Sunflower Girl

Ok, well my sunflower is red and yellow and my card has no sentiment on it (which I just realized completely forgot to do!) but I still think this is one of my favorite cards I've made in a while!! I used Ruby Red, some pattern papers from Crate Paper's "Restoration" pack, Harvest Gold, black and vanilla which are also colors for this week's Color Throwdown Challenge.
A few weeks ago I won the "Card Cupids" Challenge and my prize was 5 digis from "The Stamping Boutique" this little sunflower girl was one of the images that I chose. I love it! She was was so much fun to color and use. I colored her with lots of Copic Markers: sky (B000), Flower (Y35, R20, R22, R24, R27), Leaves and stem (G21, G24 and G28 ), Hair (E07, E09), Skin (E000,E00, E01,E02, R20) Fence (E33, E35), Dress (Y35, black, R27) Watering can (C2, C3 and C5)I can't wait to use the other ones!
I used Label 11 Nestabilities for the image panels and Label 1 Nestabilites for the piece behind the yellow prima flower.

I am entering this card into the following challenges:

Tuesday Morning Sketches
Color Throwdown 135: Red, Black, Yellow, Cream
Digital Tuesday: 4 the Kids
Tuesday Throwdown: Florals
Creative Card Crew: For the kids
Crafts and Me: Use Yellow

Have a great day!

Sparkling Birthday Wishes

Hi Everyone!!

I have so enjoyed my little blogging break and the time I was able to spend with the my mom this past week as well as just doing some fun "no pressure" creating. I think though that I'm ready to get back to taking care of blogging business, so you should start to see me back on a regular basis.
So, to start things off, here is my card for this week's "Cooking it up with Katie" challenge. This week's recipe is to "Sparkle, Shine and Shimmer" It is sponsored by Pizzazz Aplenty who is offering a $10 prize pack to the winner of the challenge.
For my card, I started with a piece of Smoky Shadow from PTI and used Teal, Gable Green and New Leaf for my coordinating colors. The sparkly paper down at the bottom is from "The Glitter Stack" by DCWV. The image is from Verve Stamps and I colored it with Copic Markers and then outlined with Silver stickles and diamond stickles as well.
Be sure to stop by and visit all the other DT members to see their gorgeous creations as well!
As for me, I'm off to plan my next creation! Have a great day and I'll see you tomorrow!!

Cooking it up with Katie

Hi Everyone!

I hope you are all having a good week. I am here to share my card for this week's Cooking it up with Katie Challenge. This week the challenge is to use Buttons, animals and lots of color. This week's challenge is sponsored by MelJen Designs. They gave us such adorable images to use for our DT examples this week, so make sure you visit all the blogs this week!

I chose lots of fun colors for my card this week. Orange Zest, Hawaiian Shores, Summer Sun, White and Certainly Celery. I printed the image on Gina K Luxury white card stock and used Copics to color it in. This card also fits a lot of other challenges including:

Incy Wincy Designs: Embossing

Make it Monday: Anything Goes

My Partner in Crafting Crime: 3 or more buttons

Squigglefly: buttons

The Crafty Pad: Use a Digi

GingerLoft: Diecuts or Punches (I used Nestabilities Label 1)

The Cuttlebug Spot: Buttons

Digital Tuesday: Buttons

My mom is here visiting with me this week, so excited!! She's a stamper too so we are off to do some shopping at Michael's and Hobby Lobby this morning and then some crafting this afternoon. Yippee!! Lot of other fun stuff planned for the week too, so I'll be back next week sometime with regular blog posts again! Until then, enjoy the beautiful weather if you're getting some and if you're not, well.... grab a hot beverage, and happy crafting!

CAS OCL challenge 57

Hi Everyone!

Just here quickly to share my card for this week's OCL challenge. You know me and OCL, I just can't stay away from their challenges. Last month they did a blog hop and I won a free set! This set is called "Circus Circus" and as you can see I used the little elephant. Yippee!! I decided to use it for the CAS challenge they are having this week. The challenge was also to focus on embossing and I chose the Blooms and Dots embossing folder. I used Sweet Blush with some Grey and white. I added some silver stickles around the scalloped grey circle just to add a bit of sparkle. I stamped the little elephant with Memento Ink (Tuxedo Black) and colored it in with C1, C2 and C5 Copic markers.
I hope you all like it! Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Basket of Eggs

Hi Everyone! I am still enjoying my blogging break; but I wanted to share my DT card for this week's "Cooking it up with Katie" challenge. This week's challenge was to do something Easter, Cute and Green. The team was once again given some adorable images to play with, this time they are from Digital Delights I chose this adorable little basket of eggs for my card. I started with a Mellow Moss card base and then added some Harvest Gold (PTI) and pattern papers from All my Memories and My Minds Eye. I printed the basket on Vintage Cream card stock (PTI) and colored with Copics: Basket G21, G24, YG67; Bow RV32; Eggs Y21, G21, RV32,
I actually scanned this card instead of photographing it...just another symptom of blogging laziness LOL! That's why the greens are a little off in the picture.
Anyhow, that's all for me today! I hope you can all play along with the challenge this week. The winner will receive three images!!
I'll see you all soon!

