Grapes - Encouragement

This is a card I made for a very special friend. She is going through a difficult time - The stamp of the grapes is one I borrowed from another good friend, Danita and I watercolored it with the watercolor wonder crayons - then I applied red sticky tape on top of it and put a layer of micro beads to it. I hope when my friend recieves it, she will not only enjoy the images but the prayer that was enclosed and the hugs and prayers that went into it while I made it.

Here is the list of supplies I used to make this:

Stamps: Grapes by PSX, Sweet and Sassy Stamps - Encouragement -French Flair, Floral, Canvas BG's Stampin' Up!,
Cardstock: Pretty In Pink, Perfect Plum, Elegant Eggplant, Basic Black, Whisper White, Black Staz On,
Accessories: Dimensionals, Red Sticky Tape, Micro Beads, Sponges, Circle Cutter, brayer, Aquapainter, Watercolor wonder crayons.

Thank you for looking! Blessings!

For Father - another quick and easy card

I had a Card Craze this Saturday and this was one of the quick cards we made.

I cased this sketch from the SU catalog on page 102 and changed the colors and the embellishments -

This is what I used:

Stamp Sets: For Father, Rough Texture Jumbo Wheel

Ink and Cardstock: Mellow Moss, Close to Cocoa, Confetti Cream, Basic Brown

Accessories: Chocolate Twill, Jumbo Eyelets, White Gel Pen, Crop-o-dile, Cutter Kit, Dimensionals.

Thank you for looking!

Fantastic Friday Challenge - A Little Birdie Told Me

I followed a non-sketch on this card. I also used some of the goodies my friend Joan sent to me - those Cuddle bugged cardstocks! WOOHOO - Love those! I am thinking I want MORE.... ***giggle*** Anyways - my inspiration came from here for the sketch....

Korin has a challenge for her Fantastic Friday Challenge to use a BIRD on your card - so here is my card....

This is what I used to make it:

Stamp Sets: Live Your Dream, Rough Texture Jumbo Wheel, Personalized stamp for text - I had it made through Stampin' Up!

Cardstock, Ink and Markers: Purely Pomegranite, Rose Red, Old Olive, More Mustard, Regal Rose, Very Vanilla

Accessories: Paper Piercing Tool, Mat Pack, Chocolate Twill, 1 inch circle punch, 1 1/4 circle punch, Dimensionals -

Chocoholic Color Wash

Technique junkies came out with their newsletter so I peeked at it on line and saw the Color Wash Technique - for directions on the technique go to:

http://www.patstamps.com/SOP_home.html

This is a Sweet n' Sassy stamp and it is called Chocoholic. Do you want to know a secret? Chocolate really isn't my thing. I know, I am sick in the head. I really prefer oatmeal raisin cookies. I can not eat just one. I bought this stamp because my friend Holly loves chocolate and I thought it would be fun to make her some cards with it.

You can not tell on this picture - but the cake is cut out and popped up with dimensionals and so is the blocked area with the words Chocolate is a food group.

This is what I used to make the cards:

Stamp Set: Chocoholic by Sweet n' Sassy stamps, Canvas BG by Stampin' Up!

Cardstock and Ink: Bashful Blue, Chocolate Chip, Night of Navy, Glossy White, Real Red, Close to Cocoa, Creamy Caramel

Accessories: 5/8th chocolate grosgrain ribbon, Styled Silver hodgepodge, Dimensionals, Brayer

Thanks for looking! Have a nice evening!

Swap card Revised - A Simple Project

I asked what you wanted to see and someone replied - Easier projects.

I have a 10-10-20 Card Craze Class tomorrow and needed to come up with a quick project that minimized coloring. My friend Debbie Adams gave me a beautiful card from a swap that I loved but needed to simplify it a bit. I used her same sketch but added and changed a few elements. I also didn't have enough of my Hodgepodge to go around for all class participants and quite truthfully, have a bad habit of waiting until the day before to finish things up before a class. Plus with shipping taking a bit longer, my product wouldn't make it in time since I procrastinated.

