A Three Fold Birthday Card

This card covers three different challenges today!! My color scheme comes from the colors required for the Curtain Call Color Challenge Act #1 over on Stacey's Stamping Stage Blog. My layout comes from the Stamps & Smiles Sketch Challenge over on The Fresh Batch Blog. Any my use of LACE on this creation is for today's Stamp Simply Challenge - Lovey Lace over on Sharon Johnson's No Time To Stamp Blog.




The recipe for this cards is as follows:

Stamps: Inkadinkado
Papers: Night of Navy, Whisper White, Not Quite Navy, Daisyd's designer paper
Inks: Not Quite Navy
Accessories: The Paper Studio lace, The Paper Studio pearls, Nestabilities (circles & scallop circles), distresser, dimensionals





Another fun & easy creation that I hope you find inspiration from! Thanks so much for stopping in! I just heard from my kids and they are coming up for a visit this evening so I invited them for dinner ... guess I'd better figure out what to have, LOL!!! Have a great weekend everyone!!

Our Creative Corner Challenge

Boy, I'm really taking it down to the wire on this challenge!! Last Saturday's Our Creative Corner Challenge was a sketch challenge (seen below) and you know how much I LOVE a sketch challnege!! I actually began this card for another challege but changed my mind and went with this sketch for these colors. I hope you like it!

The recipe for this card is as follows:

Stamps: Impression Obsession (sentiment), The Rubber Cafe, SU "In My Thoughts" (inside sentiment)

Papers: Whisper White, Prely Pomegranate, Paper Pizazz designer paper

Inks: Purely Pomegranate

Accessories: The Paper Studio mini pearls, Nestabilities (ovals & scallop ovals), Fiskars (Apron Lace) border punch, dimensionals, Martha Stewart (Arch Lattice) border punch

This was a very simple, fun card to create and you know .... you can never have enough Birthday cards ready!!! I also thought you might like to see the inside of this card. I used the negative portion from my Nestabilities scallop oval and a scrap of the designer paper which I border punched.

Thanks so much for stopping by today!! Don't forget to leave a comment on my Blogaversary posting to be entered into the drawing for some candy!! Happy Weekend to you All!!

Clear Dollar Stamps Guest Designer Challenge

{{Breathing heavy ...}} I'm hurrying to get in under the wire for the August Guest Designer Challege going on over at the Clear Dollar Stamp Blog ... deadline is tomorrow, July 31. The challenge for the August spot is a sketch challenge seen below.

I was sure I had a few Clear Dollar sets in amongst all my clear stamps but do you think I could see any .... NO!! So even though it would have been better to help support my efforts, I had to resort back to other stamps for my creation. I decided to make a legal size card (4" x 9") for my card.

I've used stamp sets from Stampin' Up (Thoughts & Prayers ... Wonderful Words II) and the bird image is from Inkadinkado. My base card is of Very Vanilla and the background is SU Rose Red designer paper. With this designer paper being double sided, I used the reverse side for my 3 individual panels. My main sentiment panel was cut using my Nestabilities oval & oval scallop diecuts. I've stamped the floral pattern with rose red ink the overlayed my sentiment using Versafine black and embossed using detail clear embossing powder. The little bird was also stamped with Versafine black. The 3 individual panels have been matted with basic black cardstock, stamped with Versafine black ink and embellished with Colorbok metal dots.



I hope you like today's creation. Wish me luck and thanks so much for stopping by today. I hope to see you later in the day with a couple more creations! Happy Stamping!!

SCS Sketch Challenge #239

One more creation to share with you today and that is for today's SCS Sketch Challenge. This card too went together rather quickly due to having "pieces" & "parts" laying around in my craftroom that worked perfectly together to create a card. It's been a very good CLEAN UP SCRAPS day ... Yippee!!

I always enjoy doing sketch challenges and those over at Splitcoaststampers were my first. Roxie always comes up with great sketches and samples. Today's sketch is relatively simple but I think it can really pack a punch!! Here's what I did.

The base card is of Whisper White cardstock and my background panel was created last week for another project then I realized the shade of green was wrong so I sat it aside. It was created by running a Whisper White panel through the Cuttlebug using the Swiss Dot Embossing Folder then sponging with Garden Green, Really Rust & Old Olive inks. I then stamped the corners with this leafy image from the Hero Arts FRIENDS set and Versafine black ink then matted with Basic Black cardstock.

