Reflecting on 2009

The last day of 2009...always, the closing of the year brings the desire to reflect upon all the things that those 365 days of life brought...some experiences were wonderful, others painful, but what an amazing year 2009 has been! I am amazed as I look back on the friendships that stamping has brought to me in this one year, and I'm so grateful.

I hope that as you look forward to 2010, that you will be filled with hope and enthusiasm. Each day brings its own unique opportunity. None of us know what the future may bring, but we can know that as we walk along the journey of life, God is with us, and His love is everlasting.

May you be blessed! In His Love,

Deb

Notes: Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps Trees of the Field, Basic Grey designer paper, Stampin' Up rick rack, border punch, SEI and Basic Grey buttons, PTI jute thread, Nestabilities rectangles, Sweet Stop Sketch (minus the pocket!)

Color Dare #49

As usual, when I first saw this week's Color Dare colors, Cameo Coral, Bashful Blue, and Soft Suede, my reaction was *eeuuu!* but by the time I finished my card, I was lovin' it! It really turned out to be a fun combo!

I have had so much fun with Changito Snowplay...I used it to make gift card holders for the neighbors (forgot to take pictures before we gave 'em away), and while I'm still in the spirit it is good to get a jump on another holiday card! I used my Copics to color the image, then cut it out with an oval nestie, matted with a scalloped oval. The edges were sponged with Bashful Blue ink. For the layer underneath I stamped some snowflakes with white craft ink onto some Cameo Coral card stock. The bow was made using the Bow Easy and some ribbon from my stash with Petaloo Dazzler snowflakes and self adhesive rhinestone accents.

I've had a blast serving on the Color Dare Design Team, and I know my stamping has grown as I've played along. There is still a tiny bit of time for you to make an entry before the deadline for submissions for the new Design Team arrives! Best of luck to those of you who make an application!

Love and Joy!

The week between Christmas Day and New Year's Day is one of my favorite weeks of the entire year. The house is filled with the sights, sounds and smells of the season, the hustle of Christmas is over, and the anticipation of what the new year will bring fills my heart with hope. I love the hushed excitement and that we have extra time to share together. Patrick has a few extra days off from work, there's no school...we usually have a few quiet pj days and I get some extra crafting time. I have a few upcoming deadlines and cannot yet share what I'm working on, so I thought I'd share a project from my September Dirty Gallery.

I love the homespun feel of this card! For me, it captures the warm spirit of the heart that fills the Christmas season...makes me think of hand-made quilts, crocheted doilies, calico aprons and warm peanut butter fudge, old-fashioned things that remind me of my grandmothers and my mom and the love they poured into making our home special during the holidays and indeed every day of the year. Lots of little things that add up to big things!

My card features Lizzie Anne's Love and Joy Labels and Cosmo Cricket papers. The images were colored with Prismas and Gamsol, *aged* with Tim Holtz tea dye distress ink and highlighted with a white gel pen. I used a combination of Coluzzle circles and nestabilities circles and scalloped circles for the layout.

I hope you're enjoying this special week too!

The First Day of Christmas...

...and it is so nice to have a really relaxed pj day! We said this morning that we'd go to the movie this afternoon, but after staying up half the night Christmas Eve (I think I finally went to sleep at 3:15) we are truly not motivated to do much of anything!

I finally finished a little Christmas thank-you card. That was a feat within itself because my craft room is in total chaos. I had brought quite a bit of stuff down to the dining room so that I could stamp but still be sorta on the fringe of Christmas movies, and even stamp with a friend, during the last week or so. Of course, all that had to be hauled back upstairs to clear the table for Christmas dinner last night, and it was done in a hurry and not put back into its proper places (not that any of it really has a proper place...we're still working on furnishing this room!).

This little cutie is Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps' Birthday Party Emma. My friend Julie's Christmas Day birthday was the inspiration for the papers and colors...this week's Sweet Stop sketch provided a starting point for the layout, which is constructed of CutCardStock's textured card stocks and Basic Grey Eskimo Kisses designer paper in both 12 x 12 and 6 x 6 inch sized prints. I love the smaller scale of the 6 x 6 for card-making, especially when using it for paper-piecing as I did for her dress, here. The thank-you sentiment from another SNS set, I'd Pick You. The frayed giant rick-rack reminded me of the fringe of a scarf, so I added some snowflakes and buttons...Emma appears to be better at braving winter than I am because she must've been willing to part with her sweater when she arrived at the party! ;)

I hope you're enjoying all of your Christmas goodies and some yummy Christmas dinner left-overs! Wonder when we'll finally venture out to the movies! Doesn't look like today's the day!

