The Secret Word is.....

Oh, I will share the secret word with you in just one moment...

But first let me tell you about the challenge for the card on my blog today. The challenge came from Jeanette and was as follows: "Who loves a secret? I know I do! Let's have a secret ONE-WORD challenge. This is how it will work. Each Calendar Girl will come up with a one-word challenge for the Calendar Girl who follows her on the list. It can only be ONE WORD, but it can be any word (glitter, three, apple, blue, holiday, sponging, friendship.... whatever word you choose!) Then secretly email or PM that ONE WORD challenge to the next person on the list and she will create a card that in some way represents that word." I received my word from Michelle and my secret word was....

"WILDERNESS"

And here is my card...(click on the image of the card to get a better look at the sentiment. Sorry it didn't show up better.)

I used Crumb Cake, Chocolate Chip and Always Artichoke CS. My ribbon is Early Espress from SU! The tree image is from the SU set called Lovely as a Tree and is stamped in Always Artichoke. The wolf image is stamped in Chocolate Chip and the sentiment in Early Espresso. Both are from the SU set called "In Wilderness." I added a photo corner punch in Crumb Cake with an antique brad.

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to check out all the Calendar Girls' "secret word" creations on their blogs. See my sidebar for a listing of their blogs.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

What Can We Do In The Forest?

I swap cards with a great group of gals on SCS. Every few months we have a new "Forest Swap." It's a forest swap, because the hostess of each and every forest swap is "Forest Ranger." We have a lot of fun in these swaps. There have been many, many forest swaps now. Our lastest swap was titled "What Can We Do In The Forest." Every swapper was to make a card of something you could do in the forest. Things like hiking, picnicing, camping, making S'Mores, etc.

With it being close to Christmas I decided to use a set I got quite some time ago from Queen Kat Designs. I love this little guy off to get his Christmas Tree!!! And what better thing to do in the forest at this time of year!!!

I used Whisper White and Real Red cardstock. The designer paper is some I picked up at either Joann's or Michael's. I used my Nestabilities and my scallped edged punch to complete my layout and colored the image with my Copics. The sign is stamped in Real Red ink and the Gnome image is stamp in Memento Ink, the color is Bamboo Leaves.

Thanks for stopping by and Merry Christmas!

Calendar Girls' Challenge - CAS Christmas

This year I wanted to create a CAS Christmas card that I could mail using just one postage stamp. It worked out perfectly that our Calendar Girls' challenge this month was to post a Christmas card to our blog. I found this layout on SCS. I changed the designer paper and I used my scalloped border punch instead of ribbon to keep the card flat and mailable.

I used Confetti White and Cherry Cobbler cardstock. I love the designer paper, however, I cannot remember where I got it from. My sentiment is from the SU set "Heard from the Heart" and is stamped in Cherry Cobbler.

Thanks for stopping by. Please check out all the Calendar Girls' blogs...see my sidebar.

Mystery Image Swap

Good afternoon!

Today on my blog is a card I made for a swap I am invovled in on SCS. There is a group of us that swap every other month and the image we receive from that month's hostess is a complete mystery until we open the envelope and see it for ourselves.

The image is from Whippersnappers! Isn't he adorable? His name is Prescott. I had such fun making this card. I love the small pearls that I added to the snowflakes...you just have to have some of those. I used Black, White, Marina Mist and Rose Red cardstock. I colored Prescott with my Copic Markers; used my MS icicle punch on the Marina Mist CS and added the Marina Mist ribbon. The DP is "Snow Much Fun" by Three Bugs in a Rug.

Thanks for stopping by. Happy Thanksgiving.

What Not to Wear Duel

Hello friends!

This month's Duel theme was..."WHAT NOT TO WEAR to this year's holiday party." 

Our hostess, Jeanette, sent us a kit that was "full of papers and embellishments that at first glance look atrocious."  The image had to include clothing in some way.  So we were to take the atrocious looking kit and make a card and we could alter the kit items to make them appear more compatible. 

There was so much in the kit I could have made four cards...but here are the two that I made.  I hope I met the challenge and made my cards "wearable."

The buttons, brads, designer paper and image are from the kit. I only used some of my own cardstock and colored with my copics.

Please check out the other Dueling Darlings "wearable" cards. See my sidebar for their blogs.

Thanks for stopping by.