Panels 2a &2b are from a scrap of DCWV Old World and my main image panels were all in my Nestabilities (scalloped rectangle) "extras" box. The sentiment comes from the SU Fifth Avenue Floral stamp set and the bird on this panel is from an Inkadinkado set.

What a fun, fun creative day for me! I hope your day was fun & interesting too! Thanks for stopping by ... hope I didn't overload you with postings today but I'm always so anxious to share with you!!! Happy Day my friends!!

CCEE Challenge

This week's CCEE Stampers Challenge is a "supply challenge" ... what fun!! Check it out and play along ... you won't regret it!!!

The only supply requirements for this challenge was to use Floral Design Paper and at least ONE brad. My card came together quite easily since I had "pieces" laying around that would work perfectly!

For instance:

1. I've been playing around with the "Poppin Pastels" technique lately so this colored iris was ready to go.

2. This scrap of Paper Pizazz designer paper on my crafting table just begging to be used. And,

3. I recently purchase the new Stampin' Up IN-COLORs paper pack and ribbons ... could NOT wait to use them!!

So, there you go ... a few more steps and card was complete!! Here are all the deets on this creation:

Stamps: Inkadinkado (sentiment), Penny Black (Iris)

Papers: Rich Razzleberry, Whisper White, Basic Black, Paper Pizazz designer paper

Inks: Versafine black, Versamark

Accessories: Pan Pastels Artist paste chalks, cotton balls, Nestabilities (circles & scallop circles), detail clear embossing powder, Doddlebug Sugarcoated Brad, dimensionals, SU Rich Razzleberry grosgrain dotted swiss ribbon (reversed)

Thanks again my friends for all your support! Hope you're having a great day!!

It's MIDNIGHT MADNESS time again ...

I was thrilled to see that this week's Midnight Madness #12 Sketch Challenge required a tag! I purchased a pack of 7Gypsies Vintages tags months ago at Archiver's and finally found the opportunity to use one ... Yippee!!

This card is a bit "BUSY" but I still like it!! Another requirement (I think??) was to do some stitching along the left side of your tag. This too gave me an opportunity to use something that's been hanging on my supply board for months also ... and that is my Bazzill - In Stitches Floss which I purchased from my friend Tammy Hershberger (Stamp Happy) at Toyrifix.

Here are all the deets on this card:

Stamps: Rubber Stampede (butterfly), Wordsworth (sentiment)

Papers: Very Vanilla, Anna Griffin dp, Daisy Bucket design dp

Inks: Versafine black

Accessories: Bazzill In Stitches floss, Martha Stewart Arch Lattice border punch, 7Gypsies vintage tag, SU photo corner punch, American Crafts glitter pens, swivel craft knife, detail clear ep, Prima flowers, Offray grosgrain ribbon, Michael's satin ribbon, Bucket O'Buttons

Thanks for all your support ... hope you're having a wonderful day!!

Color Throwdown #53

It's time for another awesome Color Throwdown Challenge. This week's hostess is Danielle Kennedy - Wild Dragonfly Designs and she has picked a great color combo. Be sure to jump on over to the blog and check out the design team's samples ... they just keep getting better every week!!!

Today I chose to use a new Verve sentiment that I recently purchased at Joan's Gardens as my main focus . The base card is of Rose Red and the background panel is SU Bella Birds designer paper matted with Bordering Blue.

I did modify the dp a bit ... I used my Rose Red marker and went over the close
to cocoa stripes in the paper to make it match the color requests better.

The background image behind my sentiment is from a Stacey Stamps set and was stamped with Rose Red onto Whisper White cardstock. My Verve sentiment was stamped with Versafine Black and embossed using Detail Clear EP. I've used a round tip black Creative Memories marker to outline my Pink Pirouette mat panel to give the illusion of matting without the extra weight. The ribbon is Stampin' Up bordering blue satin.

I hope you enjoyed my creation today! It looks like an All Day Soaker here in N.E. Ohio so I think I'll just spend my day stamping ... what do you think? Good idea?? I'm sure I'll have more to share with you later in the day. Until then ...

