Sweet Bloom

I was busy cleaning up my craft room today and trying to organize when I found a few cards that were stuffed in a journal I made. I made the cards a while ago and I guess I forgot I put them in that journal. So, I thought I'd share one with you since I haven't yet had time to stamp today! :) I used a flower punch for this card, and put patterned paper on the inside of the card that would show through the flower. The sentiments are from a Brenda Walton clear set I have. I was just playing with the ribbon to make it look like a stem. I know it's not the typical green for a stem, but the card needed some color! :)

I can't believe it's Friday already! This week sure did fly by. Even today is going fast since I'm trying to clean up and organize. I can't find a few things, so I've been searching for them and that's taking some time. Not to mention that when I'm searching for the things I've lost, I find more work that needs to be done! LOL Well, thanks for stopping by today! Hope you're having a wonderful Friday! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Brenda Walton; Paper- Whisper White, Certainly Celery, Basic Black (SU), patterned paper (Me & My Big Ideas); Ink- Certainly Celery, Pixie Pink, Basic Black; Accessories- Marvy Uchida flower punch, epoxy sticker, ribbon, staple.

Still Thinking Warm

Here's another card I made with the My Favorite Things By the Seashore set. All of the supplies came in my Paper Pretties box. I just LOVE that patterned paper! Christie does such a wonderful job of picking out papers and embellishments! I'm still trying to think warm even though winter is here! It really wakes you up walking out the door to take Savannah to preschool in the morning. Thankfully, my husband can wait until I get back to leave for work. That way, I don't have to drag Arwen and Isaac with me twice. I can't believe it's Thursday already. Time sure does fly. . .especially when you have a list of things to get done and time just ticks away as the list SLOWLY gets shorter. I'm hoping to get some more crossed off my list today! Hope you have a productive day as well! Thanks for visiting! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- By the Seashore (My Favorite Things); Ink- Basic Black, Certainly Celery, Chocolate Chip, Creamy Caramel (SU); Paper- Very Vanilla (SU), Urban Window Collection (We R Memory Keepers); Accessories- ribbon (American Crafts), horizontal slot punch (SU), blender pen.

It's Prettie Wednesday!

Another Prettie Girls Challenge already! This challenge was issued by Jillian. . .to make an ornament! I haven't made an ornament in a very long time and I really had to think about what to make. I wanted to make it easy to mail, and the clear glass bulbs that I usually make ornaments out of are NOT easy to mail. At least not if you want it to arrive in one piece! So, as I was thinking about what to make an ornament out of, Arwen came into the room with something she "swiped" from my craft room. It was an empty Prima Flower paint can from some Prima flowers I bought at Target a while ago. Along with the paint can, came this magnetic-back tin that held little chipboard flowers, and it was stuck to the top of the paint can. PERFECT! So, it's not an ornament you hang on the tree, but one you can put on your fridge! Hopefully Alli will like it! Be sure and check out what the other Prettie Girls(Alli, Christie, Jillian, Joanne, Julie C., Julie M., and Kristine) have come up with! I'm sure they are fabulous! Thanks for stopping by! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Merry and Bright; Paper- blue (DCWV), pearlized white (Paper Accents); Ink- Palette in Noir; Accessories- white polka dot organdy ribbon, Icicle Stickles, Copic Spica glitter pens, prima tin from Target.

Basically Soft

This is for today's Color Challenge on SCS, Basically Soft. . .to use Basic Gray, Bashful Blue and Certainly Celery. It has been a while since I've done one of the challenges on Splitcoast. It really felt good to be able to do one today! I even got to use some new stamps that were waiting for me when I got home! I used the sketch from Julee's Mojo Monday Challenge for this card. It's been a while since I did one of Julee's Mojo Challenges too. Thanks for jump-starting my mojo Julee! :) I don't know how well the picture shows it, but I used Icicle Stickles for the snow and added some snow falling as well. If you're looking for some inspiration, head on over to Poetic Artistry and try Julee's Mojo Monday Challenge, or try the Color Challenge on Splitcoast. They both helped me get going today! Thanks for stopping by! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- A Winter Song, sentiment (Elzybells Art Stamps); Paper- Basic Gray, Bashful Blue, Certainly Celery, Whisper White, patterned paper (DCWV); Ink- Palette in Noir, Certainly Celery, Bashful Blue, Chocolate Chip, Apricot Appeal, Blush Blossom, Bordering Blue; Accessories- paper piercer, brads (Making Memories), jumbo circle punch, Mega scallop circle punch, small oval punch, blender pen, Icicle Stickles.

