Maggie & Daddy 4-25-09

Just had to post this newest pic of the Magster and her daddy. How cute is SHE?? Thanks for stopping by!

I Made Top 5 Again at Card Patterns!!

I'm so honored to be in the top 5 again at CP!! All of the cards for Sketch #11 were too fantastic!! Thanks ladies for the honor. I look forward to creating something for Sketch #12. If you haven't participated in these sketches, you really should go check them out. The prizes are 'ausome'!! Go check out all the Sketch 11 cards here: http://cardpatterns.blogspot.com/2009/04/magnificent-monday.html?showComment=1240853880000#c5313920552305043836

Thanks for stopping by!!

Back to work...........

The wedding was beautiful, Maggie was a joy to have, and now it's time to get back to work. I will be posting sparingly for the next couple of days. I am working on a paper sack scrapbook to share with some 2nd graders. My sister teaches 2nd grade and she and the other 2nd grade teachers have asked me to come to the school this week to talk to the students about scrapbooking. (That will be 113 students!) They will all be making a couple of 12X12 pages for their parents for Mother's and Father's day AND they will also be making a paper sack scrapbook about themselves. I think this is a great way to get them to use their imaginations and a great tool to get them to write down their thoughts and such. After all, journaling is the most important part of scrapbooking, next to the photos! I wanted to make a book as an example of what they will be creating. I will also be sharing some of my stash with them (scrap papers, embellies and stickers), to help them out with their books. So, I'm off to work on my book. I visit the school on Wednesday, so I should be back by Thursday to post again. Have a great week and as always, thanks for stopping by!!

More Awards Today!!

WOW!! I can't believe how many wonderful new blog world friends I have! Three of these beautiful, creative ladies have given me awards this week. First up is from Chrissy......http://simply-one-of-a-kind.blogspot.com/. The name of her blog says it all.........One of a Kind! Chrissy is an incredibly talented creator of cards and other paper goods. She is so kind to leave me such nice notes and I appreciate her input. Be sure to go check out her beautiful work. Here is my award from Chrissy:
Next, I received an award from Fi. Now Fi is one cool lady! She does the best cards ever!! She is also so very thoughtful to stop by every day and leave lovely comments on my cards and such. She's also offered to help me out with my broken light bulb.......all the way from Australia!! Now that is one cool lady!! Fi gave me this award..........

Isn't that the cutest ladybug?! You can find Fi's amazing creations here: http://mycraftyspot.blogspot.com/. Be sure to pop over.

The last award today is from my Alabama friend Aymee. This girl is super fantastic!! She doesn't live in Alabama anymore, but still has family here. I met Aymee about a year ago thru another website and we've been buds ever since. SHE IS INCREDIBLE!! She not only has a crafty blog, but she has a sketch blog too that is fantabulous! If you ever need inspiration, go check out her two sites: http://southernbellescrapper.blogspot.com/ and http://southernbellesketcher.blogspot.com/. Aymee is also on the DT at the Cuttlebug Spot. Here is the award that Aymee sent my way:

Thanks for the award Aymee! Love ya girlfriend!


So, I've decided to pass out the cute little "Ladybug Award" to the following bloggers. But first, the rules:

1. The winners should put the logo on their blog.

2. On your blog, link the person you received your award from.

3. Nominate 7 other blogs for the award.

4. Put links of those blogs on yours.

5. Leave a message on the blogs you've awarded.

Tracy............http://camsmum-tg.blogspot.com/

Maz...........http://www.blogger.com/profile/01814855517721816863

Chrissy.........http://chrissyscricutcorner.blogspot.com/

Amy..........http://tsurutadesigns.blogspot.com/

Birgit...........http://createdbybb.blogspot.com/

Cheryln..........http://cheryljunegirl.blogspot.com/

Kristen..........http://scrapinkris.blogspot.com/

All of these ladies are so crafty, inspiring, funny, encouraging and downright fun to visit. So, do yourself a favor and hop on over and check them out! Thanks for stopping by!!

Recipe card, Maggie and a Wedding......(WHAT?!)

