Celebrate!

Hi there!

Just popping in quick to share with you a card I made for my great nephew, Curtis.  The little sweetheart turns three on August 10th.

I just love the Bo Bunny(Surprise Collection) for birthdays!  This paper line is full of bright fun colors.  My copic coloring skills are very basic to say the least, but I do love coloring with them.  My goal is to one day take some copic classes.  Anyways, while I was coloring I tried to get the windshield blended and I believe I added too much that it soaked up the paper.  Instead of stamping it all over again I decided to cut it out.  Those little clouds of smoke were difficult with the fussy cutting.  And, I thought, "ut oh" now what do I do with the music notes.  So, a little bubble with notes is my final result.:-)   I do love this stamp from Taylored Expressions.
Isn't it the cutest?  I'm entering this card over at Anything Goes Challenge.  The theme is coffee and/or food.

Ok, friends thanks so much for taking a peek at my nephew's card!  Take care and have a wonderful day, hugs!

Supplies:

Paper:  Bo Bunny(Surprise Collection), Best Occasions
Stamp:  Taylored Expressions(Summer Love)
Ink:  SU(Black)
Stickles:  Ranger
Twine:  Doodlebug
Copics:  110, G14, E31, E57, RV02, R29, C3, B05

Vacation...

Hi Friends!

How are you doing?  I'm hoping that you are having a great summer!  We've been away on vacation  to the Virgin Islands and just got home late last night.  I did the usual unpacking, laundry, mail, etc.  I sat down this evening and went through tons of photos.  So, I hope I don't bore you with photo overload. :-)  But, I do want to share with you the beauty of the island of St. Thomas.  So, here we go....

 

There was a lot of walking at the resort.  We walked down many steps to get to the beach and to our favorite restaurant Coco Joe's.  They had the best nachos!  Also, we enjoyed delicious  Caribbean salad with shrimp and homemade dressing...yum!

 



While walking down the many steps, we met some friends along the way...lol!  I wanted to reach out my hand to pretend I was petting the little darlings for the camera, but they quickly came up to me thinking I had some food.  Believe me, I did not feed my friends! lol  Yes, I can still hear my DH laughing about this one!:-)

 

 

This is the little ferry boat that we took across the bay to eat lunch and shop.  The food was just so delicious!  My husband's favorite was chicken roti at this place called Jen's.

 

 



The architecture is gorgeous with beautiful brick buildings.  Many of the stores consisted of hand crafts, jewelry, perfume, tobacco, and liquor, especially rum.  All the shops are duty free.

We took our passports and headed off on a boat to British Virgin Islands one day.  I thank my sweet friend, Sue, for giving us great tips for our vacation in paradise!  Her tip to visit the BVI was the highlight of our vacation!  The BVI are a must see when vacationing in the Caribbean!  The water is so amazing.......

 The rock formations are called The Baths on the island of Virgin Gorda. It was a fun day of hiking, snorkeling and swimming!

 

Photo of my DH snorkeling.

 

 

We also went to the island of Jost Van Dyke.  I just could not believe the beauty of water!  So crystal clear with a gorgeous color of aqua!  And, it is home of the famous Soggy Dollar Bar, home of the original Painkiller drink.  We had one of these drinks and enjoyed the breathtaking view!

 

 

 



 

On our last day of vacation, we ate breakfast at Coco Joe's.  There was a quick shower and we noted a lovely rainbow in the sky.  We thought what a perfect ending to our vacation in paradise!

 

If you've made it this far, thank you so much for viewing our photos of our vacation!  Take care, hugs!



Always & Forever...

Hi there!

Just wanted to pop in here today to share with you a quick card I made up for my sister and her husband for their anniversary this week.  I used the lovely stamp set Wedding Day from Paper Sweeties! 

I originally made up this card for a challenge, but I didn't follow the colors of the challenge, so I had to make up another card.  But, that's ok, 'cause now I have an extra card on hand, right?:-)  Here was the original of the above card...