Spooktacular Calendar Girls' Challenge

The Calendar Girls were challenged this month to make a Halloween themed card.  We had to use purple on our card.  We needed to have three layers, one of which was DP.  We also needed to use two embellishments and one had to be glitter.

As some of you know, my oldest loves her tarantula, so when I saw the spider DP from SU...I had to get it and do something with it.  I found the great punch art spiders on SCS.  I used Elegant Eggplant, Old Olive, Basic Black and Whisper White cardstock.  I ran the spider DP through my spider web embossing folder also from SU and added a GLITTER glue smile to Spidey.  I colored my linen thread with white craft ink and hung the little bugger from a white brad.  The sentiment is from SU's Teeny Tiny Wishes set.

Our wonderful hostess, Tami, also wanted us to share what is our favorite candy to find in our trick-or-treat bag and a fun thing we do for Halloween.  We really don't celebrate Halloween as some do, but we do take our kids to a Fall Festival at their school.  My favorite candy...hmmm...I do like chocolate.  But at this time of year...I really want to find me some candy corn in my trick-or-treat bag (she says as she pops one into her mouth.)  YUM!
Thanks for stopping by and please check out all the Calendar Girls' spooktacular creations.  You can find their blogs in my sidebar.

Time to Duel

YAY!!! I am on time for this duel! The card on my blog today is for another round of the Dueling Darlings. A group of blogging and card making friends who have it out each month with a friendly card making competition.

The hostess this month for the Dazzlers was Darlene. And what an absolutely awesome kit she sent her team. Oh my, there was so much goodness in this kit I probably could have made several cards. The kit included the stamped image from a SU set called Sweet Seasons (colored with my Copics); DP from The Paper Studio, "All Seasons" and "All Seasons II" and from DCWV "The Natural." Embellishments included silk leaves from The Paper Studio; fall die cuts from K and Company; brads (used for the wagon wheels) and Balsa Wood ovals to have fun with!
So here is my card, both front and inside....

I did stamp my sentiment from SU's Teeny Tiny Wishes onto a small Balsa Wood oval and set it off with the punched scallped oval and die cut leaves behind it. 

I also made a pumpkin from the remaining Balsa Wood ovals, that I will use on another creation.  I stamped the ovals with Pumpkin Pie ink and used punches to make the stem and leaf. 

Darlene also asked that we post our favorite fall recipe.  I think one thing I really start making a lot of this time of year and through the winter is chili!  So here is an easy and delicious chili recipe:

Brown: 1 lbs ground beef, 1-2 stalks of chopped celery  and 1 1/4 C chopped onion; once browned:  add 1 large can Tomato Soup and 1 large can beans and cook 10 minutes.
Make a paste out of the following:
1 1/2-2 TB chili powder; 1 TB flour; 1 tsp. salt; 3 TB water.  Stir paste into chili and simmer 45 minutes.  (I also brown the beef, celery and onion and then throw that and the remaining ingredients in my crock pot on low for the day and it turns out great!)

Thanks for stopping by and please check out all the Darlings creations.  See my sidebar for their blogs!

Sisterhood September Challenge - Making the Grade

Our Sisterhood September challenge from Jeanette this month was to create a card using school supplies.  The card could also have a school theme although it didn't have too but the main challenge was to use school supplies to create the card. 

I used Cherry Cobbler, Baja Breeze and White cardstock.  My DP is from Cloud 9 Design.  My image of the little school girl is from SU's Greeting Card Kids.  My sentiment is from SU's Teeny Tiny Wishes and I used SU's new Dotted Scallop Ribbon punch.  I colored my image with my Copics.  For my school supplies...I used a brown lunch bag and embossed with my Cuttlebug Numbers embossing folder.  The flower is made using SU's Floral Fusion Sizzlits and cut out of paper from a Kindergarten writing tablet (remember the paper with the wide blue lines and the dotted line through the middle?) and glued together with a glue stick.  How's that for some school supplies?  LOL!! 

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy your weekend.

September Calendar Girls Challenge

It's time for the Calendar Girls Challenge. This month our hostess, Paola, Miss September, gave us the following challenges to choose from:

1. Music. Create a card reflecting the lyrics of the three song choices she gave us.

2. Education. Create a card with a special teacher in mind and the card must have an apple on it somewhere.

3. Children. Create a card reflecting something a child would like to do, i.e. playing, reading, toys or sports. The card also had to be cheeful and reflect the Fall colors.

