Outlawz Twisted Thursday

Happy Thursday Friends ...

another week drawing to a close!

I'm thrilled again this week to be sharing a card I've created as guest designer at the Outlawz Twisted Thursday Challenge.   Remember this is an ANYTHING GOES CHALLENGE with a TWIST.

This week's TWIST is to create a GATE FOLD CARD!

 I really enjoy creating gate fold cards but I must admit, I don't do it often enough.

Today's challenge was a great opportunity to get back into making a few fancy fold cards for my stash!  And of course, with flowers in the image, I just HAD to make some homemade flowers that matched in.  So easy but such a great embellishment!

Our sponsor this month is Nicecrane Designs and once again I chose one of the lovely bird images from the FASCINATING BIRDS sheet for the focus on my card.

The inside of today's card has slightly decorated to match in with the front panels
and can be used for a variety of themes!  By simply 'notching' around the circle pattern on my design paper scrap piece, I was able to achieve a divider line for my sentiment/signature.

Earlier I mentioned the flower embellishments.  They and my faux stitching are actually the only embellishments on this card.  Of course this beautiful image speaks for itself and doesn't need much more in the way of embellishment.
For the flowers I have used the Memory Box 'Petal Party' #98304 die set which I purchased through Dies R Us.  By simply die cutting them on white card stock, sponging a bit of SU 'more mustard' ink in the center and conditioning the petals lightly with a stylus ... these 'matching' flowers were created in no time.  The centers were adorned with Kaiser ivory pearls.
The faux stitching was created with a white Gelly Roll pen!

Hope you'll give this fancy fold a try!
Have a fabulous day!
Until next time ...

Outlawz Twisted Thursday

Hello Friends ... how are you?

Today I'd like to share with you a card I have made for my guest design spot over at 

The Outlawz Twisted Thursday Challenge.  

Remember ... this is an ANYTHING GOES challenge with a TWIST.  

Today's TWIST is to create using your favorite color!

Well, if you know me at all, you know my VERY FAVORITE color is PURPLE ... but what you don't know about me is that I also LOVE YELLOW!  

In fact, when we moved into our house I painted the kitchen YELLOW ... then I painted it PURPLE ... then I RE-painted it YELLOW again (all in a 10 year time span, lol).

Our sponsor this month is Nicecrane Designs and I have used one of the lovely bird images for the focus on today's card.  It comes from the FASCINATING BIRDS sheet.

These images are just fabulous for quick and easy card creating.

And can be used for a variety of themes!

Sharing with the following challenges:
Cheery Lynn Designs - Back to Nature

Creative Moments #39 - Anything Goes with Wings

Divas by Design - Anything Goes

Creative Card Crew #58 - Animals

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you've found inspiration in today's card.

Come on over at join in the fun challenges at The Outlawz ... 

a different challenge theme for each day of the week!

Recipe:

Papers:  White cs, SU design paper, Golden Rod cs, Old Olive cs, Blue Bayou cs

Accessories:  Nicecrane Designs image, Michaels ribbon, Cheery Lynn Designs B-117s 'Fanciful Flourish' die, Cheery Lynn Designs B-147 'Olive Branch' die, Cheery Lynn Designs B-338 'Black Eyed Susan' strip die

Outlawz Twisted Thursday

Hello my friends!

I'm thrilled to say that I am once again the guest designer for the Twisted Thursday Challenge at the Outlawz!  This challenge is always ANYTHING GOES but with a twist!  

And, today's twist is to use a BUTTERFLY on your creation.

Nicecrane Designs is our sponsor and I have chosen one of the adorable images 

from his 'Children Paintings Vol II' sheet as my focus.

Isn't this just the cutest picture!!

Lately I've been trying desperately to grab from my scrap pile when creating my cards.  

Otherwise, my pile becomes a mountain of paper pieces!

The base panel is a left over piece of design paper from Crafty Secrets 'Printable Forget Me Not Digital Paper - DP-224'.  The second panel is a left over strip of Graphic45 'Secret Garden' paper which I've dressed up the edges by punching with Fiskars 'Scallop' border punch and inked the edges with TH 'vintage photo' distress ink.

The matting behind the image is also a scrap ... Paper Pizazz design paper.  My butterflies were die cut with the Cheery Lynn Designs DL-112 Exotic Butterflies small die set.  A touch of Purple Stickles adds a bit of sparkle to their wings.  Elizabeth Crafts gold corner stickers & a little gingham ribbon finish off this simple yet adorable creation.

I'm always amazed at what can be created from a pile of scraps ... I truly need to dive into this pile even more than I have been!  Instead of grabbing for that full sheet (hence creating myself even MORE scraps) ... I need to go the other direction and grab for the scraps FIRST!

