Pinktober Blog Candy!

Welcome to my Pinktober Blog Candy post!

anyone may enter this blog candy. you do NOT have to be a follower or post it on a blog. all you have to do is be willing to make ONE card this month to tell someone you are thinking about them. even better if it has a dash ( or a whole lot more! ) of pink somewhere on it. :)  I'm not even going to ask you to link your card, although if you would like to in the comments, I will do my best to stop by! you can join the contest first and then make the card - I trust you. :)

I'll be adding a proper photo of the candy up for grabs later on, but I am going to have SEVERAL winners! I know for certain there will be at LEAST 5! :)  that is happy happy news for everyone!

some of the prizes included are:

• Unity stamps (they were VERY generous and donated some for all of YOU!)
• K & Co. breast cancer awareness stickers
• hope silver charms
• pink ribbons and cording
• buttons
• pink stickles
• Quick Kutz awareness ribbon die
• Crafter's Workshop houndstooth stencil
• paper flowers
• washi tape
• and more!

all you have to do is add your name to our little blue froggy linky friend. the candy will be open all month. winners will be chosen the first week of November and announced here on the blog. I'll need addresses to be sent ASAP so I can get everything mailed out pronto quickly. 

Thanks so much to all of YOU who have given me so much support during my own cancer battle. you have made this journey so much easier to bear!

*Inlinkz tool removed per new privacy laws since all prizes have been claimed. thank you for your understanding. :)

Guess What I am Doing Today?

Coffee of the Day - Pumpkin Spice (kinda obvious on this one... grins!)

So what do you think I am doing today?

Hubby is getting himself ready for the big Hot Dog House we do every Halloween. in case you aren't familiar with this, we get together at a friend's house and grill hot dogs to pass out to families trick or treating. no charge, just a way to say 'hello' to all of the friendly people in our little town! we usually give away several hundred hot dogs in addition to hot chocolate and water every year. we've been doing this for over 10 years. I haven't been able to go the past few. it is such a wonderful tradition and we really have such a great time! :)

but I am getting envelopes of blog candy goodies ready to mail out!!!! I'll most definitely have 6 winners. after I get busy today, there might be more. I'll just have to see. you have until midnight tonight to get yourself linked for a chance to win! the majority of the entries are from outside of the USA, so don't let living across the pond stop you from entering! :)

yesterday I wrote about some of my crafting complaints. today you get the flip side. I am going to tell you about some FABULOUS stores and people who make this world a whole lot brighter! see, I'm not always a Debbie Downer. ;)

for customer service, you CAN NOT beat Stampin' Up!  I don't order from them as often as I would like, and yes, I do miss the days of being a demo. but if I ever ever have a problem, they are speedy fast to fix it with the happiest of people on the phone. if it's spilled re-inkers, broken stamp cases, or whatever, they go out of their way to make sure I AM HAPPY. their orders routinely ship out pretty fast, and replacements seem to ship even faster.

my son, Tyler, had a problem with something he ordered from Amazon a while back. he created a ticket on their website and actually received a call from their customer service dept within a few hours. here it is a few days later and an upgraded part has been sent. they told him they will call to make sure not only that the part arrived, but that it works properly. he is so very impressed!

now for some stores that go above and beyond......

I received, out of the blue, a package a few days ago from Simon Says Stamp. it's been a while since I last shopped with them. as far as I knew, they had no clue who I am.... inside this box was the most beautiful collection of pink crafty goodies - glitters, inks, perfect pearls, and stickles! you know I was beside myself!!! tucked inside was also a gorgeous handmade card. written inside it said, 'We were thinking of you and thought we'd send some things to help brighten your day.'  boy howdy, did it ever! last year my friend Lisa had sent me a wonderful box of things from their store when I was in the midst of chemo. Heidi and the people who work with her at SSS actually remembered that! and the really cool thing is that this box arrived right after I received my letter from the hospital, so I was needing a bit of cheering up. talk about God's timing! :)

next we have Unity Stamps. they are so very kind and generous! I wrote to them as soon as I was asked to be a hostess for Hope You Can Cling To and had my challenge approved. the 'Brave Boots' comes from one of their stamp sets. I just wanted to tell them what an inspiration that stamp set had been to me, and hopefully would be to someone else going through any kind of a battle. well, they sent a fabulous box of stamps (sets and individuals) for me to give away here on my blog! those of you who win prizes through the blog candy will be winning stamps that Unity has donated! how cool is THAT?!?! and just so you know.... I have kept one single sentiment stamp for myself. all of the rest are being given away. I want to be sure to pass along the kindness to all of you.

