Another Mother's Day Card

Hi everyone! In keeping up with my goal to finish my Mother's Day cards as soon as I can, here is another. I used this weeks 2RedBananas challenge, which was to use stripes on our projects. When I started this card I didn't intend for it to be monochromatic. It just kinda happened that way. I'm not sure how I feel about this card either. It's purple though, which I know she'll love. Definitely not one of my better cards. I may have to redo it, but not sure I'll have time. I hope you're having a great week! Only two days until the weekend arrives, thank goodness! Don't forget that Saturday is another Unscripted Sketches sketch challenge. I hope you've entered to win some blog candy too! Details HERE! Hugs,

Color Dare #14 - Mom

Hi ya'll! First off, I'd like to say that I'm really excited about how this picture turned out. I'm fortunate enough to have a cute little spot in the front of our house that is the perfect setting for me to take my photos. I love doing this outside because of the natural lighting. You can really see all of the pretty glittery goodness that I included on this card. I'm normally not a glitter person, but I was recently gifted some Kaleidoscope embossing powder, and had to try it out! It's fabulous!! Now onto todays Color Dare Challenge! This week Riley chose Riding Hood Red, Not Quite Navy, and Baja Breeze. These are very pretty together. Of course, I LOVE anything with blue in it! I used last weeks Mojo Monday sketch for this. It's a great sketch! Here's my card! Card Details 5 X 12 kraft cardstock scored at 6. I stamped my Vine background with Antique Linen distress ink (matches the kraft cardstock almost perfectly!) onto a piece of white cardstock and then distressed with Baja Breeze. I then stamped my Script background in VersaMark onto the piece of Riding Hood Red cardstock and embossed it with the Kaleidoscope embossing powder. I used a strip of Not Quite Navy I had in my stash that was already stamped with flowers of the same color. I matted the strip onto a piece of Baja Breeze cardstock that was stamped using Baroque Motifs in the same color and then punched with my Threading Water border punch. I added some brads, and layered everything. My sentiment was stamped in Baja Breeze and the edges distressed in the same color. I added that to my card with dimensionals. I punched out a heart using the Full Heart punch in Not Quite Navy and stamped the flowers from Polka Dots & Petals stamp set in the same color, and added that with pop dots. Finally, I added a bit of glitter to the centers of my flowers with my Sakura Stardust pen. As always, I can't wait for you to see what the other designers have created today! I hope you'll head over to The Color Dare blog to check them out, and hopefully play along. If you'd like, you can also click on my fellow DT members blog links on my sidebar for their project details. I should have another post for you tomorrow, if all goes well. Don't forget about my blog candy, details HERE, and Saturday is another Unscripted Sketches challenge! Hugs, Supplies Paper: SU! Whisper White, Riding Hood Red, Baja Breeze & Not Quite Navy cardstock, Kraft cardstock Ink: Antique Linen Distress Ink, SU! Not Quite Navy & Baja Breeze Classic Ink, VersaMark, Sakura Stardust Pen Stamps: Clear Sentiment, Hero Arts Vine & Script Background, SU! 5th Avenue Floral & Polka Dots and Petals Accessories: Stampendous Kaleidoscope Embossing Powder, Making Memories Brads, Fiskars Threading Water Border Punch, SU! Heart Punch, Dimensionals & Pop Dots

I've Reached 10,000 Blog Hits!

ETA: We have a winner! Please see THIS posting! Wow!! In just six months my blog has gotten 10,000 visits! My gosh, I honestly didn't think I would get anywhere near as much traffic in such a short period of time. This is awesome! I really appreciate all who have visited! This calls for some blog candy, with a twist! Because I like to do things differently, I've decided that instead of purchasing a bunch of stuff as a prize, I will offer a $100 gift card or gift certificate to anywhere you choose. All you have to do to be entered is leave me a comment. If you announce it on your blog I'll add your name two more times for a total of three chances to win! Don't forget to let me know in your comment so that I can make sure to include you three times instead of just once. I'll randomly choose a winner on May 9th. This is so exciting!! :) Much love,

Congratulations!

