and They Call It Puppy Love! Happy Valentine's Day!

Coffee of the Day - Chocolate Cherry Almond

Yesterday I was able to deliver Valentine goodies to Mick and Brutus. we picked up Tyler, who was between classes, and headed out for lunch. what a glorious time together!

again, sorry for the lousy card photo, but I am trying to get better - I promise!

LOVE the pix of Mick and Brutus!

image is from The Doodle Garden, digital papers are by Far Far Hill, burlap ribbon is May Arts. everything else is from my stash. dog was colored to look like Brutus, of course! lots of distressing on this one. also a touch of faux stitching.

Happy Valentine's Day to YOU, dear friend!

isn't that the cutest? they were made for each other! true Puppy Love! :)

light was coming thru window so it was hard to get a good pic. sorry

Hey Foxy Valentine

Coffee of the Day - Pumpkin Spice

Another icky yuck photo taken with my shaky hands behind the camera phone. it really was the best of the ones I could get. so very sorry.....

card for another son, mailed along with some candy goodies to Indiana. received today, so it's safe to post! :)

image is by Amy Doodle Stamp Co., papers are digital ones by Far Far Hill, stamps used are retired ones by My Favorite Things. buttons, ticket, coin envelope, and twine are from my stash.

Challenges: (again, I apologize for the poor photo quality)
4 Crafty Chicks - Valentine
Crafting By Designs - Love is in the Air
Creative Moments - Anything Goes/Love
Simon Says Stamp - All Creatures Great and Small
Fan-tastic Tues - square or rect. with twine
Just Inspirational - Noah's Ark: any animal
TTCRD - Anything Goes
Tuesday Throwdown - Love is in the Air
Dream Valley - Valentine's Day
Digi Galore - Anything Goes

Happy Valentine's Day, Deer! ;)

Coffee of the Day - French Vanilla

yes, why it HAS been ages since I last posted! I have still been doing a wee bit of crafty stuff, just haven't really had a way to get decent photos to upload to my blog. and y'all really don't want to know about my every day, hum drum life, so I save you the agony of those boring tidbits. that goes on Facebook! ha!

I am finding that I can get tolerable pix with the camera on my phone. if Dave is around, he actually takes pretty good ones since he doesn't have the 'shaky hands' problem I do.

so I will try to post some craft things a bit more often from here on out. :)
some will still be of sub-standard photo quality if I take them, so please be patient with me. thanks!

Today's card is going to one of my sons for Valentine's Day. I don't want to give away toooooo much info on the off chance he stops by. none of my family normally does, so I am not too worried. ;)

the deer image comes from A Day for Daisies. I needed it to be a buck rather than the fawn (which is how the image comes) so I could hang the heart sequins from the antlers. handy dandy antler die from Memory Box to the rescue! :)

papers are from the Basic Grey Persimmon collection, brown satin ribbon is May Arts, leaf sprig die is also Memory Box. buttons, heart doily, and ticket are from my stash. little heart stamp is from a MFT set that has been retired. (sorry)

Thanks so much for hanging in there with me.....it means a lot!

Challenges:
ADFD - Valentine
Add a Little Dazzle - Matters of the Heart (colors - I used the dark brown or anything goes)
Meonheadz - hearts/love
Crafts 4 Eternity - with love
Sweet Stampin' - add a heart
Simply Create Too - Valentine's Day or use hearts
Crafter's Cafe - hearts
WAW - anything encouraging goes
Cards Galore Encore - stamp or digi ( both)
Cuttin' and Stampin' - masculine
Eureka - All is Love
Kraft Journal - kraft cs plus pick 3: doily, hearts, top fold card (also have ribbon & twine)
Ooh La La - Love
Stamp and Create - All You Need is Love
Come and Get It - Love is in the Air
Great Impressions - love, love, love
Allsorts - Love is All Around
Natalie and Amy's - All About the Love

Hello and Go Seahawks! :)

Coffee of the Day - Salted Caramel

Just popping in to say hello to anyone who is still around listening (or reading I should say! wink, wink!)

