RAISE THE BAR Challenge Blog Debut

Happy Friday Everyone!!

Are you ready for a FUN, NEW CHALLENGE??? Great, because it's time for the debut of RAISE THE BAR Challenge and we are anxious to have you come play along!! For our very 1st challenge, we are creating with SOMETHING NEW!

That's right, maybe it's new stamps, papers or punches you received for Christmas ... or maybe a new technique you've been wanting to try out ... or even just a new approach to how you create. The choice is yours!

For my creation, I have used a NEW "The Greeting Farm" Madelynn stamp that I just received in the mail this week, a NEW Martha Stewart heart border punch (NEW both sides technique of punching) and even this cute little heart (see insert) that I purchased recently at a brand NEW crafting shop called "Bee Scrappy" in Medina, Ohio.Here is the recipe for my creation:

• Stamp: Madelynn (The Greeting Farm)
• Paper: Whisper White, SU Rose Red dp, Parrot Green cs
• Inks: Versafine black
• Accessories: Martha Stewart Heart border punch, Prismacolor markers, Charm, SU slit punch, silver Making Memories brads, 2-way glue

Our wonderful leader, Joni is also giving away CANDY for our debut!! Won't you please take a moment and pop on over to RAISE THE BAR and see what all the ruckus is about!!! Also be sure to pop on over to my Co-Bar Tenders blogs for more inspiration. Here are the links for your convenience!

Anita ... Sparkle ... Suzi ... Audrey ... Joni (Head Bar Tender)

Thanks for stopping by and I'll be watching for YOUR wonderful "NEW" creation on RAISE THE BAR! Hope to see you there!!! Happy Stamping!!!

Rosie D's Sketch Challenge

I just LOVE sketch challenges and there's a fun one over at Rosie D's. Here I have used an adorable image from Charmed Delectable which was colored with Prismacolor markers ... stippled background with more mustard ink and edged with a gold Pilot marker.

Here is the recipe for this creation:

• Stamps: Inkadinkado (butterflies), Serendipity (sentiment), Charmed Delectable
• Papers: Whisper White, Colorbok (Tracey Porter) dp
• Inks: Versafine black, more mustard
• Accessories: Gold Pilot Marker, Creative Memories Oval Cutting System, Pink & Tiara Stickles, Prismacolor markers

Thanks for stopping by my blog today! Have a great day!!

New VINTAGE Digi Store....

Have you heard about the NEW Sugar Creek Hollow Vintage Digi Stamp store coming in March 2010??? I can't wait to see what they have to offer. If you love vintage like I do ... be sure to pop over and become a follower!

Paper Maniac Challenge

I've been wanting to play along with this challenge and finally took the time today!!! This week's Paper Maniac Challenge is a sketch. This is also their 1st challenge for the new year!! Seems they are "redoing" things over there so be sure to stop over and check out the "new" details!

Isn't this little girl adorable!!! Here is the recipe for this creation:

• Stamps: DRS (sentiment), North Star Stamps
• Papers: Whisper White, Brocade Blue, SU Bella Blue designer paper
• Inks: Versafine black
• Accessories: Zig photo twin markers, Nestabilities class ovals, flower gems, Creative Memories corner rounder

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you are having a wonderful day today!!! It's a bit WARMER (25 degrees) today and the sun is shining ... aawwww, a warmup here in N.E. Ohio!! LOL!!

Squigglefly Challenge

For the 1st challenge of the New Year, Squigglefly is asking us to make "Anything BUT A Card". I have chosen to use one of Susan Spiller's digi images called "Ballerina Bear" on the an altered mini composition book. You can find this adorable digi HERE at the Squigglefly Store.

My little neighbor Emily (we call her "M" ... she's 5) is taking ballet lessons and I thought she might like to have a "little" journal to doodle in. She is quite the PRINCESS and LOVES pink! Here is the recipe for my creation:

• Paper: Daisy D's designer paper
• Accessories: Mini composition book, Alphabet stickers from the Crafty Secrets Valentine Love sheet, Crystal Effects, Deco Art Glamour Dust, Dimensionals, Michael's ribbon, Hero Arts Gems

What fun! Thanks for stopping by and taking a peek!

Butterfly Flower now available ...

Creations by Penny has another new digi image available for you to purchase today. It is called "butterfly flower" and we DT ladies are providing a few samples using this new image for inspiration.