there are also multitudes of YOU who have sent me cards and care packages. my friend, Tracy, just recently sent me a zombie card that has me giggling every time I look at it! I never forget that I am blessed. really. I just need a bit of a break right now. there is a part of me that is weary. the sun still shines somewhere, the birds still sing. none of that has changed.

see you in a few days with the winners! :)

Blog Candy Reminder and leaving for a while

Coffee of the Day - Eggnog

Just a reminder that the Pinktober Blog Candy ends tomorrow. not many people have signed up, so your chances of winning are pretty good! I will post the winners over the weekend sometime.

also, I am taking a break from crafting, probably until the beginning of the new year. I am weary of the drama behind it all, to be perfectly blunt. I am tired of entering challenges and no one from the team stopping by to comment on my entry or prizes not being delivered. I don't enter for the prizes, but it gets tiresome to be told time and time again that something is 'in the mail' or "I'll send it in an email to you", and it never arrives. almost all of my craft supplies come purely from my winnings.

don't even get me started on the number of 'artists' in digi land who spend so much of their time copying others and then calling it their own.... absolutely appalling.  it turns my stomach to see how rampant the problem has become.

then we have the companies that actually mail out an order, only to deliver part of it, promising a refund or credit, having no intention whatsoever of returning that money. no amount of messages to customer service seem to illicit responses. I don't like having to ask and beg. and I don't like the way I feel about this craft anymore. so it's time to back away.

I have cards that have not been posted here on my blog, and I honestly don't know if I will. just don't have the desire to right now. sure don't have the enthusiasm to play in challenges like I used to. tired of having team members comment on other entries except mine. yep, it's a pity party and I know it. another indicator that it is time to step away.

so I will enter the land of zombies, movies, books......
my love to all of you!

check back this weekend for the blog candy winners. thank you for putting up with me and my ramblings.

in response to a comment - I am not enjoying crafting any longer. that is one reason I'm taking a break. I don't even like to walk into my craft room right now. in fact, I'm happiest when my computer is completely turned off, and I am reading a book or watching a movie. 

as for not letting things get to me, I don't think I should have to write numerous emails to a store regarding challenge prizes. they offered to sponsor, plain and simple. if they aren't going to follow through with their end, don't sponsor. I'm tired of having to beg for a prize. in fact I don't. after 2 or 3 emails, I stop. in reference to the store that won't refund my money, that is a no brainer. I paid for something, if they aren't going to send it, refund my money. answer my message/email. bad customer service. and all of this happens way too often from stores big enough to know better.

yep, life is too short to spend time fussing over stupid stuff like challenge prizes or tracking down a refund. so I'm not going to. I'd rather spend my time doing things I enjoy. I spent tonight fixing a nice dinner for David and I. it was glorious. no rush to get a project finished/scanned/posted/linked/etc.  I could just spend time in the kitchen and then enjoy a lovely dinner with my husband. 

Have Hope Mixed Media Owl

Coffee of the Day - Caramel Pecan

Today's Hope You Can Cling to Challenge is 'Mix It Up - Mixed Media.' While I have done this with other projects, I haven't really done it on a card so to speak. I knew I wanted to use this cute little owl from Tracey at The Stamping Boutique, but incorporating a digi on a mixed media card presents its own set of problems, especially when my printer at the time was on the fritz. rollers were messed up and nothing wider than about 5" would go through..... I was having to cut all of my cs before feeding it through.

as I mentioned before, life is pretty interesting at our house on a daily basis. ;)

the card base is sprayed with several shades of blue glimmer mists with The Crafter's Workshop mini fish scale stencil. 'have hope' is from the stamp set of the same name by My Favorite Things. the branches were cut from a Starbucks coffee cozy with a TH die. leaves were cut from Basic Grey Persimmon paper with a TH die. little baby flowers are Prima. I think the button is SU!. paint along the edges is white mixed with a few drops of baked brown sugar re-inker. I didn't have a tan acrylic paint, so I just made my own.

