I'm sorry for the lack of posting, but...

I'm sorry for this past week, and the lack of posting.  I should be back to normal this coming week.  We had a health scare here this week and I've been busy with family.  It was scary to say the least, but we are all fine now ~ we just have to change our lifestyles and do things differently.  So please bear with me as I come back to posting regularly.

I also want to wish you all a safe Memorial Day. 

The original purpose of Memorial Day can get easily lost amid all the cookouts or, in these parts, trips to the beach for the unofficial start of the summer season. The origin of the holiday can get overlooked, too, since there have been so many wars since the one that led to the practice of commemorating those who died in service to the country.

My Mojo140

I know that I said I'd be back tomorrow, but I could not help it ~ I had to post this card.  I think that it turned out kinda nice.  And I also did not want to wait too long to play along with the Mojo Monday sketch.  It seems like it get's later and later when I do end up making up a card for their sketches and then it's about time to see the next sketch.

So without further ado, here goes...

My base card is Garden Green that I layered with Certainly Celery and some DP from Paper Pizazz and Prima.  I stamped the image from SU! Elements of Style with gold Encore ink and embossed it with clear embossing powder.  I then watercolored the image in with Pretty in Pink, Regal Rose and Mellow Moss re-inkers.  I then layered it on to a piece of Certainly Celery card stock.  I then stamped the word 'moments' from the sentiment in the set on to a piece of scrap Certainly Celery and punched it out with my curly label punch and added it to the back of the image panel then attached it to the card.  I felt like I still needed something else so I added some of the leaves that I punched out with my Sizzlits little leaves die and some butterflies that Betty punched out for me a while ago to the card.  I decorated the butterflies with some half pearls from Martha Stewart and I was complete.

What do you think?  I think that it turned out nice.  OK, now I am done for the day.  Really.  I'll see you tomorrow ~ Have a super great afternoon!

Whimsical Words

Good morning everyone ~ I hope that today finds you well.  This crazy weather has been something else.  We've been hot and humid here for a few days, and of of course our A/C has a problem again.  The 3rd time in 4 years.  I think that we may be looking at a new unit in our near future - I hope not, but the thought is likely...  So I've not really been crafting too much.  But I did make a card that I'd like to show you.

Ready for the details...

The base card is Ballet Blue that I layered with Pacific Point and some Maine Blueberry DP.  I punched the ♥'s with my Martha Stewart Doiley border punch, added a ribbon and attached it to the back of a piece of the Maine Blueberry paper that I got from SU! on clearance.  I stamped the little fence from The Angel Company set called Brighten Girl and attached it to the middle of the card.  I then cut out the scallop oval in Bashful Blue and the white oval with my nesties and adhered them together.  I stamped the sentiment from Whimsical Words in Close to Cocoa ink and attached that panel to the card with pop dots.  I then cut out the leaves with my Sizzlits Little Leaves die in Certainly Celery, added some prima flowers that I had and I was complete.  I think that it is pretty, don't you?

I hope that this inspires you today.  I'd love to see what you create ~ leave me a link here and I will go take a peek.

Have a super great afternoon, I am going to go figure out how to keep cool in the craft room so I can create something to show you tomorrow.

Softpencil Customer Blog Hop

I just wanted to let you all know that I will be taking part in the Softpencil customer blog hop this week.  I'm so excited!!  I just love all the images over at Softpencil and I'm sure if you take a peek  you will too!!

Here are the deets:

The Softpencil Customer Blog Hop is this Thursday May 27th, the hop will go live at NOON EST! And you will have until Sunday May 30th 8pm EST to complete the hop.

I will have more details in the next few days ~ make sure that you stop on over!!

How about a little manly cards?

How was your weekend?  Mine was busy.  We did a lot of running around yesterday and by evening I was pooped!  The weather's been hot and humid and the in and out of running around town just exhausted me.  I took a nice cool shower last night and I think that I was out as soon as I layered down.  In my younger years I was a "sun worshiper".  I loved the sun ~ I'd stay outside all day, and I have to admit I was a tanner.  I used to go to the tanning beds everyday.  But now that I am older I think that I realize how bad the sun really is for you - of course the blotches here and there are constant reminders.  And Danielle wants to go to the tanning beds and I can only tell her how bad it is for you.  But then I get the "you did it".  Well yes dear, I did.  And now I am going to pay for it.  How does the old saying go?  Don't do as I do, do as I say.  But she's going to make her own mistakes.