I've been doing a lot of reading as well as working on my new Project Life albums. God has really laid in upon my heart that I need to work on leaving a legacy for my family. I want them to remember me for something more than just a sick mom who stayed in bed reading. if I can pass along albums full of their memories, then I will have accomplished something in this life. :)

I think losing my scanner has been quite providential. not so much for my blog, or any other social media sites, but for my family. and that is what this mom really is all about anyhow.

on another subject, we had a great time this past weekend watching football. you just know that I was cheering away for the Seattle Seahawks, since that is where all great coffee comes from, don't ya know?!?! tee hee! LOVED the wonderful testimony given by their quarterback after the game ended.

my love to all of you! enjoy your week! :)

Some Great Videos for Light-source!

Coffee of the Day - Creme Brulee

I know I've been away from my blog for ages, but my scanner finally kicked that ol' bucket. I can't get any others to work the way I need them to, so no more photos from me until I can get a light tent for my camera. it might be a while, so y'all bear with me.

sadly, I had to leave 2 new Design Teams before I really even got started with them since I won't have a way to upload pix. insert major sad face here..... :(

until I can get something else worked out, I'm working on Project Life and classes at Kit and Clowder. if you have taken any of the K&C classes, you know that they all begin with light-source. man oh man, that one was giving me the biggest fits! I couldn't for the life of me get my head wrapped around the terms.

thankfully a new friend in the K&C Facebook group shared some videos with me. voila! the light bulb went off.... ha ha ha! pardon the pun, but these truly did make a ton of difference! I want to share the first one here with you, and then link to several others in hopes that they might help you as well.

Foundations of Light and Shadow Part 1 - Planes



disclaimer - these in NO WAY take the place of Alyce's class. they only helped me to have a better understanding of what she was talking about. it's kinda like looking things up in the dictionary or encyclopedia. you still need to take her class. she is a whiz bang mastermind with Copics!!!!!

Foundations of Light and Shadow Part 2 - Terminator

Foundations of Light and Shadow Part 3 - Reflected Light

Be Original - Be YOU!

Coffee of the Day - Sweet Potato ( a brown sugar, butter cream taste. yum!)

I finally was able to get my card done for the new Anya, Oddies, and Others challenge blog, but please forgive me for the horrid scan. my regular scanner crashed today, so I had to use our regular printer. it's great for printing digis, but scanning - not so much. as you can see, photos are not clear and crisp at all. :(

good news is that I think I can repair my old scanner. I did some internet searching this evening and have found a few troubleshooting sites that just might  have the answers! I sure hope so, because I love my scanner! we all know I can't take pix worth beans any longer since I shake so much. really hope this works!

remember that you can click on any of the tabs across the top of the page on the blog. under each heading you will find not only the criteria for each stamp company, but also the linky tool for your own projects!

since I am working with Unity Stamps, my criteria for the challenge were to use at least one of the following:  blue, wooden embellie, butterfly, sticker. I am using blue and wooden veneers.

I stamped the elephant from 'Original You' onto a piece of watercolor cs that I created with gelatos and several spray mists. there is a lot of sparkle on this irl. the sentiment is part of the stamp set. the card base was stamped with 'Vintage Passport' in Versamark ink. I've not used that ink in FOREVER!

after fussy cutting the elephant, I went back over some of the little black dots with a black spica glitter gel pen. I used the same glitter gel pen to add accent dots across the top of the banner. little flower is Petaloo, enamel dots are homemade, wood veneer flowers are Studio Calico, baker's twine is Webster's Pages, little kraft bag is re-purposed, and I'm sorry I don't know mfg of washi tapes.

