My Little Corner of the Web

I've been MIA again

2011-06-14T15:35:00.003-05:00

I haven't had much time in my craft room at all over the last few months--life has just gotten in the way a little bit, but I'm still hoping to find more time for crafting one of these days.....

My Mom asked me to make a baby shower card for twins and that got me in there for a little bit. I kept it pretty simple and came up with this.

I double stamped the onesies and popped one up on foam dimensionals to give a little more interest since everything else was so simple. Inside I used another sentiment from PTI's Bitty Baby Blessings that says "Good things come in multiples".

On a totally different subject, I just realized that I have to change my tiny bio on Blogger. :-(

Last Friday I had to say goodbye to one of my fluffy kitties. She was 15 yrs old and was not always the easiest cat to be around, but I still miss her a lot. RIP my crazy Sadie girl.

Baby Birdie

2011-05-19T13:40:00.003-05:00

I've had fun over the past few weeks watching Robins build a nest in the small tree in our front yard. On Mother's Day I saw the first little hungry babies raise their heads up looking for food--there were 4 total. Since then they have turned into fluffy little birdies that barely fit in their nest anymore.

I snapped this pic yesterday and you can see how much they have grown. Minutes later this little baby took a very shaky flight with a sort of rough landing, but it was exciting to watch. They all seem to be gone from the nest now and I probably won't see them again, but it was so sweet to see them grow.

April Birthdays

2011-04-02T20:20:00.004-05:00

I'm sure it seems like an April Fool's joke considering how long it's been, but I actually have a few cards to share. First up is my attempt at a manly card (sort of). I wanted to keep it relatively simple, but I also wanted to play with some stamps that needed to see ink. I made a background using distress inks (broken china, tumbled glass, brushed corduroy) and stamps from American Crafts Majestic set. I used stickers for the 40 and on the inside just kept it simple again with a plain ol' Happy Birthday sentiment. Next up is a card for my niece. I used the set Toadily by Penny Black and colored with my Copics. You can't tell from the pic, but I used Stickles on the stamped daisy to add a little extra sparkle. The sentiment is a combo of my handwriting and another stamp from the set. I was going to try to piece it together from other sentiments from my collection, but it was taking too long to find the right one--I decided to just wing it instead!

I'm starting to slowly get my stamps unpacked and I hope to be "toadily" up and running in my craft area soon. :-)

PTI 4th Anniversary

2011-02-04T23:23:00.006-06:00

It's their 4th anniversary and PTI is having a HUGE celebration starting today on Nichole's blog!

One of the ways to enter is to pick your favorite PTI project you've made over the last year. I knew immediately which card I was going to pick.

I love butterflies. And this set (designed by the extremely talented Nikki Estes), along with the matching butterfly die, is like a dream come true. This was one of the first cards I made with it and it is still one of my favorites.

I am very excited to see what all is in store for us during PTI's anniversary celebration--you don't want to miss all of the creative inspiration and chances to win so much crafty goodness!

Helping Katie

2011-01-14T13:21:00.003-06:00

There are probably many things you take for granted--your health, your life, and your future with your family. What I've learned over the last month is that you should live every day to the fullest and stop taking things for granted. You never know the path that life may take you down.

I have been blessed to meet so many amazing people (in person and online) and am honored to consider myself a part of the crafting community. One of us needs help now, via prayers, positive thoughts, or however you may feel comfortable helping. Please visit: www.jakheath.com/2011/01/help-for-katie.html for details (and for a little creative inspiration too).

Digi-stamping is not my usual stamping routine, but this is a perfect opportunity to get started and help out a friend in need.

Happy 2011!

2011-01-07T10:05:00.005-06:00

The last few weeks of 2010 were a whirlwind for Joe and I. He was in the ICU for a few days, but made it home to celebrate Christmas with our families. He's feeling better now, but we're both making some changes to make the coming years a little healthier for both of us. We also bought a house and have been settling in over the last week.

That hasn't left much time for blogging, let alone creating much of anything, but I wanted to share a few new photos I took during that time.

The first is Christmas Eve snow on the bush outside the front window at Joe's parents house. I took it through the window so there is a bit of glare from the screen, but I loved how the lights shined through the fluffy white snow.

Next is Bonnie and Clyde right before the move. Things were a little hectic, but they dealt with it pretty well. Clyde immediately curled up in the new grill pan we bought--I thought it was pretty cute.

The last one is my favorite--our new house! We still have what seems like a never-ending supply of boxes to unpack, but we are so happy it is OURS!

I can't wait to see what 2011 has in store!

Halloween (a little late)

2010-11-16T11:18:00.003-06:00

I finally was able to download some pics off my camera so I thought I'd share my pumpkin carving skills (getting better) from this past October.

First up is the kitty cat shown after dark. I had one of those color-changing lights inside it, so it went from red to blue to green and flickered like a candle. It was pretty cool.

Next is a scary face. I took this one to my parent's house so I wasn't there to take a pic after dark.

I only had time for two, but I love carving pumpkins and watching them when they're lit up at night. Maybe next year I'll have time for more. Of course, I roasted the seeds too--another tradition I'm not willing to skip.

I don't have any cards to show, but I have another pic of my kittens being cute and snuggly. It never gets old (to me) to see them sleeping all snuggled up together.

Hope you're having a warm, snuggly sort of day!

Tomorrow it will be one year

2010-10-23T19:14:00.002-05:00

It doesn't seem possible, but tomorrow Joe and I will celebrate our first wedding anniversary. I made a simple card for him, letting the designer paper do most of the work.

I used Fillable Frames #4 from PTI for the frame and sentiment. On the inside I used a sentiment from Tiny Trees and a flourish from Fancy Phrases (both from Waltzingmouse Stamps). I finished it off with a scrap of the same designer paper (Simply Elegant from The Paper Studio).

We have reservations tomorrow night at a nice Italian restaurant and I think it's going to be a fabulous evening.

Tag-You're it Again!

2010-10-23T10:41:00.005-05:00

I made this second tag last Saturday as well, but I wasn't quite as happy with it. To be perfectly honest, this is one that I threw away and then rescued from the trash--for the simple fact that I spent enough time and effort on it that I figured I might as well show it too.

There's not anything wrong with it per say, but it didn't turn out quite like I had planned out in my head--it was much more elegant in theory. LOL

You can't tell from the photo, but I covered the sentiment in crystal glitter again. (Running it backwards through my Xyron machine makes it so easy to get perfect coverage.) Also, the vintage glass glitter on the snowflake is SO sparkly in person, but you have to be careful with it--as it is just that--tiny shards of glass with sharp edges.

Stamps:

sentiment from Tiny Trees (Waltzingmouse Stamps)

background is Composer's Dream (Stampendous)

small snowflake (Michael's $1 stamp set)

Ink:

Victorian Velvet (Tim Holtz distress ink)

Silver (Encore! Ultimate Metallic)

Misc:

silver vintage glass glitter (RedLead - redleadpaperworks.com)

snowflake die (Spellbinders)

silver snowflake brad/square brads (The Paper Studio/Hobby Lobby)

ribbon and metallic eyelash yarn (Michaels)

Waltzingmouse Tag-You're It! Challenge

2010-10-21T18:11:00.006-05:00

If you check out Claire's blog she has all of the details about her latest challenge. She wants to see tags, not just any tags, elegant ones. The prize for the winner---about $200 USD worth of Waltzingmouse goodies of your choice!!! You can enter as many tags as you'd like and it will increase your odds of winning.

I made one tag last Saturday, but I just got around to getting some pics of it today for the blog. I have always loved the vintage style tags that Tim Holtz creates, but I've never been able to make anything like them. This tag was inspired by him:

I used crystal fine glitter to cover the sentiment for a frosty/Winter look. Here's a close up:

Stamps:

snowflake, sentiment (Walztingmouse/Seasons of Love - Tags)

musical background (Stampabilities/Composer's Dream)

Ink:

Bundled Sage (Tim Holtz distress ink)

Vintage Tea Dye duo, Pure Poppy & Dark Chocolate (PTI)

Misc:

Holiday stickers/red ribbon from Hobby Lobby

red rhinestone bling

fine crystal glitter

Metal bookplate (Ornate plates by Tim Holtz idea-ology)

World Card Making Day 2010

2010-10-02T21:13:00.003-05:00

I usually plan to make a card for World Card Making Day, but lately it has become more of a necessity since it falls around the same times as several birthdays. DH (and his twin sister) and my BFF's daughter all share the same birthday and then my Mom's is 2 days later. Well 3 out of 4 ain't bad. LOL

Here are the 3 that I came up with. (I still have one more to make)

This one is for DH so I made it a little more "manly". :-)

Here is another fun one. This patterned paper is where I got the cupcake for the first card too. I cut them out and used foam dots to pop them up a bit.

I thought I'd finish with a little dose of kitten cuteness so here ya go...

Thanks for stopping by! :-)

WaltzingMouse Sketch Challenge #14

2010-09-14T10:19:00.007-05:00

I feel like I'm on a bit of a roll here. It's been a while since I've had 2 cards to post in just as many days but here goes.

I made this card last night for this week's Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge #14.

I started with a kraft base and then added designer paper from DCWV's Garden Party stack. I've been itching to break out some of the yummy papers in that stack and this butterfly design is one of my favorites. This photo doesn't catch the sparkle in the paper, but I promise it's there.

I used stamps from Fancy Phrases and Very Vintage Labels No. 4. I only inked half of the sentiment at a time to make it fit in the space, but I think it would've fit perfectly had I turned the label on it's side. I don't remember the brown ink color off hand, but it is a Tim Holtz distress ink, as is the pinkish "Worn Lipstick" color.

I accented with some gingham ribbon, gold flourish stickers, and a shiny gold butterfly just to give a little more sparkle.

If you haven't played along yet, you still have 2 days to enter this week's challenge (link on sidebar). There is a new challenge every Saturday so be sure to check back for even more inspiration.

Thanks for stopping by. Have a good one.

I'm back, sort of

2010-09-13T18:44:00.006-05:00

I finally got some of my craft stuff unpacked and made a card (the first one in quite a while). I wanted to use my PTI dies to cut some felt for the first time and I needed a little cheering up so this card was born. I found some sparkly felt on clearance at Michaels and anyone who knows me knows I can't pass up a sale or anything sparkly. LOL

I used the Fillable Frames #6 stamp set from PTI and a color scheme of Orange Zest, Raspberry Fizz, and Vintage Cream.

I've been leaving this one out on my desk as a subtle reminder to keep looking at the positives in life.

On a side note, I took this picture a little bit ago of the kittens in their absolute favorite place--the front windows. They have gotten so big now--they turned a year old in July--but they're still my little fuzzy babies.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today. Have a good one! :-)

Small Vacation from Crafting

2010-08-05T15:52:00.003-05:00

I know I've been MIA again, but this time it was for an important reason--moving. It took me quite some time to pack up all of my craft goodies beforehand and I haven't been able to unpack them yet. I'm hoping this weekend to have some time now that we've got most of our other stuff settled in (furniture, clothes, the kitties, etc.).

So far the only thing I've unpacked is my cardstock--at least I can see all of the pretty colors on my shelf when I pass by and that somehow makes it feel a little more like home (even if it is a temporary one).

Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge #5

2010-07-13T08:58:00.005-05:00

I had a little time last night to play with my new stamps from Waltzingmouse and I am really, really loving the set Victorian Frippery. I decided to use them to play along with this week's Waltzingmouse sketch challenge.

