MFT Color Challenge 231

Howdy strangers. Believe it or not, I'm still here. I haven't made a card in ages, but I'm here. :)  My goal is to try and get back into crafting this year. I don't know what happened (life, maybe?) to cause me to stop, but I do miss it. I saw the cutest card my friend Lee had made for the MFT Color Challenge and thought it would be a fun challenge to jump back into. I don't have the best picture to post since I have torn my craft room up to paint, so I had to snap one with my phone and send it over. 

I hope anyone who will see this is doing well. Take care. 

Rita

MFT Witch

 

Hi friends! I wanted to pop in real quick and post my entry for the MFT Design Superstar Coloring contest. I feel a bit foolish posting it now that I've seen some of the other entries, but I did try, so... 

I love the MFT watercolor stencil. It makes for such a fun background. I used some of the colors from my witch to to stencil that and then layered my images on top. This witch is my absolute favorite image to color, so I had a blast sitting and coloring. 

Things are okay here. I've been having a lot of sinus headaches lately and struggling with that. We got a cold front in last night and it's a wonderful 70 degrees this morning. I hope my head appreciates that. Have a great week. 

Cardstock Class

Hey all! I thought I'd pop in and show you some of the cards I've been making for the newest class from Online Card Classes. It is called Crushing on Cardstock and it's been super fun. There's so much packed into the four days of class. It's been so fun!! 

Things here are about the same. This week has been a mentally challenging one. Hopefully I can get myself together a bit better. I have been walking at least 30 minutes every night for the past month. I've tried to make that a part of my day that just has to happen. I think I've lost 7 pounds so yay! It's about time for my walk right now, so I'll sign off and go suit up. lol

(Andrea, I swear I saw your email and keep meaning to reply. I am not good at life, but don't give up on me. lol I'm a mess.)

Camp Create 4/5

 

I am running so behind!!  I finished Camp Create days ago and need to share the last two with you today so that I can enter them. :) My first card is for day 4, Background Bonanza. I love how it turned out. I wasn't sure at first if it was going to look okay, but once I saw my finished card I loved the effect. Of course I love coloring this image. :) 

Now on to the last one, Delightful Die Cutting. 

And my last one! The sample for the challenge was a cute wreath, but I didn't have any foliage dies to make anything like that. I did have these cute sunflower dies though and I decided to use them for a my card. I put them again a simple background I made using distress inks. Simple but I like it. It's cheery and happy. 

And that's a wrap! :) I hope you are having a good week. 

Rita 

Embossed Roses

 Happy Saturday, folks! Back to share another card from MFT Camp Create. This is day three, emboss resist. and I used one of MFT's awesome background stamps. I used my distress inks in oranges and yellows and then diecut my friend sentiment again. Pretty easy card. :) I love the effect of emboss resist though. It's so fun. 

I have two more cards I'll share with you from this event. The next one is my favorite of the group. 

Camp Create Shaker

Hi friend, friend, friend! I need to post all my cards from the MFT Camp Create. I have one last one to finish up to do all five days and it's been so fun!  This card is for the first day's challenge to make a shaker card. This die is the only MFT word die I have, so I worked with that I had. :) I think it turned out fun and cheery. 

It has been so hot here today. I had to run a few errands and came home just exhausted from the heat. My poor garden is a garden of weeds at this point because it's just too hot to be out there. I try here and there, but they grow so fast. We have had a lot of amazing butterflies lately though, so at least the flowers are being visited. 

Have a great weekend. Do something fun and crafty!

Camp Create: Watercoloring

 Oops. I am behind on blogging all my crafts. It's been a bit crazy the past two weeks. I did get a card made every day in July though. :) It was a miracle. lol  Now I'm playing along with the MFT Camp Create challenges. The second one is watercoloring and I tried. It's hard for me, but I powered through it. I love the little bears in the Cool Day stamp set. I had to use the big snowflake die I recently got as I love it. 

I bought a size 2 round brush before I tried to color my image and it works much better for me to have a small brush. I may actually try it more often. I used my distress inks and just smooshed them on my silicone mat to get some ink to color with. 

I hope you're having a great week. 

Turtlely Late Birthday

 

Hi friends. Jumping in late with a card I made for this week's MFT Wednesday Sketch challenge. I had a long day, so I was very tempted to just skip. I decided not to give myself permission to do that, so here's my card. I love this cute little turtle so much. He's perfect for a belated birthday card. :)

Today I found out that I have ADHD. I started researching it after Laila was diagnosed and as I read, I saw myself as much as her. I finally decided to seek out help and got the official diagnosis today. Now I need to read up on how other people find ways to manage life with it. I am struggling so much and I know the struggle adds so much to my depression and anxiety. So, fingers crossed!