So, what do you think?  I'm thinking that the added pink ribbon is so much better!  Ok, friends it's time for lunch here.  So glad that you dropped by today, thank you!  Take care and have a wonderful week, hugs!

Supplies:

Paper:  Bazzill, Recollections
Stamps:  Paper Sweeties:  Wedding Day
Ink:  SU(Black)
Ribbon:  Jo-Ann Fabric
Pearls:  Doodlebug
Copic:  RV04

Long Distance Hug...

Hi Friends!

Happy Saturday to you!  Hope things cooled off for you or that they will soon...whew!  It's been a hot one lately!  Thunderstorms came rolling through over the night, so things did cool down a bit.

Today I want to share with you a journal page I made for the
A Mixed Media Color Challenge.  Such lovely colors to work with this week....

 

Another view of my journal page...

 

 

 

I decided to go with bird/house theme for my journal page.  Mona and Sue both have wonderful inspiration projects.  I've been thinking of my son lately who is vacationing in North Carolina.  I've been missing him.  But, we will see him next week.  I think at times he grew up too fast.  The years just flew by.  Anyways, the idea behind my project is that even though my son flew from the nest he always has a loving home to return to.  And, in the meantime, I send him long distance hugs!:-)

 

I started my page by painting it black.  I then painted it with layers of white, tan, and aqua.  I used the awesome delicate doily stencil that I received from the win on the first AMMCC.  And, what a beautiful stencil design from Mona!  I mixed modeling paste and aqua paint and then used a copic marker for the petals.  The burlap bird is from Little Yellow Bicycle.  I sprayed the bird and page with Perfect Pearls Mist.  Gems, twine, and a gem button was added to finish my journal page.

 

Well, that's all from me for now, friends.  Thanks so much for dropping by!  Take care and have a great weekend, hugs!

 

Supplies:

 

Paint:  Folkart:  Black, White, Tan, Aqua

Ink:  SU:  Black

Stamps:  Precious Remembrance(ink blots), Sweet'N Sassy(heart, house, border)

Stencil:  Delicate Doily(MFT-Mona Pendleton)

Burlap Bird:  Little Yellow Bicycle

Heart button:  Recollections

Gems:  SU

Perfect Pearls Mist:  Turquoise(Ranger)

Modeling Paste

Copic:  B05 Process Blue

Twine:  PTI

10 Minute Craft Dash #22, Enjoy Sweet Friend

Hi Friends!

Happy Friday to you!  It's another hot day here in NW Ohio.  I hope we get a reprieve from this heat soon!  And, thank goodness for air conditioning.

I popped in to share with you a card I made because Paper Sweeties is sponsoring the challenge over at the 10 Minute Craft Dash #22!  The winner will receive a $25 gift certificate to Paper Sweeties...how fun!

I tell ya if you are thinking I can't do a card in 10 minutes, believe me you can!  If I can, you can!:-)  And, I have to admit I did have a card already made up and did it within the 10 minutes, but I didn't follow the colors of the challenge...lol.  Uh huh, I was stressed out!  But, I told myself this is good practice especially for CAS cards.  Because as you know if you've visited here before, I prefer lots of layers and textures, etc. for my cards.  I barely made it under the wire with this card at 9:54!  Whew, I think the most time was tying the twine!  I have to say I do like the colors and those sweet little tags.  I used the Little Wishes stamp set from Paper Sweeties.  Those little tags are a definite favorite of mine! 

Ok, friends, if you want a fun challenge stop over for the 10 Minute Craft Dash.  You never know you just might be the winner!  Take care and have a great weekend, hugs!

Supplies:

Paper:  Crate Paper(The Pier), Bazzill, MFT
Stamp:  Paper Sweeties: Little Wishes(sentiments)
Ink:  SU(Night of Navy)
Twine:  Doodlebug

Baby Cardinal!

 

 

Hi Friends!

