It's Hip to be Square

One Powerful Hour

The challenge this week is "Summer"

This summer I'm just going to be "Hangin' Out" and since

I live near the beach I used that as my subject.

The stamps that I used, or parts of, are by Delta Creative from

the sale bin at Michaels. My background paper is supposed

to make you think of the ocean.

The sample posted for the "Summer" challenge is fantastic.

Stop in and give it a look.

This is a fun challenge site. The One Powerful Hour stands

for completing the challenge in one hour start to finish. And finish

includes clean up. It's fun. Try it

sometime. A new challenge is posted every Thursday.

Lot's of gg design tile stamps all cut into squares.

This is the project that I'm working on right now. I stamped the

tiles yesterday and cut them all out this morning.

Some of these will be getting cut into smaller pieces.

The Slice & Dice challenge at ggdesigns is to

make a completely new design from a stamp or stamps

that you have in your collection. It is amazing what has already been

submitted. I had so much fun with my first one

using ggdesigns Gecko stamp that I'm trying another

in a different style.

Uhm!? I wonder what the finished design will look like?

I'll let you know when it's finished.

My Gecko Flower.

This challenge ends at ggdesigns on July 31st.

There's still time to play at being a cut up.

Be sure to visit and see the different creations

already submitted. Be sure to scroll down

to Ida's entry. It's a real puzzle.

You have until 11:59 p.m. tonight to enter my

Fan Challenge at USE YOUR PAPER SCRAPS group.

I will be posting the winner tomorrow and announcing

the theme for Challenge #2.

Please drop in and join the group in using

your paper scraps in a creative way.

Thursday is also the day that I post

"This Week with Jeanette"

on Scrapbook & Crafting Friends Blog.

Don't let the "scrapbooking" in the title throw you off.

We have paper artists and crafters of all types participating in the

Scrapbooking & Crafting Friends Forum.

2nd Post of the Day

MyGrafico DT Call

Calling all fans of using digi images.

My Grafico Challenge Blog has openings for three

new design team members.

If you want to create with very nice people and use

really nice products.....

THIS IS THE PLACE FOR YOU.

All details HERE.

The Card That Just Kept Going and Going and Going

Was I ever going to be satisfied with it.

I have cards for two challenges this morning.

ABC Challenge

Squigglefly Challenge

Let's do Squigglefly Challenge #10 "Use an oval, a square, glitter and ribbon".

This is the card that I mentioned that just never seem to be complete.

I added, I rearranged, I eliminated. I couldn't even decide on what colors to

use. This is how it finally came out. I started with a white base card and a

white oval. The Squigglefly image is "Side by Side".

I watercolored the image and added a lite smear of watercolor to the oval.

The square is a chipboard frame that has been all colored, glittered and

ribboned. I used a scrap of designer paper to match. There, all

of the elements are covered. But it just isn't doing it for me.

I finally found something that made me happy. Flowers to match the couples shirts.

So there Lorne and I go for a nice stroll.

Now, the ABC Challenge is "V for Vellum".

I love vellum. It can be difficult to work with at times,

but I just love the look of it. The V is a monogram image

from my Printmaster printed on vellum. I finally had to

print on economy print so it wouldn't smear while going

through the printer. I used a piece of chipboard colored green. I've

been using my Bic Mark It permanent ink markers to color the

chipboard. I'm getting a much better result than with watercolor. A

hand drawn V lined with pearls and a few pearls to help anchor the vellum

finishes off the card. This is the first time I've used the half pearls. Love um!

Tomorrow the 15th is the last day to send a Fan for Challenge #1

at Use Your Paper Scraps on Scrapbooking and Crafting Friends.

I am so pleased with the increase in membership and the participation

that has been going on in the group. I just announced the

winner of our 1st Quickie Contest. Her prize will be

going out in the mail today.

Congratulations Carol!

I hope I see you there enjoying the fun.

It's a MyGrafico Monday

We are having "Fruity Fun" at MyGrafico Challenges this week. For this challenge the designers used images from the "Yummy Fruits Stamp Set" by Kelly Medina. This Yummy Fruits Stamp Set is also our challenge prize for this week.

I picked the strawberry to use this week. This is a 6 x 6 inch layout using a picture of my husband Lorne. He is a "yummy" guy and "very sweet". He is my "Pick of the Day" every day.

The green background paper is from the Drive Me Crazy Mini Kit. The basket of strawberries

is from my Printmaster program and I also computer generated the sentiments there. I inserted Lorne's pic and added the strawberries.

This is a card that I made for 2 challenges using my strawberry image.

Digital Tuesday Challenges #14 SWEET Birthdays and for Dare U 2 Digi Stamp challenge #15

Pink, Black and White. I customized a piece of white card stock by using my faithful Printmaster program and added a panel of color in shaded pinks. I added the cake from Wedding Elements Stamp Set and the candle is from Printmaster.

See how versitle this little strawberry turns out to be. It was so easy to resize and add as a yummy trim to my wedding cake, aka, birthday cake. I love the red against the soft pink. I thought about adding a shear ribbon but decided not to. The corners of the card were rounded to match the contours of the birthday cake.

I think digi can be so much fun. In a flash using 3 unrelated MyGrafico sets I designed two

completely different pieces.

I hope you join us in the Yummy Fruits Challenge. You don't have to use a MyGrafico image to join in the fun. But there is a sale here with up to 50% off and tons of freebies here. If you can't find what you want there click here.

This contest is going on now until July 22nd for members of the MyGrafico Community.