My Jack boy thinks I need to learn to craft with one arm so that I can hold him with the other. lol :)

MFT Super Girl Sketch

 Day 3! Today I played along with the MFT Wednesday Sketch challenge. I had colored this image last week but hadn't done anything with it yet. I love coloring her SO much. One of my favorites for sure. :) I needed a birthday card for a friend whose birthday is today, so I grabbed the belated sentiment. I am so bad at getting things out on time. I do have a list on my desk now, so let's hope that helps. 

I hope all my American friends have a wonderful weekend, especially those who have an extra day off on Monday. 

MFT Sketch 522 Bees

 Happy New Year!!  I guess whether or not it will be happy remains to be seen. lol I've been stamping a bit more this past week since my shoulder feels some better. I did go to physical therapy last week and she think it's a sprained rotator cuff. I have exercises to do daily and will go to therapy weekly. So fingers crossed!!  This card is for the MFT Wednesday Sketch Challenge. I hope I got it close enough. SO many BEES!!!

 

 

That's about it for me. I'm chatting with some friends on Zoom and hoping to make a card. :)   Take care. 

 

Rita 

MFT Double Challenge

Hi friends. How are you? Still hanging in there? We are, but some days it seems like we barely do. I have been stamping and mailing out cards, but blogging seems like a lot of work. I don't know why? Maybe it's just the extra time to edit a picture and then write up everything. Much easier to just mail it, right?  Anyway, today I played along with the MFT Color Challenge and their weekly Wednesday Sketch Challenge I hadn't used this cute set yet and thought it might be perfect.

Aren't those fun? I got as close to the colors as I could from my stash of supplies, so I hope I got close enough.

So life here seems the same most days. Laila did have some excitement this week. She got a new loft bed that she is LOVING. She went from a full bed to a twin, but she loves being up high. Plus that leaves room underneath for a future reading area. She also decided to become a hair butcher and cut off a big chunk of her hair in the front. She went from hair halfway down her back to up above her shoulders for now. She cut a patch almost down to the scalp in the main front, so we'll have to deal with that once it starts growing out. Crazy kid. I wasn't planning on going near a hair salon for a while but we had to get it fixed. It was awful because she cut it with kitchen shears.

So yeah, that's our fun. lol We are still doing school and trying to make that work without our library. It does open back up soon for pickups, so we shall be ready for that!

I'm off to read for a bit before bed. Take care.

Rita

Cat Selfie Smiles

Hello! How's everyone hanging in there? It's been a long few weeks, huh? I've been doing more stamping and reading, but not so much uploading and blogging I guess. Oops! I made this one for my sweet friend Valerie who I met in my undergrad days. She's one of my favorite people and a fellow cat lover. I'm trying to make cards for specific people with themes I know they'll like in hopes of bringing some joy and smiles. This is the cute My Favorite Things Picture Perfect set. This was my first time trying to color this one, so I tried to copy Barb. I always like going off an already colored image to get an idea of how to color the first time around.

We've been visiting smaller parks to get out and walk during the distancing. Jason spotted this cool guy on one of our outings. We saw a lot of snakes there too. Laila and I also found a copperhead on our porch one day and had someone come to remove it to a better spot for it and us. So much excitement. lol  For big news, on Monday my brother donated part of his liver to my dad. They are both doing well so far, especially considering my mom isn't able to be at the hospital babying them. It was a scary time for that to happen, but my dad's health was getting bad and he knew a liver transplant wasn't going to happen except for this way. My brother is scared to death even now, but he's brave.

That's about it for me. I'm heading off to read a bit and get more cards signed and ready to mail.

Hugs!
Rita

Be Awesome Today

Howdy friends. How are you? Are you handling this social distancing thing okay? I admit that it's been a struggle here. We don't go out a lot, but I guess I take for granted being able to run out to the store or a restaurant. Plus Laila just joined Girl Scouts this month and now all the activities have been canceled. She's so bummed about that. But, we're alive and we have food. And toilet paper. lol  I hope you are finding all you need and are staying healthy.

One good thing about being stuck inside on a rainy day today was time to clean my desk off and try to stamp. I FaceTimed with my friend Mindy and we had a nice time. I used the color combo from the week at Splitcoast and the sketch from MFT. 

