Easter Wishes

Hello everyone.  For those of you that get Spring Break, I hope you found time to do family activities and the weather was perfect for you. What a way to say farewell to Winter and welcome Spring. 

I have been busy playing with my new Brother ScanNcut and haven't had time to blog or do much of anything else.  Perhaps I should say my focus wasn't on anything but my ScanNcut. 

This was a gift from a very dear friend and I am having fun although there is a "learning curve." I have to admit though, the learning curve isn't as difficult as it was with my Pazzle. After six video tutorials I was no closer to understanding the Pazzle then when I started so I gave up.

It currently sits under a desk in my office ready to be sold to anyone with a reasonable offer.  I still have the packaging and several cutting file disks to go along with it, so if you know anyone interested, please refer them to me.

Well, after all my playing and using cutting files I finally returned to card-making and have finally finished my first Easter card. It is a simple but cute card; at least I think so (said with a smile). Of course I could be a bit biased so you check it out for yourself.

The recipe for this card is as follows:

Image: Mo Manning "Easter Chickie"
Ink: Spectrum Noir, Distress Inks
Paper:  My Minds Eye
Greeting: Computer Generated
Embellishments:  MS Border punch, SB Nestabilities, Offray Ribbon

On the inside I used the same paper but had to piece it in several areas to keep the colors coordinated with the front.



I'd like to enter the following challenges:

Crafting From the Heart - #152 ATG (MM63)
Artistic Inspirations - #175 ATG (MM106)
Through the Craftroom Door - ATG (04/04) (MM18)
Lemon Shortbread - #38 ATG (MM09)
Fairytale Challenge -#165 Cards w/Animals (MM10)
Digi Choosday Crafting - Wk#13 ATG (MM09)
Create and Make - #10 ATG/Springtime (MM09)
Crafty Sentiments Design - ATG (MM15)
Sweet Stampers - #5 Easter/Spring (MM81)
Cards and More - #181 Easter Cards (MM03)


That's all for tonight my crafting family.  This ole gal is going to go nite-nite.  Until next time.

Sending hugs from Texas

~Lesia

Month of Love

February is viewed as the month of love all across the U.S. and other countries as well.  It is also the month where lots of red, pink and white is in order and sometimes a touch of black.

So keeping with the traditional colors I created two cards using Graphic 45 paper.  Actually, I've had this paper collection for to long and needed to do something with it.  I found my inspiration on Pinterest and now to share with you in hopes that I can pass along the inspiration to you (if you need to be inspired of course, (smiles)).

As usual with Graphic 45 paper designs, the paper itself tells the story.  All you have to do is put it together so no coloring and the only stamping required is a greeting or a sentiment which works great when you can't find the perfect image. Below are my two creations; one for the male and one for the female.

I really like how this one turned out although I wasn't able to mimic completely the one I used for inspiration.  The papers are all from the Mon Amour collection and flowers are from Petaloo.  If you haven't matched the Petaloo flowers with Graphic 45 paper you should give it a try.  All I added was some stickles to the flowers and I used a Spellbinders die for one of the mats.

I design the inside using scraps from the same paper (as I usually do) and include a space for a personal message. 

For the gentleman, I used more manly colors from the same paper collection.  Again I added flowers from Petaloo and used a Memory Box die to create a spiral doily peeking out from the corners of my focal point.  For this card I didn't need to add a greeting because I used the paper for that purpose as well (pretty cool).

The inside was hit and miss because I didn't want to cover any of the paper but of course to add a personal message space I had to cover something.

This is all I have for this post and I hope to enter a few challenges with them.

Crafty Friends - #51 Anything Goes (2/24)(M53)
Crafty Calendar - Love is in the Air (2/28) (M74)
Patch of Crafty Friends - #51 Anything Goes (2/17)(M185)
Glitter 'N' Sparkle - #226 Love is in the Air (2/18)(M12)
Cupcake Inspiration - #394 Color Inspired (2/18)(M14)
Crafting When We Can - Flowers (2/17)(M51)
Come and Get It - Love is in the Air (2/17)(M12)

As always thanks for stopping by.

Sending hugs from Texas

~Lesia

Christmas Season

Greetings fellow crafters and card-makers.  The Christmas Season is closing in upon us and before you know it we will be rushing to get those cards made and in the mail.  I was so excited and ready to get started on my cards, so for this post I would like to showcase a Christmas card inspired by "Jo Jo's Bits N Bobs", that I enjoyed making.

This card features the cutest image from Lily of the Valley (LOTV) which is called "James In the Snow".  Isn't he the cutest little bear? I think there is a series of stamps that is designed all around the comings and goings of this little bear.