 

 

Look who came to visit us this afternoon!  My husband came home from work and saw the little baby cardinal in the garage.  He or she tried and tried to get out of the garage, but had trouble finding the way.  Finally, he or she got tired and rested behind my husband's tool box.  He gently took he/she in his hand and told me to quickly get the camera.  He/she wasn't struggling at all and posed for several photos!:-)  I now call my husband the "Bird Whisperer"...hehehe!  Here are a couple more photos of the little sweet cardinal...

 

 

If you remember, I posted a photo of the little ones when they recently hatched back in May.  So here again is that photo...

Ok, well, it's time for dinner. Thanks so much for dropping by and viewing what's happening around my yard today!  Take care and have a lovely weekend, hugs!

Paper Sweeties July Release Rewind!!!!

Hi there!

Well, today is the wrap up of Paper Sweeties July release!  And, I would like to share with you a project I made for a friend's birthday.  I've used many stamps on the cover of this notepad holder.  But, oh what fun I had making this little summer scene!Here is a photo of the inside with the notepad...

I began with paper piecing and coloring sweet little Abigail.   Her dress is from the stamp set You are Special.  The sandals are from the Live Love Grow stamp set.  I attached the sentiment to the limb with the sweet little bird on it.  The adorable birds are from the set Happy Summer.  And, the sentiment is from Summer Fun set.  The flowers are from the set Make Today Beautiful.  I also used a stamped flower for added interest underneath the sun.  The sun was made using a McGill punch.  And, the clouds were made using the Rainbows and Roses stamp set.  I used an MFT die for the grass and popped it up for dimension.  The final touch was adding yellow buttons to the flowers and sun.  Ok, friends that's all for now.  Please make a visit over to Paper Sweeties to see what the rest of the design team created!  Have fun with your projects, hugs!

Supplies:







Paper:  Crate Paper, MFT
Stamps:  Paper Sweeties:  Abigail
                                           You are Special-dress(Boutique)
                                            Live Love Grow(Boutique)
                                            Summer Fun-sentiment
                                            Make Today Beautiful-flower
                                            Happy Summer-birds(Accessories)
                                            Rainbows and Roses-clouds(Sentiments)
Ink:  SU(Soft Suede, Pool Party)
Ribbon:  SU
Punch:  McGill(sun)
              EK(small circle)
              SU(1 3/8 circle)
Dies:  MFT(grass)
Twine:  American Crafts
Copics:  E00, E11, E33, E35, E37, R20
Emboss Folder:  SU(Polka Dots
Buttons:  Stickopotamus
Misc.:  Colored pencils

Paper Sweeties July Release Day!!!!

Hi Friends!

That day has arrived for you to purchase those sweet Paper Sweeties stamps!  Debbie has come up with darling summer stamps for all your crafting needs! 

I made the above card wanting to use a super colorful cupcake liner that caught my eye while shopping.  And, you know it when something catches your eye those wheels start turning and those creative juices start flowing!:-)  So, you can see I cut out around the base and used that behind the flower in top left corner.  I folded and placed the rest of the liner along the bottom of the card.  The background was stamped with a circle from Home Tweet Home stamp set.  The polka dot label and sentiment is from the Summer Fun stamp set.  I added green polka dot washi tape, a fun flower from K&Company, pearls and gems for this bright summer card. 

Thank you for stopping by today!  Stay tuned for tomorrow's card.  It's a fun project that I created for a friend!  Ok, until tomorrow take care and have a wonderful day!

Supplies:

Paper:  SU, Bazzill
Stamps:  Paper Sweeties:  Summer Fun(Label, Sentiment)-Accessories
                                           Home Tweet Home(background circle)
Ink:  SU(Calypso Coral, White)
Gems:  Paper Studio
Pearls:  Doodlebug
Punch:  Creative Memories(corner punch)
Washi Tape:  Recollections
Twine:  Doodlebug
Flower:  K&Company
Misc:  Cupcake liner
Dimensionals:  SU

Paper Sweeties July Pre-Release Day Two!!!!

Hi Friends!

