True friend....

I know....it's been a WHOLE WEEK since I posted. Last we chatted -----I was making Chili for the NFC Championship Game. And what a game! Could you hear me yelling??!??? I was *exhausted* when it was over! Absolutely one of the most thrilling games I have ever watched!!! I'm already planning my menu for the Superbowl next Sunday......so if you have any suggestions I'm all ears!!

So it's been a busy week, what with all the gloating & such....but I did manage to make a card for yesterday's Friday Sketchers sketch!



This is definitely one of my favorite Tilda images, & my good friend Tammi was kind enough to send me some until I can buy it for myself. I added lots of glitter, Liquid Applique & Sparkly Fluff in all the right places....the papers are Basic Grey (Bittersweet & Sultry, I think)....the sentiment is from Papertrey Ink....lots of distressing (oh how I *hate* using that distress tool...gives me the willies....like nails on a chalkboard)....& VOILA, finally a card for a sketch challenge ON TIME!!




Thought I could get a good shot of all the sparkly since it's actually sunny out today but I'm not sure how much you can see. We were out the door when I was trying to take these pics so I had no patience. Just snapped a bunch & hoped for the best, lol!

I have so much to do this weekend & no motivation to do any of it!! I have a ton of cards I need to list on Etsy --but I have to finish the insides. I don't know why I don't do the insides when I do the card, but usually I'm sick of looking at it by the end & just throw it off to the side. Then when it's time to finish I have to scrounge for the papers I used! Not very efficient, I know. Matches the rest of my life :)

Off to do laundry, cleaning & some cooking ---yep all at once. I'm that good.

Thanks for visiting!

Game day CHILI

Just in case you all need a reminder of who is going to win the game tomorrow :)

Since I am making a big batch of chili for the game I thought I'd post the recipe. It is the yummiest chili ever. I'm actually not a fan of chili, but I love this recipe --it's my grandma's. How come grandmas have the best recipes??


GRANDMA'S CHILI

2 lb ground beef
4 onions, chopped
2 cans dark red kidney beans
2 cans tomato soup
2 tsp salt
4 tbsp butter
2 green peppers, chopped
2 tsp chili powder

Brown meat, onion & green pepper in butter. Place in baking dish. Add remaining ingredients. Bake at 350 degrees for 2 hours (325 degrees if baking in glass dish).

***I don't like green peppers so I omit them---up to you :)

***I find it's easier to mix all the ingredients in a big huge pot, then transfer to the dish. When I tried to mix everything right in the dish it didn't go so well!!


So there you have it --the best chili ever! Some would argue it's not chili if there's no noodles. OMG I HATE noodles in chili!! And I'm a pasta FREAK --but no noodle. Bleah.

Let me know if you try it --it's a big hit at our house & let me tell you it's hard to find something that all 4 of us like!!!!!!!

Have a great Sunday!!!

Ant with a rubber tree plant.....

"He's got ....High.....Hopes....."

Ok I don't know the words to that song. I've only heard bits & pieces of it on "Laverne & Shirley" LOL!




But the High Hopes ants are the CUTEST! I was recently going through my pile of HH rubber & this stamp made me SMILE. He's called Hopeful Ant, & he's available at 7 Kids College Fund if you're interested :)

And can you believe it?? I used my Copic markers YET AGAIN to color this image! My pencils are going to start feeling left out!! The papers are Basic Grey Sugared & Papertrey Ink --I'd better find out the name of this particular color because I LOVE it. I bought a variety pack from them (because I couldn't pick just ONE color) & I've already used all of this lovely Olive-y Green.




I used lots of dies --a Cuttlebug die for the outer corners -- a Quickutz swirl die behind the main layer -- & a Fiskars punch for the image. I didn't use ANY flowers or ribbons --gasp! Does that make this a "man" card?




I paper pieced his pot using the same yellow Basic Grey paper as the square behind the image -- & added some shading & clear embossing.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. It's a balmy zero degrees here --with a wind chill of about -100. Thankfully we didn't have to go anywhere tonight but my younger son has basketball tomorrow so we will have to venture out. I'd rather stay home with a big, bottomless cup of coffee!!

Of course Sunday I will be GLUED to my tv all day watching the PACKERS VS Bears. I'm making lots of fun football food --chili & little BBQ'd weenies & I made some yummy dip --- mmmm.....doesn't that all sound healthy? LOL.....

Stay warm!

Sending you a great big hug!

So are you having fun on the hippety hop?? Are you seeing tons of incredible creations?? If you have no clue what I'm talking about, then click HERE.....you don't want to miss the party!

So I'm surprised I finished this card tonight, because I only started it last night! Bahahaaaa...I am a PUTZ when it comes to card making. I think my problem is I always *have* to check out other people's blogs for inspiration.....& as long as I'm there I may as well check my e-mail.....& see what's going on on Facebook....& of course there's the farm......



But I was really focused this time.....I've wanted this Tilda With Cute Skirt since I first saw her in the Magnolia Ink. I couldn't even figure out what collection she was from (FYI she's from the Wedding Collection). I thought she was one of those "special" stamps that you just can't find anywhere. But alas, she is now sitting pretty here in my craft hole :)

I've been using my Copic markers more these days.....I am no expert but practice makes perfect, right?? I added a bit of Twinkling H2O's to this .....a little tip I picked up a few years ago from my fabulous friend Ila....& added lots of Stickles to her dress.....her hair bows....& the flower in the corner. the image is cut out with Nestabilities Small Deckled Rectangle & Large Deckled Rectangle dies. The papers are Basic Grey Porcelain.....& some other color that was actually a bit too bright, so I sponged some Frayed Burlap Distress Ink on the edges. That toned it down a bit, otherwise you would have needed some shades when looking at it!