A Few Pictures

Well, you've all been asking for more pictures, so here are a few! The girls (as you can see by the picture of them with Isaac) just adore their little brother. I was actually surprised at how Arwen took to him. I thought it was going to be a rough adjustment for her, but she just loves to pat him and kiss him. I'm still trying to sort through pictures and organize stuff at home, so I haven't had a chance to stamp yet (GASP!) I'm hoping to maybe get to that tonight! :) Thank you all for checking in and wishing us well. . .I really appreciate your concern! Hope you're having a great day!

Sending You Sunshine

Well, the weather has officially turned COLD here in Pittsburgh! I don't like cold weather AT ALL and last night really felt like winter. I thought I'd post a card I made a little while ago to help me think "warm". Winter has only just begun, and already I can't wait until summer! This card was made with supplies from my Paper Pretties subscription box! I just LOVE all of these papers! The best part is, I didn't even have to go out shopping for them! They were all selected for me and coordinate perfectly!

Hope all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Ours was just perfect. We seem to be adjusting well to having a new little addition here. Hopefully it will continue this way. Isaac is such a sweet, sweet baby. He really doesn't cry much at all. He just makes little whimper sounds when he's hungry or uncomfortable. Isn't that lucky? I don't want to speak too soon, though! LOL

I also wanted to thank so many of you who have sent cards or gifts. . .how very, very sweet of you! I am really touched. I plan to get to taking pictures and posting "official" thank yous, but I wanted to let you know that I really appreciate your thoughtfulness and generosity. You guys are the best! Thanks for checking in! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- By the Seashore (My Favorite Things); Paper- Shabby Princess Collection (Bo Bunny Press), Whisper White (SU); Ink- Basic Black, Bashful Blue, Certainly Celery, Marvelous Magenta (SU); Accessories- white gel pen, paper piercer, blender pen.

SALE at Verve Visual!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Hope you have a wonderful and safe holiday! I just wanted to pop in and let you know about the big sale that's happening at Verve Visual this weekend!



Sale dates are from Friday, November 23 - Sunday, November 25. Here's what will be on sale:

-10% off all Verve Visual stamp sets and acrylic blocks

-15% off all Ribbon, Embellishments, Inks and Adhesives

-15% off all Pearlized Cardstock

-20% off all Bind-it-All Coils

-25% off all designer paper

-Additional discounts throughout the store



PLUS... In addition to the sale prices listed above, orders over $50 will receive an additional 10% off! To receive this special discount, you must use coupon code THANKFUL at checkout (scroll down to the very bottom of the shopping cart page and enter the coupon code and click apply). After applying the coupon, your additional savings will automatically be reflected in your total. This coupon and the sale prices listed above will expire at 11:59 PM Mountain Time on Sunday, November 25, so hurry up and get your VERVE on!

Just a Little Eye Candy

Since I haven't had time to stamp just yet, I thought I'd share some creations with you for last month's Stampin' in Your Jammies over at Paper Pretties. I think I've told you that every month Paper Pretties has a virtual Stampin' in Your Jammies night for their members. It only lasts for 3 hours. . .one challenge each hour and you have to create and post your creations by the end of each hour. It's a lot of fun and there are prizes for winning entries! I was only able to participate in 2 of the last challenges. The one challenge was a sketch challenge, and the second was to make a sour cream container. It was a lot of fun. . .and you KNOW how I LOVE sketch challenges! :) Thanks for stopping by today! Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving and safe travel! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- By the Seashore(My Favorite Things), Jammybella (Stamping Bella); Paper- Bayou Blue, Soft Sky, Whisper White (SU), Chocolate, patterned paper (DCWV); Ink- Basic Black, Chocolate Chip, Bayou Blue, Soft Sky; Accessories- Stardust Stickles, blender pen, paper piercer, scallop circle punch.

