A Final Farewell to Southern Girls Challenge-Thanks for the memories

Several years ago, I was thrilled to be on the Southern Girls Design Team.  They were based in New Zealand and Australia and mostly had teamies from those countries.  So, imagine my surprise when I was asked to join them!  And it was a great friendship and experience for me.
I was saddened to hear recently that they will be calling an end to the group now, years later, but are having a Great Get-together for one last time with as many DT members as they can locate.  We were all asked to submit one of our favorite projects for SGC and this one, using an image called Emerald Fairies, was my submission. 

I had fun putting her on a triple step card base!  It's amazing to see how I've grown artistically since that time and it was from DT's taking a chance on me and letting me get more and more experience with them that made that happen.

So Lou and Tracey, I wish you both all the best going forward.  I'm sure no matter what you will be doing, it will be a success and will fill you both with Blessings.  Thank you again for believing in a gal from "Southern" Illinois long ago and for giving me a chance!  You were the Best and I wish you well.

Animals are making their appearence at Southern Girls Challenge-show us YOURS!

 The Theme of this bi-monthly challenge at Southern Girls Challenge is Animals and we are very lucky to have as our sponsor, Oakpond Creations.  My image is just called Rooster!  I love his expression!
Just so happens my daughter has chickens that she raises AND she recently got some great news so this card was made with that in mind.  Hence the sentiment on the front "News to Crow About".  The papers used were some digital papers designed by the owner of Doodle Pantry from the set "Mini Rooster" and well as the sentiment.  I thought the star was appropriate for a new job and it leaves me a space for a personalized message for her.  I hope you will join us at the Challenge and show us you creative Animal projects!

Art by Miran Sponsors Southern Girls Challenge=Shine Like the STAR you are!

I'm SO pleased to finally get to use an image from
Art by Miran-one of my All Time Wishes!!  This one is called Florina and I love images that go off the page like this one. **sigh** Was such fun to color!  It was so cool that they were sponsoring Southern Girls Challenge these 2 weeks with a Theme of STAR(s).  I KNOW you're looking for it!!  Well, just over the round tag, you will see one of my charms in the shape of a STAR-in fact, it says Movie Star on it!  I used a 5.75 x 5.75" square card blank from The Paper Cut.  This is a great site to get pre-scored card blanks in all kinds of assorted cuts -even swing card blanks!  There blanks have a great weight to them and are so smooth to the touch.  Of course, envelopes to match!  Then a purple mat with a striped design paper on top.  The alternate patterned paper is roughed around the edges with a Tim Holtz distress tool and then I penned the stitch lines on it.  The ribbon is threaded through a top slot in the crease and wrapped to the inside.  The sentiment is just one I had from my stash.  I'm so glad you stopped by and took a look!  Come and join us in our challenge! 

INKY Impressions- Having a BOY THEME Challenge at Southern Girls Challenge!

Have you ever needed a "Thank-You" card for your child's Teacher?  Something that they went above and beyond about, for giving your child a needed word of encouragement, for something that your child finally understood because of their patience???  Well, that is what I based by card on this week using Teacher's Pet-Christopher from Inky Impressions.  They are a new sponsor for us at Southern Girls Challenge and I just love their digital images!  I found some great "School Themed" paper, used a mat made with a gorgeous shimmery cardstock called "Fairway" from The Paper Cut as well as their Manila File in Gold-Both Winners!  Added a strip of grosgrain ribbon with 2 metal button accents-just reeks boyhood.  Inside I used a ruled school paper cardstock with additional cardstock accents.  Come and join us for this 2 week challenge at SGC--It's BOY THEME!  Can't wait to see what you come up with!
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Great Images from Lacy Sunshine sponsor Southern Girls Challenge

We are so excited to be starting another Fabulous year at Southern Girls Challenge with wonderful sponsors lined up for your pleasure.  The first theme on the new year is "New Beginnings" and I felt that this image from  Lacy Sunshine called Sammi Boo's Hot Cocoa was a nice image for that.  I think she's sitting in the stary night with her warm drink, contemplating what the next day in January will bring her.  We all start the year with excitement, anticipation, hope, prayers.  I know I'm thankful that I belong to such a great team and am excited about all that is planned for 2015.  We are changing the format to a new challenge every 2 weeks, so that gives you new new opportunities to join us in the challenges. 

