Christmas in New York

Nothing like walking thru New York City on a cold, blustery day!! A friend and I spent yesterday in NYC.....sightseeing, shopping, eating.....well, you get the picture. The tree at Rockefeller Center is just amazing, its so beautiful. The city was crowded, but when isn't it crowded there. The tree is a 72 ft Norway Spruce!!! You can read more about the tree here . Enjoy, and hopefully I can get some cards made today and uploaded. Thanks for stopping by.

OMG - its December!!!

Can you even believe that December is here? Wow, where did 2008 go? I swear it was yesterday when the boys started summer vacation!

Oh well....hope all of you are at least started on your Christmas shopping, and maybe even close to being done. How about those handmade cards????? Done with them yet? I'm close to being done shopping, and close to having my cards made!

Here's a card I thought I'd share....no, its not a Christmas card.

The holidays are hard for a lot of people. Maybe they lost a loved one around the holidays at some point in their life, maybe they are having health issues, or possibly financial problems. Someone I know lost their life a few weeks ago, and I wonder how hard it will be for her family to cope this holiday season. How will her children and husband find the strength to get thru the next few weeks without thinking of her every waking moment? They'll have to do it....life does go on after all, but they'll do it with the love and support of family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, and people in their community.

Take a moment this holiday season to help out that elderly neighbor, donate to a food bank, adopt a family for the holidays. Do something to show others that someone does care, you may be the person that puts a smile on their face, and gives them hope!

I hope you all have a very fulfilling holiday season!

Who loves to paint???

NOT I!!! I painted a lot about 2 weeks ago...and I am so done! My mom wanted me to post pics on my blog so she could see it. She lives about 3 hours from me. So mom....this is for you. This is pics of my living room...kind of a 360. Enjoy.

School Pictures

Ahhh...that wonderful time of year when the kids bring home thier school pics...you know...the ones you pay a ton of money for but you're not there to make sure the kids look just right. Well, my freshman pulled his out of his backpack today and guess what.....he had his dang coat on!!! I about lost it....couldn't believe I spent money for these pics and he had his coat on. Soooo....when the hubby got home from work, we took the kids and got our own photos, along with the family dog Patriot. Hope you like!

Christmas Cards

My little sister was here all weekend and we stamped our little hearts out. She comes for a weekend every fall and we try to get the majority of our Christmas cards done. This year was not exception! Although, in between all of the stamping - we did manage to squeeze in a shopping trip, lunch at Red Lobster, and a much needed new hairstyle for her!! I'm already anxious for the next time we do it!

Christmas is coming.....

I know, isn't it hard to believe...only a couple months till Christmas, and even less time than that for me to get my holiday cards made and sent out. This card was made for the color challenge and sketch challenge on SCS yesterday and today.

Stamps:

Reindeer stamps fro Elzybells in the UK

Peace on Earth is from Papertrey Ink

Colors:

Baja Breeze, Kiwi Kiss, Very Vanilla and White.

Misc: Argyle cb folder, ribbon, punches, glossy accents, and my sakura pen to add some sparkle.

Thanks for stopping by!

Inspire Me!!

They always have an inspiration challenge on SCS on Saturdays. Yesterday was a page out of a Pier 1 catalog, and it was a brown sofa, orange walls and just lots of wonderful accents. This is my spin on it.

Supplies:

Stamps: Pocket Silhouettes from SU, and birthday sentiment from Stamping Bella

Paper: Tangerine Tango from SU, Chocolate from PTI, dp is also SU.

Misc: twill ribbon from PTI

Thanks for looking!

OCC Challenge Card

I did the challenge for Our Creative Corner last week, and just did it again for this week. I love the nice simple lines of this sketch.

Supplies:

Stamps: Papertrey Ink Birthday Basics, Pocket Silhouettes from SU

Paper: Very Vanilla, CTMH dp, white, black

Misc: Ribbon from Pinkhedgehog and a paper piercer

Happy Anniversary My Friend

My very dearest bff asked if I could make her a 20th anniversary card for her to give to her husband. Nothing too girly...and she wanted me to use my Just Rite stamper. Well...I absolutely love how this card turned out. My 15 yo son said "Mom, thats the best card you've ever made!" Soooo...I'm thinking this card is GREAT!!!!

Supplies:

Stamps: Just Rite Monogram Stamper

Paper: Baja Breeze, SU dp, Basic Gray

Misc: ribbon, paper piercer, pearls

Thanks for checking in.

Cocktails Anyone???

Todays card was made for Our Creative Corner - they had a challenge to make a funny card. This brand new stamp that I hadn't inked up seemed like the perfect one. I made the martini b/g paper probably a year ago, and its been sitting around waiting to be used.

