When it rains it pours and then things get really really wet.....

We had several very lovely days with temps in the mid 50's. the sun was shining and it was glorious! but when you have layers upon layers of snow and ice built up on roof tops, things happen. For the first time ever in our 12 years of living in Ohio, we had ice break loose and do some damage. but we didn't realize the extent of it until yesterday.

A few days ago during the afternoon, Tyler and I heard a crash. I knew immediately what it was - ice breaking loose from the roof outside my upstairs bedroom. It sounded loud enough to have broken through the roof below, so I checked. All appeared fine. I climbed out onto the roof, and sure enough - the gutters had even been broken off, but otherwise all seemed well.

Yesterday the rains began. Temps had begun dropping again the afternoon before, but nothing unusual for this time of year. It rained all day yesterday. As I have been feeling better, I have been trying to do some organizing of my craft room - actually a closed-in porch that is - you guessed it - the room right below where the ice fell from my bedroom roof. Getting that sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach yet? yep, you can tell where this is going..........

Late in the afternoon, I needed to grab some things from my craft room to put into bins. I walked into the room and was devastated. Water was dripping from the roof - all areas of the roof. All around the perimeter, the center, you name it - it was leaking. I did my best to salvage what I could. Thankfully I had already taken out my Primas, the majority of my ribbons and trims, my Basic Grey 6x6 paper pads, and my buttons! :) y'all know how important those things are to me when I craft! essentially the only other thing that wasn't damaged was my vast collection of solid cs. whew! I did manage to get some of my single wooden stamps out and a few other embellies.

Now in the midst of this, Camp Burton has had the Senior High Sabbath Retreat going on since Friday night. This isn't your normal sky high fun in the sun kind of retreat. This is a really in depth 'take you to your knees' kind of soul searching retreat that causes each person to truly get a closer look at their relationship with God. Everyone fasts for 24 hours, spends lots of time in worship and prayer, does some kind of mission project, but also connects with God in a way that can only be described as awesome - truly awesome. The focus of the Retreat was the relief efforts for Haiti. I spent some time on Friday trying to find video for David to put together for a short presentation. After several hours of watching video clips, slide presentations, etc., I was emotionally drained. God was speaking to me through the pictures I was seeing; the voices I was hearing. oh goodness, the things He was telling me. What I take for granted. How blessed I am and don't realize it. I was sobbing because of my ignorance and blindness.

And then the next day many of my crafting supplies are gone. No, God is not punishing me. I don't believe that for one moment. But it sure helped me keep things in perspective as I was trying to salvage things from my room. God just kept telling me over and over as I picked up each thing dripping with water - "think of the people of Haiti. you lost things - they lost homes; lives. you have so much. you are so blessed. you have more than so many. you are loved. Rejoice!"

now, I am human and it did take me a little while, but it finally sank in. sure, I hate to see things lost or destroyed. I don't like to see waste. but these are just things. Things. Things can be replaced. ALWAYS. maybe not the EXACT thing. maybe not today, or tomorrow, or next month. it may take me years. I really don't think I want to replace it all. in fact I know I don't. it doesn't mean the same to me anymore - you see I have a different perspective now. it's just stuff. yeah, it's stuff I use to do something I like that hopefully reaches out to someone. but it is PEOPLE that matter. it is RELATIONSHIPS that Jesus spent His life telling us to cultivate. those can never be replaced. and I am blessed as all get out that I have a precious precious family. I have friends that have overwhelmed me with their outpouring of affection while I have been sick. I have all of you who put up with my blathering and yammering and whatnot.... but seem to love coffee as much as I! grins! and that can never ever be replaced! Allelulia!!!! and all God's people said -
"AMEN!"

Taking a Wee Break...

I am taking a self imposed break from life right now...... it is time for me to really try to get some major healing done. I am so weary of being so sick and want to try to get better. Hopefully by the end of the month my body will have had its fill of rest and be ready to party like a rockstar again! :) But so many pieces parts have been shutting down or not co-operating with the whole, that I feel it is just time for a big break.

Please continue to visit all of the many DT blogs and companies I am blessed to be affiliated with. I hope you can understand.
My love to each and every one of you!
Jennifer

Smile and the World Smiles with You! New Releases with Shirleys 2 Girls! :)

Coffee of the Day - Caramel

Well who should appear today, (or did he?! grins!), but our favorite cat - The Cheshire Cat! Shirleys 2 Girls have outdone themselves with this fabulous new line featuring our favorite characters from Alice in Wonderland!

and today, yes, I actually have a card to show you! I am using some of the new digi papers that the Girls have created to go along with these fun new characters and digis. Please be sure to check them out here at the store. My wonderful teamie, Gina, has a project to show you, too, so head over to her blog to see what she has to show you!

My card also uses Basic Grey Origins paper for the tree. I punched some small leaves and popped them up on foam tape for extra dimension. The Cheshire Cat is also popped up on foam tape. The street signs on the post have been covered with crystal effects. I love the funky bizarre, but true Alice-y feel of this card! Looks as if it would be perfect to send to someone who is lost down that proverbial rabbit hole! giggles!

Don't forget to play in the Twisted Thursday challenge this week - use green on your creation. Link your post to the challenge blog using Mr. Linky. can't wait to see what you make!

Don't Be Late - Check out the New Releases from Shirleys 2 Girls! :)

Coffee of the Day - Caramel Twist

Today's new release in the Alice in Wonderland series from Shirleys 2 Girls happens to be one of my fave characters - the White Rabbit. I just love him for some reason! If you head over to Carlie and Jana's blogs, you will find some neat inspiration! I hope you had a chance to check out what Judy and Jane made yesterday with Alice falling down the hole. To see the entire line, just click here for the full adventure in the store!

