Girly Time!

Time to express the real me!  Do I like shopping? Trying on new clothes? Getting all made up for a night out?  You betcha!
So, Skipping Stones' sketch this week worked perfectly for this simple card to send to a friend who's relationship just, well, let's just say, dissolved. 
I think we need to go shopping!

I paper pieced the stamps from the Skipping Stones "Birthday Purses" stamp set. The pattern paper is Prima Marketing, Breathe; twine from Kraft; jewel brads, JoAnn's.
They're celebrating "For the Girls" over at Stamps R Us! Come take a look!

MFT Sketch #8

I desperately needed a push in the way of a sketch to make yet another sympathy card. Seems like most of my cards fall into the "sympathy" category these days.

I used K & Co for all the pattern papers and butterfly accent; Spellbinders Nestibilites Label Six; Fiskars scallop scissors; Tim Holtz Vintage Photo ink; ribbon, and string pearls.

It would be very cool to win at My Favorite Things, but it also gave me practice posting to Splitcoast Stampers.  Those of you who know me are aware that I am somewhat new to blogging, and VERY new to posting cards at various galleries. I'll get it. 
And some day, maybe I won't have to hand cut my scallops!

Bo Bunny Greeting!

This card reads "What's Cookin'" to serve as a reminder that I haven't heard from someone in a while...   With friends scattered all over the states, even email and texting doesn't always serve to keep us in touch.

Supplies used:

Bo Bunny, 

Kitchen Recipe Card Cut-Out and U Bug Me Plaid;

Ribbon;

Brad

I pulled out some of my favorite Bo Bunny papers and used the sketch at Card Challenge Tuesday over at the Bo Bunny blog.   It was such a fun layout!

I have some BFF's who love to cook and anything that has to do with cooking!  Maybe this will be the gentle "nudge" to get an update on their lives!

Well, Well, Well....

I made this card for a male acquaitance in the hospital. I wanted something heartfelt, but humorous at the same time.

I love Bugaboo images!

With the Stella images, you don't need to add much more! She pretty much says it all! I used some simple graph paper I had in my stash, and colored her with my Copics... the paper clip reminds me of the real hospital charts.

Catch a Bug has a great "Get Well" challenge this week. Check it out!

You're the Star!

Boy's Birthday Tag

Sassafras papers; Bazzill chipboard star; twine; and ribbon.

Entered in sketch challenge at WaltzingMouse!

School Bus Ride

It has taken me months to get my mojo going as far as layouts. I am so far behind, but simply felt overwhelmed by anything larger than a card...why?  Who knows....
So, this weekend, I managed to sit down and finish several layouts of my grandson.
This is his first day riding the school bus to Kindergarten. I love the way they take such good care and that all of the younger students are assigned seats in the front near the driver. After teaching for years, I know how the older ones like to harass the little ones!  Hayden has little concern for the older kids. He walks around with the confidence of a sixth grader!

Spread your wings and FLY!



I love to use a bit of bling on the pages, but with a boy....well, you have use very little or he'll tell me about it! LOL!

Supplies: Cosmo Cricket "Earth Love" paper, K & Co butterflies, and Recollections rhinestones.

PS: After seeing the page photographed, I realized my "Y" was a bit caddy-wompus! The anal-retentive part of me had to fix it!

Since I have been neglectful in my scrapbook layouts, I am posting this on

Easy Crafts Projects, rather than my usual card entry there! Surprise!

Love the Hippie Chick!

I love this image and continue to use it whenever I need a "mood swing" card for a good friend! Let's face it, everyone feels better after a day of shopping!

Supplies used: Bazzill Cardstock "Edges"; SEI Glitzmas Red Swirl paper; Bazzill ribbon; Bazzill flowers; and the adorable stamp is from Shirley's2Girls, BFF!  I had to mix several shades of Copics to get just the right "jeans" look, but it was worth it.

My BFF is a child of the 60's, too, so she will LOVE IT!

It's the "old hippies" in us!

It fits in perfectly with the challenge at:
DoYouStack Up? (Dots)

Sadly, More Sympathy Cards

It seems as though bad news is coming 'round every corner. I suppose that as I get older, that will be the case....
This is a card I made this weekend. Unfortunately, I had to make two.