SCS Crafty Secrets Forum Challenge

Today's Crafty Secrets Challege is hosted by Marcy and she has asked us to use a "Splash of Color" ... actually after reading it closer, it says:

Use a monochromatic scheme for your card, then add a splash of one other
color using embellies, your favorite coloring medium, cardstock, etc.

... ooops. Looks like I might have to do another card ... sure hope Marcy doesn't send out the Crafty Secrets police, LOL!!!





When I opened my Crafty Secrets stamp drawer, this cute "Sweet Stuff" set jumped out and said "use me for today's challenge" ... which of course I had to do!! The background, main image & sentiment were stamped in Close to Cocoa ink and stamped on Whisper White cardstock. Matting cardstock is SU Close to Cocoa . My "Splash of Color" comes from the Prisma pencil/gamsol coloring, Michael's satin ribbon & Making Memories brads. I've rounded the bottom using my Creative Memories corner rounder.




The inside sentiment stamp is by Versus Rubber Stamps and the flower is from the SU Fabulous Flowers set.





I must admit I'm really bad about finishing the inside of my cards until I need to use them ... but I'm going to try and change my ways and share with you more insides (as well as) outsides of my cards.




Thanks so much for stopping by today ... hope to see you again soon! Have a wonderful week!!

Playing with new stamps ...

After having so much fun crafting with friends yesterday, my mojo was still flowing so I spent part of the day creating with some of my new stamps. Sorry for the lengthy post but I just had to share my creations with you all! I draw inspiration from you and I'm hoping to inspire others in return!!

This card was created using images from the Hero Arts set called "Friend" that I purchased at Toyrifix from my friend Tammy Hershberger (Stamp Happy). I stamped the circle image with Versamark then did the "poppin pastels" technique using Pan Pastels (artist paste chalks) and cotton balls. After stamping the sentiment & butterfly with Versafine Black and embossing with detail clear ep I used Nestabilities to cut my circles. My background paper is from the DCWV Luxury pack and I have stamped over it with yet another image from this set using India Ink Black. The base card is SU Perfect Plum cardstock and I have done faux stitching using a metal ruler and my Creative Memories fine tip black marker pen. The grosgrain ribbon was a gift from my friend Anita (waving Hi to Anita).

My second card was created using two new Great Impressions stamps I bought in Fort Wayne, IN last week on my way out to Shipshewana. Aren't these duckies cute !!! I colored the image with SU watercolor pencils and the background with blue chalks & a makeup applicator. Here's the other items used:

Papers: Garden Green, Whisper White, SU (flock together) designer paper

Inks: Versafine Black

Accessories: Nestabilities (circles), Creative Memories corner rounder, Colorbok metal dots, crystal effects, SU watercolor pencils, blender pen, blue chalks, makeup applicator

The next 3 card images are all Penny Black sets that I purchased from Joan's Gardens while in Indiana last weekend.

This first card uses images from the Penny Black (Enjoy Life & Flower Gallery) sets. Here are the details of my card:

Stamps: Penny Black (Enjoy Life)

Penny Black (Flower Gallery) - sentiment

Papers: Very Vanilla, Basic Black, Anna Griffin designer paper

Inks: Old olive, Versafine black

Accessories: Spellbinder Shapeabilities (floral accent), American Crafts glitter pens, Spellbinder Nestabilities (label one), Creative Memories black round tip marker, detail clear embossing powder

I took my inspiration from the back of the package on the Penny Black Flower Gallery stamp set that I used for this card. The swirl stamp I used is by Inkadinkado. Here are the details:

Stamps: Penny Black, Inkadinkado

Papers: Bashful Blue, Garden Green, Whisper White

Inks: Old olive, Versafine Black

Accessories: SU grosgrain ribbon, Detail clear ep, Crystal Effects, Bow-Easy purchased at Sharon Johnson's ribbon store.

I just loved this tree from the Penny Black Enjoy Life set. After stamping with versafine black, I colored it with SU watercolor pencils & a blender pen. I used chalks for the sky and the birds image is by Stampscapes.