At 365 Cards today, it's recipe day. Here is the recipe:

5x5 card (solid colored card stock - may be smooth or textured)

4x4 patterned paper (you may alter the edges if you'd like)

1 shape (circle, square, star, heart, etc.) - must be solid color

3 jewels

alpha stickers

Well, when I saw "1 shape", I knew what I wanted to use. I purchased these puzzle piece cards about 2 years ago and I've never used them. So, I took one piece out, glittered it up and attached it to the center of my card. This challenge may "look" simple, but it really was a challenge not to add more "stuff". So, here is my card..........

I'm getting a shadow in my pic because I only have one studio light now. (The other one is broken - see my last post). I cut the scalloped square using the Cricut and the Mini Monograms cartridge. Anyhoo...........Maggie is back this weekend!!!! YEA!!!! I don't normally get to see Mags twice in the same month, but my mom is getting married this weekend, so Maggie is coming for the wedding. My mom divorced some time ago and believe it or not she met up again with her very first love. They had not seen each other in 53 YEARS!! As soon as they layed eyes on each other, it was love all over again. So, tomorrow is the wedding and we are all very excited and happy for them. So, I may not get to post tomorrow, but I'll be back on Sunday for sure. Thanks for stopping by!

Day 54, Recycled Elements

Our challenge at 365 Cards today is to use recycled elements on our cards (or other creations). My card base comes from paper that a local business was going to trash. Well, after looking at it and seeing that it already EVEN had the sentiment on it....HOW COULD I LET IT GO IN THE TRASH?! It also has a beautiful sheen to it. So....I used it for my card. The sentiment is on the top left corner. (click on the photo to make it larger so you can read it). My tree is made from the cardboard backing on a lined notebook pad. I go around the office stealing them from my co-workers (shhh!). The 'leaves' are from the classified ads from last week's local newspaper and punched with the Martha Stewart heart punch. Kept it simple today. Thanks for stopping by!!

"Monkey Business"

Today is Fun with Fruit at 365 Cards. I chose to use this little monkey with his bananas. (The bananas are quite small, but you can click on the pic to enlarge). The monkey, bananas and sentiment are all cut from Animal Kingdom. The vine is cut from Zooballoo. The papers are My Mind's Eye (seems to be my fav lately - next to BG!). Sorry that the pic isn't very bright. While photographing this card, I knocked over one of my lamps and broke it. It's one of the little lighting lamps that came with my portable photo studio. If anyone knows where to buy a replacement bulb, let me know. :(

Thanks for stopping by!

The Karma Award

My new friend, Bex, gave me this award today. Here is what it means.....

The Karma Award: These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind of bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Well, Bex is truly one of these type bloggers. She is so friendly and so encouraging to me and all her other blogging buddies. Now, here are the rules for this award.... deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award. So, I am passing this award on to:

Jeannie........http://dragonflyjourneys.blogspot.com/

Jana.....http://icantwanna.blogspot.com/

Jacque......http://jacque4u2c.blogspot.com/

Fi.......http://mycraftyspot.blogspot.com/

Audrey........http://organisedmess.blogspot.com/

Gloria.......http://gloriascraps.blogspot.com/

Amanda Mac........http://mandersmusings.blogspot.com/

Velta.........http://www.impressionsbyv.blogspot.com/

So, thanks again Bex and thanks to all of my blogging buddies. You all have become such great friends and you always put a smile on my face every time you stop in. Hugs!!

Trio Tuesday

Today is Trio Tuesday at 365 Cards. Our
Trio
"recipe"
is a bloom,
a brad and a circle.
I just recently purchased some fab Scenic
Route papers, so I decided to use them here.
The sentiment is from My Mind's Eye and the oval journaling tag is Heidi Grace. The brad was in my stash and I made the "bloom". It's made with ribbon and some thread. I guess the circle would be the polka dots OR the brad OR the journaling tag. Now, for the best part of this card.......check out the 'ribbon' at the top. It's not ribbon............it's elastic! Yes, ladies..........like the kind around your panties or those (ugh) girdles that grandma used to wear. I needed some cream colored ribbon and I was out, so hey....I improvised. I had some of this stuff in a bag of ribbon remnants that I bought so I added it on the card, frayed the edges and went with it. Go with watcha got is what I say! (Click on the pic to see it larger and you can see the elastic).

