How Did I Become So Blessed?

Happy Monday everyone!!!

Well we had a super, super busy weekend. It was nice enough that Jason and Izzy were able to get outside and do lots and lots of gardening. They planted lettuce, spinach, beans and all sorts of other things. Izzy thoroughly enjoyed it! I saw her out there helping to clean up all the extra debris and raking through the dirt. Of course she conned her dad into giving her a ride on the garden helper which is basically a flat bed wheelbarrow. She loved it. I on the other hand was inside the whole time. Which was actually fine because I got a whole lot of stamping done. Of course none of it I can show you yet, but I was able to get most of what I wanted done, done! Yay!!! I am so happy about that!

Quick story though about Izzy and Jason. I have slowly been learning what Jason and Izzy talk about when I am not around. Izzy is in that mocking bird phase where she is repeating everything that we say. It is actually amusing because we will be hanging out and all the sudden she will say something and I can look over at Jason and say, "Did you teach her that?" Of course most of the time the answer is yes! LOL! Well on Friday, I gave Izzy a bowl of strawberries to eat while she was outside. It started to rain and somehow the bowl was left outside. On Saturday while Jason and Izzy were walking around, she found it again. My understanding is the conversation went something like this.

Izzy, picking up the bowl and holding it up to Jason: More Strawberries, please.

Jason: I don't have any more strawberries.

Izzy, looking down sorrowfully then holding the bowl back up: Ask Mommy!

What, I never taught her that. So I asked Jason and guess what he told me? Oh yeah, I tell her that all the time! Of course he did! LOL!

Alright onto my projects for today. Since I don't have anything to share just yet (HINT, HINT, I will definitely have something tomorrow seeing as how it is the first day of Sneak Peeks for Pink Cat Studio!!!!!!!), I decided to share some wonderful RAKs I have received form some really great stamping friends I have made!

My first share for today is a RAK I received from my wonderful friend Jacquie! She is such an amazing stamper and has the best papers and accessories. I am always teasing her about going through her amazing stash. Of course she would then have to teach me how to use them all, but that is beside the point! LOL! So here is the wonderful creation she sent me along with a bag of gorgeous buttons, a stack of awesome papers and some beautiful flowers!!!!! Can you believe it? Like the card wasn't gift enough!

My second share for today is a RAK I received from my friend Heather who I was fortunate enough to meet in person a couple of weeks ago in Wisconsin! OMGoodness we had the best time and let me tell you her creations are even more amazing in person! Completely blew me away! Wow, wow, wow! And on top of it she sent me some gorgeous prima flowers too! I am telling you, I don't' know what I did to deserve these, but I better keep doing it! LOL! Here is Heather's drop dead gorgeous creation she sent me!!

Now, my third share for today (Can you believe it!!!!!) is from my awesome friend Danni!! I love Danni's work and my favorite part is when she does her That Was Then This is Now posts!! Love, love, love them! She even updates me to tell me she is going to be posting them, which I love!!! I don't want to miss them for heavens sake!!!!! LOL! Seriously though she is so mega talented and she sent me this beautiful creation from one of her TWTTN posts!! Could I be any luckier and to top it off she also sent me some beautiful stamped sugar nellies!! I can hardly wait to color them up!! It is one of the few images I don't own. Without further ado, her is Danni's masterpiece!

How blessed can I be? (Warning, getting mushy!) I got into stamping to find a hobby that I could enjoy while Izzy was napping and hopefully Izzy and I could do together, and it became a support system that provides encouragement and friendship when I most need it! It truly is a blessing to me! Thank you to everyone!

Well that is it for me today. I will be back tomorrow with my first sneak peeks for the Pink Cat Studio release! They will definitely knock your socks off! Thanks everyone for stopping by! Smiles!

Pirates Twinkle Too!!!

Happy Tuesday everyone!!!