I also want to tell all of you thank you for your support as we have gone through the ups and downs of first thinking I was cancer free and then discovering I might not be. it means a lot to have all of you here with us. thank you!

Have a wonderful weekend! :)

Challenges:
Sister Act - anything goes
WAW - anything encouraging goes
Delightful Challenges - winged things
Craft Room - feathered friends
Cheerful Stamp Pad - stencil
Crafty Bloggers - anything goes
Ooh La La - things with wings
Path of Positivity - hope
Allsorts - treemendous

Coffee Together with My Best Friend

Coffee of the Day - Oatmeal Cookie Crumble

well as I am typing this post, I am sipping coffee from my ever faithful french press. thank goodness it always works so long as I can get hot water to it! :)  by 8:30 this morning I had moved all of the branches that had fallen yesterday up to right by the house. not sure if Dave wants to take them out to Camp for bonfires there or what, so left them by the driveway. my pretty pink Camp Burton hoodie is no longer pretty and pink. oh well. it had to happen one day, and better from good ol' dirt than me spilling food all down the front, which I seem to do with every bite I take.

more than anything, I am just so thankful that there wasn't any damage to our house. God kept us safe, once again. His angels ROCK! :)  I can just picture them all over and around the house like a big fierce, glowing bubble. oh yeah!

now on to crafty stuff -
today's Hope You Can Cling To challenge is 'A Listening Ear.' I was so excited to find this adorable image from A Random Fan that just so totally sums up my besties in all the world - my pups! grins! they have so faithfully listened to my cries, screams, yells, songs, whispers, and whatever noise I happen to make at any given moment. they have made this cancer journey so much easier to travel.

papers are Basic Grey Sweet Threads, fabulous flower is Prima, dies for image are MFT Mat Stax, dies for leaves are Spellbinders, 'together' sentiment is from Melody Ross Soul Food. pink shimmerz accents the hearts.

Challenges:
CRAFT - recipe: 1 or more die cut, 2 or more designer papers, 3 or more embellies
Basic Grey - food and drink
Paper Crafting Journey - anything goes
Creative Moments - anything goes
Inkspirational - anything goes
Paper Pretties - eat, drink, and be merry
WAW - anything encouraging goes
Deep Ocean - button it up
Craft Your Passion - pink
613 Avenue Create - create your own: image, sentiment, patterned paper, die cut, stickles, button, flower, ribbon
That Craft Place - think pink
Squirrel and the Fox - pink for breast cancer awareness

Life is Never Dull

Coffee of the Day - Oatmeal Cookie Crumble

so much can change in 24 hours..... top off your coffee 'cause this is quite the post.

to start, it is snowing. you know I love the snow, so I would never complain about it. but this isn't just regular, 'oh isn't that beautiful' snow. this is heavy, wet, dangerous snow. there really is a difference. trees and branches have been breaking & falling since the night in our little town. we have them down around our house. not just little twig branches, but 6 to 9 foot branches. poor Mocha and I were almost taken out by one as it was falling a little while ago. in the almost 14 years we have lived in this house, we've never lost this many branches. the next town over has no snow at all. it's called 'Lake Effect Snow', so we get lots most winters. but not always like this.

still no heat in the house, so it's on the chilly side. then my coffee maker broke this morning. thankfully I have a french press, so I didn't have to go without. THAT would have been a really bad scene, folks.

letter arrived from hospital yesterday. "the results of your exam show an area that is probably benign, however we would like to have you return for a follow-up study....."  it was dated the 22nd. we were floored. this does not match the news I was given on Friday. so .....

life is still good. God still sits on His throne. He was in charge at the beginning of this journey, and He will be in charge at the end. of that I have no doubt.... it's raining branches, but there are showers of blessings every day. :)

Room In Your Heart for the Unimaginable

Coffee of the Day - Chipotle

Today's Hope You Can Cling To challenge at Split Coast Stampers is a really fun one - Impossible Things Happen: a fairy tale theme. everyone loves a fairy tale! what is your favorite? I am a Sleeping Beauty fan from the word go..... I think that is probably my absolute favorite movie in the whole wide world!