Thanks for stopping by!

"Picture This" and Laura's sketch #24

Today's challenge at 365 Cards is "Picture This". The photo shown above was our inspiration and is just gorgeous. I recently bought the perfect paper to use for this one (at least I think it is). I used Laura's sketch #24 at 2S4U for this week (shown below). The patterned papers are Jenni Bowlin and Paper Studio. The ribbon is some that I picked up at Michael's. I used a circle sticker from Creative Cafe and backed it with a scalloped circle, cut with Mini Monograms. The sentiment is computer generated. Thanks for stopping by!

Card Patterns, Sketch #11

Card Patterns has a great sketch up for this week. I thought I would make a card to say Thank You to a teacher. I love teachers and without them where would all of us be?? I have several teachers in my family......my sister, my daughter-in-law, my sister-in-law and my daughter is about to get her Bachelor's degree in elementary education (next month!!). So, I added a little apple to this one from my Happily Ever After cartridge. The marquee was cut from The Calligraphy Collection cart along with the vine. The arrow was cut the other day and I can't remember which cart I used. (old age setting in!). The patterned paper is My Mind's Eye and the craft paper is from my stash. So, head on over to Card Patterns and check out the sketch challenge. (click on my title). There are some very talented folks over there! The sketch is shown above and here is my card.............

Thanks for stopping by!

Day 50! What?!

Yes! It is DAY 50 at 365 Cards! I can't believe it. I've missed out on about a week's worth of cards, but I plan to catch up at some time or other. Anyway, today is Super Sketchy Sunday at 365. I need to make some Mother's Day cards for friends to give to their mom's so I may as well get started with this sketch. The oval was cut with the Cricut using Calligraphy Collection at

3 1/2. The 'ribbon' in the center is folded and cut paper. The M is a chipboard K & Co glittered letter. The 'butterfly' is homemade using the MS heart punch. I don't have her cute little butterfly punch, so I improvised. The card base is also MS with those little cut out sides. I love these card bases, but they are a pain to trim the pp around! I also added a little bling here and there. Thanks for stopping by!

365 Cards, Days 44 and 47 Scor-it!

Well, I'm quite behind on 365 cards, but I was able to complete 2 of the Scor-It cards. My first one is for Day #44 - Money Holder. My youngest son turned 19 this week and planned a trip to Six Flags Over Georgia with some friends. Well, he needed a card and he needed money, so this was the perfect opportunity for the "money holder" card. I found the 6 Flags image and the map on the net and went with it. Sorry for the pic - had to take it on the kitchen table!

My next card is for Day #47 - "Pop-up Card". A friend of mine asked me to make a card for his daughter's birthday. She will be turning 10 years old and she is getting a hamster for her birthday. He wanted me to incorporate a hamster on the card, so here is my creation. I found the 'perfect' image for this one! I hope she'll like it. Thanks for stopping by!

WOW! Two more awards!

Well, I didn't expect to wake up this morning with 2 more awards for me! My dear new blogging friends from 365 Cards have given me some awards. If you haven't visited 365 Cards, you are truly missing out. You will not only find some great inspiration there, but you will meet some of the nicest people you could ever find in blog world. The first award comes from Maz. This lady is so very crafty and I look forward to visiting her every day. She makes the most incredible cards and paper crafts. She's also just become a grandmother AGAIN and her new grandson is just precious. Maz has given me the Kreativ Blogger Award and I am so appreciative. Thanks Maz! Be sure to go check out her amazing creations at http://natures-workshop.blogspot.com/.