I chose challenge number 3. I used the fall color scheme of Ruby Red, More Mustard and Old Olive. (I saw this color scheme and image on a card on SCS) so I used that and added my swinging boy and sentiment and a few extras. My images are stamped on Very Vanilla. I used SU's Season of Frienship and Recess sets for my images. Added a couple of buttons with some twine and used my photo corner and oval punches. Swinging was something I loved to do as a child and so does my youngest. We are also to gift our card to a child (other than ours) who may need a little lift or smile. At this time, I am not sure who I will gift my card too but I do work in a school so I am sure I can find someone to gift it to there or at my kids' school.

Thanks for stopping by and please check out the other Calendar Girls blogs (see my sidebar).

Happy Fall!

School Days

The card on my blog is for this month's Duel between the Divas and the Dazzlers. Our hostess this month, April, sent us a "too cool for school" kit!!!

Included in our kit was: designer paper from Me & My Big Ideas and DCWV; Reflections blue star glitter tape; ABC ribbon from CTMH; adorable school bus die cut courtesty of Diva Jamie and the images by Perfecctly Clear Stamps/Stampendous ~ "School for Changito". I also used Basic Black, Real Red and Whisper White cardstock. Colored my images with Copic Markers and added a library clip from SU! I used my circle punches and Cuttlebug circles for my images.

Thanks for stopping by and please check out the other Divas and Dazzlers cards (see my sidebar) if you haven't already...cuz I am late to this duel!

"Sew" Glad Were Friends

This month's Calendar Girls theme was "Sew" Glad Were Friends. The challenges were to use some kind of stitching on the card, at least one button as an embellishment, and the sentiment "Sew" Glad Were Friends. We also are to send our card to a friend and tell them how much we appreciate them and that we are "sew" glad they are our friend.

I used Poppy Parade, Garden Green and Very Vanilla cardstock. My designer paper is Material Girl from Cosmo Cricket. The image and sentiment on the inside of the card are from a retired SU set called I Like Your Style. The sentiment on the front of the card was made using a small snap stamp set from Joann's. I used my sewing machine to stitch together my cardstock and designer papers. (I need more practice.) I added my green button as required and some great ribbon that looks like a sewing tape measure. I found this ribbon years ago at a local scrapbooking store but do not know who makes it.

I am sending this card to someone who over the past couple of years has been a wonderful friend and prayer warrior as well as an encourager when I have hit some stressful times. She is a wonderful gift from God! I hope she likes my card.

Thanks for stopping by and please check out all the other Calendar Girls' creations. Links to their blogs are in my sidebar.

Dueling Darlings....

The Divas and the Dazzlers are dueling again. The card on my blog is made from the kit I received from our hostess, Paola. Being that some places have been sweltering in the heat...the theme this month was "It Is Hot...Let's Keep it Cool!"

We received a wonderful kit from Paola that had this great image called Poolside Chicken, by Penny Black. Designer papers by DCWV and K&Company, velumn quotes by DCWV, satin flower from Michaels, ribbons from SU and Michaels. A faux button, and self adhesive stickers and zig zag cardstock border. I colored the image with my copics and even remembered to decorate the inside of my card this month. I added some glitter in the drinking glass although it doesn't show up too well. The sentiment on the outside of the card is from a retired SU set called, Lots of Thoughts.

One of my most special keeping it cool memories is when we had a trampoline and we would put the sprinkler underneath it to cool off. My favorite keeping it cool treat...is a DQ vanilla milkshake!

Thanks for stopping by. Please check out the other Dazzlers and Divas creations. For their blogs, please see my sidebar.

Have a wonderful day!

July Calendar Girls Challenge

Morning!

So....I am very late to this challenge but I am finally here!! Our July Calendar Girls Challenge hosted by Michelle, was to create a card or project without using a stamped image.

I have to admit...I totally cased my project. But I saw this great I-Tunes gift card holder and new it was perfect for this challenge. The project was inspired by stampingschool.com. If you want to know how to make the gift card holder and get the template (playlist/dial), all the information is at http://www.stampingschool.com/. It's a fanstastic website and you should run over there right now and sign up. So as I said...I completely cased my project. But how cute are they?!?!?!!!