Be sure to play in the Twisted Thursday challenge this week - make something using the color green. then link up your post using Mr. Linky. easy peasy!

Well I am off to the University of Akron for a college visit with Tyler. He has been accepted and will start this fall. I am so proud of him - he took off this year to work and raise funds for college. Not easy to do when all of your friends are starting school. Mick is going to Ohio State, so we will be taking a trip there soon, too.

Have a great day! :)

Feel Like you Fell Down a Rabbit Hole? - New Releases with Shirleys 2 Girls!

Coffee of the Day - Creme Brulee

Today begins the new releases with Shirleys 2 Girls! Each day for the next several, 2 members of the DT will show you creations made with a new image in the Alice line. Today you can stop by the wonderufl blogs of Jane and Judy to see what they have come up with! You know it will be marvelous!

I almost forgot to add that this week's Twisted Thursday challenge is to use green on your creation. Be sure to link your post back to the challenge site using Mr. Linky! can't wait to see what you make! :)

It's a Monday Challenge with Squigglefly!

Coffee of the Day - Vanilla Macadamia

Today is the Monday challenge over at Squigglefly! Remember that cool prizes are always up for grabs, so I hope that you will play along with us! Today's challenge is to use a fun border on your creation - either by using a neat punch or by creating your own.

I started with this most precious image by Cheryl Alger called 'Share the Love'. I dug into my most precious Daisy D's paper stash...... heavy sigh........ oh how I miss them....... okay, must get over it....... heavy sigh, cleansing breath...... still have Basic Grey...... okay, I think I am okay now..... phew, still have about 6 more packs in my supply so I am good for a while longer......... alright.... can breathe again.........

where am I? oh yes, my cute little card with this MOST adorable image...... used this fun Fiskars border punch and a sketch layout from Papertake Weekly. Added a sentiment of my own prior to printing, some wonderful vintage buttons, a neat vintage ledger paper circle, and finished with a gorgeous organdy ribbon. The card base edges were inked with white craft. I love the vintage look to this precious little girl, so wanted to keep with that for the overall feel of the card. I used to have some shoes just like these back when I was in high school. LOVED THEM! actually wore them all through my 20's until I couldn't find them anymore in stores.

Hope everyone has a most glorious day! these dag-nab seizures won't leave me alone and I have SO MUCH to get done this week..... oh well, I am still very very blessed each and every day. what is a bit of shaking to get in the way? just need to turn on the ol' rock and roll music and shake to the beat! grins! chat with ya later! :)

A Little Sneekie Sneekie with S2G!

This is going to be a HUGE week at Shirleys 2 Girls! The DT will be showing you little tidbits of the new releases until the big reveal on Thursday, March 4! Just in time for the Twisted Thursday challenge! (by the way, you still have a few days to get your HOT PINK creations in!)

Now I didn't color mine in - I am just showing you the little clip so you will be enticed to come back and look again at the full throttle image. Several others of the girls are showing clippies today, more tomorrow, and then even more on Wednesday. You will want to be catching glimpses of these cuties each and every day! Don't miss even one little bit!

Judy

Gina

Jane

Jana

Carlie

Challenges, Challenges!

Coffee of the Day - Creme Brulee

I am probably breaking every cardinal rule of posting today, but I am combining 2 challenge cards into one post. mainly because I am so whooooooped and so busy with catch-up projects and just don't want y'all to have to wade through lots of stuff on my blog. plus I know you get tired of all of my blathering anyhow! grins!

so here goes.......

My first card is for the challenge today over at Crafts 4 Eternity. this is my first card as a DT member with them, and I am so excited! The challenge is a sketch and a recipe - use an inking technique and fabric. The card is a bit busy, but my guys did all really like this. It is going to a guy who is a good friend of ours. We have known Geoff and his family for over 10 years. He plays football and injured his wrist very badly this year. Ended up going to the Mayo clinic in MN for some pretty serious surgery that involved bone and nerve grafting, so will be out of school for quite a while. Anyhow, I used some fabric scraps, cork bits, strips of burlap, and knotted twine to create the bg. The piece of Basic Grey Boxer cs was burned around the edges to create an old world feel. I took a chipboard frame from Making Memories and inked it over with navy, then marked the circles with a silver sharpie. The image is from Digital Stamp Oasis.

Creative Card Crew - Get Well

Crazy 4 Challenges - 3 Textures

Incy Wincy - textures

My next card is for the challenge at Paper Sundaes, sponsored this week by The Stamping Boutique. As soon as I saw that pretty pink Vespa I showed you earlier this week, I knew I was going to have to create something with Tracey's adorable Princess Late Vespa image! The sketch challenge offered at PS this week seemed perfect! My papers are again Basic Grey, but this time from the Sultry collection. I painted parts with my pink shimmerz to give that extra bit of glitter that every Princess needs and of course, wants! Added some rhinestones to give a bit more glitz, as well as some vintage and new buttons. The lace trim seemed to be the perfect way to finish off the sketch. The SU! sentiment applies to both the Vespa and the Latte, of course! giggles! oh some day, pink Vespa, you will be mine...... some day! :D the larger Latte cup on the side in popped up on foam tape.

Stamp, Scrap, & Doodle Sat. - Sparkle & Shine

Treehouse Stamps - Bling

I hope you can play in some of these fun challenges with us!

It's a Pocket Patootie Blog hop with Stamping Boutique!

