Happy Anniversary!

First off...there is some BLOG CANDY up for grabs in yesterday's post. Don't forget to leave a comment! :D Now onto today's business at hand! Today is my parents' 46th Wedding Anniversary. Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!

Things are very laid back here today, so I thought that I'd use the Featured Stamper Challenge over on Splitcoast to get my creative juice going! I'm very pleased with my card today. It was not easy to do all of the paper piercing, but I'm happy with how it all turned out. This Stampin' Up! Cutie Pie paper has been sitting in my drawer since September!!! I was thrilled to pull it out today and start using it. That really should be my New Year's Resolution...use more of the patterned paper that I have instead of always buying more! I know I'm not alone when it comes to saving this stuff...lol! Alright, back to the card...lol! The butterflies and swirls are from Stampin' Up's Priceless set and the saying is from Penny Black, Inc. That lovely striped ribbon is by May Arts and I just love how it matches the Bashful Blue in the right hand corner. The other two solid colors are Rose Red and Certainly Celery. All of these colors come right from the Cutie Pie paper. Just one of the wonderful things about Stampin' Up!...everything matches!

I'm so glad that you could stop by...Toodles! :D

BLOG CANDY!!!

I am so grateful to all of you who stop by to check in on my creative adventures, so I thought that I'd share a little something with you. Here are five of the new Studio G Clear Stamps Series 7. (I'll be sure to include a few other goodies as well!) All you need to do to be entered in the drawing is leave me a comment on this post by Tuesday, January 1st. I'll pick a number that evening for the winner!

I'm so glad that you could stop by...Toodles! :D

A Challenge from Sharon!

Sharon Johnson (aka...notimetostamp) is an amazing stamper! I have always admired her work. I discovered her blog not too long ago and she posts challenges for her readers. I finally got on the ball and participated in one. This particular challenge is to use something that you have acquired recently whether it be a Christmas gift or something that you've purchased for yourself. Well...after I saw her fantastic cards using the small Cuttlebug Embossing Folders, I knew I had to get my hands on some! My darling husband came through and purchased a few as part of my Christmas gift! Thanks Dear! I'm saving some of my Christmas funds to purchase a few more new accessories for my Cuttlebug!

Here is a card that I'll use as our Holiday Thank You cards. I used my retired Stampin' Up Snowflakes set. The stitched squares were made with the Cuttlebug Embossing Folders. (I made a little boo-boo on the middle snowflake, so I decided to layer a second one on top. I think that it adds dimension...don't you? LOL!) I do not own a Scor-Pal (yet), so I used my scoring blade from my paper trimmer to make the horizontal lines above and below the squares. The yummy ribbon is from May Arts and it reminded me of one of the many snow storms that we've been having around here lately! The papers are Stampin' Up Whisper White and Night of Navy and the ink is also Night of Navy.

I hope that everyone had a wonderful holiday. We certainly did here. Santa was very good to us and we were very grateful to be surrounded by our families. Thanks so much for stopping by...Toodles! :D I'll be back in a few with some blog candy!!!

Wow! It's Been a Month!!!

I cannot believe that I've been blogging for a month now! Trudee was right...I DO love it! She's right about a lot of things! ;) Thank you all for stopping in and checking out my little corner of the World Wide Web! I'm thrilled that I've had over 800 peeks at my little blog! I think I need to go shopping for some blog candy to share! Don't you? :D

The card I'm sharing this evening was made for one of the teachers at the school where I substitute. I made up some card sets for their Christmas gifts. The Stampin' Up Ruby Red card stock gives this card a Christmasy feel. I watercolored the flowers (SU On Gossamer Wings) with watercolor crayons for a softer shade of the Ruby Red. It is hard to tell in the photograph, but I have Star Dust Stickles on the flowers (big surprise there...lol) for some sparkle. The ovals were made with my Spellbinder's Nestabilities Dies. They really work beautifully on watercolor paper. The card base was stamped with the Floral background stamp from Stampin' Up. The black panel is faux stitched and the polka dotted ribbon is from May Arts.