For my first sample, I have simply printed the image, colored using Primacolor Markers, cut out and adhered to a base card which has been covered with DCWV designer paper. I have used a green marker to add the stems and diamond Stickles to the edges of the butterflies. My "Butterfly Kisses" sentiment is by Serendipity.

A very Easy Peasy creation that can be used for a variety of occassions.

For my second sample I have again used a very simple layout ... to bring focus to the Butterfly Flower and also used Prismacolor markers for the coloring. Here I have added Crystal Effects to the wings of the Butterfly and DecoArt Glamour dust to the edges of the flower. It's a little difficult to see in the photo but you should be able to "click" on the image to enlarge for a better view.

The designer paper used here is Basic Grey WISTERIA and the other papers used are Old Olive, Whisper White and Very Vanilla (cardbase). My sentiment is by Stampendous and I've used Inky Dinky Drops (Inky Impressions) underneath to match in with the flower.

Thanks so much for stopping by today and please pop on over to Creations by Penny to see this image and others that she has for sale in her STORE. Happy Stamping Everyone!

Oh, Oh, Oh ... WAIT .... I wanted to mention .. PLEASE don't forget to come back on Friday for the DEBUT of a new challenge blog called RAISE THE BAR ... it's going to be great fun to start off the new year!!! AND ... Joni is now offering up BLOG CANDY ... check it out HERE. Thanks!!!!

Midnight Madness #36

I just love the sketches they come up with over on the Midnight Madness Challenge Blog ... and today was no exception!! I am STILL working on birthday cards and this one will be for my girlfriend Lona who shares a birthday with my mom (on the 27th). Lona & I met way back in 1987 as hospital "roommates" and have been great friends ever since!! We have a lot in common and one of those things is the fact that we both love PURPLE.

Okay ... that makes things easy!! I have the sketch ... I have the theme ... and now I have the color ... how easy is this!!! I was looking through my FLOWER stamps and came upon this iris in a Penny Black set! It called out to me so that it where we began!! I've used Prismacolor markers for my coloring and Nestabilities Labels 1 for my cutting/matting.

Yesterday while shopping with friend, Lana Edwards ... (yes I have a friend LONA & a friend LANA) ... gets confusing sometimes, LOL!! Anyways, while Lana & I were out shopping we came upon a 40% off sale on all DCWV paper packs and decided we both needed to purchase the Baby Boy & Baby Girl packs. The designer papers I have used on this creation are from the BABY BOY pack. (who would have thought!!!)

The wider of the two strips on the background panel was "stamped over" using an Inkadinkado "flourish" stamp. My sentiment is from the Just Rite Centers & Borders set and I've embellished with Kaiser black half pearls. I think Lona's really going to like this year's card!!! What do you think ... do you like it???

** My friend Kim let me know that this creation also qualifies for the challenge going on over on Practical Scrappers (use Bling). Thanks girlfriend!! I've popped over and added it to Mr. Linky.**

Thanks for stopping by today ... I hope I haven't overwhelmed you with posts today ... I'm trying to play "catch up" since I've been busy with those Bridal Shower Invitations. Oh yes, they are finished and they turned out great! I was very happy with the inside information which I printed in script onto vellum ... adhered with glue dots and placed a small red heart over top so you couldn't see the glue dots. I think the bride-to-be will be pleased!! Happy Day (whats left of it) everyone!!!

Sketches by Tamara #102

The Recipe Challenge #102 over on "Sketches {by Tamara}" this week is as follows:

• Rub-Ons
• Flowers
• Bling

Doesn't that sound like fun? I thought so too and decided to play along. Here's what I've come up with.

I'm still working on needed birthday cards so sorry ... but you'll probably be seeing a lot of them in the next few days!! Here I have used a RUB-ON by My Mind's Eye (Coastal Flowers) and after punching the edge with the Martha Stewart Arch Lattice border punch, I decided to stipple it with Pink Pirouette ink ... just to add a little "softness". My BLING are Stampendous Gold Diamond Dots which I've placed in each opening of the lattice as well as the upper/lower corners.

I think it turned out cute and it was a pretty quick creation also!! I always forget about the rub-ons I have ... I'm sure glad this challenge came along! Happy Stamping everyone (or should I say "rubbing" ... LOL).

Birthday Challenges ...

Good Morning All!!