Coffee of the Day - Texas Turtle


Welcome to Day 2 of The Stamping Boutique's Pocket Patootie Blog Hop! if you were able to visit the DT member's blogs yesterday, then you saw some GORGEOUS creations with these cutie patootie new images that Tracey has drawn! She is one talented lady and I am just as blessed as can be to be a part of this team! :) If you missed any of Day 1, please start over at Rhonda Z.'s most fabby blog! (the master list is also here in case you lose your way)

Well grab your coffee cups and let's get going! I am using the cute new image, 'Birds Pocket Patootie' for my card today. All of the PP designs can be found here at the store, but I know while you are there you will want to wander the aisles and do some more shopping, especially since Tracey has a special discount code available for this weekend only that allows you 35% off your entire purchase!!! just type in the coupon code 'bloghop' prior to check out. easy peasy pumpkin pie!

I am also using Stef's sketch challenge from the TSB challenge blog. Be sure to play along if you get the chance! These are always fun, as well as great to use any time you find yourself in a quandry for a great card or scrap layout. The papers are from the Cosmo Cricket Early Bird collection. How appropriate is that?! giggles! The little heart on the pocket tag as well as the music notes have been painted with shimmerz. the little highlights have been accented with my spica glitter pen. I used an assortment of both new and vintage buttons. Because birds love to gather all kinds of things to make their nests, I took a piece of string from an old tea tag for tying my buttons. I left the twine dangling, as well as the little staple showing. I thought this created a fun look with the birds and nest. Kind of a vintage feel with the papers, too. A SU! rub-on (you know how addicted to these I am!) finishes the card. The card base edges were inked with vanilla craft, as well as all paper edges being inked. The matted main piece is distressed.

Now hoppity hop hop on over to *Tobi's most wonderful blog* for more cutie patooties! you don't want to miss one bit of the fun! thanks for stopping for a cuppa with me! :)

Other challenge categories:

Paper Sundaes - distressing

Cupcake Crafts -friends

Stamp Something - recipe: dsp, buttons, ribbon

Cupcake Inspiration - buttons & thread

A Digital Stamp Oasis Get Well :)

Coffee of the Day - Vanilla Macadamia

Several people I know have been sick so I thought it was time to make a few get well cards. I love this cute little butterfly and inchworm digi image from Digital Stamp Oasis, so thought it would be fun to use for one of them. I decided to pull out my Cosmo Cricket Early Bird paper pad for this card as well as another card you'll be seeing. These colors are such fun to use!

I added some stickles to the circles on the mushrooms and shimmerz on the butterfly. just a bit of sparkle to brighten a day for someone not feeling so good! :) Toss on some buttons with ribbon and we are good to go! Thought to do something different by stamping the sentiment right on the punched flower. I think it turned out kinda cute!

Card qualifies for the following challenges:

Pile it On - get well

Crafty Sentiments - sketch and kraft cs

Creative Card Crew - get well

Flutter By - open

Creative Belli - Butterfly or Dragonfly

Stamp, Scrap, & Doodle Sat. - Charming

Stamp Something - recipe: DP, ribbon, buttons

It's a new Twisted Thursday with S2G!

Coffee of the Day - Cinnamon Hazelnut

Well it has been a fun birthday month with Shirleys 2 Girls, hasn't it? We finish off with birthday crowns, tiaras to be precise, modeled by the DT's own 4 -legged friends! Most everyone had their beloved doggies model their creation, but pardon my pun when I say that David would have had KITTENS if I had done that! Latte may be our Princess Pup, but he would have been in one royal conniption should she be seen with a tiara on her head! :) so I opted to go with another of our 4 legged friends, Eliza, one of our cats. The boys were just happy I didn't choose Scarface, the rough and tumble He-Man cat. Gosh, you didn't know so much went into being a DT member, did you?! giggles! I did make this tiara the perfect size for one of my Winnie-the -Pooh stuffed bears that sit on the compy monitor just in case Eliza proved to be too 'catish' for the task. But a few treats and she was the perfect model. We always knew that cats were royal creatures, now didn't we?! :D

The crown template is available over on the S2G challenge blog if you would like to use it. As you can see, it is perfect to re-size to your project. This is the same one I used earlier in the month, but for a human head. :) Your Twisted Thursday challenge this week is to make something using hot pink. What a fun challenge that is! For Eliza's tiara, I printed the template out onto Basic Grey Bittersweet paper. Added a cute medallion using the cake image, some prima baby flowers in orange, stickles, & rhinestone hearts. Tied it all with some satin ribbon which looks so lovely around her precious little face! :)

I hope you get a chance to play along with us! Be sure to check out the cuties made by the rest of the DT! and leave their critters some love, too! who knows, they could be starring in pet food commercials some day! :) Post your photos to the groups over on SNR and PCP, too, after linking to Mr. Linky. we want to see what you have created!

have a great and glorious day! love to you!

Jennifer

I Have a Dream.....

Coffee of the Day - Butter Toffee

Nothing stamping to show you today, but a lot coming up in the next few, so get ready! :) I am still trying to get over this dag-blasted flu bug that is playing havoc with my seizures, which is in turn playing havoc with my crafty time. tough to craft around fevers and seizures, but I am trying when I can.

