God Bless Your Marriage

Happy Friday Everyone!

Gosh but these weeks are flying by!  

The S_ _ _ will be blowing around before we know it!  

LOL ... Smack my mouth!! 

Today would have been my parents 67th Wedding Anniversary

so a Wedding card is what I have to share with you today!

I've created this card using dies from the Dies R Us Store

and also have it showcased on the Dies R Us Inspiration Blog today!

Please be sure to click on the links and check 'em out!

The dies I've used are:

Spellbinder Nestabilities - Circle Delight #S4-511

Memory Box - Loveland Corner #MBD-99117

Memory Box - Beloved Hearts #MBD-99102

After attaching my Landland Corner to my card front, I re-inserted

the larger hearts ... then added the three smaller

hearts to the upper right corner for balance.

Please don't forget to come join in our challenge fun HERE!

YOU could be the lucky winner of a Dies R Us Store gift voucher!

I hope to see you there!

As always . . .

Recipe:

Papers:  White cs, Red cs, Hot Off the Press dp

Stamp/Ink - Our Daily Bread / Versafine Onyx

Digis for Debbie Fundraiser Blog Hop Card #2

GOOD MORNING ALL!

First of all I just want to say THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart to all

my wonderful friends and family who extended

birthday wishes & happiness to me yesterday!

It was a fabulous 65th and I truly don't feel one day over 50!  LOL!!

I have a 2nd card to share today for the Digis for Debbie Fundraiser Blog Hop.  

But before I do, check out what was delivered to my door yesterday late morning!

 OMG!  What's better then fresh fruit?

Fresh fruit covered in chocolate and arranged beautifully!!  LOL!

 A HUGE thanks to my 'kids' for this wonderful, yummy surprise!!

Now onto my card ...

The hop launched on Tuesday, July 14^th on the Fresh Brewed Designs Challenge Blog, and will run until Tuesday, July 28^th @ 11:59 PM Eastern Time.  All participants can be found in the Linky section of *this post on the Fresh Brewed Designs Challenge Blog, and they would love to have you join them! 

It's for a very worthy cause so please pop over and read all about it ... then join in! 

Important links: 

·        Heather Dennis:

http://joemamainks.blogspot.com/

·        Fresh Brewed Designs Store:

http://freshbreweddesigns.com/

·        Digis for Debbie Fundraiser Shop:

http://www.shophandmade.com/store/fundraiserfordeb/

·        Give Forward Account:

http://gfwd.at/1LmL47x

Check out this amazing set created by Heather!  It contains six fabulous images with nine beautiful sentiments that can be used alone or could be paired with any one of these lovely images.  All of these lovelies are only $5!  You can find this awesome set HERE; and remember, ALL proceeds will go to Mrs. Debbie to assist with her medical expenses.

Challenges to share in:
Word Art Wednesday Challenge #192 - Anything Goes
Penny's Paper Crafty Challenge #236 - Anything Goes
Card Mania Challenge #70 - Anything Goes

Thanks so much for stopping by today.

As always ...

 Recipe:

Papers:  White cs, Black cs, DCWV dp

Image/Sentiment:  Fresh Brewed Fundraiser set shown above

Accessories:  Spectrum Noir alcohol markers, Heartfelt Creations Blazing Poppy, Cheery Lynn Designs 'Horizon Fishtail Banners, Spellbinder '5x7 Mystical Embrace', Gems, Flower making kit,

Cardabilities Reveal #127

Hello Dear Friends!

It is time once again for the new Sketch Reveal 

at the Cardabilities Sketch Challenge Blog.

Here's my card and today's sketch ... I hope you'll come join us!

You will have until July 28th to join in our challenge and please be sure to review our rules.

One rule I'd like to mention is:  your entry can be shared with only 3 additional challenges in order for you to qualify for our prize.

Our wonderful sponsor this challenge is:

Freckled Fawn
Website: http://freckledfawn.com/
Blog: http://www.iamdoe.blogspot.ca/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FreckledFawnShop

Inside

 Here's a peek at the inside of today's card.  

You can never have enough birthday cards on hand 

and since I used the 'Just For You' sentiment on the front, 

I figured that's the direction I would go today!

Please pop over and check out the amazing designs from my team mates !
These ladies sure are keeping me on my toes!!  LOL!

Challenges to share in:

Card Mania July Challenge - Anything Goes
Crafting From the Heart Challenge #68 - Anything Goes
Craft Your Passion Challenge - Anything Goes


Thanks so much for stopping by today!
I hope you'll come join in the challenge fun at Cardabilties!
As always . . .