The next award comes from the incredible Amy. Amy is on the design team at 365 Cards and her blog is true eye candy! She is so funny, kind and very encouraging. She also gives us the best links every Saturday for some true inspiration. Amy has awarded me with the lemonade stand award. This award is for being a blogger who shows great attitude and gratitude. Well, thank you Amy for the award and backatcha sister!! Go check out Amy's amazing creations (and her great Saturday links) at http://tsurutadesigns.blogspot.com/. I also got this award from my new friend Fi. I've met Fi thru 365 Cards and she is so very talented! She always stops by to give me an encouraging word and she does the same for so many others. Thank you so much Fi for the award!! Be sure to stop by and check out Fi's creations at: http://mycraftyspot.blogspot.com/

Now, I am to nominate others for the Lemonade Stand award. So, here goes:

Enfys.............http://going-buggy.blogspot.com/

Chrissy........http://chrissyscricutcorner.blogspot.com/

Pam..........http://pamcards.blogspot.com/

Vicky.......http://vickygina.typepad.com/

Debbie.....http://dolcedebsdesigns.blogspot.com/

Karen.......http://aplacetosharemystuff.blogspot.com/

Rose........http://roseshappyplace.blogspot.com/

All of these ladies are truly amazing and they really do have great attitudes and they are so thankful each time I leave them a note. They all stop by frequently to encourage me and leave me the kindest messages. So, ladies, pick up your Lemonade Stand Award and place it prominently on your blogs, because you truly are deserving.

Now, for the Kreativ Blogger Award, I am to tell 7 things about myself, so here goes:

1. I am 47 years old.

2. I have been married to the most wonderful man for almost 8 years. This is my second marriage and I'm so blessed that the Lord gave me this wonderful man.

3. I have 5 children. Two are biological and 3 are inherited from my 2nd marriage. I don't call them step-children because they have become part of me and I love them all so very much, so they are ALL my children.

4. I have one beautiful granddaughter, Maggie. She is so special to me that I can't even put it into words. I pray that God will bless me with many other grandchildren. Being a grandparent really is GRAND.

5. I love Mexican food. I don't care if it costs $5.00 or $25.00, it's all good to me!

6. I'm addicted to sweets. If you give me a steak and a piece of chocolate, the steak will get cold cause I'm eating the chocolate first!

7. I love card making and scrapbooking. It not only gives me pleasure as I create, but I have made so many friends online and other ways during the process.

Thanks for stopping by. I'll be back a little later with a new creation. Have a great Sunday and a great week!!

Not M.I.A. anymore!! (And I got an award!)

Well, I'm back! Oh my gosh, what a week!! First we had that weird weather that knocked out our power, phones and internet. Let me just tell ya, I'm completely lost without my internet! I've been able to get online at work, but only for short periods. After all, they don't pay me to play on the internet all day! My next problem has been a health issue. For about 6 years now I've had back and hip problems. I've been on many medications and have had several hip injections, but nothing has seemed to cure my issues. I will be having injections again at the end of the month and hopefully that will give me some relief for a while. When I get a real flare up it keeps me from crafting very much as it hurts to sit for long periods. But, I digress.

I want to tell all of the 365 Cards ladies that I simply ADORE all of the cards you guys have done during Scor-It week! I've been able to check in on most of the blogs, but just haven't had time to comment on all of them. I am amazed at the talent of all of the participants over there. I'll be back over there tomorrow as I try to catch up on the last week's challenges. Next, I just want to thank all of my blogging buddies for leaving me such nice comments about my absence. It's so nice to be missed. This blogging thing has turned out to be such a nice place to meet other crafters and you are all becoming so special to me. It means so much to me that you stop by and leave me a note and you are all so encouraging. Every comment you leave me is much, much appreciated!

Finally, I want to thank Chrissy for giving me an award!! Chrissy is so nice and such a wonderful crafter. She is to talented!! You MUST go check our her place. You can find her here: http://chrissyscricutcorner.blogspot.com/. So, the rules are I am to pass this award on to five of my blogging friends who's blogs make me smile, so here they are:

Maz...........http://natures-workshop.blogspot.com/

The Riherd Family.....http://eatingcheetos.blogspot.com/

Ann...........http://creativeantics.blogspot.com/

Amy..........http://tsurutadesigns.blogspot.com/

Kristie.......http://thekristiesessions.blogspot.com/

I love stopping by all of these blogs every day as they all really do put a smile all over my face!!

So, it's good to be back! I'll be here tomorrow with some sort of creations :)

Frustrated!

