In Color Clown

This started out as a color challenge but I got distracted and missed the deadline, so now it is just another piece of punch art for the pile.  Maybe you can use the idea.

Nothing wildly different about this guy - the hands are part of the butterfly punch - repunched with a largish circle - the pants are the breast from the owl punch - and the rest is pretty obvious.

Here it the link to another clown I did back in the early days of the blog that I think I like better - Click Here.  Maybe you can mix parts of the 2 clowns and add a dash of your own creativity for a new and improved version.

I'm not "clowning around" when I say THANK YOU DEAR READERS!!  Yesterday the blink blog passed a million page views.  Yes, I said 1,000,000 page views in less than 2 years.  I sincerely appreciate your support, your inspiration, your comments, and most of all your hanging with me through my emotional upheavals and scrapbook phases.  Love y'all!

Tennis Power

Surprise!  Third post in a row...

I don't play tennis (I don't play sports - I think I'm "allergic" to exercise) but if I did, I would not want this character hitting a ball in my direction - this gal has some muscles!

Head - Owl punch (minus feet and ears)
Hair - NEW postage punch - as is, turned on the diagonal
Strip of something (I already forgot) for headband
Usual, usual usual  blah blah blah - legs are modern label with a line drawn to separate them. Lips are the tiny heart from the owl punch.

Hornets

Saw a plea for a hornet over on SCS so I jumped into action with this:

Body and wings - large ovals
head - small oval
eyes - small heart cut in half
Legs and antennae - wide heart to heart next to hole of the same (antennae need to be trimmed)

Stripes were just drawn in - lay an oval down, trace the edge, move & repeat - color between them

What she really wanted was a "brown hornet" and when I googled that I saw the old cartoon The Brown Hornet from the Fat Albert show - Hadn't thought of this Super Hero in decades!  But he screamed PUNCH ME, so I did:

I didn't "fine tune" him since I have no use for him - but maybe one of you will need him - or he will trigger another idea for someone.

His face is medium oval and 2 small ovals
Hair - small oval
Neck - word window
Kerchief - wide oval, small heart next to same hole
His shirt is the butterfly punch trimmed
Muscles and Sleeves are the medium oval
Gloves are narrow heart to heart and  1/2 inch circle at the ends of the modern label
Narrow waist is the Blossom Petal Punch
Shorts - 5 petal flower trimmed
Shoes - wide heart to heart
Legs - wide heart to heart next to same hole

Heard you were under the weather...

It is a Splish Splash Flash Back...

I don't do a lot of challenges.  This is primarily because I'm usually a week behind on my blog reading and the due dates are past. But I have turned over a new leaf and hope to do someones challenge each week. 

This week I bought into the Color Combos Galore Inspiration 187.  I've been following this site for YEARS with good intentions yet this is my first time to play.  They "requested" more cards so that is what I did.  A get well card - "Heard you were under the weather"  is the inside sentiment -  yep, it's my usual corny stuff!  And since they required WET - I glazed up the umbrella, drops, and puddles. 

Changed the duck a little from the Splish Splash version:
Same butterfly punch feet and bill
1.25 inch circle for the body
Owl punch with ears and feet cut off for the head
And since it was already laying there on my desk - I cut the owl breast in half for wings (weird end is behind his body)
Eyes are the circles from the owl punch in white and black

Umbrella is the 1.75 circle punched near a scallop oval hole - this is the way to get the "scallops" inverted on the umbrella.

Umbrella handle is the word window around the slot hole - trimmed.  Like this:

Wiry White Hare

I've done Bugs Bunny and I've done Rabbit from the Hundred Acre Wood, soooo, to distinguish him from the others, I guess we should call this little guy a wiry white hare.  (Not to be confused with those wiry white hairs that have appeared on my head)

Head - medium oval and half a butterfly
Nose - small heart
Belly - wide oval and small oval (pink)
Hind legs - full heart
Front paws - medium oval
Ears - large oval near small oval hole

Whiskers - thin wire curled around the end of a thin paintbrush.  SU used to sell this wire - I suspect you can find it at a big box craft store or maybe even a hardware store.

Note: He is also cute if you just make his head and leave off the body.

I worked on this springtime guy while the temps in North Texas were in the teens, the wind chills worse, the rolling power outages occurring frequently, the schools closed, and the roads icy.  I don't know if the ground hog saw his shadow or not but I'm doing my part to THINK SPRING!

And I hope all these Super Bowl Fans who have descended upon us this week take this cruddy weather back home with them - they are used to it - I'm not.

Mr. Versatile

I am making an effort to use some of my "purchases" that sit neglected. 
I decided I HAD to make something using one of the two tag punches. 