Hi everyone! Have you all been busy crafting?! I was lucky enough to get some stuff done this weekend so that I could continue my goal of posting something every day. Today I have a fun Congratulations card. I'm going to enter it into two challenges. I used THIS sketch, and combined it with this weeks Stamp Something challenge, which was to use showers or flowers, or both. And here is my card! I love how the yellow pops against the rest of the card. I didn't want to add too much color because I was trying to go for somewhat of a monochromatic look with the papers I had chosen. I just think the yellow adds that little something extra. I added some brads and a little bit of bling, and I was done. I'm really happy with this card. It's gorgeous in real life.

I'll be back tomorrow with another Color Dare challenge. This weeks colors are awesome too! I hope you'll come back and see, and play along with us! Have a wonderful day!

For A Friend

Hello! I hope you've had a somewhat pleasant Monday. I have a friend and co-worker who is having a rough time personal wise right now. She's always so supportive, and caring, and always has a nice word for everyone, and I wanted to try to do something nice for her. I am going to have all of our team members sign it and write her a quick note. I think that will brighten her day. My card didn't start off with these colors. I originally had red picked out, but then I saw a scrap of Baja Breeze next to some black, and this is what happened! I really like the crisp, clean look of this card. The colors are really nice together. I have a feeling I will be using this color combo again and again. It's gorgeous in real life! I hope everyone has a great evening. I have another post scheduled for tomorrow too. I can't wait to show you one of my favorite cards to date! I will also be back on Wednesday with another Color Dare. Hugs,

Cuttlebug Spot Challenge #28 & A Tutorial!

Hi everyone! I hope you've had a nice weekend. I had a great time catching up on some much needed rest and relaxation. Unfortunately, it's back to work today, and I'm not really digging that. It is Monday though, which means we have another Cuttlebug Spot Challenge! This week our challenge was to use a technique called Tea Bag Folding. You can check out all of the info HERE but I'm also including a picture tutorial for you so you can see just how easy it is. The results are beautiful! Here is my card. I kept it simple because I didn't want to take anything away from the technique. It's a standard A2 sized card.

Now, onto the play by play! You'll need 8 pieces of patterned paper cut to 1 1/2" square.

For a visual reference, I've shown you both the front and the back of my pieces of paper.

The first step is to fold your paper in half, from one point to another. Creating a triangle.

Next, unfold that, and then fold each side into the crease in the center.

Here is a picture of both sides folded in. It should look like a kite.

Here is the first finished piece. You'll need to repeat these steps for all 8 pieces of paper.

This is what all of my pieces look like waiting to be assembled.

Start off by cutting a small piece of cardstock, and adhere one of the "kites" to it at the top.

You'll need to adhere each piece right next to the other, with the points touching in the center.

And, just like that, once all 8 pieces are secured to the cardstock, this is what you get! See how easy that was? The website with all of the information has some very pretty tiles you can print off, and use. This would look really neat if you alternated patterns also. You can use this on a card, or scrapbook page, or just about anything you'd like. These are so pretty in real life. I hope you'll head over to The Cuttlebug Spot to see what the amazing DT have created for you using this technique. I can't wait to see all of your amazing creations as well! For more information on the DT projects, you can click on their blog links on my sidebar.

Have a fabulous day!

Supplies

Paper: Georgia Pacific White Cardstock, Celery Colored Cardstock, White Copy Paper (with printed design from Circle of Crafters.com)

Accessories: SU! Certainly Celery Twill Ribbon, Heidi Swapp Bling, Cuttlebug, Stylized Flower Embossing Folder, Pop Dots

Sparkle's Christmas Card Challenge #21

Good Sunday to all! Every week that I post my cards for this challenge, it gets harder to believe how quickly the year is going by. I swear just yesterday it was Christmas, and here we are coming to the end of April already. This week I was in a blue type mood. It is my favorite color, but I tend not to use it as much in my projects. Weird huh? I'm really pleased with how it turned out. I used THIS sketch for my card. I hope you'll visit Sparkle's blog to see her beautiful card, and maybe play along with us this week. Have a great day!

Unscripted Sketches Challenge #3 - Together

Hi ya'll! I'm so happy it's Saturday! This past week was a busy one for me. I got to sleep late this morning, and I'm feeling very refreshed now. Since it's Saturday, it's time for another Unscripted Sketches challenge! Thanks again to all of you who joined us last Saturday.

