Some Odd Girl challenges you to MAKE AN EMBELLIE!

yep, that's right. ignore all the packaged stuff and coordinating thingies, and make something that's all YOU!

it's time for another Some Odd Girl challenge, and we Odd Girls want to see your HANDMADE EMBELLISHMENTS!

wanna know what you can WIN?!
how about three digis of your choice from the store?!
and did you know that our faves from the challenges get Some Odd Girl LOYALTY POINTS added to their accounts? yep! s'true! accumulate points to cash 'em in for more Some Odd Girl images!

okay, so i busted out Star Bright Tia (January's FREEBIE, and currently unavailable!) and whipped up a little flowery/buttony/twiny accent for the occasion:

ya GOTTA see what the rest of our Odd Girls have done with this one, because they've got seriously MAD SKILLZ! flowers and blingy things and sunshine and grass and loads of gorgeosity! :D (i'm aware that's not a real word, but i'm hereby deeming it a Leah-ism)

CLICK HERE to join us in this fun and funky challenge, and show us your creative skillz! :)

OH, and if you'd like to use a Some Odd Girl image, GREAT! it's not necessary, but it will get you an additional entry in the draw for the prize. :) there are loads of Some Odd Girl images ON SALE, as well as a RETIREMENT category for images that will be disappearing, either for now, or forEVAH!

black and white and _____ all over at Charisma!

your choice, crafty friends! pick one colour to tie into your
gorgeous black and white creations,
and play along with us at Charisma this week!

seriously, your spring creations were unbelievable, people. FANTASTIC. utterly beautiful and awe-inspiring.

now let's see you do something magical with black and white and one other colour. 'cuz i know you can rock it - it's such a CLASSY combo and works great with clean and simple or busy as all get-out!

here's my creation:

lurrrrrve this little Ketto (thanks, Holmes!), and normally i'd add lots of funky, bright colours to her cute outfit, but toned it down a smidgen for the occasion. here she is, up close and personal:

i also kept the colouring simple, knowing that if i brought in some shading, i'd need to add more tones, and i'd probably lose track of the challenge altogether and end up throwing in some teal or orange or sumpin. :) stuck to plain ol' pink and played it safe!

wanna join us?

wanna win goodies from these guys?

SIX digis up for grabs from the DigiStamp Boutique! i have several of their cute images and they're lots of fun to colour, so JOIN IN THE FUN AT CHARISMA (and see what the rest of our amazing Charisma Gals have done with this colour combo!). you have until next Wednesday to play along!

i decided to join in the fun over at Stamptacular Sunday - their challenge is S.O.S. (SomeOne Special!) my someone special is our receptionist at work, Danielle, whose birthday is Friday (we're celebrating Thursday instead as she's taken the day off). this girl is SUCH an inspiration. she's on this NutriSystem diet, has lost SO much weight, is looking fantastic and has the most upbeat, positive attitude. not to mention we're book buddies now - when one of us reads a book, we give it to the other to devour. i've always wanted a book buddy! :D

also playing along at Stamp Something for their Something FUNKY challenge - 'cuz not only is Danielle super funky, but i can't wait until my hair is long and i can do funky stuff to it like this Ketto has - ANNNNND i totally love the funky die-cut flower and leaf that a sweet friend sent me a while back! bold and GROOVY!

off to do some learning, as i've started my first class for my job! it's a 16-week dealio, with a weekly assignment and LOADS of reading, so i hope i can keep up! i have to remind myself that, while the reading will likely be dry and dull, i'm bettering myself and making myself an Invaluable Employee. :)

annnnnnnnd SHE'S OFF!

Canada-bound, folks! have a fantastic weekend!

i may be able to pop in to say hello a couple of times, but there are TONS of things going on to fill my time for the next few days and i can't wait! kidnapping Dad for lunch (if i can swing it), bubble tea, Mandarin chinese buffet (the usual all-you-can-eat crab legs, plus it's the year of the rabbit, so they're celebrating with a DUMPLING festival,... though i don't know what dumplings have to do with rabbits), chillin' with my cousin and her girlfriend (who finally have their passports and can come to my FAVE coffeehouse with me), some crafty shoppin', the horror flick fest with my biffy (BFF), and just being happy to see some of my most wonderful friends and my Dad after nearly 7 months.