I continued on the inside with the same designer paper and included a blank space for a personal message. The paper I used is from the Vintage Autumn Basics collection by Maja Design.  The embellishments used include the Tim Holtz "Holiday Lamppost" die, Spellbinders Scalloped Circle, Wild Orchid Flowers, and lots of stickles.  I added a few snowflake stickers and stamped the "Let it Snow" greeting by Hero Arts.  Everything was inked with Vintage Photo before adhering together. The finished card is 5.5 x 5.5.

Copics Used: V95, V93, V91, V99, V01, V000, V0000, E31, E42, E50, B00, BG0000, C5, C1, C00

I'd like to play along in the following challenges:

Great Impressions - Oct Challenge Anything Goes (10/31)
Addicted to Stamps - #134 Lots of Layers (10/04)
The Pencil Case - #31 ATG Colouring Challenge (11/05)
MFP Stamp Challenge - #44 Anything Goes (11/04)
Allsorts Challenge - #387 Start on Christmas (11/04)
Kraftin Kimmie - #355 Lots of Layers (11/04)
Crafty Friends - #43 Anything Goes (11/04)
Christmas Card - #46 Create A Christmas Card (11/05)
A Gem of A Challenge - #181 Snowflakes (11/09)

That's all for tonight and thanks for stopping by.  Don't forget to leave a comment and tell me what you think.  I love hearing from you.

Sending hugs from Texas

~Lesia~

Make Time To Make Stuff

Festive Colors

It's true, Autumn is actually upon us and you can tell by the changing of the air and the changing of the trees.  My fall flowers have started to produce buds and I can see the color peeking through.  

And of course our local stores reminds us with all the decorations being shown throughout the aisles. Can you believe they have Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas decorations out at the same time. 

Although it seems to be a bit much I have to admit that I do love the deep earth colors so I created the perfect card to showcase some of our Fall colors.  

This is my first official Fall card!  I purchased the stamp from Northwoods Rubber Stamps.  Its absolutely beautiful and its label is  Fall Bouquet in Pumpkin (item numberP10090). 

I used cardstock as my base and designer paper from My Minds Eyes as a mat for my image.  The ribbon and lace peeking from behind the image was purchased at my local craft store, and finally I used my copic markers to color it and a prismacolor pencil to assist in shading my shadows.

I'm not sure that the stickles I added to the flowers can be seen in this photo but under the light in my hand it has a lovely sparkle and shimmer that adds just the right amount of pizazz. The finished card size is 5.5 x 5.5.  

This was a fun image to color and I am pleased with how it turned out. I will most likely grab a few more stamps from this company before the year ends. Use the link above to go check out what they have to offer and no I am not being paid to say this...I just think their stamps are beautiful.

I'd like to enter the following challenges:

(unless noted all challenges are Anything Goes)

Scrappers Delight - Challenge #59

Ellibelle's Creations - Lets Color Linky Party#12

Digi Designs - Autumn

The Corrosive Challenge Blog  - Challenge #9

Lil Patch of Crafty Friends - Challenge #41

Great Impressions - September Challenge (ATG)

Fashionable Stamping - #115 Use Autumn Colors

Lacy Sunshine - September Challenge (ATG)

613 Avenue Create - ATG w/twist "Colors of Fall"

Until next time, sending hugs from Texas

~Lesia

Make time to Make Stuff

Color Time

Hello my crafting friends.  Hope everyone had a great weekend and is having a great start of the week. I'm here to share a couple of fun cards with you.  I created these cards after spending a couple of days just sitting in my craft room without really thinking.

Sometimes, I like to just sit in my craft room and play with my crafting stuff.  I haven't mastered all my markers so I decided to practice a bit with watercoloring using my distress pens and Aqua ProMarkers.  Then I practiced coloring and mixing Copic with Spectrum Noir.  It wasn't about being perfect but more of relaxing and relieving a bit of stress.

The two cards I have to share is the product of my playtime.  They were both made with leftover scrap paper, reducing the small mountain I had going on (smiles). Another technique I tried during this playtime was creating liners for my cards.  After watching about 4 different ways to create a liner I finally settled on one that worked best for me.

On my first card you can see that I am truly challenged when it comes to mixing water and ink...I sometimes think it looks like something exploded on my paper and definitely not close to being perfect so if anyone has ideas for me then please share!! Watercoloring is so outside of my comfort zone but fun.

Sorry about the discoloration of the images.  I tried but evidently I am not real good with this new Samsung phone or the lighting in my photo area needs replacing.

