Coffee Addicts, I mean, Coffee Lovers Blog Hop! ;)

Coffee of the Day - Vanilla Biscotti

I am soooooooo excited to be taking part in this great blog hop of fellow coffee addicts, I mean, aficionados! tee hee! I do enjoy a proper cup of tea, don't get me wrong, but there is nothing quite like a big hot cup o' joe to make my heart go pitter pat! :)

You will see so many fabulous projects on this hop, so be sure your cup is filled to the brim. I'll be more than happy to give you a refill while you are here!

I had big intentions of making several projects for today, but a wicked fever had other designs on my time. so instead I have only one card to show......

I used the great coffee sentiment from Deep Red Stamps, stamped onto watercolor paper. gelatos and clear shine Mr. Huey's spray mist were then used to add color. I love using the clear shine mist rather than water for the beautiful sparkle it adds!

papers are Basic Grey Spice Market, flower is Petaloo, burlap ribbon is by May Arts, seam tape ribbon and border punch are SU!, and buttons are from my stash. you know how much I love to re-purpose my Starbucks coffee goodies! they add such a fun touch to this card! :)

We were also asked to answer the following questions:

1. When did you start drinking coffee? my dad introduced me to this lovely concoction called 'coffee milk' when I was a little girl. funny, it's still the way I drink my coffee, only now I call it a 'latte'! ;)
2. What is favorite brand (you can name up to three). when I am out, I pretty much only drink Starbucks. at home, our fave company is called 'The Coffee Fool'. they have the most delightful flavors in decaf! we get them through Amazon. 
3. What is the most amazing coffee that you had? what I make in my French coffee press. it is really the very best for making coffee. even beats the Keurig. 
4. If I don't drink my needed coffee, I will...not be a happy camper, so let's just not go there, okay? ;)

thanks so much for stopping by!

Challenges:
Fresh Brewed Designs - lots of lattes
Inkspirational - beverages/drinks
Snarky Stampers - D is for Distressing
Alphabet Ch - Q is for Quadruple (4 buttons)
Brown Sugar - anything goes
Docerela Creations - anything stamped goes
Sister Act - any card goes
Crafty Ribbons - anything goes with buttons & ribbons
Red Rubber Inspirationals - focus on the stamping
Simon Says Wed. - anything goes

I'm More Than a Pink Ribbon....

Coffee of the Day - Pumpkin Spice

This is weighing heavy on my heart today.

I just finished watching a live stream from the Living Beyond Breast Cancer Annual Fall Conference regarding Triple Negative Breast Cancer. I must say that I cried during the more than hour long lecture. the outlook right now is still not good.

Triple Negative is so very different from other types of breast cancer. it is constantly changing in the body as genes alter themselves and chromosomes actively rearrange themselves. as I have mentioned before, rarely do women with this type of breast cancer live more than 5 years past their diagnosis. it's been 2 1/2 years since mine. and I count myself blessed every morning I wake up.

a fellow group member from the Triple Negative Breast Cancer Survivors on Facebook posted this today. she gave me permission to share with all of you. her name is Jamie Grant-Prater, and she posted this so beautifully:

"PLEASE READ -
 October is quickly approaching, nicknamed Pinktober because it is Breast Cancer Awareness month. Breast Cancer could not be anything further from a shiny pink ribbon. There is no cure for breast cancer, while some can stop the progression of the disease, most are not so lucky. 

My own Dx. on 2/25/11 has been a game changer. I have tried to cope with this disease with all the grace, humility and humor born into my brash American soul. I am still lucky, the disease is slowly inching forward but I cherish every day, the good with the bad. However, I couldn't have survived the first year of treatment without the support of my family, friends and even my frenemies. 

I encourage all of you to really reach out to anyone you personally know going through this battle. Please make the time to take them a meal, send a gift card, flowers or offer a ride to treatment, it really does contribute to saving their life. Be a lifesaver, be a hero to someone in need. Please skip the pink ribbon instead offer support and hugs. Sending lots of love and aloha your way, Jamie"

Remember that every person with a cancer diagnosis is so much more than a ribbon color. a card saying a simple 'hello' can truly make a day go from ick to hooray.

love to all of you! :)

Big Stuff Coming Up!

Coffee of the Day - Creamy Chestnut

big events coming up in the crafty world - World Card Making Day on October 4 and Hope You Can Cling To for the entire month of October. plenty of opportunities to get inky!!!