It's Prettie Wednesday!

Two weeks ago (wow, has it been THAT long?), Kristine submitted the Prettie Girl Challenge to make a recipe card. This one stumped me for a while because I couldn't think of anything interesting to do! I finally decided that one of our favorite family appetizers would make a great recipe card. . .Taco Dip! Plus, I hadn't had any in a while, so it was a perfect excuse to make some! I printed the actual recipe on the computer, took a picture of my taco dip and mounted it on the card with dimensionals. The "southwestern" looking stamps are from a set I got at my local craft store for $1.98! I thought they worked well. I sent this card off to Julie C. Hopefully she likes the recipe! I can't wait to check out the other Prettie Girls(Alli, Christie, Jillian, Joanne, Julie C., Julie M., and Kristine) recipe cards! Thanks for stopping by! Hopefully I'll be back a little later. . .this is my first day back on the computer! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Safari (Sugarloaf Products), Rough Edges Alphabet (SU); Paper- heavy computer cardstock, Wild Wasabi, Groovy Guava (SU); Ink- More Mustard, Groovy Guava, Wild Wasabi, Soft Sky (SU);

Charmaine and Baby Isaac

To all of my wife's stamping/blogging/scrapping friends, Charmaine and Baby Isaac are both well. He came into the world at 9 pounds, 9 ounces (21 inches). His appetite matches his size. Charmaine most likely be back to her stamping ways on Tuesday, November 20.

Beate Weekend Sketch Challenge #28

It's Friday and you know what that means! Time for another fabulous Sketch Challenge from Beate! I just LOVED this sketch because it fit this little Tubby Time Bitzy Bug perfectly! I have wanted this little bug forever, and I finally ordered it last week from All That Scraps. I just LOVE the Bitzy Bug Collection from C.C. Designs! They are all so CUTE! Have you seen the little pregnant bug? So cute. . .but I didn't get that one. . .yet, anyway! :) Beate was awesome enough to send me this sketch early so I could work on it and have it finished before I went into the hospital since I didn't know if I'd be discharged in time! (I know, you all think I'm nuts, right?) I just can't help thinking ahead, and stamping helps keep my mind off the things I think of to worry about! (like the unknown of life AFTER delivery of baby #3!) Anyway, thanks, Beate! You rock!

I colored in the bug image with a blender pen and ink pads, used the Spots and Dots Cuttlebug folder for the background, and a combination of circle punches and the designer label punch for the sentiment. I really love the colors of this card, but more than that, I JUST LOVE THIS BUG! Hope you do too! Be sure to check out what wonderful creations Beate, Jenn, Laurie, Lori, MaryJo and Sharon have come up with! Thanks for visiting and have a great day! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Tubby Time Bitzy Bug (C.C. Designs), Bugs & Kisses (SU); Paper- Blue Bayou, Soft Sky, Groovy Guava, Whisper White (SU); Ink- Blue Bayou, Groovy Guava, Bordering Blue, Basic Black (SU); Accessories- double stitched ribbon in Groovy Guava, 1 1/4", 1 3/8", Designer Label punches, Jumbo circle punch, Mega scallop circle punch, Spots & Dots Cuttlebug folder, paper piercer, Icicle Stickles.

Reach For the Stars

If you've received your new Verve Visual stamp sets and are looking for ideas for them, be sure and check out the Verve Visual blog! Starting today, the Design Team will be posting more wonderful creations.



