Three French...

...roosters! This was as close as I could come to three French hens for the PCP 12 Days of Christmas challenge today! This is a combo card for the FS challenge at SCS also! Congratulations, Dawn!

Gotta run to our church's Hanging of the Greens service, so I'll come back later to give more details!

Tree House turns One Year Old!

I don't normally post twice in one day, but there's so much going on this Thanksgiving weekend that I just couldn't pass it up!

Last night Tree House Stamps held a release party for several brand new stamp sets! I have had such a great time playing with these new stamps already, and they're so versatile that I know I'll use them again and again!

These adorable frogs are from a set called Hoppy Kisses. I used Crate Paper designer paper, and colored the cute couple using water color pencils and an aquapainter.

Sweet as Sugar uses two single stamps that simply make me smile...I'm from the South and lots of folks called me Sugar when I was little. I love this Pink Paisley Pop Fashion paper...couldn't get any sweeter (or pinker) could it!?

Tree House is celebrating its first anniversary, and in honor of the occasion Ashley is offering a 10% discount on orders for the rest of the year! Just click on the banner in the sidebar (yes, it's so cool that my card is featured in this banner ad! *grin*) to browse the website and place yours. I'm planning to order some of the new dp kits and glitters that Ashley just started carrying. They're yummy!

Hope you'll keep coming back! I love when you visit and treasure your comments!

Late Sketch--What Was I Thinking?

Do you ever really struggle with a card? Here's a Sweet 'n Sassy Cozy Feathered Friends card that I started on Wednesday for the SCS sketch challenge, and wrestled with off and on for days! I just love this little birdie, and started out painting him thinking I'd use some of my new Ambrosia paper. Then when I was done, the paper seemed *off* for the image, so I struggled forever trying to find a plan B. Then, after deciding to try to give him some little feathers, my white gelpen died and I had to resort to a ghost writer. Finally I arrived at this, which isn't making me happy but I'm posting it anyway!

It's time for the SNSS blog hop, so don't miss the chance to see some fabulous cards and win some blog candy!

Two other reminders before you go...the i {heart} papers Black Friday sale is still going on! And you still have lots of opportunities to enter Paper Craft Planet's 12 Days of Christmas! Here's my entry for today's challenge, to use a dove or turtle on your card...I used a scrap of leftover Basic Grey DP to make this 4.25 square card using Pink Poison's Faith, Hope and Love dove. This set was a gift from Faith (Markie's Mom) when I went to her retreat in October. Thanks so much Faith...I love this set!

The 12 Days of Christmas!

Today marks the beginning of a fun contest sponsored by Paper Craft Planet...each day a new challenge will be posted, and prizes awarded for participation!

Today's challenge was to make a card using a tree stamp...a card by Kelly (her tutorial is here) inspired me to use SEI's Alpine Frost from i {heart} papers to make a garland of greenery. I only wish I had some pretty ornament stamps so I could hang some danglies from it!

There's a fabulous sale going on today at i {heart} papers. See yesterday's post for the details!

Huge Black Friday Sale!

Do you love to find a bargain but hate to fight the crowds and traffic on Black Friday? Then this sale is for you! Kate at i {heart} papers is having a HUGE special Friday through Sunday! Check out all the details HERE .

Rub It In!

Today's color challenge was the perfect opportunity for me to use some of this gorgeous Basic Grey Ambrosia paper for the first time. I bought it along with a matching pack of rub-ons when my friend Wendybell was Featured Stamper on SCS...she loves butterflies and the rub-on pack had a giant beauty on the front. I was very pleasantly surprised to find that there was this fabulous elephant hiding inside! (Note to self: still gotta case Wendy and use that butterfly!) My mom LOVES elephants, so this is a great card for her!

The layout for this comes from last week's Mojo Monday sketch...I love having a sketch to jump start my card-making!

Hope you have a great Tuesday! Thanks for visiting...YOU are one of the things on my list of what I'm grateful for!

Blog Candy Winner and Today's Challenge!