Hope your week has started off well. I had a pretty good day yesterday. Izzy and I had a great time hanging out. I stamped in the morning and Izzy sat either up on the table or in the chair. She loves to pretend to color with my markers. (I don't let her take the caps off of course). I offer her crayons to color with, but she likes to color with the copics instead. She did that for quite a long time. Then she played mailman for awhile and fed all of her books through her playhouse door. Wow, what a mess. We tried going outside for awhile, but it started to sprinkle so we had to come back inside. Although this really didn't seem to bother her. I actually had to pick her up and bring her inside. I think she is more tired of winter than I am. LOL! Finally we finished the evening off by me cooking dinner!!!! I know pick yourself up off the floor. I can cook I just don't want anybody to know about it. I just despise it so much! LOL! Anywhoo as you can see, it was a really good day.

Well, as you know it is Tuesday and that means it is Twinkling Tuesday here!!! And guest what, we have another guest Twinklette this week! The fabulously talented Jack Diedrich, who just so happens to be the younger brother of our amazingly talented founder of Twinkling Tuesday, Madelynn. Jack is only six, but boy did he come up with an amazing sketch. It is such a clean, simple layout, but with the added touch of piercing. My understanding is he loves the piercing tool his mother uses so he really wanted to include that in his sketch. I hope he approves!




See what I mean? I just can't get over the talent in this family. Maybe I can move in with them and some it will rub off on me!! LOL!! Seriously though, I am just blown away by this sketch and can't wait to ue it over and over again! I started this card off by stamping the pirate Billy image from Billy Plate 1 by Pink Cat Studio on white card stock and colored him in using my copics. I distressed the edges by sponging on some bashful blue. I then threaded through some red ribbon and tied a little tie on one side. Using my piercing tool, I went a little crazy. I not only added the piercing on the top and bottom but then I decided to sew around my two panels and pierced around them as well. I saw this awesome idea on Suzanne's blog and just couldn't wait to try it. Following the sketch, I layered on red and blue card stock along with some DP from Cosmo Cricket. To finish the card off, I stamped the sentiment on white card stock, distressed it with my sponge and bashful blue, cut it out along with a piece of blue card stock using my nesties, then popped it off under my ribbon. I really hope Jack approves of the piercing!!!

Now it is time to check out the rest of the wonderful DT's creations!! They are amazing and make sure you swing by the Twinkling Team's blog. Our guest Twinkie this week is none other than the amazing Kim! She has not been stamping for very long, but you wouldn't know it! Wow, her creations will knock your socks off. Oh and don't forget you can always play along with us, just be sure to type in the keyword MTTSC13 when uploading your card to SCS or PCP. Can't wait to see what you create!

• Bonnie
• Cassie
• Christi
• Danni
• Debbie
• Heather
• Jacquie
• Jami
• Jen
• Jessica
  
• Kim
• Kimmie
• Rebecca
• Sandra
• Taylor

Speaking of Twinkle Team members, the wonderfully talented and sweet Cassie sent me the most amazing RAK!!! OMGoodness I was so excited to open my mail box and see this beauty in it!! The layout and coloring are so amazing and I just love the way she used her ribbon. I wish you could see it in person, it is so beautiful. And guess what? As if this beautiful card wasn't enough, she also included two packages of spiral clips!! In fact I used one of them on my bee card yesterday. She said she saw that I was asking people where they got them and wanted to send me some!!! Can you believe it??? I seriously almost cried I was so, so touched! What an amazing person and friend!


Well that is it for me today! Pretty gloomy here but I really need to run some errands this afternoon. Thanks as always for stopping by!!! And don't forget the Club Anya Sketch Challenge and the Name that Cutie Patootie Challenge at Pink Cat! Smiles!

Ay Mate, Best Wishes!

Happy Thursday everyone!

Sorry I am posting so late today. Jason and I went out for date night last night and didn't get home until really late so I decided to sleep in! Luckily, Izzy had such a good time playing with Lainy and Aunt Tracy that she was super tired too so we both had a very nice morning of relaxing and having fun!!