Here is a little gift journal I made using the Starlight Starbright set. I added a shaker to the cover using star sequins and jewels. My Bind It All made this a very quick, easy project! I started with 4x4 coasters and covered them with the Echo paper from Memory Box. I stamped stars and swirls on the cover as well as inside the shaker. I cut 3.5x3.5 pieces of cardstock and rounded the corners for the inside pages. Once the book was all assembled, the finishing touches were the ribbons on the binding and the sentiment on the front. I had intended to give this as a gift, but I'm thinking now I might keep it! LOL Of course, I could always make more since the most time consuming part of this project was the shaker! Hope you like the journal idea. Thanks for stopping by today! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Starlight Starbright (Verve Visual); Ink- Thatched Straw, Purple Hydrangea (VersaMagic), Craft White, Basic Black (SU); Paper- Echo (Memory Box), Black, purple (DCWV); Accessories- ribbons (May Arts, Darice), star sequins, jewels (Joann), large oval punch (SU).

Prettie Wednesday

It's Wednesday and another Prettie Girl Challenge! This challenge was issued by Christie, to create 5 business cards for your Prettie Girl buddy and mail them off to her. I made these for Jillian, or Jillabella as she calls herself! :) At first I had no idea WHAT to do with the whole business card thing, then I couldn't decided which idea to go with. Hopefully Jillian will like these! It was definitely a lot of fun to make them! Be sure and check out what the other Prettie Girls, Alli, Christie, Jillian, Joanne, Julie C., Julie M., and Kristine came up with. Thanks for stopping by! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Parisabella (Stamping Bella), Piece of Cake (Papertrey Ink); Paper- Whisper White, turquoise; Ink- Tempting Turquoise, Yo Yo Yellow; Accessories- circle punch, scallop circle punch.

Featured Stamper: StampOwl

This was for the last Featured Stamper Challenge on SCS, to CASE StampOwl! The thing I love most about the Featured Stamper Challenge is that you get to check out an entire gallery of someone you may have missed with their daily posts. StampOwl's gallery is just awesome and it was very hard to choose a card to CASE. I finally decided on this card. I thought it was so pretty and soft, and the main image reminded me of this Bitzy Bug that I just got. . .I thought it would be a nice subsitute. So, I changed the stamps and the colors of the card. Hope you like it! Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Ballerina Bitzy Bug (C.C. Designs), sentiment (A Muse); Paper- Christmas Glitter Stack (DCWV), Whisper White (SU); Ink- Regal Rose, Pretty in Pink, Basic Black (SU); Accessories- brads (Making Memories), polka dot organdy ribbon (Doodliedoo), ticket corner punch (SU), blender pen, corner rounder.

Color Challenge

This was for last week's Color Challenge on SCS, to use Soft Sky, Wild Wasabi and Ruby Red. I've had this Bella for a LONG time and haven't ever used her! Can you believe that? I thought this festive color combination would work well for her. I paper pieced her dress, boots and hat. The rest was colored with a blender pen and ink pads. The sentiment is by A Muse.

Well, today is my last day of being pregnant! It hit me EARLY this morning when I went to the hospital for my blood work. I just can't believe that by this time tomorrow, my belly will be "not so round". :) I've got a lot of last minute things to finish up today, so I'd better get going! Thanks for stopping by! Have a great day! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Merrybella (Stamping Bella), sentiment (A Muse); Paper- Wild Wasabi, Ruby Red, Soft Sky, Whisper White (SU); Accessories- star brads (Oriental Trading), Cuttlebug Spots & Dots folder, corner rounder, ribbon (American Crafts), Stardust Stickles., blender pen.

Happy Mail

I received this adorable card last week from Kim Howard. She participated in the Pay It Forward I had a few weeks ago. She sent me this card as a thanks for the goodies I sent and to welcome my newest package! This card is just adorable. I LOVE the "different" boy colors! Thank you so much, Kim! You really made me smile! (and you're welcome for your goodies!)

Attention Stampendous Bee and Changito Fans!

Stampendous Coterie

Only available from eclectic Paperie.
The Details
Purchase all six(6) new stamps for $43.94(plus shipping).

Bee Happy: Three(3) new bee stamps.
Changito: Three (3) new monkey stamps.

Additional FUN Details
We reached the 50 mark for the Stampendous Coterie! Everyone who purchased the Stampendous bundle will receive a free co-ordinating word stamp, Secret Admirer($5.19 value), absolutely free! Plus it will come with this Stampendous acrylic paint can($3.99 value) .