ANNNNND, the bonus of lunch on monday with the ever-so-fabulous DIANA! woot!

for the record, i'm bringing my colouring so i don't dry up whilst away. i can't imagine not having a Prismacolor pencil in my hand for almost 5 days! EEP!

the Charisma Gals have a spring in our step...

GOOOOOOOD morning!

it's Thursday (well, late Wednesday for me), and that, of course,
means it's time for another
Charisma Cardz CHALLENGE!

this week, SPRING HAS SPRUNG!

you can choose springy colours, a springy scene, anything that welcomes the warmer, happy weather! (we in South Jersey are just beginning to experience this, and it has been LOVELY!)

SOOOOOO, here's my card, featuring an image

from one of our sponsors, Robyn's Fetish:

aren't these little frog-fellas CUTE?!

i love how each one has a slightly different expression!

prizes generously donated by Robyn's and Stamp Shoppe - you should come and check out the challenge HERE, and play along by next Wednesday for your chance to win!

playing along with the challenges at....

Sketch Saturday - here's their sketch

(i couldn't fit my sentiment, but stuck to the sketch

and added the little panel at the bottom)

and Paper Sundaes (choose at least two of the following:
flowers, lace, distressing and pink - i obviously went for flowers and pink)

i'm hoping to squeeze in another quick card before i leave for CANADA Friday morning, but we'll see. my Miss O had a tap done tonight to remove some of the fluid surrounding her heart and she's on some new medication, so we're monitoring her and i'm hoping everything went well and she's recovering nicely. right now, she's sleeping much more soundly than she has in a while, so i hope that's a good sign. :)

WOOT for Nerd love! CANDY CANDY!

we Nerdy Girls of Envious have gained another 25 followers at our little challenge blog!

that means that i'll be giving away a little prize! (i'll have Lynnette announce the winner soon at the Envious blog) if you'd like to follow and spread the word, leave me a comment HERE and let me know you're a NEW follower, and show me your blog, where you've posted our badge. post a little blurb about my candy, and i'll give another little prize away when we hit the next 25 (which would be 195 followers).

help spread the Nerd LURRRVE! :)

Jingle says "namaste"... and has a fabby little giveaway!

oooh, i've been waiting for this one! the fantastic Jingle has another nifty giveaway going on for THIS:

click here to go to her blog for the deets, and get in on it! (or don't, so i'll have a better chance of winning!) mama needs a new yoga mat, and since she's thinking of letting her current gym membership expire, she could use this extra little incentive to continue at home! YES INDEED!

Some Odd Girl - it's DIGI DAY AGAIN! and the fun has kicked off!

come and join us at Scrapbook News and Review for DIGI DAY in the Some Odd Girl group!

the games and challenges have kicked off, and you may want to check out the NEW RELEASE, too! come and play! you can win free digis and get to know the Odd Girls! :D

(psssst, there's a RETIREMENT SALE, too, for images that will only be around for a little longer before we say goodbye to 'em!)

the first SOME ODD GIRL challenge with the new team!

WOOT! it's finally here! and it's gonna be a doozie, folks. our new Odd Girls are IN DA HOUSE, and they've knocked it clear outta the ballpark with their first official challenge.

have you met them all?
CLICK HERE to meet the new Odd Girls
(including a special new KIND of Odd Girl, too!), and prepare to be amazed. fer realz - they're horribly talented, and they're all so lovely - i'm having lots of fun getting to know them already!

so let's kick things off, shall we?

for this challenge, participants MUST use a Some Odd Girl image! we've offered tons of freebies in the last year (one a month, and several bonus freebies here and there, too!), and there's a huge SALE going on, as we clean out the older images to make room for new and/or improved images. OH, and you can always go for the $1 SENTIMENTS (they count!) - more cuteness!

so, using a Some Odd Girl image...
let's see a MINIMUM of 3 hearts on your creations!
since everyone's doing the Valentine's thang, it should be a piece of cake! (and if you check out the newest Some Odd Girl release, you'll find LOADS of cute Valentiny images to kickstart your mojo)

i made my very first ACRYLIC card, and i will definitely be making more of these - they're so much fun! my SOGgy image is the original Tiny Tia - here she is!