So, like I said, Jason and I had the best date night last night. We went out to a local Brew House for dinner. It is casual dining but nice. The building is actually a historic Mill with a functioning water wheel so it is really cool. Then we went to the movies. Jason and I never go to the movies so it was a nice surprise. We saw the new Jennifer Aniston movie He's Just Not That Into You. It was actually really good and even Jason liked it! It was a really good mixture of funny and serious. So all in all it as a really wonderful night!

Well, I only have one project to share today what with all the babysitting yesterday and then date night, I didn't get hardly any stamping time! Not that I am complaining. It was such a fun day. Anywhoo, my card for today is for the challenge that Marie issued over at The Greeting Farm Blog! Guess what, guess what!!!! It is a sketch!!! Yesssssss!!! so of course you know that I am going to participate if it is a sketch. And here it is!


Don't you love this!!! I adore how the main panel is turned at an angel and for some reason it said masculine card to me. No idea why. Maybe because of all the straight lines or something. Well to be honest, masculine cards are kind of difficult for me, so I am extra proud of the way this one turned out! I started this card by stamping Hello Ian by The Greeting Farm on white card stock and colored him in using my copics and my gold pen. I added a brad to his hat to simulate a button. I then cut him out and mounted him on brown and green card stock. I next layered on kraft, brown and green card stocks and DP from Basic Grey's Granola. I stamped the sunflower from All Wrapped Up by SU! in so saffron and close to cocoa and then stamped the sentiment from All Around Argyle by SU! in black on top and cut it out along with a piece of green using my nesties. I distressed both the sentiment and image using a sponge and some close to cocoa ink. To finish the card off, I added three green brads down the side and a brown ribbon at the bottom. So, so much fun! Oh and now my good friend Jessica has uploaded a new challenge over at Club Anya! I can hardly wait to play.

Today I wanted to share with you two wonderful RAKs I received from some really great friends. The first is a card I received from my wonderful friend Jacquie! She is so awesome and an amazing talent, I mean just look at the this card! And how sweet is she that she also sent me some of these wonderful sentiments!


The next RAK is from my good friend Danni! She colors so beautifully and I adore the way she decorates the inside of her cards! Oh and she was so sweet to give me some adorable images to color! What a lucky girl I am!!!


Now it is time for my Izzy story. As I mentioned earlier, I babysat Izzy's friend Melaina yesterday. I really think the girls are getting more and more comfortable with each other. They played together and made little art projects. They even fed each. It was so, so cute!!! So here is a picture of them crafting together!


Thanks as always for stopping by! Don't forget the contest over at Pink Cat and the new Challenge at Club Anya and at The Greeting Farm! Lots of Smiles!

Today is Taylor Made!!!

Hi everyone! Happy Monday again!!

I just got back from ArtMart where I picked up a new copic marker that I was in desperate need of, and a few other things. Jason is off work today so he has been running around with us! It has been so much fun!! It is super chilly here though so we couldn't be out for too long, but the sun being out sure made it feel warmer.

Before I share my cards I wanted to share a quick Izzy story since I didn't give you one yesterday. On Friday night, her and her two little friends, Lucy and Melaina got together for a little play date. They had the best time. Izzy was obsessed with Lucy's hair and kept pointing to it and touching it. Lucy had these two little pigtails that were sticking out from either side of her head it was so cute!!! Then they played house with Izzy's new kitchen set and completely cleaned my house. Alright, completely cleaned and dusted it to about 3 feet off the floor but hey I can probably handle the other five feet right?!! LOL! Seriously though I was so glad they got together because Izzy really needs to interact with kids her own age. I am hoping we can do it again this week.

Well like I said today has been a pretty busy day for me. I have worked on several cards and have cards ready through tomorrow. It feels good to be caught up and ready to go. The cards I am going to share with you today are both cards I made using Taylored Expressions Cupcake challenges. I just love Taylor's layouts and how different and unique they are. I know that I don't always submit them on time, but I always store them for future reference.

