New Friend Card

This was the inspiration picture for the HEC08 challenge over at Splitcoast. I don't remember a photograph ever being as compellingly "peaceful". I had to make a card to try and capture the feeling. I hope you enjoy my attempt. I also fulfilled the Splitcoast sketch challenge #207.

I used SU Whisper White, Pink Pirouette, Sahara Sand and Bravo Burgandy. The ink was Versamark with Silver EP and dazzling diamonds. I added SU ribbon and white pearls. The stamps were from the Unity December KOTM and Su's Fancy Flexible Phrases. Thank you for looking!

Third Card Today

I received my Unity Stamps December KOTM today and love all of the images. I chose this one to use first as I needed a breath of Spring. We have received almost two feet of snow and are expecting more in the next two days. The paper is SU Yo Yo Yellow, WW, Tempting Turquoise and Green Galore. I also used DCWV Glitter Stack. As far as embellishments I used dazzling diamonds, yellow ribbon and Martha Stewart Rhinestones. The rhinestones are on the card because my nine year old was helping me make this one and he insisted. Hope you like it.

Evergreen Greetings

I made this card using some of the scraps on my desk, so I'm not sure what company the paper is from. The stamps are both from Stampin Up. I used Malachite EP for the tree. I wasn't sure about the card til I had it all put together. Thank you for your comments.

Soft Thoughts

I've been in my "working room" since I got home from my real job. I have three cards to show you and hope you enjoy them. I made this card using Stampin Up's Floral BG and Sincere Salutations. The paper is sahara sand, basic black and whisper white. I used versamark and white EP. The ribbon is by Offray and the pearls were in my stash. I think this card would work equally for a sympathy card or a friendship card. Thank you for looking and leaving your comments.

Sweet Christmas Card

This is the first card I've made since moving and it took a very long time to finish. I just couldn't get it right. I used my Martha Stewart stamp set, glue pad, glitter, SU stamp set and offray ribbon. Thank you for looking and leaving comments. I will talk with you again tomorrow. Have a great day!

I'm Back from Moving Land

Well, it's been about a month since I've posted and I apologize to those of you who check my blog on a regular basis. My boys and I moved into this house over Thanksgiving weekend and we've been trying to get settled in new schools, new house and new routines. This is the front of my house yesterday morning with our first big snowfall. From the moment I walked in this house I felt at home. It's over a hundred years old and has the original wide plank hard wood floors. I will try and post a few pictures of the inside over the next week or two. Thank you for not giving up on me. I promise I'll get back with it starting with my second post today. My craft room is finally set up and ready to go. Hopefully I haven't forgotten how to make cards! Have a great day!

Soft Peaceful Christmas Wish

I fell in love with all of the wreaths made with the Martha Stewart fern punch and had to make one. I know the colors aren't exactly Christmas but I think the card turned out very soft. The "peace" is stamped with a Martha Stewart stamp and the sentiment on the bottom is from SU's Heard from the Heart set. The colors are Whisper White, Pretty in Pink and Green Galore from SU. Thank you for your comments!

Rifle Falls

I thought I'd post a picture I took on Sunday of Rifle Falls. My boys and I hiked about two miles up and over the falls. If you ever get the chance to visit our neck of the woods, you really should take the time to see the them. They look different in every season. The boys want to go back when the falls become "ice falls."

Harvest Blessing Challenge

This card was made for Splitcoast sketch challenge #SC202. I love this stamp set from Papertrey Ink! For the first time I used chalk inks that I've had on my table for about four months - they are fabulous! The paper is Very Vanilla, Really Rust, and More Mustard from SU. The pattern paper is from a very old DCWV pack (I think.) Thank you for looking and I wish all of you "Harvest Blessings."

Blog Candy - Joyful Stamper

Joyful Stamper is giving away some fabulous blog candy. She is celebrating 10,000 hits! Wow, what an accomplishment. I wish her the best of luck with her next 10,000 hits. If you have a chance drop over and see her - she has great eye candy as well as blog candy!

Tall Christmas Card

I used my new Martha Stewart stamp to make this card. It is for the Splitcoast card sketch challenge #201. The tree is stamped with Versamark and embossed with SU silver detail EP. It's very shiny in real life. The paper is SU Whisper White, Not Quite Navy and silver. The ribbon is from Offray and the rhinestones are from my old supplies. Thank you for looking and leaving your comments.