I SO enjoyed reading all of your comments regarding what you love about where you live! I love where I live too! It is close enough to the city to enjoy things like the Nutcracker at the Theatre, but still small town enough to bump into a familiar face on a regular basis. And best of all, my husband, Patrick, who served the USN for 26+ years, is finally retired and home with my sweet Matthew and me!

Congratulations go to the winner of i {heart} papers' blog candy, my friend Judy, who left the 45th comment!

Today's challenge, a gift card holder, is made with gorgeous Wassail designer prints and SEI's Alpine Lace stamp set, both from i {heart} papers. I marked a circle with a pencil, then stamped around it using this small pine cone stamp colored with old olive and close to cocoa markers. I kept this very simple because I wanted to be able to use it to hold a man's gift card, and usually men just don't like things too fussy. A slit punch closure and a button laced with a scrap of red hemp were all it really needed.

I hope you are having a fabulous week already! And to my US friends, enjoy your Thanksgiving! I will be starting my cooking this afternoon!

Blessings to you and yours!

Each Unique!

Do y'all have a stash of alterables, etc. that you collect and eventually get around to using? I am embarrassed that I have a whole clear-keeper full of stuff like that. I bought these adorable little pails at Target last winter and there they've sat for nearly a year. I decided that while the scraps of this snowflake paper were still out, I oughta do something with one of them!

I really should make it my mission to use up some of the stash I have! I am not even sure where this patterned paper came from! I think maybe Michael's! It might have been from a pile of 8.5 x 11" papers about an inch high that my mom gave me when her Michael's (she lives in Louisiana) had a really great sale. She went through grabbing one or two of each print and sent them to me...many I've used, but I still have a folder full!

I've had these Basic Grey chipboard tags for quite a while too, but I know that they are still available at i {heart} papers. They're so fun and easy to use--just paint on some mono multi and stick on your dp, trim the edges with scissors and then sand the edges using a heavy duty emory board.

I have still been experimenting with Becca's circle medallions. They look different depending on the dimension of your circle. I think this one looks really pretty as a frame for Chris' beautiful snowflake, which I stamped in craft white ink and embossed with glitter EP. A MS punched snowflake and some bling were the finishing touches.

I think I should make some of those little powdered sugar cookies to put in a cello bag for this! Wouldn't that be pretty? Do you have any other ideas? I'd love to hear them!

Keep Warm!

The last few days have been chilly in Florida! A few days ago it got down to 29 degrees! I got up this morning and grabbed my fluffy jacket and fuzzy scarf along with a cup of steaming hot coffee! Patrick immediately started a big roaring fire, which he's kept going all day long. It is nice and toasty in here this evening!

Around noon I received a delivery of brand-spanking new rubber from Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps! Several of the sets are future new releases (so you'll have to keep checking back!) but I made sure to get several that I can use in the meantime! This little cup from Warm Up seemed like the most appropriate choice! I used some papers from an old K and Co mat pack that I've had for ages...wasn't quite ready to cut into my new pretty dp yet! These colors are bright and fun and even though my card is a simple design, I'm pleased with it. It also qualifies for Daring Card Challenges' current challenge to make a coffee card.

You have one day left to make your comments (scroll down!) for my i {heart} papers blog candy! There is more at my i {heart} papers DT mates' blogs too, so get busy!

Chocolate...YUM!

Today's limited supplies challenge was to make a card using something chocolate for the theme of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory! My order from i {heart} papers had just arrived, so I had no problem deciding which yummie papers and stamps to use! This challenge seemed tailor-made for what I had ordered!

Don't you just love this delicious plaid MME paper from Kate's store?! There are several coordinating prints that make mix and match really easy. I stamped this Inkadinkado swirlie frosted cupcake using Palette Burnt Umber, then colored it using a relatively dry aquapainter and ink from the lids of my close to cocoa and regal rose ink pads, followed by a bit of shading with some chocolate chip. All the edges were sponged with Tim Holtz distress inks. This layout is from Saturday Sketch.

Scroll down for a chance at some fabulous blog candy! You have until Sunday evening!