Tip - as many of you know, I save all kinds of things to use on my craft projects. even something as simple as a little paper bag can easily be used on a card!

for easy directions on how to make your own enamel dots, click here. once my dots had cooled, I then added them to sheets of mini glue dots so that they were ready to go! :)

I do hope you will play along with us!
Enjoy your weekend! :)

Challenges:
Crafts Galore Encore - anything goes
Mema's Crafts - anything goes
One Crazy Stamper - blue, white, plus embellies (no digi)
Seemacrafts - anything goes
Bloggers Ch - reuse/recycle (paper bag)
Crafty Catz - anything goes
QKR - anything goes
Divas by Design - anything goes
Simon Says Stamp - anything goes
WAW - anything encouraging goes
Creative Card Crew - anything goes
TTCRD - anything goes
Top Tip Tues - make your own (enamel dots)

Check Out Anya, Oddies, and Others Challenge Blog!

I am such a goober! I completely forgot to tell all of you about a really fun, new challenge blog I am so tickled to be associated with!

Anya, Oddies, and Others is a just for fun challenge blog that runs monthly. you will be given crafty triggers for your projects. use one, two, or all of them on your creations, then link 'em up! easy peasy! no sponsors or prizes, but a fun little badge for your blog if your project is chosen as a winner.

I am running a bit behind on my card for this month since I haven't been feeling too well, but I represent Unity Stamps. hopefully my card will be finished over the weekend.

when you go to the blog, you will see the different stamp company tabs across the top. click on the one you choose for the trigger options and links.

hope to see you there! :)

Happy 2015!

Coffee of the Day - Creamy Chestnut

Happy 2015!
May it overflow with blessings in abundance for you and yours!

I have big plans to take some Copic classes through Kit and Clowder, plus get started on Project Life type albums for my family. I feel an urgency to get photos in albums for them, and this seems a great way to do it. if I have time later, I can go back and do some scrapbooking.

I am becoming more and more aware of the time ticking away on my cancer clock. I don't have much I can leave my family, but hopefully by combing crafting with photos of our time together, it will bring smiles to their faces!

so enjoy every day to its fullest. I plan to! :) still so much joy to behold! so many blessings to count!

Merry Christmas and a Special Blog Hop!

Coffee of the Day - Eggnog

Merry Christmas, one and all! and God Bless Us, Everyone! :)

I pray for all of you, peace, good tidings, and blessings in abundance!

Thank you so much for stopping by my blog today. grab a cup of yummy coffee while I tell  you about a most lovely lady by the name of Alyce that some of us are recognizing with a special little blog hop.

if you are following the trail left by Santa and his reindeer, then you should have come here by way of Jamie Peters. if you have a moment, please stop by our esteemed Santa, Mari, who worked hard to put all of this together and tell her thank you! :)

a full list of the hop can be found here, at Carol's blog. :)

if you don't know Alyce and her AMAZING class group called Kit and Clowder, then I suggest you head straight on over just as soon as you can! not only is she one of the nicest people you will ever meet on this big blue marble, but she is super dee duper talented with Copic markers. I haven't even started my classes full throttle yet, and I have learned so much from her. I could sit and watch her color for hours, if given the chance. she has a Facebook group that is such fun, filled with kind and encouraging people. as the new year begins, I am jumping in with both feet to Copic markers, so be on the lookout! :)

we were encouraged to create either a regular Christmas card for Alyce or an ugly card. I chose to go the 'ugly sweater' route, using the adorable image from Saturated Canary, 'Ugly Christmas Sweater.'  papers are from the Basic Grey Nordic Holiday collection, flower is Petaloo, and mini flourish dies are Cheery Lynn. a paper straw tied with baker's twine and some sequins complete the card. I did add some sparkly touches with  stickles and a clear spica glitter gel pen.  her glasses are coated in crystal effects.

I think my card works for both the 'ugly' and 'ugly sweater' portion of the challenge, don't you?! ;)

your next stop on the hop is Carline Samedy. be sure to wish her a Merry Christmas when you get there! :)

A Frosty, Snowy Penguin Tag

Coffee of the Day - Gingerbread

Well today is going to be a busy one for me with lots of baking going on. how about you? how are your preparations for Christmas going? I still need to wrap gifts, too, but that can wait another day or so. ;) we always have someone wrapping a few on Christmas morning..... grins!