Stamp Set: Bloomin' Beautiful

Cardstock and Ink: Always Artichoke, Elegant Eggplant, Whisper White

Accessories: For Debbie's card: Aquapainter, Brass Hodgepodge, Large Oval Punch, Watercolor paper For My Card: 1/16th hole punch, Large and small oval punch - Celebrate Stamp set.

Debbie's card is the colored version - my card is the non- colored version.

Thank you for looking! Have a great weekend!

The Shack

Have you ever read a book that was SO good and powerful it has changed your way of thinking dramatically? I read the book The Shack this week and I can not help but share it with you.

A few friends of mine and I read it together and once you pick it up, we had a hard time putting it down. Whether you love it or hate it, I believe it will change your way of thinking.

You can check out more details at www.theshackbook.com.

Have a blessed day!

Sketch Challenge 169- Bloomin' Beautiful

I recieved a WHOLE PACKAGE filled with Cuddlebugged images from my friend Joan Ervin. THANK YOU, Joan!

I need a few cards to send out to some friends and made this one using the Splitcoast Sketch Challenge # 169.

This is what I used to make this card:

Stamp Sets: #1015 Encouragement by Sweet n' Sassy, Bloomin' Beautiful, Lots of Dots Jumbo Wheel

Cardstock & Ink: Chocolate Chip, More Mustard, Old Olive, Very Vanilla - COPIC Markers

Accessories: Chocolate Twill Ribbon, Dimensionals, sponges, Paper Piercing, Earth Element Brads

Thank you for looking and have a fabulous day!

Belli Challenge #10 - CHALKS!

What is the Belli Challenge you ask? Belli = Embellishments.

Each week, I try to give us a challenge that will use things we have lying around our stamp rooms! With a constant flow of new things coming out, I tend to forget about the other things I have and they quickly become clutter! So come join us in the Belli Challenge and be sire to post your link to the card here for a chance to WIN!

This Weeks Belli Challenge is CHALKS!!!

There are SO many different things we can do with your CHALKS! I have never done the Chalkboard technique - so that is what I did with my chalks this week - here is the tutorial for that- done by Beate at Splitcoast stampers Try to use your chalks in a technique that you may not have done before or even use the Chalkboard Technique!

Make a completed project and share the link here in the comments linking to my Blog and CBC10. Be sure to post a link to your card mentioning my Blog and the Challenge for a chance to win a FREE stamp set valued at $15.00 from www.sweetnsassy.com. You even get to choose! When you post to Splitcoaststampers or to your Blog, be sure and put CBC10 as the KEYWORD and mention of the challenge! Then make a comment under this with a link to your card and a number so we can do a Random drawing for the winner. AM I redundant? LOL

Deadline to make a comment with the upload and do the Challenge will be on Monday evening. A random drawing will be held on Tuesday and the winner will be announced on Wednesdays!
Last week's winner was Jessica Smith- check out her TOAD-ALLY Cool cards!

For my cards- I used Beate's Weekend Sketch challenge #40.

For more inspiration -

Check out these and make a comment too for them please! We all LOVE comments. It is fun to see what everyone is thinking about what we are creating! :) Have a fabulous day!

Shelly K.

Jennifer-G

Laurie Serino

Trish

10,000 Hits Winner is....

I am sorry for the delay in announcing the winner.... the winner is Allison - #14! Congratulations. Please contact me with your mailing information at chrissyd723.blogspot.com and which stamp set you would like. Thank you all for your comments. I look forward to stamping tomorrow!

Belli Challenge Delay

Hi! We JUST got home from Alabama and I am exhausted. The Belli Challenge will be one day late this week. I am sorry for the delay but it will be up as soon as I can get to it (no later than Thursday!) Have a fabulous day!

Easter Blessings

I am down in Alabama right now. Enjoying 70 degree weather! :) Back home in Wisconsin, I hear that we have 14 inches of snow! EEK!