I have many images I could have chosen from for this challenge, but the one that spoke loudest to me of hope was 'Dreams Do Come True' by A Day for Daisies. The great sentiment is once again from Ginger's House. paper is She Art by Pink Paislee, stitching is from an Inky Antics stamp set, pink shimmerz was added to both the sentiment tag and Cinderella's shoe, button is vintage as is the sheet music used to cut stars. a pretty flower, a heart doily, pink seam tape, and pink rhinestones complete the card.

Temps are definitely dropping here. it's frosty and rainy. our heater has been out of commission since last week, so we are hoping the part to fix it comes in SOON! it's a bit nippy in the house these days! ;)

don't forget to sign up for the Pinktober blog candy! :)

Challenges:
Creative Craft - anything goes
Ladybug Crafts - anything goes
TTCRD - anything goes
Crafty Sentiments - bingo: die cut, doily, flowers
Perfectly Rustics - patterned paper
Bunny Zoe - ribbon
Craft Your Passion - pink
Crafty Cardmakers - shabby chic
Melonheadz - fairy tale
Paper Playtime - ribbon and buttons
My Craft Spot - color inspiration
Great Impressions - buttons and bows
That Craft Place - pink
Allsorts - ribbons and bows
A Creative Romance - pink
Crafty Ribbons - anything goes with ribbon

Salt Air in my Hair

Coffee of the Day - Pumpkin Spice (almost out - eek!)

After our busy week with the guys here, I am finally getting back on track with crafting again. not to mention having the cancer burden lifted just flat out feels FANTASTIC!!!!!  I know I  still have a long way to go on the road to healing, but just to know that the cancer is gone makes such a difference. the radiation from Friday is already causing lots of problems, so that is a downer. it's a nasty bugger, that is for sure. did you know there is a limit to how much radiation you are allowed to have your body exposed to over a lifetime? I sure didn't until we started down this road.... I'm pretty close to mine.

on to the fun of crafting though. and this card will most certainly brighten a day! it is full of happy colors! The new Hope You Can Cling To challenge at Split Coast Stampers for today is 'Sending Flowers.' so I piled them on! :) you'll see flowers in my paper, the die, the image, and the gorgeous Prima.

the wonderful image is 'Aloha Blooms' by A Day for Daisies, papers are Basic Grey Lauderdale,  sentiment is from a new freebie site I found called Ginger's House, fabulous floral die is called 'Daisy Doily' by Whimsy, and that stunning flower is a Prima. the flowers in her hair were highlighted with pink stickles. the lace trim is vintage. I painted in the little birds below the sentiment.

don't forget about the Pinktober blog candy! there are going to be a LOT of winners, so be sure to enter! :)

Challenges:
Artistic Inspirations - anything goes
TTCRD - anything goes
Creative Fingers - girls just want to have fun
Jo's Scrap Shack - anything goes
Sister Act - anything goes
Paper Pretties - lots of embellishments
Cards Galore - flowers
Catch the Bug - bingo: black, button, sentiment

The Battle is Over!

Coffee of the Day - Pumpkin Spice

  

edited - new information has been received since I posted this, but the message of this post still holds true. God is still good, every day. the battle might not be over afterall, but He is still in charge. thank goodness!
see post of 10/24/13 for more info.

 After almost 2 years I can declare myself a survivor, finally. as near as last week this didn't seem like a possibility - ever. David and I were talking about hospice and what my choice would be.

THAT is what kind of miracle we are talking about! Don't ever for one minute believe that miracles don't still take place. they are not confined to the pages of a book that tell only the stories of people long gone.....

Thank you to every one of you who has prayed, sent cards, texts, emails, donations, or whatever. You have done so much to help me and my family. You have reached out to let us know that we have not been alone on this journey, and that means so very much to us.

I would be remiss if I didn't drop to my knees and first praise God for all He has done for me and my family. don't ever FOR ONE SINGLE MOMENT think you walk through this life alone. God shows Himself so clearly in quiet, still blessings that take place every single day if we will but slow ourselves down enough to see them.

Celebrate with us! :)

HYCCT - Put Your Brave Boots On!