Merry Christmas!

May you be joyful and blessed this Christmas Day and always!

Color Dare meets MOJO

I'm really glad that the colors for Riley's recent Color Dares have been ones that would work for last-minute Christmas cards! I found that I didn't have as many as I thought, so it is nice to still have time for a few more...here's one using Pretty in Pink, Old Olive, and Soft Suede.

Today's card is inspired by Impression Obsession's Snowflakes, which fit perfectly with this week's MOJO sketch. I stamped the ornament on some white cardstock, colored it with Copic markers, then cut it out and lightly inked the edges with Tim Holtz tea dye distress ink. I stamped some of the various snowflakes using Pretty in Pink paper and ink, again tea dye distress-inking the edges and adding some sponging with pink ink to brighten the intensity of the colors. The embellishments were kept very simple. I'll confess though, if I had had more teeny tiny pink pearls I would have used them to bling up the snowflakes and the ornament too!

The "Believe" sentiment is from Our Craft Lounge's set, Reindeer Kisses. I believe in the spirit of Santa, and I believe in Christ, the real reason for the season!

As I was making my Color Dare card, I also worked on some little gift card wallets for our nieces and nephews using the same set but in Close to Cocoa and Naturals Ivory...for the inside of these I stamped the sentiment, "May all your wishes come true" from another OCL set, Fairy Dust is a Must, in white craft ink. The words and the fonts work very well together. These little cards are very CAS, and I'm happy that this neutral color combination works for all of 'em regardless of whether they're going to the girls or the boys! By the time you read this they're well on their way!

Visit the Color Dare blog to see some lovely inspiration using this week's colors...it isn't too late to get in on the Design Team call either!

eta: This week's MOJO sketch reminds me of this card I made for the ihp challenge not long ago...it would have fit this week's sketch perfectly!

Getting there!

Since Patrick got back from his business trip to Hawaii our family has been sharing a little *bug* :(

I thought I was gonna make it through the holidays without catching the thing but Saturday morning I woke up with a sore throat. Needless to say, a lot of what was supposed to get done this weekend just didn't happen, so finally today I made a trip to the post office. It actually wasn't as bad as I expected, and our packages still have a remote chance of arriving on time.


It is always a challenge to make the packages we mail to our families look pretty...usually bows get squished and look a whole lot worse for wear by the time they arrive after traveling all the way from Florida to Michigan or Louisiana. This year I opted to wrap their gifts in some pretty paper and tie them with jute. I made some cute little gift tags that are a close match to the paper I used. They were made using the November Stamps of Life set Joy2Christmas, some colorful card stock, Copic markers, a bit of rick-rack and a whole lot of bling! I bet these will outlast their store-bought counterparts and bring lots of smiles to our parents when they receive them. Just a simple little thing, but they will appreciate the time and love that went into them.

We have choir practice tonight...I'm drinking lots of tea and trying to get plenty of rest, hoping to be able to sing Thursday night for our Christmas Eve program. I think tonight I'll just be listening! I'm looking forward to some extra family time and some relaxed stamping in the week between Christmas and New Year's!

A Christmas Thank-you

I am having a blast with my new Lizzie Anne monthly mix, From the Heart! This is a card using one of my favorite stamps in the set, inspired by last week's Color Dare colors. It was one that I submitted to Papercrafts Magazine that didn't make the cut so I thought I'd share it now. It will be perfect as a Christmas thank-you!

The flower petals, stem and leaves were colored with Copic markers. Its center was colored with Prismas and Gamsol.

Hope you're having a great week!

Go Out with Joy!

This morning was a foggy morning in Florida, and the trees were veiled in a lovely mist...the view from our window provided the inspiration for this card.

I love the muted colors of this Basic Gray Indian Summer paper and thought it would make a lovely feminine card to showcase this awesome scripture. I have to laugh...I don't believe in coincidence, and the week that I received this set, Trees of the Field, in the mail, Pastor Cory preached on this very verse. I think God must have a God-sized sense of humor and He uses all kinds of *little things* to get His BIG points across!

I used a pair of nestabilities ovals to cut windows into the patterned paper and some burgundy card stock (courtesy of CutCardStock.com), then stamped the tree in some stamped-off Memento Rich Cocoa ink on ivory card stock centered inside the window. I sponged lightly it with pink and with Tim Holtz tea dye distress ink. The sentiment was stamped directly onto the patterned paper. The layers were adhered with dimensionals to create depth within the window. I used some Kaiser Pearls, BoBunny flowers, and a scrap of burgundy ribbon to frame it and lead the eye from one element to another.