Well, I am so frustrated this week! My little area of the world suffered a "gravity wave" (whatever that means!) this past weekend which knocked out our power, phones and internet. The winds were clocked at between 35 and 70 miles per hour during this "wave". Our power is back on, but the internet is still down. So, no posting from home for me this week. I am at work posting this and I'm so upset that I can't share any new creations with you guys from home. I don't have access at work to download any pics in my posts, so I sit here VERY frustrated. I hope to have access in the next day or two and I can't wait to share some things I've been working on. So, have a great week and I'll be back asap!

Imagine That!!

Just want to update everyone about one of my FAV places to visit. Originally known as Everything Cricut, the new name is Imagine That. (Click on the title above to go visit). Let me just tell you that this site rocks!! Gracie gives us so much insight into Cricut, SCAL, card making, scrapbooking, sales, techiniques and so much more! There are dozens of links to .cut files, svg files, help with Design Studio, other Provo Craft products, Sure-Cuts-A-Lot and others. There are links provided nearly daily for new techiniques, and some older ones, free files, sales, job opportunities, freebies and more. You really do need to check out this site to see everything offered there. And above all of that, Gracie is one fantastic blog owner and she will answer any questions you have. So, be sure to stop in, leave Gracie a little message and have fun!!

I'm Back!! ......but Maggie is gone :(

So, I hope everyone has had a happy and Blessed Easter! Maggie was a joy to have this weekend. We played and played, we went to the zoo and enjoyed a wonderful weekend. I just had to post a couple of pics of her and her parents. (My son and daughter-in-law). You can click on the pics to see a larger view. She's all decked out in her Easter Bunny outfit. Too cute! She's walking some now, but still lacks a little confidence. It won't be very long and she will be running around the house! Well, looks like I have a lot to catch up on. 365 Cards has passed me by and I must catch up! I hope everyone is doing well and had a great weekend. Now, on to crafting again....

Thanks for stopping by!

M.I.A. this weekend....

Well, I thought I would get caught up with my 365 Cards today, but it's not gonna happen. My dear little sweet Maggie is coming for a visit. She arrives in about an hour and I'm so excited to see her!! She will be spending Easter weekend here at Grammy's and we have a full weekend lined up. So, I will try to be back late Sunday afternoon and catch up as much as I can. I hope each of you has a wonderful weekend and a Blessed Easter!

That's it! I Quilt!

Yep! That's today's title challenge at 365 Cards. We were given a quilt pattern to use on our cards today. I'm trying to make a variety of cards, so this one is for a female graduate. Graduation is coming up soon, so I thought I'd get a start on a few of these. I used paper by American Crafts, some stash of ribbon, buttons and twine and a Basic Grey rub-on. My ribbon looks a little weird on the right side because it got bent in the pic (oh well - I'm NO photographer!). Anyway, be sure to check out the 365 cards site today and see the DT card - amazing!! Thanks for stopping by!

(oh, don't forget.....next week is Scor-it week!!).

I MADE THE TOP 3 AT TPE!!

I'm so excited to let you all know that I made the top 3 at The Pink Elephant this week!! This is for their sketch #8 and it's for my Easter bunny card!! I'm just so happy about it I could squeal!!
The Pink Elephant is such a cool site and they offer great sketches, tutorials and so much inspiration. So, go check them out - you'll be glad you did! Thanks for the votes this week ladies!! http://thepinkelephantchallenge.blogspot.com/

Day #37 - DIY......... AND SCOR-IT WEEK

Today's challenge at 365 Cards is to dress up some chipboard. I took some "raw" chipboard, painted it brown and added some pearls. The monogrammed "M" is also chipboard, but it was purchased already designed. I cut the marquee using my Storybook cartridge from Provo Craft and used a piercing tool to add a little design. I also ran some cardstock thru the Cuttlebug and embossed it using the Leafy Branch folder, then inked it up a little. The patterned paper is Martha Stewart.

Also at 365 Cards starting this Sunday, instead of a sketch, we will kick off the week with a scoring challenge, and each day the Design Team will bring us their take on a challenge, along with a tutorial on their blogs. They will also be blogging about the very popular Scor-it Board and Scor-it Mini. Don't worry, though, you don't need anything other than a simple scoring tool (a bone folder or stylus will do) to participate. Check out 365 Cards and learn how YOU CAN WIN A PRIZE DURING SCOR-IT WEEK!!!