Today I am your hostess for the Crafty Secrets Forum Challenge over on SCS and since I have several birthday's coming up this month ... that was my choice for this weeks challenge idea. I've been wanting to play with these Crafty Secrets Vintage Postcard Kits and finally took that opportunity today! The other kits I have are Christmas (guess I've missed that boat, LOL) so I decided to use the beautiful Best Buds kit. This is SO MUCH PRETTIER in real life!!!! (You should be able to click on the picture to enlarge).


How much fun is it that the Crazy 4 Challenge and Stamp, Scrap & Doodle Challenge this week are also Celebration/Birthday ... so my creation fits these two challenges as well. I've used the sketch from the CCEE Stampers Blog Challenge this week for my layout although I did take the liberty of flipping it in order to accommodate my image. Below is a listing of products used for this creation:

Stamps: Impression Obsession
Papers: Garden Green, Old Olive, SU Real Red dp
Inks: Versafine black
Accessories: Kaiser half pearls, pink Stickles Crafty Secrets Best Buds Vintage Postcard Kit

Thanks for stopping by today and I hope you've enjoyed my creation. The challenges I have used today are all great FUN ... feel free to click the links I have provided with their names and play along!

Exciting News ...

I'm so thrilled to tell you that Joni Wilson (A Sticky Situation) is starting a brand new WEEKLY challenge blog called "RAISE THE BAR" and has invited me to be on the design team!! How awesome is that!! Our DEBUT challenge will be this Friday, January 15th ... you won't want to miss it!

Here is a little insight to what this blog is all about:

Welcome and thank you for joining us! Here at RTB we are so excited to kick off a new year of crafting. Together we will try new techniques, play around with fun sketches, and keep your resolution to open up those new stamping items. And yes, we will even use those supplies that you just had to have in your collection.
Our first challenge will be on January 15th, come Raise The Bar with us!


We would LOVE to have you come by and play along! So mark your calendars ... FRIDAY, JANUARY 15th ... Raise The Bar Debut Challenge!!!

On my sidebar you will find my fellow "Bar Tenders" ... please feel free to click on their names to visit their blogs and say Hello!! Hope to see you Friday!!

Winter Wonderland Challenge & St. Jude's Card Drive

Third posting for today ... sorry ... but I just had to share this one with you yet today!!!

I discovered the Winter Wonderland Christmas Challenge blog recently and started playing along. So my first creation is for this week's challenge. It is a sketch (doesn't have to be Christmas ... taking a short break from the theme) so I decided to make mine an "encouragement" card.

My friend's daughter is going through Radiation Treatments for Thyroid Cancer ... she's doing well but I wanted to send her a card just to let her know she is in our thoughts & prayers.

My base card is Rose Red and I've stippled black over the background white panel (to tone it down a bit) then used scraps for my other panels. On the rose red panel, I have layered a piece of SU rose red dp which was punched the Martha Stewart loop punch then overlayed it with Mrs. Grossman's sticker lace. The main angel image if by Magenta, paper flowers created using the MS flower punch (using same SU dp) and the center flower was a white Prima that I colored with a black marker. All half pearls are by Kaiser. My sentiment if from the SU "Thoughts & Prayers" set. (click to enlarge images) This was great fun and I'm sure Sarah will love it!!

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You really MUST check this out and hopefully take part!

Winter Sims is having a card drive for St. Jude's Hospital the whole month of January over on her Winter Wonderland personal blog. Please click on the link for all the details.

Here are a few cards I have ready to go postal tomorrow and I hope to make/send more this week. What a great idea and I'm thrilled to be able to hopefully put a smile on the faces of those that are less fortunate than myself!

Thanks for taking the time to stop by ... all comments are greatly appreciated!! Hope your weekend was wonderful & filled with fun!! Happy Stamping!!

Card Patterns Sketch #46 Challenge

Good Sunday Evening ...

Even though I should be taking down Christmas (yes ... it's still up ... I was waiting for my mother to come visit but now she's not going to make it) so I'll start putting Christmas away tomorrow and today I'm playing a few challenges!!

I believe this is my first time playing the Card Patterns Sketch Challenge and I took the easy way out! As you can see on the sketch the main focus image is a tag. I have had a package of 7Gypsies tags hanging on my product board for months now and thought today's sketch challenge was the perfect time to use one.

I've taken the liberty of flipping the sketch then created my background panels by using a panel of garden green cardstock (cut in half) then stamped in Versafine Black ink using the SU French Script stamp for the bottom half and the SU Crosshatch stamp for the top half. A scrap piece of black cardstock helps to seperate the two different patterns.