I have a fun little tag to show you this morning using a happy little penguin image from Scrapper's Delights. They have a challenge in their Facebook group to use this image on either a tag or an ornament. I love to make tags, so it was an easy choice for me.

I created the bg on the tag using a mix of gelatos (this really shines and sparkles irl!!) and white Mr. Huey's spray mist. the drifts were hand cut from glittered tissue paper. pom pom trim, baker's twine, button, sequins, and a mini white sisal tree complete it all. :)  oh yes, I added stickles to our penguin friend's hat and some polka dots with a white gel pen.

be on the lookout for some fun and new things happening here on my blog in the new year. not only am I trying something completely new for me, but I am getting my toes wet again in the DT arena after my hurtful experiences this year. can't let a few unfortunate people keep me from doing what I enjoy, that is for certain! life is way to short for grudges and bitterness, folks. gotta keep it in the rearview mirror! ;)

enjoy these last few days getting ready for Christmas! don't forget to stop every once in a while and enjoy the beauty of all this season stands for. :)

Challenges:
Scrapper's Delights - anything goes
Animal Friends - anything goes w/an animal
Crafting Musketeers - bling (bg, sequins, stickles, glittered tissue)
Ladybug Crafts - It's Cold Outside
Inky Impressions - Winter Wonderland
Milk Coffee - Make it Sparkle (bg, sequins, stickles, glittered tissue)
Add A Little Dazzle - anything goes or photo inspiration (a bit of both - tree & sparkle from photo)
Hambo Hoedown - Winter Fun
Simon Says Stamp Wed - Winter Inspiration
Mema's Crafts - Cold Winter Days
Cosmic Colors - color inspiration (see above - cookies)
Crafty Ribbons - Penguin Pals
DRS Designs - color inspiration (see above - skates)
Crafter's Cafe - Animal Friends
House That Stamps Built - Think Snow
Crafty Sentiments - Winter
Inky Chicks - Winter Wonderland
Robyn's Fetish - Christmas tags

'A' You're Adorable

Coffee of the Day - Marzipan

Hello to all of you! hope you are doing well!  I have a card to share with you today that is for a special little someone. Through a Facebook group for Simply Betty Stamps fans, we were told that one of the ladies' niece had a baby born with some very serious problems in her heart. one surgery has already been done and more are scheduled. Cards for the family were requested. of course I wanted to help!

I used the precious image 'Baby Doll Betty' and a sentiment from Create with TLC. papers are from the Basic Grey Knee Highs collection. a little doily piece peeks out from behind the sentiment while surrounded by pretty pink paper flowers. sorry, they were a lovely gifty so I don't know the mfg. ribbon and button are from my stash. polka dot accents were made with my white gel  pen.

enjoy your weekend! all of my love to you! :)

Challenges:
QKR - lots of layers
Stempelsonne - anything goes
A Little Bit Crafty - anything goes but not Christmas
Lia Stampz - choose your style: patterned paper, sentiment, flowers, die cut
Cards Galore Encore - anything goes
Divas by Design - anything goes
Paper Shelter - anything goes
WAW - anything encouraging goes
TTCRD - anything goes
Sister Act - any card goes

Dear Santa...

Coffee of the Day - Eggnog

One of my most important card commissions came along a few weeks ago - one from my youngest son for 'someone'.....no details other than it had to be cute and explosive. okay, suuuuuuuure..... I can do that. ??? no pressure on Mom to create fabulous for you. ;)

I sent him links to multiple images and then sentiments to be sure it was all as he wanted. then came time to put it all together. I was sweating bullets! worst part of all was that in the midst of this his phone died, so that we ended up doing all of our communication through Facebook chats.

card was finally finished and then express mailed to him. given to recipient, and a few days later he had a relationship status change on FB. whew....... I think she liked the card! :)

and now I can safely post it here.....

image is a cutey by Saturated Canary, called Molly the Elf,  sentiment is from a set by Create with TLC. red bg paper is Evergreen by Basic Grey, gold polka dot is actually part of a note card I picked up from Target, as are the fun matching paper tags along the side. red satin ribbon is May Arts, poinsettias are from Hobby Lobby, main image die is Spellbinders, clear flourish die is Sizzix (cut from re-purposed clear packaging), and other items are from my stash. stickles was used on main image for some added bling and sparkle.

hope you have a great week as you get ready for Christmas! remember to take some time for yourself a midst the hustle and bustle......