THIS is what I came up with.....

Mr. Versatile

Why that name?

Because he can also look like this

or even this

(in case you need to scrap the robber on the bank surveillance tape)

Pick a topping and make your man!

Head - wide oval

Chin - small tag punch

Nose - 3/4 circle trimmed

Moustache - curly label next to curly label hole at shorter end

Sunglasses - butterfly (just bottom half)

Sunglasses ear pieces - cut word window in half (hot dog style) - use the ends

Add some highlights with while gel pen

Hair - oval cut like grass

Baseball cap - 1.75 circle cut a little off from half - big piece cap, small piece brim

Owl and Butterfly

I had a flashback and remembered a post from about this time last year when I gave y'all a lesson on eyes.  I remembered one of them screamed "owl eyes" so I wanted to test it to see if it would work on the owl from SU's owl punch.

It worked.

So I did another.

And one more just for fun.

I love the butterfly punch AND the owl punch so you know I love being able to use them together!

More Back to School

Young Miss Backsides is walking her little brother to school.

 

Awwww, isn't that sweet!

Back to School

Is this Little Miss Backsides as a child?  Or is this her daughter?  Either way, the butterfly punch for the backside is a constant.

Back to School has special meaning this year... 

This was my last 'First Day of School'.

After 17 years, I didn't get to take anyone to school on the first day - Kiddo drove herself  last week. (I got a new car, so she got my old one)

Kiddo is a SENIOR in HIGH SCHOOL
WHAT?

My little "Boo" is a SENIOR in HIGH SCHOOL?
Can't get my mind around it.  (sniffle)

She ought to be walking to second grade with her little backpack on, carrying a lunch box- not cruisin' into the parking lot after popping into the donut shop for breakfast.

Sure, she'll have a first day of college - but I won't be there to take a photo. (SOB!)  And she sure won't come home and sit down to have a snack and a chat about her day. (more SOBS!)

My nest is full (actually, overflowing with Miss Temporarily Move Back Home's apartment stuff) yet I've got significant twinges of those empty nest feelings...

Oh get a grip Ellen.  You have your punches to play with and the I-Fairy to keep you company.  And a mile long list of requests to work on.  And your house will stay CLEAN and the drains will stay unclogged and you will get to bed early because there will be no more curfews to enforce - you can dream peacefully (pretending that one is in her dorm studying and the other is fast asleep in order to get up early for her fabulous job)  Ignorance is BLISS!

Still....I'm advising you now - invest in tissues before this time next year.  I'm sure you will make a big profit just off me.

She's back....

Yes, it is time for another installment of Guest Puncher, Joan Hargrove.

You remember Joan of the Pastor Punch and Nun Characters?

No?

Well, then you are bound to remember her from Back on the Beach which started the whole Little Miss Backsides thing?

Yes! 

See?  I knew you would remember our dear Joan and her cleverness!

What you all never called me on was, that in my original post about Joan, I said she sent me 6 projects. But I haven't shown you six projects, have I?

I have been holding out on you. 

Keeping good stuff to myself.

Actually, it was more a case of being disorganized and not saving all her photos to the logical spot on my computer.

So let me partially remedy this by showing you what Joan sent me for the "partial punch art" challenge I issued MONTHS ago and ONLY JOAN sent me anything.  (yes, that font is supposed to make you feel sad, blue and guilty for not even TRYING)

Joan took on the "I Dream of Jeannie" character.

I LOVE this because it reminds me of a Halloween costume my youngest wore one year...

I'd share the photos but alas, that was in my pre-digital days.  It is safely saved in the Halloween scrapbook and as I type this, it is early in the morning, and that book is in "Girl Who Moved Back Home"s bedroom.  I don't think she'd appreciate me tromping in there in the dark, tripping over an apartment's worth of stuff just to snag an old photo of her little sis.

You ain't nuthin' but a hound dog...cryin' all the time

Yes, that is the owl punch - upside down as the front of his body.

I Paws'd Here

I think I've shown this mutt at least twice before - but I really like the way I used him on a bookmark for a swap - so you have to see him again.

Wording was computer generated and the paw print came from D is for Dog.

Disco Babe

So, if my hippies and the 60s were not your "era" - how about the 70s?

Platform shoes are small oval hole - then the small end of the curly label punch - then snip to thin out your heel.

'Fro is the scallop circle, repunched TWICE.  To repunch, stick it on a post it note - this will give you something to hang on to while you position it slightly off in your punch.

U are on My Mind

This weeks challenge on VC Rocks is to create a punch art animal or bird.

 Duh? 

Did anyone think I'd skip this challenge?