Here is my submission:

I've had this picture laying around for a while now. This is my mom with Sydney and Mikey. I used the green in his shirt as the basis for the whole layout. I turned the sketch on it's side to better suit my liking. I cut down a 12 X 12 piece of white textured cardstock by 1/4" on each side so that I could use the green as a matte. I then cut a strip of kraft cardstock to 4 1/2 and punched the scallop border. Next, I stamped the row of hearts in green onto the kraft piece, right under the border. Thank God for the Stamp-a-ma-jig! After that I tied a knot around the piece of kraft cardstock with some black ghingham ribbon, and added some paper piercing around the edges. I then attached that piece to my white textured cardstock. I stamped my heart tree in black ink onto a piece of pink cardstock, and cut it out. I wanted to take a bit of color from Sydney's pink shirt also. The sentiment was stamped in black onto a piece of the same textured white cardstock and I distressed the edges in pink. I added the the tree and sentiment with pop dots for a bit of dimension. The picture was double matted in white, then black, and then added to my page. I added three mini brads under the picture for some added interest and to tie in the other pink with her shirt as well. I attached the page to my green background and I was done. Check out all of my "white space"! Isn't it beautiful?! It took me a long time to be able to get to this point. I used to want to fill every little empty spot with something. I have to say I'm really digging the simplicity of this layout. And, it was easy peasy!

I can't wait for you to head over to the Unscripted Sketches blog to view this weeks sketch, and see what my fellow DT members have created for you. They're all wonderful! I'm hoping you'll play along with us as well. This was a fun sketch! If you'd like, you can also click on the DT's blog links on my sidebar for their project details.

Have a great weekend!

Supplies

Paper: Green, Pink, Kraft cardstock, White Textured cardstock

Ink: Ranger Black Archival Ink, Memento Bamboo Leaves Dye Ink, Colorbox Pink Pigment Ink

Stamps: Inkadinkado Clear Sentiment, Clear Stamps Heart Border, Autumn Leaves Love Grows

Accessories: Black Ghingham Ribbon, Pink Mini Brads, Pop Dots, SU! Scalloped Border Punch

Much Needed Request

Good morning everyone! I just wanted to hop on to post this really quickly. One of my favorite stampers, Sharon Johnson, is asking for help with a prayer request. One of her friends has a family member who just gave birth and is now suffering a brain hemmorage. She's got two toddlers and this beautiful new baby, and they're not sure if she'll make it. I don't normally post things like this, but I was really moved by the situation, and being a mother, it pulls at my heart strings. So, if it's not too much trouble, will you please say a prayer for this family? You can read about the situation HERE. There is a lot of power in group prayer, and I hope my friends can join me in helping with that. Much love,

Blog Friends Rock!

I've only had my blog since October. In the past six months, through my blog, I have met some wonderful people who share in the amazing hobby that is paper crafting. I have never been a part of a community that is so supportive and always there to offer up a nice word about your creations, even if you think they're not all that great. There is no other group of people like the paper crafting people! What an awesome feeling to be a part of such a great thing! I was just nominated with this award by my friend, and fellow Unscripted Sketches DT member, Beth. Thank you so much! In true form to blog awards, it is now my turn to nominate seven of my favorites. The rules are very simple! 1. The winner can put the logo on her blog. 2. On your blog, link the person you received your award from. 3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs. 4. Put links of those blogs on yours. 5. Leave a message on the blogs you've nominated. Here are my nominations: Cheryl @ Bassic Living has a way with art like no one else I've seen. Her mixed media is absolutely gorgeous and she's got such a way with words. I love reading her posts. She's also one of the most awesome women you'll ever meet! Deb @ With A Stamp And A Song is one of my absolute favorites! Her projects are stunning, and I can only wish to be like her when I "grow up", creative wise. Jennifer @ Scrapbook Goddess is one of those people who I hope to one day meet. She's always been so nice and always has a kind word. Her creations are absolutely adorable as well! Aymee @ Southernbelle Scrapper has some of the most beautiful layouts and projects I've seen. She's got an attention to detail that is phenomenal. She's also very talented when it comes to sketches. Make sure you check out her sketch blog too! Patti @ Never A Dull Moment is such a sweet person. Her kindness and happiness show through in all of her beautiful projects. She's one of my favorite people too! Susan @ Susan's Day Off Creations is one of the best cardmakers out there. I love her simplicity and clean lines, and her use of colors. I can always find something inspiring on her blog. Chrissy @ Chrissy's Craftin' Corner is someone who's creations always make me smile. I look forward to blog surfing when I get home because she's on my favorites, and I can always find something wonderful by visiting. Thanks again to Beth for the nice award. Have a great evening!