This was the sketch provided:And here is my card:

I used Dark Chocolate, Terracotta Tile, and Rustic Cream from PTI and I used their Tea Dye Duo to sponge the edges. The sentiment is from Fancy Phrases (WMS).

Thank you for coming by and checking out my card. Have a good one! :-)

Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge #3

2010-06-19T19:39:00.008-05:00

This is my first time trying out the new Waltzingmouse sketch challenges, but better late than never I guess. :-)

This was the sketch that was provided for this week's challenge:

And here is my take on it:

I started with a base of Ripe Avocado (PTI) and used patterned papers from Memory Box (Gossamer) and Basic Grey (Infuse). I used my Labels 4 Nestabilities die for the sentiment piece. It was stamped in Dark Chocolate (PTI) using a stamp from Waltzingmouse's Fancy Phrases set.

The ribbon is Dark Chocolate Swiss Dots (PTI) and the button is one that I found in a multi pack at Walmart. I distressed the edges a little and put it all together.

I'm hoping to be able to participate in more of these challenges. There is a blog dedicated to them and it can be found here: http://waltzingmousesketchchallenge.blogspot.com/
The more the merrier, so why don't you play along too?

Friends of Waltzingmouse Stamps Blog Waltz

2010-06-16T20:10:00.007-05:00

It's time for the June Friends of Waltzingmouse Stamps blog waltz. The theme this month is "let's hear it for the boys" (yes I do sing those words in my best Deniece Williams Footloose voice every time).

I used stamps from Pic-Nic Patterns and Seasons of Love - Tags by Waltzingmouse and a star from PTI's Star Prints.

Inks used were Broken China and Shabby Shutters (both Distress Inks) and Dark Chocolate (PTI). The stars are stamped on Rustic Cream cardstock (PTI) and I really like how it looks with the twine--definitely gives a more rustic look. I pulled the twine tight to make the paper bow out a little bit--it gives it a little added dimension that you can really see in person.

One thing I realized while making this card is that I really should use eyelets more often. My Crop-A-Dile makes it almost effortless and I have a ton of them in my stash so I have no more excuses! LOL

Thanks for waltzing with me. I've really been out of my grove with stamping, but I hope to make some more time this weekend. I need to get my stamps inky. :-)

Waltzingmouse May Blog Waltz

2010-05-15T17:23:00.006-05:00

I was very excited to receive my new stamps in time for the blog waltz this month. In honor of the first birthday of Waltzingmouse Stamps, the theme this month is Happy Birthday!

I went to work immediately and created 2 cards, one with a feminine touch and one that would make a good masculine card.

First up is the girlie one. I used stamps from Pic-Nic Patterns, Off Beat Backgrounds, and Fancy Phrases for this. The plaid is made from Summer Sunrise and Hibiscus Burst and I also used Dark Chocolate (PTI) and Shabby Shutters (distress ink).

I went for a clean and simple approach with my next card. I used stamps from Fancy Phrases and Off Beat Backgrounds. The colors used were Dark Chocolate and Ripe Avocado.

I hope you're enjoying the blog waltz. Thanks for stopping by.

Is it the 17th yet?

2010-05-15T17:09:00.003-05:00

So I got received my new stamps from Waltzingmouse and created a few cards for the Blog Waltz, now I just have to wait so I can post them!

I hope to have more time this weekend to do some creating, so maybe I'll have something to post before Monday. Until then here's a pic of my little Bonnie taking a cat nap.

WaltzingMouse Stamps Blog Waltz

2010-05-12T15:03:00.003-05:00

Monday, May 17th is the next WaltzingMouse Blog Waltz. The theme is Birthdays in honor of the first birthday of WMS being celebrated this month. You can find the details on Claire's blog here: http://waltzingmouse.blogspot.com/2010/05/friends-of-waltzingmouse-stamps-monthly.html

Last month I ran out of time, but I'm hoping to be able to participate next Monday. It will be even better if my new WMS stamps arrive in time!

More changes

2010-05-10T12:42:00.003-05:00

I'm still playing around with some new looks. One of these days I'll figure out how to get it exactly how I want it to look. :-)

New Look

2010-05-01T22:53:00.003-05:00

I've been playing around with some new background templates and I think I'll give this one a try considering how much I love the beach. The photo at the top of the birds/coastline was taken on the first night of our honeymoon. We went for a walk just as the sun was setting and it was so peaceful, just the two of us and the birds. I can almost smell the ocean now just thinking about it.

Waltzingmouse Stamps 1st Anniversary

2010-04-29T10:17:00.004-05:00

(This is going to be a short post since I'm supposed to be working right now.)

Waltzingmouse Stamps is celebrating it's 1st Anniversary in a big way. Claire has a sketch challenge on her blog and the winner gets all 8 of the new release stamp sets! If you haven't yet, be sure to check out Waltzingmouse Stamps and Claire's blog (links on sidebar).

I apologize for the photo quality (or lack of), but I had to borrow a camera from work and I'm not used to all of the bells and whistles. LOL

I decided to make a Christmas card for this challenge because Christmas will always be the first thing I think of when I think of Claire and Waltzingmouse Stamps. She has grown in many different directions since, but Christmas is how I was first introduced to her beautiful creations.

All stamps used were from Very Vintage Christmas. I tried to keep with a vintage sort of theme by not inking the background stamps evenly for a distressed look. The snowflake at the top has Stickles (icicle) on it so in person it really shines.

I hope you enjoyed my card and more importantly I hope that this is just the first of many anniversaries for Claire and Waltzingmouse Stamps!

Waltzing Mouse Blog Waltz

2010-04-17T14:52:00.003-05:00

It's that time again! Time for another Blog Waltz over at the WaltzingMouse Stamps forum. www.waltzingmousehouse.com

I got sidetracked with an organizational project and ran out of time to make a card for this one, but you can still join in the fun by visiting all of the blogs and seeing what everyone has been up to. There is also a contest where the design team members have hidden an image in their posts. Count the number of times you see that image and post it in the forum for a chance to win a new stamp set from WMS.

Hope you're enjoying your weekend and hope to see you waltzing. :-)

A few new cards

2010-03-27T18:39:00.004-05:00

DH's niece has a birthday in a few days so I needed to make something fun for an 11 yr old girl. I figured the combo of bright colors and a little bling would be the way to go.
I started with a base of PTI's Hawiian Shores and stamped it with HS ink using Polka Dot Basics. I layered some purple from my stash and Hibiscus Burst after using another EK Success edger punch on them (Morocco Lace) and tying them up with purple gingham ribbon.

For the sentiment I used Fillable Frames #1, but the frame and coordinating die are from Fillable Frames #2. The little flourishy things on the side of the sentiment are from the Waltzingmouse Stamps set Very Vintage Labels No. 1. The bling is a rhinestone sticker from Michael's that was only $1--I bought a few so that I would make sure to use at least one instead of just hoarding them. LOL

Next up is a quick card that I made using a neutral color scheme. I started with a Kraft base and stamped it with Inkadinkado's Dot Flourishes using Dark Chocolate ink. I accented with a few brown rhinestones and a little bit of glitter for just a touch of sparkle.

I cut out a Labels 1 shape in Vintage Cream with my Cuttlebug and stamped it in Dark Chocolate using one of the stamps in Very Vintage Labels No. 1 (WMS). The sentiment is from K & Company's Que Sera Sera set and I thought the flourishes around Thank You fit perfectly with the fancy frame that Claire designed.

I finished up with yet another accent piece using an EK Success edge punch (yes, I am still in love with them) and some chocolate ribbon from my Stash.

Thank you for visiting my blog. I hope you're having a great weekend.

Another Stamping Around Challenge

2010-03-27T18:18:00.004-05:00

Waltzingmouse Stamps is hosting another contest over at the Stamping Around blog and this time it is an inspiration challenge chosen by Anya. I have been thinking about this one for a while now and today I finally had time to create something (just in the nick of time since the challenge ends tomorrow).

I wasn't 100% sure where I was going with this card, but I do know that I need to find a better adhesive for lace. It was driving me nuts the way it kept moving around on me (that it why it looks so wonky--LOL). This card is very different from my norm, but I'm really enjoying using these challenges as a way to branch out.

I started with a base of Lemon Tart and strips of Lavender Moon, New Leaf, and Raspberry Fizz. I stamped each one with Fresh Snow ink using some cute Studio G stamps from the $1 bin at Michael's. I added two types of lace, some soft blue velvet ribbon, skinny hot pink dotted ribbon, and ivory decorative trim that is called "mini gimp braid" (that's what the roll says) from Wrights Creative Classics line. The sentiment is from PTI's Paper Tray set and it is stamped in Hawaiian Shores onto linen vellum.

Thank you for checking out my card. Be sure to check out the rest of the entries at www.stampingaround.com .

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2010-03-17T10:29:00.000-05:00

I'm sorry that I'm posting this a little early. I've had it ready to go for a week now and I can't wait any longer. LOL

This is my first ever blog hop and I'm very excited to see what everyone creates. My card came together pretty quickly because as soon as I saw Claire's beautiful shamrock digi stamp I knew I was going to attack it with my Copics.

I tried to make all of the shamrocks look different so I used a few different shades of green and just started coloring. I cut out the image and mounted it with dimensionals on Rustic Cream, New Leaf, and purple cardstock from my stash.

The sentiment is from Papertrey Ink's mini set Luck of the Irish--so is the tiny shamrock that I stamped randomly in New Leaf ink all over the Rustic Cream base.

I'm embarrassed to say that I've had my Copics for quite some time now and I rarely use them. I usually gravitate towards stamps that are solid images that don't require coloring, but I guess when I find the right images I can be inspired enough to get them out. (Thanks again to Claire!)

Thank you for coming to visit. I hope you enjoyed my first ever blog hop card. :-)

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Stamping Around Color Challenge

2010-03-12T09:07:00.005-06:00

Last night I made a card for the Stamping Around Color Challenge from Bonnie who is part of Waltzingmouse's Design Team. The winner of the challenge gets a prize from Waltzingmouse Stamps--so of course I had to play along.

I started with a base of Kraft and layers of Berry Sorbet, Lemon Tart, Spring Moss, and Vintage Cream. The Berry Sorbet and Spring Moss layers were stamped with VersaMark using Background Basics: Tin Types, and then I used the bracket edge punch from EK Success for all 3 colors.

I used Dark Chocolate ink to stamp the trail from Little Lady, one of the smaller butterflies, and a sentiment from Butterfly Dreams. I used my Copics on the butterfly and a strip of velvet ric rac in a coordinating color to tie the colors together.

These colors just make me think Spring! It's such a nice change after all of the cold and snow we've seen the last few months so I am more than ready for it.

Thanks for stopping by. You still have a little more time to join in on the challenge. It runs until Sunday the 14th on www.stampingaround.com

Are you ready

2010-03-11T13:32:00.002-06:00

for the St. Patrick's Day Blog Hop with Waltzingmouse Stamps?

I can officially say that I am. I have my card made and my blog post saved, just waiting for the go-ahead on the 17th.

Usually I have every intention of joining in on blog hops, but somewhere along the way I run out of time and ideas and have to bow out--not so this time. Claire has generously supplied some digital images that make it easy to join in even if you don't have any of her stamps. As soon as I saw them I had ideas brewing and my card came together pretty quickly last night.