 I didn't think so!

Plenty of punched penguins out there - I have even done a dancing one before - but this is what the Inspiration Fairy sent me, so this is what you get.

White face is butterfly punch repunched with small oval (all this just to get that little indent above his eyes) - draw eyes
White belly is 1 3/8 inch circle - add sponging for shadow
Black head - large oval
Black wings - small ovals
Feet  - scallop square repunched with 3/4 inch circle
Beak - small oval - repunched one end with a circle for part nearest his face (draw a line and outline in black)

For "ice burgs" - large ovals - draw on crooked line - crookedly trim bottom - draw lines to connect - sponge slightly

For "U" - 3/4 inch square - rounded corners by poking in the middle of a 1/2 inch circle (couldn't hold onto it and get it in the normal corner rounder) - Stamped with U from Just Perfect Alpha -  finish off like the "ice burgs"

This was inspired by some clipart I saw - with the sentiment "You are on my Mind" but their penquin had an octopus on his head.   Feel free to try that - but the ice cube is much easier!

Flower Power Chick - The How To

Turning your hippie into a "hippi -ette" is pretty easy.
Legs and feet - made exactly same - just crossed differently since she is more flexible than he is.
Arms - same - but use your shirt paper color instead of flesh color
Hand - same but punch the tips of the word window with either word window end or circle in the new itty bitty shapes punch pack NOT the 1/2 inch circle since her hands are daintier
Hair - same  - just lose the beard (and I used Early Espresso for her hair color)

Differences:
Instead of wide oval use the butterfly punch for her body (you can't see it behind the flowers but I cut a "v" neck with my star punch and added a bit of skin behind it)
Give her a neck from a scrap - or a piece of word window
Draw on eyelashes, mouth and blush her cheeks
Add some flowers for props.

Hey Man, that's so Groovy...

Here they are....

I'm going to let my VC Rocks students feel special for a little while longer - they just learned this last night.

But you all did great with your begging and pleading so...

Directions coming soon.

Right now, I'm  busy finalizing my order from the new catalog!.

Woo hoo - SHOPPING TIME!

There are NEW PUNCHES to be had!!!!!!

Back to the Islands

Little Miss Backsides - Aloha version.

In Memory

Sorry I went missing for a couple of days. 

My mother-in-law passed away after a very long illness and my hubby was in Peru on business, so I had to go boss my father-in law and brother-in-law around because... well, because it was my duty and privilege.

Today's project is in memory of my dear mother-in-law.

Her kitchen was always yellow and her radio was always on. 

Her wine was always poured and her cigarette was always lit. 

Her heart was always open and her husband always adored her. 

She lived her life exactly the way she wanted for as long as she could.

She loved to go dancing.

She loved the Dallas Cowboys.

She loved her pets.

She loved her family.

She will be missed.

back - butterfly trimmed - but just used 1/2 this time (see "little miss backside")
sleeves - word window
skirt - large oval
legs - modern label cut to separate legs
arms - wide heart to heart next to wide heart to heart hole
hand - modern label ends trimmed with small circle in itty bitty shapes punch pack
shoes - small circle in itty bitty punch pack, trimmed - throw away from spiral punch for heel
hair - 1 3/8 circle and 1/2 butterfly

Back to Dancing

I have been thinking that this character needed a name and someone on Splitcoast provided it in a comment - "Little Miss Backside" - I think that is perfect!

Little Miss Backside tucked her curls up into a black wig to go Flamenco Dancing.  I'm guessing this dress is what she was shopping for yesterday....

What you can learn from this is that

WE WILL SURVIVE WITHOUT BLUSH BLOSSOM!

I used the new in-color, Blushing Bride, for her skin and I bet you didn't even notice the difference.  Oh sure, you can tell in person but this is do-able girls, it really is!

Her dress is Poppy Parade and the top layer is Peach Parfait.  The top layer also shows a new embossing folder, Vintage Wallpaper.

Can you tell I got my sneak peak merchandise?

Back to the Mall

I promise, I will not keep up with this same girl FOREVER - but she is so easy to make, I keep coming up with more poses.  You can place this pre or post wedding in the babe's life - but based on that waist line - I'd say before kids...

Wouldn't this be great on a gift card holder?

Made pretty much the same as the bride - just fewer layers to her skirt.
Legs are small MY WAY arrows - which is RETIRING at the end of June
Shoes are throw away part of the Spiral Punch
Visa card is Medium Jewelry Punch with the knob part snipped off

Yes, the legs and feet are a little small for that big old head of hair - deal with it - I lived in Texas during the 80s - I can do "big hair" if I want (grin)