My First Mother's Day card for this year

Hello! I've procrastinated a bit when it comes to cards that I need for my personal use. These include Birthday, Anniversary, Get Well, Mother's Day and Father's Day cards, along with having a stash built up in case of emergency. I decided that I needed to get myself on the move and start working on Mother's Day. Here is my first one for this year. I used the sketch and color challenge found HERE, and am really happy with the outcome. Very pretty colors together! I'm moving along quite nicely with trying to have a post everyday. I hope to continue that for all of you! Even if it is something not related to paper crafting, I will most certainly have something for you daily! Don't forget that Saturday is another Unscripted Sketches challenge. Hope ya'll can play along! Much love, Supplies Paper: DCWV Mint Textured Cardstock, Georgia Pacific White Cardstock, SU! DSP Ink: Memento Rich Cocoa Dye Ink, SU! Certainly Celery Classic Ink Stamps: Technique Tuesday Language of Love, Clear Mom Stamp Accessories: 1/4" Certainly Celery Grosgrain Ribbon, Pop Dots, Glue Dots

Color Dare #13 - Te Adoro & A Prize

Happy Wednesday ya'll! Time for another Color Dare Challenge! In case you're wondering, Te Adoro is a way of saying I love you in Spanish. The direct translation means I adore you or I worship you (in reference to God). I really wanted to use this stamp though, because of the awesome scroll work on it. Now that I've babbled a bit, onto our challenge. This week Riley chose Pacific Point, Pink Pirouette and Rose Red. These colors are gorgeous together, but I did have a bit of a time trying to get them all excactly how I wanted. This is one of those cards that didn't turn out how I had it pictured in my head. I am, however, very pleased with it. By the way, Riley is offering a prize this week, so don't forget to head over there and check out all the details! Card Details 4 1/4 X 11 kraft cardstock, scored at 5 1/2. I started off by punching out a scalloped circle and then using it as a template for some clouds. I sponged Pacific Point onto a piece of Whisper White cardstock, in an attempt to create a cloud filled background. I matted that piece onto another piece of Whisper White cardstock and added it to my card base. I then stamped the branch and flowers from the Eastern Blooms set in Chocolate Chip and Rose Red. I cut that out and embossed it using my smooth oval Nesties. I had a scrap of Bella Rose DSP in Pink Pirouette, so I cut out a scalloped oval using my Nesties, for the border. I then stamped my Eastern Blooms branch and flowers again in Pink Pirouette and cut out a few of the flowers randomly. I added those to the image with pop dots, and then added a little bit of glitter to all of the flower centers. I stamped my sentiment in black in the bottom right corner and attached my image with pop dots. I wrapped some Rose Red grosgrain ribbon around the whole thing and tied a knot. Again, very simple. As always, my fellow DT members have created some awesome projects for you this week. I hope you'll head over to the Color Dare blog to check them out, and play along with us. If you'd like, you can also click on their blog links on my sidebar for their project details.

I should be back tomorrow with another post. I'm trying to have something posted everyday. Don't forget to check back on Saturday for sure, to check out my next design team project!

Have a wonderful day! Supplies Paper: SU! Whisper White cardstock, Kraft cardstock, Bella Rose DSP Ink: SU! Chocolate Chip, Pacific Point, Pink Pirouette & Rose Red Classic Ink, Memento Tuxedo Black Dye Ink, Clear Sakura Stardust Pen Stamps: SU! Eatern Blooms & Dias Felices Accessories: Classic Smooth & Scalloped Nestabilities, Cuttlebug, 1/4" Rose Red Grograin Ribbon, Pop Dots, SU! Scalloped Circle Punch

Happy Anniversary!