The more the merrier! If you would like to join in, visit Waltzingmouse stamps or Claire's blog (both are listed on my side bar) to get the rest of details and the free digital stamps.

I hope to see you on the 17th! :-)

Butterfly Dreams

2010-03-10T08:34:00.004-06:00

I finally got a chance to ink up my newest PTI set Butterfly Dreams and I can tell that I {{{heart}}} it. There really are so many different butterflies to choose from that you can find whatever you need. The coordinating die cuts beautifully too and made adding 3-D butterflies a snap.

I started with a base of Orange Zest and then a layer of gray from my stash that was stamped with VersaMark Dazzle Champagne. The sparkle is very subtle, but it is there. I added a Summer Sunrise strip that was punched with yet another EK Success edge punch (arrow) and stamped with True Black ink.

The butterflies were first cut out of Soft Stone cardstock with the die, then stamped with black (Memento) ink and colored with my Copics. It was so easy to line the stamp up with the cut out image. I added black Stickles to the bodies of all of the butterflies and then sprayed the entire card with a layer of Tattered Angles Glimmer Mist (pearl). I really like the subtle shine it gives a finished card.

I can't wait to have more time to play with this set. I already have so many ideas swirling around in my head.

Spammers Bite!

2010-03-07T12:18:00.004-06:00

I'm temporarily changing my blog settings so that anonymous posters cannot leave messages. I've been getting a lot of spammy comments for some reason and I'm hoping this will help cut down on it. I may change it back after a while, but I'll just have to see how it goes.

Moxie Fab Challenge

2010-03-06T11:03:00.005-06:00

I was on a roll last night and made another quick card for the Moxie Fab Lace Challenge. I wasn't really sure where I was going with this one, but I like the end result. It's way different from anything I normally do, but here goes.

I started with a base of Terracotta Tile from Papertrey Ink and I used Vintage Cream ink and clear embossing powder on the scalloped lace backgrounder stamp from Cornish Heritage Farms.

I added some Vintage Cream ribbon, some rusty/gold ribbon from my stash, and a button. Then added some shiny/glittery stickers from Stampendous and Making Memories for the sentiment and flourish. I sprayed the whole card with Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist in Pearl because you can never have too much sparkle.

Compose a Card with Becky

2010-03-05T20:59:00.003-06:00

Well, it only took me 6 weeks to be able to join my first "Compose A Card" challenge with Becky, but I did it.

Her challenge was to use Enchanted Evening as a base, Soft Stone as a mat, white embossing powder, satin ribbon, and a button. I am not a measurer when I craft, but I was able to get the required sizes right (after my second try-LOL).

I used stamps from Heidi Swapp and Me & My Big Ideas and the sentiment is from PTI's Mixed Messages. I put a small rhinestone in the center of the button for a little extra bling to go along with the "fabulous" theme.

I noticed after I had finished heat embossing that I had a line from the edge of my stamp that wasn't supposed to be there. But considering I was already fighting for my stamping space with 2 kitties and was afraid I'd heat emboss one of them, I decided to just go with it. Oh well, at least I tried. LOL

The good news is that my headache is gone and I've had the evening to myself to relax and get crafty.

Baby Shower Card

2010-03-04T08:55:00.004-06:00

Some friends of ours are having their first child (a baby girl) and the shower is this weekend. I got out Bitty Baby Blessings from PTI and went to work. I've only used the set a few times, but I can see having more chances in the next few years--seems like another baby boom is going on lately.

I used Hibiscus Burst and Sweet Blush cardstock from PTI and some pp from Basic Grey's Sultry line. I used Dark Chocolate ink and stamped the sentiment on a Cuttlebug Tiny Tag. Yes, I got out one of my EK Success edge punches again--I'm addicted to them. LOL

This is the inside of the card using the baby carriage from BBB and the sentiment is from Simple Little Things, the first PTI anniversary set.

I really hope Tara likes the card. Joe seems to think she'll be blown away--but he always seems shocked whenever I make cards by hand. He's very supportive, a great cheerleader. LOL

I love it when a plan comes together

2010-02-27T11:27:00.003-06:00

So after waiting almost a year to order from Papertrey Ink I finally got to place a small order to catch up on the colors that I had missed out on. My plan was to order the paper and one ribbon of each color, but to wait on the ink in case I had something close enough to work in my already large ink pad collection.

I just had time to look and I found inks that will work for all 4 colors.

Scarlet Jewel = Aged Mahogany Distress Ink or Chianti from Color Box

Enchanted Evening = Faded Jeans Distress Ink

Orange Zest = Spiced Marmalade Distress Ink

Terracotta Tile = Sepia Archival Ink **Edited on 3/5/10 to add that I'm not really loving this one and I may go ahead and order the PTI ink, but hey 3 out of 4 ain't bad.**

They may not be exact matches, but they'll be close enough for me and it saved me enough money that I could justify buying that new Butterfly Dreams stamp set I've been eyeing. LOL

I know I'm not the only one who has to keep a tighter eye on the budget, so I thought I'd share how well my latest plan of attack worked out. :-)

Last Card for Feb

2010-02-21T10:13:00.005-06:00

Just as I finishing up my last blog post I got a call from my MIL inviting me and Joe to get some dinner when he got off work with her and her husband. I scrambled to get ready and went and met them all down at the bar DH works at on the weekends.

We made a reservation at the restaurant next door, House of Savoy, and we had about an hour or so to hill so we had a few cocktails and chatted. We had a great dinner and a few bottles of Pinot Nior and then MIL and I went next door the the casino to play the penny slots. DH had given me $40 to play with and within a half hour of playing I had won back his $40 plus another $87--not too shabby for penny slots. I cashed out and was ready to go, otherwise I know I could've spent it all again. :-)

I came home and even with a little bit of a wine buzz I finished the last card I needed to make this weekend. I used the same EK Success border punch (bracket) and more pp from Me & My Big Ideas. The ribbon is Hibiscus Burst from PTI and the stamps are also from PTI (sentiment = Birthday Basics, flower = Everyday Classics). I used a tag from the Cuttlebug tag sliders set. It was another quick/simple card that lets the pp do the work.

I finally got the pic of DH's Valentine's Day cookies off the camera too. They're sweet enough to make you sick if you eat too many at once, yet they were gone within 24 hours. Sweets do not have a chance at our house. LOL

I have to get ready for a birthday party so I need to get off the computer. I hope everyone is having a good weekend!

New Cards

2010-02-20T16:08:00.005-06:00

I was in record-breaking card-making mode today and finished three of the Birthday cards that I need for tomorrow. I still have one more to make and hopefully later today I'll get to it.

First up I have a card I made for my older sister. It's a little blurry, but it's a pretty basic card. I used a base of PTI black, some pp from Me & My Big Ideas, and some orange ribbon I found at Michael's. The sentiment is from PTI's Birthday Basics and I used an EK Success border punch (bracket).

This card is for my 5-yr old Niece who loves princesses and everything girly. I thought it was the perfect time to use my first ever Lily stamp "Angelface" from Stampavie. I used color pencils and Stickles so it really sparkles in person. The base and ribbon is Hibiscus Burst from PTI and the pp is from DCWV's Summer Matstack.

Last up is one I made for my Nephew. He turned 10 on Valentine's Day so I'm a little late, but we're celebrating tomorrow so I think I get a pass on that. LOL The base is PTI's Ripe Avocado, the blue is from my stash, and the pp is again from DCVW's Summer Matstack. The stamps are from Inkadinkado's Humorous Birthday set. I used two different stamps from this set only inking the parts I wanted so that the sentiment and creature from different stamps could be used together.

I used yet another EK Success border punch (noticing a pattern here? LOL) I also used a fun starburst punch from Martha Stewart just for a little fun touch.

I still have another card to make, but it doesn't have to be mailed out until Monday so I have a little time. I should be back with it soon.

Kitten Cuteness :-)

2010-02-17T08:59:00.009-06:00

My kittens are getting so big so fast. They both were trying to squeeze into the bed that I got them a few months ago and it's a much tighter fit than it used to be.

Here they are back in Oct:

And here they are this week (4 months later):

I can't believe how much they've grown in such a short time--they've each gained at least 4 lbs and are very sweet, playful fuzzballs that love to snuggle. They are so loving it's like they know how horrible their lives could've ended up at the shelter and they are so happy/thankful to have a good home. They get into everything and can be very frustrating at times, but it is so worth it when they nuzzle up to my neck and purr themselves to sleep.

I took a picture of the Valentine's Day cookies I made for Joe on Sunday, but it's still on my camera--I haven't found time to download yet. This weather and lack of sunshine has been making me want to do nothing but sleep. The last few days we've been seeing peeks of the sun and I can tell I feel better/more energized when it's out. I have put it off long enough and now this weekend I have to make 4 b-day cards.

Nothing like a little pressure to get the creative mojo going. Wish me luck!

Happy Valentine's Day

2010-02-14T12:30:00.004-06:00

I finished up Joe's Valentine's Day card in time to give it to him last night, but tonight is going to be the best part. I've had some nice steaks marinating since last night, I have all the fixings for my white wine lemon butter sauce, some baby portabella mushrooms, and I have some really good mozzarella and tomatoes to serve with balsamic dressing.

As I type this , the dough is chilling for my traditional Valentine's Day cookies I bake and decorate for him every year. I'd say that we're probably going to both gain about 10 lbs, but it is going to be SO good!

Enough about food, here's the card I made him. I carried the theme to the inside since it was a black card base and just because I think it is a nice finishing touch.

It took me a little while to decide to turn the focal point on an angle on the card front. That's one of those things I see other people do and I like it, but it's just not my normal way of making a card. I thought about it, and decided it was time to get out of my comfort zone and try something different.

I used True Black, Black & White Basics PP, White, and Pure Poppy cardstocks all from Papertrey Ink. The stamps are all from the Sweet Hearts set from Waltzingmouse Stamps. I used my new EK Success border punch and a few rhinestones in the hearts, but I kept the embellishments to a minimum since I was trying to strike a balance between Valentine's Day and a manly card. I've always loved the combo of black/white/red and I this card is no exception--I think those colors work for just about anything, but are perfect for Valentine's Day.

I hope everyone has a good day with someone they love! XXOOXX

I need to get busy

2010-02-12T09:43:00.003-06:00

I still have a few cards to make this weekend and next week, but I've been in the middle of reorganizing my ribbon collection so I've been a little distracted. It is boring and time consuming, but it is going to be worth it with all of the space I will be saving by taking it off the cardboard spools.

I do need to take a break from that--I had a close call with one of the kitties and my ribbon. I still have no idea how Clyde got it, but somehow he swallowed several feet of 1/8" ribbon and I had no idea until he was throwing it up at 3:45 this morning. Luckily it all came out in one little compact bunch because it could've been a very serious situation if it had made it into his system. Thankfully he seems to be ok although it makes me wonder what else he could be eating?

On a crafty note, I scored some new border punches from EK Success at Jo-Ann's. They were on sale 40% off and they are new Spring designs that I have not seen anywhere else yet.

The first one is called bubbles and I think it adds a fun sort of lacy feel to the edge.

The next one is called graceful heart and it has a definite lacy quality about it that I cannot wait to use. I have a feeling this is going to be one of my new favorites.
I really like these punches and even the ones with tiny holes/delicate patterns have no trouble going through Papertrey's cardstock. (I have a few Martha punches that don't like to play nice the PTI paper.)