I think I will make a bunch of these in different colors as it seems my kids always want to give their friends I-Tunes gift cards!!

Thanks for stopping by!

Christmas in July

Morning!

The card on my blog today is a card I made for a swap that I am in on SCS. Our theme for this month's card was Christmas in July. I wasn't sure I was going to be able to wrap my head around that theme this early...LOL...but I did!!! And I do believe I will be making several more of these for our Christmas cards this year.

I used Riding Hood Red, Whisper White, Basic Black, Baja Breeze and Old Olive cardstock. The designer paper is from BasicGrey called eskimo kisses rooftop. I embellished with Riding Hood Red ribbon and my photo corner punch (SU!) and used my Nestabilities for my image. The image is from the set Greeting Card Kids from Stampin' Up! and the sentiment is from the Stampin' Up! set A Cardinal Christmas.

Thanks for stopping by.

Mystery Image

The card on my blog today is a card I made for a mystery image swap. It's so fun to stalk the mailman waiting to see what the image is going to be for the next round!!!

This month, our hostess, Paola, sent us this adorable image. If memory serves me correct, the image is from Whippersnappers. She also sent cute paper butterflies and the baubles I used in the center of my flowers.

My cardstock is Whisper White, Certainly Celery and Cameo Coral. Sorry, I made this card over a month ago and cannot remember where the DP is from. I embellished with the baubles and Whisper White and Certainly Celery ribbon.

Thanks for stopping by.

Dueling Darlings

Today on my blog is my card I made for our monthly duel. That's right the Dazzlers and Divas are at it again. And our theme this month was "Garden of Friendship." Our hostess, Terry, sent an incredible kit. Sadly however, in the gigantic task of moving several rooms around in our house, I misplaced the embellishments to my kit :(. But all was not lost as I did end up with a craft room (YAY!!) and did have the image, sentiment and DP. So to complete my card, I added embellishments that I had here on hand.

According to Terry, the kit included the image and sentiment: Fred Bear "Oopsie Daisies" from My Favorite Things. There was wonderful DP from DCWV and Me & My Big Ideas. Lots of felt flowers, buttons, ribbon and a doily.

So here is what I came up with. I used the sketch from this week's MTF's sketch challenge. I colored the image with my Copics and used the DP paper from the kit. I used Whisper White, Rose Red and Basic Black cardstock. I embellished my card with white brads and felt flowers from SU! And since I didn't have the original doily Terry sent I cut out a "doily" (sort of...) using one of my Spellbinders.

Our challenge was to give a story or memory of a good friend. I'd just have to say that I have the best BFF! She is always there for me in the good times and bad! So blessed she is in my life.

You can check out all the Darlings creations on their blogs, which are in my sidebar.

Thanks for stopping by!

Calendar Girls Challenge

Good afternoon!

It's the 28th of the month and that means it's time to post our cards for the Calendar Girls' challenge. With summer coming, our hostess, Miss June (Carol), challeneged us to make a card that displays something we look forward to.

Living in a place with a long, dark winter I always look forward to summer and SUNSHINE!! I get out in it every chance I can get. And I look forward to watching my kids play. So my pocket card displays SUNSHINE and a the kids having a pool party enjoying the summer weather.

I used Crumb Cake, Poppy Parade, Baja Breeze and Whisper White cardstock. The DP is from a retired pack of paper from Stampin' Up! The ribbon is Poppy Parade from SU! I made the clouds using the sponging technique and a scalloped circle. I added the small flowers with pearl centers and the grass border to give the card a little more summery look. I paper pieced the swimming pool with the DP and colored the rest of the image with Copic and SU markers.

Thanks for stopping by and please check out the other Calendar Girls' blogs in my sidebar.

Hey Sports Fans!

Afternoon!

The card on my blog today is for a swap I am in on SCS. It's a great group of gals that swap cards every month. This month our theme was sports related cards.

Well since my boys are in the middle of a very busy baseball season, I figured a baseball card was appropriate. However, since I am the dedicated mom sitting out there cheering them on come rain or shine...I decided to use the digi stamp, Tomboy Audrey from The Greeting Farm. It represents me out there cheering my boys on!!!! LOL!! I did use the color scheme, red, white and blue because those are the team colors for my oldest son's baseball team.