Supplies:

Stamps: Clear Set from Inkadinkado, Amuse oval stamp

Paper: Black, Red, White

Misc: Ribbon, markers, paper piercer.

Enjoy, and thanks for stopping by.

Sketch Challenge

I love todays sketch challenge on SCS....it rocks. I knew as soon as I saw it this morning I needed to hurry home and get this one started.

Stamps: Coffee With Friends - Flourishes

Papger: Pretty in Pink Chocolate Chip, White, DP from CTMH

Accessories: Brads, ribbon, paper piercer, inkssentials white opaque pen, photo corner punch, nesties.

Thanks for stopping by and checking in one me today!

Everything's Coming Up Roses

Ahhhh...not feeling too hot today, have a sinus infection and messed up ears...but I did feel well enough to do the color challenge on SCS. The challenge was to keep things monochromatic...and well...I love how it turned out.

Stamps: Inkadinkado

Paper: Rose Red, Pretty in Pink, White and SU dp

Ink: black

Accessories: scallop punch, nesties, small and large oval punch, rub ons, Marth Steward butterflies, brads from pinkhedgehog, ribbon

Thanks for swinging by and checking on me today.

O-R-G-A-N-I-Z-A-T-I-O-N

Who doesn't need to be more organized??? As I continue to "collect"....I'm constantly looking for ways to organize my stamps, paper, bling, etc. I got the idea to put some trim up on the walls to hold my stamps. I'm sure I saw it somewhere on line, but who can remember stuff like that. So off I went to Lowes.....rubber stamp in hand! I searched for a piece that was wide enough to hold my stamp and bought 2 8' sections of it. It was already painted white...which made it even sweeter. I (ok, not really "I", it was the hubby) cut each piece in half and nailed them onto wall. Now all of my wood mounted stamps from different companies are right up there on the wall for me to look at and decide which I want to use. How cool is that...no more searching in a drawer!!

Ah yes...I'm such a slacker!!!!

I've neglected my blogly duties lately. I can't believe how quickly this summer has gone. Its hard to believe the holidays will be here before we know it. I've been thinking about Christmas and gifts, and giving. Christmas is my absolute favorite time of the year. I admit its fun to receive gifts...but man I love the giving part. I've been known to go a little overboard! Its also time to start thinking about Christmas cards. I admit I don't "make" them for everyone...but for the most part, family and friends get them. I'll be sure to upload some of them as soon as I get started.

I was peaking over at PTI the other day and came across a bracelet Nichole had made using paper. OK, I instantly fell in love with it and dug out my beading supplies. It was so easy and I definitely plan on making some of these as Christmas gifts. Nichole has a tutorial on her blog at http://nicholeheady.typepad.com/capture_the_moment/2008/08/introducing-rem.html go check it out. I bought more paper to start working on some more bracelets. I know my nieces are going to love these!!

Thanks for stopping by, and I'll try to keep after this blog a little better! Take care my friends!

Rockin Vanilla Skies

Wow....do you not love todays color challenge on SCS??? It's gotta be one of my all time favorites! Challenge was to use River Rock, Very Vanilla, and Soft Sky. I threw in some Basic Grey Figgy Pudding and a Christmas sentiment and made a Christmas in July Card. Hope you enjoy and thanks for looking.

I know...I'm a SLACKER!!!!

Wow, I can't believe how long its been since I've posted on here. When I started this blog....I promised I keep up with it! So much for promises to myself huh?

Well.....I hopped on the Copic bandwagon! So far, so good. I'm getting the hang of it, but I need MORE of those darned things. Here is my first card I did with my new markers.

Is that giggling puppy not just THE CUTEST thing you've ever seen???

Supplies: Image came from the PIF Thread on SCS.

Paper: Chocolat Chip, Real Red, White

Misc: punches, brads, ribbon

Thanks for stopping by and I'll try to update this thing more often! ((hugs))

Color Challenge

These cards are for yesterdays color challenge on SCS. Can I just say WOW! I loved the combo so much I made 2 cards!!! The colors are Soft Sky, Black and Kraft - or in this case Creamy Caramel because I have NO Kraft!!!

On the Lighthouse card...the images came from PIF - of course! I also used the Sanded SU stamp on the Soft Sky. the inside of the card says..."may your joys be as deep as the ocean, and your sorrows as light as the foam"....how cool is that? The sentiment comes from Cornish Heritage Farms.

On the other card...I used my Stampscapes stamps, if you don't have any, you should definitely try them out. They stamp beautifully. I think my favorite thing on this card is how I used the photo corners underneath the main image. I didn't want another mat underneath it, so I decided to just emphasize the corners.