Here is the link: http://365cards.blogspot.com/

Thanks for stopping by!

Sketchy Sunday at 365 Cards

Well, I still wasn't feeling too well this morning, but as they day went on I got back on my feet again. So, I needed to do a card for a friend's daughter who is having her 3rd birthday this week. She is a little ballerina, so I had to use that as a starting point for her card. The image is from Steve O'Connell. It's a pencil drawing, so I printed it and did a little chalking. Then, I added some irridescent glitter to the little tutu. (If you click on the photo, you can see it close up). I've used Basic Grey papers and the Martha Stewart lace punch. The color in the photo is weird, but the background paper is sort of mauvy/purple and the others are a mixture of pink, black and purple. The "S" was cut with Cricut's Alphalicious. Her name is Savannah. Don't you just love that name?! I think Savannah will love the little tutu and the bling I've added. I did this one based on the sketch at 365 Cards today. So, thanks for stopping by!

Ad Inspired

Ever have a card that you spend so much time on and then you just hate it? Well, I've done it today. I don't know if I'm tired or if my mojo is hiding somewhere, but I hate this card. I had a beautiful ad to be inspired by at 365 Cards (shown above) and I totally botched it. I would make another card, but it's almost 10:00 and I'm pooped. I guess I spent a little too long in the sun fishing today and it's taken all my strength and creativity. OK, now that I'm over my pitty party, here's my card. I used several Cricut carts on this one, the Cuttlebug and some stickles. I'll be back tomorrow and hopefully I'll "feel" more inspired!

Thanks for stopping by!

That's Eggs-ellent!

Friday's challenge at 365 Cards was to use an egg or an oval as the dominating shape. Well, I didn't get a chance to complete my card on Friday, so I'm up early Saturday morning. This is a quick post as my hubby is waiting on me to go fishing. It's a beautiful day here today (sunny and 78 degrees!!), so we are excited to hang out on the water today! So, here is my take on Friday's challenge. All the flowers and the oval were cut with the Cricut. Have a GREAT Saturday!!

(I'll be back later with today's challenge card......."Ad Inspired"). Thanks for stopping by!

Day #33 - White Space

Our challenge today at 365 Cards is "white space". We are to use only the top 1/3 or the bottom 1/3 of our card, leaving the other 2/3 blank. So, I chose a stamp by Hampton Arts, some chalk, a little pearl and a rub-on. So simple, but I think, so effective. I also wanted to tell you about a new venture for Pam @ 365 Cards. She's started her own monthly card kit business. The papers and embellishments are SO yummy!! She's just gotten started, so be one of the first to check it all out! Go here: http://macmaekits.blogspot.com/ and see this month's offering. (hint: it's 'ausome' !)



Thanks
for
stopping
by!

My first day on the Design Team!!!

Today starts my 3 month adventure as a DT member at Christmas Cards All Year Round and I'm so excited!! All of the 'ausome' DT ladies have posted some beautiful cards for our kick off. Please click on my title above and go check out all the eye candy over there! You should join in the challenges too! If you do, you will have a TON of Christmas cards done by December and wouldn't that be handy? So, come on over and join in! The April challenge is to make cards using photos on them. This is my DT card. The photo is from our Alabama snow we got in March this year. I cut the scalloped circles with Cricut's Mini Monograms cartridge and added a sticker in the center. The little trees were cut from Christmas Cheer. The ribbon is from my stash. I think it came from Hobby Lobby. Thanks for stopping by and be sure to go check out Christmas Cards All Year Round!

Imagine This................"Water"

Well, today starts a new month at 365 Cards. Today's challenge is to use water as the basis of your card. Well, since I just purchased the new Cricut cartridge "Life is a Beach", I had the perfect die cuts for this one. First, I used a white card base and added chalking to represent my sun and sky. Then, I added some papers to represent the sand and water. The chair, umbrella and seagulls were cut from the cartridge. I added some very fine glitter to the seagulls. This will most likely be a birthday card, telling the recipient to relax and enjoy the day. I wanted to keep it simple so it gives the feeling of relaxation. Hope you like it. Thanks for stopping by!