Sketch Wednesday

Good Wednesday morning!! I thought I'd try another sketch challenge today on SCS......this is perfect for the image I was working on!



Not sure of the name of this Tilda....if someone knows please tell me so I can add the info....but I'm calling it "thinking of chocolate" LOL! I have chocolate on the brain big time....& the Schwan's man just delivered my order so I'm sure I've got some chocolate goodies in there! Anyway, I colored Tilda with Prismas & Gamsol & added Frosted Lace Stickles to her wings. I thought I'd try something OTHER than Basic Grey, so I went through my Prima Sasha collection & picked a few papers that would work. You might need some sunglasses, it's awfully bright!! Added some dark pink DCWV paper for all the matting, & tried Pam Bassett's ribbon blossom for the first time!! Still looks like a blob, I definitely need practice, but I was also in a hurry this morning as I am on my way to work soon. It was fun though, & I will definitely keep trying!!



So there you have it....a quick card that I am quickly posting....lol. Hope this isn't a sign of what my day will be like....rushing from here to there & not having to time to think. I hope YOU have a good Wednesday, & that you are staying warm wherever you are!!!

High Hopes Challenge 15 ~ hearts!!

Good Sunday morning everyone!! Hope you all are having a fabulous weekend!! I know I am....I just *heart* Sundays. And what a coincidence......that's the theme of this week's High Hopes challenge......to use hearts on your card or project!



For my card I chose to use the adorable owl couple, the Love Birds. I colored them with Prismas & gamsol, cut them out, then stamped, colored & cut the Branch so they had somewhere to sit! The layer behind is PTI white, sponged with SU's Pretty in Pink ink. The actual PIP cardstock was too much pink, the sponging turned out much more subtle. For the Old Olive layer, I used my rectangular Nesties, but I had to use 2 together because I don't have the longer set, just the classic. The adorable hearts & arrows DP is from Sweetwater, & the red panel is DCWV. I embossed it with the Cuttlebug Block Hearts folder & sanded it so the white core showed a bit more (unfortunately my camera likes to make red look a bit orange.....it is much redder than the picture shows). I did a lot of distressing, a bit of sewing, & added some Primas & a silver heart charm I just bought on Ebay. If you're looking for inexpensive charms, Ebay is the place to go!!



I was hoping this close up shot would show how shiny the heart is, but it doesn't. You'll just have to trust me that I clear embossed it, along with their adorable little beaks & claws :) They are just the cutest couple I've seen in a long time!!

You'll want to head over to the High Hopes blog to check out what the other Divas did this week......so much talent in that group!! And as always, if you make a card or project, post the link HERE & you'll be entered into a drawing to win some High Hopes goodies!!

Well, off to do something about the pile of laundry that is taunting me.......help with homework.....and do some baking. Thanks so much for visiting!!!

Magnolia Friday

Bwahahahahahaaa!! Clever title, no? I started the week with a Magnolia card, I figured I may as well end it with a Magnolia card. And it's really hard to come up with cute titles all the time!!

I had the idea for this card in my head since I received the stamp, many many weeks ago. I finally had some time to put it on paper, but I was kind of rushed this morning so there are a few aspects of it I'm not fond of. But as a whole, it turned out okay.


I adore this skating couple! I knew I wanted to use the Basic Grey Boxer pad for the background, so I colored the image with the coordinating colors. The dark blue paper is Bazzill Bling, & the "ice" is Cryogen shimmery white, embossed with the Cuttlebug Swirls folder. I also added some glitter to it, because ice is sparkly, of course!! I also added some sparkle to the young lady's coat "fur", & the snowflake in the corner is sparkly as well. That came from Cheryl, who sent me a bunch of Marvy punchies before Xmas, so I could see all the different sizes. She was nice enough to have this one all sponged & glitterized, so she saved me some work!! Thanks, Cheryl!! I found some blue ribbon in my stash (I *never* have the right color, so I was doing the happy dance when I came across this roll) & called it done. I didn't want to add anything else, because this adorable couple is the star of the card!!