Well my friends, I am so glad that you could stop by! I am certain that tomorrow will be filled with plenty of hustle and bustle here, so...I wish you all a very Merry Christmas...Toodles! :D

Four of Fifty-Seven!!!!!

Fifty-Seven would be the number of times I tried to get a blasted photograph of this card!!! FIFTY-SEVEN!!! This was the fourth photo that I took, and according to my darling husband...this was the best. So sorry! The card was certainly easier to make than photograph, and it is so much cuter in real life, if I do say so myself...lol!!! Ugh! Y'all are just going to have to imagine...lol! Here are all the details...My Starry Angel is stamped with Black Stazon onto watercolor paper and colored with watercolor crayons. I used my Spellbinder's Nestabilities Dies to cut her out and to make the scalloped layer. My card base is Elegant Eggplant. The faux stitched layer is Wild Wasabi and the Cuttlebug Snowflaked layer is So Saffron. This is today's Color Challenge over on SCS. The thick Martha Stewart grosgrain matches the Wild Wasabi quite well in person. In the photograph...not so good! My A Muse sentiment is stamped in Brilliance Moonlight White Ink. Yes...the sparkles are my beloved Star Dust Stickles! Well friends...thanks so much for stopping by...Toodles! :D

Lizzie Anne Happiness!

With Christmas just around the corner, I have been working away making cards for gifts for the teachers and the principal of the school where I substitute. Here is one of the designs that I came up with. It uses one of my favorite Lizzie Anne Designs sets! It is called Jolies Fleurs. Such wonderful images to watercolor! I also used the Warm Words set from Stampin' Up! I distressed the Lavender Lace and Black panels. Star Dust Stickles are on the centers of the flowers and on the black brads for some shimmer. The May Arts ribbon has these wonderful swirls in it. I definitely need to purchase some more! When I stamp random images, I sometimes find there to be too much white space showing. I like to take a fine tip black marker and add dots or doodles to fill in the white space. It seems to finish it off. I'm hoping to try the Color Challenge over on SCS today. I'll be back in a little bit. So glad that you could stop by...Toodles! :D

I've Been Tagged!

Well, I was tagged by Becky and Tracy. I'm not that interesting of a person, but here are a few fun facts about me.

1. I have 50 first cousins!!! I am the youngest of all of them! (I've lost count of how many second cousins I have...lol! Last count was somewhere around 69.)

2. I didn't like stamping the first time I was introduced to it...*insert shocked face*!!! It was a Stampin' Up! workshop and we made a scrapbook page. It seemed like a very expensive scrapbook page to me! We used about $50 worth of stamps and supplies and my thought was that I could buy a LOT of scrapbooking stickers for $50. Then we made a card with the Fishy Friends set and I was completely HOOKED!!! :D

3. I met my husband when I went for my first job after I graduated from college. It was a teaching position at a Catholic school. He was the bookkeeper at the rectory and he just happened to answer the door when I went for my interview. I got the job...and the bookkeeper!

4. When I'm having a bad day, I go through the drive-thru at McDonald's and order a Happy Meal. It really does makes me HAPPY...lol!

5. I love old reruns of Gidget with Sally Field.

6. When I was a little girl, I wanted to have braces so badly (some of my cousins had them) that I would wrap aluminum foil on my teeth! I got my wish when I was 14...lol!

7. I have never had a cup of coffee!!! I love tea, but I just don't seem to like the smell of coffee...ugh!

There you have it. Seven facts about me! Most of my blogging friends have been tagged, so if you are reading this and would like to share seven fun things about you...consider yourself tagged!!!

So glad that you could stop by...Toodles! I'll have something to share with you tomorrow! :D

My First Shabby Card!

