Inspiration Scallop

This is a little something I put together for a customer who wanted something inspirational to send to her daughter in college. She orders from me often and frankly, I'm starting to run out of ideas! She has been doing this for the last three years! It gets harder and harder to "wow" her... In trying to think of something a little unusual, I thought that this would be something that could be hung from a bulletin board, etc... I thought a collage style might be fun. The woman holding the umbrella is a stamp that I bought in someones Etsy Shop a while back. I cut it out to add it to the collage. This poem says it all perfectly and acutally inspires me each time I read it. My customer really liked it which is what really mattered. (sigh)

She Who Has a Great Attitude

The way she sees it,
If you want rainbows,
You gotta have rain.
So she goes out into the storm
Looking for puddles to play in.
She brightens up every dark place.
She finds joy in the journey.
And just about everything
makes her laugh!
For her, laughter in the face of adversity
is the finest sound there is!
She has a great attitude!

BLOG CANDY BELOW!

My blog made 10,000 hits!!! To celebrate I'm giving away some blog candy! SCROLL DOWN TO TRY TO WIN!

WOW! Here's what you'll get:

1 SimonSaysStamp Owl Stamp Set
1 Hero Arts Sparkle Clear Christmas Tag Set
1 Studio G Punction Set

"Here Kitty Kitty..."

I love this cat image from Cornish Heritage Farms! Although I have two dogs, I also love cats and have had a few in my life. I had a tabby named *Bonkers* that was this color and I had her in mind when when I colored this. Bonkers had green eyes too! I used Crystal Effects on the eyes so IRL they look really cool. I tried to take a close up of them but I just couldn't get it to look right... I tried to achieve a watercolor look using the Copics in a different way this time. Hope your day is going okay... Thanks so much for visiting. (hugs)

P.S Don't forget to post a comment to win some cool blog candy! Just scroll down.

Make my day by signing my guestbook!

Season's Greetings

Remember I said that I was stamping this past Friday night with my Stamp Group (The Stamping Divas)? Well, Simone was in charge of the project this month and we made this card. Sorry, but I can't recall who's stamps these are, ... Simone teaches stamping and scrapbooking classes at a local store here and I learned something new that I thought I'd share with you. You know those rhinestones and things that we all buy now on the strips? Well, you can color them! We used Copic Markers to color Rudolph's nose for example! Isn't that a great idea?! If you don't have Copics, then Sharpies work also. This simple idea has opened up a whole new world of ideas to me. I hope it sparks something for you too! Hey, I have blog candy below if you wanny try to win it! Hope you're having a nice day...

BLOG CANDY ALERT!

My blog made 10,000 hits!!! To celebrate I'm giving away some blog candy!

WOW! Here's what you'll get:

1 SimonSaysStamp Owl Stamp Set
1 Hero Arts Sparkle Clear Christmas Tag Set
1 Studio G Punction Set

Just leave me a comment about anything you want! Anyone can play and you can add your name once per day just for visiting!!! I'll ship anywhere. If you don't have a blog then you'll have to come back to visit for the announcement. If you win then just e-mail your mailing info! I'll use the Random.Org site to select the lucky number. It starts right now and ends on Saturday at Midnight CST. Good Luck! Thanks for visiting me!

House Mouse Challenge #11 Naturally...

This week's House Mouse Challenge is "That Natural Feeling". What could be more natural then some mice roasting marshmallows on a stick from another's hot breath from eating jalapeno peppers? LOL! Seriously, I used Natural Raffia to meet this requirement. I raided my friend Lynda's HM stash when I was at her house last week and couldn't wait to use this particular one! I think it's just sooooo cute. But isn't that what these stamps are all about? lol! Check out what the other stampers created too. They are all amazingly talented!!! Thanks so much for taking the time to visit me. (hugs)

P.S. Would you consider signing my guestbook at the very bottom of the page? It would really mean a lot to me...

SC198 A Doodle Christmas?