I tried to take another picture to capture all the glitter, but I don't think it worked so well....I'm having an awful time with my camera lately!!



I hope you all have a great weekend!! My kids have an early day today, so no work for me, & some errands & lunch at Culvers for the 3 of us!! There's also a school dance tonight, so it will be a long one! I will see you back here on Sunday for the High Hopes challenge!!

POTM reminder, & an award!

Good Thursday morning, all!! I don't know how many times today I've typed "Wednesday"....apparently I *don't* want the weekend to come?? That doesn't sound right....

This is just a quick post to remind you all of the Project of the Month stamps you can purchase at High Hopes during the month of January! HERE is the link to the High Hopes page where you can see all the stamps that, when purchased together, are 25% off the regular price!! Here is the card I made with the set, which I posted a couple of weeks ago. The set includes the tooth fairy, the sentiment, the tooth, the floss, & the toothbrush.





And HERE'S a link to the reminder on the High Hopes blog, so you can see the other Divas creations!!


I also have a few people to thank for giving me this beautiful butterfly award:


Amy, Chris, & Lisa all thought my blog was deserving of this award, & they will never know how much that means to me!! They have terrific blogs as well, so be sure to click on their names so you can check them out!! I am to nominate 10 blogs which I think are deserving......& I'm sure they all already received this award but I'm sending it to them anyway, lol!!! Here they are, in no particular order......

Tori

Trina

Tammi

Denise

Sirpaliina

Moni

Judy

Cheryl

Bev

Katarina

These ladies are all fabulously talented, so grab a cup of coffee & a snack, because you'll be hanging out a while!! Thanks again to the ladies who gave me this award, all 3 of you ROCK!!!!

Well that's it for today....no new card....I'm working on my challenge card for Sunday, but other than that I don't seem to be getting too much else done. Tomorrow is an early day at school, so while I won't be working, my kids will be home by noon. I'll have to work fast!! LOL!!

Have a great day!!

Magnolia Monday

Hello & Happy Monday!! I hope it was a good one! I had a fabulous day at school today, volunteering in the morning & working in the afternoon. The 4 day weekend was great, but I was glad to be back today (& I think the kids were too......I'm thinking they had cabin fever pretty badly!!)

I very often use the sketches at Friday Sketchers......but I don't think I've ever actually been able to submit a card for their drawing before!! I'm pretty sure I've never created something the week it was posted. Well I had a little time last night, & decided to use cutie pie Baking Tilda.



I colored her with Prismas & gamsol, & added Dazzling Diamonds glitter to her wings, cookies, & frilly on her dress. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be able to create a card if they did away with the Basic Grey 6x6 pads. I've used those on just about every card I've made lately. This time it's the Sugared collection, paired with Riding Hood Red (another fave) & PTI white. I used my new Martha Stewart border heart punch (purchased with a coupon, of course!) & the swirls are a Sizzlit run through my Cuttlebug. The Cuttlebug is another thing I couldn't do without!! I must say, I'm pretty good about using the supplies I have!! I embossed the pink layer with the Swiss Dots folder, added some Primas & some Dew Drops, added the "for you" (from PTI's Limitless Labels set) & here we have a card that I can actually enter into the Friday Sketchers drawing!! Woohoo for me!!

Here's a bit of a side view so you can see the glitter....




And here's a shot of the inside. I used the same papers, with that awesome border punch again.....




And I decorated the back a bit, just because I could. Thanks so much to Bev, for sharing with me where she got her fabulous "created by" stamps. She's enabled me so much lately!! Yes, I realized it's crooked, but I got so excited by my cute new stamp that I just slapped it on there anywheres!!!!



Thanks for stopping by & have a fantastic week!!

Is it Sunday again already???

I'm a bit calendar challenged this week! We had Thursday & Friday off from school due to the FRIGID temps & wind chills, so now I'm all mixed up!! Thank goodness for the High Hopes Sunday challenges, or I wouldn't know WHAT day it is!

This week's challenge is to make a masculine-ish card.......no flowers!!! I say "ish" because let's face it.....mine is a bit pinker than it should be for a man!



