Day #92 - Super Sketchy Sunday

It's day #92 at 365 Cards and it's another sketch. Pam gaves us a great sketch today and I'm so happy to get to participate. My BFF, Julie and her daughter "Rach" came over this morning and stayed until late afternoon, helping me organize my craft room. We went thru a kazillion sheets of paper, tons of flowers, bling, chipboard, rub-ons, die cuts, bling, ribbon and tons of other stuff and IT IS ALL DONE!! Thank you so much guys, the help was much, much appreciated!!

So, here is my card for today's sketch. The paper is from Basic Grey. I love this paper! I cut out the "flower" from one sheet of paper AND the little bee. I added a rub on and scored a line at the bottom. The little bee is popped up off the paper. I'm not sure why some of my pics you can click on and see the larger version, but then others you can't. Anyone know the answer? Anyhoo, this one won't work if you click on it. The sentiment says "honey bunch". Thanks for stopping by today, and as always, your comment really DO support my habit :)

Day #91 - Front & Center

Today's challenge at 365 Cards is to keep all of your elements in the center of the card. Well, I needed a birthday card today for my daughter-in-law, so I took advantage of the challenge. I used some cool BG paper from the Lime Rickey collection, a tag from Anna Griffin, a bird that a friend cut for me on her Cricut, a couple pieces of BG chipboard and some pearls and glitter. I also added a butterfly punched with the Martha Stewart punch. The sentiment is a rub-on that I adhered and then cut out. I did add one little pearl in the corner because for some reason my paper tore. Oh well, cover it up and move on :) Thanks for stopping by today!

Awards from my blogging buds...

Well, I have been a little MIA this week. The trip last weekend took a little toll on me and I've just been taking a little break from crafting this week. I've worked all week, come home and enjoyed the basketball playoff games and most nights stayed up way past my bedtime trying to watch the end of these games. Why they come on so late is beyond me! Anyway, while I've been on my R&R break, I have received some awards from some very special blogging buddies. Here they are, in no particular order:

From Jeannie. Now, Jeannie is one of the happiest bloggers that I know. She absolutely makes the cutest, most fun cards each and every day AND she is silly cute! She has the happiest spirit and I love visiting her blog every day to see what she has crafted for us to view AND to get a "have a happy day" from her. Do check her out at http://dragonflyjourneys.blogspot.com/. She will definetly lift your spirits. Jeannie has given me the "Honest Scrap Award". The rules for this award are: 1) I must thank the person who gave me the award and list their blog and link
2) I must list 10 honest things about myself so here goes....

1. I love chocolate. I don't care what kind, I just love it all!
2. I absolutely, with all my heart, LOVE being a grandmother.
3. I love Auburn Football and basketball.
4. I never went to college. I regret it now, but at the time I was done with school!
5. I've been working since I was 15. Full time since I was 18. (and I will be 48 this year!)
6. I would love to own a scrapbooking store.
7. I would like to be an SU demonstrator, I just don't have the clients for it locally.
8. I would love to be a better stamper.
9. I wish I could learn Photoshop Elements. I have the software, but I need lessons bad!
10. I love paper crafting and all of the wonderful friends I have made thru doing this craft and my blog.


Now, on to the next award. This one is from Maz. Now, let me just tell you....Maz is aMAZing!! She creates some of the most beautiful cards and gifts I've ever seen. She is so blessed with a creative mind. I wonder sometimes, "how did she think of that?!" Maz is also so very kind and always leaves me such thoughtful messages. Do yourself a favor and check out her fabulous creations at http://natures-workshop.blogspot.com/. Maz has awarded me the "Gift of Love Award". There are no specifics with this award you just need to pass it onto 5 people. What a lovely award. Thank you so much Maz!! So, I will pass this award along to some 'ausome' ladies who always leave me the "gift of love" with their warm and friendly messages for me:

Ashley.......http://eatingcheetos.blogspot.com/.....(The best writer on the www and my very dear friend)
Amanda.....http://mandersmusings.blogspot.com/ (Married, in school, raising a son and still finds time to be too funny. Also, an amazing digital scrapper!)
Carol.........http://southernbellesmom.blogspot.com/ (Aymee's mom - my Alabama friend - and a new, but fantastic paper crafter!)
Enfys........http://going-buggy.blogspot.com/ (what can I say? WOW! Incredible crafter, stamper, and a very funny gal!)
Chrissy....http://chrissyscricutcorner.blogspot.com/ (one of my first blogging buddies, Chrissy makes the best gift baskets ever! She's also been recently added to a design team and she's churning out some fabulous DT stuff!)

