MIDNIGHT MADNESS (MMSC51)

Happy Tuesday everyone,

Well after a super busy weekend with my March of Dimes walk and my cycling tour, having very little sleep over the past few days and a bad rain storm yesterday I am happy to be able to be on the computer and catch up with you all. I hope you enjoyed your weekend and are now ready to do the next Midnight Madness challenge. We are almost at our 1 year anniversary already and for me the time has gone by so quickly, how about you?

All the girls are wiping the tears away today as we have to say "cheerio" to our sweet Carolyn who has so many things to take care of on the home front that she has made the decision to step down from the DT. We have been so blessed with her kind hearted nature, her never failing creativity for all things beautiful, and her sweetness. For me she is like a sister, one who shares so many similarities with me, sometimes it scared both of us. Her devotion to her family shows the beautiful person she is. We will miss you girl, but will stay in contact for sure....you don't get rid of us that easily! Take care of what's important and we will see you soon!

Congratulations to our winners this week. Our Masterpiece Award goes to

#18 Sue Drees

Our Remarkables Awards go to

#2 Valarie F

#25 Leigh

#35 Charlene

#37 Risa

#39 Holly

#43 America

Our weekly sponsor is D'amour Allure

Our monthly sponsor is Sunflower and Dragonflies

My card this week was inspired by non other than our very own lovely Linda who made a gorgeous dress card a little while ago. I fell in love with the dress template and decided to give it a go. The template is courtesy of Gini Owen

I made an easel wedding card in a monochromatic color and I have to say I love how it turned out.

The dress I made out of recycled textured cardstock and layered lace underneath to give it a feeling of a petticoat. There is plenty of stitching on this card, and I added some flowers, swirls and leaves for a little extra dimension.

                                            

The bottom part of the card I used some tulle in pale pink underneath the flower then added the sentiment, flowers and butterfly pin with a touch of blue.

Dress template by Gini Owen

DP from Sandylion - Heritage paper Music

DP for dress - K&CO Elegance

Flowers by Prima

Sentiment by Craft Essentials Love and Wedding

Lace from my stash

Pin from Joann's

Challenges

Dutch Dare Card Challenge - Easel card (repeat something) - I repeated the flowers and music dp

A Spoon Full of Sugar - 3D something (the dress)

One Stitch at a Time - Flowers

Little Red Wagon - Ruffles (on the dress) Not sure if I made this one on time!

Other Lovelies - Use a Punch on your card (leaves)

Penny's Paper Challenge - Anything goes

Crafty Catz - Stitching

Kraftin Kimmie - Flowers

Caardvarks - Monochromatic

La-La Land - shabby Chic

Flourishes Timeless Tuesday - Vintage

Papertake weekly - Something different (first time using a template - dress)

Polka Doodles - Monochromatic

Enjoy your day!

Hugs,

Charlotte                                    

HAPPY FRIDAY!

Happy Friday!

Are you all ready for the weekend? Do you have anything special planned? I have a busy weekend scheduled as on Saturday I will be walking 4 miles to help raise money for the March of Dimes and on Sunday will be cycling with the Dutch club...just for fun! My son will be with me and my mother-in-law too, so I'm sure by the end of the weekend we will be exhausted! The weather forecast says it will be close to 90 degrees so I will be sure to take lots of sunscreen and water. My sweet hubby is off to Talladega to watch the Nascar race, and their forecast is for rain!

Onto my card! I had a special order from a friend of mine to make a card for her mother's 80th birthday and this is what I came up with. I had the pleasure of meeting this lovely lady during her trip from England back in January, so I hope she will like the card. The only request was for pastel colors which of course went well with me as most of my cards are pastel! I don't do too well with darker shades even though I wish I did....I can never get them to work very well! This beautiful and well known verse was given to me by the lovely Priscilla and I'm really happy with how this card turned out using the verse, so thank you for that. The thick style envelope was also made with one of Priscilla's templates and was perfect for this card.

I made a gate fold card as I wanted to be able to put some special details on the inside too. The dp is just so pretty and I wanted to really show it off. I used stitching, dry embossing, dimensional stickers, a flower stamp and small half pearls. The pink satin ribbon actually ties like a book or journal to make it like a little gift the recipient can unwrap.

Challenges I entered this in

Creatalicious - flowers and wings

Charismacardz - quotes

Creative Card Crew - Happy Birthday (inside the card)

Pile it on - Spring (colors and flowers)

Have a wonderful weekend!