To Brian and Mary-Ruth (Stephen's sister and brother in law). They are such an adorable couple. They're always very kind and giving too. Love them lots! I needed a card for them, so again I went blog surfing and found THIS sketch. I wanted to keep it simple and elegant for them. I really like the way this turned out, and it only took me about 20 minutes from start to finish. Gotta love those time savers! :) I hope they like the card. I will be back tomorrow with another Color Dare project. Just wait until you see the colors!! Gorgeous! Hugs, Supplies Paper: White Pre-folded Legal Sized Card, JoAnn's Black & White Cardstock, Scrap Works Formal Affair Patterned Paper Ink: VersaMark, White Gel Pen Stamps: Technique Tuesday Language of Love Accessories: White Embossing Powder, Bling

Cuttlebug Challenge #27 - Happy Birthday

Happy Monday Ya'll! This has been my favorite challenge so far. We were to use cupcakes in our projects. Who doesn't LOVE cupcakes?! Combine them with a birthday card, and I'm a happy, happy girl! I paired this weeks challenge with last Monday's Mojo Monday sketch. Did I mention that I love cupcakes? :) Card Details 4 1/4 X 11 Wild Wasabi cardstock, scored at 5 1/2. I punched a border using my Spiral punch on a piece of cream colored cardstock. I then ran a piece of green patterned paper through my Cuttlebug with the Happy Birthday embossing folder and then punched the border on that also. I then added another square piece of cream cardstock and added it to my card front, on a diagonal. I then added a strip of Baja Breeze cardstock right above my punched area and attached a brad to the right side. I stamped my cupcake onto a square of Whisper White cardstock, colored it in with my SU! markers, and then distressed the edges with Baja Breeze. The party hat was stamped in Wild Wasabi onto Whisper White cardstock, punched out with my large star punch, and then distressed with Baja Breeze also. My sentiment was stamped in black onto my strip of Baja Breeze cardstock and my images were added with pop dots. I hope you'll head over to The Cuttlebug Spot blog to see what wonderful creations my fellow DT members have created for you, and to play along. If you'd like, you can also click on their blog links on my sidebar, for their project details.

I'll be back tomorrow with another post, and don't forget to check back on Wednesday and Saturday for more design team projects.

Have a great Monday! Supplies Paper: SU! Wild Wasabi, Whisper White & Baja Breeze cardstock, JoAnn's Cream cardstock, Making Memories Patterned Paper Ink: SU! Wild Wasabi & Baja Breeze Classic Ink, Memento Tuxedo Black Dye Ink, Ranger Archival Black Ink, Sakura Clear Stardust Pen Stamps: Inkadinkado Clear Cupcake Stamp, MSE Birthday Accessories: Cuttlebug, Happy Birthday Embossing Folder, Tarnished Brad, SU! Spiral Border Punch, Pop Dots

New Look & Sparkle's Christmas Card Challenge #20

Hi Everyone! I hope you've had a wonderful, relaxing weekend! I started my blog back in October, and decided it was time for a small change. I'm not one to make big changes, but small ones, in hopes of achieving a certain outcome. So, I changed the picture on my blog title, and I changed the colors up. What do you think? I took the picture of the Bluebonnets a while back, and I figured they would work perfectly because I wanted my blog to be in my favorite color...BLUE! I'm happy with it for now, but knowing me, I'll wind up changing it again in six months or so. :) Now, onto this weeks Christmas Card Challenge. I wanted to do something different than I had been, so I went looking for a sketch. I wound up using THIS one. I also wanted to use non-traditional colors and decided on pink and brown. All in all I like the way it turned out. Oh, and I got a new watermark for my pictures. I think Dina did a FABULOUS job!! I love it!! You can visit her blog HERE! She has some beautiful stuff to choose from. You should head over to Sparkle's blog to see what she's got going on today, and maybe play along with us this week. Have a wonderful day!

Unscripted Sketches Challenge #2 - Congratulations!