Welcome back!  I'd like to share with you today this card I made, which will be available on July 15th at Paper Sweeties!  I created this sweet summer scene using the Home Tweet Home stamp set.  The bird house, little bird, lady bug, dragon fly, flowers, fence and label/sentiment are all included in this fabulous set! 

I started with a dark brown card base and used Crate Paper(ThePier) for second layer.  Crate Paper was also used for the fence and  border along the top of the card.   I used the woodgrain embossing folder from SU for more dimension on the fence.  Brads were added for interest.  Gems were place on the cute little ladybug, dragon fly label and flowers.  The bird's wing and stomach were colored with copic markers.  Twine was added to the bird house.  This was an easy peasy card for a summer birthday!  This is truly a great stamp set for any summer project and it will be available on July 15th!  I thank you so much for dropping by today.  Stay tuned for tomorrow will be release day...yeah!!!  Take care, hugs!

Supplies:

Paper:  Crate Paper(ThePier), Paper Studio, Kraft Outlet
Stamps:  Paper Sweeties:  Home Tweet Home(Accessories)
Ink:  SU:  Soft Suede, Lucky Limeade, Real Red
Gems:  Paper Studio
Punch:  Fiskars
Emboss Folder:  SU(Woodgrain)
Dimensionals:  SU
Copics:  E31, E33
Brads:  Paper Studio

Hello Friend...

Hi there!

Are you having a great weekend so far?  I certainly hope that you are!  I just want to share with you a card I made for the challenge over at The Ribbon Reel.  Here is the lovely inspiration photo we were to follow...

 

 

As you can see by the lovely photo, I just couldn't resist playing along.  We were to follow the colors of the photo and use ribbon, lace, twine, and flowers.  The tea pots and tea cup are so pretty!

 

 I used one of my favorite paper lines, which is My Mind's Eye(Sky's the Limit) for the tea cup.  The tea cup stamp is from Waltzing Mouse.  I went a step further and embossed the rim with gold embossing powder.  A white doily and gold doily were placed behind the cup.  I added gold buttons from my stash.  Pearls and flowers were added.  The sweet little tag is from Paper Sweeties from the stamp set Little Wishes.  

Ok friends, I'm going to go out and enjoy some of the lovely sunshine we are having today.  I need to read my book that I started months ago.:-)  If you know any good summer reads, let me know.  I want to take along a couple of good books when we go on vacation soon.  Take care and thank you for stopping by, hugs!

Supplies:

Paper:  My Mind's Eye(Sky's the Limit), MFT, Me&My Big Ideas, Kraft Outlet
Stamps:  Paper Sweeties:  Little Wishes(Sentiments)
               Waltzing Mouse Stamps:  Tea cup
Ink:  SU(Soft Suede)
Ribbon:  White(Jo-Ann Fabric)
                 Blue(Bo Bunny)
Pearls:  Paper Studio
Lace:  Joggles
White Doily:  Martha Stewart
Gold Doily:  Ginger Adams
Twine:  PTI
Flowers:  Martha Stewart
Emboss Powder:  Ranger
Gold Thread:  Jo-Ann Fabric
Buttons:  My Stash

Paper Sweeties July Pre-Release Day One!!!!

Hi there!

How is your summer going so far?  It's going wayyyy too fast for me!  Any big plans for the summer?  Whatever you have planned I hope you have a great time!  We are anxiously awaiting our vacation in just a couple weeks...yeah! 

Anyways, today I want to share with you the sneak peak for Paper Sweeties!  I colored up the darling little Abigail and paper pieced her dress using lovely paper from Simple Stores(Vintage Bliss).  I bought this sweet felt pennant hanging from Hobby Lobby on clearance for only a dollar!  This makes for a cute hanging for a sweet little girl's room!  I used the new stamp set Happy Summer available on July 15th!  It includes the sentiments and those adorable little birds.  I used a Martha Stewart punch for the butterflies.  The rose and burlap trims are from Maya Road.  The rose trim was sewed onto pink felt.  The die I used is from SU.  I colored the birds softly with colored pencils and added pearls for their eyes.  Buttons and pearl cotton was added for the final touch.