See all of the fun just waiting for you at

MyGrafico

You Never Know Where You Will Find Inspiration

I certainly wouldn't expect to find inspiration for a card in a hospital parking lot. But, that is where this idea originated. Well, maybe Denise had something to do with it at Stamping Vacation. The theme for this weeks Viva La Difference Challenge is "The Chase is On".

While I was waiting in the car for Lorne to be discharged from his last ER visit, I sat in the car. I was royally entertained by a Mockingbird chasing a Crow around the parking lot. The Crow was sitting on a light standard and out of nowhere here comes the Mockingbird screeching and diving at the Crow. The Crow flew to the tree with Mockingbird hot on his tail feathers. Screeching and carrying on something fierce. The chase continued from one spot to the next the whole time that

I was waiting. Those Mockingbirds are sure fiesty birds.

I began this card with some white card stock. I stamped the tree and bird, Inka Stamps, and the crow, 3rd Coast Stamps, in black permanent ink. I did the background with chalks. After fixing the chalk with a squirt or two of hairspray, I colored in the tree with markers. The mockingbird is touched up with brown and some white gel pen.

Singing "Listen to the Mockingbird"? Not. This crow is thinking "To Kill a Mockingbird".

Are You Having Summer Fun?

Corrosive Challenge

Challenge #19 is "Summer Fun"

This is only the 2nd time I've done one of

Janet's challenges. They are so much

fun that I plan on being a regular.

This is how I will be having

Summer Fun

We won't be traveling anywhere this summer. I live very near

the beach, so guess where you will find me. Yep, sitting right next to

this cute little Doxie by CowTown Stamps. Beach set stamps, unknown.

The background is done with pastel chalks with stamped waves and sand piles.

I'm very happy to tell you that Lorne is doing very nicely

after that last trip to the ER.

I hope we don't have to go back there in a looooooong time!!!

Here's a CONTEST for you

My Grafico Community

If you aren't a member of the MG Community.

Click the above link to join.

Also, find the full details of the contest there.

There is a very nice PRIZE to be given away.

HELLO ALL MEMBERS

If you have not heard, we are holding a new Contest and its your time to shine and show off your lovely products.

From now until the 22nd of July, follow these simple instructions to enter.
• Create a product using any art from the My Grafico Store
• Post your entry PHOTO on the Community photos section
• Label your uploaded photo with “Contest - (your file name here)”

Our designers will vote on their favorite entry, and the winner will receive a FREE SET OF YOUR CHOICE from our store. The winner will be featured in our blog!

THANKS!
Mygrafico Team

!!! GOOD LUCK !!!

ER Finale, Right After This Message

I just now finished this challenge card in time for SoArtful Challenge which is an Inspiration

Challenge using the purple texture with dragonfly square. And, a Card Challenge at MSW Forum that calls for the colors Red, Purple and Blue.

I duplicated the square and then cropped one image to leave just the dragonfly. This I glittered and set aside to dry. The fuschia is part of my Printmaster clip art that I added to the square. I had to flip the image to get the arrangement that I wanted. I duplicated and cropped out the fuschia for layering. The original color of the fuschia was a very washed out pink and green. It did not go with the brightly colored dragonfly. I used my Mark It markers by Bic to recolor them a dark red, dark fuschia pink and light and dark green and a bit of brown for the stem.

There much better. I had some extra of the image so I trimmed off 2 strips to put along one edge. The next layer is a multi-red heavy mulberry paper. There is also a hint of blue in it.

The glittered dragonfly was cut and layered with his body glued down and the wings popped up with pop dots. One fuschia was cut and treated in the same manner. Two crystal for dragonfly eyes and a bit of bling and it's finished.

And now we return to the Finale of ER.

Lorne's first trip, July 8, to the ER didn't solve his problems after all. We were back at 4 p.m.

July 9. Everything had been going just fine, then boom, the bleeding started again. They took him in right away this time. He was in an exam bed by the time I parked the car and got in the hospital. I guess the big bag of blood that we brought in with us got them moving in high geer.

The nicest doctor came in to see Lorne. This doctor even had some knowledge of what an ostomy entails and understood Lorne's problem. He got him all fixed up and the bleeding stopped again but, and this is the important part, he made arrangements for Lorne to see the ostomy specialist nurse the next day, which is today now. And, that is the nurse that does all of the training for new ostomy patients. NOW we are on the right track. Home again by about 8 p.m. About 10 p.m. that evening the bleeding starts again. And, Lorne hasn't moved since we got home. While my DH is dithering about what he wants to do, I call the doctor before he goes off shift. After describing Lorne's blood flow we decided it was an ooze and he would be fine until morning. But, if not, he would alert the new crew that we might be back. Well, he made it

until about 4 a.m., July 10. He was getting weak by this time. We were back in the ER so they could watch over him until it was time for the Ostomy Specialist to come.

I love Ostomy Specialists, especially this one. We learned so much and I watched very carefully so that in the future I can help Lorne with his changes. Well, his problem is that his body shape has changed these past years and he needed to be measured and a new size of hole cut in the apparatus that he wears. He had an area that had deteriorated with constant moisture and it had abraded and oozed blood. She stopped the bleeding with Silver Nitrate which also will act as a shield to the moisture to give the area time to heal. Resized is ostomy bag, made a few more

recommendations and answered all of our questions. We went to the hospital cafeteria and had a nice breakfast and back home by 9 a.m. It is now 3 p.m. and not one drop of blood. Lorne is now napping and resting up from his episodes in the ER.

The FINALE, I hope!

I have been published in the SNR Online Magazine in the Card Universe section. I have another addition for the sidebar which I haven't updated as yet.