I hope your holidays are filled with joy, peace, and singing...Christmas blessings!

Viewfinder Card

When I very first saw this month's set, Love2Hug, from The Stamps of Life, I immediately got this idea in my head, but it took me a while to get it from concept to actual paper. FINALLY! ;) I'm kinda pleased with the way it turned out! I used some scraps of BoBunny paper left over from a project from my first Dirty gallery.

Here you can see what the four views are as you spin the scalloped circle...

Hopefully this has been a refreshing break from Christmas cards! I'm still working on mine!

Wishing you...

...a warm and cozy winter! Our day started out bright and sunny, but it has gotten cloudy and cool this evening. Patrick is making home-made French onion soup, which will warm our sweet, not-feeling-so-hot 15 yo son up from the inside out. I do hope you are staying snug, warm and healthy as Christmas draws near! One week from tonight we'll be singing carols and reading the story of the Christ Child. I'm so looking forward to it, although I still have a lot to do in preparation!

Today is Digi Day at Sweet 'n Sassy's Paper Craft Planet group, and I wanted to play along. My card is made with a clear stamp that started out digital back when I was first on Sweet 'n Sassy's design team (we made a good test group didn't we!)...isn't Stanley just the cutest?! I colored him with Copic markers and then placed him on a snowy black background (the challenge is to use snowflakes!) accented with a red ribbon and snowflake-studded black button. I was planning to follow this week's Sweet Stop sketch, but somewhere along the way I got side-tracked!

I'll be back soon with another SNS card...in the meantime, you have until the morning of Monday, December 21st to enter your challenge card for a digital freebie AND if you play along and link it up here by 10pm EST TODAY, you will get an early bird freebie!!! WOOHOO!

Color Dare #47!

It's Wednesday and Color Dare #47! Still can't put down these Lizzie Anne Designs January Monthly Mix stamps! Is this image cute or what?! I thought it would be really fun to do this one up in the Christmas colors that we're using this week: Green Galore, Real Red, and Basic Brown or Chocolate Chip. I think it would be really fun to add a little dangling tag from the bow with the phone number on it, don't you?! I'm thinking small and white, matted with brown and tied with more jute thread. Those heart-shaped buttons are the perfect embellishment for this image! I've been using them a lot lately since I started stamping Valentines! These colors just go to show you that these stamps aren't just for Valentine's Day! I am gonna send this to one of my friends from my Physical Therapy school days! We usually check in with each other around the holidays and have a good long conversation to catch up with what's been happening in our lives since the last time we chatted! This image is just perfect for her!

If you haven't checked out the Monthly Mix, you should! It's a great deal! The stamps include a variety of sentiments and images...and they're all adorable! I love that some are solid, some are line-art, some are funny, some are serious...lots of mileage from just one set! And you can opt for the mix alone, or include some singles! It's up to you!

Visit the Lizzie Anne Designs Blog to see some of what our team has created! Keep an eye out for more Monthly Mix projects in the days to come!

Lizzie Anne Designs Preview

It's preview time for Lizzie Anne Designs, and I'm very excited to be able to share this card with you! Yesterday I actually made two cards using stamps from the January Monthly Mix "From the Heart", but I had to make another card to share because I submitted the other two. OMGoodness, makes me a nervous wreck! Say a prayer for me that they'll make it into Papercrafts Magazine!

I am in LOVE with this set and this stamp in particular! I think it is just the CUTEST ever! I am having a hard time putting it down! I was so excited to see how well it coordinates with this paper! I really want to expand my style repertoire, so I am exploring and having a grand time! :) I used Copic markers to color my image, and then embellished with buttons and ribbon scraps from my embarrassingly large stash! I think it came out kinda cute! I hope you like it too!

ihp DT Challenge

It's time for our i {heart} papers design team challenge, and this month we're featuring two My Mind's Eye kits, Love Me Do (are you singing The Beatles?!) and Be Loved, both perfect for Valentine's Day.

One of the fun things about stamping is how individual each card is...I love that variety and have been really enjoying exploring the clean and simple style lately. This card is definitely a quick and easy layout with only a few layers and very little coloring. I dressed it up a little bit by sponging the edges with distress ink...it would have been even faster to make had I chosen to skip the sponging.