Stamps: Penny Black (Enjoy Life), Inkadinkado (Garden Flower), Stampscapes

Papers: Garden Green, Very Vanilla, Basic Black, DCWV Old World designer paper

Inks: Versafine black

Accessories: Nestabilities (rectangles), Detail clear ep, SU watercolor pencils, chalk, White Gelly Roll pen, Michael's gingham ribbon

(click on any image for a larger view)

Thanks for stopping by today ... hope you all have a wonderful week!

A playdate with friends ...

Today was to be the day to link up with friends for a Shoebox Swap ... but as circumstances would have it, it had to be postpone to a later date. Fortunately, there were a few friends that I had invited to the Swap that were willing to come over to my craftroom for some PLAYTIME in lieu of the swap ... YIPEE! In the photo to the right are my friends Terri Snode (left) Lana Edwards (middle) & Kris Turner (right).

We had such a great time sharing card & technique ideas. These ladies are very creative crafters and it's always a learning experience when we find the time to get together. As you can see, we also spend time laughing and "being a little silly" (told you I'd post this photo Kris, LOL).

Lana (Stampin Bear on SCS) came up with this cute, cute project for us to create. I can honestly tell you that I would have NEVER thought to purchase this inside image ... but I'm sure glad Lana did because what a fun card this turned out to be. The cardstock is Stampin' Up and the ovals were cut using Nestabilities. Various stamps were used to create this card from various companies. Don't you just LOVE the googlie-eyes!!!

Terri was the first to get her card completed! Great job girlie!! Is this a fun creation or what!!! Lana always comes up with awesome ideas!!! (Thanks Lana!)


******************

Since I needed to create a sample card for Sunday's Papercraft Planet Crafty Secrets Group challenge ... I asked my friends for some ideas. Kris came up with the idea of "Victory Gardens" and Lana came up with the idea of using the "Flower Pot Pocket Card" which was posted in the lastest SCS Weekly Inkling #168. HERE is a link to the tutorial . There is one difference between the Inkling version and Lana's version ... and that is that on the main card size (after cutting the main 9 x 3 1/2 and scoring as instructed), Lana cut a 1/2" off the "rim" portion of the pot (that portion that was scored at 2") and corner rounded that "rim" portion instead of using the border punch. Is this cute or what???? (click image for larger view)

So, I must give credit where credit is due!!! Even though I am using this creation for the Crafty Secrets group challenge, Lana is the one who actually created the pot of flowers (isn't it awesome!!). The only thing I did was pick out the background paper, sponge the edges with Really Rust ink and attach it to the Whisper White cardstock. In fact, the gingham paper was given to me at the gathering by Kris Turner and it is from Creative Memories. (Thanks Kris!!)


Recipe for this card is as follows:

Stamps: Crafty Secrets - Bouquet of Joy (sentiment), Penny Black - Allegro (flowers), Stampin' Up - Still Life Stems (leaves)

Papers: Whisper White, Really Rust, Creative Memories gingham

Inks: Versafine black, Really Rust

Accessories: Crafty Secrets Creative Scraps (Garden), sponge, Fiskar's decal scissors, Stampin' Up Dusty Durange Polka Dot Grosgrain ribbon, Creative Memories corner rounder, various markers & pencils

Thanks for letting me share my fun day with you! I am so very blessed to have such wonderful fun-loving friends ... in person and here on-line!! Hope you all have a wonderful day!!!

**ssnotime97** Fruit of the Vine

Happy Friday Everyone!!


It's time for another STAMP SIMPLY challenge hosted by the lovely Sharon Johnson and here's what she has for us today:


Fruit of the Vine - Fruit, the perfect summer snack, or even meal! I love it! Today let us whip up some fruity type of creation during this time of year when fruit is so plentiful everywhere. I’m sure most everyone has some fruit stamps, or images, and if you don’t, how about trying to create some fruit with punches? Or, if you really need to stretch it, how about some *orange* ribbon, watermelon paper, etc. I think you get the idea — just get fruity and have a little fun!