Yesterday, my honey was off work so he showed up at my office with 2 dozen roses and Merb's chocolate covered strawberries. He also went to a meat market and got some really nice steaks for us to make on Sunday. We've decided to stay home and have a nice dinner on Sunday since he says I "cook better than any restaurant anyway." I am looking forward to good steaks, a nice bottle of Pinot Nior and a quiet evening at home.

My first cards using Waltzingmouse Stamps!

2010-02-07T12:52:00.005-06:00

I finally had a chance to ink up some of my new stamps from Waltzingmouse Stamps (see sidebar for link to store). These both use stamps from the Sweethearts set. All of the paper is from Papertrey Ink.

First up I wanted to do a Valentine card in non-traditional colors. I used a color scheme of Vintage Cream, Spring Moss, and Ripe Avocado. I used a fun border punch from EK Success that has a wavy edge and tiny dots that look like paper piercing. I think it gives some interest without looking as girly as my scalloped punches do. (I still have the old formula of Spring Moss ink so it doesn't show up as well as it should--I have to get the new formulation soon.)

Next up I went a little more traditional with my colors and added in some Dark Chocolate to the Vintage Cream and Pure Poppy. I stamped the hearts in Pure Poppy first and then stamped again without reinking to get the softer shade. I finished it up with some gold chord and a tiny heart charm with a keyhole that I found at Red Lead (local store with a webstore too - http://www.redleadpaperworks.com/). They have tons of sweet little charms and lots of vintage inspired stamps and papers.

I still have plenty more stamps that need to see some ink and I hope to be able to get working on that later today over the coming week. I'm also pretty excited about all of the fun contests happening for Papertrey Ink's 3rd Anniversary celebration.

Blessed :-)

2010-01-25T15:03:00.007-06:00

I feel blessed. :-)

I have many reasons--one of them is how happy I am to be able to share my love of crafting with all of the amazing people I have met through blogs and forums. The forum at Papertrey Ink was the first that I joined, and I have met so many wonderful and supportive people there. They opened up a new world of creativity to me and at the same time became my biggest cheerleaders. I gained a confidence in my creations that allowed me to actually SEND my cards to people so they can be enjoyed rather than just sticking them in a shoe box. They also gave me the confidence to start a blog. (Even if I don't post regularly it is such a wonderful outlet and I'm glad to have it available.)

In a previous post I mentioned Beverly from Precious Scraps (blog link on sidebar)--she is a perfect example of someone I have never met face to face, but I consider her a friend. She always goes above and beyond to do or say something nice (all while juggling her family, her dream business that she built from the ground up literally, her day job, and daily life). Her thoughtfulness has touched my heart and she is such a great reminder that there are people out there who do nice things just because they are good people.

Another amazing woman I have never met in person, but have been so fortunate to call a friend is Claire from Waltzingmouse Stamps (links to blog and store on sidebar). Even though she lives in Ireland (across the "Big Water" as my relatives in Germany call it), she has become a source of encouragement and inspiration to me. Claire also has such kindness and generosity that can be hard to find these days, especially while everyone is so busy with life/work/family. She followed her dreams and now designs and sells her own stamps. I received such a sweet surprise from her yesterday and it more than made my day.

They are only two examples of the many fabulous friends I have been lucky enough to encounter during the last few years. I want to thank anyone who comes here to read/comment on my little blog and offer encouragement. I am so blessed to belong to such an amazing community of crafters who come together from all over to share ideas, inspiration, advice, friendship, and a pure love of creating.

I am excited to see what the new year holds for all of us. {{{hugs}}}

Another quick card

2010-01-19T20:32:00.004-06:00

I had a little time tonight to make a quick card so I grabbed a PTI set that I love, but don't use quite as often as I should--Life.

I used a base of Kraft paper, then a layer of Vintage Cream with some slight distressing on the edges. Next I layered some pp from Crafty Secrets onto to some Raspberry Fizz that I used my new favorite EK Success punch on (yes, I used it again).

The sentiment is from Life and it's stamped in Raspberry Fizz and Dark Chocolate. The pink is showing up a little orange-y in this photo, but I promise you it's a beautiful bright pink.

I'm glad I was able to squeeze another card in tonight, and that my little monsters left me alone long enough to finish. :-)

I underestimated myself

2010-01-17T21:24:00.004-06:00

I thought I was wrapping things up for the day, but instead I ate a piece of pie and then made a quick card. It was inspired by the fun ribbon I picked up at Hobby Lobby yesterday. The dots/stripes can match up with Sweet Blush, Hibiscus Burst, Ripe Avocado, and even Ocean Tides.

For this card I used Sweet Blush, Ripe Avocado, and Dark Chocolate. The stamps are from Floral Fusion, a limited edition Papertrey Ink set that was only available during the CHA show in Florida last year. I wasn't able to go, but my blogging friend Beverly (Precious Scraps) was generous enough to give it to me as a wedding gift.

I feel like I'm on a roll--I'm finally getting back into the groove of creating and I couldn't be happier about that. It feels good to be using all of the fabulous and fun supplies I have stockpiled. (Of course, the more I use the better my excuse for shopping. LOL)

2010-01-17T19:05:00.004-06:00

No card today, but I did get caught up on the laundry, dishes, and some other things around the house that needed to get done. I also baked an apple pie. It still has to cool, but it looks (and smells) pretty yummy!

I also had some help putting up a new shower curtain liner. It's quite fitting that they help since the reason it was being replaced was because of the holes they had clawed and chewed in the old one. They are doing very well and they are growing like crazy, but they have definitely left their mark on our home (Yes, Clyde is chewing on it in this pic). Luckily they are the sweetest, cutest little things so we let them live. LOL

When we named them Bonnie & Clyde we knew they were close, but we had no idea just how close they really are. I have very few photos of them by themselves because usually they are together. They snuggle more than any two cats I've ever seen before, but I'm glad they have each other. It's hard to resist two snuggling little kitties. :-)

2010-01-16T11:32:00.005-06:00

Here is one of the cards I entered into the GSS contest at Papertrey Ink. It was actually more of an excuse to use my new EK Success diamond lace border punch than anything else. LOL

I used the PTI stamp set Rustic Branches for all of the dots, leaves, and sentiments. The paper colors used were Kraft, Ripe Avocado, Pure Poppy, and Spring Moss with Dark chocolate and Ripe Avocado inks. I finished it off with a coordinating Prima Artistry flower. I felt that the flower packed enough of a punch that I could keep everything else a little more simple.

I really liked using these colors and stamps for something other than Christmas--I think they can be great all year long.

2010-01-12T10:55:00.004-06:00

I was only able to make one more card over the weekend and it was pretty fast (and not quite up to GSS contest standards). All of the Valentine's Day inspiration that I've been seeing got me to ink up the My Punny Valentine set from Papertrey Ink. This set has not seen ink in a looooong time so it was more than due.

I used all PTI products on this--Sweet Blush, Hibiscus Burst, and Raspberry Fizz are the colors.

I also tried a trick that I've been seeing a lot of in blogland--redline tape and glitter to make an accent stripe. The photo didn't capture the glitter very well, but it is something that I will definitely be trying again in the future.

I'm learning that if I want to make a card it has to be a quick one since I have to repeatedly remove kittens from my workspace (hopefully without them taking my supplies with them). I'm enjoying their playfulness, but hopefully they'll let me work in peace one day. LOL

Has it really been 2 months?

2010-01-08T09:20:00.004-06:00

I just realized that it's been 2 months since my last blog post. I guess with the Holidays and everything else time has just slipped away. Hopefully that is going to change. Part of my resolutions for the New Year is to get back into creating more regularly, and last night I made a card for the first time in months. It felt good and it came together rather quickly (to my surprise).

I don't have a photo yet, but I think I may enter it into Papertrey Ink's monthly GSS contest. I'm hoping this weekend to make a few other entries as well. I haven't entered in almost a year, but I think I'm ready to get back into the swing of things.

Since I don't have a card, I'll leave you with some new pics of our kitties. They are doing MUCH better and seem to be very healthy and happy now.

Bonnie has such a sweet and innocent face. She's really starting to get more of a personality compared to when we first got her.

Clyde has had a more "in your face" approach since day one, but deep down he's a big softie. Don't you just want to pet that belly? LOL (Notice the size of his paws--he's only 6 months old, but I think he's going to be a BIG boy once he grows into them.)

I am a married woman!

2009-11-09T11:52:00.005-06:00

It seems like it took forever to plan and then the day itself went by so fast it was like a blur. But a good blur--we had perfect weather, great food, great music, beautiful flowers, and so many of our friends and family were there to share it all with us. It truly was a perfect day. :-)

We spent a few sunny, 91-degree days in FL and then came back home and the next day we made a stop at the the Humane Society. We were thinking of getting a kitty to fill the hole left by Lucy, but we ended up with:

Meet Bonnie and Clyde, the latest additions to the family. They are brother and sister and just turned 4 months old. Cuteness overload!!!!

The bad news is that we got them last Friday and over the weekend they both started having some problems--It turns out that they both have upper respiratory infections and parasites, and Clyde has an eye infection too. That's the only thing about shelter kitties is that they're like kids at daycare--they all share all of the germs and illnesses with each other. $300 and lots of medicine later these two are hopefully on the way to being happy, healthy little kitties.

Right now they live in my craft room since they have to kept away from our older kitty. There is no way I'm getting anything crafty done in there until they are free to roam the house. LOL

Thanks for stopping by and visiting. Within a week or so I should have a link to share with pics from the wedding. I can't wait!

Into the home stretch

2009-10-21T21:11:00.004-05:00

I just finished tying bows on 100 programs for Saturday and couldn't be happier with how they turned out. The pictures don't really do them justice, but they are a really pretty ivory with a pearl border. The ribbon colors go perfectly with our Fall color scheme.

I can't believe the wedding is almost here. It seems like forever since I started planning and now all of that hard work is going to pay off. Come Saturday I will be a married woman!

Hopefully after that things will settle down and I can get back to being crafty for things other than wedding stuff. My blog has been pretty quiet lately, but I hope to get back to it soon. (After the honeymoon of course, LOL!)

Easy Peasy Bracelets

2009-09-10T13:34:00.003-05:00

I got some necklace and earring sets from a local trading company for my bridesmaids to wear, but I was having a hard time finding bracelets that would go with them. I was feeling pretty confident that I could make some myself, so I headed to Hobby Lobby's bead sale and picked up some aurora borealis swarovski crystals, a few other pretty beads, and a package of memory wire. I couldn't be happier with the results.

As you can tell, the lighting is not the best in this shot, but they really catch the light and sparkle. And if you know me at all you know my favorite color is sparkly. :-)

I hope that my girls like them.

The invitations are going out by this weekend--I can't believe it's almost here.

Thanks for stopping by.

Yes, I'm still alive and kicking

2009-08-21T11:38:00.002-05:00

We had a very nice vacation in Gulf Shores, AL a few weeks back. I love to walk the beach and look for shells and I found a bunch of really nice ones. We didn't have any activities planned, we just used the time to relax and not think about the wedding so much.

Then it was back to the reality that this wedding is happening in 2 months!!! This week I had my first dress fitting, we had a meeting at church, and then another with the caterer. Next major thing is to get our invitations addressed and mailed out.

The good news is that there hasn't been any more major family drama (knock on wood) so things seem to be going much smoother than expected. I'm sure there will be a few more bumps in the road, but hopefully they'll stay on the small side.