Be sure to stop by and visit all of these wonderful ladies. It is certainly worth your time to visit!

Well, I will do one card tomorrow morning as it is my daughter-in-law's birthday tomorrow. Then, we're off to the party in the afternoon. We're having a crawfish boil. How fun is that?! Then on Sunday, my BFF is coming over and she is going to help me re-organize my craft room. I will owe her BIG TIME!! So, won't post much this weekend, but I should be ready to go again on Monday for sure. Have a great weekend and as always, thanks for stopping by!

It was a great trip!

So, we're back from North Carolina and it was a great trip! It was great to see my dad and his wife, Linda and several other family members. We enjoyed great food, conversation and even a couple of games of Scrabble (which I won by the way! I am the Scrabble queen!!). We enjoyed our time with Maggie too! That was the first time she had ever met her great grandad and she seemed to warm up to "Papa" quite well. So, I have a few pics to show you. Enjoy these and I'll be back later with a card or two. Hope you all had a great holiday weekend and thanks for stopping by!

First up.....Maggie chillin' out in the RV and watching a Disney movie.

Next up.....Maggie "driving" the RV! (Well, not really. We were sitting in a parking lot, but hey....SHE thought she was driving!)

Next up....Maggie showing off her two bottom teeth AND two new ones coming in!

All the little cousins, pretty in pink!

And lastly, the whole bunch of us together..................

Laura's Sketch #26 and a HUGE SURPRISE!!!

First off, Laura gave us another rockin' sketch this week. Here's my take on it:

Now, for the HUGE SURPRISE.......................drum roll please................2S4U IS HAVING THEIR 1ST BIRTHDAY!!! And to celebrate, on June 1st they are going to launch The 1st Annual 2 Sketches 4 You Ulitimate Card Showdown and it is going to be the biggest and most fantastic card challenge competition imaginable. OMG!!!! Here is the invite:




Here are the Deets:

What: 1st Annual 2 Sketches 4 You Ultimate Card Showdown!

When: June 1st 2009

Where: 2 Sketches 4 You (http://2sketches4you.blogspot.com/)

What: A Card Showdown that will run for a period of 5 Weeks


What's up for grabs you ask - well for starters here is the... Grand Prize
One lucky cardmaker is going to win ALL of this:

PEOPLE!!!!!!!! THIS IS OVER $500 WORTH OF GOODIES!!!! There will be ONE winner of this grand prize...........but hold on to your craft knife..............along the way goodies will be given away to finalists, random entries and of course Card of the Week! OMG!!!! PEOPLE......DO NOT MISS OUT ON THIS!! BE AT 2S4U ON JUNE 1ST!! (or you're just plain crazy!)

Hey.....We are off to pick up Maggie and her parents early tomorrow morning and we're going on an RV roadtrip. (Have any of you seen that movie "RV" with Robin Williams? Hillarious!). Anyhoo, we are off for Maggie to meet her Great Grandad (my dad) for the very first time! It's a short trip, as we will come back on Monday, but we are looking forward to a great visit. So...I will be back here on Tuesday, hopefully with some pics of our trip. So, everyone have a safe and happy holiday weekend! Hugs and thanks for stopping by!! :)

ICS #17

Great sketch from Dawn this week! I needed another grad card, so I thought this was the perfect sketch to use. I used some scraps on this one, scuffed up the edges of the paper, added some rubbons, a little marquee tag, some twine and done! This was a quick one as I need it tomorrow (yikes!). So, run on over to ICS (http://icsketches.blogspot.com/) and check out all the DT cards this week. They are stunning!!

A little notebook and a blog change

So, I made this notebook for a friend's daughter's birthday. Her name is Heather and she is a working mom with a little girl that's about 18 months old. So, I thought "this crazy life" was the perfect quote on this book! Heather's birthday was yesterday, so I know it's safe now to post her little gift.

Next.........have you noticed the changes to my blog? My header and my sidebar headings have been updated AND I have a "link to me" button (grab the code and add it to your blog if you'd like). My daughter-in-law, Bekah, gave me the name of a friend of hers and within just a couple of days, my blog was done!! Her friends name is Rachel and I think she did a FABULOUS job with my blog! I'm soooo happy with it! Now, Rachel is just getting started with "blog makeover's", so I'm not really advertising that for her as of now, but I do wish you would visit HER blog. She is a mom that works from home and she has some of THE BEST stories and "helpful hints" about raising children (and other things). So, do yourself a favor and give her a visit. You'll be glad you did! Check her out here: http://www.graspingforobjectivity.com/

Let me know what you think of my blog changes. Thanks for stopping by!

