Cuddlebug Cuties link party!

One of my new favorite sites is having a link party today:

This is the first time I have participated in a link party but it sounds like fun.  The last cards I made were Valentine's Day cards so no new one today.  I am trying a new craft adventure however.
Around Christmas time I decided I wanted to learn how to use Copic markers.  I have been searching the Internet for "how to" videos and reading as much as I can find on the subject.  So far I have made a few mistakes, one being getting advice on "starter sets" from several different sources.  Because of this I have about 40 markers but most aren't what I really seem to need for any given project.  I would love to take a class but can't find any local.  I have found several online classes but I just feel like I would learn better in front of a real person showing me what I am doing wrong.  I'm not giving up however, I will keep looking and then maybe in the future take an online class if I can' t find anything local. Here are what I have so far (except for a few that have been ordered and haven't arrived yet):

I will be adding to this collection as time goes by.
My first two attempts came out "okay".  I'm not real pleased with them but I know I need a lot more practice.  I thought I would show them and then in the future I can see how much I have improved.  The images came from Cuddlebug Cuties and I really appreciate Anna letting us print them out and practice on them.  I really love her drawings!

As you can see I need a lot more work on skin and hair.  I have ordered a few more brown shades so I can have some with brunette hair.
Happy Sunday everyone, have a great rest of the weekend!

Hello Kitty Valentine

Our daughter Nikki really likes Hello Kitty.  I would love to have the Cricut cartridge, unfortunately, the cheapest ones I can find start at $200 and to me that is just crazy for a cartridge.  I was able to get a few Hello Kitty die cuts in Sizzix from Amazon for a reasonable price so this is the card I came up with for her this year: 

Nikki is usually my paper coordinator but I didn't ask her opinion on this one so it could be a surprise.  She would have probably told me to add more layers.  She wants to transfer to Georgia Tech after a few more quarters so I thought the bee was appropriate. 

Thank you and Happy Birthday

I needed a card to say Thank You to the folks who have been working with my husband for his physical therapy.  So naturally I first looked at my favorite place for inspiration CARDZTV.  I loved this card so much that I had to try it.  I didn't have the Walk in my Garden cartridge, but I ordered it and when it came I was able to almost recreate Mary's card.
This is what I came up with:

I loved the way it looked so much I decided to make one similar for my friend Marcia's birthday.

These cards are 5 x 7 size which is different than what I usually make, but I happened to have some envelopes that fit them perfectly.  I love the pop dots giving the pot a 3D look.

Happy 80th birthday!

Last August my Dad had his 80th birthday and I made him this card:

He seemed to really like it and I was really pleased with the way this turned out.  Today is my husband's uncle's 80th birthday so I made him one very similar:

 On this one I used my Gypsy to make the cupcake in the middle a card so that I could open it and write on it.

We will be driving down to Savannah to wish Uncle Don a happy 80th birthday today!

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Since this card is going over seas to a deployed soldier, it has to be sent really early.  That is why I am making a St. Patrick's Day card in February.   The colors look much more vibrant in person.

This is just to let the soldier that we sponsor know we are thinking of him and praying for his safe return home!
You know who you are, stay safe friend!

Happy Anniversary Kacy and Lauren

Today is one of our sons and daughter-in-law's  third anniversary.  I started working on their card and found one that I liked  here.  This is my first attempt:

My daughter who is my paper coordinator, looked at it and said it needed something else behind the tree and she also suggested putting small hearts on the tree like they were growing.  So the next attempt was:

My daughter looked at it again (she is my consultant on all cards) and said it was better but still needed something else in the upper corner so I added some butterflies to come up with this for the finishing touch:

We were both happy with the way it turned out.

And then this for the inside:

Happy Anniversary to Kacy and Lauren!

Thank a Vietnam Veteran

I was asked by a wonderful group that I belong to Until Every Troop Comes Home to make a card to say Thank You to a Vietnam Veteran.  Here is the one that I came up with:

This is the inside:

I was too young to know about thanking these vets when they came home, but it is never too late.  If you would like to send a card, they will be accepting them through February 11th.  Just click on the link above.