My card is A-6 in size and the base card is kraft cardstock. I've matted the tag in basic black to make it stand out more and the only embellishments are the black satin ribbon created using the Bow Easy and Kaiser black half pearls.

So, what do you think??? This was fun and I look forward to playing along with the challenge blog again. Thanks for stopping by & taking a peek!!

Now That's A Lot of Hearts

Happy Sunday Afternoon Everyone!!

I thought I'd share with you the Bridal Shower Invitations I've been working on for my neighbor Christine. I made up several samples for her to review and on Friday, this is the one she finally decided on. I believe these are for a co-worker/friend who is having her Bridal shower Valentine's weekend so instead of going with the actual wedding colors, they decided they'd like to use a Valentine/Love theme for the shower.




There are 60 invitations total ... although I didn't lay them all out for this photo. I spent the better part of yesterday cutting, embossing & assembling these with the exception of the inside information, they are all done!! Christine hasn't supplied me with that information yet but once she does, I will type & print it on vellum. They will then be adhered on the inside panel with glue dots and hearts overlayed to hide the glue dots.

You know how we hate to WASTE anything ... here the seven little hearts that were punched out in the border were glued one-by-one onto the larger ivory heart. Four hundred and twenty (420) little hearts to be exact!! THAT'S A LOT OF LITTLE HEARTS!!! LOL!!

• Recipe:
• Stamps: Inkadinkado (wedding rings), Too Much Fun Rubber Stamps (you're invited)
• Paper: Real Red, Pink Pirouette, Very Vanilla
• Ink: Versafine Black
• Accessories: Martha Stewart heart border punch, Cuttlebug textile embossing folder, Nestabilities classic heart die

Thanks for stopping by and taking a peek! I actually found time today to play a couple of challenges and will be back later to share those creations with you.

Love Is In The Air

Hello and happy weekend Everyone !!!

Are you ready for another unique challenge at Saturday Spotlight ... GREAT! Here is what the Spotlight Divas are challenging YOU to try this week:

The Spotlight Divas would like to challenge you to make a Valentine/wedding/ love style creation with NO HEARTS used on it!! So think of another way to represent "love" without using hearts!

Here is what I've come up with:

This lovely image & sentiment panel are from the Crafty Secrets Valentine Cotton Scraps. Aren't they awesome! I just love vintage images and even without the sentiment ... this one scream LOVE!!

I've triple bordered the main image using black card stock and a scrap of DCWV dp (which I distressed) in between. The background paper is Graphic45 and the snippet of music paper is by The Paper Studio. The embellishment consist of Opaline half pearls by Basic Grey and Prima flowers.

I had to really think for a moment on this one!!! How do you say Love / Valentine / Wedding without hearts???? Well in my book ... kissing ALWAYS says LOVE ... so that's the route I took. I can't wait to see how YOU interpret our challenge this week!!

Our Spotlight sponsor this week is...

(click HERE to go to store.)

**One lucky winner from our challenge in Mister Linky this week drawn from random.org will receive a 10 pounds gift voucher to spend in the store!!**

AND PLEASE ... if you need more inspiration, just pop on over to the other DIVA's blogs (linked in my sidebar) ... they will amaze you with their talents!!!

Thanks so much for stopping by! We're still trying to keep warm & safe here in NE Ohio! I guess I shouldn't complain ... it is January after all!!! Take Care!!

Daddy's Little Girl

You may recall seeing this photo of my beautiful granddaughter, Morgan before ... it was taken when she & her friend Felicia (who has cerebral palsy) attended Morgan's Homecoming Dance back in the late summer. What a grand time they had!!! Well anyways ... this is what MO looks like when she is in "princess mode"! Below are photos of the OTHER side of MO ... "grease monkey mode"!

Do you remember seeing this photo of MOrgan hugging the four new tires Mark & I bought her for Christmas???

Well, she & her dad didn't waste anytime getting that new rubber mounted and put on her Blazer!! Of course, even though the weather was quite nice at Christmas ... it is winter here in NE Ohio and snow is right around the corner. We need to be prepared!!! Which leads me to the following photos!! (chick on any photo to enlarge)

Morgan's dad (Frank) is an auto mechanic and he & Mo have worked side by side on many car projects. In fact, I do believe they put the new motor in the SUV she is currently driving!! Frank (and Carolyn) want their daughter to be able to "take care of herself" and take the time to teach her (and her brother) everything they can!!