My first card I used Taylor's Challenge from last week. Once I saw the three circles on it, I just knew that my Sweet Things set from Storage Units Inks and More would be perfect!!

See what I mean, they fit so nicely into the three circles. The only thing is that I wish I had some silver ribbon. I think that would have really set it off, oh well, you make do with what you have. I started off this project by stamping the three chocolate boxes from Sweet Things by Storage Units, Inks and More on white card stock and colored them in with my copics and silver gel pen. I then mounted them on red card stock that I cut out with my nesties. Following the sketch, I layered on teal and red card stock along with some DP from SEI. Next, to mimic the silver in the paper, I used some white organdy ribbon and metal swirls to make it look like the chocolate boxes were hanging. I placed some rhinestones down the middle, stamped the sentiment on some white card stock and popped it off the back along with some red and teal card stock. It was such an easy to make and assemble card and I just love the color combo.

My second card for today is a card I created using Taylored Expression's Cupcake Challenge from this week. I have been dying to use my brand new Sarah Kay image (the first one I have ever used) and just knew when I saw this layout that it would be perfect!!

Couldn't you just die!! This little girl is so sweet and it is in my favorite color, green! I started this card off by stamping Fanny's Cuddle by Sarah Kay for Stampavie on white card stock and colored her in with my copics. Following the sketch, I mounted her on some green card stock and yellow card stock followed by DP. I added some jumbo burnished bronze eyelets down the side in place of the buttons. Because the image was so large I could not place a sentiment on the card, but I really don't think it needs one. I am just so pleased with the way this card came out! Not only was it quick to make, but the image worked so well with the beautiful DP I have been hoarding! I might not give this one away!

Now to share a beautiful piece of RAK I received!! Saturday after my class, I ran out to the mailbox as I always do and was amazed to see this wonderful card from a new friend of mine Jacquie!! I was so excited that I called her yesterday to thank her and she is just as sweet and amazing on the phone as she is on her blog!! Thank you so much Jacquie!!

Well, that is it for me today! I am off to finish up a few more cards before the Iz Biz gets up from her nap. Have a wonderful evening and I will see you tomorrow for Twinkling Tuesday!!

Are You Ready For Some Football and a Little Bit of Pink Christmas!!

Happy Saturday everyone!!

I hope your Saturday has been a good one. It was actually quite pleasant here today, but since about 5 o'clock this evening the temperature has been dropping and the wind has really picked up. I am sad to say that tomorrow sounds like it is pretty much going to be a miserable day. Super cold and really windy. I am so glad we aren't leaving till Monday. Tomorrow would be a terrible day to travel.

Well, I am almost caught up on all my challenges for the week. Just one more to do and I will be up to date. Of course, I won't be posting them on time, but at least I can say that they were completed on time!

Since it has been so chilly at night, Izzy has been taking two baths, once with me and then once by herself. Well two nights in a row now, she has decided that Tuxy should be included in our bathtime fun. (As a side note, Tuxy is completely terrified of the water. I am talking hates it with a passion.) Izzy sits in the bath the whole time and says, "Tuxy. Bath. Please." Poor Tuxy, he now stands as far away from the bathtub as he can get. It is like he knows. I think that he figures at some point she is going to get strong enough to actually pick him up and put him in the bath. He knows he will be in trouble then!!! Lol!!

My first card for today is actually for my husband and was created using this week's Watchadoin' Wednesday Challenge over SUInk and More. This week's challenge was to create a card that could hold a gift. Well, my husband loves football. He watches it every weekend and well, pretty much anytime I don't have the remote. I on the other hand do not like football, I don't want to say hate, because I do occasionally watch it for him. I do however hate going to any sporting event. So for this Christmas, I have decided to give him a coupon for him and I to attend a sporting event of his choice. This is a pretty big deal, because I am such a fair weather fan. And I mean that literally, I only want to go to the game if the weather is perfect. I am talking upper 70's, low 80's, slight breeze, no rain, not too sunny though, because I don't want to get burnt either. Because of these guidelines, I almost never go. So see, I do love him so!!

