Floral Pink Ribbon of Courage cards

Top Pick at Path of Positivity
Path of Positivity DT Favorite
Path of Positivity Most Inspiring
Coffee/Tea of the Day - Spiced Pumpkin Hazelnut coffee

Happy weekend to everyone! :)

As most of you know, I am currently battling the dreaded 'C' again. yeah, it pretty much stinks, as I feel lousy most of the time. as with any disease, there are good days and the not so good ones. the past few weeks have been rough, but I am really trying to get crafty time to help combat the doldrums that easily come with being sick for so long.

I created 2 cards for Breast Cancer Awareness month. they are almost identical, with only minor variations. imagine my shock as I was creating these to discover that I have NO pink 12x12 cs! none! what is up with that?! as much as I love pink in my crafting, I obviously rarely use it as a card base unless I am making something different than my standard 6x6 card. almost every card I make has a kraft cs base. guess I had better ask Santa for some pinky goodness in my stocking this year. ;)

the bg piece was created with distress inks stamped over distress oxide. I used the gorgeous Tim Holtz Glorious Bouquet as well as several Prima tiny bg stamps - script and doily. 2 shades of crackle paint were added sporadically and then topped with splatters of white Mr. Huey's spray. edges were distressed with ink.

the pretty awareness ribbon is from the SU! Ribbon of Courage stamp set. the sentiment is from the same set. the hearts in the ribbon were colored with SU! markers. I then used an aqua painter to mute the colors. after fussy cutting, I wrinkled the image to add a vintage feel.

beautiful flowers are from Michael's and altered with inks and Frantage embossing powder. bg papers are from the Kaisercraft Magenta and Echo Park Wedding Day collections. pink tags were stamped with a Prima bg script stamp. doily is from my stash and was distressed with ink. vintage buttons, lace, ribbons, and iridescent sequins are also stash items.

I want to add a little message here about the sentiment:
for anyone dealing with a terrible disease, courage is required on a daily basis, sometimes by the hour. but that also goes for the members of their family. there is courage needed to face the diagnosis and what it means for the changes that take place. courage is needed when dealing with medical appointments and procedures. courage is needed the most when trying to wrap your head about what the future means and not giving up hope. sometimes courage is needed when people who mean well say things without thinking of how it comes across. (no, my  multitude of sins did not cause my cancer, but I will smile and say thank you for trying to be encouraging.) courage is needed as the person diagnosed deals with the numerous changes that their body is going through, tasks that can no longer be easily accomplished, and the multitude of emotions that can, at times, be overwhelming. we might be a bit tattered, but we are not broken. and we will fight with all we have because that is what courage means - bravery in the face of adversity.

Thank you so much  for stopping by! I hope you enjoy your weekend! remember that you are truly loved! :)
Jennifer

Challenges:
SSS Mon. - All Things Pink
Alphabet Ch - 'O' is for one word sentiment
Creative Fingers - anything goes
Craft Rocket - pink
Southern Girls - anything goes
Unicorn Ch - pretty in pink
Creations in Pink - anything goes in mainly pink
Creative Craft Cottage - make it pink
Digi Doodle Studios - black and/or pink
Path of Positivity - courage

From My Heart To Yours for WCMD plus Blog Candy

Coffee/Tea of the Day - Victorian Earl Grey tea (Earl Grey with lavender and roses, one of my very favorites!)

Happy World Card Making Day! I hope you are able to get crafty today, and if not, then perhaps sometime this weekend. :)

Some of you might know that October is the month that is recognized for Breast Cancer Awareness. I have been in remission from Triple Negative breast cancer for 6 years now. to say that I am blessed would be an understatement. I am thankful every single day. flat out. I do ask that you use wisdom in the ribbon causes that you support. just do a bit of research. I remember the kindness that so many people shared with me when I was going through my diagnosis and treatments, so kept that in mind when making my card for today's post.