Bows

2009-07-08T22:15:00.003-05:00

This week I've been working on bows for the church pews and have not been happy with the results. I think that if I had bought wired ribbon it would've been different, but since I already have 100 yards of the non-wired kind I'm making do with what I have.

Tonight I finally decided on my final bow design. I was trying to make them with flowers and I think it just got too busy--I decided to simplify and am happy with my results. I only got 3 of them made before I got distracted by the Cardinals vs. Brewers game, but it's a start.

I think they're going to look very nice--not too obnoxious. I have to thank Joe for buying me the Bowdabra last weekend when we went to Michaels. It really comes in handy for holding the ribbon in place.

In other more exciting news, I got a call Monday that my wedding dress was in--that was 2 1/2 weeks earlier than expected. I went up and tried it on and am VERY happy. The dress is going to be perfect--I can't wait to see it once it's altered for me. My first fitting is scheduled for next month.

Thanks for stopping by today. I hope to keep updating as I get things accomplished. Have a good one.

Happy 4th of July!

2009-07-03T17:39:00.002-05:00

It has been a pretty hard week for us, but it's getting a little easier each day. We received two sympathy cards signed by the vet staff at both locations of the humane society--the one where we adopted Lucy/took her the first time she was sick, and from the other location that treated/diagnosed her FIP. One of the girls there made a point of putting a nice personalized note to us--she had let me cry on her shoulder when I first found out, so she knew just how much we cared for our sweet girl.

I'm really looking forward to taking a few days to relax and spend time with my family. I hope everyone has a safe holiday weekend.

Trying to keep myself busy...

2009-06-28T21:08:00.005-05:00

... so I don't think about how much I miss my sweet little friend. This weekend was really hard--especially while Joe was at work and I was home by myself. I'm used to having my little shadow with me and instead I just felt really alone without her. Being on the computer is very hard--I'm used to having her curled up next to the keyboard, sometimes "helping" me type-LOL.

I spent today looking for some crafty things to use for church/reception decorations and I found some great flowers at Michael's that are going to be perfect for my pew bows. I ordered the ribbon online today and once it comes in I plan on getting started. I will be sure to post a photo when I get a few done.

Today I did get one thing accomplished--a floral headband for my flower girl. I bought a very plain ivory one and added some flowers and ribbon to it so it coordinates with my colors. I think it is going to look adorable on my niece, but then again, pretty much everything looks adorable on her.

:-)

I really needed to get to work on some of this stuff anyway and it's a great way to keep my mind off of things. It almost doesn't seem real that I'm getting married in less than 4 months! Yikes--that's coming up fast!

Thanks for stopping by.

RIP Little One

2009-06-26T08:18:00.002-05:00

I'm heartbroken to say that Lucy lost her battle with FIP just after 4:00 a.m. today. She was absolutely the sweetest, most affectionate and loving kitty I've ever known. She was very loved during her short time with us and will be missed more than she'll probably ever know.

RIP Little One. :-(

Still Fighting

2009-06-20T23:34:00.005-05:00

Every time I think it's hopeless she surprises me again. Our little Lucy is definitely a fighter. The most important part to me is that she doesn't seem to be in any pain--if that changes we're going to have to make that hard decision, but so far she is getting around well and eating/drinking on her own.

She even jumped up to help me make some Father's Day cards tonight although this time she didn't try to eat them. LOL

Here's the card she "helped" me make for my Dad:

I'm not really sure what's going to happen, but I've been making sure to give Lucy lots of kisses and treats. I want her to be able to relax and be as comfortable as possible. We're still taking it day by day and as long as she keeps fighting I'm going to do whatever I can for her.

Hopefully a good sign for Lucy

2009-06-16T08:20:00.003-05:00

Lucy still has not given up so I'm not giving up on her. She had almost completely stopped eating on her own, but I noticed she would lick canned food off of my fingers. So I've been mixing canned food or baby food (chicken+broth) with unflavored Pedialyte and feeding her with a syringe. I'm hoping that it's starting to help her (along with all of the medications she's on).

Last night while we were eating dinner she came in and started begging like she used to before she got sick. I gave her a small piece of chicken and she ate it so I gave her more until she ate almost half of my chicken breast. After dinner I decided to cook another one and a small piece of salmon to have on hand for her. Joe started giving her a few pieces of salmon and she ate them too. (This was even after I had fed her about a 1/2 cup of the cat food/pedialyte mixture before dinner.)

This morning she ate a little bit of chicken and salmon, but not a lot. I gave her some medicine and then fed her some baby food/pedialyte and then I had to leave for work. About 20 minutes later Joe called and said she threw up. I was a little upset as this is the first time that has happened, but then he said it had a fur ball in it so that made a little more sense. Hopefully that was the only reason.

We're going to separate her and the other cat while we're at work again and leave her some food and see what happens. She honestly is starting to look a little better and she's being a little more active so I'm staying positive. She's a little fighter she's got lots of people praying for her so we're still taking it day by day, but I'm feeling a small glimmer of hope that she's going to recover.

I'm going to keep praying for the best and I appreciate all of the prayers and positive thoughts we've been getting. I truly believe they are working.

Poor Sweet Lucy

2009-06-14T13:37:00.004-05:00

My heart is breaking right now for my dear sweet Lucy. She is the cute fuzzy kitty I introduced back in October and now she is in a fight for her life at the young age of 14 months. I took her to the vet on Friday and they told me she looked healthy other than the weight loss that I brought her in for. They were going to send her off with some antibiotics and told me to give her 3 or 4 months to see if she improved.

I had a very bad feeling about it so I pushed them to some blood work. They called me yesterday and told me it was not good. She has multiple infections attacking her liver, stomach, etc. They gave me another antibiotic and a steroid and told me that if she doesn't respond to them there is nothing else they can do for her. They are not 100% sure, but they think it might be FIP which is always fatal as there is no cure for it. From what I've read about FIP she may only have days left. She is still eating a little bit and trying to be her snuggly self, but it is not looking good. At this point I hate that her last memories of me may be forcing medicine into her tired little body 5 times a day and constantly trying to make her to eat.

It is so strange that she seemed just a little skinny, but otherwise fine 2 days ago. She was even being very social with everyone at the vet's office and they all said they wanted to take her home because of how sweet she is. Now she's clinging to life and slowly slipping away.

She has been the sweetest, most loving cat that I have ever had and I can't even bear the thought that she's leaving us so soon. Without some sort of miracle I'm going to lose her and that has kept me crying for 2 days straight. I'm trying to be strong for her, but it is so hard.

I took this picture of her yesterday.

She barely looks sick then, but there is quite a change today. I don't want to take any pics of her now because I don't want to remember her like that. I like to think of her as the sweet beautiful little fuzz ball that would curl up and sleep on my chest with her head on my cheek.

If anyone who reads this could say a little prayer for Lucy I would really appreciate it. I pray that she'll get better, but if she can't that it will be quick and painless for her.

For now she's getting all of the treats that she will eat and lots of snuggles and kisses from her heartbroken "mommy and daddy".

Another day, another card

2009-05-28T22:55:00.005-05:00

I made a quick wedding card tonight for my fiance's cousin who is getting married on Saturday. I used PTI's shimmer white paper with some black accent pieces and a little bling. (I know it looks pretty silver in the photo, but I don't have very good light right now.)

I think the swirl pattern from the Cuttlebug embossing folder coordinates very well with the wrapping paper I used.

I'm glad I had a little more time in my craft room tonight, even if it was quick. I had a very busy, but productive night after work. I got a tan, got my nails done, got 7 inches cut off of my hair, wrapped two wedding gifts, and made a card. Now I'm going to get ready to hit the hay--We've got a long weekend ahead of us.

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you have a great weekend!

I'm still alive--and I made a card!

2009-05-27T22:46:00.004-05:00

I finally made a card this past week for my cousin who graduated from high school. I remember my HS graduation like it was yesterday, but it was actually 17 years ago. Oh to be 17 again.

Anyway, on to the card. :-)

I used almost all Papertrey Ink products with the exception of a few misc. star stamps I've acquired over the years. I used kraft, vintage cream, ripe avocado, and spring rain cardstocks. The sentiment and the large and small polka dot stars are from PTI's second anniversary set--Everyday Classics.

I'm surprised I could remember where anything was in my craft room. It seems like ages since I've been in there. I need to get started soon on some thank you cards so that I have them ready when the showers/wedding come around.

Speaking of the wedding, the planning has been going well. I won a drawing at a bridal shop so I'm getting my hair done for free. (Let me tell you, free is sounding very good right about now.) I also found an online vendor who is going to custom make my veil for an unbelievable price, especially considering all of the beadwork she is doing by hand(http://www.weddingsbychar.com/). I can't wait to see how it turns out.

Next major step is to decide on a china pattern we BOTH like so we can register. I've set up an online registry with Pampered Chef, but that is as far as we've gotten.

Thanks for checking in with me today. I'm glad I finally had something to share. Take care!

MIA

2009-05-01T13:17:00.002-05:00

I know I've been MIA lately, but I haven't had time to do much of anything. It seems like time gets away so quickly.

The wedding planning is going pretty well. We have our limo and our photographer lined up now and the bridesmaids are starting to order their dresses. It feels nice to at least be accomplishing a few things off of our seemingly endless list.

Thanks for checking in and for the sweet comments you've left. I really appreciate the kind words.

Have a great weekend!

Look! I made a card

2009-04-14T21:34:00.005-05:00

It's not my best work, but I completed a weekly challenge card from the PTI forum. It was a challenge from 2 weeks ago, but it was the first time I've been in my craft room in weeks.

It was an inspiration challenge and we were given this photo:

For my card I came up with this.

It was nice to be back in my craft room, even if it was short lived. I miss having time to be creative.

I did make this card a few weeks back for a wedding shower. The photo is not good, but there is glitter on the light pink flowers to add a little sparkle. The color scheme was inspired by the happy couple's wedding colors.

Thanks for stopping by today. Have a good one.

I promise...

2009-03-31T15:40:00.004-05:00

... that my blog will not become all about my ring, but since I've only had it for a few days I'm still a little obsessed. So you will just have to bear with me until I have time to add some crafty stuff. LOL

I love how this pic captured a little bit of the rainbow sparkles from the sunlight. :-)

Another Ring Pic

2009-03-29T15:00:00.006-05:00

We had a little sun so I tried to get a better shot of my ring and this is what I came up with. I still need to work on my photography skills, but that will have to be for another day. It does seem my glass rooster is a perfect ring holder though. :-)

Ring Pics!

2009-03-28T19:25:00.004-05:00

At last....I have my ring! I'm having a hard time getting good photos that show how truly sparkly it is, but I'll share a few that I took anyway.

Even without good photos, I am so happy with how it turned out--I couldn't have asked for a more beautiful ring. From every angle I can see so many tiny little rainbows. (I just cant seem to capture that on film right now.) Maybe when we have some sunlight I can try some outside to see how they turn out.

Thanks for stopping by and thank you so much for your well wishes. It really means a lot to me. I hope you have a great day!

*It's hard to see in the photos, but it is a round diamond in a square setting. I had originally wanted a square (princess cut) stone, but there's just nothing that seems to compare with the sparkle you get from a round cut. (IMO). I figured that this way I get the best of both worlds and a more unique ring too. I really have to get some better pics to post. :-)

Today is the day--Finally!!!

2009-03-27T08:58:00.002-05:00

This has been the longest week ever, and today in particular is going to be agony. After about 3 months of waiting I am finally getting my engagement ring tonight! I am so excited!