Anyhow, I came across this gorgeous photo that I want to share with all of you. I was reading the latest updates over at My Favorite Things, where Kim was telling about an upcoming stamp set. As she posted this picture, she told of how she has always wanted to own a Vespa. Little did she know that it has been a secret dream of mine as well. Vespa has recently introduced their cutie bikes in PINK, no doubt!!!! (also in a very pretty soft bluish shade as well) OH MY GOODNESS!!!! look at that! isn't it gorgeous!??!! I can picture myself toodling around town, wearing a gorgeous pair of Italian sunglasses, pink scarf flying in the wind........ somehow I have to get a Frapp holder on there so I can have my Starbucks......... oh yes, this is my vision for the future. Tyler's reply was, "oh." the cat yawned and went back to sleep. but someday.......... I will ride the Vespa and she will be mine. I will name her some wonderful name, because I can't come up with anything fancy just yet...... but we will ride into the sunset..... until my hubby drives up behind us and honks his horn and scares the doolittles out of me that is! :)

Oh Yeah It's Your Birthday with Shirley's 2 Girls!

for The Stamping Boutique post - please see next post below

Well let's SHAKE things up today as we contine to celbrate the first birthday of that fabby company - Shirley's 2 Girls!

I will also be showing you my project from last week that I missed posting from being sick. So on to the fun!

This week's Twisted Thursday challenge is to make a shaker card using confetti. Now don't let a shaker card intimidate you. they are tons of fun to make and really easy. remember that I don't have any of the fancy shmancy die cutting machines or tools, and yet I was still able to create one easy peasy pumpkin pie! so you can do it - I believe in you! :) as for the confetti - if you don't have any around - make some! if you are like me, you probably have a few of those itty bitty baby punches around. Grab some of your decorative paper scraps and punch away. soon you will have a handfull of little flowers, hearts, ducks, or whatever that are just perfect to fill you shaker insides. mix with a bit of glitter and you are good to go! or what about one of those spiral page punches like the one that Stampin' Up! makes - the punched out bits are perfect confetti - or the remants from your border punches. get creative with what you have around!

Now for the projects I am showing you, I did something completely different with my digis - I printed them onto acetate! Once the ink had dried (with some VERY gentle help with my heat gun from the BACK of the acetate), I colored with sharpies on the WRONG side. this helps keep any ink from possbily smearing.

For the card, I happened to have some fun little confetti in orange & green flowers along with pink hearts - perfect to fill my shaker. I mixed in some orange glitter and topped with some mixed green buttons. The ruffled edge is crepe paper. The great paper is from S2G! Check out the fun line they have created just for their birthday! The image is Party Animal'.

Now my project is a treat box that I added a message and image to - so easy to do to give your project that personal touch! Because I happend to choose a peanut butter mousse cake to go inside, the images don't show as well, but I used 'It looks like a Party' and 'Scrumptious'. Added some more of the great S2G papers, buttons, (of course!), and a wonderful Prima flower! super easy and it looks just as fancy as can possibly be!

We were supposed to tell our fave thing about birthdays in our post - mine is birthday cakes and the FROSTING! which is why birthday cake ice cream is one my fave flavors when I can find it. yummmmmmmy! how about you? what do you love about birthdays? I have to tell y'all that when I was shoewing the boys this cupcake box, my youngest, Ryan, said,"WOW, Mom, that is cool! who sent it to you?" our kids sure do keep us humble, don't they?! grins!

On my last S2G post I had 2 birthday crackers that I was giving away. no one won them, so they are still up for grabs. The first 2 people who respond saying that they would like them will be the winners! it is as easy as that! :)

ETA- both crackers have been claimed. thanks so much! I hope you enjoy them! :)

So be sure to play along with us this week! and don't forget Digi Day is this Sunday from noon-2pm CST at SNR! there is a freebie image to use, so race on over to grab it and start creating!

Challenges, challenges, but The Stamping Boutique comes to the rescue!

Coffee of the the Day - Butter Toffee

Today is a big day with 2 posts, so be sure to watch for both of them!

It also brings 2 challenges where Ths Stamping Boutique was the perfect solution! and of course many of my answers always involve plenty of pink, shimmer, and that ever beloved fave, Basic Grey! :)

The first challenge is a debut for a new challenge blog, I love Digi. You may have heard me mention them before! This blog promises to be lots and lots of fun, so I hope you will join me in the future. I am blessed to be a guest DT member with them, but the premiere challenge happens to be sponosored by The Stamping Boutique! and guess what the challenge is? Think Pink!!! well come on, let's be honest with ourselves here for a moment. deep in your heart of hearts, aren't you always thinking pink? grins! you know I am!!!

My card uses the adorable fairy image from TSB. of course she has lots of shimmer, as all good fairies must!her wings and shoes are painted with stickles, the flowers and accent bits are covered with a pink metallic gel pen, and the berries are touched with a glitter pen. The papers are Basic Grey Eva. Rose mist Glimmer Mist is sprayed on the card base and edge pieces of paper. The scalloped border piece is a bit of packing paper left over from an earlier project that I had done using repurposed items. it is also covered in the same glimmer mist. Tiny buttons, prmias, vintage seam tape, and a sentiment piece add to the card. The edges of the card base and main image matting are lightly covered in stickles for more glitter.

This card meets several other challenges as well:

Crafty Sentiments - sketch

Paper Jewels - Cute & girly

Pile It On - Flowers

Fussy & Fancy Friday - Dazzle

Pink Elephant - ribbon

Digital Tuesday - Girly

The next card us is made for Stef's sketch challenge over on the TSB challenge blog. These are always so much fun to do, as you know Stef is a hoot and a holler to be around! :) wavin' hi to you girlfriend!!!