Lacy Sunshine is Celebrating with us at Southern Girls! Merry Christmas!

            I am loving getting ready for Christmas around the 'ole crafty home!  This time of year, both teams of Southern Girls are getting together and are showing Celebrations in our lives.  My favorite time of the year is Magical Christmas.  While I hate the snow that comes to this area, I love all the symbols of Love and acts of kindness that people show to one another.  Many members of our teams live in New Zealand, Australia, England so their season is starting to have lots of green grass, warm sunny days..
We've had our first snows and I'm looking forward to all the baking, lighting the tree, listening to Christmas songs.  I'm using the super pretty image from Lacy Sunshine called Peppa Mint Sticky Wings and I adore her.  Her designs are always intricate but so cute!  The sentiments that I'm using are from Doodle Pantry, where I'm also a DT member.  I love this filigree sheer red ribbon and I also added some Ice Stickles in iridescent to the tips of Peppa's wings-hopefully will look like bells.
  Over the last few years we have had lots of awesome DT lovelies and loads of fabby sponsors too.  This challenge we would love for all our lovely followers to join us for our special celebration challenge.  Just make a project that is about celebrating and link up in the link tool.
Please join us in our celebrations for the next 3 weeks!  We can't wait to see what you've created!

Oh Boy, Oh Boy--Masculine challenge at Southern Girls Challenge

Welcome to our new challenge **BOYS** and we have such an easy theme I just know we are going to have LOTS of gorgeous projects entered.

For the next three weeks you have the chance to create a wonderful boy themed project and link it up with us at Southern Girls challenge to be in the chance to win a prize from one of our three awesome sponsors, Make It Crafty, A&T Digital Designs and Iva Nova Chest.

I'm always needing masculine cards, especially for birthdays, so here is my contribution to the super Challenge!  I offset a mat around the image and used a great red patterned paper on the front and inside. Added some black satin ribbon accents and some perfect sentiments for the occasion.  Hope you like and will be encouraged to play along with us at Southern Girls!

Lacy Sunshine is our generous Sponsor at Southern Girls Challenge

This week at Southern Girls Challenge, we are lucky to have a Lacy Sunshine image to use for our Shabby Chic cards or layouts.  Mine's called Maddie- Scarecrow and I love her!  The reason I made the head section larger is because of all the intricate detail on the digi--this way I can call attention to the face.  If I were to make her small enough to be one layer on the card, the details would be muddled because I couldn't have colored each section very well.   Come join us for our 3 week challenge-plenty of time to get your creation done and win some digis of your choosing!

All Dressed Up Stamps and Dilly Beans Stamps are sharing the SPOTLIGHT at Southern Girls Challenge this week!

All Dressed Up Stamps has some great images for us to use at Southern Girls Challenge-this one is called Mirror Mirror and I LOVE it!  Perfect card for that Tween in your life..  Our challenge this week was for something with texture so I chose design paper that has some embossed bling on the birds tail feathers And the addition of some charms to the dressing table and hanging from the buttons. 
I've had these in my stash just waiting to find the chance to use them: perfume atomizer on the table, and a pearl glazed mirror and red nail polish bottle.  A mat of dotted swiss Bazzil frames the image~and I inserted some shiny silver mirrored cardstock in the oval mirror shape. (you can see the computer screen in the reflection).
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 I also decided to do another image from one of the other sponsors, Dilly Beans Stamps-they have some great images also!  The one I used is called "Hooter Framed" and such fun!  I mounted the copic colored image with a burlap styled mat.   I framed him in a Memory Box die cut that has a tree insert with green & cream punchie branches for some texture.  The "ribbon" that's got the copper ribbon slide through it is actually the trim edge on the design paper-more and more companys are using pretty trim for their advertising.
 There you go-2 choices of great stamp organizations that will help you come up with some brilliant ideas to enter our 3 week long challenge.  Come check us out and join right in with your creation!