Isn't it cute!!! I started this card by stamping the boy, helmet and football from First and Goal by SUInk and More on white card stock and colored them in using my copics and markers. I then cut out the helmet and football and popped them off my image. I mounted my image on a piece of blue card stock that I punched with my Martha Stewart edge punch and then placed it on a piece of red card stock. For the background I layered, red and blue card stock along with two different kinds of DP. I ran the blue card stock through my houndstooth cuttlebug embossing folder to give it some texture. I added a stitched ribbon to the corner and stamped the sentiment on a piece of white card stock and cut it into the shape of a banner, again using my Martha Stewart punch. For the inside of the card, I attached some more DP and added a blue band across the bottom to hold my coupon. I stamped the tickets three times, cut them out and adhered them around the bottom. I completed the card by stamping the sentiment, "Merry Christmas", from Sugar Nellie. I just know that he is going to love it. However, now I am thinking about adding in my fair weather clause! Lol!

My second card for today is all about having a pink Christmas. I love the color combo of pink and brown together, and really wanted to create a Christmas card with that color combination and since I was running behind on this week's Magnolia Vs. Stampavie Challenge, I decided to use my favorite color combo for the challenge.

This sketch was actually really difficult for me. Probably the reason it took me so long to participate. I don't have any Stampavie or Magnolia stamps that are small enough to fit in the squares and I wasn't too keen about breaking an image up, so I decided to switch the images and the text. It worked out perfectly. I started this card by coloring in Tilda in Dalecarlia Coat by Magnolia with my copics and markers. I actually just received this wonderful image from my friend Kimmie. Thank you so much!!! Following the sketch, I layered on brown and pink card stock along with two kinds of DP. I printed off the sentiments on my computer and mounted them on brown card stock. I added a brown gross grain ribbon and three white flowers with brads in the center. Like I said this was a difficult challenge and I am just so glad that I was able to come up with something.

Well, I am outta here for tonight. Hubby and I are going to sit and relax together on the couch as today was his first day of vacation!! Have a wonderful evening and thanks for stopping by!

How Does Your Garden Grow? and My Very First RAK!!!!

Hello and Happy Wednesday!




Today I wanted to share a card that I made for my mother-in-law who loves to garden. Whenever we go back home and visit it is always such a treat to go and sit out in their backyard. It is full of fragrant blossoms and always makes me feel so comfortable.

For this card I used the Garden Clear Stamp Set by Hanna Stamps. I actually bought this stamp set to use the accessories so I could make gardening themed cards for my husband (he also loves to garden). Once I saw Hanna though, she reminded me so much of my mother-in-law I had to make up a card for her. I colored her in using my Stampin' Write markers from Stampin' Up, tied on some white grosgrain ribbon and attached a cute little water can charm I had lying around from an old cross stitch kit and voila, I had this adorable card.

My First RAK!!!!!

Speaking of my wonderful mother-in-law, a couple of weeks ago my in laws came up to visit and I wound up dragging her to one of my stamping classes at my favorite stamping store The Inkspot. We had such a wonderful time together and laughed a ton. It was fantastic. In fact she enjoyed stamping so much I think she might become addicted too! I am crossing my fingers. She asked me to stamp a couple of images for her on some card stock and a couple of days later I received this card in the mail.

Isn't it so cute. I just love the background paper and the little brads. It is super fally (I'm not sure if that is a word). She sent it to thank me for inviting her to the stamping class. Isn't' that sweet! Of course I seriously doubt that she will be thanking me six months from now when she is checking every stamping blog known to man and has a list of gotta have stamps sets that even Santa would shudder at.

Well, thanks for visiting my blog and have a wonderful day!