I'm going to keep this short and sweet so I can try to think about other things to help make it through today. I promise to have some photos up within the next few days. :-)

Wedding Flowers

2009-03-23T10:28:00.004-05:00

I had my first meeting with the florist on Saturday to get a feel for what I want and how much it's all going to cost me. I was happily surprised that I can get everything I want + delivery (with some room for upgrades) for under $1,000.

The only problem I had was that my wedding is in the Fall and right now they have mostly Spring flowers available, so there were a few that I had to imagine in different colors. One thing I know for sure is that I am having Circus roses as my main flower (for bouquets and boutonnieres) no matter what. You couldn't ask for a more perfect Fall colored rose. I love them and my honey said they were pretty cool too. If you've never seen them before it is the 2-tone rose in my photo below--yellow with reddish edges that seem to blend into a nice orange-ish color once they open up a little.

They sent me home with a bouquet of a few of the flowers and I couldn't be happier with them. I did have a slight change color-wise from what I had originally wanted, but I think that my flowers are going to be beautiful. I took a picture right after I got the flowers home:

And then a second photo the next day, after they had started to open up a little more:

I still plan on adding a few orange spray roses and some dark purple stock flowers to these, but I love all of the colors and I think they will look great with my dark purple bridesmaid dresses. I am going to order some ribbon in the color of the dresses to tie around the bouquets as a finishing touch and to tie everything together (literally and figuratively).

I can wait until closer to the wedding to see some of the other Fall colored flowers and place my order. I am so happy to have one more thing taken care of--one less thing to stress about.

The main thing that I cannot wait for is my ring! I am finally getting it Friday evening--I am so excited!

And we have a winner!

2009-03-23T08:14:00.003-05:00

I had 14 entries for the contest. After entering that info into the random number generator at random.org, I have a winner of the 2nd annual Papertrey Ink limited edition anniversary set.

And the winner is #9

Ronna said...
I too just discovered PTI this year, not in time to earn the Anniversary set. I am anxiously awaiting my first order from them placed last week and will definitely be on the list for the set next year. My favorite is the Simply Stationery set, but it is so difficult to pick a favorite, there are so many great ones. I discovered you blog recently and have added it to my favorites to check daily-nice design work. Thanks for the opportunity to win this set.
March 22, 2009 9:48 AM

Congratulations Ronna! Please send me your contact information so I can get your new stamps out to you. (You can click the "email me" link in my profile to send directly to me.)

If you didn't win, be sure to check out the forum on PTI where several ladies have extra anniversary sets that they are willing to sell or trade. Here is the address: http://forum.papertreyink.com/forum/

Thank you for coming by and visiting my blog. I hope you have a great day!

Attention PTI Fans!!!!

2009-03-20T22:30:00.005-05:00

As I'm sure most of you know, the limited edition 2nd Anniversary PTI stamp sets have started going out to all loyal customers who have purchased at least 12 PTI sets in the last year. (Yet another reason PTI rocks!)

Some of you may have found PTI too late in the year, or maybe your budget just didn't allow for you to purchase 12 stamp sets, and now you are sad that you have missed out. I understand that feeling all to well as I was in the exact same situation last year at this time. That is until I was lucky enough to win the 1st Anniversary stamp set from Anya (a generous PTI blogger who offered up her second set as blog candy.)

After feeling so blessed with good fortune I decided that if I earned an extra set this year I would offer it up for blog candy as well. So here I am, extra Anniversary set in hand, ready to offer up the goods.

If you would like to win, leave me a comment on this post telling me what your favorite PTI stamp set or product is. (Be sure to leave me an email address so I can contact you.) The contest will close at 8:00 a.m. Monday (Central Time) and at that time I will pick a winner at random to be announced later in the day. International entries are welcome.

Good luck to you all.

A Few New Cards

2009-03-17T13:19:00.003-05:00

Somehow yesterday I was able to stay late at work, stop by the jeweler's, get home, make delicious pork tenderloin w/rosemary red potatoes for dinner, and still have time to make two new cards. Not sure how that happened, but I doubt it will be repeated anytime in the near future. :-)

Anyway, on to crafty stuff....

The first card was inspired by my wedding colors. My girls are wearing Eggplant from Alfred Angelo (a very deep purple) and the flowers are going to be purple and orange.

The second card was in anticipation of my PTI order with the new Guide Lines 2 set. I got out the original Guide Lines set and last year's anniversary set and got to stamping. Then I colored with my white gel pen to add some highlights.

Not exactly masterpieces, but not half bad for stealing away a little time to try to play in my craft room in the middle of so much rushing around.

When I mentioned the jeweler above it's because I am finally getting my ring next weekend! I am so excited I can't stand it. I saw it yesterday and decided that the center diamond was set way too high so I'm going to see what they can do about that and then that baby is finally mine! I'll be sure to post pics as soon as I can.

Thanks for stopping by today. I hope you have a good one.

CAS PTI Challenge & More Wedding Stuff

2009-03-13T10:09:00.008-05:00

I know it's been a while since I've posted, but things have been crazy lately. Between work, home, wedding planning, etc., I haven't had much time in my craft room. I do have a few cards that I made about 2 weeks ago and never got around to posting. They were for PTI's weekly challenge and the focus was on a CAS (Clean and Simple) card--one layer, very few embellishments. I was on a roll and made two:

I used all PTI supplies for both cards with the exception of the tiny bling--and that's only because PTI doesn't make it's own bling (yet). If you have any questions about colors/stamps used leave me a comment and I'll get back to you with details.

OK, now on to wedding stuff. I have my dress picked out, but I'm not sure I want to post a pic here because I'm afraid my honey might see it. (I'm not sure if he comes here or not, but with my luck he would.) My only dilemma now is white vs. ivory. I am not sure which way I want to go right now. I was almost 99% sure I wanted ivory and now I'm second guessing and thinking about white. I can't seem to make a decision on anything anymore since I've had so many things coming at me at once.

I did make one decision--I bought myself some of the prettiest earrings to wear with my dress. They are at Macy's for about $900, but I went to the location that is closing and paid around $200 for them instead. They are white gold with tiny diamonds and finished off with pearls--they will go so perfectly with my ring too.

I tried to get a good picture this morning, but I was already running late and had to get out the door. I promise they sparkle in person and they are so "me". I can't wait to wear them! :-)

I know I haven't posted my ring yet, but I don't have it yet. We don't want to finance it so we're keeping it at the jewelers until we get it paid off. So as much as it kills me not to have it yet, I know we'll be better off without that debt over our heads once we get married. I hope to have it next month and I promise to post a pic ASAP!

Unfortunately I started biting my fingernails again with all of the stress of the last few weeks, so I'm hoping that getting my ring soon will be enough to help me stop again. I don't want to show off my ring with chewed up hands. I KNOW I can do this.

I'm sorry I don't have more crafty stuff to share, but right now wedding stuff is taking over my life. I plan on decorating my own unity candles so I'll be sure to post a pic of that too once I complete that.
Thanks for stopping by today.

Weekly PTI Challenge Card

2009-02-18T12:37:00.003-06:00

This week I was hosting the weekly challenge at PTI and decided to "Think Spring." PTI has some lovely pastel colors that are perfect for a Spring color challenge. There was no sketch or theme, you just have to use the colors: Spring Moss, Lemon Tart, Sweet Blush, and Spring Rain.

I used all PTI stamps for this including some from Honey Bees, Little Lady, and Simple Little Things. The inks I used were VersaMark and PTI's True Black. I accented with part of a long shiny gold/glittery sticker from Stampendous. I also colored the bee with my Spica glitter pen, but the photo doesn't capture the subtle sparkle there.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today. I hope you're having a great day.

Wedding Update

2009-02-15T00:28:00.003-06:00

Today I had a very productive day of wedding details. :-)

I started out at one bridal shop that was very busy, but I was able to look at a few bridesmaid dresses and see what colors were available. Over the last week I was starting to get a little panicky about making sure I found the shade of purple that I wanted. (It's so hard to tell on a computer if the colors are accurate.) Since I have to decide on a color before I can do invitations, flowers, the cake, etc. it was stressing me out a little bit.

I looked to my left and saw a girl holding a dress that was THE absolute perfect purple color. It's a deep purple shade that is more blue than plum and it looks very elegant. The saleslady was sweet enough to give me a small swatch of the fabric so that I can use it for the rest of my planning.

Next I picked up my Mom and we went to the bakery to check them out. They had 3 delicious samples of their flavors for tasting, and had so many beautiful cakes that it was almost overwhelming--but I found one that I really like. Now I just have to take my honey up there so we can make our final decisions on flavor, style, etc. and we can get that ordered.

Next Mom and I went out and grabbed some dinner and walked around the mall to work off the Chevy's we had just eaten. When I took her home she showed me the headpiece that she wore for her wedding 42 yrs ago and offered it to me to wear for my big day. I've never seen anything like it, and at first I wasn't sure if I really liked it, but once I put it on I loved it. I'll have to see once I decide on a dress, but I think it may be perfect.

All in all it was a VERY productive day and I'm feeling much better about the whole wedding planning process. Thanks for stopping by today and listening to me babble.

PTI Mid Week Challenge

2009-02-09T21:53:00.004-06:00

I finished up the latest PTI casual mid week challenge card this weekend and finally got a chance to get a pic and get it online. Lynn provided the sketch this week and it was a lot of fun to work with.

I got a chance to use some buttons and ribbon that I've had for quite some time now. Speaking of buttons--did you hear that Papertrey is going to have buttons in their exclusive colors? Too fun. Anyway, here's my take on the sketch:

My main colors were Spring Moss and True Black but I added a little touch of Spring Rain as an accent.

Thanks for stopping by--I hope you're having a great day.

PTI Over the Rainbow Challenge

2009-02-06T22:18:00.003-06:00

I have another PTI contest card today. Nichole turned us loose with a color scheme and one lucky winner is going to win 510 sheets ($100+ value) of their awesome cardstock in all of the colors they have released so far. Who wouldn't love that?! Again it's not the best photo, but here goes.

The colors look a little off since I'm at home again, but I promise I did use the required colors of Summer Sunrise, Pure Poppy, Ripe Avocado, and Ocean Tides. I used my EK success heart punches and PTI's True Black ink for the sentiment (from the Heart Prints set).

Thanks for stopping by today. Wish me luck on winning all of that yummy PTI paper.

PTI It's in the Bag Challenge

2009-02-05T19:15:00.005-06:00

PTI is having yet another awesome contest to celebrate their 2nd anniversary. To enter this one all you have to do is create or alter a bag and link it to Nichole's blog and you can win a cool one-of-a-kind embroidered PTI tote bag with a $100 gift card inside. Can you believe it? I just finished mine and took a picture, but my good lighting and photoshop are at the office and I'm at home, so it's not my best.

I used stamps from PTI's Warm Happiness set and my colors were kraft, Ripe Avocado, Vintage Cream, and Dark Chocolate. These colors were inspired by the ribbon I found in the $1 bin at Michael's. I filled the bag with some (decaf) Folger's singles since most of my friends have made the switch to decaf. :-)

Thanks for stopping by my blog and wish me luck on the PTI contest! My fingers are crossed.