Hope you enjoy....have a great day!!!

Cause Oscar Mayer has a way........

....with B-O-L-O-G-N-A!!!

Hi Shannah - this ones for you!!!! As I was packing my lunch this morning...I couldn't help but get a pic....I figured you needed a visual...so here you go! For all of you who have no clue why I would put a pic of bologna on my blog...Shannah is from Australia and didn't know what bologna was.

Few more pics of the pool....

Here's a few pics that show more of the rocks....

Landscaping Weekend

Wow, its been a long weekend!!! We had 4 skids of rocks delivered to stack around the pool. When we got the pool, we chose a dark liner - we were going for a "pond" look!! Guess we wanna feel like frogs when we're outside. Anyways.....I think we've accomplished the look we were going for. So the weekend was spent stacking all of these rock. We still have a few holes to fill in, but I think its done for the most part. Enjoy the pictures....

Baby Shower Card

I went to a friends baby shower today. I wanted to get something for her, cause I knew the baby would get a ton of stuff. I was right...the baby got a ton of stuff. I opted for the non-traditional gift for the mom-to-be, and also went for a non-traditional baby card! Oh, by the way, I got her a gift certificate for a pedicure.



The stamp is made by Make an Impression, I used the Geranium image which I picked up at my LSS yesterday. Although it was time consuming, I do like the finished product. I also got a punch to go with it. You stamp the image, then insert the small punched flowers into the actual flower places on the stamp. You push down on the middle of the punched flower on something soft (I used the spongy thing that came with my mat pack), then pick it up with tweezers, dip it in some glue and put it onto the card. Yeh, can you believe I actually did that!!??

Colors on the card are all SU, Old Olive, Real Red, More Mustard and White. I colored it with prismas, and used my Swiss Dot CB folder.

Enjoy, and as always....thanks for stopping by!

Graduation

Graduation is upon us once again. One of my good friends Jillian asked me to make some cards for her twin daughters who are graduation. This is the card I came up with for the girls. I left Jillian personalize the inside. I'm so happy with how they turned out, and I wish the girls all of the luck for the future....

I use Black, White and Summer Sunrise paper (PTI) I also got to use my new monogram stamper from Flourishes, which I am loving. The Diplomabella images came from one of my PIF friends Swap4fun - thank you!!! Of course I colored the Bellas with my prismas.

Enjoy and thanks for stopping by.

Sketch Challenge

Going to try something new tonight. I want to post a challenge for all of you! I'm thinking a sketch challenge from SCS. Since they have such wonderful challenges over there! Its going to be Sketch Challenge 177 - thanks to Daiseyfreak. The link to the challenge is here... SC177 , the only catch is that you must use a PIF image, or if you don't have any PIF's...use something from WRAK, and if you don't have any of those, well then just feel free to play along anyways.

Please post a comment here and a link to your card in SCS. Remember to put PIF in your keyword section so we can do a search and find all of the PIF images.

This card is for todays Sketch Challenge on SCS. I enjoyed doing this even though I didn't stamp anything at all. I used Soft Sky and Real Red paper, my swiss dot folder for the cuttlebug and my patch and some dimensionals. Totally easy. Enjoy

Thanks for stopping by.

Hi Wormy!!

This card is for todays Sketch Challenge on SCS. I just got this stamp in the mail today from Whipper Snapper, and I just had to use him!!! I stamped him on watercolor paper and in green stazon, then used my prismas to color him with the OMS. I used Itty Bitty Backgrounds around the white piece with Summer Sun ink and then sponged a little Real Red just for some added depth on the card. I did the piercing with the mat from Stampin Up and used my trusty little thumb tack for the piercing. I also stamped the Itty Bitty Backgrounds onto the Real Red piece of paper. My other paper colors are Summer Sun and Garden Green.

Thanks for stopping by and checking on me... I appreciate that.

Sketch Challenge 176 on SCS

This card is for todays Sketch Challenge on SCS. Which is a great sketch...and if you haven't tried it, you should. I woke up bright and early this morning - 6am to be exact - so I could get a card made and put in my gallery. I used my Camping Riley stamp and I'm very pleased with how it turned out.

Stamp: Camping Riley, Mini Mates

Paper: Old Olive, Summer Sun, Black, White, CM gingham

Ink: Black

Accessories: prismacolor pencils, oval punches from SU, and big black brads that my friend Janice (catcrazy) helped me pick out. Thanks Janice, I love them!! I think I need them in every color.

Thanks for checking out my blog.

Got Friends???

Wow, I sure do!!! May 10th was my birthday and I'm still receiving fascinating works of art from all of my family and friends. Whether those are friends, I can see, feel and hug....or if they are my "virtual" friends...I'm enjoying all of my happy mail!!! You are a fabulous group of girls, and I love you all. Thank you so much for making this year so special!