Ok, I'm off the soapbox again Ü

I thought that with Father's day fast approaching - it's only 28 day's away and it's time to get some cards made!!  So I want to show you a few "manly" cards that I've made.  I know that they are birthday, but you can adapt them for Father's day.  Guy cards are so hard to make - I want to reach for the pretty papers, but it's just not manly enough...

I had seen something similar to this on line and I thought that it was perfect for either a birthday or Father's Day!  Just basic colors and a basic layout ~ guy's don't want all the foo-foo that we gal's like to put on cards.  Now I know that the card is Old Olive that I layered with Basic Black and white cs.  I used one of my Friskars blue plates to emboss the white card stock.  I stamped the truck and sentiment from the Classic Pickups set on white card stock and layered them on to some scrap.  I hand cut the arrow out of a piece of Old Olive and attached it to the card with pop dots and I was complete.

This card has a little more time invested in it, but I still like how it came out.  The base card is Chocolate Chip that I layered with some Basic Black and some DP that I had purchased in a package from K&Company a long time ago.  I added a length of ribbon that I stitched with my sewing matching and adhered that panel to the card.  I stamped the car image from Classic Convertibles in Chocolate Chip ink and set it aside.  I cut out 2 nesting circles with my coluzzle, one in white and one in Basic Black.  The white one I ran thru my cuttlebug with my Friskars blue plates, sponged Chocolate Chip ink around the edges and stamped "Happy Birthday" on it before I attached them to the card.  I cut the car image out and attached it to the card with pop dots.  The sentiment "Your a classic" was stamped on a piece of scrap white paper in Chocolate Chip ink and punched out with my oval punch then layered on to a piece of Basic Black that was punched out with my wide oval punch then attached to the card with pop dots.

This one was a little more involved, but I like it.  I think it looks a little retro, don't you?

Well - that's all that I have for today, I hope that it inspires you to go and create something manly.  Have a great day and I'll see you back here tomorrow!

More Sweet Scoops

Is there ever enough Ice Cream scoops?  Nope, not in our house Ü

Here is the other card that I said I worked on that I wanted to show you. 

The base card is Pink Passion that I layered with Pretty in Pink, Pumpkin Pie and some Sweet Always DP.  I first cut out the image panel with my Cricut Storybook cartridge then I stamped the cones from Sweet Scoops on it with Creamy Caramel ink.  I then stamped the ice cream scoops in Pretty in Pink ink and cut them out and pop dotted them on top of the cones.  I layered the card with Pretty in Pink cs, a piece of Pumpkin Pie that I punched with my SU! punch and added a length of ribbon to, a piece of Sweet Always DP and a piece of Pink Passion cs that I punched with my SU! scallop border punch.  I then layered the image panel on the top of the card.  Once it was put together I used some Shimmerz Blingz paint on the ice cream and I was complete. 

I hope that you like this card too ~ and that it inspires you!  Have a super great weekend and I'll see you Monday.

Sweet Scoops!

If there is one thing that I can not have any will power over is Ice Cream.  My Father was the same way.  An Ice Cream connoisseur if you might say...  And when Betty stopped over the other day she left the SU! set Sweet Scoops with me to play with.  So I've been playing with it.  Wanna see some of what I came up with?  Of course you do ~ that's why your here Ü

This first card I used white for the base card and layered it with Purely Pomegranate, Bella Rose DP and Sending Love DP and some ribbon I purchased at Michael's last year.  I stamped the cone on a piece of white cs with Creamy Carmel ink.  I then stamped the scoops of ice cream with Close to Cocoa and Pretty in Pink ink, cut them out and layered them on top of the cone.  I paper pierced the holes around the white layer, added it to a Chocolate Chip layer and used pop dots to attach it to the card.  I stamped the sentiment "Happy Birthday" from an old SU! set called And Many Mower in Close to Cocoa ink and punched it out with my word window punch then layered it on to a piece of Chocolate Chip scrap that I punched out with my modern label punch.  I think that it's kind of a clean card - just simple, but pretty.

