American Crafts Giveaway

Here's another card using the new American Crafts Letterbox Collection. American Crafts has a great giveaway now on Facebook (until Jan. 3rd). The winner will get $250 worth of product.

Hope you have had a great 2009. Happy New Year!!!!!!!!!

American Crafts Giveaway

American Crafts is giving away $250 worth of product if you post a recent creation (using their products) and link it to their Facebook wall. That sounds like a great prize so here is a thank you card I made this week using American Craft's new Letterbox Collection. Everything on this card is by American Crafts except for the embossing folder (Sizzix) and brads (Bazzill). Good luck everyone. :)
My day has been a busy one of baking Amish Cinnamon Bread. It is one of those that has a "starter" which a friend gave to me a few weeks ago. It makes the house smell like cinnamon and is so good warm from the oven with a cup of hot tea. Yummmm! Perfect for a cloudy, cold and rainy day. :) Hope your day has been a warm and dry one.

So Little Time Card

I can't believe the last time I posted on my blog was December 1st. Well, if I stop to think about it....maybe I can believe it. :) My December was busy, busy, busy. With all the extra Christmas goings on, I did not have much time to craft. The few things I was able to complete, I couldn't show. :) To get back on track, today's card is just one for FUN. It fits the bill for two challenge sites. 365 Cards challenge for day 303 is to have at least 3 flourishes on your creation. The Charisma Cardz challenge is to do anything--but Christmas. The great vintage image is by Lunagirl from one of their image CDs. The chipboard and rubber stamp is by American Crafts. The epoxy stickers are by K&Co.
I put all the Christmas decorations away yesterday. I survived another Christmas! How about you? :)

Angel "Wonder" Card

The challenge at 365 Cards today is to have an angel on your card. The angel on this card is from Leisure Arts and one of their little ATC images booklets. The papers, tag, ribbon and snowflake rub-ons are by Little Yellow Bicycle (25 Days Of Christmas Collection). The oval brad is by Making Memories (Mistletoe Collection) and the white rose leaves are by Prima Marketing.
Have you had a good Tuesday? Mine has been filled with household chores, some design work and looking forward to a good old fashioned Christmas Parade tonight in my little town. :)

The [Stamps] Of Life December Release

I always look forward to the first of the month because that is when I get NEW stamps. :) Yep, that's when The [Stamps] Of Life releases their new set. This month's set is called Love2Hug. Here are some cards I did with this fun set.







If you haven't checked out the new stamp company The [Stamps] Of Life, then you are missing out on some stamping fun. :) It's nice to have something to look forward to besides bills at the first of the month. Wink, wink. :)

Naughty Or Nice Card

I haven't posted anything in a while since I have been busy going back and forth to the hospital plus trying to get everything ready for Thanksgiving. Hopefully I'll be able to find more time for my blog in the coming weeks. :) That might be wishful thinking though. I struggle every year to find enough time to get everything done (Christmas shopping, wrapping, etc. etc.) without the added goings on I find myself involved with this year.
My card today fits three challenges. I used sketch #40 at 2 Sketches 4 You to give me a "jump-start." Cupcake Crafts Challenge plus 365 Days have red and green challenges going on this week. The papers, rub-ons, epoxy alphabet stickers, ribbon and holly brads are all by Making Memories. The image is by Lunagirl. I got to try out my new
Martha Stewart deep border punch too. :) This card would definitely fall under the fast and easy category....always a good thing this time of year. :)
Hope your Monday has been a good one. Mine has been busy. Had an eye doctor's appointment early plus had some repairmen here at the house doing some things. It's almost time to visit my mom at the hospital where I'm hoping I will see some improvement today. :) I did some Christmas shopping today too.....got to love Cyber Monday. :)

2 Sketches 4 You Guest Designer

Well, today is Wednesday and I just realized that I was supposed to post Monday about being the guest designer at 2 Sketches 4 You. I know you are wondering how I could possibly forget that!!!! :) When your days are spent at a hospital and ICU, you tend to "forget" a lot. :) So I am posting late....but better late than never.