 I'm spending the day putting finishing touches on my personal pink blog candy for next month to celebrate Breast Cancer Awareness. will also do some sorting and arranging in the craft room so I am ready to be a craft warrior!

 don't feel as if everything you make next month has to be pink. there are so many amazing organizations that collect cards for people with debilitating illnesses. check with them for any specific needs or requests they might have before sending them your cards though. one of my faves is the Jellypark Post Pals Club, sending cards to children and teens with terminal illnesses.

the important thing is to pass the gift of kindness along.... have a great weekend!

and this is the latest news - I was just invited to be in a great Coffee Lover's Blog Hop on Monday!

sure hope you will stop by! lots of bloggers and lots of prizes! of course lots of coffee inspiration, too. ;)

Happy Birthday, Amy! :)

Coffee of the Day - Hazelnut

Betty, of Simply Betty Stamps, wanted to surprise her sister, Amy, with lots of big bright Happy Birthday wishes today, so she got together some folks in her Simply B Facebook group to make a few cards.

my card uses the image, "Let Me Take a Selfie Amy" and papers from the Basic Grey Life of the Party collection. flower is by Petaloo, sentiment stickers are by SRM, and stars were punched from Starbucks coffee cozies then inked with white craft. red twine was salvaged from our huge bags of dog foot. I love that stuff and use it on so many projects! buttons and tickets are from my stash. I almost forgot, I added a little wood veneer star that was inked with a marker to her hair. :)

Challenges:
Sweet Sketch - sketch
Inky Impressions - primary colors
Sister Act - any card goes
Digi Stamps 4 Joy - celebrations
Double Click - birthday
Paper Pretties - buttons
Paper Shelter - ribbon, twine, and/or floss (used ribbon & twine)
City Crafter - diagonals
Inky Chicks - anything goes
TTCRD - anything goes
Crafting Musketeers - buttons
Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper - anything goes w/patterned paper
Ladybug Crafts - anything goes
Cheerful Stamp Pad - birthday
Crafty Bloggers - anything goes
Crafty Boots - anything goes

A Very Special ATC

Coffee of the Day - Caramel Vanilla Creme

Today I want to share with you a very special little bear on a very special little ATC.

September 11 is a day of sadness for many of us, but the world lost a shining star this year in the sudden passing of Amanda Reed. I hadn't known her for very long, but what I did know what a most kind and talented lady. You can find her Facebook page here, and if you are so inclined, make a donation to her family here.

The very amazing folks over at Polkadoodles created this adorable digi image to honor Amanda. Alyce has a challenge in her FB Kit and Clowder group for anyone who uses the cutey.

I made an ATC using papers from the Basic Grey Fresh Cut collection. you might remember that this is one of my faves that BG has recently released. LOVE the colors! flower is Prima that I accented with stickles, sentiment sticker is by SRM, and everything else is from my stash. stickles were also used to accent the heart and flower center on the bear.

Challenges:
Wicked Wed ATC - fave color combo (pinks, kraft, and bluish greens)
Crafting From the Heart - anything goes
Eureka - use a floral paper
Stamp and Create - circles or dots
Opus Gluei - ATC
Pile it On - flowers and/or feathers (hey there to my former teamies!)
Craft for the Craic - circles on your project
Crafts 4 Eternity - fave color combo (pinks, kraft, and bluish greens)
Pattie's Creations - dog or cat
Double Click Skittles - animal

Blessings - yes, I got crafty! :)

Coffee of the Day - Sweet Potato

Your eyes are not deceiving you - yes, I did actually make a card! :)

hopefully this will be the first of many!

I have to give LOTS of credit to the very amazing and encouraging people over at Kit and Clowder - a wonderful group of crafters I have come to know on Facebook. yes, nice people DO exist on Facebook. ;) my card is made for one of the challenges going on in the group there. this happens to be for the sketch challenge.

image and sentiment are from the Crafty Secrets Thanksgiving collection. papers are from the Authentique Thankful collection, flowers are Petaloo, burlap ribbon is May Arts, and buttons are vintage. I added some touches with my white gel pen and white craft ink.

sorry for the scan being a bit crooked. it's been so long since I've used my scanner that it was giving me some fits. took me way too many tries to get it to work, as it kept turning off on me. so once I was able to get it to actually scan, I just went with it.

Challenges:
Crafty Secrets - monthly linky party
Kit and Clowder FB - sketch ch
Come and Get it - use a digi and an Autumn theme
613 Avenue Create - anything goes
Crafting at the Weekend - anything goes
Di's Digi Designs - stripes and/or checks
Chocolate, Coffee, and Cards - vintage
Sister Act - anything goes
Milk Coffee - colors of autumn
Creative Moments - anything goes/fall colors
WAW - anything encouraging goes
Crafty Sentiments - spots and/or stripes
Fan-Tastic Tues - anything square or rectangle with button twist

My New Tattoo! :)

Coffee of the Day - Toasted Coconut

I am so excited because I now have new tattoo! wooo hoooo! this momma is one hippie chick! :) it's funny because in many ways I am quite conventional, but in others I am truly a nature baby and radical.

My tattoos reflect my faith journey. granted, this is only my 2nd, but I have others planned. the next one is for my cancer battle.

This tattoo is based on the following 2 verses from the Bible:

John 15:5 I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing.

John 15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

it was hard to get all of the detail in the photo, but there is a heart, vines, and a cross all incorporated into the design. the artist took a photo I had and did a lot of work to it. he is so talented! he created an ink just for my tattoo so that it would look like henna. I am so impressed with his professionalism, his talent, and the care he took through the entire process.

Mick went me and had a great time. of course once Tyler got home from classes he was ready to go get one as well. won't be long before our entire family is all inked up! :)