Here is a closer view of my project...

 

 

Ok, friends, please come back tomorrow for I will have another sneak peak for you to view!  Please stop over to look at some awesome inspiration from the Paper Sweeties design team!  Thank you so much for dropping by!  Take care, hugs!

 

Supplies:

 

Paper:  Simple Stories(Vintage Bliss), Bazzill

Stamps:  Paper Sweeties:  Abigail(Sweeties), Happy Summer(Accessories)

Ink:  SU(Black, Soft Suede, Rose Red, Pool Party

Pennant Hanging:  Hobby Lobby

Pearls:  Doodlebug

Punch:  Martha Stewart(Butterfly)

Rose, Burlap Trim:  Maya Road

Dies:  SU(Heart, Framelits)

Felt:  PTI

Pearl Cotton:  Jo-Ann Fabric

Copics:  E00,E11,E33,E35,E37,R20,RV04,RV02,

Buttons:  SU

Colored Pencils:  SU

Make a Wish...

Hi Friends!

Hope all is well in your world today.  It's been a very busy work week for me.  I got off early today and spent some relaxing craft time in my craft room.  It was very much needed with the busy week and awful weather we had yesterday.  We had a tornado warning at the hospital where I work and spent an hour on the ground floor until all was clear.  It usually takes me only twenty minutes to get home, but it took twice that by the time I arrived back in my cozy little home.  And, I was so happy to see my dog safe and sound.  Anyways, there is a lot of debris in the town where I work and many people are still without power.  The blessing is that I didn't hear of anyone being hurt. 

Anyways, onto something more happy and sweet, which is my card that I'd like to share with you today.  I'm entering the above card at the The Shabby Tea Room.  Here is the inspiration photo we were to follow...

Doesn't that look like a cozy little country kitchen?  Lots of white with touches of red and aqua.  We were to follow the inspiration photo and use the colors of red, white or cream, aqua, and twine or burlap.  I started my card with kraft card stock.  I pulled out some sweet Melissa Frances paper.  A cloth doily was centered at the top of the card.  Burlap was cut for the leaves.  A darling cherry button was placed.  The sentiments are from Paper Sweeties.  I used the stamp set You're Invited.  The Oatmeal Cream seam binding ribbon is from Paper Sweeties, also.  The sweet die is from The Crafters Workshop.  I finished off the card with gems and twine.  I thank you so much for dropping by today!  Take care and have a wonderful weekend, hugs!

Supplies:

Paper:  Melissa Frances, MFT, Kraft Outlet
Stamp:  Paper Sweeties:  You're Invited(sentiments)
Ink:  SU(Real Red)
Gems:  Paper Studio
Die:  The Crafters Workshop
Burlap:  Paper Studio
Doily:  My Stash
Ribbon:  Paper Sweeties(Oatmeal Cream)
Red Ribbon: Really Reasonable Ribbon
Twine: PTI
Button:  Jo-Ann Fabric

Cherish...

Hi there!

How's it going?  I hope my American friends are having a wonderful 4th of July!  We watched the fireworks last night and enjoyed the wonderful display of color!  Today I enjoyed a few hours at my sister's cottage on the lake.  Feet in the sand and a gorgeous view of boats on the water...so relaxing! 

Well, it's time for A Mixed Media Color Challenge #2!  I decided to try the mixed media technique on a card.  And, I tell ya, I am hooked with the mixed media technique!  I tried perfect pearls mist for the first time and I LOVE it!  It is my new favorite!  It also inspired me to get out my neglected distress inks and craft mat.  For this challenge we were to follow the colors of pink, peach, and yellow.  And, use at least two mediums.  Here is the lovely inspiration photo...

 

So, I started with the distress inks and sprayed them with water on my craft mat.

 

I took cream colored cardstock and just placed it over the ink.  Here is the result...

 

 

 The next step was taking a butterfly stencil and spraying the perfect pearls mist...

 

 

A side view of my card...