This card was somewhat cased from a card that I saw on SCS here.  There are lots of cards that I see that I'd love to make and when I sit down to make them, they never turn out anywhere like the card I had seen ~ but I think that this one did. 

The base of this card is Cream card stock that I layered with Pretty in Pink and Chocolate Chip.  The DP is from Imaginisce that I had just a little scrap left, but enough for this card.  I ran a piece of Chocolate Chip thru the CB with my Happy Birthday folder and used it as the base layer on the card.  I stamped the cone with Creamy Caramel on white cs and cut it out and placed it on the bottom of the DP panel.  I stamped the ice cream in Summer Sun, Pretty in Pink, Blush Blossom and Close to Cocoa inks then cut them out and taped them one on top of the other.  I stamped the sentiment from Hero Arts and punched it out with my 1 1/4" circle punch and layered it on to a 1 3/8" circle and scallop circle of the DP that I used.  I stamped Happy Birthday (a very old stamp from D.O.T.S.) on the inside and used my Close to Cocoa marker to color in the letters and I was complete.

I do have another card that I made with this set, but I will show that to you later this afternoon.  Got to have you keep coming back for more you know Ü

Have a great afternoon!!

Sorry for the delay

I'm sorry everyone for the delay in my posts, please forgive me.  Life has just been a little busy around here.  With Danielle's birthday and our dear friend visiting from the other coast, and even Betty stopping by for a crafty day.  Life just get's in the way sometimes, doesn't it?

I will get right to it...  Betty stopped by the other day and we had a play day.  Actually we got done fairly early and we just kinda talked for the afternoon.  It was nice and I miss her visits.  But this year she does not have a garden so she does not have all the canning that she had last year, so maybe I'll get to see her more often...  (keeping fingers crossed...)

I wanted to show you what we made, but I think that I will wait for that.  And I was not really happy with the turn out of my project - so I thought that I'd show you what I made after she left.  I tried to get her to make one while she was here - but time was not on our side.

I found this awesome template over at Creations by AR.  I love it!!  Isn't it the cutest??  It is called the Haute Tote template.  And yes, it was super easy to make.  There is a little bit of cutting, but I put this together in the chair in the living room in just a few minutes after dinner.  Really, it's super easy!!

I used some DP from SU - of course it's old discontinued paper called Candy Lane (I tend to use my all time favorites sparingly when they are discontinued).  The directions call for brads to hold the handles on, but I always go for eyelets,  I feel that they hold better.

There is a little pocket that you can put inside also, I'm not sure if you can see that or not.  I taped it, but the placement of the eyelets hold it in place.  See the little chain that I've got holding the "change purse" on the outside?  This is just the cutest little tote.  I can see me making lots of these for Danielle's friends for holidays.  You can fill them with candy, cookies, trinkets.  They are perfect to put little presents in ~ what an adorable display!

I hope that you hop on over and take a peek at this and the other templates they have.  I'm sure that you will find some inspiration!

Have a super great afternoon!!

We survived!

Yup, we survived Danielle's 18th birthday.  I still can not imagine that I have an 18 year old child.  It seems I was just taking her to kindergarten.  The time really does fly by ~ you have to cherish it.

I just wanted to show you a couple pictures of her day yesterday.  She had over a few friends and it was a nice afternoon that lasted until the evening...

All she wanted was an iphone for her birthday.  That's all I've heard for weeks.  I told her that I was not getting her one because we've bought enough phones and that was it.  Well, me being the evil mommy that I am...

I wrapped her presents last Monday and set them out in the living room.  After all, we wrap Christmas gifts and display them under the tree for a month, don't we??  But see the packages of walnuts on the table?  I took a big mailing box from the post office and wrapped her phone up.  Then I put it in the big mailing box with the walnuts to add the weight.  I took empty wrapping paper rolls and wedged them into the box so the phone would not slide around.  The box was a little heavy too.  She never suspected a phone.  As a matter of fact she "knew" for sure that it was not a phone...  he he he.....  I know, evil I am Ü

Then after they all wanted to play Twister.  When her boyfriend asked her what she wanted she told him that this is all she wanted was the Twister game.  So there was 5 of them in the living room playing Twister.  It was hilarious to watch.  She asked us if we wanted to play and I told her that if us "old folks" played we'd probably end up in traction for a week!