This time around, it is how to MOUNT a tire on the rim (in this case 4 tires) and mount them onto the vehicle. The day after Christmas, Frank & Morgan headed over to the shop where Frank works and "Tire Mounting/Changing 101" began! Of course, being able to do this at a regular auto garage helped tremendously because it was equipped with all the RIGHT tools ... tire mounter, balancer, air wrenches, hoist, etc. Well, you get the picture!

They had their work cut out for them because we were all to meet at my Grandma Great's house to celebrate Christmas at 2:00 that afternoon!! No time to dilly - dally!!

By the way ... have you ever picked up a tire that is on the rim??? Let me tell you ... THEY'RE DANG HEAVY!!! This girl has some muscle!! Of course, I'm sure her dad showed her the proper way to do this ... as to not hurt yourself (or your back)!!

Well, they got them all done, went home to clean up and still made it to Grandma Great's house with time to spare!!! WELL DONE!!!

Oh and something else ... both kids know how to change oil too!! Since they both have their own Jr. Dragster race cars, that was one of the rules! The oil has to be changed before EVERY race and they have been taught how it is done and THEY are responsible for their own cars! If they don't have it done come race time ... they don't race!! GUESS WHAT ... it gets done, LOL!!!

I have to give my daughter & her husband a lot of credit! They do a lot of things (like racing) as a family, and they have a lot of fun!! But they are also teaching their children that there are responsibilities that come along with having that fun. Certainly a lesson that they will benefit from as they go through life!!

I hope you enjoyed a glimpse into the "World of MO" ... she's a treasure and we are very proud of her!!! Oh yea ... did I tell you that she's been accepted to Kent State University??? Yep, after graduation this summer, she intends to study Speech Pathology & Audiology! What a kid!!! What can I say ... I'm her Nanna and very proud of it!!! Happy Day All!!

Stamp Simply, The Play Date Cafe & SNOW

Happy Friday Everyone! Those of you dealing with the snow & cold ... I hope you are able to stay in, be creative & drink hot chocolate! That's MY PLAN!!!

Today's Stamp Simply challenge over on Sharon Johnson's blog is to use "hearts"! I could provide SEVERAL creations samples for this challenge. I've been asked to create 60 Bridal Shower Invitations using Valentine's Day as the theme ... you know, red-white-pink-hearts, etc.! But of course, I created a seperate, special card for Sharon's challenge.
I was playing around with ideas for the invitations and had these two hearts laying on my work table that I made using different sized Nestabilities Heart dies. The designer paper is Foof-a-la and I have used the little hearts that are left over when you use the new Martha Stewart heart border punch & a white satin bow as my embellishments. This is about as CLEAN & SIMPLE as I get!!

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What a fun color challenge is up this week over on The Play Date Cafe blog! This week we are to use BLACK, WHITE, GOLD & SILVER. Since I had this Foof-a-la designer paper still sitting on my table from Sharon's creation, I decided to use it again for this card. My image is from a CD of vintage images I purchased on Ebay a long time back and can't remember the name ... sorry!

I'm sure you all know how difficult it is to photograph anything using metallic paper but I did the best I could. I've used gold metallic to back my image ... using a Nestabilities scallop rectangle die as well as the smallest heart (Nesties classic hearts die). For my use of SILVER, I chose to use silver metallic ribbon over the designer paper strip panel as well as a heart punched out with the new Martha Stewart heart punch and then overlayed a silver heart cut with a Nesties classic heart die. Both the main card & the accent strip of designer paper have been edged using a Gold Pilot marker. Hope you like it!!!

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Now I would like to share with you a "glimpse" outside my sliding glass door ... looking across the back yard. I know we don't have nearly as much snow as some other parts of Ohio & the midwest ... but it's enough for me!!

Believe it or not ... I DID fill all of my birdfeeders yesterday before the NEXT big storm predicted started to come through and it was covered faster than the little birds could find the seed. The poor little things will have to really WORK hard for their lunch today!!


As I type this, the snow has stopped ... but they are saying we are expecting another 5-6" in our area throughout the remainder of the day. We'll see ... the sky is starting to look a lot clearer and I'm thinking it has gone around us. Again ... that's okay with me!!!

