Good Gracious! August is almost over and ...

... And Jake and Kitty are out enjoying this hot summer day.  That leaves me to upload the August card for the 2014 Christmas Challenge (from DigiStamps4Joy).

Still having trouble with the printer -- rrrrggghh! -- so ...

Anyhow, NOW is a great time to get to work on your handmade Christmas cards if you have not already.  And if you have not already become part of the monthly challenge over at DigiStamps4Joy, it is not too late!  Just let Desire know that you want to join in the fun too!

I don't usually work with figures (unless they are fat-legged children) in my stamping and digi-stamping.  However, this month's image was so much fun to work with, I may end up reconsidering and begin to add a few big-eyed gals to my collection.  :-)

Skin-tone and hair can be a problem for me.  But a few YouTube videos later, they don't daunt me quite as much as before.  Sorry, I don't remember which videos they were or I would share the links (if I find them again,I will gladly share!  :D).  In one video, the artist was "painting" a portrait using Prismacolor pencils.  She was laying in the blonde hair and made two very interesting comments as she worked.  First, there was no yellow in the blonde hair!  Second, she did not draw lines to put in strands of hair but used layers of color and uncolored space to create the hair.  It was wonderful!  [Hmmm ... I think I will go try to find that video and come back and edit the post to add in the link ... in the meantime, join in the 2014 Christmas Challenge!]

{Edited a bit later}  FOUND IT!  Here is the link to the YouTube video for drawing a face (or coloring in one) using colored pencils:   http://youtu.be/1OL6sPi2-p0
Plus one more just for the sheer amazing-ness of it!  Drawing Jack Sparrow using ballpoint pen:  http://youtu.be/VC6kABusOJQ
(Sorry, tried to have the title of the videos as the text for the YouTube links but blogger here would not behave for me ...)  Enjoy both videos,though :-D

Christmas in July :-)

Yep, July is just about over and here I am getting my card for the 2014 Christmas Challenge posted at the last minute.  **Sigh**

This month's image is really cute with the three kitties in or under the tree.  And all of this month's entries are really well done.  :-D

Join the fun!  Email Desiree (you'll find her email address at the challenge website) and let her know you'd like to join in the fun.  It is a wonderful way to work on holiday cards all year long, and have them ready to address and mail early in the holiday season.  This is a big boon to me!  So, come on -- join the fun too.

June's Christmas Challenge card ...

I almost missed this month's 2014 Christmas Challenge card!  June got away from me.

I LOVE this month's image.  Ever since I was a small child, I have loved snow globes.  Some people think of them as kitsch -- but I am quite willing to admit to enjoying kitsch and all its plebeian connotations :-D

Once I realized I had almost missed getting my card made, I discovered another printer problem this month -- almost out of ink.  **sigh**  So, I had to resort to something I am probably not supposed to do -- coloring in the image with a  graphics program and then building the card in a different graphics program.

If I had the new cartridges of ink to replace the empty ones, it would have been oh so much easier to print off the image and hand color it with my colored pencils.  As it turned out, I ended up using PhotoShop Elements 6 to color the image.

In the past, I had a fabulous graphics program -- Micrografx's Picture Publisher 7 -- that I used for everything  (it came free bundled with a scanner I bought at Sam's Club over a decade ago ...)  Using that program and its built-in brushes, I could make anything look like it was truly colored in with pastels or colored pencils.  PhotoShop and PhotoShop Elements use a macro to convert a colored area to look like it was pencil stroked that do not look real, or realistic, to me.  Picture Publisher looked "real."  I am very disappointed that as Microsoft upgrades operating systems I end up losing the ability to use programs that work wonderfully and get stuck using "make do" software.

I ended up laying strokes of color and then using Gaussian Blur to sort of get a decent color;  and added some kind of texture or other filter on top.  I'm not totally happy with the results and will print the image and hand color the rest for my collection of cards.

I love the Challenge because it is allowing me to get ready all year long for the Holiday season instead of panicking at the last minute to get all my cards made, addressed and mailed.  Are you following along with the 2014 Christmas Challenge?  Go to http://digistamps4joy-sa.blogspot.com/ and join in!

There isn't much time to join for June, but it is not impossible!  It is a really fun image this month and easy to color in.  Contact Desiree and get the image -- upload to your blog or email the final card to her and then get the July image.  Or, if you don't want to panic to finish up a card by the end of June, contact Desiree and let her know you want to join starting in July.