Here are a few challenges to share in:

4 Crafty Chicks #187 - Spring

4 Crafty Girls #14 - Anything Goes

Art Impressions #132 - Getting Girly

MilkCoffee Challenge - Welcome Spring
Paper Crafting Journey - Anything Goes
Creative Moments #39 - Anything Goes twist/Things with Wings

Thanks for stopping by today ... hope you've been inspired by my card 

and hope you'll come join in the fun!

More from Nicecrane Designs

Happy Monday Everyone!
I know I promised to share more creations using Nicecrane Designs with you yesterday, but hubby & I decided to leave on Saturday and drive to Toledo, OH and visit friends from our 'old' neighborhood!  We had a wonderful time and the weather was very cooperative although we did drive through some snow on the way up!

Anyways ... here are my creations using some of Ignacio's (Nicecrane Designs Artist) latest collage sheets.

The first two creations use images from the Vintage French Postcards (Young Couples) ... I have added a direct link to it's name directly below the preview sheet image below.

Vintage French Postcards (Young Couples)

The next two cards utilize images from the Vintage French Postcards (Lovers) collage sheet.  Remember, these particular collage sheets are PRECOLORED ... so putting together a card is quick & easy!  NO COLORING required on these images!

Vintage French Postcards (Lovers)

Please be sure to pop over to NICECRANE DESIGNS and check out all the amazing images Ignacio has to offer for your crafting needs.  I will be back a little later in the day to give you more details on the products used to create these lovely cards but first I need to get my breakfast and run some errands.  Hope your day if off to a wonderful start!!

Hugs,

Darlene

NEW Nicecrane Designs images . . .

 . . . and cards to share with you today.

Goodness, Ignacio at Nicecrane Designs has sure been keeping me busy this week!  He has designed several new collage sheets and I've been trying to keep up with him in providing sample cards.  Take a look . . .

Do you remember the Roosevelt Bears
 (in honor of  our 26th president - Theodore Roosevelt)? 

Here are a couple of cards I made using these fun images.

Coloring was done with Prismacolor Markers.

This is actually a card within a card!  

The outside card says "BELATED - The art of sending things after the fact, so yours is noticed more"

and the inside card is a

Birthday Sentiment

 This second image depicts Roosevelt so well ... I remember seeing photos of him dressed like this ... and that pointy hat of his ... he was quite a character from what I have read!  Sure looks like he's ready for some 'down home' fun in this image.

And this last creation is a little 'PICTURE BOOK' I have put together using the PRECOLORED Roosevelt Bear images found in this set:

This 'book' is A-2 is size and I simply adhered two white A-2 sized cards together to creation the book ... then added the images, sentiments and embellishments.

SHEW !!!  That's it for today ...
Please stop back again tomorrow when I will have new VINTAGE cards to share with you that have been created using the Nicecrane Designs 'Vintage French Postcard' collage sheet images.  If you love vintage (as I do) ... you will want these adorable images (and they are precolored!).

Thanks for your visit and I hope you'll come back again tomorrow.
Hugs,
Darlene

A Vintage Beauty and A New Recipe

Hello again my friends!

Today I'd like to share some 'vintage' loveliness with you in the form of a card I made using another one of the new products over at Nicecrane Designs.  This image is from the 'Told By The Sunbeam and Me' set and you can find it HERE.

The design paper I have used for the background is Colorbok 'Rosewood' Pattern Pack and I found it at WalMart.  My tag is from 7Gypsies and I used a Gold Pilot Marker to edge the tag to make it stand out a little from the background paper.  The gold corner stickers & sentiment are from Crafty Secrets.

I loved this rose paper so much I decided to finish the inside with the same paper.  The inside sentiment stamps are from Serendipity & Amuse.

You'll want to pop over to Nicecrane Designs and check out all the NEW images he has to offer!  You will be AMAZED at the selection!

* * * * *

Now, onto the RECIPE I promised you!

It is called ITALIAN MAC AND CHEESE and it's NOT your typical Mac & Cheese!

This one is not oooy-gooooy like the typical Mac & Cheese  ... 

instead it is very 'fresh' with a light cheese flavor & crunchy topping!  

Don't get me wrong ... it is delicious ... just didn't want you to expect the usual 'cheeeeesssy' saucey style Mac & Cheese.  

When you read the recipe, you'll understand.

ITALIAN MAC & CHEESE

Recipe by Fabio Viviani (from internet)

Yields: 4 large (more like HUGE) servings

(I made it in a 9x13 baking dish)

Ingredients:
1 lb. dry macaroni pasta

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 cup grated Cheddar cheese

1 cup grated Fontina cheese

1/3 cup crumbled Blue Cheese (we used Gorgonzola)

1 cup heavy cream

12 cloves garlic (we used 8 cloves)
3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 cups Panko bread crumbs
1 bunch fresh Parsley (we used only 1/2 the bunch)
1 lemon (zested)
salt & cracked black pepper to taste

Method:

Put the heavy cream and all the cheeses into a mixing bowl.  Add cracked pepper & a pinch of salt to cream and cheese.  Put the bowl on top of a pot of boiling water on medium high and stir until the cheese is melted, set it aside.