I'm excited to bring you our second Unscripted Sketches Challenge! Thank you SO much to all of you who joined us last week. It was fun viewing everyone's projects! This weeks sketch was awesome! I love the layout and I have a feeling I am going to be using it quite frequently. One of the guys who works for a carrier I use at work recently had a new addition to his family. I wanted to send him and his wife a card on behalf of myself and my Logistics Team, and this weeks sketch was perfect for that! It's simple, and very pretty. Card Details 8 1/2 X 5 1/2 whisper white cardstock, scored at 4 1/4. I stamped different sized polka dots in VersaMark and embossed with white embossing powder on a 4 X 5 1/4 piece of kraft cardstock for the first layer of my card. I then added a piece of blue and white patterned paper over the top of that for the second layer, and rounded the edges. I then added a strip of white ribbon to cover the seam. The next layer is a piece of Bella Rose DSP that I used my scalloped border punch on. Over top of that, and perpendicular to the card, I tied a bow in the same white ribbon, and then added it to my card base. I stamped a pink butterfly on a piece of whisper white cardstock, added my sentiment in black, and distressed the edges with lavender ink. I then added that to my card with pop dots. Very simple! :) I hope you'll join us again for this weeks Unscripted Sketches Challenge. Be sure to head over there to see the beautiful projects my fellow DT members have created for you. You can also click on their blog links on my sidebar for their project details. There has been a bit of technical difficulty in our start up, but it is being fixed! If you want the blinkie, but can't get it to work from the US blog, take it from my blog, or email me for the code to the linked blinkie. Have a wonderful weekend! Supplies Paper: SU! Whisper White cardstock, Bella Rose DSP, Kraft cardstock, Scrap of blue and white patterned paper Ink: SU! Pink Pirouette Classic Ink, Ranger Black Archival Ink, VersaMark Stamps: Inkadinkado Clear Baby Stamps, MSE Birthday Accessories: White Embossing Powder, White Satin Ribbon, Pop Dots

Color Dare #12 - Congratulations

Happy Wednesday ya'll! I'm excited to present you with another Color Dare challenge! This week Riley chose Really Rust, Summer Sun, Baja Breeze and Kraft, or another neutral. I can honestly say that this was one of the toughest color challenges I have ever participated in. I've never used Really Rust, and at first I was intimidated by the boldness of Summer Sun. After a couple days of procrastinating, I finally got up the nerve to go through all of my paper so I could begin putting something together. My end results are actually quite pretty. I paired the colors with this weeks OCCC sketch. Thank goodness for sketches! I tried to take a picture that would show off the shimmer of the background. I really wanted you to be able to see how pretty it is, even if only in a picture. Gotta love the shiny, sparkly stuff! Card Details 4 1/4 X 11 piece of kraft cardstock, scored at 5 1/2. I stamped my card base using my Vine background stamp in VersaMark and then dusted on some copper Perfect Pearls. I've had my Perfect Pearls for a while now, but this is the first project that I've used them on. I stamped my favorite flower in black onto some Baja Breeze DSP, which was cut out and embossed using my Rectangle Nesties. The circle of yellow patterned paper was also cut out using my smooth circle Nesties. I added both elements to my card base, and tied two knots in whisper white around it, about an inch from the bottom, staggering them. My sentiment is from the Congrats stamp set and was stamped in Really Rust and then cut out and matted onto a piece of really rust cardstock. I attached the sentiment with pop dots. My thoughts for this card were to stick to the sketch. Clean, simple and easy! I hope you'll head over to Riley's blog to check out everyone's creations! I'm sure they're nothing short of gorgeous, as always! If you'd like, you can also click on their blog links on my sidebar for their card details. Have a wonderful day! Supplies Paper: SU! Really Rust & Whisper White cardstock, Kraft cardstock, Manchester DSP, Making Memories Patterned Paper Ink: VersaMark, Ranger Black Archival Ink, Really Rust Classic Ink Stamps: SU! Congrats, Hero Arts Elegant Flower, Stampendous Vine Background Accessories: Copper Perfect Pearls, SU! Whisper White 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon, Pop Dots