That's behind us now.  She is legal.  She can now vote.  She can now buy lottery tickets.  Now I can officially show my grey!

I hope to get some crafting done today ~ so after a (quick) walk with the dog I'm off to the craft room.  It looks like it's going to rain soon - thus the quick walk.

Have a super great day!!

SC280 For a Friend

Howdy everyone!  This post will be a quick one ~ I'm in between cleaning bathrooms right now.  Who ever thought that 3 bathrooms in a house would be good?  A man for sure who does not have to clean them Ü

Our good friend Joyce is on a plane right now from California!!  She makes the trip every year since we've moved out here.  I just love her ~ she's like my other Mother.  She'll be here for almost 6 weeks this time, yippity skippity!!  Hopefully we will get in some serious crafting time too!  Now I just have to get Betty over here....

Did I say quick post??  Sometimes my fingers ramble on and on and on....

I got a little time in yesterday to do the sketch challenge on SCS.  And it was perfect timing because I had to make a birthday card for a dear friend too!!

It was for sketch challenge 280 yesterday.  I look forward to those each week, even if I don't get around to doing them. 

The base card is Chocolate Chip that I layered with Creamy Caramel and some Pink Pirouette and Close to Cocoa DP.  The little girl image is Audrey from The Stamping Boutique, she's a digi image.  I colored her in with pencils and gamsol and cut her out and pop dotted her on to the card.  The sentiment is a stamp that I've had for years from SU! and the balloons are from Hero Arts.  I colored the balloons in with pencils and gamsol and then used stickles for a little "pop"...  sorry for the pun...  Then I added some rhinestones and I was complete.

I hope that you have a wonderful day today!!  See you tomorrow!

Shhh... Danielle's birthday card...

I think that I'm safe ~ Danielle really does not look at my blog.  I guess it's not "cool" enough.  So I want to share with you the card that I made for her.  Ricky's birthday is next month and I was going to make this card for him - but that was too many candles to cut out Ü so I thought that I'd do it for Danielle.

I knew what I wanted to do with the candles, and I thought that I'd have to cut them all out on my own ~ but then I pulled out my Cricut cartridges and I found something that would work for a candle base.  It was on the George and Basic Shapes Cartridge.  Then I needed something for the candle flame.  I used one of the leaves on the Walk in my Garden cartridge, it was perfect!  Now for the cake.  I had no idea.  I really thought that the cake was going to look kinda funky - what would I use??

So my book for Walk in my Garden was kinda tossed over to the right of my desk and I looked and I found it!!  I knew what I was going to use.  Can you guess??  It is actually 2 flower pots from Walk in my Garden.  The bottom is the full flower pot cut out of Chocolate Chip card stock at 4".  The top layer is a flower pot cut out at 3".  Then I cut some daises on the border setting for the "piping" on the cake.  I was so happy that the cake turned out.  I so hope that she likes it!! 

The best part of it was I used up a lot of scraps that I had laying around!

That's all I that I have for you today.  We've got some storms coming so I think that I'll shut the computer down for a while.  I hope that you have a super great afternoon!

My Mojo 138

Hi everyone!  I hope that today finds you well.  It's a rainy, gloomy day here today!!  I look out the window and it's "funeral" weather again.  It's so hard to take when it's been so pretty outside.  But oh well, at least I'll get caught up on my house chores.

Remember yesterday I mentioned that I won the freebies from Catherine and Softpencil?  Well, I needed to make up a card for the Mojo Monday challenge and I used one of the images I won.  It's not my best work, because I was a little tired yesterday afternoon.  I made a card for Danielle's 18th birthday that I'll show you later - and I said that I'd show you something with those images so I made this after dinner. 

The base card is Close to Cocoa that I layered with some light pink linen card stock and some DP that my dear friend Keersten sent me.  I colored the cuppy cake and cut that panel out and then colored another cuppy cake top and cut it out to layer on top of the first one.  I thought that I'd add a little sparkle to it and I used some glitter that I had bought years ago - when I was into the stencil phase.  I've got lots of this stuff, it's great.  I do like stickles, but what's great about this is it is dry right away ~ no need to wait for it to dry.  If you want to know more about it go to their site HERE.  Trust me, there is a lot to look at, you'll be there a while - but be sure to come back here Ü

Anyway, that's all there was to this card.  Be sure that you come back later to see what I made for Danielle's birthday - she's going to be 18 in just a few days (sniff sniff... my little girl's growing up...).

