Happy Halloween! I'm just practicing...

...for Fall because I am ready for it ;)  Luckily A Day For Daisies' new releases this week are all about Halloween - YaY!  I've used "Miss Star Witch" and I'm featuring her on my treat/luminary box.  I modified a 2-5-7-10 box and added 1/2" fold at the top to hold the crepe paper ruffle.  I just love the look of vintage Halloween items and so I tried to make mine look like them.  I used white crepe paper and colored it with a yellow Bic Mark It marker; I have used copics also but since I wasn't doing any blending and wanted just a bright yellow, I used the Bic markers (ink is much cheaper ;)  I used a Martha Stewart punch anywhere punch and then laying wax paper behind the punched area, I filled in the stars with Glossy Accents.  After it dried, I cover the stars with a light coating of Stickles.  They really look so cool when the box is lit up (using a floral spot light taped inside the bottom of the box)!  I am really ready for Fall; it is my all-time favorite time of year. 

Happy Crafting! <3 Lisa

Sweet Siamese...Cute Kitten Digi from Doodle Pantry

Hello Friends - WHEW! what a crazy week.  I know you have probably all heard about the east coast earthquake on Tuesday but I just can't help but mention it because it was one of the scariest experiences of my life!  It occurred at 1:51 in the afternoon and Dan and I were off of work because the backsplash was being installed in the kitchen (finally and I love it!  I'll share that in the next couple days too).  I had gone up to my craft room to work on some projects when I realized my desk was vibrating...then it began to shake... I could hear a rumbling, roaring sound but I could not figure out what was happening.  When the shelves started to rock I flew out of my room so fast, just to run into my husband who was coming to get me!  By now the whole house is shaking and we could hear things falling and then...*poof* it stopped.  We ran out to see if the tile guy was ok; he had been outside cutting the tile and he was completely unaffected.  He said a few years ago in his country, there was a 7.5 earthquake making our little 5.9 seem small to him!  That was comforting, actually.  Dan and I headed back in to see what all had been damaged.  Out of all the pictures and things that fell off their shelves, the only thing that didn't make it was the mirror above our fireplace.  Trust me, I have no problem with that - I feel lucky it wasn't worse and I hope to NEVER go through anything like that again!  

*So* on to my kitty card!  I just love the Cute Kitten digi from Doodle Pantry and have had a ball coloring it all different ways.  This little Siamese was one of the first I colored but it has taken me until now to get it on a card and add a sentiment, etc.  My sister loves Siamese cats and has owned a few over the years so I am hoping she likes this little guy :)  He is colored with copics and I used one of the darling sentiments that comes with the digi set.  My design team term with Doodle Pantry ends next week and I sure have had a wonderful time creating with Laurie's wonderful images.

I hope you have a wonderful Friday (and an earthquake-free one, at that)!  <3 Lisa

A Day For Daisies New Release and New Challenge!

Oh these little puppies are so stinkin' cute!  This image, "Puppy Sitter" is just one of the darling new releases this week at A Day For Daisies.  A new challenge - Challenge #25 - begins today as well and the theme is "It's a Twine Thing" so you must use twine in your project.  I colored the image with copics and paper-pieced the little gal's dress. The card is Bazzill cardstock.


I do hope you will play along in the challenge!  Be sure to check out the inspiration from the other DT too :)

Happy FRIDAY! <3 Lisa

Quirky Kanga & Roo Too Gift Bag

Gift Bag with Tag

*****There's still time to enter for my blog candy!  Click Here for details!!! *****

Yeah for Wednesday!  I'm am happy to be half-way through the week.  August and September are always super-busy at work and while I'm always happy for the end of the work week, it is especially welcomed during these months!  I'm also excited about Friday this week because the remake of "Fright Night" opens!  I *loved* the original Fright Night!!  It will be hard to top Chris Sarandon's peformance as the vampire.  Oh I had such a crush on him after that movie ;)  And I'm thrilled he will be featured in the re-make.  So I will let you know how it is.

Now, on to my project!  There have been lots of baby stuff for me this year --which is great and I love it!  I used Doodle Pantry's Quirky Kangaroo digi from the August 5th Release.  I created Mama Kanga and Baby Roo by resizing the image.  I printed the images on two different printed papers and then paper-pieced them.  Their eyes and nose were colored with Glaze pens and covered with Glossy Accents.

Close-up of Quirky Kangaroo

I am entering my project in two challenges:

My Time To Craft Challenge #153 - G is for..." -- gift bag for girl baby :)
and
Belli Challenge #124 Gingham -- I've used green gingham.

Hope the rest of your week is GREAT! <3 Lisa

Beach House...in a Room

***For my blog candy, click HERE***

Hello Everyone!  I hope your weekend has been wonderful :)   I have been away from my craft room for a couple of weeks but not because I haven't been creating - I have been working on our sunroom.   To be able to show you the dramatic new look, I wanted to share what the room looked like "before," but after looking and looking through pictures I have of the house, I didn't have any of the way it looked once we moved in.  All I could find were these pics I took last October of these funny Halloween decorations I made for my porch where the focus isn't even on the room!

So - I apologize for such crappy pics but honestly, the yellow paint in there was so bright, it's a good thing I don't have more detailed pics - Ha!
The yellow paint was my idea and a bad one. I didn't get the shade I envisioned and went with an "oops" paint (paint that's been returned and marked down to $5/gal because someone else picked it and decided against it).  I thought I could make it work but I couldn't!  Then, we had problems with our doors leaking so the room was gutted and the floor redone - ah the perfect opportunity for a re-do - but I had lost confidence in my paint-picking abilities *giggle*.