I just had to use my Sow Soo-eet Piggy.....and the cute little bon bon. I colored them with my Prismas & gamsol, & made the piggy 3D by stamping parts of him two or three times. Here's a side view so you can see the layers:



I once again used the SCS sketch challenge from this week, only this time I flipped it so it would work with the wider image. The designer papers are Basic Grey Blush, paired with Riding Hood Red, my all time favorite SU color!! I will need to stock up on this color before it vanishes this fall!! After clear embossing the chocolates, I cut them out & stuck them in the corner around the twine. I added some curly doo-dads which I have been seeing everywhere lately. I wish I could give credit to someone for coming up with this cute little embellishment, but seriously I have no idea who started it!! Now that I look at the picture, it kind of looks like a chocolate spider......lol!



Here is the inside......the sentiment & the lips are both clear embossed....you may need to click on the picture to see it....although I don't think you can see how shiny the lips are no matter how many times you click!! Trust me, they're shiny!! I added another chocolate ....clear embossed, of course....to the bottom corner.



Well I wish I could say this Valentine is going to my hubby......but we don't exchange anything for Valentines....not even cards. Nope, this one will be going on Ebay. I've slowly been getting back into listing, after taking about a month off. It was a bit slow for me before & during the holidays so we'll see how it goes.....you can click HERE to see my auctions....there aren't many but I'm trying!! It actually takes a bit of time to get an auction listed, & time is something I haven't had much of lately!!

Be sure to check out all the other Divas' creations HERE.....they are magnificent!! And if you'd like to play along, be sure to leave a comment with a link to your card.....you could win some goodies!!

Thanks for stopping by, & enjoy the rest of your weekend!!!

A sketch challenge, & an award!

Hello, & happy Wednesday!! The weather is very frightful here in Wisconsin, frigid cold & what a surprise ~ it's snowing. I thought they might close schools today, but I think they are saving that for tomorrow, when the wind chills will be a balmy -20 to -30. Gosh I love winter!

I haven't participated in a challenge on SCS in a while, so I checked out today's sketch challenge. It's a fun one, & I had a hard time deciding which stamp to use. I've gotten so many High Hopes stamps lately & haven't had much time to play!



I finally decided on Albert's gift, a recent release. Isn't he adorable? This image would be perfect for a birthday card, anniversary card, or a get well card. I colored Albert with my trusty Prismas & gamsol, & added Dazzling Diamonds glitter to his wings & the flower centers. The patterned papers are from the Basic Grey Boxer collection, & the dark green is from the DCWV Christmas pack. I added Primas instead of the stars (Rox said we could!!! Really!!) & at the last minute I added the Dew Drops. I apologize for the cruddy picture, that's what happens when I'm in a rush!! I will try to take a better one later!



I don't have time to finish the inside right now because I have to get ready for work, but for me that is a must & I will do it later. I also can now decorate the backs of my cards, because I bought some fun "created by" stamps on Ebay. I will show you those another day :)

Finally, I received this award from Shirley. I'm always so honored when I receive an award!! Check out Shirley's blog HERE, she has some fun stuff!! I am to pass this on to other people, which I will also do another day. Thank you so much Shirley!!

Hope you all have a great day!!! Thanks for visiting :)

High Hopes Challenge #13

Hello all!! It's Sunday again & time for another High Hopes challenge!! This week's challenge is to use dry embossing on your card. Easy for me, since I *heart* my Cuttlebug!! I thought I had just about every folder for the CB, but I'm seeing a lot of new ones lately!

For my card I used a stamp from last year's jungle release, Neil Diamondback. Oh my gosh, I just got that funny, lol!! Anyway, I colored Neil with Prismas, cut him out, then thought "Oh wait, he'd look great with some clear embossing" so I did that step AFTER the cutting. Not the easiest way to do it, but it worked. He's nice & shiny. I used the Swiss Dots folder on the panel behind him, & the Mosaic folder on the brown panel in the background. The paper is from the Basic Grey Sulty pad, & the green is SU's Kiwi Kiss. First time I used that color, can you believe it?? Anyway, I kept the whole card pretty simple.....no embellishments....because this is the card that is going to Tina's grandpa for his birthday. You can read about that request IN THIS POST. His birthday isn't until the 21st so you have plenty of time to send him a card, if you'd like!!