Anyways - no stamped images as I am on a mini vacation. I will post some thigns next week. I did not want to take a moment to wish you all a Blessed Resurrection Sunday!

God Bless You!

Belli Challenge #9 - Glitter

What is the Belli Challenge you ask?

Belli = Embellishments.

Each week, I try to give us a challenge that will use things we have lying around our stamp rooms! With a constant flow of new things coming out, I tend to forget about the other things I have and they quickly become clutter! So come join us in the Belli Challenge and be sire to post your link to the card here for a chance to WIN!

This Weeks Belli Challenge is GLITTER!!!

There are SO many different things we can do with your glitter! It can be any kind! Try to use it on things you might not NORMALLY use glitter on - I have a few dear friends who dislike glitter - so if you are one of these people - just give it a whirl! Even if you have to go out on your porch or outside to use it. Using glitter will NOT make you melt. And look, if you are like me, you probably have to vacuum anyways, so a little glitter everywhere will help motivate you to pull out your vacuum. ;)

Make a completed project and share the link here in the comments linking to my Blog and CBC9. Be sure to post a link to your card mentioning my Blog and the Challenge for a chance to win an assortment of colored 8 1/2 x 11 cardstock from Stampin' Up! When you post to Splitcoaststampers or to your Blog, be sure and put CBC9 as the KEYWORD and mention of the challenge! Then make a comment under this with a link to your card and a number so we can do a Random drawing for the winner. AM I redundant? LOL

Deadline to make a comment with the upload and do the Challenge will be on Monday evening. A random drawing will be held on Tuesday and the winner will be announced on Wednesdays!

Last week's winner was Liz's Lovelies- check out her beautiful cards! She even hand paints her own flowers and images. GORGEOUS!

For more inspiration -

Check out these and make a comment too for them please! We all LOVE comments. It is fun to see what everyone is thinking about what we are creating! :) Have a fabulous day!

Holly

Shelly K.

Laurie Serino

Jennifer -G

Color Challenge 158, Morning Soft

Today is color challenge day on Splitcoast - you can check out the link and other people's creations here.

I just hosted an AWESOME swap and one of the cards I received used this sketch and I thought it was so great. Then I looked at Debby M's sketch for the week and it used this same lay out - so I changed it a bit and used the SCS color challenge 158.

Here are the details:

Stamp Sets: Tres' Chic, Morning Soft, Sincere Salutations

Ink and Cardstock: Shimmery White, Orchid Opulence, Basic Black, Black Staz On, Sage Shadow, Kraft, Creamy Caramel

Accessories: Watercolor Wonder Crayons, Aquapainters, Paper Piercing Tool, Sponges

Thanks for looking! have a nice evening!

Tart & tangy - Sweet Serendipity

I made this card for a swap - I am LOVING these papers. The colors are so bright and cheery! Ha- at first I typed bright and "cherry" but that wouldn't be right....it should be apple. :)

Here is the recipe for the card I made:

Stamp Sets: Tart & Tangy, Sweet Serendipity

Cardstock and Ink: Pumpkin Pie, Real Red, Whisper White, Summer Picnic DP - Markers too Close to Cocoa, Garden Green, barely Banana, Real Red,

Accessories: Dimensionals, Scallop punch, 1 1/4 inch circle, 1 3/8 inch circle, 1/2 inch circle, 1/4 inch circle, 1/16th circle punch, White Signo Gel Pen - Pewter brads

Thanks for looking! Have a blessed day!

Live Your Dreams- Spring Colors

As I look at this card, I see I cut off part of the right side. Sorry.

This is a quick card I made for a swap - I keep looking at it and thinking it needs something else but I am STOPPING here! My mom would be so proud! Speaking of which - my mom wrote a poem - I need to post it here.

I am preparing to go to a party and this will be a card I give to the Birthday Girl - my good friend Janeen. I have TRIED so hard to get her hooked on stamping but she has TOO MUCH Self control! LOL Poor girl, I feel bad for her. Everyone should have the same addictions as I do, right!? ***giggle***

Anyways - this is what I used to make this card!