Today's featured stamper over on SCS is Lisa Zappa. What talent this lady has! Her style works with elegant designs and whimsical ones as well. She is the queen of Shabby cards...not my comfort zone, but I thought that I'd give it a whirl anyway!

My card is based on her design with a few changes. I went with her layout and used my distresser on each layer. The two stamp sets are retired from Stampin' Up! The flowers are from Happy Harmony and the sentiment is from Warmest Regards. For the background on the So Saffron card base, I rolled my Leaves a la Carte Wheel in a bit of white craft ink and some So Saffron dye ink. I also sponged some So Saffron ink around the edges. The patterned paper is Denim Guest Floral from Chatterbox. I thought that it a had a shabby feel to it. (But what do I know...it's my first Shabby card...remember?) My accent colors are Certainly Celery and Not Quite Navy. I'm not sure if the Star Dust Stickles on the flower blossoms count as shabby or not, but I figured I'd be a little daring...lol! The pewter brads are from Making Memories. There you have it...My First Shabby Card!!!

We are in the middle of another SNOW storm today! If you are too...stay safe and warm! So glad that you could stop by...Toodles! :D

Happy Birthday!

Well...first off, I apologize for the shadowy picture. The light around here does not want to cooperate because we have A FOOT OF SNOW getting in the way!!! I do say that happily because I love snow! More so to look at from inside the house where it is warm or to take a quick walk through, but nonetheless, I have always loved the snow! It just makes me happy!

I have been busy filling card orders for Christmas gifts and making the cards that I need to give as gifts as well. Here is one that I'd like to share with you. It uses the Tiers of Treats stamp from Stampendous. I colored these yummy treats with my watercolor pencils and a Stampin' Up blender pen. Yes...those would be Star Dust Stickles making all the sparkle! (My love affair with Stickles continues...lol!) I wish that I bought more of this White Espresso Polka Dot patterned paper from Bella Press, but I was lucky enough to get the last two sheets from the store. It has such fun colors! My card base is Stampin' Up's Pretty in Pink and I used some Old Olive cardstock as well. The "Happy Birthday" is from a Studio G clear set that I picked up at Michaels for $1.00. I added some faux stitching for a little more interest.

Again, I wish that the photograph was a bit better. Sorry about that. Stay warm and cozy! I'm so glad that you could stop by...Toodles! :D

My Snowy Angel

I was thrilled when my order from Anna's eBay store arrived yesterday! Here is Snowy Angel from Stampendous Rubber Stamps...ain't she purdy!!! I also purchased Starry Angel. I can't wait to use her too! Thanks so much for getting these new stamps to me Anna! I LOVE them! Because life has been just too crazy around here lately, I decided to participate in the Color Challenge over at SCS to get my creativity going this morning! Today's colors are to use Rose Red, Pumpkin Pie, and Certainly Celery (my favorite). Snowy Angel is stamped with Stazon onto Watercolor paper and colored with my Stampin' Up! Watercolor Crayons. Star Dust Stickles are strategically placed to give lots of sparkle! I faux stitched the sides of the Celery panel and added some May Arts Ribbon that my friend Anne shared with me. (Thanks a bunch Anne!) The sentiment and snowflakes are from A Muse and I used my SU! Linen Background stamp on the Rose Red card base. I hope that you have a wonderful Tuesday! So glad that you could stop by...Toodles! :D

Thanks to a True Friend!

We had such a fun day...Christmas shopping, going to the tree farm for our Christmas tree, and then my in-laws came over for supper! I hope that you are having a wonderful weekend as well! I have a quick post to share with you today. Here is a card that I created as a thank you for a friend. It uses two Stampin' Up! sets...True Friend and Circle of Friendship. The eggplant and olive colors come right from the patterned paper. This paper is actually double sided. I love working with it! I used the other side when I made the card for my Winter's Song post last week. It is called "Out On A Whim" from Imaginisce. The eggplant grosgrain is from a local ribbon shop. So glad that you could stop by...Toodles! :D

Polka Dots Galore!