If we sell 100 bundles, everyone who purchased the Stampendous bundle will receive both Secret Admirer AND Crazy About You($5.79 value) free.

Dryer Sheet Tutorial

Have you ever tried the Dryer Sheet Technique? It adds such a unique fuzzy, glittery layer to your card! If you haven't tried it, check out the tutorial on SCS! It's simple and remember, if you don't have a Xyron machine, spray adhesive works very well too!

Hope you're enjoying your weekend. I'm trying to get everything checked off my list before I go in to have the baby on Tuesday morning. So far, my list is looking pretty good! Thanks for stopping by! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Beautiful Season (SU); Paper- chocolate, red, olive, white (DCWV); Ink- Old Olive, Chocolate Chip; Accessories- brads (Making Memories), used dryer sheet, white organdy ribbon (Darice), ticket corner punch, Dazzling Diamonds glitter (SU).

Got Verve?

Today's the day! Head on over to Verve Visual to check out their TWO new releases! I'm sure you're going to LOVE them! (and especially the prices!) Be sure and check out the Design Team Gallery to see all of the awesome creations the Design Team has come up with for these sets and well as two guest designers!! You'll be sure to see lots of great ideas and beautiful eye candy! If you love these sets, be sure and get them ASAP before they sell out!

Here's a couple of the cards I made using these two sets. The first one uses Wonderful Wishes. I love the square block and fitting sentiments inside! I added a star brad as well as two dots of copper glitter glue on either side. The chipboard star is from Heidi Swapp and that gorgeous paper is from the Crate Paper Cowboy Collection. . .I LOVE that!


The second card uses Starlight Starbright. I think this card has a little more of a "western" look to it. Maybe it's because the stars I stamped in the circles of the patterned paper reminded me of a sheriff's badge? The paper for this card is by Arctic Frog. The papers and ribbons for both projects can be found at Verve Visual. If you want to see more projects of mine and other design team members, head on over to the gallery!

Both sets are loaded with great sentiments for all occasions, so be sure and get your sets today! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Starlight Starbright, Wonderful Wishes (Verve Visual); Paper- Cowboy Collection (Crate Paper), Sunday Brunch (Arctic Frog), turquoise (DCWV), Stamper's Select white cardstock (Papertrey Ink); Ink- Really Rust, Tempting Turquoise, Basic Black, Chocolate Chip (SU); Accessories- rust ribbon, polka dot organdy (May Arts), horizontal slot punch, slit punch, paper piercer, large oval punch, white gel pen, Chocolate Chip, Really Rust markers, star brads (Oriental Trading).

Featured Crafter!

I received an email from Andrea Hays of Crafts on a Whim a few weeks ago. She asked me if I would be interested in being a Featured Crafter on her site. Me!?? Wow!! I was honored! It's a new feature that Andrea wants to add to her site every Friday. Last Friday was her first feature, which introduced you to Becky Oehlers! It's a great way to get to know other crafters and their backgrounds! So head on over and check it out! If you're interested in being a Featured Crafter, be sure and send Andrea an email! She's so sweet and really does a GREAT job! Thanks, again, Andrea!

Beate's Weekend Sketch Challenge #27

When Beate sent her sketch for this week, I kept looking at it and thinking which stamp sets I could use to fill that focal circle. I came up with some ideas, but nothing I was really crazy about. Then I thought "I should make a scrapbook page!" I never think to use the sketches for scrapbook pages, but I thought this one would work very well. I have always loved this picture of Savannah and Arwen in their polka dot dresses, so I took this as an excuse to scrapbook it and maybe even frame it! If not, at least it will be in a 6x6 album ready to view instead of somewhere on the computer in our countless photo files!




I used the Little Lady set from Papertrey Ink and the sentiment is from a set that I bought for $2 at my local craft store. These aren't colors I would normally use, but I took them from the girls' dresses. I can't wait to see what Beate, Jenn, Laurie, Lori, MaryJo and Sharon have come up with for this sketch. I'm sure they are all amazing as usual! Thanks for stopping by! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Little Lady (Papertrey Ink); Paper- Only Orange, Pixie Pink, Basic Black, Whisper White (SU); Ink- Only Orange, Pixie Pink, Basic Black (SU); Accessories- May Arts ribbon, polka dot organdy from Doodliedoo, horizontal slot punch, key tag punch, circle Coluzzle.