Stamp Sets: Warmest Regards (I only used that on this card for the Swap I used THANKS from the Live Your Dream card) , Live Your Dream, Circle of Friendship

Cardstock & Ink: Textured Soft Subtles CS, Pretty In Pink, Certainly Celery, Barely Banana, Versamark

Accessories: Dimensionals, Paper Piercing Tool, 1 inch & 1 1/4 circle punch, corner rounder, white embossing powder, embossing buddy

Belli Challenge #8 - Flower Power Second Sample

Here is a card for the Belli Challenge. I thought since I did some things for the Belli Challenge with scrapbook pages, I should probably make a card too.

The sketch is one from Beate's weekend sketch challenge.

Had I thought about this a bit more- I would have probably skipped the Jumbo Brads, but once in paper, I was committed. :)

This is what I used to make the card:

Stamp Set by Sweet n' Sassy Stamps, Barnyard
Cardstock and Ink: Ginger Blossoms, Ruby Red, Old Olive, Whisper White -
Accessories: Scallop Punch, 1 3/8 circle punch, Aquapainter, Watercolor wonder Crayons, Markers, sponges, paper piercing tool, Dimensionals, Crop-o-dile, Jumbo Pewter Brads, Prima flowers, Vintage Brads

Technique: Masking

Thanks for looking! Have a great evening!

Belli Challenge #8 FLOWER POWER

What is the Belli Challenge you ask? Belli = Embellishments. Each week, I try to give us a challenge that will use things we have lying around our stamp rooms! With a constant flow of new things coming out, I tend to forget about the other things I have and they quickly become clutter! So come join us in the Belli Challenge and be sire to post your link to the card here for a chance to WIN!

This Weeks Belli Challenge is FLOWERS!!!

There are SO many different things we can do with your flowers! It can be any kind! Primas, Felt, Stampin' Up!, pressed, dried, real flowers, etc. try to use things you might not NORMALLY use.

Make a completed project and share the link here in the comments linking to my Blog and CBC8.
Be sure to post a link to your card mentioning my Blog and the Challenge for a chance to win an assortment of colored 8 1/2 x 11 cardstock from Stampin' Up! When you post to Splitcoaststampers or to your Blog, be sure and put CBC8 as the KEYWORD and mention of the challenge! Then make a comment under this with a link to your card and a number so we can do a Random drawing for the winner.

Deadline to make a comment with the upload and do the Challenge will be on Monday evening. A random drawing will be held on Tuesday and the winner will be announced on Wednesdays!

Last week's winner was Nancy Grant- check out her beautiful cards!

.
For more inspiration - Check out these and make a comment too for them please!
Holly

Shelly K.

Laurie Serino

Jennifer -G

Do- Over Sweet Serendipity

I THINK this one isn't as busy as the other one. LOL This was my "do-over" for Stamp Camp -

This is what I used to make it - All Stampin' Up!:

Stamp Sets: Sweet Serendipity

Ink and Cardstock: Purely Pomegranite, Old Olive, Bashful Blue, Pumpkin Pie, Bali Breeze

Accessories: Paper Piercing Tool, Photo Corner punch, Build a Brad, 1/2 inch circle punch, large oval punch, Designer Label Punch, 1 inch circle punch, 1 3/8 circle punch, Felt Flowers, Die Cut Blooms, Dimensionals

What do ya think of the two cards?

Somebody STOP ME!

I have issues. Well, you are probably thinking WHO DOESN'T? LOL

I sat down this afternoon to make a "QUICK" card to have my customers make at Stamp Camp. I wanted to use the Felt Flowers, because I have not used them yet and purchased them when the catalog came out in January.

My issue is I can not seem to SEE in my "mind's eye" nice, quick cards. So when I am stamping - I always think "It needs something else." Well, the WHOLE time I was making the card I was thinking that. LOL AHhh!!! Someone come over and help me visualize easier cards!