Another Winner

Congratulations to Alison - Newstampinaddict~! She's the winner of the blog candy. Thanks for playing everyone, and thanks for sending cards to Mindy!

Anybody Interested in Some Candy?

I promised blog candy in honor of my birthday, so here it is. What you will receive in this blog candy is: this card, and all of the stuff you'll need to make 5 more of them - including the lighthouse stamp!!! I'll leave the sentiment off so you can customize it to what you need. I'll even include the envies! I thought a lighthouse stamp was great for the beginning of warm weather and summertime.

Now for the specifics.....to be entered into the drawing for the blog candy, you must comment in this post, and tell me how you chose your scs name. I know, thats an easy one, isn't it. Everyone seems to be getting on the cardsforhereoes.org bandwagon, and since I'm not one to be left behind with current trends, I'm gonna jump on also!

For every card or card front you send to Mindy (doesn't have to be a Christmas card), you'll receive another entry for my blog candy. Now, we're going to go by the honor system here, so no cheating! All you need to do is pm me or post on my blog how many you are sending to Mindy and I'll put your name in the basket that many times. I'll be drawing the winner on Saturday, May 10th, at 8pm, so get to work on those cards, or dig some out. You can find Mindy's address here - there are several women, so make sure they are going to Mindy! If you decide to help Mindy with shipping costs, you will get another entry for every dollar you send to her - just let me know what you're sending. Even $1 in with your card would be great, every little bit helps.

So come on ladies, lets help Mindy's cause, and lets help our troops.

God Bless America and our Troops!!!

Happy Birthday to Me!!!

Wow, I got the most beautiful card in the mail today, from one of the sweetest ladies I know. I figured since I didn't have anything near as exciting as this, it deserved to be featured on my blog today! This card is from Denise Marzec - aka: peanutbee or chuck as she is well known on the PIF thread. Thanks Denise, the card is absolutely gorgeous, but I must admit it made me feel like a novice when I laid it on my desk beside some stuff I colored. I just don't know if I'll ever graduate to "CHUCKDOM"!!!

Good News Puppy!!

This is a new stamp I just got from Whipper Snapper - and he is so darn cute!! I love how he stamps and he is so fun to color.

Recipe:

Stamps: Whipper Snapper Good News Puppy, PTI Borders & Corners, SU Mini Mates

Paper: Sahara Sand, Chocolate Chip, White, SU designer paper

Ink: Chocolate Chip

Accessories: ribbon, punches, prismas

Thanks for stopping by!

WE HAVE A WINNER!!!!

Drum Roll................... and the winner is:


DAISEYFREAK!!!!! CONGRATULATIONS JOY!!!!!

May 1st already!

I can't believe its May already!!! Wow, summer is just around the corner.

I get a lot of requests for cards from friends and co-workers. Today I needed to come up with some birthday cards for 2 little boys. I got this image from my friend Pam - its a Whipper Snapper image.

Recipe:

Stamp: Whipper Snapper

Paper: Real Red, Garden Green and white

I used my prismas to color him and then used the odorless mineral spirits on them. I've been starting to reach for my nesties more. The white strip was cuttlebugged with the swiss dots folder (which everyone needs), and I used my SU punches for the Happy Birthday.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today and don't forget to sign up for my blog candy!

Mothers Day

Yes, Mothers Day is right around the corner. I put in my "order" for a cuttlebug, how about you? I needed to come up with a few ideas for Mothers Day cards, this is one of them. I got my inspiration from here ://www.splitcoaststampers.com/gallery/photo/844876 - I loved her card. I did add some of my new baubles I got from Stamping Bella today.

Recipe

Stamps - Best Blossoms and a Hapy Mothers Day stamp from Impression Obsession

Paper - SU Purely Pomegranate and Whisper White

Ink - SU Purely Pomegranate and Always Artichoke

Ribbon - SU Purely Pomegranate and some polka dot from my miscellaneous collection

Enjoy and thanks for looking.

Long Time No Post

Wow, it's been a while, life has been quite busy around here. So, I thought I could post some blog candy to make up for me being MIA. What I have up for grabs is some some cb paper, some square chipboards to be altered, a couple new rolls of ribbon, a brand new pack of 50 book markers, 1 Me & My Big Ideas Rubber Stamp - Jen, (thanks to catcrazy for that), along with any other miscellaneous items, images I may throw in the package also. All you have to do is stop by and post a message!!! I'll put all names into a hat and draw a winner on Friday, May 2nd at 9pm EST!

Thanks for stopping by and good luck!