I saw this great layout on SCS and loved the rosette behind the image. I am sorry I cannot now find the card to give proper credit for the layout. And I did change the layout a little bit. I used Real Red, Whisper White and Not Quite Navy cardstock along with some designer paper from Cosmo Cricket. I used some small circle punches and the Sporting set from Stampin' Up! I embellished with a red button and some Baker's Twine and stitched along the round cardstock behind my image to make it look like a baseball.

Thanks for stopping by.

The Darlings are Dueling Again!

Hi everyone!

Yep...it's that time...time to post our duel creations! The theme for this month is "The Great Outdoors." And our hostess, Michelle, sent us a wonderful kit. The kit included the Whippersnappers image Roasting Mellos Bear, designer paper from the Imaginisce Happy Camper line. (IT IS SO CUTE!!!) Ribbon from American Crafts, a great pine cone brad from the Eyelet Outlet and buttons from October Afternoon Campfire.

The designer paper was so great that I chose a layout that would use some of each side of the dp so I could see it all. I think I used three out of the four sides of dp. I even ran out to Michael's today to see if I could find it there, I love it so much! Thanks Michelle! And I even remembered to decorate the inside!

With our post we were to share an experience either good or bad relating to the topic. My dad took us camping several times when I was a kid...and I remember being so excited the first time I caught a fish, I scared my dad to death. My brother and I were fishing down on the bank of the river and my dad was up just a ways at our campsite. I was screaming and hollering with excitement and my poor dad came running and was terrified something was wrong. The look on that poor man's face...and I was just thrilled!

Thanks for stopping by. And please check out the other Dazzlers' and Divas' creations. There are links in my sidebar to their blogs.

A Muse & MFT

Good afternoon!

Today on my blog are two cards I made for a swap on SCS.

The first card uses a stamp from A Muse. I have used this layout several times because I think it works really well with the small stamps. My sentiment is from SU's Teeny Tiny Wishes. I used Pretty in Pink, Whisper White, Kiwi Kiss, Chocolate Chip and Taken with Teal cardstock. My DP is some that I picked up at Michael's or Joann's. I used my Nestabilities and my punches on the image and the sentiment, adding brown brads to the sentiment. I colored the image using Copic markers.

My second card is using one of the new "a la mode" stamps from My Favorite Things. I love these stamps! I used Whisper White, Baja Breeze, Marina Mist and Real Red cardstock. I ran my Marina Mist cardstock through my Cuttlebug using the Swiss Dots embossing folder. My DP is from Cosmo Cricket. I used my circle Nestabilties for the image and added some Marina Mist ribbon for my embellishment. I colored part of the image with my Copics and paper pieced the rubber boots and fish, using some of the DP.

Thanks for stopping by.

Shaping Up for Summer!

That's right...the Calendar Girls are shaping up!!! Well, our cards are anyway.

Barb, this month's hostess, challenged us to make a shape card. And to make one that we had never tried making before. Or, to use a design that we had never used before.

I made a Spring Card. I have seen several of these cards on blogs and on SCS and never tried making one because I thought it would be complicated. NOT TRUE! it was so easy to make and you can find a tutorial on splitcoaststampers under the resources tab.

I used Bravo Burgundy, Close to Cocoa, Marina Mist and Whisper White card stock. My designer paper is by Creative Imaginations called "Old Guys Rule." I stamped the large sentiment/image using Marina Mist ink and the stamp is from a retired SU set called "So Cool." I used Bravo Burgundy ink for my happy birthday sentiment which is from SU's Teeny Tiny Wishes set and for the small words on the image. Stampin' Up! punches and circle nestabilities were also used.

Thanks for stopping by. Have a safe and fun Memorial Day weekend!

I'M LATE!!! BUT SHE (JEANETTE) IS GREAT!!!

Hi Friends!

I apologize for my delay in posting. I was supposed to have this project posted by May 15th. It's the May round of the Dueling Darlings. But I ended up sick and very much delayed in posting.

My wonderful friend Carol, from the Divas' team and I were this month's hostesses. We decided that we would like to show appreciation to the two team leaders. Jeanette, is the team leader for our Dazzler team and Kelly is the team leader for the Divas. The Dueling Darlings was their brainchild and we wanted to give a shout out to each of them because we all love them so much!!!! So our challenge this month was that when you posted your card/project to your blog you were to give a shout out to your team leader. We kept this a secret from Jeanette and Kelly.