Horizontal Pocket Card

This was for this week's Try a New Technique Challenge on SCS, Horizontal Pocket Cards. It's not really a horizontal pocket card anymore since I cut it down to square size, but it's a pocket card! :) I used the Snow Jumbo wheel and wheeled it once in Regal Rose and then again in Craft White to give the faux dry-embossed look. The snowflake brad was an "add-on" that I bought at Target a couple of years ago. I intended to make Christmas cards with them that year, but they made it on the cards! It was originally silver, but I dipped it in Heat and Stick powder, heated it, and then dunked it in Dazzling Diamonds glitter. The "sparkle" sentiment is embossed in silver. I find myself using pink a lot for Christmas this year. I don't know why, but it seems to be my favorite right now. I really need to start thinking about my actual Christmas cards and get busy! Thanks for stopping by today! Hope you have a wonderful day! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Snow Jumbo wheel, Warm Words, Winter Wonder (Verve Visual); Paper- Regal Rose, Whisper White (SU), Silver (DCWV Metallic Stack); Ink- Regal Rose, Craft White (SU); Accessories- snowflake brad, paper piercer, white gel pen, corner rounder, white organdy ribbon (Darice).

Another Prettie Wednesday

Two weeks ago, Julie Masse issued a Prettie Girl Challenge to use chipboard on your card. If you remember from last Wednesday (Joanne's "Scare Yourself" Challenge), I posted a card using chipboard because chipboard SCARES me! Well, I had to face my fears two weeks in a row! LOL So, here is my second card using chipboard. I have to say, though, that being forced to use it twice now, it doesn't seem as scary as it once was! I was also lucky enough to received Kristine's chipboard challenge card in time for today's post! Look at that gorgeous paper she used on there! WOW!

So, be sure and head on over to the other Prettie Girls' blogs and check out their wonderful chipboard creations! Alli, Christie, Jillian, Joanne, Julie C., Julie M., and Kristine.

For those of you who haven't heard, the Bella that will be in the February Paper Pretties boxes is Saycheeseabella! She is just the cutest! Thanks for stopping by today! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Be Happy (SU), Reverse Dots Backgrounder (Cornish Heritage Farms); Paper- Regal Rose, Certainly Celery, DCWV Nana's Kids Stack; Ink- Regal Rose, Certainly Celery; Accessories- brads (Making Memories), pape piercer, white gel pen.

FS39 JPMAYO

This was for this week's Featured Stamper Challenge on SCS, to CASE JPMAYO! She has a WONDERFUL gallery that you must visit if you haven't already! I chose to CASE this card. I loved the layout and the fact that it was simple, but beautiful! I changed the colors, the background stamp and the Cuttlebug folder since I needed a thank you card instead of a birthday card! :)

Today is going to be a busy day. . .lots of doctor's appointments and running around. Don't know if I'll be able to stamp at all, but it sure would be nice! :) Thanks for stopping by today and have a great day! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- So Swirly Jumbo Wheel; Ink- Groovy Guava; Paper- Groovy Guava, Very Vanilla, Certainly Celery; Accessories- Bazzill flower, Prima flower, rhinestone brad, Cuttlebug Thanks folder.

Baby It's Cold Outside

I was in a "snow" kind of mood today. It's supposed to snow here tomorrow and even though I don't like the cold AT ALL, I do love snow! I used some scraps of paper from a card that I made the other day and came up with this card. This is the Baby It's Cold Outside set from My Favorite Things. You can ONLY get this set right now in the Paper Pretties November subscription boxes, so it's not even available at My Favorite Things yet! How cool is that? I really do like it a lot. I've used this set quite a bit and I always like the results. Hope you do too! Thanks for stopping by! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Baby It's Cold Outside (MFT); Ink- Basic Black, Bashful Blue; Paper- Whisper White, green, red (DCWV), patterned paper (DCWV Christmas Glitter Stack); Accessories- Blender pen, brads (Making Memories), slit punch, Word Window punch (SU), white polka dot organdy ribbon (Paper Pretties Corner Store), Copic Spica Glitter pens.