Hey! Guess what?!!! I didn't go to work today! On a Monday no less! I feel really guilty about it but when I woke up I couldn't stand on my right knee. It's one of the (arthritis) problems I have. First the doctor wanted to see me, then she changed her mind and the nurse said the doctor will be calling me. It's better now but I have a feeling that I'll be getting an injection in my knee... So, being at home anyway, I took advantage of the time off to make a few cards. This was the Sketch Challenge at SCS a few weeks back and I've been wanting to try it. I used SU's Doodle This for a Christmas theme. Do ya think it worked or not? I stamped and cut the flower out three times to acheive the dimension. Hope your day is going okay... (hugs)

Stamps: SU Doodle This
Paper: River Rock, Bravo Burgundy, Artichoke
Accessories: MS Lace Punch, Cuttlebug EF, Nesties, Photo Corner Punch, Gold Brads and cord, Stardust Stickles

Gavin's Baby Card

Hope everyone enjoyed the weekend! Mine was okay, but went by really fast... I did go to my monthly stamp club Friday night and that was fun. I've been having a hard time managing my arthritis pain the last few weeks so I didn't get to stay as long as a I would have liked. Simone was in charge of our project this month and we made the cutest card Christmas card! I'll post it tomorrow. Anyway, Gavin is home from the hospital and we drove out to see the kids today. It was really nice. The baby is so sweet... I'm going back tomorrow night with dinner. I'm just trying to help out in little ways...
This is one of the easiest cards I've ever made! I used one of those scrapbook embellishment packages that I picked up who knows where... There is no stamping in this card whatsoever! This is the front of the card. It opens and has the sentiment on the inside. I bought a few little things for the baby and included this card. Take care and I'll "talk to ya" soon....

House Mouse Monday Challenge #10

It's official! I really have few photography skills! When I created this for the House Mouse Challenge this week I applied Cystal Effects to the images and I cannot get them to not reflect in the photo! Dang! Sorry about that... The theme this week is Anything But a Card. First I decided to use a cello bag with a topper. Then when I saw this stamp, I thought it would be fun to put goldfish crackers in the bag! You can check out all the fabulous creations that everyone else made if you'd like by visiting here Hope your day's going okay. ;-)

He's Here!

Gavin 10-22-08

Michelle, Zach & Gavin
Gavin and Me!

Having a New Little Brother Can Be Exhausting...

Well, we are now proud grandparents to a new baby boy! His name is Gavin. He was born at 6:30 a.m and weighed in at exactly 9 lbs. He's 21 inches long and is pure joy! My husband and I just got back from the hospital. Everyone is doing well but they are obviously tired. Zach is the only one that got any rest and I have proof of that in a photo above. lol! I just thought I'd share a few pictures. Yikes! I just realized that I didn't get any of my son and the baby! Everything was so crazy and all the grandparents were there and I just didn't have the right opportunity. I'll get one tomorrow. Today was a good day... (hugs)

Outside The Box Or Just Plain Stupid?

I can't decide! The other night, it was late but I had just received some awesome Christmas Primas from SimonSaysStamp and I really wanted to try one. You know what it's like when we get a new "toy"! Anyway, I thought to be a little different I would stamp the sentiment on the outside of the card and the greeting on the inside! Yep, I'm a crazy blonde! lol! I was really tired and my eyes were burning so maybe you'll think it's kind of a dumb idea but here it is non the less... Enjoy your day!

Stamp: Stampin' Up
Paper: Sage Shadow, Hunter Green
Accessories: Cuttlebug EF, Christmas Primas, Star sticky dots from JoAnn's

Personal Update: Our son and daughter-in-law are going to have the baby tomorrow!(Wednesday)! Her doctor has decided to enduce her so they will be at the hospital at 8:00 a.m. sharp tomorrow! I'll keep you posted...

Blog Award!

I am so excited to have received this blog award from Karen from 6WackyWomen! Thanks for thinking of me.! It's fun to receive these silly things! It's like I always say, "It's all about the small stuff"...

Now I have to pass this on to six other bloggers. Hmmm... This time I'll pick these great bloggers:


Lisa
Cindy M.
Michelle
Kim
Pat
Shirley

Hanna Celebrates!

Happy {stupid} Monday! lol! It's almost over now... Today was ridiculously busy for me and it's so nice to think about something other then numbers! This is another Hanna Christmas card I made. I'm so impressed with myself for starting early this year. I've never done this before, as I'm a procrastinator by nature so it feels like someone else has taken over my body! (Gosh, I hope they bring it back in better shape then they took it) lol! Enjoy your evening... Thanks so much for stopping by! (hugs)

House Mouse Challenge #9

I really think that House Mouse Stamps are just adorable and I love following the HM Monday Challenges to see all the beautiful creations. This week I decided to try one myself! I fell in love with the design theme for this week's challenge... So, here's what I made. Hope you're enjoying the weekend and thanks a million for visiting...

Blog Candy Alert!

Wanna try and win some free stuff? Check out the cool blog candy that Poppet is giving away!