I stamped the cupcake image (from Our Craft Lounge's set Sweet on You) once on ivory card stock and once on a strip of designer paper, then colored with Copics, cut the image out and adhered it with dimensionals. The sentiment snuggled right in around the image. A bit of shading with some warm gray Copic markers helped visually pop the cupcake off of those vertical stripes. I framed the edges of that panel with a narrow strip of vertical stripes accented with a row of rhinestones. The finishing touch was a little bow of red glimmer ribbon.

Be sure to check out the creations made by our very talented ihp Design Team! You're sure to find inspiration here!

Amber
Carolyn
Cathleen
Gretchen
Kate
Kendra
Lori
Lynn
Megan
Merry
Tracy

I'd like to close with a special thank-you for Kate, the owner of i {heart} papers...because of my distractedness and busyness as of late (I am not blonde...heheh, I sure hope I am not yet senile!), she had to jump through many hoops so that I would be able to play along today! Thanks so much Kate! You're the best! I appreciate your hard work so much! Can't wait to see you again in January!

Banana Split Sunday!

This week's Banana Split Sunday challenge is *what kind of card can you make with a tree?* Most of the girls chose to interpret this in more creative, artistic ways but I went with a simple 2RB stamp and some October Afternoon paper that is a perfect match! I love the cozy-warm, comfortable neighborhood feeling of the images, even though it is a wintery scene. It makes me think of the small town where my husband grew up (in da U.P.)!

In this photo it is difficult to tell (gray days in Florida for the last week, and more to come!), but the tree, stamped with Memento Rich Cocoa, is inked with white gel-pen snow in the crooks of its branches...the image was cut, embossed, and matted with Nestabilities circles. The sentiment was inked with a marker (omitting some words, inking only a portion). All of the paper edges were inked with Tim Holtz distress ink. I added a layered pair of glittering MS snowflakes, a Basic Grey transparent button, a velvet bow, a single tiny dew drop, and a small punched heart.

I think this card would be the perfect pairing with a warm loaf of nut bread or some yummy cookies fresh from the oven! Here's my mom's tasty recipe for Chocolate Peanutters! These are SO good!

Chocolate Peanutters
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup, firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup shortening
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
1 package (6 oz) semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup salted peanuts

Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

Combine brown sugar, shortening and vanilla in large bowl. Beat til
creamy. Add egg. Continue to beat. Add flour mixture alternately with
1/4 cup milk. Stir in chocolate chips and salted peanuts. Drop by level
teaspoonsful onto greased cookie sheets.

Bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes.

Enjoy!

On the 12th Day of Christmas...

…i {heart} papers is the prize sponsor at Paper Craft Planet! It's the last day of the 12 Days of Christmas scavenger hunt, and you have a chance to win a prize pack worth $70 that includes ALL SEVEN Chicken Girl Design stamp sets! What a fabulous present to receive just in time for Christmas! Visit PCP for the hint...then check out the project offered by our very own Supernova, ihp DT member Lynn, who is hosting today’s challenge!

Hey Sweet Pea!

Hello stampers! I hope you're having a great weekend! Can't believe that we're half-way through December on our way to Christmas! Just two more weeks and it'll be here! I hope you are more prepared than I! I still have lots to do, but I love every minute of it!

I don't know about you, but too much of one thing stifles my creativity, so I like taking a little break from Christmas cards every once in a while to do something a bit different! For today's card, I actually used a Christmas-y gift I received LAST Christmas! My mom sent me this cute Christmas polka-dot paper (the flip side is a dark Christmas red) and it has been sitting on a shelf all year just waiting for the perfect inspiration. The minute I saw the sweet pea in Punny Fruits and Veggies, I knew it was time to use it!

I stamped the image with Memento ink, then colored it in with Prismas and Gamsol (while I was in the orthodontist's waiting room and Matthew was getting his braces off! Yeah! My boy looks so handsome! LOL). I used my nesties squares to cut and emboss a couple of squares of the designer paper, and a rectangle for the focal image. I kept the layout very clean and simple, adding a little machine zig-zag to frame the corners. A Zva flower and button dress it up just enough!

Wouldn't this card be fun to give to an expectant mother who's just found out she's pregnant? I love that this card will work for either a boy or a girl...it would be easy to add just a hint of pink or blue if you already know the sex of the baby!

Enjoy your December! It's busy here with choir and gift-planning, card-making, decorating, baking, etc., but I am keeping my heart set on remembering Christ in Christmas! Blessings to you and yours!