Challenges:
613 Avenue Create - anything goes
Crafts 4 Eternity - Christmas
Chocolate, Coffee, & Cards - Christmas
Crafter's Cafe - Christmas/Holiday Season
Glitter 'n Sparkle - Glittery and Sparkly Christmas (stickles, sequins, and gold)
Lacy Sunshine - Holiday Joy
Pile it On - anything goes Holiday/Christmas
OSAAT - anything goes with a glitter (stickles)
Red Carpet Studio - Elf (she looks a bit like Jovie, doesn't she?)
Sentimental Sundays - anything goes w/a sentiment
That Craft Place - Christmas
We Do Doobadoo - Festive Spirits
A Creative Romance - anything goes
Brown Sugar - red, white, and green
Crafty Catz - last minute Christmas (I had 2 days to get details ironed out and create.)
Jo's Scrap Shack - Happy Holidays
Pattie's Creations - Christmas cards
Sister Act - any card goes
Wags 'n Whiskers - Merry Christmas
As You Like It - fave Christmas film: Elf, because it not only heartwarming, but it has so many classically funny lines. we watch it all year 'round!
Aud Sentiments - bingo: die cut or punches (both), digi or rubber stamp (digis), bling (sequins & stickles)
Crafty Sentiments - Christmas
Loves Rubberstamps - Winter or Christmas
Paperminutes - upcycling (clear packaging used for die cut flourish)
TTCRD - anything goes
{PIN}spirational - photo inspiration (Santa hats and colors)

Holiday Coffee Lovers Blog Hop!

Coffee of the Day - Gingerbread 

 Welcome to the Holiday Coffee Lovers Blog Hop! Look at this amazing list of sponsors! :)

17Turtles	Veronica Zalis	Chris Franco
Add a Little Dazzle	Butterfly Reflections Ink	Color Cast Designs
Create a Smile	Hero Arts	Kraftin' Kimmie
Kreative Kymona	Latina Crafter	Neat & Tangled
Newton's Nook	Pickled Potpourri Designs	Poppystamps
Reverse Confetti	Stamp Academy	Stamp Simply Ribbon Store
STAMPlorations	SugarPea Designs	Sweet 'n Sassy
The Alley Way Stamps	Two Paper Divas	Verve Stamps
Whole Wild World	Your Next Stamp	Paper Smooches

I know there are a lot of stops on this blog hop, but good golly, Miss Molly, you won't lack inspiration for your Christmas gifties, that is for certain! :)

I've been feeling fairly puny lately, but really really really wanted to play along in this hop if I could. lo and behold, The Cutting Cafe came to my rescue with this FABULOUS coffee cup template!!! isn't it wonderful?!?! inside is a little pocket to hold either a gift card or some Starbuck's Via coffees - I haven't decided yet which I am going to give my friend. who knows, maybe BOTH!

papers are from my beloved Basic Grey, this time the Evergreen collection. 'Fa La La' is from a Sizzix die, gold & ivory twine is Maya Road, and poinsettia comes from Hobby Lobby. I cut down a coffee cozy that I had saved from Starbuck's so that it fit perfectly around the card front. it actually slips right over the front and was then adhered. gives a bit more dimension that way. a few sequins were then sprinkled on for that last bit of holiday bling! :)

thanks so much for stopping by! Merry Christmas to you and those you hold dear! :)