The paper used on this card was leftover paper from my hat-box I altered and previously shared. Its from the Bo Bunny Enchanted paper collection which I have had stashed for quite some time now.  I used both Aqua Promarkers and Ranger Distress Markers to color my image and it was a good start for practicing.  My reservoir of Aqua Markers is limited to 12, but I have a complete selection of Distress Markers. Not sure if I will purchase more or not at this point.

Entering this card in the following challenges:

The Ribbon Girl - April Any Image (4/30)
Craft Your Passion - Anything Goes (4/23)
Crafting From the Heart - #108 Anything Goes (4/23)

My second card was created using My Mind's Eye paper collection and I have no clue which collection because the front cover has disappeared from the sheets I have left (I've had it for a while now).

I used an image from LaLa Land Crafts that I think is called "Marci With Umbrella".  She was colored with Copic and Spectrum Noir Markers. I was really pleased with how she turned out especially the umbrella. I wanted to create a clear plastic look.

Didn't do a lot to this card, just a piece of Offray ribbon and a MS Border Punch to create a couple of embellishments, and I used a Spellbinders die to cut out my image after coloring her.

Hope to enter "Marci" in the following challenges:

Lost Coast Portal - #23 Anything Goes (4/24)
Crafty Boots - Use A Sentiment (4/23)
Cuttlebug Mania - April Showers (4/25)
Crafty Sentiments Designs - Anything Goes (4/24)
Pixie's Crafty - Snippets (4/23)

As usual I used any leftover paper to decorate the inside of the cards and this time I used the leftovers to create my envelope liners as well.

Well that's all for today.

Thanks for stopping by and until next time...

be creative and enjoy life 

Sending Hugs from Texas

~Lesia

Friendships and Romance

Mema's Online Store - Click Here

Hello Everyone!

I hope you are all having a great week and looking forward to the weekend.  

Since Sunday is Valentine's Day and is celebrated here in the U.S. I thought I would share with you today a few Valentine cards that I've created.

Hope you enjoy seeing them.

My first card is definitely designed with the female gender in mind. 

Created with lots of pinks and flowers

I'd like to enter this card in the following challenges:

Creative Moments - Anything Goes with a twist of Romance (2/11)

Double D - Pretty Pink Hearts (2/13)

Crafting For All Seasons - Love is in the Air (2/13)

Card number two consist of the more traditional colors often used for Valentines.

I think this particular one would work great to give to that gentleman friend.

Yep I think the men would appreciate being the recipient sometimes on this day.

I would like to enter this card in the following challenges:

Crafting By Designs - Hearts (2/13)

DoubleClick - Use A Heart (2/12)

Whimsy Challenge - With Love (2/13)

Lastly, I'd like to share a card that was inspired by one I found on pinterest where the author used inches to create the squares. 

I had to compensate and then decided to pop my squares adding depth.

I am entering this card in the following challenges:

Crafty Creations - Hearts (2/13)

The Paper Shelter - Be My Valentine

Ruby's Rainbow - Anything Goes

Thanks for stopping by and if you like Prima Dolls then check back often for a giveaway coming soon.

Comments are always welcomed and greatly appreciated.

Sending Hugs from Texas

~Lesia~

a.k.a  "Mema"

March Challenge and Announcement

To Jump Straight to Mema's Crafts Online Store

!!CLICK HERE!! 
Just Wanna Enter The Challenge

Click the Appropriate Challenge Link Below

March Challenge or Bonus Challenge

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Hello my crafty friends and followers. 

Beginning March 2015,
challenges at Mema's Crafts
will be offered on the
first Monday of every month.
  

This means more time for you to create your project and join in the fun.
The challenges will always be Anything Goes (create what you want) with a theme.  

Some challenges won't have a theme at all which will make it even easier for you to stop by and play with us. So remember to stop by for a visit
and join the challenges.
 
Now for this month's challenge which is
 "Anything Goes"
I'd like to share what I created using a KennyK image.

Click to Buy

The image I  used is called Present Surprise and you can see it here. Before I printed the image I merged it with the words Happy Birthday using my PC.  Then I printed it using onto 85# Solar White Neenah paper and colored it with my copics. 

The designer paper is the "Mother Goose" collection from Graphic 45.  It was such a fun paper pack with lots of color I thought it would make a great birthday card for a little boy.  Not shown here (because I forgot to hot glue it down) is a red bow tied just below the image in the center.  It does add a little character to the card.

On the inside of the card I followed with the designer paper and used the same border punch to break up the colors.  

The card-stock is either Paper Studio or Recollections...I can't really tell since there isn't a barcode or anything on the back. 

This was a very easy card to make and it will be fitted inside a black envelope that sports a gold border to match the card.

