Cactus birthday

Happy birthday to my oldest child... 23!  How can that be??!!?  She's been away and coming home tonight, so though her birthday was on Thursday, I just made her card this morning.  She loves cacti!

I stamped the card with Stampabilities Distressed Background rubber stamp and VersaMark.  I then heat embossed that with clear EP.  I inked the center with TH tea dye.  My cute little cacti are a fun cactus set of dies by Firefly that I found at Tuesday Morning and cut out from scraps.  The die cut sentiment is Cuttlebug Birthday Wishes. 

Challenges...

Dies R Us #125 - birthday

Watercooler Wednesday WWC231 - all about occasions

Brown Sugar #291 - anything goes

Freshly Made Sketches #398 - sketch

Seize the Birthday #170 - anything goes link party

Now that I've got her card made, I need to go make sure her room is all ready! :) 

Thanks for stopping by and have a blessed day!!

Snow, snow, and more snow!

We've had 3 nor'easters come through in the last 2 weeks, and according to the forecast, another is coming on Tuesday!  I love snow, so it's fine with me, but I do know and am so sorry that in many places, this has caused great damage and hardship.  I am praying for those affected.

Can you believe that with all this snow we have not made a snowman??!!??  So I went into my warm, dry craft room and made one. :)

Supplies...
SSS Build A Snowman stamps
SSS Snowman Parts dies
Spectrum Noir markers
Darice Snowflake Swirl EF
Spellbinders  A2 Matting Basics
Spellbinders Classic Squares
Cheapo Dies Cross Stitch Rectangles


Challenges...
ABC Christmas - E for emboss, F for frill, & G for glitter (I did E for embossing)
Sweet Stampin' Christmas March - anything goes
The Merry Christmas Challenge #11 - anything goes + Christmas
Christmas with the Cuties #13 - anything goes
Use Your Stuff #303 - die cuts (my "stuff" I used is the snowman die set I bought way back in 2015!  Why I didn't get the stamps then, too, I'll never know, but thankfully, they still carried them and I recently purchased them) (((this is my second entry, but if that's not allowed, just delete me)))
52 Christmas Christmas Card Throwdown - March color challenge

Addicted to Stamps and More #283 - holiday
Freshly Made Sketches #328 - sketch

Thanks for stopping by and have a blessed day!!!

Autism awareness card

October is breast cancer awareness month and that is wonderful!!  Keep thinking pink!!!
But it seems that when we become aware of one need, we become aware of others, as well.   I have a friend that has 4 autistic children.  She is such a blessing in the way she deals with these children and looks to the Lord for her strength!!  

I used the sketch from Freshly Made Sketches #57 and the image is one of Diane's from Daydream Designs.   It is the Hope Endures Digi Set Autism.  It is pre-colored.  (She has several other awareness sets, too!)

I combined a couple of the digis, embossed my cardstock, and tied a ribbon.

Thanks for stopping by!!

Home Tweet Home!

I am playing with more of Diane's images from Daydream Designs!!  :)  I printed out several and then went looking for challenges to inspire me to use them.  This will be a card for someone who gets a new home. 

Challenges...
Paper Pretties Wednesday Challenge PWC219 - square card
Stampin' Sisters in Christ #152 - home
Freshly Made Sketches #48 - sketch
Twisted Tuesday 2TC19 - "Are you blue?" -use blue and one other color Oops!  I misread... it is supposed to be predominantly blue and the twist is have only one other color. 

Though it's not, the ribbon looks almost neon!  LOL

I used an image from the Birds and Bees Digi set.

Thanks for stopping by!!!

Just hanging out...

That's what I feel like I've been doing this week!  With half of my kids away, I've had a lot more time on my hands, but that's all good!!!  I've had much more than normal time in my craft room!!!  My DD created with me this morning, then left me for the Wii! :/  So I kept on going and here is my latest creation...  I've got one more that I hope to post today, too.

I've had this digi printed for awhile, found it today, and used it finally!

Challenges...
Shopping Our Stash Challenge 63 - Monochromatic
Freshly Made Sketches #47 - sketch (Oops! I just realized mine may be "unclean" with the inking!)

"Recipe":
~Clear Dollar Frisky Kitty digi image and sentiment
~Basic Grey "Recess" DP
~Nestabilites Large and Small Labels

Thanks for dropping by!!!!

Happy Birthday w/pop-up balloon

While perusing one of the many wonderful craft blogs I follow, I found a cute, cute, cute idea at Clearly iStamp.  It is called Honeycomb Pop Ups and Lisa gives a great tutorial.  I was already planning to make a birthday card and thought this would be a fun addition to it!  I tend to make more pretty and girly birthday cards, so am trying to make some that are more masculine or at least generic.  This would work for a boy, I think.

Challenges...
Cards for men challenge 14 - Happy Birthday
Freshly Made Sketches #43 - sketch
Meljens Designs Challenge #118 - Happy Birthday (must use Meljens image)
Celebrate the Occasion #70 - Happy Birthday

Here is a close-up of the balloon... Click HERE to go to the tutorial.

~Kraft and Bazzill cardstock
~Meljens Happy Birthday digi
~MM number tape
~Distressed Stripes embossing folder
~Copic and Prismacolor markers

Thanks for stopping by!!

Just "friends" card

I cut out a verse in vinyl then attempted to stick it to a tile.  Did not work!!  So I have something heavy sitting on it and will come back to it later.  While I'm waiting, I decided to make a card! :)

Happy Canada Day tomorrow to all my Canadian friends!!!  Someday, I hope to be in Ottawa for July 1!!! **scroll down to see a pic I found on FB! :)  (FYI, I am Canadian, DH is American, and kids are both!!)