This color combo isn't one that typically work with - anyways - here is my quick card. ***giggle*** I am going to try to redesign it with a little less detail.

Stamp Sets: So Many Scallops, Sweet Serendipity

Cardstock and Ink Pads: Bali Breeze DP, Die Cut Blooms, Purely Pomegranite, Bashful Blue,Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie

Accessories: Build a Brads, Felt Flowers, paper piercing tool, white gel pen, pewter brads

Punches: Designer Labels, Large Scallop, 1 inch circle, 1 1/4 inch circle, 1/2 & 1/4 inch circle punch, corner rounder

Thank you for looking! I will post my "New, easier version" in awhile. Hopefully, I will not get carried away again. LOL

Scrapbook pages -

This is a picture of my little boy from several years ago - I am about 7 years behind in my scrapbooking! LOL I used the SU's WANTED scrapbook kit. Quick and simple on this one! I can not believe how big my boy has gotten. This is his best buddy - they are still friends 7 years later...

This next page, I used the George font on my Cricut - and a Top Line Creations scrapbook kit0 I used their sketch but changed a few things - papers and lay out. The dog and the cat in the picture have since passed on - the baby is my dear little Grace who got stitches a few weeks ago. I called her my little Cue ball - she had VERY little hair on her head when she was a baby - it was mostly on her shoulders. A physical trait that was much like her mothers, I am sad to say. Fortunately for now, we both have more hair on our heads than we do on our shoulders. ***giggle***

I am working on a card now - will post it soon!

I'm Home

It is late Sunday evening and I just got home a half an hour ago. My children pounced on me and I hugged and smooched on them. I had 5 glorious days with many friends, quiet time with the Lord and A LOT of scrapbooking time. I created 25 Scrapbook pages that only covered a 2 and a half month time span. LOL I will be sharing them through out the week. I look forward to seeing who participated in the Belli Challenge!

Have a great week!

Belli Challenge #7 - HARDWARE!

What is the Belli Challenge you ask? Belli = Embellishments. Each week, I try to give us a challenge that will use things we have lying around our stamp rooms! With a constant flow of new things coming out, I tend to forget about the other things I have and they quickly become clutter! So come join us in the Belli Challenge and be sire to post your link to the card here for a chance to WIN!

This Weeks Belli Challenge is HARDWARE!!! There are SO many different things we can do with your hardware!

This week's Belli Challenge will be to use your HARDWARE! It can be any kind! Hodgpodge- or other - brads- try to use things you might not NORMALLY use.

Make a completed project and share the link here in the comments linking to my Blog and CBC7.

Be sure to post a link to your card mentioning my Blog and the Challenge for a chance to win an assortment of hardware! from Stampin' Up! When you post to Splitcoaststampers or to your Blog, be sure and put CBC7 as the KEYWORD and mention of the challenge! Then make a comment under this with a link to your card and a number so we can do a Random drawing for the winner.

Deadline to make a comment with the upload and do the Challenge will be on Monday evening. A random drawing will be held on Tuesday and the winner will be announced on Wednesdays!

This is a card I made a year and a half ago and posted it on SCS back in July of 2007 when this stamp set first came out. I made a different card yesterday and didn't like the way it turned out, so I will fix it upon my return. I get to go scrapbooking for 5 days! WOOHOO!

Anyways, what I used to make this project:
Stamp Sets: Jumbo Wheel - Rough Texture, French Script BG retired, Lilacs

Cardstock and Ink: Sahara Sand, Elegant Eggplant, Lavender Lace, Always artichoke,

Accessories: Sponges, Natural Hemp, White gel pen and Pewter Hodgepodge, 1/16th hole punch.

For more inspiration - Check out these and make a comment too for them please!

Holly

Trish

Shelly K.

Laurie Serino

Debby M

I've been TAGGED three times!

Debby M, Holly and Nancy have tagged me. I'm supposed to tell you 7 random facts about me, and then turn around and tag some other girlfriends.