Cook pasta in the pot of boiling water until al dente.  Drain the pasta and set aside.

Smash garlic cloves and place them in oil in a saute pan over medium low heat and cook until soft.  Remove garlic and mix with pasta.  Mix in the cheese sauce, and put in the pot and heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring often.

While that is heating, put the breadcrumbs, parsley and lemon zest in a food processor and pulse until well combined.  Place Mac & Cheese in an oven safe baking dish, top with bread crumbs and bake at 400 degrees (F) for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

* * * * * 

I know that sounds like a lot of garlic but I was surprised at how subtle the garlic flavor was!  The lemon & parsley were more prevalent ... and VERY GOOD!

UPDATE:  Before I got this posted, we MODIFIED the recipe a bit and wanted to share that with you.  IF YOU DOUBLE the amount of cream & cheeses ... it is much more like the ooeey-gooeey Mac & Cheese that we are all used to and is DELICIOUS!!

I mixed up another batch of the elements for the cheese sauce and added it to the remaining Mac&Cheese from the original recipe, topped with a few more Panko breadcrumbs and baked for 15 min. at 400 degrees!  It was AWESOME!!!   

Thanks for stopping by today and I wish you a day filled with Joy & Happiness!

Until next time ...

Hugs,

Darlene

New images from Nicecrane Designs ...

Hello Everyone and Happy Saturday to you!

Well, as predicted, it is SNOWING & BLOWING outside so hubby & I are staying in and staying warm.  It is only in the 'teens' ... too cold to be doing anything more than necessary in my book!  So, with that being said, I'd like to share a few more creations with you today using some of the NEW images available in Ignacio's - Nicecrane Designs store.

First is a fun creation using one of the images found on his Aesop Fables sheet.  (You can click the name below his preview sheet below to go directly to this item in the store.)  I have colored my image using Prismacolor markers and then chalks for the sky & water.  The plaid background paper came from Joann's, ribbon from Michaels and the flowers from Archiver's.

Aesop Fables DSL Vol. 1

Next is a card created  using one of the images from his Women Are Incredible DSL Vol. 2 set.  I just LOVED these images and couldn't wait to see what I could come up with .  Well ... I thought this particular image would be good for a 'funny' birthday card for a friend of mine who was recently divorced!  Hope she appreciates my sense of humor!  LOL!!

The background paper is from the Echo Park Paper Co. (Victoria Garden) pack.  Again I have used Prismacolor markers for my base coloring and chalks for the background 'wall' area.  I also used the 'lace' stamp from the Crafty Secrets 'Sew Special' stamp set to add  to the background 'wall' area of the image.  I had this scallop rectangle laying on my worktable so decided to put it to use.  It was a little too long for my actual sentiment stamp (Outlines Rubber Stamp) so I just used a Galaxy black marker and made two lines across the bottom.

Women Are Incredible DSL Vol. 2

Well, that's it for today.  I'll be back tomorrow with one more card using another NEW image sheet from Nicecrane Designs and also a yummy RECIPE . . . 'Italian Mac and Cheese' ...Mmmmmm!

Till then ... Stay Warm, Stay Safe, Stay Crafting!
Hugs,
Darlene

Cards to Share . . .

Happy Friday Everyone and sorry to make this a lengthy post but I have several cards I'd LOVE to share with you today.  I hope you will find inspiration in viewing them ... and as always, if you have ANY questions, please feel free to ask in the comment section or send me an email (at the top of my sidebar) and I'd be more than happy to answer any questions about my work that you may have!  OK ... let's get started!

Yesterday I mentioned that I would have MORE cards from the NEW images available at Nicecrane Designs.  Below my card creations, I will add the preview sheet, name of the product and link for your convenience.

Sweet, Sweet Angels CS

Vintage Magazine Covers

I will have two more cards from Nicecrane Designs to share with you later today or tomorrow.  But will wait until he has the images available for you in his store.  

* * * * *

The next few projects were created for the Progressive Challenge over on CDAC (Crafter's Digital Art Center).  We are in our 11th round of this progressive challenge and I tell you, the digi images just keep getting better & better!!  Here are just a few from this round ...

This last little creation is another Hershey Bar Pouch (directions came from Selma Stevenson).  I made a couple for the little girls next door for Valentine's Day next week ... but when I took them with me to breakfast this morning at Bob Evans to show the girls who work there, they were such a hit that they bought the ones I had made and now I'd better get busy making more for the neighbor kids!  LOL!