Hugs,

Charlotte

DUSTIN PIKE BLOG-IVERSARY! (2ND POST TODAY)

This is my second post today as it's Dustin Pike's blog-iversary and I wanted to celebrate with him and the rest of the DT. Dustin created these cute dinosaurs on a train and I couldn't resist making them into a growth chart for my son. As he is growing so fast and long outgrown his original one so I've been making the marks on the bathroom wall for a while now! LOL I had looked for a new one for him but hadn't found one that I really liked, so now he has a new one I do like!!! I colored the dino's over the weekend and put the chart together without any problems until I went to photograph it!!! It's over 5 feet tall and I couldn't get a decent photo in one shot so ended up making a few photos, I think you can see how the finished product looks!

Here's a closer look at those adorable dino's...oh the possibilities are endless with them and I know I will definately use them again.

If you are a Dustin fan you should really stop by his blog as he has an unbelievable deal for today only..
233 images for just $10.00....yes, you heard me right just $10.00!!! Here's a little sample of what he is offering

Set 1

Set 2

Set 3

For the remaining sets you will have to go over to Dustin's to check them out! I'm sure he will be giving away some other goodies too, so don't waste anymore time over here....scoot on over to his blog and get your digi's before they disappear!

Don't forget to wish Dustin a Happy 1st Blog-iversary too!
Enjoy the rest of your day!
Hugs,
Charlotte

MIDNIGHT MADNESS (MMSC50)

Happy Tuesday everyone,

It's a beautiful day outside and a nice change from the weekend weather when the sky dropped quite a bit of rain. At least the plants and grass are happy to get watered so I shouldn't complain! So are you ready for another Midnight Madness sketch? I can't believe we are already on sketch number 50! Wow, I guess time really does pass by quickly when you are having fun!!!

Please help me with congratulating our winners this week

Our Masterpiece Award goes to 

#28 America

Our Remarkable Awards go to

#1 Loz

#26 Pam124

#29 Jorunn

#36 Holly Miller

We are delighted to have two new extremely talented ladies joining our DT, so please stop by their blogs to help us welcome them.                                     Jessica George

"My obsession with cardmaking began innocently enough about 3 1/2 years ago when my dear husband suggested I find a hobby; little did he know how this 'hobby' would grow! I'm blessed to have a wonderful family -- including three beautiful daughters -- who are (usually) tolerant of the space and time my hobby occupies. I'm very excited to work with these amazingly talented ladies on the Midnight Madness Sketch challenge Design Team because I have admired their fabulous creations since the very beginning post. My own creations tend towards a more Clean and Simple style, so it won't be difficult to spot my cards for the next couple of months!" Jessica                         Gunn Thelin Knutsen

"I started making cards about 9 months ago, so I am still thinking of myself as a newbie in this card making and blogging world. I love to try out new techniques and look for new ways to use my stamps and embellishments. I live in Kristiansand, Norway together with Marcus, his two kids, Helene and Sebastian, and our three cats. I have a bachelor degree in literature and work part time at a library. I am very excited about this DT membership and am looking forward to seeing what you all will make during this time. I know you will give me a lot of inspiration, and I hope that I can give you some too." Gunn

Our weekly sponsor is Chelsea from Crafting Life's Pieces.

Our monthly sponsor is sunflowers and Dragonflies

Ok, now onto my scrapbook page. I have many photo albums of my son which I decorate with cute things but I don't have an actual scrapbook, so I decided to make one as he is graduating from Kindergarten next month. I will make a few pages from birth to his present age and then complete at least a page to add to it over the next few years.

The photo I used on this one is him in his little baby seat with two of his favorite soft toys, his blue bear and "wallygator" that came all the way from his aunty in England.

The backgroun dp is from Deja Views the Sharon Ann Collection called Baby Boy

The bugs and flowers are from Die-Cut Shapes called Snuggle Bugs

The bear and moon buttons are from Jo-ann Fabrics

safety pin was from Party City

Hand, foot and romper buttons from Michael's

That's it for me for now, but please take some time to visit my DT sisters and show them some love!

Thank you for all the lovely comments you leave for me each week, I really appreciate each and every one of them!

Hugs,

Charlotte

DUSTIN PIKE - CHALLENGE #8

Happy Sunday,
Hope you are all enjoying your weekend and doing something fun or relaxing! I have been doing a little crafting today but I can't show you that until Tuesday!! So you are going to have to wait and see what I made. It is however time for Challenge #8 over at Doodle Dragon Studios blog so I hope you will join in the fun, this week is a sketch designed by Lelia.
There is a lot going on at Dustin's place so don't forget to hop on over and check out all the news. April 20th will be Dustin's blogiversary so he is going to be giving some goodies away, and he will have a set of stamps for a fantastic deal, so far he has 233 stamps...and they are going to be an absolute steal of a price so if you are a Dustin Pike fan, you really do not want to miss this opportunity. He will also be giving away multiple freebies...that's right not just one! Mark your calendars and check out more details on Dustin's blog...you will be glad you did!
I made this card for a friend who was admitted to hospital last week and who could use a pick me up I think. He is home resting but still not back to himself, so I hope this will cheer him up!
Enjoy the rest of your weekend and stay tuned for more on Dustin's celebrations next week!
Hugs,
Charlotte
THIS POST WAS SCHEDULED TO GO UP EARLY THIS AFTERNOON....AND YET AGAIN IT DIDN'T WORK! SORRY !