It's (officially) official now and a quick card

2009-02-05T10:07:00.001-06:00

We met with the priest and now have an official wedding date. We were hoping for Oct. 17th, but the church was already booked so instead of trying to squeeze two weddings into one day we decided to go with the 24th. Our hall is available and so is our DJ (the only other weekend he had open in October) so we feel like it's all falling into place. We still have some family issues to work through, but I'm going to be optimistic about that.

We made our first official wedding purchase last night--Love & Romance Waterford crystal champagne flutes for our toast. They are absolutely beautiful and we were lucky enough to find a box that had never been opened at the Macy's that is closing by us. Waterford NEVER goes on sale, but since this store is closing we got them for 40% off. It was our lucky day for sure.

I have a quick card that I made a few days ago using a new add-on to Papertrey's With Sympathy Set. They released the main set along with two add ons, Loss of Pet and Loss of Child so they've got you covered for almost any sympathy card you could ever need. It's a set that you hope you don't have to use, but is very nice to have on hand.

I had hoped to never have to send this card, but it may have already have a recipient. A friend is struggling with the idea of euthanizing her 16-yr old Yorkie. She has had a good long life but her health is declining rapidly. I can completely understand how she feels. It's been almost 2 yrs since my 20-yr old kitty died and I still miss him terribly. It is like losing a family member when they have spent so many years with you. Anyway, here's my card before I start getting all emotional (too late).

I kept this one fairly simple using Ocean Tides (a nice calming blue/grey color from PTI), Vintage Cream, and Dark Chocolate. I used an embossing folder from ProvoCraft that came in a pack of 5 different borders. Sometimes it's nice to just have a touch of embossing instead of the whole card and this set is perfect for that.

If you made it all the way to the bottom of this post all I can say is "Thank You"! I have a feeling my blog is going to be a combo of cards and wedding blabber so I won't be offended if you just skip to the pictures. LOL :-)

Snow!

2009-01-28T11:58:00.005-06:00

When I looked out my window this morning this was what greeted me:

I know it's not the best photo, but I wasn't going out in that until I had to so a quick shot through the window and screen will have do. Mine's the car in the middle. My honey had cleaned a lot of the snow off for me, but I still had a ways to go before I was getting out of there. It seemed like all of the snow had drifted up around my car for some reason.

The good news is that I finally got to work (3 hours late) and was able to get a couple of photos of cards that I've made over the last few days. The first is the weekly challenge from the PTI forum. Jen provided the sketch and I threw the rest together.

I used PTI colors-Lavender Moon, Plum Pudding, Raspberry Fizz, and Fresh Snow. I combined a few different stamp sets for my patterned paper and focal point-Garden of Life, Polka Dot Basics, and Honey Bees. My little white flowers are centered with Diamond Dots stickers from Stampendous and they are pretty sparkly in person.

The next card I is one I made over the weekend. I decided that my Penny Black stamp really needed to see some ink so I stamped and colored and put together this fun card. I really like the combo of PTI's True Black and Raspberry Fizz. I am SO happy that PTI finally released a black cardstock!

Thanks for stopping by my blog. I hope everyone stays safe if they're out in this lovely weather system that has been hitting so many of us. If you can, stay warm and snuggly at home--but if you do have to drive, slow down please. It's not worth risking an accident to get somewhere a few minutes earlier. Take care.

Now I understand

2009-01-26T10:18:00.003-06:00

why some people decide to run away and get married in Las Vegas!

After our second official day of wedding planning we're almost ready to have Elvis preside over the ceremony.

Hopefully it gets better. :-)

*Edited to add: The actual wedding planning part is fun. My honey and I are happy with our choices so far. It's the other people who seem to think that it's their wedding not ours who are telling us who, what, where, when, etc. that are bothering me.*

Last Week's Challenge Card

2009-01-21T09:08:00.004-06:00

Better late than never, right? I've been trying to keep up with the weekly challenges at the PTI forum and I'm always happy if I complete my card within the next week.

Last week's challenge was from Mary, our quilt card crafter (say that 10 times fast). We were to make a Valentine's quilt card and she had three examples ready for us. I cased her first example, changed a few things and came up with this card:

Of course I used one of my favorite color combos: Pure Poppy, Dark Chocolate, and Vintage Cream (PTI). The stamps are from Quilter's Sampler Additions, Heart Prints (PTI), and Anytime Messages (Hero Arts). The pp is from a pad from Crafty Secrets. I used my Double Ended Tags die from Spellbinders--it has to be a tie between those and the Ribbon Slide dies over which one I like best. They are both great.

Organizing my craft room must have sparked something in me because I've been on a roll ever since. Hopefully I can keep up the pace, or at least something close to it.

Thanks for stopping by. Have a great day.

Weekly Challenge Card

2009-01-20T13:18:00.003-06:00

This is the 4th card that I made Saturday night. I used the sketch as this week's challenge over at the Papertrey Ink forum, and to make it a little more challenging I added that it should be a masculine card. I have no problems with flowers, bows, butterflies, etc., but when it comes to a manly card I usually have to work a little harder for ideas. Here is what I came up with.

Paper: Classic Kraft, Ripe Avocado, Dark Chocolate, Spring Rain (PTI)

Ink: Ripe Avocado, Dark Chocolate, Spring Rain (PTI), Tea Dye (Distress)

Stamps: Men on Life, Women of Life (PTI)

Thanks for stopping by--I hope you have a great day.

Quick Kitty Post

2009-01-19T12:19:00.004-06:00

I just had to post this picture of how Lucy helps me stamp. Please pardon the mess on my craft/computer/kitty table. :-)

She always wants to be in the middle of whatever I'm doing and she LOVES this room since it was where she spent the first week of her new life when we brought her home from the shelter. If she wasn't so cute, she could get herself into a lot of trouble.

Valentine Season Begins

2009-01-19T08:50:00.004-06:00

I think I've finally had enough of Christmas and snowy cards for a little while so now I'm moving on to Valentine's Day.

My first card uses some stamps that I bought from Gina K before Christmas, but had never inked up. The set is called Cuddles and Hugs and it was designed by Melanie Muenchinger. The sentiment is from a different set, but I can't remember the name off the top of my head ( I just looked it up and it's from Inkadinkado). The pp is from DCWV's Old World stack.

Next up is another card using PTI's Heart Prints set. I never thought I'd use a set of just hearts, but I love all of the patterns this one has. I got out my heat tool for a little embossing on this one and then sponged a light layer of white ink to bring out the contrast. My colors were all from PTI: Kraft, Dark Chocolate, Raspberry Fizz.

My last card for today isn't necessarily a Valentine's card, but it's still bright and cheery. This card uses PTI's Garden of Life set for the main flower image. The corners are from a Build A Frame set from Prima and the sentiment is from Hero Art's Anytime Messages set. I used Raspberry Fizz and Ripe Avocado (PTI).

I did make another card this weekend, but I'm saving it for Wednesday's weekly PTI challenge. (I had a very productive night Saturday--4 cards in one sitting!)

Thanks for stopping by and checking out my latest cards. I didn't get as detailed on the descriptions, but if you have any questions I will be happy to let you know.

Have a great rest of today.

Bright & Cheery

2009-01-14T09:13:00.004-06:00

It's got to be some sort of record, but I finished another card last night. :-) I was inspired by all of the bright, cheery cards on Dawn McVey's blog (See "My Favorite Things" on my sidebar). Dawn has such a way with color that her blog is a must see!

I hate to admit that this the time that I've used PTI's yummy color Raspberry Fizz from last month's release. I mixed it with Dark Chocolate (PTI), and some orange paper I had in my stash. I'm not sure who made it, but it seemed to go pretty well with Spiced Marmalade distress ink and I was glad to be using some supplies that I've had for a long time.

I took the flower stem image from Women of Life (PTI) and topped it with a few of the smaller hearts from PTI's Heart Prints set. (I was glad to finally get it inked up too.)

I think the fact that I spent a little time reorganizing my craft area is helping me to be more productive. I hope to be able to post new things a little more regularly now. Thanks for stopping by. Have a great day.

A couple of challenge cards

2009-01-12T09:48:00.003-06:00

For the first time since I made my Christmas cards I finally had time in my stamp room to catch up on the last two PTI weekly challenges.

First up was a coloring challenge from Jen. We could do whatever we wanted with the card, but it had to involve coloring of some type (markers, pencils, etc.)

I pulled out Butterfly Kisses (my very first PTI set) and my Copics and got to work. This was the result:

Next up was a color challenge from Tracy. We could design the card however we wanted as long as we used Ocean Tides, Aqua Mist, Berry Sorbet, and Sweet Blush from PTI (or whatever colors we had that were closest). Since it was cold and we had snow flurries I was inspired to go with a snowflake theme. I also thought the blues would lend themselves pretty well to snowflakes.

The only stamping was the sentiment from PTI's Merry & Bright. I used that set for my Christmas cards this year and can't seem to put it away yet.

For both cards I used my new Ribbon Slide Tags from Spellbinders. I am slowly building my collection of Spellbinders/Nestibilites and I love, love, love them! Thank you for stopping by today. I'm glad I finally had something new to post besides my cats. :-)

Organization, more organization, & a side order of stress.....

2009-01-09T21:17:00.004-06:00

Sorry I don't have much to post lately--I decided to really get my craft area organized so I've been keeping busy with that and haven't made a card since my Christmas cards. On top of that we had been doing some ring shopping and that has been slightly overwhelming.

We found THE ring, put down a deposit, and then started to think that maybe we went a little overboard because it was more than we had originally planned to spend. I'm pretty sure it actually costs more than any car my sister has ever owned, but she's had some real hoopties. LOL!

We've been stressing out a little bit over the whole process and I've probably tried on 100 rings, but I am totally completely in love with the one we picked. I can't wait until we get everything finalized and I can have it on my hand. I promise to post pics as soon as I can.

Thanks for stopping by--I promise to have some updated cards soon.

After Christmas Blow Out!

2009-01-03T00:50:00.002-06:00

Last week I received a gift card to Walmart for Christmas from one of my customers. I was very touched by the gesture and it gave me another excuse to do more after Christmas shopping--as if I really needed an excuse. LOL (Seriously, someone stop me before I buy another spool of $0.50 ribbon--I'm running out of room!)

While shopping I saw that all of the special Holiday Martha Stewart crafts products were 75% off. We're talking clear stamp sets (5.5" x 7.5" sheet), paper punches, and 6-packs of glitter all for $2.20 each. I was in heaven! I ended up with 2 punches, 2 stamp sets, and 2 glitter packs all for under $15. I need more Christmas stamps like I need a hole in my head, but I couldn't pass them up.

I was especially excited to find the dove paper punch that is the same as the one in the regular craft section, just in Christmas packaging so instead of $9 it was $2. I've had my eye on that particular punch ever since Annapurna showed on her blog how easy it is to crop off the bottom wing to make 2 different birds with one punch. I don't think I would've ever thought of that on my own unless I accidentally cut off a wing. :-)

I hope everyone else is having as much fun finding after holiday bargains! Thanks for visiting and have a great weekend.

Nothing Crafty Today

2008-12-22T09:40:00.006-06:00

I haven't really finished anything new in the craft department so instead I thought I'd give you some fluff filler--fluffy kitties, that is. :-)

First up is my Sadie. She's 12 yrs old now, but I got her from a shelter when she was 5. She's definitely a handful, but she can be so sweet sometimes that it makes it all worth it. (She's very hard to photograph so this is the best I could get.)