Here is the inside. I used the Ssspecial Day saying, also from the jungle release, & decorated it with a scrap of the Sultry paper I had left over. I sure hope grandpa likes it!!

Be sure to pop over to the High Hopes blog to check out what the other Divas created! As always, their work is jaw dropping!! You also can enter to win a couple of goodies by making your own card using dry embossing, then leaving a comment with the link to your card IN THIS POST.

Thanks so much for looking, I hope you have a great Sunday!! We are in for a cooooooooollllddd week here in Wisconsin. I believe the high on Tuesday will be a balmy 1 degree!! I'm so ready for spring!!!

Blog candy....

Good Wednesday evening!! Busy day today, so I have nothing to share, other than the opportunity to win some GREAT blog candy!! Not here, but over at Lim's blog, The Voices In My Head. She's giving away a Hanglar stamp, a SLEW of Hanglar images, some ribbon & Primas. For those in Norway and Sweden, she's giving away a Whipper Snapper stamp, a STASH of Whipper images, a punch & some glitter. How generous is she??? Hop on over to check it out, you have until January 24th to enter!!!!

Thinking of You

Here's a quick card I made for my good friend's little girl. They went away over Xmas, to a fun little resort to go sledding & tubing. Unfortunately, this place also offers disc golf during the summer. Well, you guessed it ~~ as hard as Mom tried to stay away from those metal poles, little Rachel veered a bit off the sled course & smashed right into one. Don't ask me why they have sledding & tubing in the same area as those poles!! Chaos followed......Flight for Life.....hospital......depressed skull fracture....surgery.....she was actually pretty lucky, they were able to "pop" the bones back into place & she only needed a small plate in her head to cover the hole they drilled into it. She is doing well, & seems to be the same old Rachel she has always been, but they will have to keep an eye on her for quite a while. Can you imagine my poor friend?? So anyway, this card is for Rachel. I'm thinking I should make one for Mom as well!!!!

My friend Ila, who keeps me well stocked in Magnolia images, sent this one to me a while ago & it seemed appropriate for a Get Well card. She is of course colored with Prismas & gamsol (with a bit of Twinkling H2O's) & all the pattern paper is from the K&Co Margo stack. I did a bit of sewing & distressing, & added lots of bling. Some rhinestones, some Stickles, oh & of course some clear embossing on the balloons, so they're nice & shiny :) I hope she likes it ~~ she's 6 so she's pretty easy to please!!

Now on to my next project ~~ a birthday card for a grandpa who is turning 88. This is a special request from Tina, owner of High Hopes. How can I refuse?? Tina is such a sweetheart & has done so much for me, so I'm excited about making a card for her grandpa!! Here is what Tina has to say about her dear grandfather:

"My Grandfather will be turning 88 on Jan. 21 and he has been a bit blue for the last several months. He is a widower and misses my Grandmother and had been dealing with being alone for several years now, however his health is starting to fail him (his mind is as sharp as a tack). He has arthritis in his knees that makes it difficult to walk now so only leaves the house on Wednesday nights to go to his adult writing group ....(a group of older writers...not porn writers...hehehe) ...and my uncle picks him up to take him to his house for Sunday Dinners. He has a pacemaker now, and has been slowing down quite a bit, due to other health complaints. As he told me my last call to him "Well honey, I do not buy anything with a long shelf life anymore but I still feel safe buying a green banana..." hehehe... God Bless Him..."

He sounds like the grandpa I wish I had, & I think flooding his mailbox is a great idea!! If any of you would like to send him a card, please let me know. You can send me an email using the link on my sidebar, & I will give you his address. Can you just imagine the smile on his face when he gets a slew of birthday cards??