STUDIO313 EXCLUSIVE CREATIONS STORE OPENING!!

(Designer love swirls card on a page)

Happy Friday Folks,

Are you ready for the weekend coz I know I am!! But before the weekend even begins I have some really exciting news to share with you. Today my friend Shawne from Studio313 is officially opening her new store and she asked me to be a part of her DT....I'm so thrilled to be asked and can't wait to get creating with some of Shawne's beautiful designs. I have made a couple of samples so you can see some of her artwork.

(Bird Song black line image with Believe sentiment)

Shawne's store Studio313 Exclusive Creations has some really beautiful papers, images and quotes along with some colored images so for those of you who are in a hurry to make a card she has everything ready for you to print and create...no coloring necessary! The top card is made that way, everything was already colored in, so I added some details and was finished in a really fast time! The second card was a black line image that I colored in prismacolored pencils.

Studio313 Exclusive Creations DT

Shawne Arnold

Nikki Schmaltz
Charlotte de Zwart (Me)
Michelle Pearson
Gini Cagle
Kelly Schelske
Emily Davis
Special Guest
Trudy Sjolander (True)

Guest DT
Jen  

Please help me in Congratulating Shawne on her latest adventure and stop by to check out what wonderful bargains she has in her new store...you won't be disappointed! Shawne will have more details on her blog with all the fun things that are coming up, so don't forget to hop on over.
Have a lovely day and wonderful weekend
Hugs,
Charlotte

DUSTIN PIKE RELEASE DAY -TOBY AND BUSTER ARE HERE!!!

Good Morning folks,

It's release time over at Dustin's place today with the adorable Toby and Buster! Aren't they cute? I loved making my cards with these two little buddies, so you will be seeing lots more of them popping up in future cards.

Don't miss out on Dustin's fabulous offer!

All these images for just $15.00

If you order the April 15th Deal you get 5 extra Toby N Buster Images both Black N White and Color. And you get Pirates 2010 as well, (these are black N white ONLY...) This special deal ends midnight Saturday April 17th 2010....After that the bonus Toby n Buster images will be gone....and the pirates will not be included

So what you waiting for? Hop on over to Dustin's to get this fantastic deal!
Have a wonderful crafty day!
Hugs,
Charlotte

MIDNIGHT MADNESS (MMSC49)

Happy Tuesday to you all!

Did you ever have one of those weeks where so many things went wrong? Mine has been like that, first of all we had two tires on our boat trailer that needed to be replaced, one had a huge bubble in it the other one had a chunk out of it. Next was my bike with a puncture, the dishwasher malfunctioned, the lawnmower is not working and my truck is in the service dept. getting repaired. I feel like I need a vacation!!!! When it rains it pours~! Ah for another day. I sure hope your week was better than mine :)

Maybe if we get onto our Midnight Madness stuff I will feel better! There were so many lovely cards that it was really hard to choose a winner this week. You crafty peeps keep the DT smiling with your gorgeous creations....keep up the good work!

Congratulations to our winners this week

Our Masterpiece Award goes to

#31 Iris

Our Remarkables Awards go to

#14 Grace N

#46 Teri Sherman

Our weekly bonus sponsor is Stamp and Create

Our Monthly sponsor is Sunflowers and Dragonflies

I have used one of Stamp and Create's adorable images called Sweet Dannie and Bella from Wags n Whiskers. I have to admit that this sketch baffled me for some time and it wasn't the easiest to make a card with that's for sure. I kept changing my mind and couldn't figure a good way to make the puzzle pieces work (perhaps my hectic week had something to do with it!!!!), so in the end I opted for the easy solution and traced around one of my son's puzzle pieces then cut them out. The image itself was made twice too as I destroyed the first one by putting too much paper glaze on it....nothing was easy with this card! The good thing is I found some cute metal puzzle charms at Michael's...I thought that would be a nice added touch. I colored my image with copics, mounted her on foam squares and added some pearls for a little bling.

DP is from S.E.I. called Winter Song

Flowers are Prima E line in white

Organdy ribbon is from JoAnn's

Pearls from Michael's

Green brads from my stash.