One thing both Jeanette and Kelly have in common is their love of their Starbucks. So Carol and I decided that we would center this month's theme around coffee and friendship. This month's theme was "The Perfect Blend." (And what is better than coffee with a girlfriend...or tea, or a soda...you get the idea.)

I can't say enough about Jeanette. She is always nice and encouraging to everyone. Makes everyone feel very welcome in her swaps and always has a kind word to say. She had a wonderful sense of humor and a compassionate soul. She is a wonderful prayer warrior and I am truly blessed to share my burdens and victories with her. I am honored to call her my friend.

This month I decided to make a bag using a brown paper lunch sack. I will fill it with some small packages of flavored coffee or some chocolate covered coffee beans and give it away as a gift.

My main image is Hot Java Divas from Whippersnappers which I colored with my Copics. I also used Tiny Tea Cup from SU! And the sentiment is Latte Love from Fiskars. The designer paper is Friends Cream from DCWV and Yummy Coffee Beans from Hot off the Press/Paper Pizzaz. I cannot recall where I bought the twill from but it has the word "coffee" on it and then some coffee beans. Thanks for stopping by!

Summer Picnic

YAY!!! Summer has finally arrived. We have had some rain to green things up. We have had some sun to warm us up. And yes, now...the bugs are here!! And so is our LOOOOONG days of daylight!! It's officially summer!

Today on my blog is a recipe card I made for a Summer Picnic Recipe swap. I used Real Red, Glorious Green and White cardstock. My DP is some that I picked up at Joann's. I used my smallest circle punch to make the faux brads, my oval punches for the sentiment and my scalloped border punch for the green strip of cardstock. I took a small piece of the DP and covered the chipboard bowl (Maya Road) so that it would match the card. I love the ants on the DP because, of course, a picnic is not complete without ants!

Thanks for stopping by. Have a great day.

K is for Kindergarten

Morning!

This coming week is Teacher Appreciation Week at my kids' school. So I wanted to come up with a gift for my two youngests' teachers. I found a tutorial at http://www.stampingschool.com/ for these cool notebook cases.

I used an empty plastic stamp case from Stampin' Up! The designer paper is from Creative Imaginations that I bought at either Joann's or Michaels. I used real Kindergarten writing paper and my Top Note die to create the "Notes" label on the front. Then cut out the bookworm from part of the designer paper and placed it over the Top Note Die. I used Real Red and Old Olive ribbon and my circle punches to cut out the apple and mount it to Real Red cardstock for the ribbon ties. The pocket on the inside is made with Summer Sun and Basic Black cardstock. Again, I cut out this fun image of the crayon from the designer paper to put on the front of the pocket. My Kindergartener will make a small thank you card to tuck into the pocket.

I found some small clipboards with note pads on clearance ($2 each) at Office Max. The note pad measures 5 x 7. And I used the note pad from the clipboard as it was the exact size I needed. Hoping to decorate the clipboards for another project some day. I also found some small, sleek pens at Office Max that fit at the bottom of the note pad and the case will still close.

Check out the tutorial. These were fun and easy to make. And what a great teacher gift. Thanks for stopping by.

April Calendar Girls Challenge

It's the 28th of the month and that means it's time for the Calendar Girls Challenge. Our hostess, Terry, knowing how tired we all are of winter and figuring we are all looking forward to spring SHOWERS that bring summer flowers challenged us to create a card using an image of a duck, puddle, umbrella or anything resembling rain or water. And secondly, we were to use a technique on our card that was water related.

Because my image was small, I used the Folded Paper Frame technique (found at Splitcoast Stampers) to frame my image. My image is from CTMH and colored with Copics. I used Taken with Teal, Basic Black, Whisper White and Pumpkin Pie cardstock. My designer paper is Funfetti Streamer from We R Memory Keepers. The splish splash sticker is from a scrapbook kit I picked up in the $1 section at Target. For my water related technique, I used Crystal Effects on the ripples around the duck and on the water spouting from his mouth.

Thank you for stopping by. To check out the other Calendar Girls' creations please see my sidebar. Have a great day!

April Mystery Image Swap

Today is the day to post our creations we made with the mystery image we received from Tami!

How cute is this image??!!!! She is from The Angel Company. Tami also sent us a piece of DP from Making Memories and the ticket embellishment from House of 3.