I am afraid that my one day in the craft room this week was a bit much for my poor head and sent me into a tailspin, but I sure did enjoy getting inky again! I was super blessed earlier to have won a kit from Simon Says Stamp, so put some of the elements to use on my project that I am sharing. the sentiments in the "Mandy's Flowers" stamp  set were perfect for the thinking of you card I wanted to make. flower center is dotted with distress stickles. I sure love that stuff!

the kit also included an assortment of papers from the Bo Bunny Early Bird collection. I don't often use Bo Bunny papers, so this was a treat. very pretty and nice quality. I have several of their digital collections, and will definitely add some paper pads to my stash when I come across them.

ribbons are from Really Reasonable Ribbon, with the seam binding distressed as I love to do. :) pink crochet trim is some that I won a while back, so I apologize that I don't have the store to reference. vintage buttons are from my stash. isn't that floral button gorgeous?!  little flower is from Wild Orchid Crafts. so happy to see that the new owner has opened the store. hooray!

now I know that most of you are here for the blog candy! I have 2 that I am offering - one that is pink/thinking of you/breast cancer awareness themed and another that is Halloween/fall themed. I will have these open for only a few days so that they can be mailed out by the end of next week and the winners can get busy playing with their goodies! candy is open to everyone!!!! no need to post on your blog or become a follower unless you just want to. everyone is welcome to come to the table and share a cup of coffee or tea with me. :)

Pink/Thinking of You/Breast Cancer Awareness Blog Candy:

• Breast Cancer Ribbons
• House Mouse cling stamp
• Pink Washi Tape duo
• Heidi Swapp Journal Embellishments
• Prima cling stamp
• Pink polka dot plastic bags
• Pink Buttons with adhesive
• Pink mulberry flowers
• All items shown in photo
• Assorted other buttons, ribbons, and flowers not shown

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

Halloween/Fall Blog Candy:

• Simon Says Stamp ink pads
• Simon Says Stamp cling stamp set
• 3 Treasured Times cling stamps
• SRM Stickers
• Fall Leaves Washi Tape
• Jack O'Lantern Painting kit
• WOW embossing powder
• All items shown in photo
• Assorted other buttons, ribbons, and flowers not shown

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

I do try to add a few extra items to each blog candy package other than just the items shown. I want each winner to be happy with the goodies that they receive. :)

Winners will be announced on Wednesday, October 10. Please be sure that you have entered the appropriate blog candy by way of the little blog froggy link. if you are unable to do so, please let me know in the comments section. otherwise I will not know that you are interested in the blog candy.

*for those of you who are having difficulty adding links, I am very sorry. I have tested it myself and not had a problem adding a specific blog link. you might want to try that or come back again and try again later. I will add your names to each of the blog candy prize drawings. thank you for letting me know about the problem. if you don't mind, I can try adding your entries myself to see if that works also.

Thank you so much for being friends of my blog and stopping by with your kind comments! Have a most amazing day!
Jennifer

Challenges:
Colour Crazy - #40 anything hand colored goes
Creative Fingers - anything goes
Cardz 4 Galz - What's New? (new stamps, papers, and aqua ribbon)
Crafting with an Attitude - anything goes
Crafty Creations - anything goes
Paper Minutes - watercolors
TTCRD - anything goes
Tuesday Throwdown - for a cause (pink for breast cancer awareness)
A Bit More Time to Craft - anything goes
Creations in Pink - anything goes in pink (LOVE this challenge theme!!!)
Digi Doodle - pink for breast cancer or Halloween
Crafty Cardmakers - lace or ribbon (both here)

Pink-tober Blog Candy!!!

Welcome to my Pink-tober Blog Candy for 2014! The end of this blog candy will also coincide with my 6 year bloggy anniversary!!!! who nelly! hard to believe I have been blogging for so long!

so I want to thank every single blessed one of you who has stuck with me through this long journey. it's been quite the ride, hasn't it? who would have ever thought we would have been through all that we have, right?! but y'all have truly been the ABSOLUTE BEST bloggy friends a gal could ever ask for!

if you are interested in winning this candy or one of the 2nd place packages, please add your information to our friendly Mr. Blue Froggy linky friend at the bottom of this post. you do not have to jump through hoops to be eligible to enter - no need to be a follower or post this anywhere. you can do either of these things only if you feel so inclined. :)

the blog candy will run through midnight October 31. I will randomly choose a grand prize winners and 2 winners of the 2nd place prizes. I will post the winners as soon after the deadline as possible.

so far the blog candy contains the following:

• Prima Sunrise Sunset Doily stencil
• Heidi Swapp 6x6 Mixed Company paper pad
• Prima Pink Petite Mums
• Memento Angel Pink ink pad
• Hot Pink Glitter Alpha Stickers
• over 20 yards of various pink ribbons, laces, and trims
• SRM Stickers Think Pink Awareness stickers
• Retro Sally Pink Paper Straws
• Sizzix Ornate Crescent Sizzlits Die (this is gorgeous!)
• Jolee's Tiara Bling Stickers
• K & Co. Adhesive Metallic Gems
• Metal Heart Charms
• Assorted Pink buttons
• Pink Tickets and Tags
• 2 sets Prima Wishful Thinking Cling Stamp sets
• Webster's Pages Heart Pins  

I will probably add a few more little goodies here and there to all prize packages. :)

I hope you will play along! :)

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

I Will Gladly Share Pink

Coffee of the Day - Toasted Coconut

I will gladly share pink so that anyone and everyone fighting this horrible beast knows that they are not alone. I will not give up because I fight this battle for my family. they will know that we can have things in life that might knock us sideways, but we are strong and we fight because love matters.

I might grow weary of what is being called 'pinkwashing', but I will continue to hope and pray for cures for EVERY disease. I want to see more research. I want to see less of Big Pharma and high medication costs.

FYI - if at all possible, please make sure that those pink products you see and purchase truly are supporting breast cancer research. more and more information is appearing that companies are using the pink ribbon as nothing more than a marketing tool to put money into their own coffers, with little or no money going to the intended sponsor. actually, you should do this for any organization that states it is donating a portion of its proceeds to a specific non-profit agency. also, are those pink products actually cancer inducing or detrimental in the first place? one that is in the news this week is from a fracking company. that doesn't make a lick of sense..... destroy the planet but donate 10 cents to breast cancer? no, I don't think I'll buy that pink drill bit, thank you very much.

I will continue to collect every single support stamp set I can get my hands on so that I may make cards to send along to others fighting any incurable disease. we are all in this together. no one goes through this journey called life alone.

I will gladly share pink always, always, always. and I will not give up hope.

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. ;)

We Can Beat This Starburst

Coffee of the Day - Buttered Rum

It's Friday! wooo hoooo! always a happy day, regardless of whether you are still in school or not. there is just something so special about a Friday, don't you think?!

I wanted to play along in the Unity Friends with Flair Friday challenge, but also saw a fun sketch over at The Stamping Boutique today. add that to the Outlawz Paper a la Mode challenge of pink that ends tonight, and I was in a hurry to get a card made today! :)

I have a box of cards I need to get out to MD Anderson in Texas to their cancer center, so thought I would add one more to the mix before packaging it up this weekend. this is the same place all cards for Hope You Can Cling To at Split Coast Stampers are sent. since my previous oncologist moved over 1 1/2 hours away from me, I no longer have a card box to add cards to. my current oncologist is at our local hospital, and they don't do anything like the card box I had set up before. so I need someplace to send all of my cards!

I have a big dr. appt. on Monday and start up tests & scans next week. not looking forward to that. you won't see much of me .....

stamps are from the Unity Angie Girl set, 'Cure Girls.' papers are from the Basic Grey Highline collection. starburst die is from Taylored Expressions, leaf flourish die is Cheery Lynn, and die for main image is Spellbinders.  the sentiment banner is actually attached with pink staples. I love these, but save them for very special projects! flower is Prima and sequins were just scattered over the card. I glued them down where they fell. love the random look!

will see you back here tomorrow! enjoy your weekend! :)

Challenges:
Unity Friends with Flair - anything goes with Unity products
The Stamping Boutique - sketch
Outlawz Paper a la Mode - all about the pink
Brown Sugar - patterned paper
Crafty Ribbons - anything goes with ribbon
Creative Card Crew - girly
Just For Fun - ribbon or lace
Sister Act - any card goes
Ooh La La - faithful friends (believe me, it makes a big difference to have people stand by your side during a cancer battle. not everyone does, sadly)
Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper - anything goes with patterned paper
Sassy Studios - so bright ya gotta wear shades
Crafting By Designs - anything goes
WAW - anything encouraging goes
Crafting From the Heart - anything goes
Nutcrafters - bingo: bling (sequins), girly, paper punch or die cuts (dies listed above)
Simon Says Stamp - anything goes
Going Grey with Scrap Creations - anything goes
One Stitch at a Time - anything goes
Robyn's Fetish - get well

Fight On Little Lauryn

Coffee of the Day - Vanilla Biscotti

I need to tell all of you about something that is quickly becoming a passion for me.