 

 

 

I then had fun painting a chipboard butterfly.  First, I painted it with coral acrylic paint.  I could not find peach paint at Michael's.  The closest I could find to peach was this coral paint.  I thought, ok, close enough.:-)  White crackle paint was applied and then I mixed yellow, pink, and the coral acrylic paint with modeling paste to paint the butterfly.  Glitter paint was added before the final touch with the perfect pearls mist.  Washi tape, gems, ribbon, and pom pom trim were added to finish off the card.  It is so fun learning new techniques and I thank Mona and Sue again for all their tutorials and wonderful inspiration...thank you!!!

 

Supplies:

 

Paper:  SU, Coredinations

Stamp:  Precious Remembrance

Ink:  SU(Black)  Tim Holtz Distress Ink:  (Worn Lipstick, Mustard Seed)

Paints:  Coral, yellow, pink

             Glitter paint:  Martha Stewart

Modeling paste

Tim Holtz Crackle Paint:  picket fence

Perfect Pearls Mists:  Ranger

Butterfly Stencil:  Heidi Swapp

Ribbon:  Really Reasonable Ribbon

Twine:  PTI

Flower:  K&Company

Gems:  Paper Studio

Washi Tape:  Recollections

Pom Pom Trim:  Close to My Heart

 

 



 



Paper Sweeties...4th of July Sale!!!

Hi Friends!

Happy 4th of July to you!!!  I hope you have a fun and safe holiday!  To help you celebrate, Paper Sweeties is have a 4th of July sale.  From Thursday, July 4th through Sunday, July 7th(ends midnight EST) you are able to have 10% off your entire order!  So, please take advantage of this fun sale!  You can use the coupon code:  Sparkler.  Do you need any sweet stamps or seam binding ribbon?  Debbie has a great selection for all your crafting needs at Paper Sweeties!

I'll be back soon with another card to share with you.  Until then thank you so much for dropping by!:-)

Paper Sweeties July Sketch Challenge #9!!!

  Hi there!

Happy July to you!  The summer is just scooting by!  And, today is time for another sketch challenge over at Paper Sweeties!  Do you have any 4th of July plans?  They always have a wonderful fireworks display here in town over the river.  It's something we always do to celebrate the 4th.  We take a blanket early in the afternoon to save our spot on the hillside.  They sell popcorn for a great snack.  And, they sell neon necklaces for the little tykes.  It's fun watching the little ones and listening to music before the awesome display of fireworks! 

Here is my card for this month's challenge...

Lots of red, white, and blue!  I started with a kraft card base and used new Doodlebug papers.  The stamps I used are from the stamp sets Pennant Party and Fancy Monograms!  I stamped the pennants onto kraft cardstock and paper pieced.  Stars and buttons were added along with twine.  Sequins were added with pearl cotton at the edges.  The fancy monograms were stamped onto white cardstock.  Aren't those the prettiest monograms?  I sure think so!  Also, I added washi tape along the left side.  I thought it had a great effect of how the stars showed up the paper underneath.  Twine, star, sequins and gems in top left corner to finish off the ribbon treatment.  Ok, there ya have it friends, my red, white, and blue card to help celebrate the 4th of July...I love the USA!

Please join in on the fun and enter the challenge.  The winner will receive a $20 gift certificate and will be invited to be the guest designer for the following month!  Also, check out the fabulous design team inspiration!  Take care and have a wonderful 4th, hugs!

Supplies:

Paper:  Doodlebug, Recollections
Stamps:  Paper Sweeties:  Pennant Party(sentiments)
               Paper Sweeties:  Fancy Monograms(sentiments)
Ink:  SU(Black, Brilliant Blue)
Ribbon:  Really Reasonable Ribbon, Morex Corp.
Gems:  Paper Studio
Glitter Stars, Heart:  Recollections
Washi Tape:  Darice
Star Buttons:  Jo-Ann Fabric
Twine:  Doodlebug
Sequins, Pearl Cotton:  Jo-Ann Fabric
Buttons:  Recollections, My Stash