Coffee of the Day - Moon Pie (it's almost gone, boo hoo hoo!)

Happy happy Friday! this post is going to be loaded with LOTS of cards, so I won't go into much detail about products. if you would like more info, please either email me or head over to my gallery at Split Coast Stampers. each card will have a list of items used. :)

We also have a new challenge over at Jellypark today, so please stop by to see what everyone has created. We are celebrating Pinktober and breast cancer awareness, so get your pink on! :)

I am thrilled beyond measure to be today's 'Hope You Can Cling To' hostess at Split Coast Stampers! My challenge theme is one very near and dear to my heart. I am calling it 'Put Your Brave Boots On' after a stamp set made by Unity. the saying in this set has become my mantra during my cancer battle. it seems that every time I have another test, scan, or 'whatever' I have to face, I tell myself to put on my brave boots. in fact, as you are reading this, I am at the hospital going through more of those tests and scans. and oh my goodness, am I ever so weary of this battle sometimes. but I wear these brave boots not just for myself, but also for my husband and sons. I want them to know that we do not EVER give up in this family. things may get tough, but we can still find joy every single day.

So for my challenge I am asking everyone to make a card with images of boots and shoes. you can see some great samples created by other HYCCT hostesses in the gallery by entering 'HYCCT1318' in the search engine at SCS. also use this tag if you yourself create a card and upload it. thank you! :)

here are my projects:

my first card uses a fun image from Jellypark called 'pattern wellies.' I believe it was a freebie at one time or another. papers are Basic Grey True Love; sentiment was typed on computer. dew drops, rhinestone flourish, glimmer mist, and glitter gel pen are just a few of the embellishments used.

this card uses the 'Brave Boots' itty bitty set from Unity and Basic Grey Green at Heart papers. glimmer mist, enamel dots, tulle trim, and some wood veneer help add to the feminine touch. boots were stamped onto patterned paper.

this last card is done with the same Unity Brave Boots, but with a masculine feel. the barbed wire and star charm dies come from MFT, papers are My Mind's Eye Stella & Rose Mabel. lots of shading with inks give a rustic touch. this fabulous sentiment is also Unity. one of my fave sayings of late.

thanks for your patience! have a most wonderful weekend! :)

Peaceful Lake Scene

Coffee of the Day - Pumpkin Spice

Hello! First I want to share some cool news with you. Today in the UK a most amazing magazine goes on sale. Digital Crafting Essentials vol. 1, looks to be a fabulous magazine, packed with images and samples from some of our most fave artists! not only will you see my fellow Jellypark peeps inside, but also Saturated Canary, Heather Ellis (the artist behind Pure Innocence at MFT), Crafters Companion, and many others. I can't even begin to express what an honor it is to be included in this magazine!!! when you buy a copy, you receive 2 DVDs loaded with images. so cool! I'll show you my card in a later post.....

Next up is a card I made for the 'Peace and Quiet' Hope You Can Cling To challenge at SCS. the idea was to create a card using just images, no words or sentiments, to reflect a peaceful scene. I remembered that I had this wonderful image from Phindy's Place, so was glad to use it. papers are Basic Grey Serenade and border die is MFT. burlap ribbon is May Arts and button & seam binding are from my stash. pretty simple, but that is pretty much the idea.

------> TOMORROW is the day I am hostess at Hope You Can Cling To!!!!! I hope you will stop by both here and over at SCS!!!! I would love to have you play along! :)

don't forget the Pinktober blog candy! I hope to get to everyone's blogs and projects this weekend. sorry I haven't made it yet. y'all are fabulous for making projects though. thank you! :)

Challenges:
Crafting by Designs - anything goes
Crafting with Dragonflies - nature/trees/leaves
Penny's Paper Crafty - anything goes
Designed to Color - tie it up
4 Krafty Girlz - anything goes
Flourishes - burlap or canvas
Kaboodle Doodles - earth tones/colors
Perfectly Rustics - watercoloring (I color almost all of my images this way)
Inkspirational - anything goes

Ribbon Boy in a Pocket

Coffee of the Day - Toasted Maple Nut

Well I was able to get a bit crafty yesterday, so I do have a card to share with you. don't forget to sign up for  my Pinktober blog candy while you are here. I would hate for you to miss out on some cool goodies! I've also passed 1000 posts this week, so have added another winner to the bunch! :) remember, you do not have to be a follower or post anything on your blog to enter. just promise to make a card to pass along to someone that lets them know you are thinking of them. easy peasy!