Just a few short days ago, a friend of mine, Linda Payne, discovered that her 2 year old grand-daughter has leukemia. Linda and I have known each other for several years, serving on a few DTs together. my heart is breaking at the news and what this family is having to endure.

Here is the 'Fight on Little Lauryn' page on Facebook. Some of us are also putting together a card drive/blog hop to help get cards for Lauryn and the family. it looks as if that will take place on April 14. Several digi artists have already agreed to draw images to help raise money for the family medical expenses, and prizes are being donated! what generosity!

if you would like to send a card or some other fun little something to brighten their day, contact me or leave a comment for the address at the hospital.

When I received my cancer diagnosis, some very kind and loving people got together and put on a blog hop and fundraiser for my family. it truly touched our hearts. I still treasure each of the cards I received. even though my battle is far from over, if I can help another family to know that they are not alone going through this, then I know I will have in some small way, 'passed it forward'.

I will be posting updates to the card drive as I have them. but remember, the most important thing is that we shower this family with love and support.

Chalkboard Boy on Sled

Coffee of the Day - Moon Pie (found a little bit left. wooo hoooo!)

To help get you ready for tomorrow's HUGE post, I am sneaking in my last card made for Hope You Can Cling To. I actually made several others that never showed up here on the blog. will possibly add them some day. but goofball me thought the deadline for adding cards to the HYCCT galleries was tomorrow instead of yesterday. somedays I don't have any idea how in the world I survive moment to moment without my head falling right off of my shoulders.... so I quickly put this one together. well, not THAT quick. it still takes me a while.

anyway - this was for the last challenge, 'Pick a Team' in honor of "Breaking Bad". I have never seen this show, but it is on my list of things to watch. the idea for the challenge was to create a black & white card, but then add one other color depending upon which 'team' you chose. Since I knew I was making a Christmas card, I went with green, since red is not really one of my fave colors, although I craft with it all the time.

All stamps are from Flonz. they have the greatest vintage stamps. they take well to Versamark, too, even though they are clear. these stamps come from 3 different sets. I thought the chalkboard technique was a great one to use for a black & white challenge. other touches were added with white craft ink and my white gel pen. btw - Tim Holtz made a fab tag using real chalk on his. will have to try that sometime.

Papers are Basic Grey 25th and Pine, button is vintage, big die is Spellbinders while holly leaves are a Basic Grey die. little red holly dots are stickles that I added after uploading to SCS 'cause I felt it really needed a pop of red. a little doily piece, baker's twine, beaded poinsettia, washi tape, tickets, and rhinestones complete the card.

Hope you have a great weekend! See you tomorrow! :)

Challenges:
Flonz - traditional Christmas
Alphabet Challenge - T is for twine
Brown Sugar - anything goes
Chocolate, Coffee, and Cards - monochromatic (hopefully the neutrals are ok)
Craftitude - anything goes with twine or string
Crafts 2 Challenge You - monochromatic vintage Christmas
Jingle Belles - holiday traditions (my father & I used to go sledding every winter when I was a little girl. we took our sons and they kept going even as they became teenagers. it is great fun no matter what age!)
Art Impressions - Holly Jolly Christmas
CRAFT - Christmas
Paper Shelter - winter fun
TTCRD - anything goes
Top Tip Tuesday - seasons (winter) waving hi to all of my former teamies!!!! :)
Crafty Bloggers - Christmas
Created with Love - Christmas reds and greens
Incy Wincy - ribbon, twine, or fibers
Sparkle and Sprinkle - anything goes with embossing powder, glitter, and/or flocking
Crazy Challenge - 'B' is for: boy, bow, button, bling, berries, black
Crafty Calendar - all things Christmas
Christmas Cards All Year Round - Winter Wonderland
Card and Scrap - Christmas card
Papertake Weekly - anything goes Christmas

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. :)

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

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

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