For this creation I chose to use the "Fruit Stand" set by Stampin' Up. I've inked up my peach with India Ink Black and stamped it onto Glossy White cardstock. Then using my new Nestabilities (deckled rectangles), which I purchased at Joan's Gardens over the weekend, I cut out the main image and matt. My coloring was done with inking nibs and 4 colors of SU ink ... old olive, close to cocoa, more mustard & only orange. My base card is Whisper White and the background paper is by Graphic45. My sentiment is from the SU Touch of Nature set and I've used sugar coated brads by Doodlebug for my embellishment.


Sharon's challenges are always SO MUCH FUN to do! Why not pop on over to her blog and check it out for yourself! Thanks everyone for stopping by today ... have a great weekend!!

Play Time ...

After being away for from my crafting room last weekend, I just couldn't wait to get caught up on a few challenges and of course I want to share these creations with you!!

First is the card I made for this week's Midnight Madness Sketch Challenge #11. The contents of this card are as follows:

Stamps: None

Ink: None

Paper: Garden Green, Very Vanilla, Basic Black, Wild Wasabi, Graphic45 designer paper

Accessories: Crafty Secrets creative scraps, Prima flowers, Making Memories brads, Martha Stewart doily lace border punch, Creative Memories corner rounder, Michael's gold metallic cording.

If you haven't checked out this blog ... you are missing a LOT OF GOOD STUFF!! There are so many things going over there that I can't even begin to tell you ... you have to check it out for yourself. I do have some BAD NEWS!! Last week while I was traveling to link up with the Stamp Simply gals ... my name was picked for the $25 Mad Money ... sounds like GOOD NEWS huh?? Well it WAS until I saw that I had to respond within 24 hours and of course that time had already passed me by ... so even though I WON ... I LOST! BUMMER!!!

*******

Okay ... on to another challenge card. This one was for the Splitcoaststampers (SCS) Sketch Challenge #238. This card literally took me 10 minutes to complete! And, I love how it turned out!! My #1 panel is a background B/W paper by Doodlebug Designs, Inc. #2 panel is a strip of Whisper White cs matted with Tempting Turquoise. For my #3 panels, I chose to use a set of inchies by Inkadinkado. Using various Gelly Roll & Spica pens, I did a little coloring on the butterfly & hummingbird. To match in with these colors , I used my new Basic Grey Opaline half pearls I purchased while visiting a few new stamping stores with my good friend, Tammy Hershberger (Stamp Happy). Hope you enjoyed this creation ... certainly was an easy peasy card.

OH ... before I forget, I want to show you the inside of this card. My friend Linda Davis often comments on how much she wished the blogging ladies would show more of the inside of their creations. Well here you go Linda ... this one's for you!! LOL!!!

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ONE more card to share with you today. This card doesn't fit any challenge but I have a few new images (which I colored while in Shipshewana with the SS gals) and wanted to create something with one of them. This image comes from the new Just Rite set called "Thinking of You". I stamped this image using Joan Fricker's set (Joan's Gardens) but I have to tell you ... I now have this set in my stash because Tammy (Stamp Happy) gave this set to me for my birthday last week ... just as we were about to leave for the Shipshewana trip .... HOW COOL IS THAT!!! (Thanks Tam!)

I used my SU watercolor pencils & blender pen to color in my image. I used one of Joan's Nestabilitie sets to cut/emboss it then double matted using Lavendar Lace and Basic Black cs. My background paper is from the DCWV Luxury pack, sentiment is from SU Close As A Memory set, stamped with Versafine black and embossed with detail clear. I've used Kaiser pearls in the corners and Dotted Swiss lavendar ribbon from Hobby Lobby for my embellishments. Hopefully I won't need to send this card any time soon!!

Thanks so much for stopping by today ... hope you are have a WONDERFUL day. It's a bit rainy & cool here in NE Ohio but that's okay ... my poor yard is really thirsty!!!

CCEE Challenge

Time again for the CCEE Stampers Challenge and this week our hostess Dawn Lusk ..... Dawn a New Day, has ask us to create with SUMMER FUN in mind.

My creation today has a story behind it!! It didn't actually start out as a card for this challenge, it started out as an IDEA for an upcoming showbox swap which I thought I'd like to use the "poppin pastel" technique. Hence my sentiment circle! The base circle stamp is one of the images from the Hero Arts "friends" set which I stamped onto dry white cardstock (which was cut into a circle using my Nestablities) with Versamark. Then using cotton balls and a combination of yellow & orange chalks I achieved my "sunny" colors. I then used the sentiment stamp from the Penny Black "Allegro" set that I purchased over the weekend at Joan's Gardens using Versafine black and detail clear embossing powder.