I saw a tutorial on SCS for a gift cardholder and really had been wanting to try to make one. So...instead of making the standard card I made gift card/money holders for my creation. I used Baja Breeze, Chocolate Chip and Summer Sun cardstock. My DP is from Prima Marketing from the Umbrella Collection. I used Chocolate Chip ribbon to tie the holder closed. The sentiment on the oval punch says "for a rainy day."

Thanks for stopping by.

Dueling It Out at the Movies!!!!

It's April 15th...and it's not all about taxes!!!!

But it is about the Dueling Darlings. We are dueling it out this month at the movies!!! Our hostesses for April came up with the theme of "Movie Night." Melina, the hostess for the Dazzler's team sent us a great kit to work with. And since her kids think there is no better movie than Toy Story....we received adorable stamped images by EK Success of Buzz Light Year and Woody. The kit also included designer paper from the DCWV Fall Stack and Toy Story DP from Creative Memories. Also in the kit were star buttons, silver brads, twine and a chocolate chip top note embossed with the Cuttlebug spots and dots folder.

So our goal for the duel is to use all or part of the kit to create a card.

I picked the Woody image because my youngest daughter is really into Toy Story right now and she loves Woody! I absolutely love the Toy Story paper and knew I had to use it. I used Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa, Summer Sun and Brocade Blue cardstock. I colored Woody with my Copic markers and added the twine to the card and the star buttons. I adhered the buttons with glue dots and then added a few more paper punched stars (used the small star punch from SU) and put the silver brads into the middle of the stars.

Thanks for stopping by the duel and please check out all the other Darlings' creations (see my sidebar).

S'more Recycling in the Forest!

Today the card on my blog is a card I made for a Forest swap. I have been in several of the "Forest Friends" swap on SCS and they are wonderful swaps with a GREAT group of ladies!

Our challenge for this swap was to create any card with a forest theme. However, we were to use a recycled item on our card.

My image is "Maxwell" from Kraftin Kimmie Stamps and I thought he was just perfect for a forest themed swap. I used Natural White, Not Quite Navy, Ruby Red and Mellow Moss cardstock. My designer paper is from Cosmo Cricket. I created the flower in the corner with my scalloped circle and circle punches using a brown lunch bag my son brought home. I added an artichoke button to the center of the flower. I used my scalloped ovals and oval Nestabilities to frame the image.

Thanks for stopping by.

Calendar Girls Challenge

Morning!!! Coffee anyone?

This month our hostess, April, challenged the Calendar Girls to create a card about something we are looking forward to and to use a product or technique that "scared" us. And then she provided a great sketch for us to use.

Most people are probably looking forward to summer or spring, and yes, I am too. But...the one thing that really came to my mind is the small amount of time I have alone some mornings. Some mornings, after I get my husband and kids out the door...then it is my time to sit and have a couple cups of coffee, read my devotions, blog hop, read the news, answer emails, visit with my incredible on-line friends and so on. Don't get me wrong, I love my husband and kids very much...but that little bit of "me" time is so relaxing and enjoyable.

So my card relfects my morning time. And yes, I do look forward to it!! My image is Polka Dot Mug from Whippersnappers. The sentiment is from the SU set called You're a Gem. My cardstock colors are Early Espresso (how appropriate huh?), Whisper White and Cool Caribbean. The designer paper is from American Crafts. The ribbon is Early Espresso from SU. I also used several different punches and Nestabilities. I colored my image with my Copic marker. And the product that "scared" me...is the Smooch I used. I am not sure if you can see it in the photo really, but I painted the polka dots and stripe on the mug with Smooch Pearlized Accent Ink. (The delicious cookie was made by a couple of my children...and yes, it was yummy!!)

Thanks for stopping by.

Waiting for Summer....

I have had enough snow and am patiently waiting for summer...or not so patiently waiting. To help pass the time I joined my friend Barb's card swap. The requirements were to use a stamp from Whipper Snappers and the theme had to be spring or summer related.

At first I was thinking flowers and bright colors...but then I came across this stamp I had purchased and had yet to see ink. And, since I have a couple boys why not do a baseball themed summer card as we have spent many summers on the baseball field.