Cuttlebug Challenge #26 - Bloom

Happy Monday ya'll! I'm excited to share another Cuttlebug Spot challenge project with all of you. This week our assignment was to create a card in any shape other than square or rectangle. This was perfect because it gave me the opportunity to make a cute circle card. I love circle cards!! :) The weather here has been so very nice, and it has gotten me into anything Spring related, which is why I chose these colors again. :) Card Details I first cut out my cardbase using the largest scalloped circle in the Small Classic Scalloped Circles Nesties set, in pink, then did the same with a textured white cardstock. I ran the white cardstock through my Cuttlebug using the Houndstooth embossing folder, distressed the edges with green dye ink, and adhered it to the card base. The reason I do this is because the card base normally has a weird edge at the top, and I can't get a bow tied around it to suit my liking. So instead, I cover it up! I used my Classic Smooth Circle Nesties to cut out the circle of patterned paper and distressed the edge with pink dye ink. I attached three yellow flowers with dew drop centers (some call them skittles) to the bottom right, and then added two square gems above them. I stamped one of the flowers from the Pocket Silhouettes stamp set in Baja Breeze onto the same textured white cardstock that I used for the base, and then added my sentiment over top. I cut that out using my Labels3 Nesties (new toys yay!) and distressed the edges with the same green dye ink I used for the scalloped circle. I added that to the circle of patterned paper with foam adhesive. I LOVE butterflies so you'll probably see a lot of them on my projects these days. I punched two of the elegant butterflies from Martha Stewart and distressed their wings with the same pink dye ink. I added them to the circle of patterned paper also and then added some bling. I then pop dotted the entire piece onto the card base. I really like shape cards. They're so pretty and are easy to make. I hope you'll head over to The Cuttlebug Spot blog today to see my fellow DT members creations, and play along. Their projects are amazing, as always! If you'd like, you can also click on their blog links on my sidebar for their project details. Have a wonderful Monday! Supplies Paper: White Textured Cardstock from Michael's, DCWV Spring Stack Pink Textured Cardstock, DCWV Patterned Paper Ink: Technique Tuesday Pink & Green Dye Ink, SU! Baja Breeze, Memento Rich Cocoa Dye Ink Stamps: SU! Pocket Silhouettes, Inkadinkado Clear Sentiment Accessories: Cuttlebug with Houndstooth Embossing Folder, Nestabilities, Yellow Flowers from Michael's (wedding section), Martha Stewart Elegant Butterfly Punch, Bling, Skittles (dew drops), Pop Dots

Sparkle's Christmas Card Challenge Week #19

Where does the time go?! I can hardly believe we're at week 19 for Sparkle's Christmas Card Challenge. That's like 4 monhts!! Before you know it, it will be time to address all of my cards and send them out. I feel like I'm losing time somewhere. LOL For my card this week, I used Jen's Sketch For You To Try. It was cute and fun, and I thought it would be perfect for this card. You'll have to check out Sparkle's blog to see what she's come up with this week, and hopefully you'll join us! Have a Happy Easter!

My First Video!!

I needed to try out my new toy, and I thought this would be a good way to do that. I tried not to say "um" a lot, but looking over it later, I did say it a bit. I also said "that works really well for me" a lot! Now it's very amature, so I'm sorry there are some parts where I'm moving too fast. It's funny to hear my voice on the video. Do I really sound like that?! LOL Now you can put a voice to the face! :) Enjoy!