Since I could not print off the final colored image ... I put it into my scrapbooking software to build the card.  I use Creative Memories' StoryBook Creator 3 as my digi-scrapping software program.  Creative Memories no longer supports or sells StoryBook Creator, and had upgraded to supporting version 4.0 before their reorganization.  I had loaded version 4 but determined it was not for me at that time and went back to my version 3.  StoryBook Creator was produced by another company for Creative Memories and is now selling it as Panstoria's Artisan software.  I've tried a lot of the digi-scrapping software on the market.  And a lot of digi-scrappers use the Adobe PhotoShop or PhotoShop Elements programs. or the free Gimp PhotoShop clone.  However, in my opinion, except for my old Micrografx Picture Publisher 7, StoryBook Creator (aka Artisan from Panstoria) is the absolute best available.  (Though I really can't comment on the color manipulation options available in SBC 4 and Artisan.)

I used a digi-paper and a saying from a Creative Memories' kit called Candy Cane to create the card.  I think, once I have the ink to print the image, I will probably print off this paper and saying in 4x6" panels to use on my finished cards but will print the line image and hand color it -- I'll be happier with both the sky and fence.  I'm just not all that skilled with mouse or pen tablet to draw my lines (for wood texture) where I want them, and it is much easier to layer the various blues for atmospheric perspective in the sky using colored pencils instead of the options in PSE 6.  Besides, if I do it by hand, I can add in a small postage stamp in the letter to Santa :-D

Come and play along -- join in at http://digistamps4joy-sa.blogspot.com/

**Phew** -- Just In Time -- The May Card

**Phew**  Just in time -- Finally, I have my May card for the 2014 Christmas Challenge, over at digistamps4joy, ready to share.  I had already colored this month's image, ("Time To Go"), a couple of weeks ago but had not figured out the best way to turn it into a card.  Then I saw a partially completed doodle on the desk and decided to use that somehow as the background.  At the last minute almost.  This morning ...
     Starting with a few colored pencils in a variety of blues, the area around the circle was colored.  A blending stump helped smooth out the pencil lines somewhat.  Using assorted glitter glues (from WalMart's Studio M line of glitter glues similar to Ranger's Stickles), I randomly filled in the circle ... then I had to wait for it all to dry.  And wait and wait and wait.  After hours of waiting, it was dry but not flat.  [In the scan, the glitter glues look more like desert sands as the glitter does not show off its shine.]
     A slightly smaller piece of cardstock was added to the back of the panel which is 3 3/4 by 5 3/4 inches.  A 4x6" index card was called into service -- with a border of Smooch inks, which I got from Paper Wishes years ago and have almost never used until today -- maybe a splodge here or there but (I think they are the next "search" I do at YouTube, the Internet's second most popular search "engine" or so I have heard) ...  The panel was attached with just a small amount of glue in the center to hold it in place while I applied strips of packing tape.  The tape adds a gloss and glisten to the finished panel but also, where it wraps the edge, helps hold the pieces together.  Since the top panel had flattened out quite a bit but was still a little rippled, I thought this sealing layer couldn't hurt.
     Still not quite completely flat, I used Alene's Tacky Glue in the pen applicator to attach the panel to the card front.  Once again, I've chosen to attach my 4x6 panel to a Strathmore Photo Mount Card with an embossed frame.  The frame makes placing the panel easy, and the embossing around the frame adds just a small touch of elegance to any card.
     Since the Alene's Tacky Glue is so strong, I decided that would be the best way to attach this month's image to the glossy surface of the background panel.  However, I just noticed that the camel's head is already coming loose from the background.  I may need to use something like Glossy Accents or Close To My Heart's Liquid Glass to attach the image to the packing tape.  I believe that kind of sealer can be used as an adhesive on a slick surface.
     Usually Jake and Kitty would present the monthly card, but this card needed to be scanned since it was not flat and because of the packing tape which would have caused glare.  Not to worry, though, Jake and Kitty are digging around the desk here to see what they can get me to share with you next so that they can play "model" once again ... **grin**

If you have any suggestions on how to flatten out panels or how to attach them so they flatten out or how to attach something on top of a glossy surface, PLEASE leave me a comment below.  THANKS!  [Over at my book review blog, I am offering a pdf file of a bookmark and bookplate for comments -- if you have an idea for "comment bribes" I can offer here, please leave those ideas in the comment section below too.]

Oh, yes, once again, I encourage you to join the fun at digistamps4joy and the 2014 Christmas Challenge (click on the link to the monthly Christmas Challenge at the top of the page).  There are other challenges at the blog too.  Check them out!  I think you will enjoy them!