I used the stamp "Reggie" from Whipper Snappers. My cardstock is Whisper White, Real Red and Creamy Caramel. The grassy DP is from Sandylion. I colored Reggie with my Copics and then mounted the image on Real Red cardstock in the center of my baseball diamond. I used my MS grass border punch as well. I sponged Creamy Caramel ink around my baseball diamond as well as the bases (used 3/4" square punch) because it all had to look a little dirty and dusty or it just wouldn't be baseball. The word "All Star" on the inside is from SU's set called Sporting.

Thanks for stopping by. Wishing you all a great day.

Bring Out the Kid in You

Well it's time for the first round of the second go-around of the Dueling Darlings. It's the Dazzlers v. the Divas. As you know from previous posts we are just a big group of gals who create cards each month with kits we receive and it is all done in good, clean fun.

Our kit this month was from Jeanette and it was spectacular! Our challenge was to use something we'd find with toys (crayon wrapper, felt, tissue paper flower, etc.) The kit included the image "Kelly & Annie" from Me and My Big Ideas. The sentiment is from Hero Arts. Designer paper from DCWV The Guy Stack(blue), EK Success (Scrabble paper), and My Mind's Eye (floral). Embellishments were flowers, ribbon (SU-Blushing Bride), brads and a real Scrabble tile.

I used Basic Black, Bermuda Bay and Regal Rose cardstock from SU! I also used my Nestabilities for the image and my scalloped punch (SU) for the card layout. I searched and searched through my youngest's toy boxes to find something for the "challenge." The white lace you see is actually off an old headband that I found in the bottom of the toy box which was way too small for her now. And...just for the record...my Scrabble tile is on a triple word score space!

Thanks for looking!

I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream For Ice Cream

I am involved in a recipe card swap on SCS. So today on my blog I have posted my first recipe card for that swap. We each took a letter of the alphabet and made a recipe card based on that letter. One of my letters was the letter "I." And, I have a great recipe (from my wonderful friend Carol) called Ice Cream Sandwich Dessert. OH YUM!!

I originally made this as a 4x6 and then realized it was supposed to be 6x6. OOPS! So I glued the 4x6 card to 6x6 CS and then added another dripping border and extra ice cream sandwich. I searched the SCS gallery for ice cream punch art and found this cute idea from "wardd" for the ice cream sandwiches. Here is the link to her blog http://scrappygirltherapy.blogspot.com/.

I used Chocolate Chip and Very Vanilla cardstock for the card. The ice cream sandwiches are punched using my large oval punch and my scalloped oval punch. I stamped the tops of the ice cream sandwiches with my polka dot background stamp (SU) to give it the "dimples" you see on ice cream sandwiches. Lastly I added a couple of "drippy goo" (MS punch) borders since the recipe does call for chocolate syrup.

Enjoy!

What's My Style?

Honestly....I really don't have any! LOL!!

The Calendar Girls were all invited to a Ball this month! Our challenge was to make a card that reflected our style. We were to add a touch of our favorite color to our card. And lastly, we were to shape up for the Ball. We were to add some kind of shape to our card.

So...truly, I don't really have a style. We do not attend formal events, or ever really get too dressed up. So, I thought...if I were to attend something formal like a Ball, what would my style be???? Well, the only thing that came to my mind was our wedding. We were married outside on a beautifully sunny day. At some point, one of my mother's friends told her that our wedding was the most beautiful wedding she had ever been to. She said, "it was elegant in it's simplicity." So I guess if I were to "dress up" my style would be simply elegant. Here's hoping you think my card reflects that style.

To create my gown for the ball (my card) I used ideas from two different cards that I recently made at a card club. I embossed the black cardstock using the Elegant Lines embossing folder from Stampin' Up! Both my image and sentiment are from SU. The image is Elizabeth from their a la carte line of stamps. The sentiment is from the set called You're A Gem. I thought the Vanilla and Black cardstock together came across as both simple yet elegent.

I don't really have ONE favorite color. Seems I go through phases of liking a color. Right now my phase seems to be pink. So since I am in my pink phase, I added a pink, self-adhesive pearl to the flower on my "sash." (The flower was made using SU's First Addition speciality paper. The sash is SU's 1-1/4" black striped grosgrain ribbon.) Lastly, I shaped up for the Ball using my small oval punch, scalloped oval punch, 1 inch circle punch and scalloped circle punch.

Thanks for stopping by! And be sure to check out the other "dresses" at the Ball. All the Calendar Girls' blogs are listed in my side bar.