Here's a close up of Tilda in all her cute dress glory....the sentiment is from Aud Designs (thanks, Ila!!)....I added some pearls....& some Stickles to the butterfly...




Here's the flower bundle I made using various punches & the same Basic Grey papers.....more Stickles :) No such thing as too much bling (Hey that rhymes.....)




And here is the blinged up, pearled all around sentiment.

Thanks so much for visiting. Our weekend consists of a TON of errands tomorrow.....brrrrrrr....& of course the PACKER game tomorrow night!!! You will probably be able to hear me yelling from wherever you reside on this Earth!!!!!

The High Hopes 100th Challenge Blog Hop is here!!!

And YES!!! I am part of it!!!!! Woohoooooo....it has been so fun hanging with the Divas again! I have missed everyone soooooo much! I owe so much to Tina & Bethany, & all the Divas.....thank you for your friendship, & thank you for asking me to join in this FAB event!

So.....we are here to celebrate 100 High Hopes challenges! I can remember the whole conversation about starting a challenge blog like it was yesterday. Hard to believe they've had 100 challenges!! So......the theme for this challenge is ANYTHING GOES!!!! I *heart* this challenge, lol!!



For my card, I used an oldie but a goodie.......Little Missy! I colored her with Copic markers & added a wee bit of paper piecing on her dress. The papers are Basic Grey Pyrus plus a former Stampin' Up In Color (not sure which, I am so bad at keeping up with those!). Used some Nesties....a Martha punch....some sewing & some pearls. I used the layout from this week's Friday Sketchers sketch, but didn't have room for the sentiment....oops, guess that's a major part of the layout so I will probably not enter it. Shoulda made the card just a bit bigger.....




Here's a close up pic .....trust me, that little bit of paper piecing looks MUCH better than how I had colored it, lol!




Hopefully in this pic you can see the oh-so-glittery flower & hair bow...



SO....here's the scoop on the hop.....


In order to have a chance to win, you must leave a comment on each blog along the hop.

The hop will remain open until 12:00pm (noon) EST Monday, Jan 17th & the winner will be announced next Tuesday.

The 1st prize is $100 worth of High Hopes Stamps (retail value unmounted or cling mounted stamps)!!! WOW!!!

The 2nd prize is $50 worth of High Hopes stamps (retail value unmounted or cling mounted stamps)!!!

And the 3rd and 4th prizes will each receive $25 worth of High Hopes stamps (retail value unmounted or cling mounted stamps)!!

You should have arrived from LACEY'S BLOG.

If you haven't, you will want to start at the top at the High Hopes Blog so you don't miss any stops along the way.

From here you will hop to NIKI'S BLOG.

Thank you so much for celebrating with High Hopes! Good luck to you all!!

High Hopes 100th Challenge Blog Hop

WOW!! Hard to believe Tuesday is the 100th challenge on the High Hopes blog!! You won't want to miss it ---they are having a special hop with lots of prizes!!

Did I mention there will be prizes????

See you there!!!

PS --PRIZES!!

Hot or Cold challenge

Well this week certainly got away from me!! I had every intention of having this card done a few days ago ---but I have been working more hours at work & with the whole car situation, I haven't had much free time.

As it happens, this week's challenge on the 7 Kids Challenge Blog is Hot or Cold.....& since I had already started this card I thought I'd enter it!



This was one of MANY images I received in a goodie package from my friend Tammi. She is so darn generous! But you know what -----now I MUST have this stamp! So --my good friend is making me spend money! LOL....yeah, like I need help spending money! And if I buy this one, I may as well buy more. Kind of like "If You Give A Mouse A Cookie"! "If you give a stamper one stamp, you'll have to give her more. Then you'll have to give her some ink. Then she'll want some paper, & some Copic markers to color the image"

The papers are Basic Grey Eskimo Kisses....I did the sentiment on my computer....I used Nestabilities Blossom 2 for the layer behind Tilda...& Labels 9 for the sentiment. How much do you love the punch?? That's the Infinite Loops punch from Martha Stewart....perfect for when you just don't have the right ribbon! Lots & lots of Stickles everywhere....the sentiment edge....Tilda's coat & lantern....& on the flower.



I hate taking pictures at night! I just can't capture the sparkle. Darn winter & getting dark so early!



I sponged Worn Lipstick Distress Ink on the edges of the flower (my very first purchase from Wild Orchid Crafts! Amazing service!!) before adding the glitter. Hmmm...think I'll have to actually make a BOX for this card .....love these roses but I don't think an envelope is going to quite cut it!!

I hope you all have a great weekend! Ours will be spent car shopping. We got our check from the insurance company so that makes shopping a *little* easier, but it's still a pain! Thank goodness for the cyber world --remember the **old days** when you had to drive from car lot to car lot & actually walk around & look at all the cars?? Of course you still have to check out the potential purchases, but it sure makes it a lot easier to pick out what you want to look at online!!!