Now that I had my sentiment ... I needed an image that would portray "A Good Thing" ... and since the CCEE challenge dealt with "Summer Fun" ... I instantly thought of this adorable little gal from the Crafty Secrets set called SEASIDE. I had another circle laying on my worktable and decided to use it for my image. After stamping with Versafine Black ink, I masked the image and chalked in the sky colors. Removed the masking, chalked the sand and colored the little girls hat & dress using SU watercolor pencils. The birds image on this circle are from Stampscapes and the single bird on my sentiment circle is from the Seaside Crafty Secrets set. My starfish is also from this set ... I stamped it onto a scrap of River Rock paper using Versafine Sepia ink and after cutting it out, I popped it up with dimensionals. My base card is Whisper White and the designer paper is DCWV which is matted with Basic Black.

What a fun card to create although I still have NO CLUE what I'm doing for the shoebox swap, LOL!!! Hope you like it too ... have a great day and thanks for stopping by!!

Color Throwdown #52

WOW ... number 52 ... that means a whole years worth of Color Throwdown challenges ... where has the time gone??? Did you know that the Throwdown now has SPONSORS??? Yep ... go check it out!

Today Barbara Anders - Paper Pursuits is our hostess and she has come up with some fun colors. I decided to look through my designer papers and see if I could find something that would work. I came across these papers from the Basic Grey Wisteria pack and thought they'd work just fine.

I must still be in "Stamp Simply" mode because this card took me all of 10 minutes once I decided on the paper! LOL!! If you checked out my last posting, you read that I spent a little extra time with Joan Fricker this past week, (waving Hi! to Joan) of Joan's Gardens and of course I had to make a "few" purchases. This stamp set is by Penny Black and I thought the image matched the paper perfectly. I stamped the image onto the Basic Grey dp using Perfect Plum and for the sentiment I used Chocolate Chip. I've added a few dots of Stickles to give it a little dimension. The border punched used on this card is by Fisker's and is called Apron Lace. Julie Koeber (Out to Impress) purchased this punch during our trip and made some awesome cards with it ... so of course I had to run right out and buy one too ... Thanks Julie, you are such an enabler, LOL!! (waving Hi to Julie).

Thanks for stopping by! I'm going to have several postings over the next day or two ... trying to get caught up on all the challenges I missed!!

A Visit to Joan's Garden

If you follow my blog you already know that I just returned home from a wonderful weekend trip to Shipshewana, Indiana where I linked up with some of the Stamp Simply ladies. What I didn't tell you is that in preparation for this get together Joan Fricker (Joan's Gardens) graciously invited Tammy Hershberger (Stamp Happy) & I to come a day early and spend the night at her home. Luckily, Tammy was able to get the extra day off work and we were able to take Joan up on her offer.

After making a short stop in Defiance, Ohio to drop Tammy's daughters off at their grandma's home, we headed for Indiana! The weather was beautiful, the drive was relaxing (Tammy & I talked the whole way) and what a beautiful sight when we pulled into Joan's driveway. She has a beautiful old white farmhouse with a wrap around porch, beautiful gardens, and of course I had to check out her little shop (couldn't wait to see what purchases I NEEDED to make there!).

After greeting us and making us feel very welcomed, she showed us into her beautiful home and told us we could take our suitcases upstairs and pick which ever bedroom we wanted for the night. We were in awe of her wonderful decorating and when we got to the top of the steps, we were like little kids ... LOL ... the doors were closed and we had to pick Door #1, #2 or #3. Well Tammy picked Door #1 and when we opened the door ... WOW, how beautiful ... it took our breathe away.

Moving on, I picked Door #2 and believe me when I say, this room was decorated FOR ME ... JUST MY STYLE!! How did she know?? LOL!! As you know, I am a vintage lover and her beautifully decorated home just made me smile at every turn! Can you see these beautiful bed linens ... well, under each is ANOTHER beautiful quilt made by Joan's Mom!! YES ... her mom is 95 years young and is still making quilts and has a little quilt shop where she sells her beautiful handwork! Isn't that amazingly awesome!!!!!