Recipe:

Papers:  white cs, gray cs, Melissa Francis dp 

Stamps/Ink:  Stampendous, Hero Arts / Versafine Onyx, ColorBox 'Berrylicious' chalk ink, Tim Holtz 'Wild Honey' distress

Accessories:  Heartfelt Creations 'Blazing Poppy' stamp set and coordinating die cut, Heartfelt Creations 'guilt trip' Prills (flower centers), Sue Wilson 'faux quill leaves' die, PoppyStamps 'simply banner', PoppyStamps 'Classic Ribbons', Gold Pilot marker (outside edging), Flower Shaping Kit w/mat

OFFICIALLY "OLD" ... lol

Hello Dear Friends!

YEP!  Today I am 'Officially OLD'!

65

(Wow!  How did that happen?)

 Social Security ... Medicare ... Silver Sneakers  ... the whole shabang!  LOL!

But I hear 65 is the new 40 so I'm going with that!

Thanks to some of my DT friends for doing a fabulous surprise birthday hop for me today!

I am truly honored!

okay ... LET THE FUN BEGIN!!

Digis for Debbie Fundraiser Blog Hop

Good morning and welcome to the 

Digis for Debbie Fundraiser Blog Hop. 
 

Recently, I  learned that Mrs. Debbie Lynch, the beautiful and loving mother of Heather Dennis, owner of Fresh Brewed Designs, was diagnosed with a rare form of uterine cancer.  As most of you may know, cancer related medical costs can be quite expensive, and Mrs. Debbie currently has no medical insurance, which makes the cost significantly higher.  Therefore, they have decided to help raise enough money to cover these medical expenses, as well as aftercare expenses, by creating a digi shop.  All the proceeds of the Digis for Debbie Fundraiser Shop and the Fresh Brewed Designs Store will go directly to Mrs. Debbie to fund her lifesaving surgery and the aftercare necessary to bring her back to wellness.   

Furthermore, Heather has created a Give Forward account to assist her mother.  If you would like to help, please stop by the Digis for Debbie Fundraiser Shop, the Fresh Brewed Designs Store, and/or the Give Forward Account.  For those of you who are not able to contribute monetarily, they would love for you to add Mrs. Debbie to your prayer list.  If there is one thing we know, prayers can work miracles that money cannot and healing and wellness is what we are praying to receive. 

 

The hop launches today, Tuesday, July 14^th on the Fresh Brewed Designs Challenge Blog, and will run until Tuesday, July 28^th @ 11:59 PM Eastern Time.  All participants can be found in the Linky section of *this post on the Fresh Brewed Designs Challenge Blog, and they would love to have you join them!   

They do ask that you use a digi from the Digis for Debbie Fundraiser Shop or the Fresh Brewed Designs Store, and the theme is Anything Goes, and you can enter as often as you would like.   

Two prize packages will be awarded, one prize for a digi purchaser and one prize for a blog hop participant.  Winners will be chosen on Saturday, August 1^st.  The prizes will consist of stamps, papers, ribbon, embellishments, etc.; plus, some random prizes will be offered by some generous blog hop participants along the hop.

Important links: 

·        Heather Dennis:

http://joemamainks.blogspot.com/

·        Fresh Brewed Designs Store:

http://freshbreweddesigns.com/

·        Digis for Debbie Fundraiser Shop:

http://www.shophandmade.com/store/fundraiserfordeb/

·        Give Forward Account:

http://gfwd.at/1LmL47x

Thank you for dropping by and for helping them with their fundraising efforts; 

and again, please keep Mrs. Debbie in your prayers.   

Have a wonderful Tuesday, crafty friends!  

 I am looking forward to admiring your creations! :)   

 As always . . .

Dreams have wings . . .

Happy Day Everyone!

Today I have another quick & easy card created using dies from the Dies R Us store

and I've also shared it on the Dies R Us Inspiration Blog where

I am a DT member.

The dies used are:

Die Versions - Flying Kites

Impression Obsession - Sea Birds

The Flying Kites die is all ONE die.  To achieve

the appearance of three different kites,

I simply diecut it out from three different scraps of colored paper

then cut and paper pieced them back together

atop a full die cut of white card stock.

The inside of my card reads "The Sky's The Limit".

(sorry ... forgot to take a photo)

I hope you'll come see for yourself what Dies R Us has to offer!

Here are the links to help you on your way . . .

STORE

CHALLENGE BLOG

INSPIRATION BLOG

Thanks for stopping by today!

As Always . . .

A Day at the Beach!

Happy Monday Everyone!

Yes, I think a Day at the Beach is exactly what I need right now!

Of course, with all the rain we've had here in Ohio this past month or so ... I've had my own little lake in the backyard more than once!  LOL!  Guess I'll just have to be happy with that! 

inside sentiment

 Today I have a card to share with you that was created using the fabulous images from Crafty Secrets.  This image is from 'Travel' Creative Scraps.