New DT team announced for Southern Girls Challenge--Welcome aboard Gals!

I'd like to welcome all the new DT team members to our little home away from home.  This term there were so many great entries that Lou, our leader from NZ, couldn't pass up the talent sooooo she just expanded our 2 teams!  What fun~we're an eclectic group of artists with ones that like page layouts, creations with LOTS of texture and materials, cardmakers, framed pieces--so many options we now have.  Our 2 Teams take turns every 3 weeks and we've had some great sponsors and prizes.  Please if you have time, check out the blogs listed on the side bar for some great ideas from around the world.  It's amazing how everyone has a different interpretation of Scrapbooking in different countries.  So Glad to Have you All on the SGC Team!

Lacy Sunshine is sponsoring us at Southern Girls Challenge-Theme is You Spin me ROUND

At Southern Girls Challenge we have challenges every three weeks.  This time AROUND, the theme is "You Spin me ROUND Baby" so it could be circle shapes, dots, buttons, die cuts...let you imagination go wild.  I'm using a Sponsored provided image from Lacy Sunshine called Emily-Spring Ladybugs which I adore!  I have so many circle shapes on my creation--polka-dot embossed paper, ladybug dots on her hair bow, even buttons across the bottom of the card.  I cut back the front edge a little so that I could place some paper lace from my stash.  I just love the way it always looks so feminine!  This lime green chevron paper looks so great inside with my stamped sentiment-it will make a great Birthday card for a friend!

Arrr...Lacy Sunshine plays pirate at the "SHIMMER" Southern Girls Challenge! Ahoy Maties!

I just love this Pirate image from Lacy Sunshine  for our newest challenge at SGC.  This little Pirate, while detailed, was So Much Fun to do!  Since the theme is Shimmer, I put some gold pearl stickles on the parrot and then used both pearl and glitter stickles on the waves.
 I had some great pirate Map paper to use in the background and then from another paper that was mostly blacks and grays, the word Buchaneer was cut out and used for the little guy.  Inside I used some more map paper and stamped a big Happy Birthday on it.  This will make a great card to give a young boy.  There are so many great entries at Southern Girls Challenge this week--Be sure to come and join in the fun where you can use any digital image.  We have challenges every 3 weeks and our sponsors give away GREAT prizes!

Emerald Fairies and Artful Inkings are debuting as a Sponsors at Southern Girls Challenge! Welcome!

 This great new sponsor for SGC is named Emerald Fairies and they have so many cute pixies it just puts a smile on your face to work with them!  The one that I'm using is called "Jewel" and she fits right into the theme at Southern Girls Challenge this time--Stripes!
I'm using an Outer Stair Step Card blank from The Paper Cut in a very springlike color, Sour Apple.  With this being pre-scored, it takes all the measurement and folding hassles out of your hands!  Easy, Peasy!  On the back level, I used a fence die cut and a TH grass dc and then multicolored small prima flowers to create an outdoor scene.  The design paper I used was 2 sided so I used both as accent papers.  The digital image was colored in copics and then I used diamond Stickles on the wings for some shimmer.  I used my computer to create the sentiment and then mounted it on some complimentary green cardstock.  Here at Southern Girls, we have a new challenge every 3 weeks with different, awesome sponsors.  Come and place your entries and join in the fun!