Recipe Blog Hop!

Several members of the Center Stage Spotlight Team have joined together to share a special Christmas Treat Recipe Blog Hop event with everyone tonight! We have whipped up some treats in our kitchens and our stamp rooms over the past few weeks so we could compile our very first Recipe Book for StampTV!

One of my very favorite candies is Reese's peanut butter cups, and this recipe is a rich, home-made stepped up version! The bonus is that it is very easy to make...and since the recipe uses ONE HALF of a can of sweetened condensed milk, it makes sense to go ahead and make a second batch while you're at it. After all, these disappear quickly around here! ;) Here's the recipe:

Peanut Butter Fudge Rounds
Better Homes and Gardens Holiday Cooking 1989

3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
2 tbs butter; softened
1 cup sifted powdered sugar
1 tbs milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup chopped peanuts
12 oz chocolate chips
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk

In a mixing bowl, stir together peanut butter and butter. Add powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla. Stir until well combined. Add peanuts. Shape into two 10-inch rolls.

In a saucepan, combine 12 ounce package of semi-sweet chocolate morsels with 1/2 cup condensed milk. Cook and stir over low heat until melted and smooth. Remove pan from heat. Turn mixture onto waxed paper. (Put a paper towel underneath and you'll have less mess to clean up.) Divide mixture in half. Pat each half into a 10 x 4 inch rectangle. Place a peanut roll in the center of each chocolate rectangle. Bring chocolate mixture up around each roll. Press seams to seal.

Wrap each log in clear plastic wrap. Chill two or three hours until firm. Unwrap and slice into 1/4 inch slices. Store tightly covered.

At first I had planned to use a tin or acetate paint bucket to present my treats, but then Lynn posted the link to Debbie Fisher's tutorial for this adorable little tag box, so I immediately changed my mind! Woman's prerogative, right?! It is the perfect size to hold a little cello bag of about 8 rounds of fudge! The designer paper, g.c.d studios' Candy Lane from the Joyful Peace Collection, matches Gina's Tan Leather Pure Luxury card stock perfectly! I stamped some *home-made* circles and tags from Signed with Love, then added a punched heart, some ribbon and a button tied with twine.

For the accompanying card, I stamped the bird from Asela's set First Christmas, colored it with Prismas and OMS, and included a greeting from Melanie's Festive Frame. I used my nesties circles to cut and emboss the focal image.

The *fudge rounds* for the recipe card are from Have a Cookie. I thought they were just the perfect image to mimic the look of the real thing!

Check out these designer's blogs for the sweet projects they've designed around their treats!

Carolina Buchting
Carla Suto
Donna Baker
Giovana Smith
Jennie Harper
Jessica Fick
Joy Hadden
Karen Knegten
Kay Simmons
Lee Murphy
Linda Payne
Lori McAree
Melissa Cash
Pam Imholz
Selma Stevenson
Sue Morris
Sue VanDeVusse
Sue Walsh
Vicki Dutcher

Then, stop by GinaK's blog for a super sweet give-away she has tonight in honor of the hop!

The Recipe Book will be available as a free download PDF on StampTV tonight as well. Look for it on the Freebie Tab link.

Color Dare #46

It's Wednesday, which means another Color Dare! This week's colors are Rich Razzleberry, Taken with Teal, and...yes, it's there (barely!)...Sahara Sand! I used a warm gray Copic marker to shade this handsome fella's face, so I was able to sneak it in without making it so obvious! I'm noticing as I look at this picture that the marker I used for the teal isn't such a great match! It was late when I was coloring! Hmmm...I must *need* some more colors! ;) I bet a little mint colored stickles over his scarf and hat band will do the trick!

I just love this stamp! It was a blog candy win from Leigh O'Brien! Thanks again Leigh! I can't remember where that delicious silk ribbon came from...I *think* it was tied around a Victoria's Secret gift I got last Christmas!

There are always gorgeous, fun creations from the designers at Color Dare, so be sure to visit the blog and then get to work! Riley's got a DT call currently open for those of you who might want to join the team!

Blog Candy Winner!

Here's the winner for my blog candy from the March of the Snowman blog hop this past weekend!

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

48 

Timestamp: 2009-12-08 10:52:12 UTC

Congratulations Marilyn! I had to laugh because I really wanted someone with a *good* comment to win but I didn't want to cheat to choose 'em! I'm excited that a Louisiana gal who left a warm comment on a cold post was the one Random Integer chose!