I got to work with some Creative Cuts & More product. The sleigh beside my card is from them. I had such fun decorating this diecut. I put some fresh cut holly in mine but it would be equally wonderful with candy. I used papers from Little Yellow Bicycle's 25 Days Of Christmas collection. The sentiment stamps are by The [Stamps] Of Life.

My mother is continuing to improve from her stroke. She was able to walk to the bathroom today so that is a very good sign. Keep us in your thoughts.

Roam Fun Card

Sharing a fun card today that fits two challenges. The Cinema Saturday Creative movie this week is "Roman Holiday." I had a new rubber stamp by Stampique Originals that has the Leaning Tower of Pisa on it. I decided to use a play on words and call my card "roam" fun. :) I used the sketch at Mojo Monday to jumpstart my card. :) All the papers, stickers and ribbon are by Little Yellow Bicycle from their Traveler Collection.

My last two days have been spent at the hospital where my mom is in ICU. She suffered a stroke Saturday night so please keep me in your thoughts. She was better today so I am hopeful that it will all work out.

Call Of The Wild Card

I decided to try the Etsy Inspired Challenge for the first time today. :) I chose the above pictured baby bib fabric as my inspiration for this card. The rubber stamps are by Hampton Art. The leaf on the fabric of this bib reminded me of an "old" Sizzix die that I had. I haven't used this one for years. It also reminded me to never get rid of any of my Sizzix dies (as I have been tempted to do with some of the older ones). But now I think I will keep them "forever." (Wink, wink.) The polka dot flowers are by Prima Marketing.
Chocolate pancakes, strawberries and whipped cream....oh my. :)

Noel Reindeer Card

Card Patterns has a sketch challenge this week. This card works up fast and would be a good one to do several of for your Christmas mailing list. The patterned papers and reindeer tag are by Little Yellow Bicycle (25 Days Of Christmas Collection). The "noel" are epoxy type alphabet stickers by Making Memories. The white leaves are by Prima Marketing. Since the card has leaves, it will also fit the challenges at Pile It Up and Charisma Cardz. The challenge at Charisma Cardz is called "Merry and Bright."
It's about time to get those chocolate pancakes cooking. We have plans to watch the Alabama vs. Mississippi State game tonight. Roll Tide! :)

Joy Snowglobe Card

Snow is the inspiration challenge today at 365 Cards. I thought this challenge would be a good time to "play" with my November set from The [Stamps] Of Life again. :) I am loving the little snowman snowglobe with this set. The dark red snowflake background paper, chipboard buttons and ribbon are by Little Yellow Bicycle from their "25 Days Of Christmas" collection. This card also fit the challenge at Charisma Cardz of "Merry and Bright" too.

I have been having the nicest Saturday. It has been a "stay-in-your-jammies" day of making cards plus watching DVDs. My youngest daughter and I have started a good series from Netflix called "Legend Of The Seeker." Days like this are few and far between. :) She has requested chocolate pancakes with strawberries and whipped cream for supper tonight. Doesn't that sound good? Hope your Saturday has been a good one with some chocolate too. :)

Mad Hatter Card

The challenge at 365 Cards today was to have a hat on your card. I decided to use some new Alice In Wonderland stamps by Oxford Impressions. The hat is from the challenge in the new Dec/Jan issue of Stamper's Sampler. The "clock" is one of Prima Marketing's large "pebbles" for want of a better word. The sentiment on the card is from the rabbit in Alice In Wonderland The checkerboard band on the hat is a punch by Martha Stewart.

Looking forward to a slow weekend of making cards, watching movies, playing games, etc. (with an occasional load of laundry). :) What are your plans? :)

Ric Rac and Buttons Card

365 Cards/Day 256 challenge was to make a card that had ric-rac and buttons on it. I LOVE ric rac so had to do this one. :) Isn't it strange the things we remember? When I was a little girl I had a dress made by my grandmother. It was black gingham with lots or red ric rac on it. I think that was the start of my "love" for "ric rac." :) Anyway back to this card. The tag, embossing folder and stamps are by Sizzix. The green ric rac is by Doodlebug Design and the buttons are by Making Memories. This card has what I call "happy colors" (which is my way of saying primary). :)