Happy Friday Everyone! I needed a quick and easy birthday card for today. Most of these items were out and about in my craft studio so I thought that I'd put them to good use! The card base is made from Papertrey Ink's Stamper's Selecet Card Stock. I can't say enough about this card stock...it's fabulous!!! The soft blue polka dot panel is from a DCWV mat stack that I picked up at AC Moore. I believe that Joann's sells them as well. The May Arts polka dotted ribbon came from a scrapbooking store that I like to venture out too (a little over an hour from home). My sweet little penguin is from Elzybells. He is colored with watercolor pencils and a blender pen. Just had to add some Star Dust Stickles! I can thank Trudee for my love affair with those wonderful things...lol!!! The circle is cut from my Creative Memories cutting system and the scalloped circle was made with my Mega Marvy Punch. I added some polka dot holes with my paper piercer. The "Happy Birthday" is from one of the Studio G $1.00 clear stamps from Michaels. What a great find! I love this almost cursive font! The long Real Red rectangle is actually a piece made with my Spellbinder's Nestabilities Dies. I had a few extra rectangles already cut and just sitting on my desk so I took one and cut it in half. Then I cut off a few extra scalloped strips from each middle section, and adhered the two pieces on top of each other. They fit perfectly, and you can't even see the seam!!! What a lucky break for me!

I'm so glad that you could stop by...Toodles! :D

Merry Mice

Hello Everyone! I didn't get a chance to post anything yesterday because I was called into work...AGAIN! Two days in a row...leaves little time for stamping! I'm not sure why my post from Monday says Sunday, but at least it worked! Right? Computers are not really my thing. I'm amazed that I can do what I can! On to my card...here is my attempt at today's sketch challenge over on SCS. I received this adorable image in the mail...I was elfed by Julia (aka...artystamper over at SCS!) How fun! I received a package full of goodies! I have always been a fan of Penny Black rubber stamps and this little image is no exception. I just had to use these little critters for today's challenge! My card base is SU Old Olive. I believe the patterned paper is from Chatterbox. It is two sided. I used the dots and stripes and the other side as well (the deep cranberry color). I watercolored my mice with watercolor crayons and added lots of Frosted Lace Stickles to make my Christmas snow sparkle! The sentiment is from the Stampin' Up! set called Warm Wishes. I also used my SU Oval Punches. And the great news...I have one more Christmas card finished!!!

So glad that you could stop by...Toodles! :D

Criss Cross Pocket ATC's

Good Morning Everyone! I have gotten called into work today, so this will be short. Here is an Artist Trading Card that I designed for a recent swap that I participated in (*waving* hello to Anne). Because Anne is such a fabulous stamper, I wanted to come up with something a little bit different and special for her swap. I was also in one of Taylor's recent swaps and did something similar to this (*waving* hello to Taylor).

This ATC was made with my Polka Penguins stamp from Stampendous. I usually get my Stampendous stamps from Anna's eBay store, but I found this one at Michaels. To get the horizontal pocket, I cut a strip of cardstock to measure 2-1/2" by 8-1/2". I scored the cardstock at 2-1/2" and at 6". Then I made a diagonal cut from the top of the first scored line to the bottom left. I then made another diagonal cut from the top of the second scored line to the bottom right. For this particular pocket, I stamped the snowflakes first and then folded the right side toward the center, applied a small line of glue to the bottom to secure it, and then folded the left side in toward the center and secured that side with a small amount of glue.

My pocket insert roughly measures 2-1/4" by 3-1/4". My penguins are stamped on this panel. They are colored with markers and there are Star Dust Stickles for lots of sparkle! I then punched a slot and tied on some red plaid ribbon (also from Michaels) to make it easy to pull the insert out of the pocket. There you have it...a Criss Cross Pocket ATC!