Have a great afternoon!!

Lookie what I won!!

I'm so excited!  I opened my email this morning and I had a message from Catherine from Le Coin De Catherine - and it said that I won the cupcake collection digis from Softpencil.  I am so darn excited!!  I've never won anything before ~ and how cool is it that it is cuppy cakes, too!!

I can't wait to use these!!  Come back tomorrow to see what I've done ~ in the meantime take a peek over at Catherine's blog and the Softpencil blog too!!  I'm sure that you'll like what you see!!

This is what I've been up to....

I've been scrappin' Danielle's prom pictures.  Of course this and that had to get in the way.  I'd sit down and then I'd be interupted...  Isn't that always the way.  But at least I've finished it before she graduated Ü

Wanna see?  Of course you do!!  Sorry though, it's a long post...

I used lot's of things to create these pages.  I think that I will just list all that I can remember.  If there is something that you see that you really like and need to know then just send me an e-mail and I will figure it out.  When I scrap it pretty much looks like a bomb went off.  There is stuff everywhere!  So here is what I can remember:

Martha Stewart pearls, paper DCWV, Bassill, Hot of the Press, SU!, SU! vellum, Kaiser scrap booking & EK Success gems, stickles, buttons, American Crafts - K&Co - Oriental Trading rub on's, SU! Hodge Podge hardware, Making Memories clear flowers, coluzzle, brads, eyelets, Heidi Swapp giant flowers, primas, 3M photo corners and 1 3/8" 1 1/4" & scallop circle punches.  All of the flourishes that were cut out were cut from my Cricut Storybook cartridge.  That's all I can remember off hand.  If there is something else you see I did not list, just ask and I'll try to figure it out for you.

Hope that these pages inspire you somehow!  Have a great evening!!

Good Morning!!

Good morning everyone!  I hope that today finds you well.  I did not even turn the computer on yesterday ~ so Happy 'belated' Mother's day!!

I sure hope that you all had a wonderful day yesterday.  I did!  I spent it with family and we had such a great day.  Of course we were outside and it was a little chilly, but we were together and it was great.  We went to the park here in town and had a little picnic.

Of course when we came home is when the sun came out!  But I still loved it.

So, that's why I don't really have anything for you today.  I will be back tomorrow with something to show you, promise.

Have a great day!!

More Mother's Day

Yup, more Mother's Day cards to show you!  I hope that it sparks some type of inspiration for you.  I know that sometimes I need all the inspiration I can get...

Here's another one of the cards that I made to send to my friends this Mother's day.  You can't forget your friends either on Mother's day.  Friends, sisters, Aunts, cousins...  Anyone who is a Mother.  It really is a thankless job sometimes, but it is so very rewarding.  I would never change a thing about it ~ the ups, the downs, it's all worth it.  I ♥ being a Mom and would not do one thing different.  Whoops, there I go again - off track...  sorry.

The base card is Barely Banana (I'm going to miss that color.  It's so feminine.) and I layered it with Blush Blossom and Certainly Celery.  I stamped the image from Darcie's and colored it in with my pencils and gamsol then layered it on to a piece of Certainly Celery and adhered it to the card.  I also paper pierced the card at the upper left and lower right corners - it looked just too plain without it I thought.

I stamped the word "friend" in Pink Passion ink and punched it out with my word window punch.  I had a piece of scrap of Certainly Celery that I ran thru my cuttlebug with the swiss dots folder so I punched it out with my Modern Label punch and adhered the sentiment on to it and added it to the card with pop dots.

Inside I took a piece of Blush Blossom card stock and adhered it to the card and matted a piece of white card stock that I stamped the words "Happy Mother's Day" in Certainly Celery ink.  I took a piece of Certainly Celery card stock and punched it out with my Martha Stewart punch and added that inside for a little more detail. 

If you look at the up close picture you can see that I added just a little touch of stickles to the flowers for a little extra "pretty".

I hope that you enjoy it and there is a spark of inspiration that it gave you! 

Wishing you all a wonderful Mother's day!

Sorry about yesterday...