The Secret's Out!

I am so excited (after a month or so of secret-keeping) to finally tell you that I am designing for Lizzie Anne Designs! LAD stamps are SO adorable! I can hardly wait to get this month's shipment! Back in late July at CHA Orlando I was invited by DT member JeanneS to help with the Lizzie Anne Designs make-n-take at the SCS booth...I had so much fun! I am anxiously looking forward to seeing the LAD girls again at CHA Anaheim in January, and I'm very honored to have been invited to work with their amazing design team. You girls are my idols!

I thought that the little images in Love and Joy Labels would make a fun Christmas bookmark so I stamped them on some white card stock, colored them with Copic markers, tore the edges to make some hills of snow (are you singing the lyrics to Frosty the Snowman now?), and added a sky filled with a flurry of snowflakes. To finish it off I added some candy-cane striped ribbon streamers and a cord-tied button. The trees and snowman have a bit of Spica sparkle...the torn paper edges would be much prettier with some glitter, but I decided against it for our books' sake! I have got to haul some boxes from the attic to find our beloved classic, The Cajun Night Before Christmas, along with the rest of our favorite Christmas books, to tuck this into. We have quite a few that we read every year. Along with the books are a few movies that we will watch over and over. Matthew's favorite is A Christmas Story. Makes me smile just thinking about it!

Thanks for stopping by! I hope to see you again soon!

Sending You Warm Fuzzies

It has been cold and gray in Florida for the last several days! This morning's low (so far, at 4:30 a.m.!) is a brisk 34 degrees, which I know is not a big deal if you've ever lived north of I-10 (which I have not!) but it is definitely cold to us! In fact, the heat pump threw the circuit breaker and the smoke/temp detectors started chirping they were so cold (which is why I was awake at 4:30 a.m.)! You can count on the fact that we will be wearing our coats and scarves to church this morning!

Today's Banana Split Challenge is just perfect for this weather! Jeanette challenged us to Stay Warm! I am old enough to appreciate this sentiment (as opposed to cold pricklies ;) hehehe!) so I grabbed some cute Imaginisce Polar Expressions designer paper with glittery mittens and warm holiday words of cheer! I love the pairing of these elements with some velvet ribbon and a cord-tied button. It is amazing that such a simple creation can evoke a feeling of warmth from the inside out!

Stay warm! I'm planning to! I'm going to be doing a little Christmas baking today, so the house should be warm and cozy!

March of the Snowmen Blog Hop

Welcome to the very first ANNUAL March of the Snowmen! I'm so excited to be part of this fun blog hop! I can hardly wait to see what everyone has created! It is wonderful to see a few familiar faces and to have the opportunity to make new friends!

My card is made with Our Craft Lounge's adorable set, Tweet Winter Wishes and card stock from CutCardStock. I stamped the snowman, then masked him to stamp the fence. The images were colored with Copic markers and glitterfied with Spica pens. I tried to catch some of that sparkle in this photo...

...but it is much prettier in real life! I had so much fun coloring! My card qualifies for the current Copic Creations challenge and for By the Cute and Girlie Let's Go to the Movies challenge (Frosty the Snowman!).

I think it is so appropriate for me to have this snowy image on my blog this weekend...my hometown of Westlake, Louisiana is supposed to get 3 inches of snow! It never snows there, but now it has snowed there two years in a row! Here in Florida we are just getting lots of rain! I don't particularly like the rain, but it is good weather to stay inside and stamp!

I absolutely *love* Our Craft Lounge images, and I'll bet you do too! How would you like the chance to win Reindeer Kisses?! Leave a comment on this post and I'll draw a random winner on Monday morning.

A little birdie told me that there's some more blog candy somewhere along the way...don't know what or where, so you'll have to hop all the way through to find out! ;) You would want to hop anyway...wouldn't wanna miss all of the fabulous creations these girls have made!

Angella Crockett

Barb Foster

Jen Carter

JenMarie Taylor

Jodie Heuser

Kelly Landers

Latisha Yoast

Laurie Unger

Laurie Willison

Linda Duke

Melisa Waldorf

Michelle Bartnett

Mona Pendleton

Pam Imholz

Stacy Rogers

A Different Tree for Henry

Today's card is for my friend Amy whose son Jacob was killed in a motor vehicle accident as he was returning home for Thanksgiving from Penn State University. I cannot imagine the pain of losing a child...I think there must be no greater pain in life, and I hope you'll join me in praying for Amy, Sarah (Henry's mom), Diena (Somer's mom), and all the parents who've lost children recently.