I said this was going to be short...right??? I guess I like to type as much as I like to talk...lol! Happy Monday Everyone!!! So glad that you could stop by...Toodles! :D

Limited Supplies

This card is for today's Limited Supplies Challenge over on SCS. Today, I'm also limited on time!!! (Waiting for my Mom to pick me up to go shopping!) So here are all the details...this is a criss-cross card using SU Real Red and Heidi Grace Frost Blvd./Snowflake Garden designer paper. The stamp is yet another adorable one from Elzybells. I used my 33 cent scallop scissors from Michaels to cut out the circle around my winter bird! This ribbon is from American Crafts. The red plaid ribbon is a scrap piece that I found in my ribbon bag. That too is probably from Michaels. All in all this was a quick and easy card to make!

Happy Friday Everyone! Glad you could stop by...Toodles! :D

Here Comes Elzy!

I do not know about you, but I have oodles and oodles of patterned paper, and I'm always afraid to use any of it! I buy it. I loving look at it! Then it sits there...in the drawer...never to be seen again!!! Today I pulled out this sheet from Creative Imaginations. It is called Jolly Stripe. I have had this sheet for over a year now...lol! I am glad to finally put it to good use! I paired up my paper with another Elzybells stamp. Here she is pulling her sleigh full of Christmas goodies! She even has the tree!

This card measure 4 1/4" square. In hindsight, I should have made it standard sized so that I could add some type of greeting. I didn't want to add anything else to the card at this point because I think that there is enough going on with the patterned paper. I might be able to try a tiny sentiment right above the sleigh. (I'll let you know if it works out!) Elzy was stamped with Black Stazon onto Papertrey's Stamper's Select Cardstock. I then used my watercolor crayons and a red Crayola marker. She seemed to fit perfectly in my classic and scalloped rectangles from Spellbinder's Nestibilities. Added some Star Dust and Frosted Lace Stickles and put her to the side to dry. My card base is Stampin' Up!'s Bashful Blue. The grosgrain ribbon is from Anna's eBay store, and matches this quite well. The Real Red strip across the bottom has mini scallops on the top and bottom of it. I found some mini scalloped scissors at Michaels a couple of week's ago. They were on sale...3 pairs for $1.00!!! Definitely a great deal! There she is...ready for Christmas. Now, I need to get ready!!!

So glad that you could stop by...Toodles! :D

A Winter's Song

I drove over an hour on Black Friday to get this new Elzybells stamp!!! It was so worth it! I used the Sketch Challenge from SCS to get me started today. Then I pulled out this "Out On A Whim" patterened paper from Imaginisce. It has a nice weight and a little bit of texture to it. I stamped my little precious Elzy onto watercolor paper with Black Stazon. Taking the burgandy color from the paper, I then got to work with my watercolor crayons. I sponged on a little bit of So Saffron Ink so that the white background would blend in with the patterned paper a bit more. Of course I HAD to add some Stickles for the snow! My Cuttlebug came to the rescue to provide me with the tiny scalloped circle. The sentiment is from SU's retired set called Tiny Talk. It just seemed to fit. I used gold cording to attach it to some olive and gold ribbon that I found at Michaels. The gold brads (Making Memories) added the little something that I needed on the striped panel.

Enjoy the rest of your day! Thanks so much for stopping by...Toodles! :D

Trying Out a SCS Color Challenge

Today's challenge over at Splitcoast Stampers is the Color Challenge. When I first found SCS, this was the very first kind of challenge that I participated in. It was definitely time to try out another one! Today's challenge is to use Basic Gray, Bashful Blue, and Certainly Celery. Right off the bat, this is a big challenge for me because I've yet to buy Basic Gray cardstock (Oh...Clara!). So I substituted and used Basic Black. I love the results!