Sunroom AFTER

I was also intimidated by the fact that the sunroom, kitchen, and family room are all pretty much one big great room, and needed a color scheme that would work for each room individually and together.

And here is what I have come up with!  I am using shades of brown - beige, chocolate, ginger - along with the color shown here which was inspired by my BG-10, cool shadow, copic marker.  I actually took the marker to Home Depot and matched the paint (Behr with primer, "Timeless Tale").  I re-painted the trim and the ceiling too.  The ceiling hadn't been painted before other than the contractor paint the builder used so it needed a couple coats.  UGH, my neck and shoulders are still crabby about that :)

I haven't put the blinds back up yet and I still have a couple of paint touch ups (evidenced by the painters tape marking a spot on the wall in pic 1!).  But after working so hard, I really wanted to see it all together.

The love seat/chaise lounge combo came from Ikea.  It has a machine washable cover - AWESOME - and it is super comfy.  Lily was lounging on it this morning so clearly I have her seal of approval ;)  The table and rug came from Ikea as well.  The rug is insanely luxurious!  It's fun to put your bare feet into - just like sand :)  The lamp and small white table came from Pier One and the small blue table & accessories came from TJ Maxx.

So the next project is a glass tile backsplash in the kitchen!  The colors in the tile are all part of my color scheme and I can't wait until it's finished!

Have a great week!  <3 Lisa

A Day For Daisies Design Team Favorites...

**If you are looking for my blog candy, see post HERE**

Happy Friday Everyone!  This week at A Day For Daises, the design team picked favorite images to work with!  Now, I would like to go on record to state I do not have just one ADFD favorite! 

I chose to use, "Dreaming of Her Wedding Day," --an extra-special image for an extra-special occasion; my very best friend, Rhonda, got engaged!!  Rhonda and I met at work - in the trenches, you know - and when we discovered we lived only a few blocks from each other we decided to carpool.  Commuting in Northern Virginia is a bear and, let me tell you, over the last 10 years she and I have spent many a mile and many an hour (right Rhonda!?) in that carpool!  I have come to love her like my little sister and I my life would not be complete without her.  So, to see her as happy as I have since she met her soon-to-be-DH is truly wonderful.  When she came in with her ring - OMgosh, we both cried!  And may I say, I will not only be the wedding planner but also the MATRON OF HONOR - AwEsOmE! :)  It was in the terms and conditions of the carpool - ha!  So you see why I needed such a special image and card :)

There are absolutely GORGEOUS cards from our DT, so please head over and check out their inspiration and faves (links on the side of my blog).

Happy Crafting!!  <3 Lisa

F-I-N-A-L-L-Y! Blog Candy from Land of EnCRAFTment!

I cannot tell you how excited I am to have 52 Followers for my blog!  Last year wasn't the best year for me.  There were so many negative things from so many directions to deal with - whew - I needed something to help me cope and...to...well, escape a little also.   I decided to try a blog and figured at least I could talk my sister and mom into following...but a pretty cool thing happened... ALL OF YOU!!   My lemon of a year was squeezed into some pretty sweet lemonade : D  Thank you for your support, encouragement, and for adding my blog to your read list!  To celebrate, I have put together some blog candy -- themed, of course, because that's how I roll *giggle* -- with "mermaid" stuff.   Click HERE to see the candy.  I pinned it to Pinterest!  So - if you are a follower, please leave a comment and I will either have that random thing-a-majig pick from the comments Or my hubby and I will be drawing a name out of a hat :)  Either way, I'll do that on September 2 - the Friday that kicks off Labor Day weekend  - Woo Hoo!  <3  Lisa

New Releases AND a New Challenge - Feeling (and Foldin'!) Fancy

I'm back again with some inspiration for A Day For Daisies' new challenge, Feelin' (and FOLDIN') Fancy!  You are to make a card using a ADFD image and a fancy fold card.  I used one of Tammy's new release images (find them HERE!) and a Diamond Fold card that I learned to make using a  Splitcoaststampers tutorial.  It was a lot of fun to make and I sure hope you will join us in the next challenge!!

Just FYI - I will be posting some fabby blog candy soon; I'm just waiting on a mail delivery from Two Peas in A Bucket and Scrapbook.com !!! :)  <3 Lisa

August 5th Doodle Pantry New Releases!!!

Hello All!  There are some wonderful new images available at Doodle Pantry today AND there is quite a sale too!  The kitten image I used for my card, "Cute Kitten," (aptly named, right!?) is just one cuddly adorable image of four which makes the grab bag quite a deal!  Here are the specials you'll find:

• Rounded Wishes is free with any purchase. 
• Cute Kitten, Soft baby penguin, Baby cow, Fuzzy Duckling, and Bunny wabbit will all be in the digi grab bag at 50% off from Aug 5 - Aug 19.
• School Sheep and the School Time Papers will be the complimentary sets for playing DPDC15
• All products in School category will be 40% off from  Aug 5 thru Aug 28
• Special bundle (available Aug 5 - Aug 19 only), that includes kangaroo, skunk, lizard and crab for $7.50 (that is 25% off!!!)

So skedaddle on over to Doodle Pantry and scoop up these AmAzInG new images! :)

Card Info:

Cute Kitten digi from Doodle Pantry, colored with copics

Bazzill A7 card

"collar" cut using Cricut and Paper Pups cartridge

metal "Meow" tag from Making Memories

tiny silver bell (from Christmas supplies)

orange fiber

DCWV Pet Stack - kitty names printed paper

Happy Crafting! <3 Lisa