{Now I am off to figure out what happened to the post about the April Card -- I opened it to get the link to digistamps4joy and **poof** there is just the picture of the card and half a sentence.  I know I goofed and had only "previewed" the post before I added the link over at the digistamps4joy blog, but I did "publish" the post and had at least one comment ... well, if I can't find the missing bits, I'll have to 'wing it' **sigh**} 
{**double bigger sigh** I just finished the "publish" of this post, and instead of looking at the list of posts, I hit the button to "View Blog" -- and when I scrolled through there, the April Card post is all there.  I AM SO CONFUSED!  What's new, eh?  LOL!}

Jake and Kitty Present ... April's Christmas Challenge card

Jake and Kitty Present April's 2014 Christmas Challenge card

     Moving along with the challenge from DigiStamps4Joy's 2014 Christmas Challenge -- Jake and Kitty present my version of the April image.  (The background they stood in front of is so messy, I decided to extract the card and fade out the rest ... next time we'll try to find a better setting for Jake and Kitty to use as a backdrop.)

     I think it is supposed to be a Christmas Robin.  Not common here in the United States -- I do remember one Christmas ... When my mom and I arrived at my brother's house for the annual Christmas buffet gathering, the side yard was so covered with robins it looked black instead the usual green-tinted brown of winter.  But that is actually rare (any time of year in that part of southern New Jersey).

     I couldn't figure out a good way to color in the bird to look like a robin and still look decent, so I decided to color it in as a blue bird of my imagination.  I used a combination of Faber-Castell Polychromos and Sanford Prismacolor colored pencils to color the image.  After Jake and Kitty showed off the card, I went back and added Gelly Roll Stardust clear glittering ink to the holly leaves and berries.  Next one I color in, I think I'll make the berries a darker red.

     JOIN the Challenge at the Digistamps4Joy blog.  If you haven't already joined the challenge, email Desiree (her email address is found in the post about this month's challenge image) and she will send you the image.  Every month you join in, you will receive the next month's image.  You don't need to upload the finished card to a blog or a photo site, you can email it to Desiree if you would rather enter that way.

March Card for 2014 Christmas Challenge

Jake & Kitty present the March Card

In February I discovered the true joy of digital "rubber" stamping.  Oh, I've known about digital stamps -- and often use the Stampin' Up! digital images and plenty of other stamp-like images and "real" images found in digital scrapbooking kits.  However, I discovered digital stamping and LOVE it.

There are tons of sites devoted to digital stamping and I will be sharing a few of them soon.  The one I want to share today is:  http://digistamps4joy-sa.blogspot.com/

There is a "challenge" in progress there that may be of interest to you.  It is the 2014 Christmas Challenge.

Every month, a free digital image is provided.  You download the image and make a card using that image.  Upload it to your blog and post a link using the Mr. Linky at the  challenge post or email it to Desire if you do not have a blog.  I missed the January installment of the challenge because I did not know about the challenge then.  But if you make one card a month, you will that much ahead when the holiday season comes around.  WHAT A GREAT IDEA!!

Actually, I printed off the given images in a variety of sizes and made more than one card in February;  the image was a young dinosaur with a Christmas ornament dangling from the tip of his (or her) tail. That was so fun to color!

Jake and Kitty present the February card for the 2014 Christmas Challenge

I've made just this one card, so far, in March because my printer is acting up.  It is getting low on blue ink but for some reason is printing in green and ignoring the fact it has a new black cartridge recently replaced.  **Sigh**

Then, it decided to stop printing.  Well, that isn't true ... I put one of my fish on the scanner bed and hit the button for "copy" and a semi-decent printout landed on the drop area.  If I try to print from the laptop to the printer, I get an error message "Printer not ready.  Check connections."  Connections are apparently fine as a "scan to computer" command works just fine.  *BiggerSigh**

Anyhow, until the printer starts behaving -- I think I won't be doing more cards with this image.  Although, green is a festive color and I have a few more prints of it that I can use ... Hmmm ...  :D

In case you are wondering -- the items I used to make the card include:

• Strathmore Photo Mount Card with Embossed Frame (lovely watercolor paper texture to the card, too) -- I LOVE these cards because the embossed frame makes it soooooo easy to place the 4x6 inch image
• The March Image 
• Background papers are by Close To My Heart
• The image was printed on white cardstock, then I lightly sponged Whisper stamping ink around the edge (also by Close To My Heart).  Feeling in the mood to be a bit strange, I popped one of the air pockets I received in a package recently -- it is green plastic and I decided to wrap the print in the plastic.  I found a couple scraps of cardstock and colored them with Faber-Castell Polychromos colored pencils;  hand-drew a few bits of holly and used the pencils to color them in too.  Wrapped one of the bits of cardstock with polyester embroidery thread by Polystar.  Used a bit of grosgrain ribbon from a packet purchased at Wal-Mart in the 97 cent craft supply bins.

You can join in the 2014 Christmas Challenge too!  Visit the blog for Digistamps4Joy (http://digistamps4joy-sa.blogspot.com/) and click on the challenge button.  Hope to see your card posted there too!  :D