Love "Patch" Card

The challenge for day 255 at 365 Cards was to have a patch on your creation. I chose a stamp by Inkadinkado and stitched all the way around it. Hopefully it looks "patched." The clear sentiment sticker is by Diecuts With A View. The text background is from an old book. This card looks fast and easy but the stitching on it does take longer than you would think. :)

Hanging Snowflake Ornament Card

The challenge at 365 Cards for day 254 this week was to create an ornament that is also a card. I chose some pink wired gingham ribbon to work with for this one. The large snowflake is a Sizzix die. The sentiment is a stamp by Hampton Art. The pretty brad is by My Mind's Eye. This is a relatively easy card so you could do several of these in no time to "hang" on your tree. :)

You Are So Sweet Card

Sharing another card I did this afternoon and it is based on a picture challenge over at 365 Cards. The picture shows a pretty pink icing cupcake. I didn't use any pink on my card but I did use a giant cupcake. Do you think a cupcake that large has a lot of calories? :) The cupcake is a diecut by Sizzix. The sentiment is a rubber stamp by Hampton Art. The ribbon is some I found at Hobby Lobby at their last great 50% off ribbon sale. Fun card that was fast and easy too.

That's it for today. I'm going to call it a night and read. I'm reading a biography about Vivian Vance (Ethel Mertz on "I Love Lucy.") The book is titled "The Other Side Of Ethel Mertz" and was written in 1998. I found it online at a used book place for $1.27. How's that for some cheap entertainment? I enjoy reading movie star biographies and this one is good! Course I am a big fan of the "I Love Lucy" show so it has been fun reading all about "Ethel." :)

What A Hoot Card

2 Sketches 4 You has an interesting sketch to play with this week. When I first saw it, I had to "think" a while about what I wanted to use on it. Was looking thru my clear stamp sets and saw the branches with this Hampton Art Owl set. Thought they would be perfect for the two strips on the sketch. :) The ink pads are by Clearsnap in their Vivid colors (Brown, Turquoise, and Wild Lime). I rubbed some chalks over the leaves after stamping. All the white detail work is the Inkssentials White Gel pen by Ranger. The small flowers are by Prima Marketing and the little white brads are by The Paper Studio.

Hope you had a nice Wednesday and Veteran's Day. I am so thankful for the men and woman that sacrifice so that we can live the way we do.

colourQ Designer Of The Week -- Challenge 6

colourQ is a new challenge site that is a lot of fun. If you have not checked it out yet, you are missing out on some creative inspiration. :) I'm one of the featured designers this week and this is the card I came up with. The colors to put on a project this week are: Brocade Blue, Bordering Blue, Really Rust, More Mustard plus a natural color.

The little owl stamp is by Hampton Art. The embossing folder design and the diecut stars are by Sizzix. All the cardstock is by Stampin'Up! The ribbon is by Pebbles and the brad is by Around The Block. The stamp edge border punch is by EK Success.

I want to thank Arielle for inviting me to her challenge site this week. :)

True Love Wedding Card

My Big Fat Greek Wedding is the selected movie this week at the Cinema Saturday Creative Challenge. When that movie was released, several of my friends went to the movies and saw it. All of them were commenting on how good it was. I always wanted to see it but never did. Then years go by and I still have not seen it. Recently on one of my "treasure hunts" at Big Lots, guess what I found? Yep, "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" on DVD for $3!!!! Needless to say it went home with me. :) I had a special "showing" of it one Saturday night. Fun movie! :)

The "True Love" Wedding card features a vintage image by Lunagirl (love their image CDs). The pretty wedding bells brad is one by The Paper Studio (from my last treasure hunt at Hobby Lobby). :) The striped paper is by Making Memories and the "bling" swirls are by Prima Marketing. The rubber stamps are by Making Memories and the ink color is Tea Rose by Clearsnap (Vivid line). The flowers are by Prima Marketing and the rhinestone brads by Karen Foster Design. The border punch is by Martha Stewart. The white swirl is a diecut by Sizzix.

