Mind's Eye - Fine and Dandy Boy.  I used a Martha Stewart border punch, the Stars Five and Classic Circles Nestabilities dies, and the Die-namics Fishtail Flags Stax from My Favorite Things.  Flowers, bling, and the chipboard glitter numbers add the finishing touches.

  
It's a special birthday, her big 5-0, so I hope she has sunshine on her day!  (And may it shine on yours as well!)  Thanks for stopping by and check back later for a birthday blog candy and more Charmed creations.

Markers used: Copics (E23, E13, E11, E21, W4, W6, W8, Y32, Y35, R24, BG10, BG13, BG15) and Prismacolor Art Markers (12, 170).

I'd also like to enter this card in the following challenge:
- Bearly Mine: #46-Anything Goes
- Crafty Sentiments: Numbers Challenge
- Creative Craft Challenges: Summertime 
- Die Cuttin' Divas: #76-Anything Goes
- Jackson's Digital Expressions: #16-Anything Goes
- Ladybug Crafts Ink TLT Challenge: Summer Fun
- Party Time Tuesdays: #79-Anything Goes 
 
{hugs}
Regan