Blogging and Crafting

Hi Everyone!

Today's post is going to be a bit different than normal. I don't have a card to share with you today; but I hope that you will indulge me for a few moments anyhow. Today I was crafting and watching some TV and really having a good time. When I finished, however, I found myself really not looking forward to the next step in the process...the blogging. I just had no interest what so ever to set the card up for photographing, or finding the challenges to link it to or writing the blog post with all the links and then visiting all the challenge sites and making the rounds to post my comments. For those of you that have blogs, I'm sure you can understand what I mean when I say that blogging about crafting is a LOT of work. We blog because we want to share our passion for creating and probably even more importantly because we want validation for what we do. The more followers you have, the more comments people leave, the more blogs you visit all help to really fuel our crafting passion doesn't it?! Having said that, though, the process can be quite long. Sometimes I can spend up to 5 or 6 hours a day crafting and blogging, which also includes time that I'm not spending with my son when he comes home from pre-school
Eventually the question becomes "Do you craft so you can blog? or Do you blog so you can craft?" If I didn't have a blog, would I be crafting with the obsessive addiction that I do? I would like to say yes I would be, because I truly enjoy crafting; and I really do enjoy blogging as well. I think however, that it is just time to take a bit of a blogging break. Just a couple of weeks to spend time creating and crafting for the pure pleasure of doing it and nothing else. Next week is Spring Break for the kiddos and then my mom is coming to visit the week after that, so I am signing off until April 1st. Happy crafting to all of you!!

Cooking it Up with Katie!

Hi everyone!!

It's Wednesday, so that means its time for another challenge over at "Cooking it up with Katie" This week we are being sponsored by "Sassy Studios" and they gave the DT some really awesome images to play with. I couldn't decide which one to use, so I decided to make one with each! The challenge this week is to Pack a punch, make it sweet; and a little sassy too.
Lots of challenges for each of these cards, so I will just jump right into it:

1. Sweet Stop: Sketch 98

2. Little Claire's: Flowers

3. One Stop Craft: Black &White and one other color. (I cheated slightly with this because I added just a bit of light blue to the water and bubbles)

4. Cardmadfairy Digi Days: Digi with some glitz and glamour.

5. Stamp Something: Anything Digi

My second card:


2. Paper Playtime: Anything with a Digi

3. Simon Says Stamp: Show some Metal

4. Stamps R. Us: In the Kitchen

5. There She Goes: Use Kraft

6. Catered Crop: various. I used: Striped paper, Copics, Die cuts

7. Paper Sundaes: Stripes

I can't wait to see what everyone does with this challenge! The winner will receive 4 images from Sassy Studios.

Hot Betty and Some Vervalicious Coffee

Hello Everyone!!

Wow! What a busy weekend. Tyler placed 4th in his very first gymnastics competition on Saturday. I was so very proud of him!! Then Church on Sunday, lunch at B&N with the kids and then the afternoon outside playing. I had a bit of time here and there to do a bit of crafting; but have just now finally had a chance to get my cards photographed and posted this afternoon. My first card is for Friday's Our Craft Lounge Challenge #55. This challenge this time was to CASE another OCL card and then recreate another card using a different OCL set. I chose this card by Croppixie because I loved the layout and the white space around the image. I used pattern papers from Me and My Big Ideas, Cameo Coral, and Sweet Blush for this card. I used OCL's "Hot Betty" set and colored her with Copic Markers. This card was very simple and lots of fun to put together. I am entering this card into the following challenges:

1. OCL55--CASE Challenge

2. Simply Create: Power of Flowers

3. Aly's Sunday Challenge: Anything Goes

4. GingerLoft Challenge: Use those Flowers

5. Crazy Challenge: Lovely Ladies

My second card is for today's Mojo Monday sketch. I love the fact that I have Verve Stamps to use now to do my Mojo Cards. I have to admit, when I first saw the sketch for this week I was really scared. It looked quite intimidating; but I decided to give it a good go ahead anyway. I was pleasantly surprised when I started working on it, that it all came together rather easily. I started with a piece of Dark Chocolate and then used pattern papers from "Hopscotch" collection from Basic Grey. I used Verve's Delightful and Delicious stamp set. The sentiment in the middle was inked up with Baja Breeze ink and stamped on a 1 15/16 white circle. I used Petite Scallop for the pink and brown circles. I stamped the coffee cup with Memento Ink Rich Cocoa and colored it with Copics. Added the flower at the bottom and completed the card! I am entering this card into the following challenges:

1. Mojo Monday: Sketch 181

2. Card Cupids: Anything Goes

3. Craft Your Passion: Anything Goes

4. Woodware USA: Sentiment as Focus

Hi!