 

I haven't stamped or even colored anything in months, so this was definitely a challenge. I tried though. I do want to make up some cards to give to the awesome folks who bring out my grocery order. I know they are working their butts off and not getting a lot of appreciation. I don't know what I'd do without them. I can't do crowds without panicking. They are truly lifesavers.

Big Hugs from Texas.

MFT Sketch Challenge 374

Hey!  Happy Sunday. Where did Saturday go so fast? Man!!  We worked a little outside in the butterfly garden this week, but I also found some time to come in and color. I've been trying to get back in the habit of making cards. Oh, and mailing them. lol This card is for the MFT Sketch Challenge from this week. I'm usually a coffee girl, but I do have a couple friends who enjoy tea.

Things have been about the same here. Laila had some great days at school, but ended the week in a blaze of glory. Jason had to carry her out of the library on Friday at dismissal. That's two weeks in a row for that. :(  We did get her results back from testing and she will qualify for an IEP. We meet with the large group this Friday to see what that will mean for her. She already has a full-time aide which helps some, but not always. I feel so down about it all right now because I've reached a point where I don't know what else to do.

She did earn her white belt on Thursday. She should have gotten it on Tuesday, but she wasn't listening or participating very well. That was our first screaming meltdown of the week. She did much better on Thursday though. We have a couple more weeks to decide if we want to do the year contract for it, so we'll see how it goes.

That's all for me. I am off to read a bit and maybe have a second coffee. :)

Witch Way is the Candy

Happy Saturday!  I hope everyone is having a great weekend. I've been having a bit of a low key one. Laila seems to be getting sick again, so I don't want to take her out too much. I worked a bit on more of the Falliday Fest challenges from Splitcoast Stampers. This one was a new to me technique called dendritic printing. It was an interesting one for sure. If you haven't tried it, it's a great way to use up some acrylic paint! Here's the link to the YouTube video.

Sorry for the witch again! I had an extra one colored and wanted to use it! I need to put away the Halloween stamps soon and work on some Thanksgiving cards. I also need to mail the tons of Halloween cards I keep making. That's on my to-do list for Monday.

We did do a couple of fun things today. Laila and Jason made the Halloween House.  I struggle in doing those because I'm too much of a perfectionist and would take 6 days to complete it. I am not the mom who enjoys crafts with their kid. I try, but I'm biting my tongue the whole time.  It was nice to let him handle that one. lol  Then we went to a cool program at the library where kids can come and read to some of the therapy dogs in our area. Not much reading happened, but we enjoyed the dogs so much. Most of them are so sweet and calm.

Laila's still struggling at school. Thursday we ended up picking her up around noon. She had decided to be totally defiant and non-compliant. The staff seem to spend a lot of time sitting in the hallway with her. It makes me sad and I wish we knew how to make things easier for her and the teacher. We had the initial 504 meeting yesterday and they agreed to do a functional behavior assessment and work on a behavior intervention plan. It looks like most of her first year will be trying to figure out what works. It's really getting me down to continue to hear so much negative. She has a great principal, teacher, and counselor, so there's at least that. She's just so different than any kid most people have worked with that it's hard for people to know what to do with her. It makes me feel better to know it's not just her clueless parents who struggle. Keep sending good thoughts and let's hope we can keep improving each week.

Now I'm off to finish up Mindhunter on Netflix. I think I have 1.5 episodes left. :) It's been my binge show the past few days. Have a great Sunday!

OCC: Merry Making

One more witch and I swear I'll give you a break. :) I signed up to take a new class at Online Card Classes this week and it's all about holiday cards. I am just not in the Christmas mood because it is still 90 degrees! So, I'm improvising. :) This is my day one homework. I'm a bit behind of course. lol
Story of my life these days. 

Laila and I went to a little class at the library after school and made slime! Ours didn't work so well, but we brought it home and I managed to fix it. She had such a blast. She's had two good days at school, so that was nice to hear tonight. Her teacher has been great about keeping in touch with me.  Next week we will have her 504 meetings to work on ideas to make her more successful. I have a lot of research to do before then.

Now I'm off to bed with Doctor Sleep. I have felt yucky mentally today, so a book and my quilt sound perfect for tonight. Anyone else a Stephen King fan? This one is all about the little boy from The Shining and his life as an adult. I can read it at night, but I can't say that about the first one. *shudder*

FMS 308: Witch Way is the Candy

Hey! Checking in with a new challenge at Freshly Made Sketches today! I got to design the sketch for this week's challenge and I think it's a fun one. :)  I love making cards with the focus on a Polaroid-like piece. I bought a die last year that cut one, but it got mixed up in a friend's things and spent the past year hanging out in Minnesota. She recently visited again and now it's back in Texas. So... I thought I'd base my sketch around it.