Hopefully on this photo you can see the stitching better!

Challenges

Stampin for the weekend - Ribbons and bows

My time to craft - Pretty pearls

Our Creative Corner - Bows

Stamp Something - Stitching

Sew Many Cards - Stitching

I hope you will join us this week for either challenge and please don't forget to check out my DT sisters gorgeous creations.

Have a beautiful day!

Hugs,

Charlotte

MIDNIGHT MADNESS (MMSC48)

Happy Tuesday everyone!

I hope you all enjoyed an eggs-tra special Easter with lots of chocolate bunnies!!! Did you all go on an Easter Egg hunt? I know I did...well Thijs did really not me! Talking of chocolate, do you like my cupcake? It too could be chocolate on the inside and orange blossom icing on the outside....mmm, delicious!

Ok, enough about chocolate, let's get on with all the Midnight Madness news! First of all, thank you to all the players who attempted the sketch, especially those of you who were not scared off by Priscilla's lacing sketch!! Well done all of you for producing so many gorgeous creations...again!

Congratulations to all our winners this week....

Our Masterpiece Award goes to

#28 Gini Cagle

Our Remarkable Awards go to

 #9 Pam124

#43 Holly Miller

I would also like to say a huge Welcome to our two new DT sisters who will be with us for the next 3 months

Darsie Bruno

"Hi, I'm a mom of 3 extraordinary adults, Janessa, Lee and Al who are the lights in my life! I live in upstate New York, but am originally from Manassas, Virginia. My hero will be always be my daddy, whom I miss every moment of my life. I'm an artist by trade, dabbling in a life full of color! I enjoy scenic stamping, card making, creating paper embroidery patterns and stitching them, floral punch art, encaustic art, photography and more."

Tracy Vinson

"My escape from life and the demands that Ministry work can place on one, is my total and complete addiction to rubber stamping, scrap-booking and accumulating stamping supplies. I have been crafting and creating all of my life and have been an active rubber stamper for about 15 years now. What a great way to escape from the world, lock myself in my studio and go to work!"

Our monthly sponsor is Sunflowers and Dragonflies

and our weekly sponsor is the very talented Michelle Perkett

Now onto my card! I used a delicious stamp from Sunflowers and Dragonflies called Orange Blossom and let me tell you this was a delight to color in and design with. The only problem I had was that my photos were taken in the evening under artificial lighting so the color does not look good in my photos! Hopefully you can get an idea of the color combo though as it is a lovely combination of a pale lime green and chocolate brown!

As I said before the colors in daylight are so pretty, these photos do not do the colors or card justice!

Initially when I started the sketch I thought oh no I think there will be too many bows, but I ended up really loving how the bows added to the whole sketch just perfectly....thank you Priscilla for another wonderful sketch! I colored my image in copics, popped it up on dots for dimension, added some glitter glue then popped out the flowers on the cupcake. Added some stitching and metal pearls, embossed the white dp with swiss dots and voila...that's all there is to it! The dp is from DCWV Sweet stack, ribbon is from my stash, and flowers from Prima.

Please take the time to stop by all my lovely DT sisters blogs and leave them some love!

Thank you for stopping by and for all your lovely comments.

Have a wonderful day!

Hugs,

Charlotte

HAPPY EASTER & DOODLE DRAGON CHALLENGE #7

HAPPY EASTER TO ALL YOU LOVELY BLOGGERS OUT THERE!

I hope you are enjoying your Easter celebration with family and friends and having fun hiding or searching for all those Easter eggs. I would like to take this opportunity to send special prayers out to all those who are dealing with difficult situations with their loved ones or people that they know at this time. May you all be comforted knowing that so many share in their prayers for peace and positive outcomes for you and that the prayers will continue. May God Bless You!

Now that being said let's get down to today's challenge over at Doodle Dragon Studios. Challenge #7 is a recipe: 3 designer papers, ribbon and bling! Easy enough don't you think? I had fun creating this one with one of Dustin's cute Fairy Bears...isn't she the cutest! I colored her in copics, layered the bear once on pop dots then the petals twice to give a little extra dimension. I added some glitter glue to the fairy wings and petals then some mini pearls to the wings. I added two different ribbons to my card, the checkered one across the bottom and the big pink one made into a bow. Added some corner details with extra pink pearls and some silver pearls across the top....is that enough bling?

I do hope you will join in the fun over at Doodle Dragon Challenge Studios and show us those fun and fancy cards using Dustin's images. Don't forget to check out my DT sisters creations too!
Hugs for an Eggs-tra special Easter!
Charlotte
My apologies for the lateness of this post....it was scheduled to post at 3:00pm and didn't get posted!