My card uses the Sweet 'n Sassy set Trees of the Field. This is a special set because $5 of its purchase price goes toward a memorial fund for Sarah's son Henry. I know that the lovely images and wonderful scriptures of this set will give comfort and strength to those who mourn, but it is beautiful for any occasion. (More at the SNS Blog).

Jennie's Sketch

Jennie hosted today's Sketch Challenge over at StampTV...I used Asela's set, Fruitful Harvest, and Pure Luxury card stock to make a card that is a little taller than the traditional A2. I colored the image with Prismas and Gamsol, bringing some of the purples and mauves into the greens of the leaves. Then I used the Cuttlebug to emboss the background, with craft white and some rose colored ink to highlight the embossing. It has been very gray in NE Florida, so my picture was taken with artificial lighting...IRL the purples harmonize much better than the picture appears! I am hoping for sunshine tomorrow!

Have you seen...

...the newest set from The Stamps of Life, Love2Hug? I am always amazed at how versatile Stephanie's sets are! You can mix and match the stamps within each set, and they also mix and match with the sets that have come before them, so the options truly are endless!

I just love the combination of blush and black, so I made a simple tri-fold peek-through using some nesties and several stamps from this set. Patrick is a really CAS kinda guy, so I kept this card almost naked ;) and let the stamps speak for themselves.

I think the black inside makes it sorta dramatic even if it IS simple. Wouldn't this be fun tucked inside a box with something black, racy and lacy?! Why wait until Valentine's Day?!

Color Dare #45

My card for this week's Color Dare is a simple, no frills man-card using Kraft, Dusty Durango, and Vanilla. It features a new Our Craft Lounge release, Wanted! The designer paper is from Cosmo Cricket's Nutmeg mini-deck. The images were colored with Copic markers, cut and embossed with a Nesties rectangle, then all the edges distressed with Tim Holtz distress ink. I used two SU punches for the border and heart. The only embellishment is a tiny hemp bow.

This was a fun color combo, much more fun than I thought it would be! Hope you'll play along!

We make...

...the perfect pair! I thought that this would be the perfect sentiment to express my delight that Korin and Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps have invited me back for a month of guest designing! What a wonderful affirmation! It is such a blessing to me to get to spend time with SNS again!

My card for today uses the adorable Punny Fruits and Veggies, one of today's new releases. I colored the images with Copic markers, paired them with Basic Grey Nook and Pantry paper, used Nestabilities squares and Ribbon Tag Trio 2 to cut out the image and sentiment, and then warmed everything up with some Tim Holtz distress ink. A couple of Basic Grey buttons, some cording, and a few little dots with a white pen provided the finishing touches for this layout, Sweet Stop Sketch 32!

Thanks so much for inviting me back! I am *so* looking forward to this month! I know it is going to be special!

Banana Split Sunday!

It's time for another Banana Split Sunday challenge, and if you're like me, you're happy that it involves Christmas cards! I still need to make a few more, so I am happy that many challenge coordinators are keeping us procrastinators in mind as December approaches! ;)

I had so much fun coloring today's image! When I was about 6 years old and in first grade, they stood me on a stool in a red and white flannel gown and had me sing *I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus* for the school Christmas program. When I first saw Penny's Christmas Tree, for whatever reason, that was the first thought that came to mind! I thought this cute Cosmo Cricket Jolly by Golly paper would be perfect for paper piecing her pj's, along with some liquid applique fluff for the cuffs, collar and hemline. I colored the rest of the image with Copic markers, adding a little Spica sparkle to the bow, star, and Penny's eyes. I used a gold gel pen to dot in some beaded garland, and used pearls of graduated sizes to add ornaments to the tree.

As simple as it is, I wrestled with the layout of this card. Maybe that's exactly why...it wanted to be simple and I kept fiddling around trying to add more. I finally added a big stitched twill bow and a sparkling snowflake and declared it finished.

Visit the Banana Blog to see the creations from our other designers. You'll want to link your card there so you'll be eligible to win this week's prize, Penny's Christmas Tree!

CenterStage Spotlight Challenge

It's time for another GinaK CenterStage Spotlight Challenge Blog hop! You might have expected more Christmas cards and I should still make several more, but I needed a soft, serene card for a friend who is going through some tough times and this is what I ended up with...you know how that is when a card just seems to take on a life of its own?!