Challenges - 3 Squared

One card for three challenges today. That may be a new one for me! This card is for:

365 Cards - Day #80 - Plaid - use plaid on your card
365 Cards - Day #81 - Squares - use at least 5 squares on your card
The Pink Elephant - Challenge #15 - Monograms/Letters

I started with some Basic Grey plaid paper and added some green and red cardstock and then the D monogram, cut from the Base Camp Cricut cartridge. I added some colored twine and a charm that I made using shrink plastic. Then, I cut some metal into squares and added some washers that I colored using alcohol inks. I think it's a good "manly" card for Dad. What do you think? Thanks for stopping by!

Guest Designer Today :)

It's Manufacturers Monday at 365 Cards and

well, I just have to give a huge THANK YOU to Pam over at 365 cards inviting me to be the guest designer today and I am just so exited about it! Pam asked me to make a card using mostly one manufacturer. So, I chose my beloved Basic Grey. The patterned paper is from the "ausome" Offbeat collection. The chipboard sticker shapes (all of them) are from the Porcelain collection. Basic Grey makes so many different lines and you really can mix and match them and get a great result. So, I hope you like my card and thanks again for the opportunity to be the GD today at 365 Cards! If you haven't participated at 365 Cards you are really missing out on opportunities for inspiration, encouragement, making new friends, and getting lot's of cards made! So, go on, get on over there and get started.............http://365cards.blogspot.com/(Oh....I've also now added a pic of me on my sidebar - so now you can 'see' who you're blogging with!) Thanks for stopping by today!!

Day #78 - Super Sketchy Sunday

Another sketch today and let me tell ya, this one wasn't easy! Pam really pulls that creativity out of us in so many ways and today's challenge was a REAL challenge! I've used some Basic Grey papers and I think the bottom paper is Paper Studio. The chipboard piece going diagonally is by My Mind's Eye. The marquee paper is Anna Griffin and the stamp is Stampabilites. I added a little ribbon from my stash and I was finished. Whew! I stared at this sketch forever this morning and wasn't sure about it, but.....it's done. Thanks so much for stopping by and for your super nice comments!

CP Sketch #15

A great sketch is on tap this week at Card Patterns. I just bought some new Pink Petticoat images, so I wanted to use one today. This image is from the "In my Garden" designs and I just love these little birds! My paper today is by Sassafrass and American Crafts. The little flower is also Sassafrass. The ribbon is from my stash. I colored this image with my Sharpies and then I glittered the little birds with some of that fantastic Martha Stewart irridescent white glitter. I also chalked around the edges. Go check out Card Patterns this week as the DT has given us some 'ausome' inspiration! Thanks for stopping by!

Day 76, Four Corners

I'm catching up on Friday's challenge at 365 cards with this Four Corners card. This is a simple card, but I think the image packs a big punch. This is the newest image from Pink Petticoat and I can see me using this one often. Especially with the wedding season just ahead. I chalked the flowers on her dress and her bouquet and also her hair. Then, I added a fine glitter to her dress and veil. (Click on it to see it closer because the glitter adds so much!). I added my "bling" to the 4 corners. Well, I'm off to bed now and I'm looking forward to a full day of crafting tomorrow. Thanks for stopping by!

Make a Note of It!

Today's challenge at 365 Cards is to incorporate notepaper on your card. Well, I had one more teacher thank you card to make, so I thought this was the perfect challenge. I used American Crafts paper, some ribbon, twine, gem clips and a button from my stash and finished it off with the note paper. The scallop was cut with the Cricut using the Plantin Schoolbook cartridge.

Well, I've done another paper project today that I can't share just yet. (It's for someone's birthday...shhh). I'll share on Wednesday. It's a very rainy day here today, so I'm having a grand time just hanging out and creating in the old craft room. Hope you're having a great Saturday and thanks for stopping by!