I used K & Co papers from the older Ancestry stack. I just bought the new Painted Garden and Susan Wright Nature packs this last weekend. I love their collections for all occasions, but they seem to work particularly well for these somber moments.
I was also experimenting with the seam binding that I had dyed and crinkled. Found out that I need to use a much stronger ink mixture to get a real saturation on the ribbon!  But I love the idea of matching the ribbon to the projects as I go along!

This card is to be entered in the Cardabilities sketch challenge #25, and the Inspiration sketch at InStyle Stamps.

Serious, and a Bit of Whimsy!

 Please scroll down if you are here to see my second post for today ... Whimsy!

Now that this card has been delivered, I can post it! I had to be careful that the friend I made it for wouldn't see it on my blog before her actual birthday!
She has been instrumental in my cardmaking and encouraging me to expand my techniques! She is definately Someone Special!
I am trying to move in the direction of more layered, vintage cards. My absolute card "divas" are Sarah Martina and Ashley Newell Cannon. Yes, I'm not embarassed to say, I want to be just like them! 
Here is my Graphic 45 project. I love those papers!

I was able to dig out all my favorite embellishments... we have lace, a doily, a flower, stickpins, twine, pearls, and lots and lots of ink! This is the girly side of me and I love it! I'm not so much into the pinks and the dainty ribbons, but the vintage look is right up my alley!

This card will be proudly entered at Flourishes (Birthday) and the
Stamptacular Sunday Challenge (Someone Special)
The Whimsy Part....
I also made a card for a monkey-loving friend that has a little girl. I know it was my friends' birthday, but I wanted her daughter to get a kick out of the card, too!

I am a big sock monkey lover from back in the 60's (yes, I'm admitting to my age here) and these newer versions that are in the stores are adorable!  My husband even bought me one a few years ago just because I mentioned loving them as a child. My grandson slept with it during his visits for a long time.  The images are simply a strip cut from a pattern paper I found at Michael's last year. Manufacturer?  Who knows!  Don't you wish they would all mark their papers?
Entered in the:
 Delighful Challenges (Animal)
Digi Doodle Shops Best (Anything Goes)

ENJOY THE JOURNEY

You should always have a few men's cards around for that unexpected birthday or promotion that pops up! So I put together this one to have on hand. I don't have many men friends who read my blog, so no worries...

I love the masculine feel of this card.  I used Tom Holtz stamps and cut the "tire tread" from some travel paper I had. The chipboard key was painted black, and hung with a key chain. The LARGE photo corner is actually metal!



Somtimes...

This card I made for a very unfortunate situation. I have a dear, sweet aunt who is having to make a difficult decision in regards to her husband's health care. It has come down to some very sad, and depressing choices. So, this card reads, "Sometimes... the hardest choices in life are those we know we must make out of love." 

Sorry that the picture isn't better, but I had to take it quick and get this off in the mail.   'Nuff said.

Chandelier stamp is Inkadinkado; papers are K & Co, Ancestry: brown ribbon; and pearl from Recollections.

The sketch over at Pixie Cottage helped immensely in getting this card made!

Miss "EwE"!

I will be out-of-town this weekend and the next, so I will not get to visit with my grandson. It's been waaay too long!
So I thought it would be a nice surprise for him to recieve this card from me while I'm gone.  I am having a good time with the paper piecing and it makes for a sweet, quick card!

My grandson is only 5, so there may have to be an explanation to go along with the card!  Ewe?  Ewe?  And he's a good reader. That'll confuse him! LOL!
Stamps, My Little Shoebox, Simple Life; and "I miss you" sentiment, TPC Studio. Wiggle eyes are from JoAnn's. Papers are from my scrap stack, so I really can't say.

This card just happens to qualify for entry in the challenges at:
Critter Sketch (include an animal)

Valentine's Challenges

So many Valentine's Challenges, so little time!!!
This week's challenge at Crafty Creations is to include a "rose" on your project.  While scrapping at a friend's this weekend, I decided to try my hand at cutting and piecing together my own rose...wish I had not added the Stickles to the edge...oh well...

From Millan.Net
Also looking for roses on your cards this week is Pixie Dust Challenges. I don't own any of their images, but hope to win one!  They have some adorable digis for kids cards!