Free Walmart Stamp Stash

So there I was in Walmart with both of my boys. It was Sunday afternoon (bad place to be on a Sunday afternoon) and both of my boys had birthday money burning a hole in their pocket. We all did our shopping and stood in line for over 30 minutes. When the cashier finished ringing our sale he said "Uh oh, I hit the wrong button and I'll be write back." We hadn't given him any money or our gift cards. He came back with a supervisor and they said "don't worry about it, the items are free since we can't correct the problem." Oh my goodness!!!! I've never heard of such a thing, but we went on our merry way and saved our money and gift cards for another day! Lucky us!!!

Soft Music Makers

I love this sentiment and Unity Stamps make it even more beautiful. "We are the Music Makers and the Dreamers of Dreams!" I used SU Whisper White, Soft Sky and Soft Sky DP, versamark ink and white embossing powder. In addition, I added rhinestones, ribbon and pearls. This card fulfills the sketch challenge #199 at Splitcoast. I hope it makes you think pleasant thoughts and have happy dreams! Thank you for looking!

Fall Chick!

Good morning all! I still had some of the paper scraps from the dollar section of Target on my desk and "had" to use them. This is one of my favorite stamps from Unity and this is the first chance I've had to ink it up. I hope you like it. I used SU elegant eggplant for the base, Target $1 scraps and SU very vanilla. The rhinestones are left over from crafting back in the 80s. The ribbon is Offray and I used the scallop punch from SU. There is a very special lady, who has helped me tremendously in my new job. Ms. Savorie is from the Montrose Beall's and has been there to answer all of my questions. I thought she might appreciate this card and will be sending it to her tomorrow. Thanks for looking and leaving your comments!

Classroom Halloween Treats

Hi there friends! Life has been crazy with my new job starting. I've been the store manager of Beall's in Glenwood for almost three fabulous weeks! The only downfall is that I haven't been able to stamp. However, with Halloween tomorrow I had to make something for my son's class. Michael (age 9) and I whipped these up this evening and thought you might want to take a look! They were really quick and easy so I decided to make another batch for my workers at the store. Hope you like them. I used SU's Batty for You stamp set. The paper is Whisper White, Only Orange, Gable Green and Lovely Lilac. The insides are the Halloween M&M's. Thank you for your comments and have a great evening!

Fall Blessings!

This card used "a little of this and a little of that." The paper is from my Target paper scrap purchase. The sentiment is from both SU and Papertrey. The leaves are really old and I think from CTMH and the ribbon is SU. I really like the color combination and think it would be easy to substitute SU colors

Fall Photo Album

I really enjoyed making the summer photo album in the DVD case a couple of months ago and decided to try my hand at another one. I was at Target the other day and picked up a few things from their dollar section. I thought the paper was kind of pretty and the stamps would be fun. The paper in the scrapbooking kit was perfect for my fall DVD album. Hope you like it!
These are just a few of the things I picked up. All in all, I might have spent about $10.00 and came home with these and more.

Missing in Action!!!

Wow - - it's been a long time since I've posted. My plan is to rectify that ASAP. Many of you remember when I got the job as manager of Christopher and Banks in Glenwood Springs Mall. Times are a'changing. About a month ago, a very nice man came in my store and asked if I would be interested in another managerial position in the mall. Mind you, I was not looking for a new job. I love Christopher and Banks, my employees, the clothes..... However, after the fourth time that the other store approached me, after many tears and many prayers, I decided to take the new opportunity. A week from tomorrow I start as manager of Beall's Department Store in Glenwood Springs. If you're in the area, stop by and say hello. Look for new cards and ideas starting later tonight. I have to get ready for a short shift at work today, but have lots of new things out on my stamp table waiting to have their pictures taken. Talk to you again soon!

Merry Snowman

This was my second submission to the mall for their Christmas cards and they really liked it. I have two or three more that I'm going to present to them as the week progresses. The top of the snowman's hat has a little blob of puffy paint. This is a just a cute, little, happy card. I hope you like it. Thank you for looking!
Recipe:
Stamps: SU Warm Words, Holiday Tag Team
Paper: Night of Navy, Whisper White, Tempting Turquoise
Ink: Basic Black
Accessories: Ribbon, Rhinestones, Stickles and Puffy Paint

Early Christmas Card

Here's my first Christmas card sample for 2008. I've been asked to make 50 cards for the mall where I work to send out for the holidays. This is the first sample I've submitted to them. It uses all SU materials, although the stamp and paper are retired. Hope you like it. Please leave comments and have a great day!