Next up is our new addition to the family, Lucy, that I introduced a little while back. She's about 8 months old now and we got her from a shelter 2 months ago. She's the cutest little ball of fuzz who loves to snuggle, play, and has made it her mission in life to make her older sister Sadie like her. I have to admit that after only 2 months there is A LOT less hissing and growling going on so maybe there is some hope. How could you NOT like her?

I hope to be back to my regularly scheduled craftiness soon, but until then I hope you enjoyed my "fluff" photos instead. Thanks for stopping by today. I hope you have a warm, snuggly day. (It's only 4 degrees in St. Louis right now, with a high today under 20. Brrrr!)

Non traditional Christmas

2008-12-16T10:37:00.003-06:00

The last challenge on the PTI forum (CMWC35) was to make a non-traditional Christmas card. It could be non-traditional colors or images or whatever you wanted to do. I chose the color route by choosing Dark Chocolate and Pink.

My punched snowflakes are made out of pink shimmer paper with small bling centers. The sentiment is from PTI's Believe set and the snowflakes are from Snowflake Serenade. I used a Nestabilities label die and although you can't tell in the photo I embossed the edge and sponged on some Sweet Blush ink while the paper was still in the die for a nice white edge. It looks much nicer in person.
I was finally able to attempt this challenge since I finished the last of my Christmas cards and got them ready for mailing. I am so relieved to check that off of my to do list.

Thank you for stopping by. I hope you have a great rest of today.

Christmas Remix

2008-12-12T08:44:00.003-06:00

After I made my last post I realized that I should post a picture of my tree, not just the cute fuzzy kitty under it. So here you go:

I was so excited to put up my tree this year because it is a new one that I got after Christmas last year for an unbelievable price. It was a $300 tree that I got on clearance for $30! It's a pre-lit one that comes in only 3 pcs so it was much easier to put together than my previous tree.

Of course, this tree is larger than my last one (7.5 ft) so my previous angel tree topper looked really tiny. I went on a 3 day mission to find a new one and was elated to finally find this one. She has the prettiest feather wings and she looks perfect on top of my new tree.

I also revised the card I made in my last post using my Nesties. I ended up with my final design for my cards this year.

I had some great sparkle yarn that was the perfect accent for this card. It matches the avocado color I used on the tree so well. This is my first time using my new classic square nestabilites and I LOVE the embossing detail around the edge and the fact that you can create such a fun border by sponging ink while your paper is still in the die. I see many more nesties in my future. :-)

Thanks for stopping by today. Wish me luck finishing up all of my Christmas cards this weekend so I can get them out in the mail in time.

Cute Kitty

2008-12-09T09:18:00.003-06:00

I wasn't sure I was going to put up my Christmas tree this year since the addition of Lucy to our family. But, I decided to try and just not put any of my "good" ornaments on the tree. It turns out Lucy is much more interested in my tree skirt (with jingle bell trim) than she is the tree.

Last night I found her curled up under the tree, sleeping on her new favorite tree skirt. I tried to get a photo, but she woke up and decided it was bath time instead.

I wish I could get a really good photo of her that captures just how darn cute she really is. My bf and I keep saying how ridiculously cute she is because of her sweet, snuggly personality. To think she was sitting at a shelter for so long--I'm glad we got her when we did. :-)

Sooooo Behind!

2008-12-08T10:11:00.004-06:00

I am so behind on making my Christmas cards, as in, I haven't even started. So last night I made a little time in my craft room. I was not really happy with my first attempt, but my second was easy to duplicate, yet cute enough to share with friends and family. This is what I came up with.

Everything on the card is from Papertrey Ink, except for the star--I got that at Michael's. You can't really tell from the photo, but I used silver and gold paint pens to make tiny dots in the outer circles of the design. It gives it just a little added sparkle in real life.

I'd better get going on making some more of these. One down, lots more to go! Thanks for stopping by today.

I did it!

2008-11-26T08:40:00.002-06:00

I finally took the plunge and bought my first ever set of Nestabilities. My local Hobby Lobby has started carrying them and I was able to use my 40% off coupon. I got the large scalloped squares for $14.99. They even had the tan embossing mats too. I was only able to try one square before I had to make dinner last night, but I think I'm in love. :-)

I can't wait to get more shapes and sizes. I see many trips to HL with 40% off coupons in my future. LOL

I hope everyone has a very happy Thanksgiving and gets to spend quality time with their family and friends.

Take care.

I'm still alive...

2008-11-25T08:47:00.004-06:00

I can't believe this is only my second post for the month and November is almost over. I feel much better than I did before, but I still have a cough that I could really do without. I guess it could always be worse though. :-)

I found some very cute clear Christmas/Winter stamps at Wal-Mart for $2.97/each. I didn't buy them all, but I picked my favorite four sets.

Hopefully I'll have time to use them before Christmas gets here. Although I bought some very cute stamps from Gina K that have yet to see ink too. I need to get back in my craft room more often.

I do have one card to share. This was another challenge card from PTI. The challenge gallery can be found here. http://forum.papertreyink.com/forum/gallery2.php?g2_itemId=38915

I really enjoyed getting a chance to use my Quilter's Sampler set from PTI. It's definitely been neglected lately. I wasn't really sure where I was going with this card, but I think it all pulled together. It's a little more shimmery in person--the red bling in the center, the gold shimmer paper circle, and the liquid gold pen accents didn't photograph as well as I had hoped.

Thanks for stopping by today. Hopefully when things calm down I will have more to share. Until then, I hope you have a nice Thanksgiving filled with family and good times.

PTI Challenge Cards

2008-11-10T09:42:00.005-06:00

I've been pretty quiet here for a few reasons: I've been sick with a sinus infection and cough for over 2 weeks, and Lucy has taken over my craft room making it pretty hard to get anything done in there when I do feel OK enough to try. Luckily I did have a few moments of peace this weekend to get caught up on my PTI weekly challenge cards.

First up is one I did based on a great sketch by Lynn. I modified it slightly, but still kept the main theme of geometric shapes. I used mostly PTI products on this card, but added a few patterned papers from Memory Box and some shiny stickers from my stash.

The next card is based on a sketch by Jen, who also did a video tutorial on how to line up your border punches to have even edges without trying to punch through the front and back at the same time. She did a great job on the video, but I still need a little work on the technique. I had a slight problem on the one side, but I still decided to finish this card.

I used all PTI products on this with the exception of a small gem and some Aqua Stickles. The stamps I used were from Snowfall, one of the 5 stamp sets that I won from a contest on Nichole Heady's blog!!!

Speaking of winning stamps on Nichole's blog, it made the whole thing even more special when Nicole included a hand made card in the box. I was stunned that she took the time from her crazy busy life to personally hand write a card to me. This photo doesn't do it justice as some of the details are lost, like the tiny paper piercing in the center of each flower and and the embossed "bee happy" sentiment in brown on brown. This is just one more reason why I am a true PTI addict, not that I needed any more reasons. :-)

I received Snowfall, Snowfall Additions, and Warm Happiness all designed by Heather Nichols. I love the look of her stamps and was more than happy to receive 3 sets!

I also won Melissa Bickford's new set called Men of Life that is being released this month at PTI. It's a great set for making cards for all of the men in your life--just as the name suggests.

Last, but not least I won a set designed by Candice that won't be released until the Summer of 2009 called Out to Sea. It has a nautical theme that will go very well with Melissa's set to expand your options for masculine cards.

I hope to get to use all of these sets soon and when I do I will be sure to update my blog. Hopefully it won't be so long next time. Thanks for stopping by today.

It must officially be Fall.....

2008-10-24T08:57:00.003-05:00

...because I was inspired to bake my first ever apple pie. I'm not quite ready for making my pie crusts from scratch so I bought the refrigerated kind, but it turned out great. I opted for the crumb topping instead of the second crust and I think it was the right move. I had to take a picture quickly before my bf cut into it--he had been pacing around from start to finish, waiting impatiently for pie.

After a little pie a la mode, I attempted to work on this week's challenge card for PTI. My new kitty Lucy was a little better this time so it was a little easier than my last card. Kim provided us a sketch for a holiday themed card. I hadn't had a chance to play with my latest Papertrey goodies yet, so I incorporated them all into this.

Paper: Ripe Avacado, Ocean Tides, Linen Vellum (PTI), Frost (Memory Box)
Ink: Ripe Avacado, Ocean Tides, Dark Chocolate, silver paint pen
Stamps: Merry & Bright (PTI)

I just got Merry & Bright and the Additions set with this last order and I can't wait to try all of the different tree combinations. I think this is going to be my "go-to" Christmas set for a while with all of it's possibilities.

Thanks for stopping by today. I hope you have a great weekend.

Birthday Wishes

2008-10-22T09:30:00.006-05:00

I made a birthday card last night for a friend and my new kitty Lucy "helped" me every step of the way. It's a little crooked, but I consider it a miracle that I was able to finish and that I didn't accidently cut her little inky paws off. I'm definitely going to have make sure the coast is clear next time I pull out the leaf ribbon because it is a major kitten magnet. :-)

Paper: Lavender Moon, Ripe Avacado (PTI), Sprout patterned paper (Memory Box)

Ribbon: Plum Pudding, leaf ribbon (PTI)

Misc: Plum Pudding ink (PTI), Target $1 spot flower punch, bling (sold for cell phones)

Stamp: Stampendous

Thanks for stopping by today. Wish me luck with my next crafting adventure with Lucy. She's SO helpful--Let me tell you, it's a good thing she's so cute and fuzzy. :-)

Meet Lucy

2008-10-20T09:07:00.003-05:00

On Saturday our Humane Society was having what can only be called a huge kitty sale. For one day only they reduced their adoption fees for cats and kittens to $19.95 (+$10 for rabies shots). This included all of their shots and the spaying/neutering. We got there early and there was already a line forming, but we were 4th so we could pretty much have our pick of the kitties.

Immediately I was drawn to the cage that had my new little sweetie in it. It took 2 hours of paperwork, background checks, and just waiting, but we now have a new family member, Lucy. She is 6 months old (approximately) and is the sweetest little ball of fur.

Right now we have to keep her separate from our other kitty to make sure she doesn't get her sick, and to slowly get them used to each other. My older kitty is not particularly happy right now, but she's handling it better than I expected. I think they're going to get along just fine after an adjustment period.

So Lucy is living in our spare bedroom which is my craft/computer room for now. She's obsessed with trying to catch the cursor on the computer screen when I move the mouse. It was very cute, but after the 100th time of saying "no" and putting her back on the floor, it got a little hard to use the computer. :-)

PTI Challenge Week 28

2008-10-16T09:06:00.003-05:00

It was my turn to host the weekly challenge at PTI and I decided on a sketch challenge. Normally I work backwards and make the card first, then the sketch, but this time I did a sketch first. Of course I was distracted the entire time because it was new release time at Papertrey. It's hard to make a card when you're glued to the computer waiting to see the new stamps and to see if you've won any of the awsome contests. Needless to say at midnight I still had no card and so I came up with this one before crashing into my bed. :-)

Paper: Dark Chocolate, Kraft, Vintage Cream, Linen Vellum (PTI)
Ink: Dark Chocolate (PTI), Warm Red, Olive Pastel (Colorbox Fluid Chalk)
Stamps: Rustic Branches, Believe, Polka Dot Basics, Out on a Limb (PTI)
Misc: Leaf ribbon (PTI), red/green ribbon (Big Lots)

Thanks for stopping by today. And please feel free to check out Papertrey Ink's forum and look for new challenges every Wed. if you'd like to play along.