I should be packing, but I am the QUEEN PROCRASTINATOR so I sit here and am thinking about making a card for tomorrow's Belli Challenge but not feeling very inspired.

So while I procrastinate..... here's what I can think of at the moment:

1. I LOVE to read! I am currently reading 4 books and doing 3 Bible Studies. The books I am reading are:
a. Eat, Pray and Love by Elizabeth Gilbert - not really a book I would normally read but a girlfriend asked me to read it with her and I wanted to see what it was about.
b. Heaven, by Randy Alcorn
c. The Shack, by William P. Young
d. Don't Sing Songs to a Heavy Heart, by Kenneth C Haugk, Ph. D.
Bible Studies I am doing:
a. Daniel, By Beth Moore - this is an online study with a video series I am doing this with my 16 yo dd- EXCELLENT!
b. Created to be His Helpmeet By Debbie Pearl - I am doing this with some close friends
c. Luke by Kay Arthur - my dh and I are doing this one with our small group


2. I am a hair dresser/ cosmetologist by trade. I worked various office jobs and decided to stay home with my children to Homeschool them 11 years ago.

3. I played the saxophone for many years and love to sing. But do not do that well!

4. When I was a kid, I always used to say 3 NEVERS... I would NEVER marry a red head (I did.), I would NEVER have any children (I have 4 beautiful children), and I would NEVER drive a station wagon or a mini van (I do not drive a station wagon but I do drive a mini van.) I would tell my sister when I was in my early 20's that she looked like a camp director with all the kids in her mini van and she should have a whistle around her neck.

5. I LOVE to laugh and the weirdest things ALWAYS happen to me. I am so looking forward to going on this scrapbooking retreat! My mom, my friend Shelly and several other good friends get together and go and we laugh SO hard our faces hurt. I need Sunday to come, so my cheeks and my face can stop hurting from laughing so much.


6. I LOVE to draw and doodle. I think that is where my love of stamping comes in. In my mind, on my cards...one layer is never enough. ***giggle*** More is always BETTER.

7. I have a golden retreiver dog, Rusty, 2 cats, Sheba and Bouncer, 3 frogs (not mine, my children's but I end up feeding them), we had 2 snails until the frogs ate them a few weeks ago and one fish because all of our other fish died during the great fish tank fiasco.....another story for another day! :)

Now for the rules and who I am tagging.

The rules: Link to your tagger and post these 3 rules on your blog. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog. Well, I'm just going to tag 3 gals, so I am tagging:

Laurie Serino

Danita

Shelly K

I Am Fluffy! - WSC37

Do you know for the past few years, I have said to my family - I am not fat - I am FLUFFY!? LOL My dh in love always said nooo dear you are fat. HA. Today, the joke is on him. For the past 4 days I have NO sugar and nothing with white flour. Which I have found my mood a little under my normal cheerfulness. He said, Honey, I would rather have you fluffy and cheerful then thin and crabby. Eat some SUGAR! LOL I have not eaten any. I am on a MISSION to get healthy this year!

Well, when I purchased this stamp, I did not relaize it had a stamp that said that. So when I RIPPED open the package today and saw those words, I thought I NEED to make a card for my mom that uses that text! (We are going out of town together this week and I thought it would be a fun pillow card.)

Last week, I was honored with the offer to join the Design Team of Sweet n' Sassy Stamps! Here is a card using their stamp set Penguin Hugs.

This is what I used to make this project:

Stamp Sets: Sweet n' Sassy stamps Penguin Hugs - the remainder of the products are Stampin' Up!, Whimsy jumbo Wheel, Rough Texture jumbo wheel, Itty Bitty BG, Little Pieces

Cardstock and Ink: Elegant Eggplant, Shimmery White, Lavender Lace, Ballet Blue, Black Staz On, White Craft Ink

Accessories: White EP, Embossing Buddy, Heat Tool, ribbon unknown, Dimensionals, Corner Rounder, paper Piercing Tool, Build a Brad Pewter, Watercolor Wonder Crayons, Aquapainters