And additional card was needed so I quickly chose a cute image with a guitar, as my husband sells guitars in our shop in his spare time!  This image was very easy to color and shade so that made me happy!  I basically used some masculine striped paper and musical paper from my stash...sad but I could probably furnish a shop with my paper addiction.  I made some loops from a roll of satin ribbon and added them to the matted image.  Stamped with a Studio G "Big Hugs" stamp on the front and Hero Arts stamp with happy Birthday image.  Think I've got several uses for this card!
 

Make It Crafty joins Southern Girls Challenge with Banners & Pennants!

 Banners & Pennants Challenge Going on NOW!

We are being sponsored this week at Southern Girls Challenge by the great Make It Crafty Group~They have wonderful digi's and Rubber Stamps and such a variety it was fun browsing through all their goodies!  I never have enough boy cards and when I saw this one, It looks like our grandson playing with his remote control car that we got him for Christmas!  this image is called Racing Rick and was such fun!  I was a bit sorry that the depth of the browns in the hair seemed to get washed out in the photo of the card-I must do better with my lighting! 
The neat thing about this image from their store is that you got individual png images as well as the groups together!  This directional paper in primary colors was in my "boy" stash and it has a coordinating connected circles paper that I used in the inside of the card, with a bed mat/stamped with a Happy Birthday sentiment.  I trimmed out the arrows from the front, lined them up in pennant style, glued them and then used my white jelly roll pen to create the "stitches" to join the pennants.  A circle on the front to fill a blank space and threaded circle rounds out the card.  Hope you like and will come back to visit me sometime.  At SGC, we have 3 week Challenges so you have plenty of time to get an entry in to win some images!!

Ladybug Crafts Ink-a NEW sponsor for Southern Girls Challenge!

Welcome to our very first challenge of 2014 here at Southern Girls Challenge! :)  Welcome back to our regulars and also any newbies that might be joining us for the first time.  Christmas has flown by and now it is all about fresh starts and new beginnings so for our challenge for this brand spanking New Year we want to see a celebration of new things, New Baby, Newly Weds, new pressies or just using new stash.

How "FUNNY" that my NEW thing is a NEW COLD!!!!  Should have been expecting it what with the sub-zero weather for the last 2 weeks and then it was 52 (1) day this week!  Yikes-Everyone has colds!!! So this image called Unwell Nikki that I got from our Newest Sponsor, Ladybug Crafts Ink, is PERFECT!!  In keeping with the angled bed she used in order to get the perspective on the bed, I decided to angle the layout also.  Since she is so "modern", I used some glossy, glittered embossed geometric paper as the base. A simple Get Well stamp, some puffy satin floral flower trim and some complimentary buttons finish the card.  I'm always needing get well cards so what a great opportunity.  Thanks for looking and come join us for the next 2 weeks showing what's NEW for YOU in 2014 and you too could be a winner of some digis from our 2 sponsors!! 

Texture is the Featured Style at Southern Girls Challenge~

 This new Folder for me is by Darcie and has so many different shaped snowflakes!  It's a perfect design for the 2-week contest at Southern Girls Challenge.  Nice deep embossing and it picks up the shimmer from the stunning cardstock by The Paper Cut called Vista "Stardream" Metallic.  The white branches were punchies given to me by a friend --I've been waiting for winter cards to use the white ones!

Southern Girls Challenge Features Milk Coffee Stamps!

 For this challenge, Southern Girls Challenge has a theme of "Sweet Treats"!  Now, my image from Milk Coffee Stamps is called Charlotte the Nurse.  This site is on Etsy with some very cute images for sale.  Now I'm not sure about the TREAT that Char is getting ready to give you in that glass with the pills in it, but it's good for a chuckle!

I used embossed dotted swiss pink cardstock as the base of my card, with multi-colored embossed hearts on the top.  The oval is framed with a gorgeous cardstock color from The Paper Cut called Basis Teal-it matched the hearts perfectly.  I definitely will be making more Get Well cards for my inventory with this cutie!  The sentiment is from my stash and is mounted with pop dots for dimension.