The new challenge over at Hope You Can Cling To for today is 'Pocket Full of Hope.' I added a pocket to my card using the Pretty Pocket die from MFT. the cutey image on the tag comes from Whimsy and Stars - 'Ribbon Boy.' I paper pieced the ribbon with Basic Grey Lilykate paper, while the rest of the card was made with Basic Grey Carte Postale papers. faux stitching is done with Inky Antics Sew Many Stitches stamp. card base bg was made with the inside of a padded mailing envelope. buttons, brads, a paper flower, and May Arts ribbons finish the card.

Challenges:
Crafting Cafe - anything goes
Bearly Mine - anything goes
Going Grey with Scrap Creations - cut it out
Crafting by Designs - anything goes
Crafter's Cafe - cute
Paper Playtime - ribbon and buttons
613 Avenue Create - pile it on
Challenges 4 Everybody - anything goes
Quirky Crafts - fave things: Basic Grey, pink, and buttons
Craftitude - anything goes with things that start with 's' (stitching, support ribbon)
4 Krafty Girlz - anything goes
Paper Pretties - embellish

You Will Shine, Fishy!

Coffee of the Day - Bourbon Pecan

Hello to you! I haven't posted quite like I  had planned this month. seems my health has other ideas, so have spent way more time in bed than I would like. at least I am reading some fabulous books while there, so a silver lining does exist, folks! :)

I would like to share a card today that was made with several challenges in mind. You know how committed I have been to the Hope You Can Cling To challenges at SCS. well, several of them fall into the CAS category, which is a real hair puller for me, as you well know..... thankfully Sandy at Scribbles Designs helped me tremendously by having a 'shades of orange' challenge that begins today. I was able to mix Sandy's cutey fish with Lori's CAS - Courage and Strength in orange and red challenge.

I used great papers from the Basic Grey Hipster collection,  Lawn Fawn photo die, Unity stamp for the sentiment, SU! linen thread, button, and cool orange rhinestone flourish to mimic seaweed.  the fish's scales were painted with apricot shimmerz.

I'll try to get a bit more crafting done this week. depends upon how I'm feeling and my Willy Wonka head does.... truly feels as if it's been dancing too much with the Oompa Loompas after all of these lovely pain meds I'm taking. spent yesterday at the dr. and go to the hospital Friday for some tests and scans.

but it IS autumn and the leaves are gorgeous and the weather is nice and cool and my squirrel and bird friends stop by to see me and life is beautiful! :)

Challenges:
Challenges 4 Everybody - anything goes
Glitter 'n Sparkle - add some orange
WAW - anything goes with encouraging senti or verse
Great Impressions - a button and a bow
2 Sisters - anything goes
Brown Sugar - anything goes
Card Crafters Circle - use 3 embellishments
Crafts 4 Eternity  - CAS
Creative Fingers - anything goes with shades of one color
Sister Act - anything goes cards

Hope and Courage Shabby Subway Art

Coffee of the Day - Pumpkin Spice

Happy Friday! boy does it ever feel good to type that....
did any of you watch the tribute episode of Glee last night? it was quite beautiful, but tough to see, I admit. We received sad news yesterday regarding a friend of our's from church and her sister. This lady's sister has the same type of breast cancer that I do and has just been admitted to a hospice facility. she received her diagnosis right before I did. our treatments took a similar path. this news was not only sad for our friend and her sister, but quite the reality check for us. puts so much into perspective.

anyway, on to my card. I tried something a bit different. let me tell you, my crafting sure is a saving grace for me. so I'll keep posting cards as long as I am feeling well enough to make them! :)

Crafty Secrets has such beautiful vintage stamps, and their cancer support images are quite lovely. I used several images from the set, Support the Girls. I hadn't tried a subway art type piece before, so thought I would give it a go, adding my own shabby spin. Both the ribbon and word piece were printed onto pieces of Basic Grey Serendipity paper. I then added some little doodles and coloring to the sentiment/subway piece with my white gel pen, orange glitter pen, and paintbrush. this was matted onto another piece of the BG paper and white dots added with the gel pen. SU! linen thread, buttons, and paper flower finish off the card.