Recipe:
Paper: SU pattern paper (last year's), Very Vanilla, Mellow Moss, Real Red
Ink: Versamark
Accessories: Brads, Dimensionals, Gold EP, Ribbon, Punch

A Few Fall Roses

These are a few of the roses in our front flower bed. They smell divine and are so easy to grow. All I have to do is water them and prune them. I'm really not much of a gardener (due to lack of time), so I have to watch and see when my neighbors prune theirs. Enjoy!

Cupcake Mojo

I know that you thought I had dropped off the face of the earth and it really feels like it. I've been working WAY too much at the store and haven't been able to get up to my craft room for a while. But.....I'm back! I fell in love with the Mojo Monday Week 51 sketch over at Poetic Artistry and needed to make a card for my sister-in-law. I still had the What's Up Cupcake set out on my desk and went for it. I hope you like the results. I used the MFT What's Up Cupcake set and SU Basic Black ink. The paper is SU Pink Passion, Only Orange, Gable Green and Whisper White. The pattern paper is from DCWV Summer Stack. Accessories: Rhinestone, Glass Bubbles, Puffy Paint, Stickles, and White Ribbon. The center is raised on dimensionals. Thank you for looking!

DVD Album

I wish I could remember where I saw this idea. I think it was Andrea Walford, but I'm not sure. Ignore the date on the picture. My camera battery went dead and somehow I set the date stamp button. Oops! I actually made the album this morning before I went to work and took the picture this evening. I made this album for my mother-in-law. It has ten pictures, but could hold more. My husband wants to send it out tomorrow or I would work on it some more. The one I'm making for my mom is going to have all of the pictures mounted and scrapped as well. These are easy to make and I'm hoping to do a class on them sometime in November. I think they would make great Christmas presents. I used brads from Buttons Galore "Summer Brads", SU ribbon, SU clear envelopes and a dvd case. The paper is from DCWV Summer Stack and SU real red. Thank you for looking and leaving your comments.

What's Up Cupcake?

I'm so excited about this card. It didn't photograph as well as it should have. It was fun to make and I think it's really cute (patting myself on back...). I made this card with the My Favorite Things set "What's Up Cupcake?". The paper is SU pink passion, lovely lilac, whisper white and gable green. The pattern paper is from the DCWV summer stack. I used puffy paint and a drop of reinker and then painted on sparkles. The buttons are from SU, as is the ribbon and the scallop punch. The brads are from Making Memories and the ribbon is SU. I hope you enjoy this card as much I have. Thank you for all your comments and have a great day!

New Camera

I apologize for taking so long to post again. I've been trying to figure out my new camera and am really struggling with it. I have a new Kodak Z8612 IS and I think I'm really going to like it....after I get it figured out. For some reason the colors are not coming out true so I guess I haven't completed the learning curve. Have patience with me and I promise I'll get more posted!!! In the meantime, a couple of my subscribers wanted me to post a picture of the area of Colorado where I live. This picture is of the Colorado River when it was running at its highest last month. Thank you for your continued support.

Witching You...a Happy Halloween

This was a really fun card. I got the idea from a card on Splitcoast over a year ago and I apologize as I can't locate the card or the original to give proper credit. I did change the kitty to look like our calico "Miss Ruby". The stamp set is SU's Haunting Halloween. The card stock is SU's Lovely Lilac and Pumpkin Pie. Thank you for looking and leaving your comments. Have a great day!

Scrapbooking All Week

Nope, I haven't dropped off the face of the earth. I've been busy scrapbooking our trip to Texas to pick up the boys from camp. I finished fourteen pages in the last four days - which, for me, is a big accomplishment.This page is my favorite. My boys were climbing the Mesquite tree in front of Nana and Papa's house in Corpus. I had the center picture blown up and am framing it and sending to Aunt Sissy, Uncle Larry and Nana and Papa in their thank you packages. I promise I will get back to card making tonight and will post some more cards in the morning. Thank you for your comments and continued support of my blog. Have a great day!

I've been tagged! This is my first time to receive an "award" from a fellow stamper and blogger. Above and beyond that, it's from one of my very favorite stampers. Michelle is a truly inspiring designer. If you have a chance you need to visit her blog. You will be amazed and astounded! Thank you so much Michelle!!! You rock!
The Rules:
1. Only 5 people allowed.
2. 4 have to be dedicated followers of your blog
3. one has to be someone new or recently new to your blog and live in another part of the world.
4. you must link back to whoever gave you the award.