Finally! Unscripted Sketches Challenge #1 - Birthday Blessings

Hello and welcome to my first post for the Unscripted Sketches Challenge blog. Today is the launch of the blog and I couldn't be more excited! As I've mentioned before, Unscripted Sketches is a Saturday Sketch Challenge blog, with a twist. It is designed to try to help you think "outside of the box" so to say. You can definitely stick to the sketch, but why not try stepping outside and using the sketch in a different way? Use it on something other than a layout or card, or use it as is. You could also flip it, or do whatever you like to make it your own. The possibilities are endless and the choice is yours! For my very first project, I went with a gift bag, paired with last Saturday's Raspberry Suite Color Challenge. I needed one for a co-worker's birthday and this was perfect timing! I just hope she thinks the gift is as nice as the gift bag! :) Project Details I stamped the white gift bag with Antique Linen distress ink, using a script background stamp and then I stamped in a light green (that goes quite well with the distress ink), using a vine background stamp over the top. I started with some pink and green patterned paper that was punched with a Martha Steward border punch. I distressed the edges with pink dye ink and then added it to my bag. The next layer is pink textured cardstock that was run through my Cuttlebug using Birds & Swirls embossing folder and then distressed with the same pink dye ink. I then added a layer of red cardstock to that. I used strip of patterned paper, matted in kraft and tied a bow around that layer using cream colored satin ribbon. Paper piercing was done for added interest along the top of the red cardstock. And yes, I did say that I TIED A BOW again! :D My image was stamped twice on vanilla cardstock. The first image was cut out and embossed using my rectangle Nesties. While still in the die, I sponged on some Antique Linen distress ink. I then cut out each individual flower and added them to the main stamped image with pop dots. It was then added to the bag using pop dots also. My tag is a piece of kraft cardstock stamped in white VersaColor pigment ink for the background, and then in black for the sentiment. This was also cut out and embossed with my Nesties. For more texture I traced the raised Birds & Swirls embossed image with my clear Sakura Stardust pen and added some bling. That's all there is to it! I think creating beautiful gift bags is such a nice added detail to gift giving. I love the look on my co-workers faces when they see me coming with their bags. I can't wait for you to see what my fellow Unscripted DT members have created for you! Please head over to the Unscripted Sketches BLOG and check them out. There is a ton of eye candy happening over there today! If you'd like, you can also click on their blog links on my sidebar for their project details. I have a feeling this is just the first of many amazing challenges that are to be posted! I hope you'll join us on Saturday's for these wonderful challenges! I know we're all working very hard to make this new challenge blog a success, but we can't do it without all of you wonderful people who support us on a daily basis. Much love! Supplies Paper: DCWV Pink Textured Cardstock (8X8 Spring Stack), DCWV Patterned Paper, The Paper Studio Red & Kraft Cardstock, JoAnn's Cream Cardstock Ink: SU! Certainly Celery, Regal Rose & Rose Red Classic Ink, Technique Tuesday Pink & Green Dye Ink, Ranger Black Archival Ink, Antique Linen Distress Ink, VersaColor White Pigment Ink, Sakura Clear Stardust Pen Stamps: Stampabilities London Script & Vine Background Stamps, Hero Arts Elegant Flower, Technique Tuesday Language of Love, MSE Birthday Accessories: White Paper Gift Bag, Bling, Cream Satin Ribbon, Nestabilities, Cuttlebug, Birds & Swirls Embossing Folder, Martha Stewart Border Punch, SU! Mat Pack, Paper Piercing Tool, Pop Dots, Glue Dots

Taylor's Cupcake Challenge #63 & Stamp Simply #82

This is my third post of the day, so don't forget to scroll down to see my cool new toy! The weather is beautiful today! I did a lot of nothing, except grill some food. I love to grill. Especially when it's sunny and 65 degrees out! Just gorgeous!! Actually, now that I think about it, I was grilling outside when it was 30 degrees and snowing in Denver. LOL I guess I just like to grill. I've included my favorite recipe for Grilled Salsa. I hope ya'll enjoy it! Grilled Salsa 5 Roma Tomatoes 1 Sm, or 1/2 Lg Onion 2 Jalapeno Peppers 1 Clove Garlic 1/2 Lemon (juice) Handful of cilantro (as much or as little as you like) Salt (to taste) Grill tomatoes, onion and jalapenos (whole) until all sides are charred. Remove from the grill and set aside for a few minutes to cool. Core the tomatoes and remove the stem, seeds and veins from the jalapenos. You can use as few or as many jalapenos as you like for the level of heat you're wanting. Do not remove charring from vegetables. Combine all ingredients in a blender until smooth. Serve warm. It's easy, tastes awesome, and goes with just about anything. You'll have to tell me if you try it, and what you think of it! I did manage to do one crafty thing today. I really liked the Taylored Expressions Sketch this week, so I decided to play along. I turned it on it's side though. If you've read my blog much, you know that I love this layout for cards. I got this stamp this morning and was itching to ink it up. I colored it with my Copic Markers. I've forced myself to continue trying to tie bows, and this one actually turned out quite cute. I attached the sentiment from the bow, so this qualifies my project for this weeks Stamp Simply challenge also, which was to have something hanging. I just got this beautiful pastel aqua blue color ribbon, and it matched perfectly with the polka dots on the patterned paper. I think I may use this for this Sunday's Cuttlebug-ers challenge over at Paper Craft Planet. We'll see. I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend! Hugs,