Here the papers are Basic Grey Sultry. Of course I had to grab an image from my namesake line - The Princess Latte collection! I threatened hubby that I would put on my tiara this morning. he was making fun of me and my fear/dislike/fear/fear/fear of monkeys. this is after 2 of my boys laughed for 5 minutes straight just thinking aobut my reaction to the clowns in the movie 'Zombieland'. great movie - HORRIBLE clowns! ick! decided it was about TIARA TIME! giggles! so this card is perfect. what I want to know from you is whether you think the sentiment refers to that cute puppy or the latte in the corner! tee hee hee! more glitter here of course - her boots are painted with pink shimmerz, the little accents and dog collar are covered with a pink metallic gel pen, and the leash and tiara are covered in the glitter pen. Of course the dog collar is sporting one fancy pink rhinestone! Primas flowers, a vintage button, and some vintage seam tape finish our card. Now you know irl the dog would be one of my precious labbers. Latte, our yellow lab, is truly a princess. We call her the princess pup all the time. She would be perfect in this card. But I think I need to ask Tracey to draw a wee little tiara on our pup - what do you think? ;)

This card also meets the criteria for the following challenges:

Paper Jewels - Cute & Girly

Pile It On - Flowers

Digital Tuesday - Girly

Pink Elephant - Ribbon

Be sure to play along in these challenges with us! You will be so happy you did! :)

Rain Rain Go Away..... but bring the snow! giggles!!!

Coffee of the Day - Vanilla Macadamia

Hello everyone! I was actually able to drink coffee today! yippppeeeee! also tried some card making..... not my best by any means, but hey - I got a card made! I think perhaps I will wait another few days before trying again, but it did feel good to get some ink on my fingers again!

I used this cute little squirrel friend from Digital Stamp Oasis. I was doing a bit of catching up on my over 3000 emails sitting in my mailbox, and came across this wonderful card over at Thinking Inking - a blog I visit as often as she updates. I CASE'd Debbie's adorable sketch layout (3rd project), but not to fear, my card doesn't even begin to come close to that adorable card! That is what inspired me to get crafting today. Of course I made to with the tools I have and what I wanted to convey with my card. Not only that, I was challenging myself with this glitter paper - some that I had picked up a while back as part of a pack even though the bright colors are not my style at all. I added some shimmerz paint to the flower center as well as the puddle. The rain has been higlighted with my glitter pen. The primas are dotted with fruit punch stickles in the center & then accented with punched leaves. Vintage buttons complete the scallop double border punch. Love the look of the big grosgrain bow! The sentiment is a rub-on from Basic Grey.

Challenges:

Fussy & Fancy Friday - Dazzle

Digital Tuesday - Animals

Dare U 2 Digi Stamp - Punches

Paper Sundaes - Glittery Spring

Pink Elephant - Ribbon

Pile It On - Flowers

C.R.A.F.T. Challenge - digi coloring

Creative Belli - Ribbons

Happy Valentine's Day!

Sorry to have been away for so long. without going into a lot of boring detail, suffice it to say that I have been very very sick. this is my first time on the compy in almost a week. I have not had the chance to venture over to my email yet. will probably get to that in another few days as my strength builds up.

I hope to be back to crafting and creating within a week or so. That is my hope anyhow.

But last night I was able to make it downstairs for the first time in many many days to spend an hour or so with my family. watched a bit of the winter olympics. how refreshing to see so many athletes from all over the world come together! does my heart good! my prayers go out to the friends, family, and team of the young man from Georgia who died on the luge run. At least he left this earth doing what he so loved knowing he made it right where he wanted to be. May the same be said of each of us.

Wishing you all the most beautiful of days, surrounded by those you love. Happy Valentine's Day!

A Valentine Blog Hop with Create It Green!

Coffee of the Day - Butter Toffee

Hello! Today is a wonderful day - full of beautiful snow covered trees. I love to see how it glistens and shines as each ray of sun hits the branches! sigh...... God is in His heaven and all is right with the world! :)

Well today is the day of the Create it Green Valentine Blog Hop! Everyone is encouraged to find some way to use recyclyed, repurposed items in their creations. So if you have hoppity hopped here from the *FABBY BLOG OF ROBIN* then you are right on track! make sure that you are keeping track of the words you collect for the word search game. and while you are hopping away, consider joining the yahoo group. It is open to anyone who loves to craft! I am a new member myself, but am having a ball so far!

I have 2 cards that I would like to show you today, each using items that you might find around your house. Keep your eyes open for the possibilites of how an everyday item can be turned into a card accent or embellishment! It becomes a challenge or adventure to see how you can use it! :)

Both cards use new images from Squigglefly and work with The Pink Elephant pink challenge.

My first card is a cute little shy bear from Lynne Stansbery. I took a pastry bag from Starbuck's (where else?! grins!), punched out the logo, and then cut a strip from the top of the bag. This was then ruffled to make the trim across the bottom. I adhere mine with red line tape - so easy peasy. I left some of the words showing, whcih I think gives the border more character. The spunky paper comes from K & Co. Greenhouse. Added a few buttons and ric rac trim. This card also qualifies for several challenges. Eat, Sleep, Stamp - sketch ; Cute Card Thursday - Spots & Dots ; Cupcake Crafts - 4 legged & Furry.

My next card uses another Lynne Stansbery image, Wine and Grapes. I took the labels from a bottle of wine (Merlot for my friend, Stef! grins!) and used them as card elements. The cork I then cut into thin slices to use for buttons. The papers are from the K & Co. Charlotte collection. Here the sketch is from Inspirational Card Sketches.