The background was created using a few scraps from my 'scrap mountain' (lol)

I actually had the striped paper matted and ready to use with a different thought in mind but then I saw a scrap of 'water' design paper ... gave it a torn edge to mimic waves and Viola! my background was ready to adorn with these fun summertime images.

The embellishments I've used are Impression Obsession 'Beach Umbrella'  #DIE181 and Memory Box 'Beach Toys' #99122.  I used Spectrum Noir alcohol markers for the coloring on my embellishments.  My stamped sentiments are from the 'retired' Crafty Secrets Clear Art Stamps set 'Grand Greetings'.

If by chance you are not familiar with Crafty Secrets products, you'll want to hurry on over to their STORE!  There are so many wonderful items available for instant download and the prices are AMAZING!!!   

THEN, be sure to play along in their monthly Crafty Secrets Challenge at their blog.

In fact you still have time to join in on the current challenge!

You don't even have to follow a theme ... BUT you DO need to use a Crafty Secrets item on your creation to qualify for the awesome prize.

They even offer up freebies to help you get started!  

WHAT are you waiting for?????

Challenges:
Bloggers Challenge - At The Lake
Craft for the Craic July Challenge - Summer Time
Crafty Catz Challenge #287 - Summer Time
Creative Corner Challenge - Summer Fun

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Have a WONDERFUL week ahead and please come back again real soon!

As always . . .

Summertime Beauty!

Happy Weekend Friends!

Believe it or not, I do NOT have a card to share with you today!

BUT ... I would like to share some of the 'pretties' I have blooming around the house.

We seem to be having an 'issue' with the concrete slab on our front porch so instead of doing the large pots that usually sit between the pillars of our front porch, I chose to put a hanging basket at either end of the porch until we are able to get someone here to look/repair the porch itself.  I really like how they've done and it's interesting to see how one grows vs the other because of the difference in sun/shade.  They were both the same size/shape when I bought them a few months back.  LOVE the color ... so bright and happy!!

The lilies have done beautifully this year ... 

well, actually all my flowers have done VERY WELL with all the rain we've had!

We have Day Lilies at the front porch steps ... out front by the light post as well as along the side of the house.  They are two different varieties  ... one is a lighter shade of yellow that blooms first ... then this richer yellow variety that comes next which appears to EXTEND the lily blooming time.  I've planted a few varieties of Asiatic Lilies here and there to add an additional POP of color with the yellow ... makes me smile every time I walk out the front door and feel it is a nice WELCOME to anyone who comes to visit!

When we had our new landscaping done a few years back, one of the flowers my husband enjoys seeing are the Cone Flowers and Black Eyed Susans.  The Black Eyed Susans are just beginning to flower but the cone flowers are doing AMAZINGLY well this year and the Gold Finch are LOVING all the thistle seeds!

We originally had them put out front by the light pole but the second year I had so many new starters on the plants that I did some transplanting ... along the front of the house/garage in between the shrubs as well as out on one of the property mounds along with the peony's.  The peony's give us beautiful color in the spring/early summer then the cone flowers take over to keep the color blast coming!

A few other fun flowers around the front of my house would be the Speedwell (which is purple when it blooms so of course I just HAD to have some here and there) and this year I had to unfortunately remove one of my OLD Lilac bushes at the corner of the house so replaced it with a couple Butterfly Bushes ... I'm anxious to see how they do.  I have noticed more butterflies around already ... YAY!!  

My Dad had SO MANY butterflies around his flowers when I was growing up ... it truly warms my heart when I see more beginning to frequent our flower beds!!

Last but not least is this fabulous DOUBLE FACED SUNFLOWER that the birds (or squirrels ... not sure which, lol!) planted for us along the sidewalk.

Last year they were kind enough to plant one along the driveway side of the light post flower bed and it did SO WELL.  At the end of the season they came back to enjoy the beautiful full head of sunflower seeds.  And, this year they should have TWICE the bounty!!

I guess this is bound to happen when the backyard is sprinkled with sunflower seed bird feeders!  But that's okay ... I love nature and watching it all evolve and bloom!  We've actually seen a few more hummingbirds at our purple petunias on the back deck this year ... so interesting to watch them at work!!

Well I've kept you long enough ... I know I can be LONG WINDED when sharing my outdoor 'labors of love'!  Thanks for sticking with me!

Have a fabulous weekend and I truly appreciate you taking the time to stop by!  

As always . . .

Uplifting a friend . . .

Happy Friday Everyone!

Today I have a card to share that is going in my mailbox today to a friend who is feeling a bit alone at the moment ...

Sometimes a little surprise like a homemade card is all that is necessary to lift the spirits of someone who is not feeling quite up to par ... or has maybe lost a loved one and just needs to feel loved!