Thanks so much for stopping by today! I always enjoy hearing from you! Stay warm, stay happy and keep stamping ... I will come by for inspiration!!! Happy Day Everyone!

Yum ... Yum ... for Bubblegum

Hello everyone! I just wanted to share with you another image Penny from Creations by Penny now has available in her digi store. How cute is this bubblegum machine!! I have an order for children's birthday cards and thought this would be perfect ... what do you think???


Here is the list of items used on this Happy Birthday card:

stamps: Stampcraft (sentiment)
paper: Whisper White, Real Red, Basic Grey Junebug dp
ink: Versafine black
accessories: digi image, Prismacolor markers, Spellbinder ribbon tag, Offray yellow satin ribbon, Crystal Effects, various colored ZIG round tip markers


For my second card, I created the upper portion of my background paper using the Martha Stewart San Serif Alphabet clear stamps to spellout "gumball". The lower portion designer paper is DCWV. After printing my gumball image, I used Prismacolor markers to color then cut the image out with my Fiskar's swivel craft knife. This way, I could give it a little more dimension by popping it up on the background panel created using the Nestabilities Labels 9 die. For added detail, I've used a Creative Memories fine tip red marker to do faux stitching around the edge and added red dew drops. Of course the Crystal Effects used on the gumball machine is the perfect finishing touch to "give it life"!!

Thanks for stopping by today ... I hope you're having a GREAT day! I know I am ... {ssshhh, I'm at the hairdresser's having a total make over} ... the perfect way to lift your spirits at the beginning of a new year!!

Chalking with Penny ...

Good Morning Everyone!

Welcome to the 1st Wednesday of 2010!!

Today is the 1st challenge of the new year over at Penny's Challenges and today we are using CHALK. That's right ... get out those chalks that we all tend to forget about and get creative!!

First let me say that even though my creation looks like it is done in BLUE ... it is not!! It is PURPLE but my camera doesn't like hues of purple ... it generally always changes them to blue! Why you ask ... I haven't a clue! So with that in mind, please know my ribbon is PURPLE/WHITE gingham (Hobby Lobby) ... my background matting is deep PURPLE as are the Paper Studio Bubbleabilities!

The way I used CHALK on my creation is for the friends medallion. The Inkadinkado (round frames) image was stamped on white cardstock using Versamark then given color by using a cotton ball and purple EK Success chalk. My base card is Whisper White and the designer paper is Basic Grey Wisteria. Pretty easy-peasy but I'm very happy with the outcome!

For added inspiration, be sure to check out the creations by my co-team members listed below:

* Alison - Hairy Harry's Craft
* Boni - Bonibleaux Designs
* Kim - Memories in Thyme
* Cheryl - CherCroppin's Stamp Pad
* Alanna - Alanna's Spot in the World

Okay ... now it's your turn! Please join in on the fun and show us your CHALK creation by making a direct link to Mr. Linky over on the Penny's Challenge Blog. And, if you are uploading to other online galleries, please add the keyword PC20.

{Just a note ... have you seen Penny's new store blog??? Please check it out.}

Midnight Madness #35

Hello Again!

My two favorite challenges on Tuesday are the Crafty Secrets Challenge (which I've already shared with you) and the Midnight Madness Sketch Challenge. The ladies over on this site are truly amazing! They have endless talent and the inspiration just pours out the seams of this blog site!!! If you have not taken the opportunity to stop over ... PLEASE ... DO IT NOW!!! You won't be disappointed!!

And have you noticed??? I seem to be in a POLKA DOT mood today! But that's okay ... it's a fun start to any creation!! Right???

Of course the first direction I go typically when creating a card from a sketch is towards the "vintage style". Not always filled with lace, glitter & buttons but sometimes just SIMPLE VINTAGE as is my creation today. A friend of mine stamped me off some Rubbernecker "ladies" images (thanks Carol) and I thought this one would be perfect for today!!

My card is A-6 in size and the card stock & designer papers I've chosen to use today are as follows:

Cardstock - Basic Black, Whisper White & Real Red

Designer Paper - Basic Grey June Bug (polka dots) and Graphic45 (floral)

The layout is self explanatory so I will just tell you the other items I have used on this creation:

Michael's silver elastic cording

The Paper Studio (black flower)

Prima (red flower)

Fiskars Decal Scissors (edging)

Doodlebug Sugar Coated Silver Brad

Thanks so much for your visit! Hope you are having as much fun as I am ... teehee! I just love creating ... I even surprise myself sometimes ... that's always a good thing!! Happy Day All!!