Just a simple "friends" card for a challenge... Freshly Made Sketches #41.

~fancy pants 'love story' dsp
~image from Rubber Stamped
~sentiment from MME Lost & Found Two
~Cloud 9 Design rain dots
~rick rack from stash

Thanks for stopping by!!!

Isn't this awesome???

Happy Father's Day!!

Happy Father's Day to all fathers who read crafty blogs!! :) 

I made several cards yesterday for my junior church kids to give their fathers, so most were simple and sketches were my friends!!

Challenges...
Cards for men challenge 12 - Father's Day
Freshly Made Sketches #39 - sketch

~g.c.d. Studio paper
~Nestie small and large labels
~Paper Studio button brads
~digi sentiment from Stitchy Bear Stamps

Thanks for stopping by!!!

Happy Mother's Day card

Finally, all the favors and decorations were made for our Mother/Daughter Luncheon tomorrow.    [Demented as I am, I forgot to take any pictures after decorating!  I'll try to remember tomorrow!] 
Am I the only one who seems to spend soooooo much time, and when it is all done, it looks like it really should not have taken me all those hours??   Oh well!

On to Mother's Day!  My mother won't be here on Sunday, but my parents are coming on Tuesday, so that's not too far off!   They will come bearing ketchup chips and Crunchie bars, I hope!!!   :)

I teach junior church on Sunday mornings and wanted to make a card for each child to give their mother.  I only started today, so we may have to go with a card for each family, but we'll see how tomorrow goes.  Here's the first one...

Challenges...
Freshly Made Sketches #34 - sketch  --I realized that my paper actually has a distressed look to it... I hope that doesn't make my card "unclean"!! :)
The Cuttlebug Spot - "Flowers for Mom"
Celebrate the Occasion #62 - Mother's Day

~Recollections "Charming" dsp
~rubber sentiment stamp
~Nesties scalloped oval and oval
~Swiss Dots Cuttlebug folder
~flower, brads, and ribbon from stash

Thanks for looking!!!

Thank you easel card

Easel cards are fun to make, thank you cards are always needed, so I had a working combination last evening.  I waited to take better pics in daylight since no matter how I set the white balance, nothing compares to natural light!

Challenges...
Freshly Made Sketches #31 - sketch
Stampin' Sisters in Christ #136 - soft pastels
Card Crafter's Circle #19 - "In stitches"

~Kraft base
~K&Co dsp
~Inkadinkado stamps
~Stampendous Autumn Flowers ink
~Flora Doodles flowers
~Cutter Bee piercing tool and white gel pen for faux stitching

Thanks for stopping by!!

Sympathy card

Sympathy cards.  Cards that are often needed, but I don't make one until I need it.  

Challenges...
Freshly Made Sketches #30 - sketch
Playing in Paradise #61 - photo inspiration (I used the colours)

~Recollections "Charming" dsp
~Studio g stamp colored with Copics
~Studio 112 sentiment stamp
~StazOn Timber Brown ink 
~inside Hero Arts stamp...
"Our caring
thoughts
are with you
during this
difficult time"
~scallop and circle cut in MTC
~ribbon from stash

Thanks for stopping by!!

Happy Birthday x3

Well, the sentiment is 3 times!    Do you ever have ideas and try them out only to end up throwing them out???  That's been my lot lately! :/  There is hope, though... challenges and sketches are my friends!  :)

Still making birthday cards and this one is for a little boy.  None of my ideas came out right, so I'm using a sketch at the last minute.

Challenges...
Freshly Made Sketches #28 - sketch
Cuttlebug Spot - children's card with animal

~Cord'dinations cardstock
~EP "Splash" dsp
~Patchwork Puppy stamp from Clear Dollar
~sentiment stamp from There She Goes
~Paper Studio embossing folder
~watercolor pencils, Copics, Zig and American Crafts markers

Thanks for stopping by!!

"Neutral Noel" card

I'm not doing very well at keeping up with making Christmas cards "all through the year" this year, so thought it was time for another.  I'm finding it's little hard to get in the Christmas spirit at this time of year!! :)  But this card came together in no time at all so maybe I'll crank out a couple more like it!

Challenges...
jingle belles 12:06 - "Neutral Noel" -photo inspiration --I went with the colors, but as I was taking my pic, I realized I've got the "noel" too! :)
Freshly Made Sketches #26 - follow sketch  **oops!  missed that one!! I forgot it ends at noon! :(
Card Crafter's Circle #14 - "Pot of Gold"

~DCWV Metallic Stack
~Colorbok white cardstock
~Sissex snowflakes embossing folder
~MME "Noel" stamp
~Encore gold metallic ink
~Offray gold ribbon
~3D star (technique found here at Van Laar Designs)

Thanks for stopping by!!

Welcome Spring!!

We finally got some real winter this past week, so I'm not wishing spring just yet, but with temps near 50 today, it seems that it will come whether I want it to or not!!  So I caved and made a spring card this afternoon.  Don't get me wrong, I do love spring, but we had such a mild winter that I was so happy to see snow and I don't want it to go away just yet!!

Enough whining... here's my card for these challenges...

Bitten by the Bug 2 - boots (I used the one on April Showers)
The Cuttlebug Spot - "Spring is in the Air"
Freshly Made Sketches #24 - sketch

Not your typical spring colors but I like it!

~MME Merry Days of Christmas scrap for the boots
~Fancy Pants "It's the Little Things" background dsp
~Bazzill cardstock
~SWiss Dots and Distressed Stripes Cuttlebug folders
~boot from April showers cut at 2 1/2"
~Welcome Spring from April Showers cut at less than 1" in DS

Thanks for dropping by!!!