Meet Sweety the Snowman! He is one of my lastest purchases from Eclectic Paperie. Isn't he sweet!!! After inking him up with Black Stazon, I then used my Bashful Blue and Certainly Celery inks to watercolor him. Next, I added Frosted Lace Stickles so that he would sparkle. While Sweety was drying, I used my Cuttlebug Snowflakes Folder to emboss the Bashful Blue panel, and my Snowflake Trio from A Muse on the Certainly Celery panel. I then broke out my new Scallop and Classic Oval Dies from Spellbinders Nestabilities. Love these!!! Added the sweet sentiment from A Muse, and now my card is complete!

Have a terrific day! Toodles! :D

Bee Happy!

I thought that these Happy Bees from Stampendous would make a lovely anniversary card for some very special friends of ours. I decided to try and make a Z-Fold card that I had seen on Beate's blog a little while ago. It was a lot of fun to make (quite simple too) and something a little unexpected and special for the recipients. I pulled the colors from this beautiful We R Memory Keepers paper that I purchased on vacation this past summer. The paper reminded me of Autumn, so I snatched some right up! My image is colored with watercolor pencils and then I used a SU blender pen to pull it all together. I just had to add some Star Dust Stickles to the wings and flower! I just HAD to!!! I think that if there was a support group for Stickle Users, I would definitely need to join...lol!

Enjoy the rest of your day...Toodles! :D

Twas the Night Before...

Christmas, and this adorable little mouse was certainly stirring! Another sweet image from the Elzybells collection! The Green Maderia 4 Bar Notes and the sentiment are from A Muse. This layout is actually a SCS Sketch Challenge from Beth Siliaka. It is from at least a year ago, but one of my favorites! I was able to use my Scalloped Rectangle Spellbinders Die to make the red rectangle that my new little friend is layered on. I folded back part of the card, punched some holes, added the ribbon, and there you go...a sweet, simple card!

Toodles! :D

Bring on the Bells...

Elzybells, that is! My goodness...could these new stamps be any cuter!!! I received my first batch of these little darlings directly from A Muse a couple of weeks ago and I've been stalking my local stamp stores so that I could snatch up a few more of them!

For this card, I started with one of the new A Muse blue Madeira 4 Bar Note Cards (such a fun size to work with) as my card base. My Fishing Penguin and Igloo were stamped with Black Stazon Ink onto some crisp Stamper's Select Cardstock and then colored with watercolor pencils. I also used a bit of Star Dust Stickles to give this card a little sparkle! My sentiment was also stamped with Black Stazon Ink. I then, bravely, grabbed my scallop scissors and went to town! I *adore* using scallops in my papercrafting, and my scissors have certainly served me well. However, I have recently invested in some Spellbinders Die Templates, and I must say...my scallop scissors will be on vacation for a little while! Hopefully, I will get a chance to use them in tomorrow's creation.

So glad that you could stop by! Toodles! :D

It Worked!

I cannot believe it! It actually worked! Now let's see what else we can do!

I have a wonderful friend that needed some Christmas cards for some of her co-workers. This was one of the creations that I came up with. I used Stamper's Select Card Stock from Papertrey Ink for the card base. It is absolutely fantastic! If you haven't tried it yet, I highly recommend it! (http://www.papertreyink.com/) The soft blue panel is from DCWV. It is embossed with white snowflakes. So pretty and elegant in person! I used my Creative Memories Cutting System for the oval with the sweet bird and tree branch (http://www.amuseartstamps.com/) and my Marvy Giga Scallop Oval Punch for the red. The red strip on the bottom also uses the same scallop punch to add a little bit of extra detail on the right side. The saying is also from A Muse Art Stamps. I punched a white circle to fit under a Hero Arts clear button. The red gingham ribbon that holds the button on gives this card a Country Christmas feel (well, at least I think it does...lol)!

Glad you could stop by! :D

Yippee!

I have wanted to create a blog for some time now! Today seems like the perfect day to give it a whirl! This will definitely be a "learn as you go" experience for me because I'm not very computer savvy, but I'll give it my best! I'll be back soon with a creation (hopefully)!!! Thanks for stopping by! :D