Now my word for the hop is RIDE. be sure to add that to the ones you are already collecting. so hop on along over to the wonderful *BLOG OF ALEXA*!!!! and don't forget to leave some comment love along the way. it sure does brighten everyone's day!

p.s. the creator of the amazing blog - Create it Green - has received word that she and her family are needed at the hospital ASAP for her MIL. Please lift this family up in your prayers. We all know that God is mighty and loving and can do all things. thank you so much!

Tom has some Balloons for YOU! and a bit of news....

Coffee of the Day - Vanilla Macadamia Nut

I have a new friend named Tom, and he has some pretty shiny sparkly balloons that he wants to give to you. Because you are very special! You are the best blogging friends in the whole wide world! You stick with me when I ramble and when I have typos and when I talk forever about my PASSION for coffee & pink shimmerz & coffee. You put up with me when I am sick and when I am on top of the world. So thank you dearest friends! You know you are the greatest and I love you from the bottom of my wee little heart! God has blessed me indeed!

My card uses this adorable image from Crafts 4 Eternity. Doesn't he just leave a warm spot in your heart? I followed the sketch/recipe challenge on their blog - use something clear as well as an inking technique while following the sketch. So the friend definition is stamped onto acetate - a technique I haven't done in over a year. how horrible is THAT?! ack! I added a rub-on for the sentiment - gosh, I am really becoming addicted to these things! My card meets the criteria for several other challenges so I will post those at the end. I dug into my precious precious Daisy D's paper stash, 'cause afterall, you are special to me and deserve only the best!!! :) Does anyone else miss Daisy D's as much as I do? anyhow, I added some fun little buttons and a simple ribbon bow to finish off the card.

Now on to my news......... several bits actually.

I have been invited to join 2 Design Teams! :) One is for Crafts 4 Eternity - the same company that brings us both the fabulous digi image (you should check out all of the ones available! wow!!!) as well as the sketch challenge for this card. The other team is as a Guest team member - I Love Digi - a new challenge blog. I will be designing for them 5 times over the next 3 months. But I intend to play along as much as I possibly can. You know how I am becoming hooked on all of these challenges, and theirs run every 2 weeks.

So I hope you will be playing along in all of these fun challenges with me! We'll have a great time! :)

Challenges -

Stampin Sisters in Christ - image of a child

Cute Card Thursday - Spots & Dots

Belli Challenge - Ribbon

Cupcake Inspiration

Pile It On - Non Winter Colors

Stamp,Scrap, & Doodle Saturdays - Open

Happy Birthday Shirleys2Girls!!! You're Invited to the Party!

Coffee of the Day - Caramel Truffle

It's a Birthday Bash with Shirleys2Girls and you are invited! This is a post filled with LOTS of pictures as well as a chance for a little party favor, so get your noise makers, grab a cuppie & punch, and hokey pokey on over here.......

Let's start with your party invitation...... I used the new S2G image, Party Guests. It is so easy to use these fun digis while creating documents, too! I first inserted the picture into my document and then turned it into a watermark. This made it easy peasy to type the info right over the cute image! (actually our wonderful DT leader, Debbie created the invitation text. I just copy/pasted it right into my document - even easier!!)

Next comes your party hat.............

I printed the tempate out onto copy paper, added a few hearts punched from Basic Grey Bittersweet, threaded through some vintage seam tape, and then sparkled a few fruit punch stickle accents. oh yes, can't ever forget the Prima flower accent! (this was actually supposed to go in the next item, but it didn't fit!! grins!)

Now on to the party favor.........

You have heard of Christmas crackers - well this is a Birthday cracker! I used the same cute Party Guests image for the tag - perfect to add each guest's name on the back. You can't see the detail here, but I used metallic pens to give some sparkle. The paper again is Basic Grey Bittersweet, edged in some of my fun JoAnn's trim find. Next I took hot pink crepe paper and ruffled it, topping this with orange Primas dotted with fruit punch stickles. Empty toilet paper rolls were filled with the party invite from the beginning of the post & LOTS of fun goodies (some from S2G!!) before wrapping with tissue paper and tying with more vintage seam tape. The tag was loosely tied on with orange baker's twine.

Now if you would like a chance to win one of these birthday crackers, here is what you have to do:

1. Play in the Twisted Thursday Challenge this week - Make a birthday invitation - Twist is to use the word Celebration/Party/Birthday somewhere in your creation. Be sure to link your creation to the S2G challenge site.
2. Join the SNR and/or PCP S2G groups


3. Invite a friend to participate in the TT Challenge and then THEY MUST link their creation. (you need to leave me a comment telling me the name of your friend.)

I will do a random drawing, and then BOTH YOU and YOUR FRIEND will win a birthday cracker!!!! :)

Please check out the rest of the DTs creations!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHIRLEYS2GIRLS!!!!

A Dapper Dog! :)

Coffee of the Day - still drinking tea cause I'm not quite done with the flu yet. today's flavor has been both the Earl Grey with Lavender and Constant Comment

Hello! Flu bug is still hanging around - I seem to be doing better and then wham-o - down for the count again. but its an upward trend, so that is a VERY good thing. thank you muchly for the kind thoughts and prayers!

Today's card is an interesting one. Yes, it qualifies for a BUNCH of challenges. It is for my oldest son Tyler to send to a family friend, Emily. Emily has worked out at Camp Burton with everyone for several years now. She even introduced her younger sister, Lara, to Camp last summer - who ended up being Ryan's (our youngest) date for Homecoming this fall. their older sister has also voluntered out at Camp. yep, once a family starts out there, it gets in the blood! :)

Anyway, Tyler and Emily have been keeping in touch since Emily left for college in Washington. So he is sending her a Valentine's card. Now understand that there is a lonnnnnnnnnnnng list of criteria attached to this card for the girl who is a friend but not a 'girlfriend', but could be maybe someday..........