The Copics I used were:

R39, 37, 35 (top and shoes)

C8, C7, C5,C3 (the gray)

B97, 95, 93,91 (Blues)

YG63 and 61

YR17, 19

E23, 29, 55

Hope my card has inspired you
to come and play with us
and don't forget that once
you play with us in our monthly challenge
be sure and vote in our bonus challenge
for a chance at more prizes.

Hugs From Texas~Lesia~

Your comments are always appreciated

Christmas Is Near

Hope everyone is having a great weekend and had time to celebrate the official start of the Holiday Season with family and friends. Now is when the signs of Christmas come to life, you know the hustle and bustle in the stores and on the streets.

The scenery changes from colorful leaves to the colorful lights around homes and along the highways at night. And then the sound of music fills the air along with smiles and hellos seldom heard throughout the year.

For crafters, this is the time to start creating those Christmas cards and home decor items that say Christmas is around the corner, and I am no different.

Here is the beginning of my Christmas cards for this year and be sure and check out our DECEMBER CHALLENGE by clicking the tab above.  Its "Anything Goes"  with the theme of "celebrate the holidays" or "cold winter days".  I'll get you started here and then you can check out what the M&M Girls have when you enter your project.

I always seem to forget to keep track of the paper and copics I use on my cards but for this card I think the following recipe is at least 80% correct.

DP:  Authentique and Paper Studio
CS: Kraft (from Hobby Lobby)
Copic Markers Reds: R35, 37, 39 Browns: E50, 53, 55, 57 Grays: T1, 3, 5

Image: Peppermint Tea (Stitchy Bear Digital Outlet)
Offray Ribbon and a doily from Bo Bunny Collection

Inside
Dies: Whimsy Circle and Statley Doily
The Greeting was computer generated and the sentiment came with the image from Stitchy Bear.  Card finished size is 6x6.

My second card I wanted to resemble the winter so I used embellishments that would go with the coldness of winter although I did add a few flowers (which would not be found in the cold of winter) silly me in fantasy land of crafting.

Anyway let me see if I can remember what all I did with this card.  The image is from Bugaboo "Kidz-Winter" and I colored her with copics. I used a Marianne Design Snowflake die and Tim Holtz Holiday Lamp Post die on the front.  The flowers are from Wild Orchid and the leaves are Cherry Lynn Designs.


The DP is Maja Designs Vintage Frost Basics collection. Kraft is the card base and the cardstock is Recollections. Adding Frosted Lace Stickles gave the card a little shimmer that looks really cute (can't capture on camera) and the snow ...well I'm still trying to get the hang of it.




On the inside I added the trees (supposed to be snow trees) but the snow hasn't started falling yet (lol). Oh of course the tree die is from Tim Holtz.










I think the copics used were:
Blues: B90, 91, 93, 95, 97, 99
Skin: E15, 13, 11,00
Hair: E21, 23, 43, 53, 55, 57
Browns: E40, 43, 44, 45

Well that's what I've got to share for tonight but I have lots more Christmas cards to go so its on and popping in my craft room.






Your comments are always appreciated so please take time to leave a comment and don't forget to join in our challenge.  I love seeing what others create and finding new ways to use old stuff.

As always

Until next time

May 2015 Challenge

Click Here to Go Shopping or Use Tab Above!

Wow last month we had a fabulous turn out and I was amazed at the talent that was shared with us.  So again I say Wow! Congratulations to our winner(s)!

This month we decided to entice you

with another easy peasy challenge.

It's another "ANYTHING GOES" challenge.

Additionally, we'd like to welcome our newest sponsor to Mema's Crafts.

Please remember to visit our sponsor's site for without them we would not have such wonderful prizes. 

I Brake For Stamps, which is also the home of Auntie Amy's Embossing Arts, Time To Stamp, Rosebud Rubber Stamps, The Merry Stamper, and Designs Ink'd images. They are are also the exclusive distributor for the Stampinback line from The Netherlands.

I Brake For Stamps offer stamps that are deeply etched and sold as either red rubber only or with cling foam mounting attached. Additionally I Brake For Stamps offer digital stamps and an array of supplies and embellishments to suit your crafting needs.

Below is what the M&M girls created 

using supplies and images from

I Brake For Stamps.

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Kim
Pink Zebra Paper Creations

Using "Sweet Bird" image

Barbara
Art and Soul Creations

Using "Umbrella" digital image

Donna
Creative Lady

Using "Stacked Presents" imaged

Joyce
My Enchanted Paper Creations

Using "Fish" digital image

Using Wild Orchid flowers sold at I Brake For Stamps

Penny Rae

Penny Rae's Creations

Using "Sunflower" image

Lisa

Royal Pumpkin Art

Using "teacup" image

Lesia

Mema's Crafts

Using "Watering Can" image

Big kudos to the M&M Ladies, 

they did a fabulous job creating and sharing their talent.  