Challenges:
Crafty Sentiments - Christmas
Going Gray with Scrap Creations - Holiday/Christmas
Loves Rubber Stamps - Winter or Christmas
TTCRD - Anything Goes
Jellypark - ribbons or bows
Crafty Boots - Christmas
Get Creative - Christmas
My Craft Spot - Shaped Christmas Card
Pile it On - Anything Goes Christmas or Holidays
Craft-Dee BowZ - anything goes with a handmade bow
Stamp and Create - Christmas
Ooh La La - Christmas
Crazy Ch - Christmas
Come and Get It - Merry Christmas
Red Carpet Studio - "Elf" (here goes, this is one of our fave movies! Fa La La - "The best way to spread Christmas Cheer, is singing loud for all to hear." " I'm singing. I'm in a store, and I'm siiiiiingiiiiing! I'm in a store, and I'm siiiiiingiiiiing!" coffee - "You did it! Congratulations! World's best cup of coffee! Great job, everybody!" )
Robyn's Fetish - Christmas Cards
That Craft Place - Christmas
Christmas Cards All Year Round - any Christmas card goes not square or rectangle
Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Ch Extra - anything Christmas goes
Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper - anything goes w/patterned paper
Lia Stampz - add metallic or sparkle (sequins, poinsettia w/gold bead center, and twine is also gold metallic)
Seemacrafts - Christmas
The Craft Garden - Christmas
Hiding in My Craft Room - Christmas Colors
A Crafty Mess - Anything Goes/Traditional Holiday Colors
CRAFT - Christmas
Delightful Ch - twinkle, twinkle: add something sparkly (sequins, poinsettia w/gold bead center, and twine is also gold metallic)
Crafters Cafe - Christmas
Simon Says Wed Ch - Bling it On (sequins, poinsettia w/gold bead center, and twine is also gold metallic)

Have a Most Blessed Thanksgiving!

Coffee of the Day - Pumpkin Pie

Happy Thanksgiving to all of my family and friends living here in the USA!!! may your blessings overflow! we have so many things to be thankful for....

my family is all gathered here in our home today. I am so grateful to God for all He has provided. life is good indeed! I count each of you among my blessings! :)

enjoy your day to its fullest!

Thankful for YOU! :)

Coffee of the Day - Eggnog

Why yes, I am thankful for YOU! grins! y'all put up with my long absences, and I really appreciate you hanging in with me. all of you so rock the casbah! :)

the Simply Betty group over on Facebook has a challenge to use this cute image, add pleats, use autumn colors, and then frame the sentiment that comes with the image. phew..... that is a bunch of stuff to do, especially for someone like me who does not do well with adding those fine details to my watercoloring. but I did try. must say it is not one of my best efforts, but try I did. ;)

the frame for the sentiment comes from Graphics Fairy. isn't it gorgeous? papers are Basic Grey Indian Summer. I am gonna be crying in my coffee when I use the last of this precious collection. it is one of my all time faves. the fabby embossing folder is by Sizzix, and the oval die is Spellbinders. everything else is from my stash.

Hope to be back, if at all possible, with another project before Thanksgiving. y'all take care! much love to ya!

Challenges:
Tuesday Morning Sketches - current sketch
Great Impressions - Thankful Thoughts
OSAAT - Giving Thanks
Robyn's Fetish - use a digi
Sentimental Sundays - Heartfelt Thanks
Catch the Bug - photo inspiration
Jo's Scrap Shack - Happy Thanksgiving
Digi Stamps 4 Joy - Preparing for the Holidays/Fall
Open  Minded Crafting - Grateful
Paper Pretties - Be Thankful/Thanksgiving
Simon Says Stamp - Thanks/Thanksgiving
WAW - anything encouraging goes
Clear it Out - anything goes
Cuttin' and Stampin' - Thanksgiving
Die Cuttin' Divas - Happy Thanksgiving
Going Gray with Scrap Creations - Give Thanks
Card Mania - use a digi
Craft Your Passion - pumpkins or turkeys
Dream Valley - anything goes
Melondeadz - add a sentiment
Perfectly Rustics - embossing