Woke up during the night to hard rain and it is still dark and rainy. Aaaah, perfect day for the Mona Lisa mug filled with hot tea and me to "retire" to my craft
studio. :) Everyone knows you can't do laundry, etc. on rainy days....only cards. :)

"To Do" List Card

I loved the sketch at I Heart 2 Stamp challenge site this week. Had to have a go at it. :) I've been wanting to use this image by Lunagirl for a long time and thought this sentiment might work with it. The papers are by Diecuts With A View. The brads are by The Paper Studio and the pretty black bow is by Queen and Company (from my "old" stash). I love how this card turned out. :)

Age Loyalty Card

I'm always up for a "bling" challenge. :) All Sorts has one this week so here is my creation. The papers are by Diecuts With a View. The image is by Lunagirl and the flowers are by Prima Marketing. The flower rhinestones are by KaiserCraft. I love the quote on this card. :)

Surprising Age Card

The Just Us Girls challenge for the week is based on a sketch. It looked like a fun one to try. :) Be warned I am "hung" up on doing funny birthday cards at present. :) This one has papers by Diecuts With A View. The cute vintage image is by Lunagirl from one of their image CDs. The rubber stamp is by Hampton Art while the ink color is by Clearsnap. A fast and easy card that hopefully will bring a smile. :)

Over The Hill Birthday Card

What do you do when you buy a Halloween border punch from Ebay "after" Halloween? Well, if you can't wait a year to use it, then you make a birthday card with it. :)

The challenge at Color Chef was based on the following colors: black, grey, orange and white. I thought these colors would be perfect for my "Over The Hill" card. The papers are by Bazzill and the rub-on alphabet is by Sizzix. The tombstone border punch is by Martha Stewart while the flowers are by Prima Marketing. The sticker is by DCWV and the brads are by Basic Grey.

Turning Birthday Card

I loved the look of sketch #76 at Sketch Saturday. Couldn't resist giving it a try. :) Here's what I came up with....a funny birthday card. This card features papers by Diecuts With A View (La Creme Stack). The double loop border is a new punch by Martha Stewart. The flowers are by Prima Marketing. The sentiment is computer generated and the font is Pharmacy. The great image is by Lunagirl.

Hope you are having a nice weekend. We are having a great one....Let me add "Roll Tide" tonight too. :)

Tree "Thanks" Card

The Pink Elephant challenge is to use the following colors: brown, yellow, neutral plus one color of your choice. I chose green for my color choice. There is a challenge to use scallops at My Time To Craft this week so this card fits it too. Since it is a thank you card, it also fits the challenge at Pile It On. The rubber stamp is by Hampton Art. The scalloped diecut border is by Sizzix (I use this one a lot too.)
Do you watch "The Mentalist?" I watched it a lot last season when it was on Tuesday nights. Can't seem to get into the new time period this year. I am watching it tonight though since I wanted to see Simon Baker's character go to "prison." I figured that would be an amusing episode. :)

Thank You Flowers Card

Challenge #22 at Pile It On is to do a thank you card. The current challenge at
2 Red Bananas is to use red, yellow, orange and brown. Not sure I would have ever used those colors together if not for this challenge. :) I like the finished results though. :) It is prettier in person than it shows up in the photo. :) The flower rubber stamps are by Hampton Art. The embossing folder and diecut word are by Cuttlebug. The rhinestones are by KaiserCraft.

Today was busy, busy, busy with some nice surprises added in. A friend stopped by with a homemade cake as a gift for my birthday. Yummy!!!! :) Then the UPS driver delivered a box of brownies that are part of a testing product survey I got in. Yes, it was a "sweet" day. Wink! :)

Smile Birthday Girl Card

In case you haven't caught on to the fact I love Mona Lisa, let me tell you now. (Wink, wink.) This fun birthday card combines two challenges. The challenge at Cupcake Crafts is based on a sketch. The challenge at My Time To Craft is to have scallops on your card. I made this card with a lot of my Paper Crafts World Card Making Day winnings. (I won one of the Little Yellow Bicycle Zinnia Collections given away that day.) How's that for lucky?) :) The rubber stamp is one I've had a long time by Time To Stamp. (And yes, I collect Mona Lisa rubber stamps.) :) I even got a Mona Lisa mug this year for my birthday from my oldest daughter. It is black, white and red and I LOVE it. :) It just makes that hot tea tastes so much better. :) It is time for David Letterman, so I'll stop my ramblings. Thanks for stopping by to see my latest "art." :)