Happy Mail!

I have received some wonderful mail in the past week that I have not yet posted!


The first card was from fellow Prettie Girl, Alli Miles at Card Metaphors. This was for one of our weekly challenges. . .the color challenge that Alli issued a few weeks ago. Isn't this a wonderful card! I LOVE that dress! Thank you for the beautiful card, Alli!


The second card was also from a fellow Prettie Girl, Jillian Winters at Ink, Stamp & Scrap. Her card was from our "Scare Yourself" Challenge that Joanne issued. Jillian used this sand on the card for the stripes along the bottom. It was something she spent a fortune on at a craft fair and never used until the challenge. Isn't that a neat effect? I just LOVE it! This is such a beautiful card, Jillian! Thank you so much!



The third card, again, was from a fellow Prettie Girl, Kristine Reynolds at Stamping and Scrapping in California. I just LOVE this set and the card that Kristine sent is just beautiful! She sent it just because. . .how sweet of her! The set and all of the papers came in our Paper Pretties boxes! Isn't it wonderful? I love how everything coordinates! Thank you, Kristine, for the beautiful card. It really made me smile!



The last card I received was from my dear, sweet friend Pam Speidel at Stamping With Serendipity. It was such a nice surprise because I just LOVE Pam's work! Have you seen this girl color? Just fabulous! She sent some Penny Black snowman images inside! How cute are they? I can't wait to use them! Thank you so much, Pam, for thinking of me! You are such a sweetheart!

Holiday Cheer

This card was made for Jen's Sketch For You To Try. I decided to use one of the House Mouse images that my sweet friend Donna sent me! Isn't the mouse just the cutest? I've never owned any House Mouse images, but I have friends who absolutely LOVE them. Thanks again, Donna, for sending me these adorable images! I used patterned paper from the DCWV Christmas Glitter Stack. It has sparkle in all the right places! :) I colored the mouse in with ink pads and a blender pen, and then went over his hat with red and clear Copic Spica markers. Can I just say I LOVE those markers! I got them at Ellen's store. They add the perfect sparkle without the glue or lumpiness you sometimes get with glitter.

I can't believe the weekend is almost over already! They go so fast! Hope you have a wonderful Sunday! Thanks for stopping by! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- House Mouse, Holiday Treats (Papertrey Ink); Paper- DCWV Christmas Glitter Stack and Fall Stack; Ink- Basic Black, Ruby Red, Garden Green, Chocolate Chip, Creamy Caramel, Bordering Blue (SU); Accessories- blender pen, horizontal slot punch, red grosgrain ribbon, white polka dot organdy ribbon.

AMAZING Mail!

A couple of amazing packages showed up on my porch the other day. I kept thinking "I don't remember ordering anything", and then I opened them. I was completely amazed and just in awe of what was inside.

The first package I opened was from Kelley over at Kelley's Craft Corner. Can you believe this adorable card and these GORGEOUS embroidered burp cloths for our new little bundle??? I just couldn't believe my eyes! They are so beautiful I could barely stand to unwrap the ribbon that was so perfectly tying them together! How, Kelley, do you expect me to use these as burb cloths? We just LOVE these and cannot believe you sent such a beautiful gift! Thank you so much.

The second package I opened was from Abi at Musings from Tenerife. Abi sent the cutest little hooded vest and Baby Bug card. . .perfect for mommy, huh? :) As if that wasn't enough, I opened an accompanying envelope to find these PRECIOUS name plates for each of our children! Look at how adorable they are! My husband and I cannot wait to frame them! Abi, these gifts are just so beautiful! Thank you so much for thinking of us. . .we truly appreciate it!

Words cannot express how truly grateful I am for both of these gifts. I just cannot believe that the two of you sent such meaningful gifts to someone you've only "met" through cyber-space! I am so blessed to call you my "friends"! Lots of love and BIG HUGS, from the bottom of my heart!