Our challenge for today's CSS Blog Hop was to stamp on patterned paper. Most of the patterned paper I have is bright and busy and would not elicit the calm peacefulness that I was hoping for, so I opted to try one of Emily Giovanni's textured digital prints. I printed it on a single sheet of card stock, trimmed it into several pieces, stamped the pears (from Asela's Fruitful Harvest) in Memento Rich Cocoa onto one, then used OMS with Prismas in greens and teals to add some shadows and highlights. I added a light umber shadow with the pencils where the upper pear overlays the lower, but all the rest of the shadows around the images were added with Copic markers (W1, W3 and W5). I used a waterbrush to layer on a thin glaze of Stickles to add the sparkle that was the second requirement of today's challenge.

For the card base and layers, I used GinaK Pure Luxury card stock in Green Apple, Moonlit Fog, and Tan Leather. All of the edges were inked with Tim Holtz distress ink and then distressed and stitched. I kept the embellishments simple, using some organdy ribbon and self-adhesive pearls. For the bonus challenge to coordinate the inside, I repeated the same layers and embellishments, including a sentiment framed by pearls, with plenty of room left to write some encouraging words.

For me, even though this isn't a spectacular card, it epitomizes the ideal in card-making...it was simple and relatively quick to create, it uses classic imagery and embellishments which transcend time, and it was made specifically for the personality/style (classic, understated elegance) of the one who is to receive it for this particular time in her life...every stroke and stitch was made with compassion and care, and it will be sent full of prayers, well-wishes, blessings and hugs. That's what it's all about!

Here are the links to the rest of the designers participating in today's hop!

Brenda Turner
Carla Suto
Carolina Buchting
Cheri Weston
Geri Utterback
Giovana Smith
Gina Krupsky
Janice Melton
JenMarie Taylor
Jennie Harper
Jessica Fick
Joy Hadden
Karen Knegten
Kay Simmons
Linda Payne
Melisa Waldorf
Melissa Cash
Melissa Shultz
Nina Brackett
Pam Imholz
Peggy Wainman
Selma Stevenson
Shannon Bracken
Sharri Seffens
Sue Morris
Sue VanDeVusse
Sue Walsh
Tina Gilliland

Black Friday SALE!

Kate from i {heart} papers is having a huge Black Friday Sale from now through Sunday, so head over to Splitcoast Stampers or Paper Craft Planet to grab the code from the ihp banner ads, then run to the store to fill your cart! You can click HERE for all the details! Have fun!

Happy Birthday Nona!

Turning 75 is something really special, so I wanted to make a special card! I used JustRite's beautiful Autumn Blessings, a Karen Foster leaf print with some harmonizing Basic Grey Porcelain dp, Kaiser pearls, and gold metallic card stock to make an easel card reminiscent of the one I made for our Thanksgiving menu.

Here's a picture of Nona (my MIL) from last summer with Emily and Matthew!

I hope you have a very special day! We love you!

Color Dare #44

Just as I was about to start my Color Dare card for the week, I got an email from Kendra asking our OCL designers if they had any samples of the set Giving Thanks to share on the OCL blog...it's this week's Spotlight Set of the Week. After considering this week's colors (So Saffron, Soft Suede, and Real Red) I thought hmmm...I could make this work!

It LOOKS like I cheated and added some orange, but I didn't! I love that about prisma pencils! I colored red and yellow on opposite ends of the leaves and blended them toward the center and they made a beautiful, soft orange that is perfect for this image. That smooth transition of color is one of the things that drew me to this medium in the first place!

I wanted this layout to be relatively clean and simple, so I chose to mat my image with some layers of square Nesties backed with a little bit of texture. The light, open space really makes the colored image stand out. I actually tried adding a bit of red (ribbon, buttons, paper) to the mix but it overpowered the softness of the image, so I went some So Saffron ribbon embellished with a Basic Grey button that was a perfect match for the Soft Suede.

Giving Thanks is from OCL's Winter Release...but just this weekend we had our brand new Valentine Release! Kate from i {heart} papers is carrying every set of this new release! You should go check 'em all out! AND...she's having a big Black Friday Sale in a couple of days, so you can find great deals on some of your favorite papers and other card-making supplies! Watch for the discount code on ads that will run on SCS and PCP!

As you're reading this, I'm probably busy in the kitchen preparing for tomorrow's feast! This Fall wreath is a wonderful symbol of the beauty that surrounds us every day...we have so much to be thankful for! I hope you have a wonderful day!