I think I am now obsessed with this witch stamp set. I can't stop coloring her! Sandy Allnock has an awesome tutorial on the MFT blog, so I spent time this weekend coloring along with the video. This was my first attempt at following her.  The shadows are much better than I do, so it's been fun to learn about how to color more realistically. Not that green skin and purple hair are realistic, but you know what I mean... ;)

I hope you'll come play along with us this week! 

MFT Card Challenges 352

Happy October. It's still in the 90s here in Texas, but I'm going to pretend it is about 60 and I'm surrounded by pretty leaves. :) I did use some pretty fall paper on my card.  I used the current sketch at the MFT Card Challenges blog for the layout. I have some birthdays coming up and I don't seem to have that many birthday cards. I think I must have put some in a safe place and they are there being safe from me finding them!  That seems to happen every time I clean my room. You'd think I'd learn that cleaning is a bad idea, huh? lol

Not much going on this weekend for us. Laila and I are both sniffling and coughing, so we've been pretty lazy. I think I took a 3 hour nap yesterday.  I felt awful and I guess I needed the rest.  Those school germs paired with the pollen is too much I guess. 

We finally got in our school shirts and she was excited to wear one this week. They are both too big, but this one wasn't a dress like the other one. We had swimming twice this week and she moved up to the next level.  I love watching her at her lessons because she just loves it so much.  I found out that we can go to extra classes during the week for $10 a class if they have availability, so I'll be taking advantage of that. We've also been going to more library programs after school as well. Wednesday we went and they got to make cute bag pinatas. 

That's it for me today.  I'm hoping to make a card every day this month, so you might see more posts. I have lost the battery charger for my camera, so I'm stuck with iPhone pictures until I find that. It's also in a safe place I guess. lol 

Have a great week!

MFT Card Challenge 347

Howdy! I did a bit of stamping yesterday and today and wanted to share one of my projects. I loved the sketch at MFT Card Challenges this week. I didn't have the die to make the shape they used, so I made due with a boring old rectangle. You know how much I love this set, so I colored it in Laila's favorite colors, orange and green.  :) It probably makes it look a bit Halloweenish, but that's okay. Halloween is awesome and coming up soon, so I can always use it then.

Hurricane Harvey is still dropping a lot of rain on my area, so we are staying inside.  Roads are flooded and some businesses and houses are starting to as well.  We missed the direct hit and the wind, but the rain is going to do a lot of damage. :( School won't be starting tomorrow and is postponed until at least Wednesday now.  Send good thoughts to Texas in hopes that the rain moves out soon.

We did get out some yesterday during a lull and took a walk.  That hasn't happened today, so we are inside with a bit of cabin fever.  Laila wants to go splash in puddles again, but it's a bit more than puddles out there right now.  I'll share a picture of her from yesterday as well as a beautiful butterfly that came to visit.  We haven't seen any butterflies today, but the rain hasn't stopped our little hummingbird from visiting the feeder.

Off to eat lunch and maybe sneak in a nap.  I have lots of new books on my Kindle and of course there's always stamping...

MFT Camp Create Delightful Die Cutting

I thought I'd sneak in my card for the last day of Camp Create so that I don't forget to upload it.  This one is for the Delightful Die Cutting.  I wasn't sure I could do this one, but I saw these glasses and thought they might work?  It was fun to make because I LOVE distress inks.  This was Mermaid Lagoon. Love that color!

That makes all five days for me, so yay!  There is a bonus day with an ombre theme, but I'm not sure I'll get to that one. My room is torn apart right now.  I am not even sure what to work on at this point, but I need to pick a starting point and get going again.  

Laila and I made this fancy pinhole camera to watch the eclipse yesterday.  I was skeptical, but it worked great.  One of my neighbors who had the glasses did walk over and let me borrow them for a minute to look.  So cool, huh? 

Off to clean a bit more and then shower and get ready for meet the teacher tonight.  I can't believe it's that time already.  I'm a nervous wreck.  I'm sure that's part of why I can't sleep.  I hope she does okay, but if not, I hope there's a plan to help her.  Getting kicked out of the last school type place we tried has made this so stressful.  We have one more social skills class tomorrow and play therapy on Thursday. I am sad about the social skills class as they do such much that I feel helps.