We hope you have been inspired and 

will play along with us for 

a chance to go shopping at 

"I Brake For Stamps!"

An InLinkz Link-up

Place In Time 3

Whew! Can you believe that there were almost 150 amazing entries in this month's challenge before the first winner was selected on the 15th!  My grand-daughter stepped in and said I had to increase the limitation on the number of entries....so I did which means if you haven't entered 3 times yet, you still can.

For this post I am returning with Series III of my "Place In Time Cards" project and this series was just as much fun to make as all the others. The colors for July and September were my favorites!  So without any more chatting I'll jump right in with showing them off.

 I have an announcement at the end of this post that I will appreciate you reading before you leave. 

First as usual we will take a look at the sketch we had to follow:
I just love how the sketches are all so very similar, but they each have their own cute signature with multiple layers adding to the style.

We now take a look at all three cards together.

July - August - September

JULY

The month of July is often celebrated with the faithful colors of Red White and Blue, and Graphic 45 has stayed close to those colors with muted reds blues and an ivory in their paper blend. 

Here is a peek at the inside using the same paper sheets.  For this series I wasn't as careful in my planning so I did use 2 12 x 12 paper sheets per card.

It made it so much easier to carry the theme over to the inside of the card.



AUGUST

I'm not real sure about the photos or the color palette used for August unless it signifies harvest, since the photos appear to be focused around cooking, harvesting and planting I think.  At any rate the colors and design did lend me to giving this card as a congratulations to a new home owner.

The inside came to be quite by accident.  My original thought was destroyed when it was attacked by a bottle of ink that turned over after I bumped the table.  Why did I do that you ask?

Well when your home has been totally quiet for approximately an hour or so and then all of a sudden your dog gives out one heck of a bark...it can startle you (smiles).

SEPTEMBER

I love the colors Graphic 45 selected for September!  But of course the ABC Primer collection was one of my favorites and now it has been discontinued...guess it was a favorite for lots of folks out there.  There are very few sheets still hanging around but they won't be for long I bet.

I kept the inside real simple and hope to maybe add a pocket later as a gift card or money holder.

School will end for the summer in a couple of months but will return come September, so this is one card down and three to go.

So there you have Series III of my project and of course if you'd like to try it yourself

  CLICK HERE  for the .pdf  tutorial provided by Gloria Stengel.

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ANNOUNCEMENT

As I have stated many times, Mema's Crafts consists of a grandmother, her two grand-daughters and one very supportive friend.  For the first two years it was just Mema and the two girls creating and having fun and then for the past year Joyce Owens of My Enchanted Paper Creations has been supporting us with our designs and it has been a blast.  Unfortunately, Joyce has decided to take a break due to life catching up with her so there will only be myself, Gabbi an Ari to create for you.

We're not going away...at least not this year anyway.  However I am looking for two or three designers to join our team.  We don't require anything except that you have fun and create 2-3 cards per month that follow our theme for that month and you remain on the team for at least 4 months.

Our sponsors will provide the images to us and we create the project (doesn't have to be a card). Like I said, we're just crafters having fun and trying to introduce our sponsors products to others by bringing to life their images or using their material and/or products.

  Your journey with us would start for our June Challenge.

 If you decide that you'd like to join us for a while

simply leave a comment and add the letters DT at the end of your name.

Thanks for stopping by

Hugs

~Lesia~

March Challenge 2015

Can you believe how fast February came and went!
It's already March and time for a new challenge.
This month I thought I would mix-it-up a bit.
We have a sponsored challenge and a bonus challenge for you.

Click the Bonus Challenge Tab
for more information on how to play
for a chance to win your own Prima Doll.

Our monthly challenge is
"Anything Goes"
Use Mr. Linky below to join us with your entry
for a chance to win digital images from our sponsor

where the digital images are sassy and have attitude.

To get you started with a bit of inspiration let's see what the M&M Girls have created for you.  
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Ladies take it away.

First we have Penny Rae
using Naughty Nurse

Next we have Barbara
using "Digital Fish"

Donna has created this delightful card
using "Ginger Gem"

Joyce adds flair to her creation

using "Capt Locke"

This little cutie from Kim is
called "Book Girl"

And Lisa rocks us with her creation
using "Rock Chick"

The girls have shared their talents and we hope you're ready to share your talent by playing along with us in this month's challenge where "Anything Goes"

An InLinkz Link-up