have a great weekend! remember that you are truly, deeply loved! :)

Challenges:
Crafty Secrets - October linky party
LUFP - breast cancer support linky party
DL Art - breast cancer support linky party
WAW - anything goes with encouraging senti
Brown Sugar - anything goes
Digitally Sweet - fave colors (pink with kraft)
Stamping for the Weekend - anything goes
Wags 'n Whiskers - pink/breast cancer awareness
Loves Rubberstamps - polka dots
Tuesday Throwdown - awareness
Love to Create - breast cancer awareness
Kraft Journal - button, bow, or bangle ( buttons & bow with kraft cs)
Dream Valley - buttons
Great Impressions - buttons and bows
Robyn's Fetish - use a digi

Go Confidently Dream Catcher

Coffee of the Day - Red Velvet Cake

Today's new challenge over at Hope You Can Cling To is 'Words to Inspire You.' I knew that I wanted to make a masculine card, so I pulled out this fantastic stamp set from Unity that I bought a few weeks ago. The stamp is called 'Capture Confident Dreams' and is just so very amazing. While you are over at the Unity store, you have just GOT to see the new Fashionistas that Tracey Malnofski has drawn! I want them both!!! and was I ever doing the happy dance when I saw them!!!! rarely do you see cancer support images that actually show REAL looking chemo women. these are fabulous! :)

papers are Basic Grey Persimmon, burlap ribbon is May Arts, main image was fussy cut and then popped up on foam tape. some buttons, feathers, and a pretty paper sunflower were added. I wanted to try to keep a natural feel to the card.

Be sure you have entered the Pinktober blog candy on this post. :)

Challenges:
Delightful Challenges - distressed
Dreamweaver - magical and mystical
Crafter's Cafe - fave craft item (buttons & Basic Grey!)
Divas by Design - 3 or more layers
Rhedd and Rosie - autumn colors
Simon Says Stamp - use a rubber or clear stamp
Sisterhood of Crafters - anything goes
Going Grey with Scrap Creations - cut it out
Just Inspirational - feathers
Papertake Weekly - two by two (2 feathers and 2 navy patterned paper panels)
TTCRD - anything goes
C is for Challenge - boys and men
Eureka - anything goes
Get Inky - fall colors
A Gem of a Challenge - for the boys
Allsorts - autumn colors
Challenges and Candies - colors of autumn
Craftitude - anything goes/ things that start with 's' (sunflower)
QKR Stampede - fall colors

Hi Typewriter

Coffee of the Day - Coconut Pecan

Sorry I missed a day of posting.....I spent part of Sunday and all of Monday in bed. went to bed early last night as well, so haven't been quite up to my crafty self. have a LOT of emails and blogging to catch up on, so please be patient with me.

The new challenge over at Hope You Can Cling To is called Strength of Steel. the idea is to use metal elements on your card. I tried to emboss a piece of aluminum foil and add ink accents, but it ended up looking so horrid. went another route entirely! there are some pretty cool samples in the gallery though of soda can flowers and the foil embossing if you would like to see.

I used the typewriter image from Jellypark, papers from the Basic Grey Hello Luscious collection, metal flair from Webster's Pages, flower from WOC, stick pin from Maya Road, and enamel dots from Teresa Collins. a piece of zipper trim attached with staples adds more metal to the card. hi ho silver shimmerz and a clear spica glitter gel pen accent all of the silver metal portions of the typewriter.

enter the Pinktober blog candy here! I'll try to stop by your blogs in the next few days as I get caught up and start feeling better...... thank you for making cards to pass along a 'hello' to others! :)

Challenges:
Crafty Sentiments - anything goes
TTCRD - anything goes
Twisted Tuesdays - layers and metal
Craft Your Passion - heavy metal
Eureka - anything goes
613 Avenue Create - anything goes
Robyn's Fetish - use a digi

Happy Birthday, Calypso! :)

Coffee of the Day - Pumpkin Spice

Happy Birthday, Calypso!