Christmas Cards All Year Round - May Challenge

I'm posting this a little late, but better late than never I guess :) The challenge at CCAYR this month is to use flowers on your Christmas card. This is my DT card. I cut the poinsettias with the Cricut using the Joys of the Season cartridge and added stickles. The pp is by Paper Studio. The little branches and the sentiment are rub-ons by American Crafts. Be sure to check out CCAYR for all the great cards by the DT this month. Also, you should join us in participating this month in the challenge. You can get some great Christmas cards done and be ahead of the game this year! Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Birthday for Dad

No challenge card today, just a birthday card for a friend's dad. The paper, circle and tag is Heidi Swapp - World Traveler. I added some twine and a little bling. Quick post tonight as I was late getting home. My local "pretty paper store" is closing and I'm devastated about it! I went by and took advantage of the 50% and 75% off closing sale. I got some great buys, but I'm still sad about the closing. Now I will be held hostage by Michael's and Hobby Lobby. However, I did find out that a new JoAnn's is opening, so I'm anxious to visit. Anyway, thanks for stopping by!

ICSketches #16 and "Trio Tuesday"

I found this great sketch blog called Inspirational Card Sketches and I decided to play with Sketch #16. (Click on my title to go check out the site and all the beautiful DT work!). Dawn gave us an incredible sketch and though mine doesn't follow it exactly, I think it's close enough. This card is also for 365 Cards "Trio Tuesday". The trio recipe is circle, scallop and bling. Well, I added all three to this "nurses" card. This card is for a friend to give to her sister who is graduating this weekend from nursing school. I hope she likes it. Nurses are so important and are very "patient" people and they really are "priceless". Be sure to go check out ICS and 365 Cards for some really fabulous inspiration!!

Kazan's Sketch #26 and Musical Monday

Kazan gives us another fab sketch today at 2S4U! And at 365 Cards is "Musical Monday". We were asked to use music on our card in some way. Well, my sister asked me to make a couple of teacher Thank You cards for her daughter's teachers. So, I found a free music sheet download of "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" and went with it. I used some notebook paper, the downloaded music sheet, an apple cut from Happily Ever After (Cricut), some ribbon, twine and a button from stash. I wasn't sure about the music thing, but I think it turned out ok. Thanks for stopping by and thanks so much for your super nice comments!

Card Patterns Sketch #14

Great sketch over at CP this week! I used some great grad paper that I picked up the other day. Lots of family and friends are graduating over the next couple of weeks, so this card should come in handy. I just added some ribbon, buttons and twine from my stash, a rub-on and I cut the scallop from Plantin Schoolbook (Cricut). Be sure to go over and check out the DT cards this week......pure eye candy!! Thanks for stopping by ;)

Happy Mother's Day!

Just want to wish all of my blogging buddies a very Happy Mother's Day! I hope all of you are having a fantastic day with your family and friends. I myself enjoyed a great morning with my husband out on our local lake. It was so peaceful and the weather was perfect. We didn't catch any fish, but who cares? It was a great morning and I needed the peace and quiet. We came home to the phone ringing and it was my son from Georgia. This is Maggie's dad and it was great to hear from him (and Maggie!). As soon as I hung up the phone, it rang again and was another of my son's. At the same time, my baby son (19 yrs old!) was pushing a card in my face. Boys! I love them all and my daughter too! It's great to be a mom and I wouldn't trade it for anything. So, mom's.....have a great day and do something fun today! Hugs....

Day 67 - "Think Pink"

So, today's challenge is to use pink. Well, I don't make many baby cards and my friend suggested that I make one with the pink theme, so I did. I love the lace on this card. I picked it up somewhere and I can't remember where, so I will be on a mission to find more! It was on a cardboard thingy with about 4 other types of lace. Anyhoo, the little hippo is from Fancy Pants, the "baby" is cut from New Arrival (Cricut) and the little button is from my stash. The paper is from Heidi Swapp and I just pierced around 2 sides. Thanks for stopping by!

Day 66 - You are there; I am here

Pam really challenged us today at 365 Cards. We were to use the sentiment.."You are there and I am here". Well, my BFF said to make it for her to send to her son who is away at school. So, that's exactly what I did! However, when we discussed it at work, we had it saying "I am here and you are there" and then she came up with the inside words. Well, me and my old self did it just the opposite (by mistake of course), so I had to come up with the inside. Well, I know how much she loves her son, so I think my words on the inside will be just fine with her. I used some yummy patterned paper by "My Little Shoebox". The arrows were cut from Graphically Speaking (Cricut). The lettering on the front are rub-ons and I had to do each letter separately (tedious). The little heart and cloud on the inside is a punch out on a sheet by Fancy Pants. So, thanks for stopping by today!