I hope your week is going well. It's gray & cold here in Wisconsin, but what else can we expect? I'm so thankful the holidays are over, that I'm walking around with a smile on my face regardless of the weather! LOL!!

High Hopes challenges are back!!

Yay!!! It's the first Sunday of January & we are back with the challenges on the High Hopes blog!! This week's challenge is to use tearing somewhere on your card/project. I haven't torn in ages, so this WAS a challenge!!

I used Candi Tooth Fairy for my card......isn't she cute?? She's part of this month's POTM set....more details about that later on!!



I colored her with Prismas & gamsol, cut her out & popped her on a scalloped circle that I cut out with my Nesties, then embossed with my CB Swiss Dots folder. I added LOTS of sparkle to her ~~ her wings are covered with Dazzling Diamonds glitter, & I used Stickles on all of her stars & her wand. The papers are all Basic Grey Sultry ~~ which I got for quite a deal at Michaels! Love that they carry the Basic Grey pads now! I clear embossed the tooth, punched a hole in it & threaded some gold cord through it so it hangs like a charm. I also embossed the toothbrush, & the floss, to which I added a piece of black cross stitch floss. This card took me quite a while, with all the embossing & cutting & trying to figure out where to put everything, lol, but I do like how it turned out!




Here's the inside........

I used another piece of the BG Sultry & a scalloped circle to tie it in with the front of the card. I stamped the rest of the sentiment, added some photo corners, & my first challenge card of 2009 was done!! You MUST go check out the High Hopes challenge blog to see what my fellow divas came up with!!!

All of the stamps I used on this card are included in the January Project of the Month set. You get Candi Tooth Fairy, the tooth, the floss, the toothbrush, & the saying all for 25% off when purchased together. What a deal!!

I hope you decide to join us in this challenge. If you make something, please include a link in the comments of THIS POST on the challenge blog. Once again, there will be a drawing & one lucky stamper will win some fabulous High Hopes goodies!

Thanks for looking & have a splendid Sunday!!

Happy 2009!!

Happy New Year everyone!!! Hope you had a FAB New Year's Eve!! Shockingly, I didn't make it to midnight. My 6 year old was ornery & went to bed at 9, I tried to stay up by watching the stimulating movie "Merry Christmas Drake & Josh" with my 10 year old, but for some reason I was *really* drowsy by the time it was over, lol!! Seriously, I like Drake & Josh, & it was a cute movie. The little girl in it was ADORABLE. But I was really tired by the time it was over, so I went to bed even before Matthew. Woohoooo, I'm a party animal!!

My friend Tammi sent me some Rachelle Anne Miller images along with my Christmas card, & this is the first I've gotten to play with one. I think they are just so sweet ~ but I don't own even one!! I really wanted the moose with the lights around his antlers, but never got around to ordering it :(


I actually started this card on Christmas Day. I KNOW!!!! Doesn't look that difficult, does it?? But between all the holidays, & being antsy to get everything put away by today, I didn't have a spare minute to stamp (& I wasn't about to give up my Drake & Josh movie to do so!!). I finally finished it tonight. The image is colored with Prismas & gamsol, & I added a LOT of Dazzling Diamonds glitter. Did some sewing on my NEW Sew Mini, added some pearls to the corners, some organdy ribbon behind the image & it was done. It really didn't take long once I decided to finish it, & it makes for a cute winter card.

So how did I get a semi-decent picture at 9:30 at night?? I got creative & made myself a light box. I couldn't afford a real one, so I just followed the directions on THIS WEBSITE. I still don't have fabric ~~ I want to get some light cotton or or muslin, like they suggest ~~ so I covered it with white paper towel for now, lol. Sometimes ya gotta improvise! I think I still like natural light better, but since it's Wisconsin & it gets dark at 2:00 in the winter, I had to come up with an alternative.

Well I'm off to watch Weeds. I'm so addicted to that show. We don't get Showtime, but I've been buying the DVDs. I got season 1 at Target the day after Thanksgiving for $9. I had already bought season 2 on Amazon & I'm going to purchase season 3 as soon as I can. It's a great show ~~~ but quite different from Drake & Josh :)