i'm making a concerted effort to use up my alpha stash (be it sticker or rub-on), so the longer the sentiment, the better! ;)

wanna play? come and play with the Odd Girls for this 3 OR MORE HEARTS challenge, and you could win something that's absolutely fabulous! you'll have to CLICK HERE to see the prize - we have an awesome sponsor and you won't wanna miss the boat on this one! :D this challenge will last two weeks, but we'll have lots of fun things to share in the meantime!

happy Odd Thursday, friends! xo

Charisma is UNREAL!

yeah, i know, another corny title, right? :)

well this week we're looking for MYTHICAL/FANTASY themed projects at Charisma, and i hemmed and hawed for DAYS trying to figure out what i wanted to do... it finally dawned on me that i could do a MONSTAH card, and i was suddenly overjoyed - a HUGE weight had been lifted! i honestly thought this would be the first Charisma DT commitment i wouldn't be able to fulfill and i was rather upset by it.

but problem solved! so for my Mythical/Fantasy themed project, this is what i did:

(and happily used another piece of that yummy SEI Moonrise paper!)... my Daisy Bucket monstah is paper pieced (so as not to look so BLAH/FLAT), and i made the whole thing rather simple - even used up a few of my rarely-loved BRADS! yeah, i have WAY too much stash, i often forget what i have, so it doesn't get shown a whole lot of love.

playing along with challenges at 365 Cards (day 343 - sketch!) -
'cuz Pam's sketches are FABBY!:

and the "Making the Rounds" challenge at Squigglefly (to incorporate circular thingadoos), 'cuz the circles were perfect for what i had in mind.


ANYWHO-howwwww, think you can come up with some kinda mythical/fantastical creation to play along? well, we have a couple of FABBY sponsors - All That Scraps and Pink Cat Studio - so you'll definitely want to get in on this action!

CLICKETY CLICK to see what the rest of my fabulously Charismatic teamies have done with this challenge, and to play along! you have until next Wednesday - just make sure your project is NEW and you follow the rules (lots of people embellished on my "no embellies" challenge last week - hee hee!). have fun, and happy craftin'! :D

don't forget, we're also looking for another Charisma Gal, so if you play along and you'd like to be considered, just add " - DT " after your name when you link your project! GOOD LUCK!

my odd little friend is making it crafty

hello again! told you i'd be back!

figured i had a few minutes to spare before my yoga class (which i need DESPERATELY tonight, yes yes), so here we go!

this week's challenge at Make it Colourful is to blend your blues and purples - remember our challenges are based around COLOURING, so it's not enough to just submit a project that has blue and purple in it - we want to see the colours actually mixed together when you do your image(s).

i used Mae as Alice Pose (from SomeOddGirl.com), trimmed her away from her mushroom, and paired her up with the Butterfly Swing digi (from Make it Crafty).

i've been itching to bust out my Moonrise paper from SEI and you can see why in the second photo. :) combining these two images, for me, REQUIRES a circle, and i didn't want to busy it up with patterns, so this subtle paper worked wonderfully...



here's the yummy Moonrise paper, looking positively delish:



i used the sketch from Sketch N Stash (although i rotated it and used two panels instead of three):


and combined it with the FRIENDSHIP theme at Totally Papercrafts - they are celebrating their first birthday - WOOT! :) happy birthday!

i'll be back to add the Prismacolor deets (because i'm trying to keep track, if i ever expect to be taken seriously as a Colour Addict!), but do come and check out what the rest of my ridiculously talented teamies have done at Make it Colourful! GORGEOUS work, and still time for you to get in on the challenge! CLICK HERE!

Love love love... Airy, Breezy love and Oddness!

the challenges are EVERYWHERE, and there are cute lovie-dovie images everywhere, but one of my absolute FAVE (and totally versatile) valentiney images is THIS ONE from (natch) SomeOddGirl.com...

it's a hot air balloon, it has stripes, it has a BANNER - what more could you want?

so i made a lovie-dovie card, and used these RIDICULOUSLY cute teeny little alphas sent to me by the sensational Karen. here's m'card:


seriously - LOOK:


SO.
STINKIN'.
CUTE.

they certainly aren't available HERE, and Karen knows how much i loves my tiny alphas, so THANK YOU, lovely, for sending these little darlings my way! :D

okay.
so the challenges that inspired this one?