Butterfly "Friendship" Card

Flutterby Wednesday's Challenge this week is to have a butterfly or fairy on your creation. I had to play this challenge since I LOVE butterflies. :) I did an alcohol ink background on some glossy cardstock to stamp the butterfly on. That pretty butterfly stamp is a clear stamp by Prima Marketing. The butterfly is heat embossed with black powder. The black chipboard (Grafix) swirl is a diecut by Sizzix. I did a black zig-zag stitch with my sewing machine. The brads are some mini-sized ones I found at Michael's (love the mini-size of those). :)

It's a beautiful cloudless day in my neck of the woods. Loving this great fall weather too. :) I have some deadlines so better get to work. I'm enjoying my new tall table in my craft studio too. I think my back likes it even better though. :)
Thanks for stopping by. :)

Merry Christmas Snowglobe Card

I'm sharing a card with you from the Joy2Christmas set by The [Stamps] Of Life. If you haven't checked out Stephanie Barnard's new company, then you are missing out on some fun stamp sets. :) Like I've said before, these are "premium" clear stamps. They make crisp, clear images and are some of the best I've ever used. :)

Happy birthday to ME. :) Lots of fun things today. I have to share my excitement over my new TALL work table in my craft studio. Now I can stand (not all the time mind you) while I design my cards. I've been having terrible back and neck pains from sitting "hunched" over the work table long hours. My very nice husband (wink) surprised me with it Saturday. I got it set up yesterday and am on my way to test out the theory that my back won't hurt as much if I stand while working. You know the joke about getting old....You know you are getting old when your back goes out more than you do. Yep, true! :) Have a fab Monday.....I still have presents to open and cake coming up tonight.....Wouldn't mind having a birthday more often if it wasn't for the numbers going up, up, up! :)

Joy2Christmas -- The [Stamps] Of Life November Release

November 1st is the official release date for The [Stamps] Of Life new set called
Joy2Christmas. If you have not checked out Stephanie Barnard's new stamp company, you are missing out on some great stamps. :) They are clear but not just any clear.
They give some of the sharpest, cleanest impressions you're ever worked with. High, high quality clear stamps! :) She has it set up so that you can join a monthly stamp club. You'll receive one new set every month. Be sure to check out
The [Stamps] Of Life site for all the details. :) Here are some cards I did with the new set called Joy2Christmas. Fun set and very versatile.

Geometric Shapes Birthday Card

The challenge at Crazy 4 Challenges is to use at least three different geometric shapes on your creation. This one has rub-ons by Royal & Langnickel. I used punches to get the geometric shapes (circle, square and triangle). The embossing folder is a new one by Sizzix. Fast and easy....the best kind of card sometimes. :)

Floral Bouquet Birthday Card

The 365 Cards/Day 243 challenge is called "beautiful bouquet" (grouping of flowers together). I chose a new stamp by Prima Marketing to make my bouquet. Colored it with Stampin'Up! marker pens plus touched it up with some Copic glitter pens. The rub-on is by Royal & Langnickel. The cardstock and paper are by Diecuts With A View.

Hope your Thursday has been a good one. I love Thursday nights since my favorite TV show is on....yep, Survivor fan here. :) Love to watch "The Office" too....that show can always make me laugh. :)

Happy Birthday Butterfly Card

Since the challenge at Limelight Papercrafts this week is a sketch plus wants you to have a butterfly on your creation, I HAD to do it. :) I love to make cards with butterflies. That's another one of my many weaknesses. :) The gold foil board is by Grafix (love this stuff) and the patterned red cardstock is by Diecuts With A View (Taj Mahal Stack). The vellum is by The Paper Studio (as are the small gold brads). The rub-on is by Royal and Langnickel. The big bold butterfly is a die by Sizzix (Sizzlits Butterfly #2).

I bragged about that sunshine too much yesterday. :) It is cloudy and raining yet again in Alabama. :) Pretty good weather for staying in and crafting though! :)