Delight In Life...

I have the hardest time coming up with new titles for my cards!!! I don't have the natural wit that my bloggin' buddy Deb has, so it gets a little boring here in this blah mind! lol! Anyway, Happy Day before Friday! Repeat after me. "One more day, one more day..." Ahh... Anyway, this card was made using Stampin' Up's Embrace Life. If you enjoy coloring your images it's a great set to have. I really enjoyed making this. Hope you like it! It's a really basic layout and e z p z to create. The recipe is below if you're interested. Thanks for stopping by! I'd really love it if you'd sign my Guestbook at the very bottom. (hugs)

Stamps: SU Embrace Life
Paper: Ruby Red, Pumpkin Pie
Accessories: Copic Markers, SU Photo Corner Punch, Martha Stewart Border Punch, MiGill Leaf Punch

I Have a Guestbook Too!

Okay, way at the bottom of my page I have added a guestbook. I've seen them on some other blogs and think they are such a treasure... So, could you {pretty please} sign my Guestbook? It would make my day!

Apple Delight

Happy Hump Day! It's really a rainy, dreary day here but my spirits are up anyway. Having two types of arthritis, it's before the weather change that puts me in all that pain. Once it starts raining, I usually feel better! Weird, huh? My hands are still hurting alot though, so I had to create this card with the brace on my hand! Boy, was that weird but I did it! Nothing's gonna keep me down long enough to quite stamping!!! Now after all that, here's what I did. I'm on a bird kick now! Hope you guys don't mind... Thanks so much for dropping by!(hugs)

Stamps: SU Garden Pleasures
Paper: Cameo Coral, Gable Green, Going Grey
Accessories: Punches from Martha Stewart and McGill, paper crimper, Primas

A Hanna Christmas

I am a big fan of Hanna Stamps and this Christmas set is one of my very favorites. This is the first Christmas card I've made so far this year. Last Christmas was the first without my mom (and best friend) and it was a really rough one for me. This year I'm feeling a little better... so I'm gonna give it a whirl. I'm starting with the ones for my girlfriends. They're always the most fun for me because I know how much they appreciate them. Thanks for visiting. (hugs)

SC193 Cardinal Wishes

I love this new cardinal from Stampin'Up! It's from a set called Cardinal Christmas. This was a Sketch Challenge from a few weeks ago on SCS. I've been wanting to use this design and thought it worked well with this image. The card recipe is below. Hope your day is going okay...
Thanks for stopping by!

Stamps: Cardinal Christmas
Paper: Bravo Burgundy, Artichoke, Going Grey dp
Accessories: punch by McGill, Primas, brads

Fabulous Friday, Fabulous Friend

Happy Friday! I created this 6 x 6 card using stamps from My Favorite Things. Umm, I think you've heard of them! lol! My friend Lyn gave me some Primas for my birthday last month and I've been looking forward to using them. Thus, the loaded up card... lol Yeah, it's the small things that please this stamper...
I used a border punch by Martha Stewart. Finally, someone has come out with punches that can handle cardstock! It took Martha to understand what the craft market needs?!!! Seriously, haven't we all gone to punch something and it won't even budge through the punch? Then you fight with the paper to get it out, ruin it, say a few bad words and then go to plan B. I (eventually) plan to buy every punch that the woman makes for that exact reason! Plus, I can use a Michael's coupon toward it which makes them so affordable... Hope you are having a nice day!

SC196 Yep! More Pumpkins...

Okay, this is the last card I'll make using this stamp. It's just that coloring these pumpkins is so much fun! The pumpkin is from the SU set called Autumn Harvest. The card sketch is last week's Sketch Challenge on SCS. Although I love them all, I have have two favorite Cuttlebug Embossing Folders; Swirls and Swiss Dots. Obviously, I used the Swirls EF on this one. Like I've said before, raffia is one of my favorite embellishments for Autumn cards and projects and the best part is that it's so cheap in comparison to some of the other options. On a personal note, my daughter-in-law called me today and said that if she doesn't go into labor by the 22nd they'll induce her! I'm sooo excited. I can't wait to have another grandchild to love and spoil... Thanks so much for dropping by! (((hugs)))

A Whipper Snapper Rainy Day

The last few days have been gloomy around here. Damp, chilly and raining a lot. I made this card last night after a really dreary day. Today the sun shines, however, and things are bit better. I'm one of those people that need lots of light and sunshine or I start getting depressed. During the winter I often go to a tanning bed, not for the winter tan, but for the feel of bright, warm sunlight. Anyway, back to the card... This fabulous stamp is from Whipper Snapper. I used a white gel pen to add the tiny dots. I had fun doing that and couldn't seem to stop! lol! I stamped the backround using a stamp called Rice Paper by Cornish Heritage Farms. I added Crystal Effects to the rain puddle and the little teardrops I found at JoAnn's. Thanks for stopping by! Hope you're having a wonderful day.