BasicGrey Challenges - All Heart (i think i'm in LOVE with the Hopscotch line!)
The Crafty Pad - Love is in The Air (Lorraine, FABBY first post, and congrats!)
Stamptacular Sunday Challenge - Hearts Gone Wild!
and Pile It On's "Bright and Breezy" challenge

i am ALL about colouring lately, and i just wish i had better light in this house so i could do it more often!

RIGHT.
so i have another card i'm just finishing up before heading to yoga, so i may be back to post a little later tonight. :)

OH, and in Orange news, Miss O is holding steady - she seems stable and comfortable, so we're just enjoying whatever time she's got. i think she seems to have made some improvements, but i'm also not going to try to kid myself into thinking she'll be around for years to come.

AND things at work are still fantastic. i'm getting bumped up with extra authorities, so that means they trust me and i'm hoping it's gearing me up for what's ahead. fingers crossed!

wanna be a Charisma Gal?

we're looking for one more fabby crafter to join our little team! interested?

CLICK HERE to check out our DT call and leave a comment, or enter our CURRENT CHALLENGE (add "-dt" to your name when you submit your project). it's a WONDERFUL team, and Carly is seriously awesome as our lady in charge! :)

call ends when we find the right person!

no embellies this week at CHARISMA!

seriously folks, i'm hosting, so i get to call the shots. ;)

NO EMBELLIES! images and sentiments and papers are fine, border punches are okay too, layers and paper piecing are acceptable, and pop dots are welcome. but none of that funny stuff!

CLICK HERE to go to this week's CHARISMA CHALLENGE! and feast yer peepers on the gorgeousness that our design team have made to inspire you...

i decided to play around with one of the gorgeous Make it Crafty images, Whimsical Log, because Make it Crafty is one of our fabby sponsors for this challenge! WOOT! three digis to one lucky winner! we're also sponsored by Pizzazz Aplenty, who rock and roll with the embellies (how appropriate for this challenge, no?)... i figure our participants will be jonesin' to play with some pretties for their next projects, so maybe these awesome prizes will come in handy! :D

here's m'card (coloured all in Prismacolor pencils - i was particularly pleased
with how this one came out, and i even gave Tilda's dress a couple of pleats!):

click the pic to ZOOM!

those papers? yeah, YUM. the new Hopscotch line from BasicGrey. LOVE the colours in this one, and lots of cute, busy patterns. fab!

played along this week at...
BasicGrey Challenges - their theme is FLOWER POWER - i think the flower in Tilda's hair looks quite nice with the flowers behind her, though i have NO CLUE whether they're the same kind!
Stamp, Scrap and Doodle Saturdays - they're looking for PUNCHES on your projects
and Pile It On - they have the punchy thing goin' on there, too! (i haven't played there in AGES!)

so....
things are always up and down here.
i was accepted for a juried craft fair coming up at the end of March. woot! got plenty of time to work my magic for some cute stuff, and hopefully it will kick spring off nicely.
the job is going WONDERFULLY, and it looks like i'm being STRONGLY considered for the promotion i want. i should know within a few weeks if it's going to happen.

BUT.
Miss O is not doing so well. she's still herself, mostly. a sleepier, lazier version of herself who just happens to struggle a bit with her breathing. we took her to the vet on Monday and it turns out she's in Congestive Heart Failure. we couldn't even SEE her heart on the x-ray - it's completely surrounded by fluid. strangely, she acts pretty normal, and while she breathes heavily, she doesn't seem uncomfortable or in pain. so who knows how long she might go on like this, but ultimately, she could depart this world anytime. i'm enjoying as much time with her as possible right now. i love that little cat. she's the sweetest, most loyal little animal i've known and i feel so lucky to have been chosen as her person for the last 16 years. <3 i'm gearing up for my goodbye, but my heart is already breaking.