More Challenge Fun ...

It feels so good to get back into the Stamping Swing of Things!!! The holidays were great but I'm really glad to get a little more routine back in my life. With that being said, I have a couple of creations to share with you again today!!



It's a new year and a new round of challenges over on the Crafty Secrets Forum of SCS. We are on challenge #101 ... great number to start the year with! LoriLynn couldn't help but think of SPOTS when she say the #101 ... I'm sure you are familiar with that little movie, LOL!!! So, our challenge today is "SHOW ME YOUR SPOTS" ... using spots, dots, round things!!


With Valentine's Day right around the corner, I decided to use my NEW Crafty Secrets "Couple of Cuties" stamp set. My background paper & dp used for the hearts is from the Crafty Secrets Radiant paper pack. I used Prismacolor markers to color my image then sponged out around using Ranger Tattered Rose distress ink. The string pearls are by Darice and purchased at Joann's. The hearts were created using the Nestabilities class heart dies and I decided to do a little paper piercing here ... something I seem to forget about these days!!! Don't know why because I love the look it gives! My friend Julie, (A Vintage Chic) has gotten me hooked on adding a touch of SPARKLE to my creations of late ... hence the silver glitter outline! Thanks girlfriend!!!





This second card is my creation entry for the LOVE ME challenge over on Stamp-By-Step. I actually submitted it the other day but hadn't uploaded it yet ... and since it also fits today's Crafty Secrets challenge I thought I'd share it with you today!!


My focus image is actually from Crafty Secrets! This is from their Valentine Cotton Scraps. I have mounted it onto silver metallic cs and popped it up for a little more dimension. The background paper is also Crafty Secrets, from their Radiant pack. For the center strip, I have used a 2" strip of Whisper White which was run through the Cuttlebug with their hearts embossing folder. I then cut out hearts with my Creative Memories heart punch using the same polka dot Crafty Secrets dp and adhered them with glue dots.



The challenge over on Stamp-By-Step is not only a theme challenge but a sketch challenge as well. This is where my layout came from and to complete my creation I have used various sizes of Prima flowers and added silver Stickles to the centers (again for that touch of sparkle!).

*** My friend Vicki (Stamped Smiles) clued me in to the fact that these creations also fit the fun-filled Crazy 4 Challenge for this week ... polkadots! So, I'll be sharing it with the Crazy 4 folks too ... thanks Vic!! ***

Thanks SO MUCH for stopping by today! Those of you who are in the SNOWY regions ... I hope you are staying warm and for those of you in the WARM regions ... I AM SO JEALOUS!!!! LOL!!

Now I'm headed back to the Crafting Cave ... it's snowing outside ... I don't have to go anywhere until this afternoon so I'm going to GO PLAY!!! Happy Stamping Everyone!!!

Challenge Fun ...

Well, here we are at the beginning of a New Year and I am READY TO GO!!!

Today I decided to play a couple of challenges that have caught my eye. My first card is for Challenge #61 over on Rosie Dee's Challenge Blog. This time around, it's a FREE CHOICE challenge ... what ever you want to do!! AND, ... since I still have more birthday cards to create for my aunt in Texas, I decided to use my new adorable Squigglefly image "Happy Birthday Sara". Isn't she a cutie patootie!!!

I have used Prismacolor Markers for coloring as well as chalk for the grass & clouds. The background paper I have used is DCWV Glitter Sweet ... other papers are Whisper White, Hot Pink cs, Lavendar Lace & YoYo Yellow. The balloon sentiment was created with a Nestabilities classic oval die and the sentiment is by Stampcraft. Embellishments are pink grosgrain ribbon, white curly ribbon, Crystal Effects (on small balloon) and lace border punch by SU.

I hope you like this card ... my aunt has several LITTLE Great Granddaughters who I'm sure will love this little gal!

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Another challenge blog that caught my eye recently is Winter Wonderland. How much fun is it to do Christmas cards all year long!! This year I really enjoyed doing my Christmas cards and was sad to have to put my Christmas goodies away ... WELL, now I don't have too!! However, for a little change up, they are incorporating color & sketch challenges this year. This week's colors are LIME ... CHERRY ... & CINNAMON.