Full Recipe
Stamps: Whipper Snapper, Verses, Cornish Heritage Farms
Paper: Stampin'Up's Elegant Eggplant, Lavender Lace
Accessories: SU Ribbon Punch, White Ribbon, Cuttlebug EF, Sticky dots from JoAnn's, Copic Markers

My Self Portrait!

This is exactly what I look like before my morning coffee!!!I thought I'd try and make you smile today. (Hopefully it worked...) Actually, the inside sentiment reads "Sending you a smile". This fun stamp is another one of my favorites from
Art Impressions. This is Maude. Being a big coffee drinker I couldn't resist buying it. My friends and I always joke about how we're getting old and crabby. lol! I put a little sparkle on her slippers with some Stickles but I couldn't get my camera to capture to well. My photography skills are very limited. I hope you're having a good day...

TPT #14 No Paper Roses Here!

I finally finished my card for Cindy's Teapot Tuesday Challenge from last week! As simple as this teapot really was, I struggled and struggled, gave up and then tried again, to make a paper flower that didn't look totally stupid for this card. I just couldn't do it, so I "cheated" and used the Stipple Rose from Stampin' Up. I also added some leaves because the flower looked so lost by itself. Is this now a "double cheat"? lol! This is a huge rose so cut out only the center of the flower. I think that I still capured the feele of the teapot but I'd like to know what you think... Either way, here it is... Hope your having a good day!

WSC60 Beate's Sketch Challenge

Happy Day after World Cardmaking Day! lol! Too bad you couldn't be here when I was trying to convince my husband that yes, I am NOT joking, there is such a day... lol! I made this for Beate's Sketch Challenge this weekend. It's from a retired SU set called Simple Pleasures. I also used SU's (retired) Musical Score backround for the musical notes strip. Enjoy your day! More later...

WT186 Quote Challenge

I created this for yesterday's Ways To Use It Challenge on Splitcoaststampers. The challenge was to make a card incorporating a quote or saying as part of your main image. I chose this great quote stamp by Penny Black. I used a retired (of course!) stamp set from Stampin' Up called Delight In Life. I colored them with my Copics and then cut them out. Hope you're having a good evening... Thanks so much for visiting.

A PurrFect Friday!

Happy Friday everyone! Remember this sweet little Stampin'Up set? It is called PurrFect and it's one of my favorite cat stamps ever! The (computer generated) sentiment on inside says "You're a purrfect friend". I think my cyber friend Cindy has me more addicted to Prima flowers then ever! She uses tons of them and they do fill in an empty spot "purrfectly". tee hee
In honor of National Cardmaking Day I'll be posting more cards then ususal this weekend. Yeah, like I needed an excuse to make more cards! lol!

Recipe
Stamps: SU PurrFect
Paper: SU Chocolate Chip, Basic Grey DP, Really Rust, Black
Accessories: SU Copper Hodgepodge Hardware, Copper Brads, Prima Flowers, Copic Markers

A Whipper Snapper Hello

I am so happy to be back on my blog today! Yesterday we lost power and it was out for what feels like forever! I was in such withdrawal last night! No TV, no stamping, no blogging, nothing! The only good part is that it meant no cooking either! We "had to" eat out. lol! This morning it was still out and my DH and I held flashlights for each while we got ready for work. Let's just say that things got a little "testy". I held the light too high, then too low etc... He had no right to be crabby because I claimed dibs on the morning crabbiness in this marriage many, many years ago! Oh well, we've made up now and things are back to normal. Well, I'm back and guess what? I'm off tomorrow so I have a three day weekend! I'm gonna clean my house and catch up on some challenges. Anyway, I made this card last weekend as I was practicing with my Copic markers. (Yeah, I know, I have no idea what I'm doing yet). This stamp is from Whipper Snapper and it was a "must have" for me when I saw it. I make lots of "Get Well", and "Thinking of You" cards with it. I think it's so cheerful! Not much else going on over here, I'm gonna go check out all your blogs and see what you've been up to while I've been sitting in the darkness... (hugs)