1. can't be too mushy
2. can't be too girly
3. can't be too gushy
4. can't suggest he has 'certain feelings' for her (I don't know if he does or doesn't - so no one read anything into this, inlcluding you, Tyler. )
5. has to look like its coming from a guy
6. has to meet with his approval
7. has to still look a 'little girly'
8. if posted on the blog, can't mention that they are in a relationship because that ruins any relationship the boys have ever had, plus, gosh, it's embarassing Mom........
9. and "do people really read your blog anyway?"

So there was a weeee bit of pressure on my while I began this adventure today...... so are you ready for the unveiling yet?

Here we go -

Here is the final product. He looked at it while lying on the couch and on his compy, quickly gave it the once over, and said, "okay." immediately he put back on his headphones and went back to his computer. entire discussion was over. okaaaaaaaaay.

So now y'all are gonna get all of the deets that I know he was really dying to know, but was just too shy to ask! :D

The image is from Shirleys 2 Girls. (make sure you play in the Twisted Thursday challenge this week!!!). This precious pup has been paper pieced. His spots were then painted in coal shimmerz because after all, he is going on a long trip to a special girl and needs to look his very best! The papers are Basic Grey Recess. The glitter heart is Prima. Button is a vintage one. Ruffled ribbon is May Arts, while the crochet trim is a JoAnn's find. I accidentally cut off the left edge of teh sentiment in my editing of the scan - sorry. Added a few little frosted stickles dots to add more glitter.

Challenges:

Creative Belli - hearts

Sweet Stop - sketch

Cupcake Crafts - 4 legged & Furry

No Time To Stamp - Heart & Red

Secret Crafter - Hearts

Stamp, Scrap, & Doodle - Open

Little Red Wagon - Hearts

Fussy & Fancy Friday - Hearts

Paper Sundaes - Valentines

Please Feel Better Berry Berry Soon! :)

Yep, you don't hear from me for a week 'cause I am out sick, and then suddenly you get 3 posts in one day! it's like a great big banana split of fun with not one, but a whole jar of cherries on top! :)


I wanted to make a card for my son, Mick, who had a bit of an accident yesterday. He was out rock climbing with some friends - getting ready for a big trip they are planning to Kentucky over spring break. Took a tumble and sprained his ankle. (at least we are hoping and praying that is all that has happened) He is such a trooper, but I realized that I haven't made him a card in like, FOR-EV-ER!!! shame on me! I make cards for David all the time, but rarely do I make them for the boys anymore. I have GOT to do something about that. So I sat down tonight, looked at my notebook of challenges, and got busy.


I started with this cute little 'Sammy Squirrel Eats Strawberries' image from Digital Stamp Oasis. Mick loves strawberries almost more than anything else in the world. and I wanted something to make him smile. Kinda hard to find something to make a 17 year old young man smile when it comes to digis!!! but I knew this little fella would do the trick. I grabbed some fun K & Co. paper that just came in from my prize winnings from All That Scraps. I used the sketch challenge from Paper Take Weekly. Because this card it being tayored especially for Mick, it qualifies for the challenge over at One Stop Craft - to make something personal for someone. The darling felt strawberry is from Martha Stewart, as is the border punch I used. Added in some of my wonderful vintage buttons, and yep, he DID smile when I gave it to him! I think he was very surprised to get something from me. Since I used a digital image, this works for the challenge over at a brand spankin' new challenge site, I Love Digi Challenge Blog. You need to go check it out and add it to your regular challenge list. I plan to! :)

Other challenges :

Stamp, Scrap, & Doodle Saturday - Open challenge

The Craft Garden - card for a boy

A Spoonful of Sugar - Freestyle

Did you know today is Thursday? :)

well...... not really, but I AM showing you my contribution for the current Twisted Thursday challenge at Shirleys 2 Girls! since I was sick last week and didn't get mine posted on the proper day, I am showing it to you today, so in a way, it IS Thursday..... let's all say 'Time Warp'! are you singing and doing the dance with me? visions of Rocky Horror and Tim Curry going through your head? okay..... must be my fevered state, but I do love that movie, although it isn't quite the same on DVD as it is at midnight in a theatre full of screaming college-aged fans......... okay... moving on......... giggles!

Before I share my card, I want to let you know that the winners for the Indulgence blog hop have been posted here on the winners page, so head on over! congrats to the lucky ladies!!!! You can always find the winners for all challenges, hops, etc. here. (shhhhh...... here is a little secret for you - Feb. is the birthday celebration month for S2G and there are going to be soooooooooo many chance for prizes that your head is gonna be spinning! but you didn't hear it from me! grins!)

Now on to the sketch and my card ~you are gonna love the twist for this week - CHOCOLATE!!!! how much sweeter can life get? you can use the actual image of candy itself, the color, or get creative! I used Basic Grey Bittersweet paper and this cutie digi called 'Coffees'. surprised, aren't ya?! :D that will always be one of my fave ever indulgences....... oh sweet bliss....... whoops, getting off track again......... The whipped cream on the drinks is flower soft I added little red beads for the cherry sprinkles on the one mocha drink..... yum yum! For the circle elements of the sketch, I chose to use vintage buttons - 1 with a prima flower and the other with some vintage seam tape. just goes to show how you can stick to a sketch but still mix it up a bit and make it your own! added in a rub-on and the card is ready to send off! The doily adds the perfect coffee shop effect!