ALSO WANT TO MENTION ... Shelly (Shelly's Images) is offering a Valentine FREEBIE ... today through Monday ... be sure to pop over for that and also join in this week's challenge fun!!

Thanks so much for stopping by today and I hope you have a wonderful day/weekend!

They are calling for 3-4" of snow here tonight ... we shall see!!

HUGS,

Darlene

Two more FUN challenges today ...

Since the start of the new year, I've been trying to play along with at least one of the challenges over on Splitcoast Stampers.  This week I've only found time to join in the sketch challenge.  I have used one of my new images from Nicecrane Designs from the 'Vintage Magazine Cover' collection which are available in his store NOW!

Recipe:
Papers:  White cardstock, Colorbok 'Rosewood' patterned pack (Walmart)
Accessories:  Distrezz-it-All, 7 Gypsies tag, Fiskars swivel craft knife, pop dots, gold Stickles, TH burlap distress ink, gold satin ribbon

Another fun challenge I try not to miss out on, is the one over at Joan's Gardens!  With this winter being SO MILD, Joan & Selma have challenged us to make a card using the following theme:

• Create a Spring Card
• Color theme should be blue and white
• Use some type of lattice
• Perhaps-- add a bird

Well, as you can see, I certainly took the SPRING thing to heart.  I created my 'sky' using light blue cardstock which I've stamped using white pigment ink and an Ala Art 'sky' rubber stamp.  Then made the 'tree branch' using both Momento 'Bamboo Leaves' green ink and Versafine black ink to stamp my Stampscapes 'Leafy Branch' stamp twice.  The birds/cage are Tim Holtz and the lattice fence & grass are Martha Stewart punches.  (The grass is actually the icicle punch ... turned up side down.)  Punches & dies were purchased at Joan's Gardens.  If you haven't been to her online store ... you are MISSING OUT!  Pop on over to see what she has in the store that you CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT!!

Well, it's nearly dinner hour here so I'd best get out of my crafting 'cave' and into the kitchen!  Hope you are all having a wonderful day and thanks for stopping by!! 

Please stop back tomorrow when I'll have more NEW CREATIONS using the latest images available at NICECRANE DESIGNS.  If you love vintage like I do, you'll want to see these latest images being added to his online store!!

Till tomorrow!
Hugs,
Darlene

Joan's Gardens Challenge

This week's challenge at Joan's Gardens was a lot of fun for me because we were doing something a little different!  Today we are making a Hershey Candy Pouch using Selma's tutorial.  Be sure to check it out ... so easy and so much fun!!

I actually had this finished yesterday, but had to wait until this morning to get the Hershey Bar to put in it!  Thank goodness they had Hershey Bars at the counter of Bob Evans!  LOL!

The designer paper is from Crafty Secrets, flowers are from JoAnns and the image is from Nicecrane Designs and is called 'Gabrielle Ray Vintage Photos II'.  I've added a touch of sparkle to the flowers with Diamond Stickles and the Heart border punch is Martha Stewart (purchased at Joan's Gardens).

* * * 

Here are a couple other creations I made using images from the same Nicecrane Designs 'Gabrielle Ray' set.

Recipe:  
Papers:  Cardstock - black,white, Christmas red
Accessories:  Red Stickles, Cheery Lynn Designs Fanciful Flourish B117 (Joan's Gardens), Prima flower, Joann red satin flower, Cuttlebug Hearts embossing folder, image Nicecrane Designs
 

Recipe:

Papers:  Cardstock - white, black, Echo Park  'Victoria Gardens' designer paper from Joan's Gardens

Accessories:  Black satin bows from Joanns, white organza ribbon, Spellbinder classic oval die (inside of card), image Nicecrane Designs

* * *

Another NEW sheet of images available at Nicecrane Designs is called 'Vintage Phone Postcards I'.  The card below was created using one of the images from this set. There are 6 different images in this set.

Recipe:

Papers:  Cardstock - Ivory, Black ... GCD Studios 'Ella Blue' designer paper (Hobby Lobby)

Accessories:  Gold Stickles, Spellbinder classic & scallop oval dies, PunchBunch flower punches,PunchBunch flower making kit, image Nicecrane Designs

Recipe:

Papers:  Cardstock - Bazzill Blue, Chrismas Red, White, Garden Green ... Scrap of designer paper

Accessories:  Martha Stewart Doily Lace Border Punch, White Stigno Pen, Joann's metal vintage flower, pop dots, MS frond punch, Tim Holtz Tattered Florals die, Tattered Angels Denim Blue spray, image Nicecrane Designs

Thanks so much for stopping by today and I hope I've been able to pass along a little inspiration to you!  Wishing you all a wonderful weekend and Happy Crafting!
Hugs,
Darlene