Check this out! Not only are her guestrooms beautifully decorated & welcoming, but she also makes her own SOAP ... yes and it is wonderful!!! I got the "oatmeal" and was very impressed with how soft my skin felt after using it. The insert shows the towels & soap (on a silver plater) that awaited me. OH, and don't let me forget to mention that on the dresser were fresh flowers & CHOCOLATES!!! Tammy & I both declared that we were MOVING IN!!

Not only were our accommodations amazing, but that evening we had HOME MADE BLUEBERRY PIE and the next morning Joan served us a wonderful breakfast casserole, english muffins with homemade strawberry jam & a pineapple/banana slush ... YUMMY!!! What a nice surprise to learn that Sharon Johnson (and her husband Steve) would be stopping by before we ventured over to link up with the other ladies in Shipshewana. Of course this called for another fresh baked BLUEBERRY PIE ... YUM!! (And to think I don't even like blueberries ... really!) But, oh this pie was Out Of This World good!!!

In the photo of us ladies, left to right: Tammy, Joan, Me & Sharon

In the other photo: Joan, Steve, Sharon & John

We had a little time to get acquainted before heading over to Shipshe so we sat and enjoyed that awesome pie and learned a little about Joan & her wonderful husband John (in the green shirt). I enjoyed meeting Sharon's husband too! Steve (in the blue shirt) is kind of a quiet guy but FUNNY!!!! What great fun meeting these two lovely couples.

THANKS JOAN & JOHN FOR YOUR HOSPITALITY!!!

Next time I'm in your area, I'll certainly stop by and say Hello!!! And maybe even do a little shopping & stamping!!!

Crafty Secrets - Stitch It Up

Time again for another Crafty Secrets Forum Challenge over on Splitcoaststampers (SCS). Today our hostess is Pammyjo and she has asked us to "Stitch It Up". (For those who don't know Pammyjo ... one of her many talents is that she's a seamstress and infact, she teaches sewing ... I do believe she's in the middle of working on a wedding gown as we speak ... WOW! I wouldn't even know where to begin!!)

Anyway, back to my challenge card. The two vegetable images, which come from the new Creative Scraps (Garden) pack are the Crafty Secrets product I chose to use today. My base card is Whisper White and the background paper is from the DCWV (Garden Party) pack. The two tags are by 7Gypsies and the brads are Making Memories. The word "harvest" was handwritten since I didn't have an appropriate sentiment small enough.

As far as my "stitching", I've used three different methods. FIRST, I used the zig-zag stitch stamp from the Crafty Secrets (sew special) set & Versafine black ink around the edges of the Tomato image. SECOND, I used a Creative Memories fine tip black marer to do the single stitching around the outside edges of the designer paper. And THIRD, I used Darice zig-zag stitched ribbon as an embellishment.

What a fun challenge!! For those of you who have Crafty Secrets products in your stash ... why not come join us! Each Tuesday is a different challenge idea and Monday is "challenge clue day" ... that can sometimes be as entertaining as the challenge!!

THANKS FOR STOPPING BY!!!

I Got Stamped in Shipshewana ...

Hello Everyone!! Did you miss me???? These ladies are the reason for my absence this weekend. I was fortunate enough to be invited along with the Stamp Simply gals for a weekend get together in Shipshewana, Indiana. Just in case you don't recognize these AWESOME ladies, please let me introduce you!

From left to right:

Back row: Tammy Hershberger, Janine Orchard, Sharon Johnson, Joan Fricker

Front row: Pat Adams (Julie's Mom), Julie Koerber, Darlene Pavlick (me!!)

Let me tell you, I had a BLAST with these ladies!!! I'm so thrilled to have been able to meet them in person and give each one a HUGE hug!! (They have been so supportive of me throughout Mark's illness ... I dearly love each & every one of them!) We laughed, played stamping games, dined, shopped, played more stamping games, ate more and did I mention we LAUGHTED??? What a fun group!!! We are already looking forward to doing something again next year ... doesn't that sound awesome???

THANKS ladies for the fun-filled weekend!!!

(click photo for a closer view)