So please be sure to play along in the challenge with us! 2 winners are chosen each week. who knows - one of them might be YOU!!! :)

Don't forget that a hugey hugey huge sale is still going on over at the store! great deals are still to be had!!!!

New Challenge at Squigglefly

Coffee of the Day is actually tea 'cause I am fighting the flu - Earl Grey with Lavender (hubby was so sweet and picked this up for me! he's such a blessing to me!)

Sorry that I have been away for a while, but man oh man, a nasty ol' flu bug grabbed a hold of me last week and still hasn't let go. I feel like I have been beat with a whammy stick, run over by a Mack truck, hit with a freight train, and then left out in the freezing rain for months on end. then my poor tummy is a whole other story, but no more of THAT!!!

Today is a new challenge over at Squigglefly! This week the challenge is to make a mostly white card that shimmer shines! Be sure to play along, as there are now prizes every week. All you have to do is use a Squigglefly image (there are freebies available at the store site), and link your creation to the challenge site.

Well, you know that white space is NOT a friend of mine, so this was really a BIG challenge for me. I decided to start with this precious image by Lynne Stansbery called Winter Friends. The papers are Basic Grey Wisteria. Now there is shine ALL OVER this card that didn't scan well, so I am gonna tell you about it! grins! To start, the pink boots ('cause every girl would want a pair of bright pink glittery wellies, dontcha think? I know I STILL want some!!! giggles!) are painted in pink shimmerz, the coat in celery shimmerz, and the mittens in December Sky blingz. The ground is coated with chunky glitter. Little snowflakes are added in the sky with frosted stickles. The papers are outlined with my spica glitter pen. The snowflakes along the card's edge & above the main image are actually silver sequins, as is the little baby sequin below the main image. The edge of the coat and hood are covered in white flower soft. I added some vintage laces (double row) and vintage buttons to finish it off.

Stop by the other DT members blogs to see their creations, and then go get started on your own! I know you will have lots of fun creating! :)

p.s. I found out that one of the cards I made has been featured at SNR for the week and another made the top 5 featured at Little Red Wagon. so play in those challenges and post your cards to the galleries! you just never know.......

News and a Masculine Card.....

Coffee of the Day - Pumpkin Spice

Good morning to all of you! I hope it is a glorious morning wherever you are! It is COLD and rainy here...... not cold enough to snow, but cold enough to make your bones creak and make you want a BIG cup of coffee or hot choco to keep you warm....... hey, who doesn't ALWAYS want a BIG cup of coffee or hot choco?!?! giggles! I have heard about a place called Mary Lou's in MA from my S2G teamie Ann that has PINK take out cups for their coffee!!! how much fun would that be?!?! road trip anyone?

anyhow, I digress as always........

I have several bits of fun news to share with y'all today. I meant to get to you yesterday with it but got sidetracked by life...... anyhow..... on with it you say? well here goes! :)

First off, I am now an official member of the DT for Digital Stamp Oasis!!! I know!!! Isn't that the coolest?! Ellie is just the nicest person, and I really look forward to working with her, her hubby, and the other PHENOM talented ladies on the team. You can see their work on the blogs listed in my sidebar. Please go leave them some congrats comments! I know it would make their day! Please join our group over at PCP. you know how much fun those groups can be! :) I have a card to share with you in just a sec.....

Next I want to let you know that in April I will be one of 2 Demo Artists at the Rubber Stamp Convention in Akron. I am super-dee-duper psyched about this! More deets will follow as I get them, but gosh, am I excited! I will be working with products by Ranger - the folks who make those distress Stickles I tell you about all the time.....

Now on to my card.....
I am using the ship digi by DSO and papers from the Basic Grey Marrakech collection. I haven't made a masculine card in a while, so thought it was high time. The watercoloring I do seemed a perfect fit with not only this image, but the whole feel of the card. The punch is from Martha Stewart, and I added a nautical button that I found at JoAnn's on SALE! wooo hooo - gotta love that! Thought a bit of heavy twine seemed to work better than lots of ribbon, although I like the way the ribbon accents the corner behind the button. The rub-on is from Stampin' Up! I am really getting into using rub-ons lately for my sentiments. yep, behind the times, I know, but so versatile!
This card fits several challenges:

• Pink Elephant - sketch
• Cooking It Up With Katie - 'non human' image, texture, something new
• Colour Create - kraft, blue, white
• Incy Wincy - Colour Me Wonderful
• Creative Card Crew - Punch It
• Simon Says Stamp - Punch It
• Stampin B's Design Team - Nautical Card

Squigglefly Release Day! :)

Coffee of the Day - Creme Brulee

New releases are here from Squigglefly! woooo hoooo! and there are LOADS of Shy Bears for those of you who happen to love those little guys. and honestly, who doesn't?! grins!

I have a cute little shy bear Cupid Bear right here for ya, and he is full of love just for YOU! :) I am making sure he spreads the love all around, so he is going into several challenges, too. Believe it or not, the papers are from the Basic Grey Eskimo Kisses collection. The satin ribbon is by Anna Griffin. The burgundy ric rac is May Arts and the rub on came from Stampin' Up! The heart is covered in rock candy distress stickles. It looks just like sugar on top!


Challenges:
Crafts 4 Eternity - sketch & recipe
Pile It On - 3 ribbons
Crafty Creations - Valentine or Love
Corrosive - Digi image
PaperTake Weekly - Pink

Check back later on today for an announcement.... y'all have a great day! :)