I got a'round' to making a card...

I finished this card last night, but it was too dark to photograph it.  It might interest you to know that I also made a couple more cards of a manly nature.It is turning out to be a very productive weekend, if I may say so myself. Not only did I get some cards made, but I'm doing a major clean out.  I may have mentioned it before, but I am in the home stretch now.  I worked on my craft closet this weekend and now my desk area is getting attention. But I digress, back to the card... 

You probably think I work for Hambo Stamps or something with all the cards I've posted using their images over the years, (smile) but no, I'm just a big fan. This particular set of images were from the fall releases.  I used the "apple basket" and the "chipmunk" and "feel like a nut".  I stamped and masked the chipmunk and stamped the apple basket so that it appears that he is resting against the basket. I colored in the grass and the sky. The first part of the saying was stamped on vellum and attached to the front of the card with brads. The over all card is a 4 inch circle. I used Nestabilities die cuts to cut the circle for the card and for the front.  After I cut the circle for the front, I cut a folded card, placing the fold just inside of cutting blade so that I would keep the fold in a small section and at the bottom so that the card would stand up.  


This card was a result of a decision I made a while back.  I decided to make more cards to have on hand  in case I needed to send one to a man. 

I was going thru my cards not too long ago looking for a card to write a note to a young man in my family. All the cards that I have here and I couldn't find one that I thought was appropriate. It's apparent that I don't randomly make manly cards-- it is definitely something I have to do deliberately.  So...  I'm challenging myself  to make manly cards this week and I think I'm interested in having a manly card contest. What do you think? Do you have a hard time making manly cards?  What about you fellow card makers? Up for a challenge? How about some prizes? 

Manly Card Contest. Put your thinking caps on and make a card. When you make cards for the different sketch contests etc... this week,  just make it manly.  

Contest Rules

1) Post it online, your blog, your gallery, or send it to me in an email. Please include any tips you have for making manly cards. 

2) I'm giving a small prize to each entrant (while supplies last) So if you want it, you have to send your mailing address to me in an email.  Also include a link to your entry in that email. ( thecardcastle@yahoo.com) 


3) Let's allow entries until Monday January 25th. 




Manly card #2 and pictures of prizes tomorrow... 

Leap Year Challenge and Contest

I bought some new stamps last month (and again the other day), and I have great intentions of making cards with them in a few days. I'm also in clean up/reorganize mode. I don't know about you, but sometimes when I reorganize, it's like finding new treasures. I find all kinds of stuff that I haven't seen in a while. The thought occured to me that if I reorganized more, I might shop less. (smile)

Anyway, I am challenging myself to use at least one unused stamp that has been at my house for at least a year. Care to join me? Leave a comment with a link to your artwork or send me a file to my email address if you don't have a place to share it online and I'll add it to my post? As a matter of fact, let's have a contest. Use an unused stamp that you've had for a long time. Let's see who's been protecting endangered stamps the longest. Do you have one that you've had for two or three or more years? Do you even remember when you bought the stamp?

ETA: *Unused--I'm going to clarify this. As I mentioned in an earlier post, if you've used it to make an index or just stamped it on paper to see what it looks like---that doesn't count as being used. You would have had to make a card or some other completed project

Link your card to The Card Castle (THIS POST ONLY). I'm going to give away two prizes.

The first prize (this set of clear stamps) will go the the person who has used a stamp that they've had unused in their posession the longest.


The second prize will go to the card that receives the most votes. On the next three Tuesdays, I'll post a reminder about this contest. Starting next Tuesday, I'll show you pictures of the prize and I'll add to it each week. It is possible for one person to win both prizes.

1. You have until February 28 to link your cards or email me the file.


2. You can enter as many times as you want, as long as you provide a separate comment for each entry.
   
3. You have to make the cards with that unused stamp from now to February 28th, 2008. --This is a challenge so don't show me a card you made last week, or last month.


4. You must follow the directions for entering and commenting below.
5. I'll show you pictures of the prize as I add to it, but it's going to include some of the following:

• Images that had been stamped and colored by me
• embellishments
• stamps
• paper

On February 28th starting at 12:00 AM, you will vote. The winner(s) will be announced Leap Day, February 29th 2008!


Substituting the highlighted information with your own, your comment should read:

1)My name is Jacki

2)You can reach me at thecardcastle@yahoo.com ( you can also email me with your contact info if you don't like leaving it on the blog)

3)I've had this stamp since September 1965 (we are going to have to do this scout's honor)

4)Here is my card! (http://thecardcastle.blogspot.com/)
By linking your card you give me permission to copy that photo and put it on this blog for the purpose of voting.

