Calendar Girls Challenge - Furry Friends

Our challenge this month for the Calendar Girls was to:
"show us fur, your fluff, your waggin’ tails! The possibilities are endless – from doggies to cats, mice to turtles – in one case, a spider! (lil dj!!) LOL! Let’s bring some creativity to making a card (etc) with any image showing us a pet (including if you don’t actually own one!)

** For an extra part of the challenge, since it is February, please try to include the color RED on your card somewhere (coloring of the image, your DSP, cardstock, embellies – just a touch (or a lot!) of red."

The stamp I used is a stamp my youngest gave me a couple of Christmases ago. She loves puppies and really, really wants one. I had never inked it up so I thought it was perfect for this challenge. I believe it was purchased at Michael's. I used Chocolate Chip and Very Vanilla cardstock. The DP is from DCWV - The Pets Stack. I embossed the Very Vanilla CS with a Sizzix paw prints embossing folder (click on the picture see this better) and used my SU! circle and scalloped circle punches for the image. My splash of red is the fire hydrant eyelet...which was most likely purchase from Eyelet Outlet.

Thanks for stopping by. See my sidebar, and visit all the Calendar Girls' blogs to see their creations.

Spring Has Sprung!!!!

Spring has sprung...well, not really...not where I live. In fact, we got a couple more inches of snow today.

But spring has sprung on my card I made for a swap I am in on SCS. It is a spring swap using either Whipper Snapper stamps or Penny Black stamps. I saw this cute WS stamp and sentiment and knew that they would be perfect for the swap. Thanks to Barb, (personal shopper to crafters and hostess of the spring swap) for going to Creative Pals and getting the stamps for me and sending them my way!!!! U R THE BEST BARB!

And the sentiment on the inside...

I used Kiwi Kiss (SU), White and Riding Hood Red (SU) cardstock. My designer paper is Cosmo Cricket's Pixie-Licious. I embellished with Riding Hood Red ribbon, Ruby Red brads, Baker's Twine (all from SU!) and a cute garden spade charm. (I cannot remember where I got the charm).

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It's a Sweetheart of a Duel!!!

The Dueling Darlings are at it again. It's time for our monthly duel. The theme for this month's duel was centered around Valentine's Day and the title of our theme was "Let Me Call You Sweetheart."

The image and sentiment I used are from Crafty Secrets, Clear Art Stamps called "Couple of Cuties." My designer paper is "Love Me Banners" and "Love Me Plaid" from My Mind's Eye. I used White, Baja Breeze and Rose Red cardstock. I colored my image with my Copics and embellished my card with Rose Red Ribbon, Rope Twine and a Corduroy button, all from SU! The "love" charm is from either Michael's or Joann's, I honestly cannot remember. I used the Large Paper Doily Die from SU! and Craftworkcards Candi.

As part of this month's duel we could share about our special "sweetie." My sweetie is my DH of almost 20 years. How did I meet him you ask? I met him for the first time when I was in highschool. He was dating one of my friends. I didn't see him again for several years and then one summer, he was coaching our women's softball team...the rest is history. ;)

Thanks for stopping by. Please visit all the Dueling Darlings' blogs to see what wonderful creations they made.

I am in a closed swap on SCS with a bunch of wonderfully talented ladies. Each month the hostess gives us a theme to create a card with. This month the theme was to make a card that was inspirational. Another part of the theme was to: "Create a card that reflects YOU…your dreams, aspirations, and/or accomplishments. Include your favorite colors, embellishments, images and sentiments."

I kind of forgot the "inspirational" part but I did make a card that reflects something about me. Something that I like. So, I could have made a card about reading, or baking, or stamping and scrapping but I wanted something a little different. So here is my card:

So what does this card say about me? It says, I like chick-flicks. And I like chick-flicks with happy endings. I used Chocolate Chip, Pretty in Pink and Whisper White CS. My DP is from pebblesinc.com. The collection is called "Ever After." My sentiment is from a set from MFT, along with the die I used with the sentiment. The carriage stamp is a $1 stamp from Michael's. The ribbon is Chocolate Chip from SU! and the crown brad is from Eyelet Outlet.

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Calendar Girls' Challenge

Today is the 28th and that means it's time to post our monthly Calendar Girls' challenge and card. Here is this month's theme.

January is this: Something New Using Something Old!

What do I mean by that? This isn’t exactly what it seems. It’s not a vintage theme, though you can make your card/project vintage if you’d like. What I do want you to do is look back over your Calendar Girl posts/creations from the year 2011 and choose one of the images you used. Then I want you to create something entirely different with the same image. It cannot look at all like the previous Calendar Girl creation; nor can you use the same papers/embellishments/etc.

When you post to your blog – on January 28 – I want you to also post a picture of your 2011 card/project that used the same image so we can see the two and how different they are.

So here is my card I made several months ago using my image:

And here is the card I made using the same image for this month's challenge:

I used Basic Black, Whisper White, and Pretty In Pink CS. Pretty In Pink DP. My oval Nesties. My Dotted Scalloped Ribbon Border punch from SU! The flowers were punched using a retired flower punch and small circle punch from SU! And of course, I had to use the mini pearls.

Thanks for stopping by and please check out all the Calendar Girls' creations. See my sidebar.

It's Just a "Little" Duel...

The Dueling Darlings are at it again. It's January 15th (which totally crept up on me) but that means it is time to post our cards for our friendly "little" duel this month.

Hostesses, Melina and Joan, chose the theme "The Little Things." The kits the Dazzlers received contained three images...a turtle (SU); a crab (SU) and a snail (Inkadinkado). And we had to use each image. The kits also contained little Marina Mist circles (SU), little lines & dp (DCWV); little dots paper (My Mind's Eye); baker's twine and Crumb Cake ribbon (SU); green pearls(Queen & Co.) and a white button and yellow clip (Wal-Mart).

Our hostesses also gave us two challenges with this month's kit:
1. We had to post the first thing that popped into our heads when we saw the theme title.
2. And since the three images all had shells we had to come up with a witty sentiment for our card.

So...here is my creation (and not so witty) sentiment:

What popped into my head when I read the theme? It was treasuring the "little" things that make my heart soar. The little muddy hand giving me a handful of half-dead dandylions. The times when my oldest daughter gives me a little glimpse into what her heart is feeling and what her mind is thinking. The fact that my DH isn't predictable...I don't get flowers every anniversary, birthday or Valentine's Day, but then one day, a day without much significance, I will get flowers with a note that says he loves me. And my two boys...one a teenager and the other one just a few years away from being a teenager, still love to hug their mom, even in front of their friends. Ahhh...the little things.

Thanks for stopping by. Please check out all Darlings' blogs for their creations. See my sidebar for a listing.

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!!!!