I hope you all had a good day yesterday. I actually made both of these cards yesterday; but just did not get a chance to get them posted until today. I am actually off to Tyler's first gymnastics competition this afternoon! We are very excited!
So here are the details and challenges for the cards:

For the first card, I used Ripe Avocado, Fine Linen, Melon Berry and White (all PTI) for my color combination. I used the Birds and Swirls cuttlebug embossing folder on the Fine Linen piece. I then took some Tea Dye distress ink and a blending tool and went over the embossed area. I used peeled paint around the edges. The image stamps are from a set of Clear Dollar Stamps I have that I stamped using various chalk inks.

I am entering this card into the following challenges:

1. 4 Crafty Chicks and Rubber Cafe: Stitching (real or faux)

2. CCEE: Swirls

3. Craft Us Crazy: Nature

4. Shelly's Images: Lots of Layers

5. Stamp Insanity: Texture (for this one I used the embossing folders and then I also added some texture on the Melon Berry piece by adding some chalk ink and then spritzing it with water, crumpling it up and then adding some more colors while it was wet. It's hard to see in the photo, though!)

6. Eat, Sleep, Stamp: Sketch

The second card I also uploaded to my SCS gallery for sketch #2 for March's Viva La Verve challenge.

I decided not to enter this one into any challenges: but I hope that you like it!

Showing my Verve

Hi Everyone!

I am here today to share a couple of quick cards I made yesterday using my new Verve Stamps "Up, Up and Away" Believe it or not, I am not linking these to any challenges because amazingly enough I couldn't really find any that I could link them to.

For the first card, I chose a bright fun color scheme using some new colors that I got from PTI. Orange Zest, Hawaiin shores and Simply Chartreuse. I embossed the blue background piece with the Argyle Embossing folder. I did some score lines on the green piece; but they didn't show up well in the photo. I used Label 8 Nestabilities for the main image panels and then stamped the images in Rich Cocoa ink by Memento and colored with Copics. The two small butterflies are from a Penny Black stamp set I have.
The second card I have to share today is for the first week of March's Viva La Verve Sketch challenge going on over at SCS. I am excited about participating in this challenge for the first time and I am looking forward to the next sketch which will be posted on Friday!
This card is definitely one for the boys with all the blue and green. I used Enchanted Evening, Spring Rain and New leaf for this card. I stamped the balloons win Tuxedo Black ink by Memento and then colored them with Copic Markers. I stamped the words in the center of the balloons and then covered each one with some crystal affects to give them a nice shiny look. The picture is a bit tilted because I had to take the photo from an odd angle so that the shine didn't reflect off the balloons. Anyhow, it was a very simple card; but one that I think still turned out well.
Have a great day!

Design Team Announcement!!!

Hi Everyone!! I have some super exciting news to share with all of you today!!! I have been invited to join the wonderful design team of "Cooking it up with Katie" Now, I know many of you have been participating in Katie's challenges for a while and are very familiar with the blog and all of her fun challenges. I am so blessed and grateful for the opportunity to to be able to work with such an amazing team.
This week's challenge is sponsored by the wonderful Teddy Bo and Co. digital stamps. They were so kind to share some of their images with us to be able to do some samples for you for this week's challenge. Be sure to stop by and visit their store. They have positively delightful images for you to see. They are giving away 5 images to the winner of this challenge!! Yippee!!! Also visit the other team members blogs to see the gorgeous samples they created!
This week the challenge is: Spring, Flowers and Yellow. It seems as though now that we are done with Valentine's Day themed challenges that the challenge of choice is now Spring Theme; and on that note, this card fits an unbelievable 14 challenges!! Phew...I am going to be busy today!!!

Thanks for stopping by and looking. Enjoy the rest of your day!!

2 Sisters: Teddy Bears

Sweet Stampin: Girly

Paper Cutz: Spring

Paper Garden: Spring

Crazy 4 Challenges: Flowers

One Stop Crafts: Flowers

Desert Island Crafts: Pick 3 (I chose: Make it Square, hand colored image and 2 pattern papers)

Everybody Art Challenge: Spring

Bunny Zoe's Crafts: Spring Flowers Everywhere

Craft Your Passion: Girly

The Crazy Challenge: Spring

Incy Wincy: Spring

Paper Playtime: Anything Goes with a Digi

Woodware USA: Anything Goes