Got it??

It's important that you follow the directions. Make sure you give me a way to contact you. If you are leary of leaving an email address, email me your email address with enough information so that I can match you up with your entry. If you don't, your entry is automatically disqualified. There will be a link to this contest over on the right panel at the top until this contest ends.

Now go and make a card!

It's free!!!

Hop over to 5 minutes for Mom to leave a comment for a chance to win a Pink Dyson!

Or Everyday Mommy for a chance to win comfortable shoes

Great Minds Think Alike!

First things first: I'm fine, physically. My ultrasound this afternoon confirmed that I won't need any further procedures. Grieving and healing will take place in it's own perfect time. Thanks for your concern. And thanks again to all who are praying for me. Prayers are much needed and appreciated here...
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort. from 2 Corinthians.
Second: Things are right on schedule with the relocation. The house is on the market as of Saturday. One concern I have is that I have to figure out a way to keep my office neat. My office/ stamping room is the first room you see as you enter our front door. yikes. I am not a neat crafter. Ideas and papers fly all over this room. I guess I am going to have to try....
Third: To the contest winners. I will get the prizes in the mail on Wednesday for sure. I have to go out tomorrow for mailing envelopes. I am amazed that I don't even have three that I can recycle!? That means I need to do some ordering or something ;) .
And now---The cards...

Last week while I was resting and watching movies, my Basic Grey order came from The Stamping Studio. Since I couldn't get up to make cards, I flipped through the booklet looking at all the pretty patterns getting all kinds of ideas. The Stella Ruby paper has collaged sewing pattern designs and it immediately put this stamp set in mind. This is one of the ideas I got from the paper.

I stamped the image three times-- once on white cardstock and twice on different sections of the Basic Grey pattern paper. I trimmed the dresses from the pattern paper and glued them to the white cardstock image. The ladies were quickly colored in with a Prismacolor Peach Beige pencil.

And as I checked on my friends out in blogland yesterday, I realized that Mrs. C had the same idea. Like my title says " Great Minds Think Alike"


Stamps: (Pattern for Friendship) SU
Ink: SU Basic Brown, Fresco Medici Marble
Paper: Basic Grey Stella Ruby 6 x 6 pad
Other: Ticket Corner Punch, Notched Corner Punch, Buttons ( Bazzill) Tape Measure (scanned and altered* on the computer).
*This started off as a blue tape measure. I scanned it and used a sepia filter on it.

And the Winners are....

I'm still on bed rest, but I wanted to use my few minutes up to update you on the contest.

First of all, let me tell you which little girl I am in the photos....

I am Number 1 in this photo (Photo 1).
I am the third of 5 girls. There is a 5 1/2 year gap between the first two and the younger three. See the two big girls are on the ends and the three littler ones in the center? So in Photo number 2, I am girl 2.


24 people guessed
7 people found me in both of the photos.
13 people found me in at least one photo.

I had to do all this from the bed, so I didn't use a random number chooser. I used leftover square punches from making window cards ( I knew if I saved them I would use them someday)
I had my daughter draw two squares from the 7 who were correct on both photos...

The winners are:
Rita Bracy
Hi Jackie,
I just found your blog. I've put you in my favorites to make it easier to visit every day. I love looking at your pictures. My guess for the contest is Photo 1-Girl 1 and Photo2-Girl2....
Thanks, Rita aka l8ybug2

and

Cheryl KVD
Picture #1: 1
Picture #2: 2
Thanks! Cheryl KVD


Then we did a second drawing from the 13 who found me in at least one photo.

And the winner of the second prize is
Elaine Phillips
Hello and Happy Easter!
I wanted to enter your blog candy contest and say thank you! :)Picture one - girl 1 (on the left)Picture two - girl 5 (on the right)You are adorable!! I am usually pretty good at these games, but I think your pictures are really easy to spot! Let's hope I'm right! :)
Best regards,
Elaine
a_place_for_ink



My "out of the bed" time is over for today, I will get the prizes in the mail as soon as possible.

excuses, excuses

I'm not here.... you don't see me....
I am going to announce the winners of the contest as soon as possible. I will get my daughter to help tomorrow night if necessary... if I'm feeling ok. I know you will understand if I don't get back to you right away. If you want to know what is going on go to my from a joyful heart blog. Please pray for me. And on that note, I'm going back to bed.