For my creation I chose to use one of the TAGS which is a part of the 12x12 Christmas paper pack by Graphic45. My background paper is from My Mind's Eye and the Cinnamon cardstock is Bazzill. I've added lime ribbon from Hobby Lobby & red Stickles on the berries as my embellishments.

Please be sure to hop on over and check out this fun site. I can't wait to see what challenges they have in store for us in this new year! Oh yea, they're also looking to extend their DT ... details can be found on the link to the site I have provided! (I put my name into the pot ... keeping my fingers crossed!!)

Thanks for stopping by today! Stay warm ... and those of you in the SNOW BELT ... be careful out there!!! Happy Stamping!

Saturday Spotlight - SSHP12 - Calendar Craze

The Spotlight Divas would like to challenge you to go CRAZY with calendars! Whether you decided to make a coaster calendar, a calendar notebook, an easel card with a miniature calendar, tear up your old 2009 calendar for some collage background pieces or get out your calendar stamps/images and just use one month for inspiration. ...we would love to see you get into the calendar craze with us! Don't have a calendar? Here's a link you can use to print off any or all months of 2010: Click Here! (Check out the Spotlight Diva inspiration on the blog!)

For our Spotlight sponsor this week we have...


(click HERE to go to store.)

**One lucky winner from our challenge in Mister Linky this week drawn from random.org will receive any three single images OR a set OR a PDF from the shop!!**

Here's my creation for the Calendar Craze challenge today:


There was NO stamping done on this creation but how could you go wrong with these fun images from the Crafty Secrets Seasonal Booklet!! The little January calendar is also Crafty Secrets ... one of their Creative Scraps. The images were matted with silver metallic cs, the background panel is DCWV and the base card is Very Vanilla. I've also added a strip ov music designer paper by The Paper Studio. My only embellishment on this January Calendar Card is the silver tinsel. How could we begin a new year without a little sparkle!!!

Please don't forget to check out the wonderful creations by my Diva Sistahs ... you will amazed & inspired with what these talented ladies have come up with!!

*Vicki (creator/coordinator) ... *Chris (Coordinator) ... Boni ... Crystal ... Dawn ... Erin ... Jessica ... Maria ... Jodi

Thanks for stopping by and I look forward to seeing your Calendar Craze Creation!!

MEGA Candy Offering for the New Year ...

Teri Sherman over on Teri's Cards and Toppers is offering up a MEGA HUGE blog candy. You don't want to miss out getting entered into this one!!! Here's a peek at the goodies ...

Closing date: 18th January 2010 at mid-day UK-GMT - plenty of time! See what I mean ... is this a LOT OF GOODIES or what!!! So pop on over, get entered and when you do, please tell her I said "Hello". Good Luck and Thanks!

Dream ...

Happy New Year's Day!!

It's a pretty quiet day around here, hubby's watching football so I thought I'd take the opportunity to participate in a few challenges. Actually, I think this is the first time I have created a card that fits 4 different challenges (that I know of ).

The challenges are:

The Play Date Cafe #10 - color challenge using turquoise, chocolate & pink
SCS Sketch Challenge
Stamp Simply #120 - NEW Things
Stamp Something - NEW Somethings

My something NEW is this SWEET image from the UK. Isn't she precious!! (click images for a larger view) It's from a company called Charmed Delectables. And, the "dream" sentiment is from another new set ... Inkadinkado (round frames). Of course the layout is from this week's Splitcoaststampers Sketch Challenge and color scheme from Play Date Cafe color Challenge.

My card is A-6 in size and Whisper White in color. The background panel is Basic Grey Marrakech designer paper as is the paper used for the main image matting. After stamping my image with Versafine Black I have used Prismacolor Markers, Prisma Pencils and EK Success Chalk for my coloring. I've also used Spica pens and American Crafts glitter pens. For the sparkle on the wings, I have used Crystal Effects covered with DecoArt Glamour Dust. Diamond Stickles was used for the flower centers and Mermaid Glitz Stickles was used on the turquoise flowers and center squiggles between background panels. The flower centers are Stampendous Tuquoise Diamond Dots. The paper flowers were created using the Spellbinder's Shapeabilities Flower die.

As I type this post, the snow has begun to fall outside again and it's coming down pretty fast & heavy. They are only calling for 1-3 inches but it's going to be VERY cold ... high tomorrow only 16 degrees ... Brrr!

I hope you are enjoying this 1st day of the new year and that 2010 is the best year ever for you!! Thanks for stopping by and God Bless You for taking the time!!