Calypso is having a birthday today!  We are so excited to share with you a Surprise Birthday Blog Hop!!!  Every stop along the hop has a surprise birthday card or project for Calypso created by members of two Design Teams... 

Sentimental Sundays and Scribbles Designs.

Calypso keeps all of us so organized; is such an inspiration to all of us and also is right there with unfailing support and compassion for any of the team members.  

Her talents abound and we adore her!

Please join us in the (surprise)

Birthday Hop for Calypso 

and stop by her blog at the end to wish her Happiest of Birthdays! 

Happy Birthday, Calypso!

Here is my card:

I used the Leaf Doodle and a sentiment from Create with TLC. papers are Bo Bunny Vicki B, and I added accents with a bright green glitter gel pen to match them. the ribbon flower scanned really bright, but is a perfect match to the paper irl. the skeleton leaf is retired from SU!, but I thought a birthday celebration was a good reason to use one of my last, hoarded stash! :)

Next head on over to 

ARCHANA's blog for the next project!

Be sure to comment on the Birthday Hop post on one or both blogs 

Sentimental Sundays and Scribbles Designs.... 

one person will be randomly chosen (on October 8th) from all comments collected from both blogs to receive a prize in the mail.  

The prize will be sent to you and we welcome you from anywhere in the world you reside in!   

Here's the lineup in case you get lost 

(Make sure your last stop is CALYPSO so you can wish her a Happy Birthday!)

We'll start with Angi of Sentimental Sundays....

Doreen of Sentimental Sundays...

Vicky  of Scribbles Designs...

Jennifer  of Scribbles Designs... (you are here!!!)

Archana of Sentimental Sundays & Scribbles Designs...

Deanne of Scribbles Designs...

Sharla  of Scribbles Designs...

Julie of Sentimental Sundays...

Karolina of Sentimental Sundays...

Lisa of Scribbles Designs...

Cely of Scribbles Designs...

Sam of Scribbles Designs...

Tracey of Sentimental Sundays...

Nick of Scribbles Designs...

Sandy of Sentimental Sundays & Scribbles Designs...

(Your last stop is CALYPSO so you can wish her a Happy Birthday!)

Calypso 

Save the Rack

Coffee of the Day - Eggnog

Today's card is by no means intended to offend anyone. I come from a family of hunters and live with a family of hunters. We all have great respect for animals as well as for women. but at the same time, we have a fun sense of humor. we can't get through life without it, especially when difficult times come along. I hope you can see that when you look at my card. believe you me, if I myself am not offended by this and I'm going through breast cancer, then I think it's probably okay.... ;)

As I was browsing through Etsy last month, I noticed that the latest catch phrase for breast cancer awareness is 'Save the Rack' with deer antlers as the symbol. Unity Stamps recently came out with a new line of hunting stamps. Yesterday LuvLee challenged all of us to use pink camo on her Hope You Can Cling To challenge. so I have taken all of the above and created this card.

I colored the deer stamp with my SU! markers. the deer was then covered in walnut distress stickles. the card base & senti tag were sprayed with 2 shades of pink glimmer mist. The senti tag was made with a combo of the sentiment from the 'Nice Rack' stamp and 'Big or Small' sentiment stamp. The fabulous camo rose trim comes from Shabby Rose Trim over at Etsy. I bought a gorgeous autumn paisley one at the same time that I'm excited to use on a later project. buttons, pink camo ribbon, and SU! linen thread finish the card. oh yes, that cool shield die is from Spellbinders.

Don't forget to enter the Pinktober Blog Candy! :)

Challenges:
Catch the Bug - anything goes
Papertake Weekly - anything goes
Cut it Up - think pink with die cuts
Digi Haven - use 2 colors (pink and brown)
Pattie's Creations - ribbon
Totally PaperCrafts - bring humor
Wags 'n Whiskers - pink/breast cancer awareness
Crafty Ribbons - anything goes with ribbon
LUFP - breast cancer awareness linky party
Cardz TV - breast cancer awareness

Love to Create - candy inspired (tootsie rolls & raisinettes, some of my  most fave candies EVER! also, breast cancer support M & M's)
DL Art - breast cancer awareness linky party
Shopping Our Stash - pink/breast cancer support (stash: buttons, tag punch)