This card is also entered in:
Moving Along With the Times (Red)
KraftinKimmie (Seeing Red)
Simon Says Stamp Challenge (Love is in the Air)
Sentimental Sundays (Love Sentiment)
RED HOT! challenge over at Do You Stack Up?  FUN!
I Did It! Creations (Love is in the air)
Paper Cutz (Love, NO hearts!)
Stamps R Us (Valentine/Love)
The Crazy Challenge (Lots of Love)
Incy Wincy Designs (Love) They give all their profits to charity!
Have you checked out their blogs yet?


Hope everyone had a great Super Bowl weekend! Even though my DH's Steelers didn't win....

Quick Pizza Follow-Up!

Only posting this because several friends read  my "nasty" pizza experience the other day!  Thanks for taking the time to read about my cooking antics on my scrap blog!  I guess I needed to vent....
I almost decided that homemade Prosciutto, Baby Spinach, and Smoked Gouda Cheese Pizza was NOT in the cards for me. Then I bought a frozen pizza dough at Sprouts. I had my reservations...no not at the local restaurant, but about the dough meeting any expectations that I had. I love cracker-thin crunchy crust and that's not easy to get here in Phoenix!

Soo, long story short, I thawed out the dough today, rolled it out pretty darn thin, and managed to transfer it to the pre-heated pizza stone without mishap.
After baking for 5 minutes, I took it out, layered on the goodies, and finished baking.  I have to tell ya, I had my fingers crossed the whole time.

It may not be the most perfectly shaped pizza, but man was it good!  "Yum Yum, give me some", as my friend, Amie, would say! And it made a 16" gourmet pizza for about $10!  
Whew, I have redeemed my Rachel Ray status!

New Cardabilities Challenge!

I love the sketch this week at Cardabilities!  Check it out!

I so enjoy getting out old supplies and "challenging" myself by also using only those!

Starting with a blank ready-made card, I made a template and masked off the area that would be covered by the transparency. Then I stamped my text with matching ink, leaving the center white.  I then painted the chipboard swirls to match my pattern paper.

This is my first accordian flower, so please be gentle!

Supplies: 
Plaid attern paper, ChatterBox; Blue paper, Unknown;
Sentiment and text stamps by Stampendous, "Dream Text";
Transparency is Little Yellow Bicycle (also edge was re-inked with Copics to match papers);
Cricut butterfly, "Give a Hoot";
chipboard swirls, Lil' Davis Designs;
flower center, Melody Ross;
scallop scissors, ProvoCraft;
Helmar 450 Adhesive

Many of these items have been in my stash for a long time! What a thrill to finally put them to good use! This card will eventually be sent through Send Love Today to one of the many young cancer patients they sponsor.
Have you decided what you want to do with the many cards you make?
http://www.sendlovetoday.org/

Entered in challenge at:
PaperPlay Challenges (Stamp It Out!)

Kim Hughes' New Stamp Line!

In case you haven't heard, my friend and fantastic card maker, Kim Hughes has a brand new line of clear stamps, the first sets of which have just been released! And just in time for Valentine's Day! Some of you probably remember Kim's previous stamps from Cornish Heritage Farms. This was BIS..."Before I Scrapped". So the ones I'm familiar with are the older ones that I've been fortunate enough to run across over the last few years.
     Along with the online store, she has a great new blog that will include challenges and a Design team that I'm sure we'll see some terrific ideas from!

What's the name of the new stamp line?

Paper Smooches

Isn't that adorable?

The stamp and sentiment I used for this card is from the new

"Falling For You" set.

I stamped the apple image twice and colored it with my Copics, adding the black cardstock apple seeds.  I popped up the bottom layer just a touch, and then folded and glued the top layer on.

The pattern papers are DCWV, "Citrus"; punched scallop is Martha Stewart; and polka dot ribbon is from my scrap stash.

Isn't the little sentiment cute?

Go check 'em out now!

This card will be entered in:

City Crafter Challenge (Love)
I Did It Creations (RED)
Moving Along With The Times (RED)
Paper Sundaes (Valentine)
Paper Play Challenges (Stamp It Out!)
Simon Says Stamp (Love)