Headed for Stardom

Have you heard that Verve Visual is about to release two new stamp sets on November 10? It's true! And you're going to LOVE them! This page was created with the Starlight Starbright set. This set has 17 stamps and 11 of them are sentiments. . .unique sentiments at that! As soon as I saw this sentiment, I knew I had to use this picture of my little "diva"! :)

I stamped the stars on Echo paper by Memory Box. I sprayed adhesive over the top portion of the picture and sprinkled Dazzling Diamonds glitter on it to give it a "night sky" feel. Next I added the Heidi Swapp Ghost Stars which were colored using the Tim Holtz alcohol inks in Stream and Wild Plum. The finishing touches were the paper piercing, cream organdy ribbon and finally, the perfect sentiment!

If you want to see more sneak peeks of the new sets, check out the Verve Visual blog from now until November 10 to see what the very talented Design Team has to tempt you! :) Have a great day and thanks for visiting! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps: Starlight Starbright (Verve Visual)Paper: Echo (Memory Box), Purple and Black (DCWV), Pearlized Cream (Paper Accents)Ink: VersaMagic in Perfect Plumeria and Purple Hydrangea, Glue Pad (Tsukineko), Noir (Palette)Accessories- Ghost stars (Heidi Swapp), cream organdy ribbon(Darice), paper piercer, Dazzling Diamonds glitter, small and large oval punches (Stampin' Up), alcohol inks in Stream and Wild Plum (Ranger)

Beate Weekend Sketch Challenge #26

It's Friday and time for another one of Beate's Weekend Sketch Challenges! I really liked this sketch because it's something that's different for me. I decided to use my Simply Sent Sending Happy Thoughts card kit from Stampin' Up. I finished all of the cards that came with the kit and had a few pieces of cardstock left over as well as ribbon, brads and Dazzling Diamonds glitter. I really LOVE this set. I love the two-tone image you get in one stamping step! I think I'll use this stamp set over and over again. For this card, I stamped a bunch of the flowers across the focal panel and then stamped some extras that I cut out and mouted over top with dimensionals. I used the photo corner punch to "frame" the focal panel a bit and used the dotted square to make a "frame" around the whole center image. The background of the card is my new favorite Backgrounder from Cornish Heritage Farms, Reverse Dots. I inked it up in Old Olive ink and stamped it onto olive cardstock. Be sure and check out the amazing creations of Beate, Jenn, Laurie, Lori, Mary Jo and Sharon! They always come up with something gorgeous! Happy Friday! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Sending Happy Thoughts (SU), Reverse Dots Backgrounder (Cornish Heritage Farms); Paper- Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie, Real Red, Very Vanilla, Kraft (SU); Ink- Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie, Real Red, Basic Black (SU); Accessories- red zig-zag twill from Jersey Ribbon Originals, vintage brads, Dazzling Diamonds glitter (SU).

Tempting Saffron

This was for this week's Color Challenge on SCS, Tempting Saffron. . . to use Tempting Turquoise, So Saffron and Real Red. I just recently got this stamp by Rubber Romance from the Paper Pretties Corner Store and I love it! It's just such a fun image. I don't really have any sentiments to go with it, but I thought this sentiment from the Michael's $1 bin would work well. The card itself was pretty simple since the image was so big, I didn't have a lot of empty space to fill. I colored with ink pads and a blender pen and added a bit of sparkle to her boots with turquoise Stickles. SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Carrie (Rubber Romance), $1 stamp; Paper- So Saffron, Tempting Turquoise, Real Red, Whisper White; Ink- Basic Black, Real Red, Tempting Turquoise, Bordering Blue; Acccessories- hemp, key tag punch, paper piercer, turquoise Stickles.

In other news, the Verve Visual countdown to two NEW sets has begun! The new sets will be revealed on November 10, but from today until November 10, you can catch "sneak peeks" on the Verve Visual blog by the Design Team! So, head on over and check it out! I have a feeling you'll really love these sets! (wink!)