I'm really sorry about yesterday.  I had a doctor appointment in the morning and we decided to get a Subway lunch and go to the park.  It was a beautiful day!  It was Ricky, Mom, Dixie and I.  We ate lunch and walked around for a while.  I took pictures ~ whenever I go someplace I've got the camera in my hand, so let me share with you.

It was Dixie's first time at seeing a duck and goose up close.  She didn't know what to make of them, but they stayed away from her!  I still got to feed them though.  You don't have to be little to feed the ducks, I still enjoy it!

Mom did not walk around like we did, but she still enjoyed the day.  It was beautiful!!  It was a little warm but there was a slight breeze so it was pleasant.  I know that I'm going to be going back as much as I can til it gets too hot.

So I promise that I'll be back tomorrow with something to share.  It's getting close to Mother's day, do you have your cards ready?

Have a super great day!!

Don't forget...

Dont forget that today is Teacher Appreciation day!  Let's celebrate all those teachers out there!  If you missed it, this is what I made for Danielle's teachers - take a peek HERE.  And if you didn't make anything - send them an e-card just so they know that they are in your thoughts.

For (my) Mom

With all the Mother's Day cards I made I had not yet made one for my Mom.  I wanted to make something extra special for her - after all we all want to make our Mom the perfect card, right?  At first I wanted to make an easel card and I sat down to make it and out popped a Tri-Shutter card.  That was a long way from an easel card but I'm glad.  It turned out nice I think.  I know that she'll like it.  So, you wanna see it?  Of course you do!

She likes blues so that's what I went with on this card.  The base is Soft Sky that I layered with paper from the Maine Blueberry collection.  I stamped the image from PSX and colored it in with my pencils and gamsol.  I cut out the flower image and Certainly Celery base with my oval and scallop oval nesties and attached it to the front of the card.  The sentiment is from Paper Parachute and I stamped it in with Brocade Blue ink.  The butterflies are punched out with the SU! butterfly punch.  I added some primas and some shimmer paint around the main image and I was done.

I thought that it turned out fairly nice, don't you?  I know that this one is a keeper.  Like I said blues are her favorite colors.

What have you made for Mother's day?  I'd love to see - leave me a link and I'll take a peek! 

Have a super great day!!

Flooded...

Remember I told you that Danielle was home from school because of the flooding?  Here is some pictures I took from our upstairs window.

These are the houses right across the street.  Good thing that our house is higher up on a slight hill than those. 

The water is right between the houses!  Eeekk!!!

We are fine - and the water is starting to recede.  But there are so many here in this state and the neighboring ones that have lost so much.  Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.  And never take anything for granted.

Mod Podge of cards

Good Morning everyone!  I hope that today finds you well and dry.  Danielle is home from school today ~ they closed the schools.  We had so much rain over the weekend that lots of schools here are closed due to flooding.  And as I'm looking out the window I can't beleive it - it's so sunny and warm out.  Yes, we do need the rain but not all at once.  I look out the other window and I see that Elkhorn Creek is way over it's banks.  There is water up to the back doors of the neighbors houses. 

I think that I'll stay in and just work on some cards.  I have a couple of cards to show you, but I can't seem to find the recipies for them.  They are around here someplace, just not where I need them to be at the moment.  If there is something that you want to know about, just leave me a comment and I'll figure it out for you.

I had made some cards a while back for Danielle's teacher and she asked for something for a little boy that had something to do with a fire truck.  I found this image over at Mo's Digital Pencil.  Isn't he the cutest?  Only having Danielle and never a little boy I like to make cards for them.  Go check out Mo's - I'm sure that you'll find something there you like...  just be sure to come back Ü

Something about this card that I just love.  Maybe it is the black with the colors?  The pink and the green?  The polka dots?  I dunno, I just like it...

For some reason this image reminds me of Danielle.  I don't know why either.  Maybe it's just the "fashion-ista" ~ but it just does.  Actually if it was a phone in her hand and not an ipod then it would be her Ü  But then that would describe most of the population of teenager's wouldn't it?  I'm constantly being told "this does not go with that" or "wear this, not that".  I swear, how did I survive all these years without her?  he he he...

I'm off to go create something.  Don't forget, Mother's day is only 6 day's away.  Are your cards made?\

Have a great day!