Day #65....Mother's Day card

I still have a few more Mother's Day cards to make for friends, so the challenge today at 365 Cards was perfect! One of the guys at work needed a card for his mom that didn't have alot of heavy embellishments, as he has to mail the card to his mom. I think this one fits the bill. The marquis was cut from Storybook (Cricut) and the scalloped circle was cut from Mini Monograms. Thanks for stopping by!

Another FABULOUS Lady!

Isn't she just FAB?! I just love these little shopping ladies. How about this for another Mother's Day card? I know MY mom is fabulous and I'm sure yours is too! The letters are peppered with that great Martha Stewart ultra fine glitter and the little black ribbon is velvet.

Thanks for stopping by!

Give a girl.....

This little lady is fabric - yes....fabric! My new blogging buddy, Enfys, turned me on to this fabulous fabric from Loralie Designs called 'gone shopping'. Enfys was also kind enough to give us all directions on how to use this great fabric on a card. You just use a glue stick and stick them to cardstock. Leave it overnight and then cut it out and go with it! I LOVE THIS FABRIC!! Isn't she precious? I thought this would make a good Mother's Day card. I have more, so I'll be back with another lady later. Also, go check out the FAB cards that Enfys has made with these ladies and others here: http://going-buggy.blogspot.com/ (The sentiment says "Give a girl the right pair of shoes and she can change the world".) Thanks for stopping by!

Day #64 - Super Sketchy Sunday

We had a great sketch today at 365 Cards. I used some paper from Chatterbox, the 'vine' is cut from Joys of the Season (Cricut), the sentiment is from my stash and I added a little bling. Thanks for stopping by!

Mother's Day??

I think this one could

be a Mother's Day card.

What do you think?

Paper and

Sentiment: Fancy Pants

Ribbon: From stash

Bird: Cricut - Zooballoo

Owl: Cricut - Happily Ever After

You can click on this one for a closer

look. Thanks for stopping by!

The Good, The Bad and 365 Cards

What a week! It started out great as I went to my sister's elementary school on Wednesday and taught 2nd graders about scrapbooking. There were 113 students and we had a blast! I showed them several books of mine, including a Disney album I made for our family's trip about 5 years ago. Of course they loved the Disney album! I also got them started on making their own paper sack album that will be all about them. They were so excited and as they began making their albums, I was very impressed with their creativity. Hopefully the teachers will take some pics and if so, I told them I would post them on my blog.

Thursday......not such a great day. In fact, it was horrible. I went to my hip doctor and had to have injections in both hips. It was so painful that I cried like a baby and had to sit in the parking lot for 1/2 hour before I could drive myself home. I iced up my hips all day and by Friday morning, I was feeling much better. Then..........last night I started trying to bling out my blog. Well, if you read my post below you'll see what happened with that! Also, do you guys remember that "gravity wave" that I told you about a few weeks ago? Well, ever since then our internet and home phones have been wacked. My husband finally called the phone company today and they are sending someone out on Wednesday. Wednesday?! Anyways, our net is up and down and that doesn't make it easy to post to the blog.

Well, now that I've bored you with all of THAT............today's challenge at 365 Cards is to use 8 blooms on a card. Well, I had the perfecto paper for this one. This paper is by Making Memories and it's called "Glitter Flower Stripe JustChillin' Girl". Not sure if you can tell, but the "blooms" are glittered as well as the little dots. It's really quite pretty in person. Well, I have tons of Mother's Day cards to make for friends so I'll be back often this weekend. Thanks for stopping by!!

I'm Done!

I purchased this online class to "Bling out my Blog" and I have been working with it since yesterday. Well, today it all went downhill. Then I thought, well.......I still have my old template back up........NOT!! I had it, but it had been changed. So, I've spent the best part of today getting it back like it was. Needless to say, I am done with trying to update the look of my blog. I don't know blog code and I don't want to know it! So.......can anyone out there point me in the direction of someone that can "bling out my blog" for me?! I am willing to pay a fee to get it done. What I want is very simple, but I just can't do it myself. So, is there anyone out there??????...Anyone???

FANTABULOUS BLOG CANDY ALERT!!!

Steph has had 10,000 hits on her blog and she is giving away a $100 gift card to the place of YOUR CHOICE!!!! How fantastic is THAT??!! Click on the title to this post and go check it out! Go now....go now....go now!!! She's picking a winner on May 9th, so hurry!!