Dies R Us has a wide range of dies to help you create those uplifting cards ... pop over and get your order in today.  If you're not signed up for the newsletter yet, you'll want to do that while you are there because they are always having fabulous pop-up sales and you need to see the newsletter to be aware they are out there!!  HURRY ...

I fell in love with these two  Spellbinder sets as soon as I saw them.  

You can do SO MUCH with this adorable 'Asters & Poppies' set!  

Today I utilized them in a couple of different ways.

First I die cut them using white card stock ... then before removing them from the die, I used a small sponge finger dauber and inked some color on the exposed portions.  

Secondly, I die cut a second set using a very deep purple (looks black and almost is! lol) which I then positioned behind my colored set to give the illusion of a shadow.  I love how they look ... how about you?

I knew the flowers were going to be the accent to my sentiment panel so I really wanted my 'Inspired by Stamping' sentiment to POP!  I was able to achieve this by using TWO of the SIX dies in the Spellbinder 'Majestic Labels Eight' set.

A few challenges:
Alphabet Challenge - K is for Kind Thoughts
Cut It Up Challenge - Word/Phrase as your focus + die cut
Simply Papercraft Challenge #8 - Anything Goes

I hope you've found inspiration in today's card and also find a few minutes in your busy day to create a card that you can mail to someone and help lift their spirits!

Remember their current challenge is still open until Monday, July 13th. Pop on over and join in the fun ... the theme is Stars & Stripes.

Thanks for stopping by and have a fabulous weekend!
As always . . .

You can never have enough . . .

. . . birthday cards!

Good Morning Everyone!

I have another busy Thursday again this week!

One hour 'plus' dentist appointment and a link up visit with my Mom!

But before I get on the road I wanted to share a card I created to satisfy two particular challenges!

I have always enjoyed working with sketches and I really like the sketches offered up at the Mojo Monday Sketch Challenge Blog.  Here's the sketch to work with this week:

The other challenge I wanted to join in today is the IN STITCHES (faux or real) challenge offered at Cheery Lynn Designs ... and of course you must use at least one of their products.  

Today I have used the following:

Mandy Doily #DL276 ... Tiny Fanciful Flourish #B387 ... 

Fanciful Flourish Small #B117S ... Mini Fanciful Flourish Reverse #B291 

 

I've satisfied the 'stitches' theme by creating Faux Stitching around the outside of several panels as well as the stitching on my Memory Box 'Stitched Circle Layers' die sentiment panels. 

The papers I've used today are SU Groovy Guava cs, Medium blue cs and Heartfelt Creations 'Sun-Kissed Collection' design paper.   A touch of diamond Stickles was added to my flourishes for a touch of sparkle.

Did you notice? ...  I also used the little flowers that were popped out of my Mandy Doily die to embellish my card ... couldn't bring myself to swish them away into the trash!  LOL!

 A few other challenges to share in:

Inspiration Destination Challenge #41 - Anything Goes

Little Red Wagon Challenge - Birthday

Scrapy Land Challenge #21 - Anything Goes w/product they carry

Stampavie and More Challenge #241 - Doily

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Now I'd better get on my way ... 

As always . . .

Of "corset's" your birthday!

Happy Day Everyone!

It's time once again for a new challenge at The Sisterhood of Crafters.

Today GLENDA is our hostess and the theme is 

BIRTHDAY!

We all need extra birthday cards in our stash!

So why not come join in our challenge fun 

and build up your birthday stash at the same time!?! 

Here's what I've created for you today!

 I spotted this printable corset image on the internet and knowing I had this BLine Design 

sentiment stamp in my birthday sentiments drawer, I just had to

print it off and get it colored up in my favorite purple color using Spectrum Noir markers.

 

Inside

 After coloring my image I decided to do a bit of 'fussy cutting' in order

to showcase it in a 'grander' way using the beautiful dies 

from a new (to me) Spellbinder Card Creator die set

called 'A2 Devine Elequence' which I purchased from the Dies R Us Store.

 I popped up my corset image ... then,

for even more dimension, I printed the image twice,

colored and fussy cut the bows then popped them

up with dimensional tape also.

A few little purple pearls were all that was needed for embellishment.

Challenges:
Creative Card Crew #91 - Die Cuts
Little Tangles Challenge #58 - Die Cutting

Try It On Tuesday Challenge - In the Frame
Melonheadz Challenge - Celebrations
Curtain Call Monthly Challenge - Celebration

I hope you'll pop over to The Sisterhood of Crafters and see

all the beautiful Birthday inspired cards my 'sistahs'

have created for you today!  THEN come join us ... we'd love to see

what you create!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Have a FABULOUS day!

As always . . .