Easter Blessings contest...

Edited to add updated prize information (more prizes) and email information.
and Before you leave check out the post with the cards I made from these pictures.

In the previous post (Easter Blessings), I asked if you could figure out which little girl is me. If you think you know, or want to take a guess, email me your guess to joyfulheartart@yahoo.com
ETA:Please put blog contest or something similar in the subject line. I had to retreive a couple emails from the spam folder.

Don't leave a comment with your guess. I don't want the entries to be influenced by the each other.
Your guess should look like this:

Picture 1 girl ?
Picture 2 girl ?

What will you win? A coupon for a free ream of Georgia Pacific cardstock or paper. Even if you don't use it to make cards as I do, you can use it in your printer. If you don't have a place near you (I buy mine at Walmart) to redeem the coupon, an alternate prize of equal value will be provided. I will also send a few other embellishments (ribbons and buttons and flowers)

ETA: I'll add a picture on Monday or Tuesday

How will I determine the winner? I'll randomly chose two winners from the correct entries.
Edited: Several people have found me in both pictures( yeah!!)
I am going to add another prize because a lot of you are finding me in one picture and not the other. So the third prize will go to a randomly chosen entry among those who at least find me in one of the pictures.

When will I pick the winner? Since it's Saturday and tomorrow is Easter, I'll give you until Tuesday night at 10:00 pm eastern time. I will announce the winner on Wednesday morning.

My family is not eligible to enter, but email me anyway. I miss you.
Picture 1





Picture 2

Here's another reject..

As promised, here is another one of my favorite cards that was rejected for publication. Actually it was sent into The RubberStamper at the same time as the card in the previous post. I don't own this stamp, so if you know which company makes this let me know.

I mentioned my buddies from the Eureka Board yesterday, but not by name. They are Dina (Dini), Trish D.(Tah-Dah!) , Sara(Sarosa) and Madison(Madison).

Eureka rewards stampers with free stamps for getting published so we are prepaing for the worse, but hoping and expecting the best! --besides, making cards is soooo much fun!

I'm hoping to have my cheer bag card done in the next day or so. I can't wait to show it to you!!

Trish and Dina have fabulous blogs. Click on their names above to go visit them.

Rejected! One of many...

I made this card in 2003 and sent it into TheRubberStamper. If my memory serves me correctly, they were doing an article on color pencils. As you probably guessed from the title of this post, it was rejected. I'm not telling you about it because I want a pity party, but as a way of encouraging some of my buddies from the Eureka board.
We are sending in some cards to a publication as a group. For some of them, this will be their first submission.
I don't want them to feel bad if their card isn't chosen. We all know there is no guarantee, but I just thought I'd share one of my absolute best-most-favorite cards I've ever done, that were rejected! Actually it was simply returned to me, but for just a moment, I felt rejected.
Although it is fun and sometimes rewarding to see your card in the magazine, I don't want anybody to feel bad if they don't choose our cards. Today and for the next few days, I am going to show you some of my very favorite cards that have been returned to me.

First let me tell you about this card. The Peony is Stampendous. The Bow is /was Del Rose which was part of Biblical Impressions, now owned by Eureka Stamps. Hopefully this will be one of the images they revive from the Del Rose line. I colored the images using Prismacolor Pencils and a colorless blender pencil. I haven't tried using the mineral spirits to blend, just haven't had time. I am satisfied with the results I get with the Prismacolor colorless blender pencil and you can't beat its portablilty. I do a lot of coloring when I waiting-- car pool lines, doctor appts, etc...
I remember that coloring this image was therapy for me on a rare quiet day away from all the daily stuff.

I think the two green papers are by... let me go find it. Yes, it is Keeping Memories Alive. I don't know if they would have it anymore unless, it is in their clearance items. I cut the windows, mat, and frame with the Oval Coluzzle.

When I pulled out this card a week ago, I could have kicked myself. TheRubberStamper just ended a submission call for window cards in mid February. I could have sent this in again.
So ladies, lets get our cards sent in, and hope for the best!

I Won!

My Joyful Heart pocket card won in the Stampin Studio's Monthly Contest. Click here to see it in a previous post.

Here is a link to the Stamping Studio. Click on Studios by TSS Stampers and then the February Contest to see the entries. Maybe I looked at mine too much, but my card isn't my favorite. It's a good thing ( for me) that I wasn't voting!

Click here for the forum so that you read about next month's Contest.