Here goes:
1. Sarah (aka Sairabee) I have to laugh a little a I know that Sara has received this award at least twice. But I have to send it to her again. Sarah is the kind, sweet, talented, charming lady that sent me my very first RAK. Go visit her blog - it's fabulous!
2. Latisha is one of my SBS10 sisters and she is great. She does great things with her ribbon. Check out her cards!
3. SueDaly always leaves the nicest comments on my blog. She takes fabulous pictures! She has new pictures of butterflies on her blog that will knock your socks off.
4. Faith is as beautiful as her name. Her talent is incredible! I've tried to "do dots", but no one does them like Markie's Mom! Definitely take the time to visit her blog!
5. Shannan gets numerous awards and deserves all of them and more. What a talented young lady!

Picking only five was really tough! I'll get the rest of you ladies next time! Thanks to all of you gals who take the time to share your creativity through your artwork. Have a beautiful inspired day!

Smile

Before work this morning I decided I'd better stamp something or some of my loyal readers might boycott my blog. This card was made to satisfy sketch challenge #186 on Splitcoast. The second challenge I used was the inspiration challenge #138. We were supposed to get our inspiration from a blog or website design, but not from the content. I found a website called www.fiftyflowers.com and liked the design (but still took liberties with it.) However, I found this challenge via Markie's Mom on Splitcoast. Her cards are always an inspiration and I LOVE her use of dots. I tried, but nobody does dots like she does. Thank you for looking and leaving your comments. "Smile" and have a great day!

Two Challenge Bloomin' Beautiful

My mojo was a little off after coming home from vacation, so I turned to the Splitcoast challenges to get it going. The sketch challenge is SC185. I really love this color challenge (CC176) which uses Soft Sky, River Rock, and Very Vanilla. I added the vellum which I embossed and colored on the reverse side with my pens. I hope you like it!

RECIPE:
Paper: Soft Sky, River Rock, Very Vanilla, Vellum
Ink: Versamark
Stamps: SU Bloomin' Beautiful
Accessories: White EP, Pearls, Ribbon, SU Photo Corner Punch

Hummingbird Thankyou

For someone who never made 6 x 6 cards, I've made quite a few in the last month. I bought this hummingbird stamp before I left for vacation and left it in the middle of my stamp table. This morning before work I decided I'd better put ink to rubber and make a card with it. I knew the colors I wanted to use for the bird, but didn't have any patterned paper to go with it. I used my SU reinkers and alcohol and made my own paper. I hope you like it! There is an awful lot going on, but I think it works. Your commnents are appreciated.

RECIPE:
Stamps: Inkadinkadoo "Hummingbird", SU Warmest Regards, SU Baroque Motifs
Ink: Night of Navy, Versamark
Paper: WW, Taken with Teal, Green Galore, Night of Navy, Glossy White
Accessories: SU Reinkers - Night of Navy, Green Galore, Tempting Turq and Silver, Alcohol, Brads, Ribbon, White EP, Piercing tool

My Very 1st RAK

Well, we made it back safe and sound from Corpus Christi, but took the long way through Albuquerque, NM and up through Durango, Colorado. It was a full two days of hard driving! I think we were all happy to sleep in our own beds and I know Buster (the lab) and Ms. Ruby (the Calico Kitty) were very, very glad to see us. I was so thrilled to get our mail as I received my very first RAK from Sarah (scrampinmama.blogspot.com) who I met through Splitcoast. Thank you so much Sarah! I love the card and would love to know more information about the stamp of the girl. I purchased the Ginger Rogers stamp a while ago, but love the girl stamp with it! If anyone has a chance you really should visit Sarah's blog - she is extremely talented!

On Vacation - Gone to pick up our boys from camp!

We just arrived in Corpus Christi yesterday. On Friday afternoon we left Rifle to pick up our boys in Hunt, Texas. Our start was much later than planned due, in part, to a rock getting lodged between the caliper and brake pad on my car. I panicked and went straight to the Ford dealership. They had me taken care of and out the door in two hours. We drove to Trinidad, Colorado the first night and were back on the road at 6:30 Saturday morning. I promised our boys that we would be at their campfire service at 8:30. Weeeellllll....... in order to do that, I drove the distance. My husband just closed his eyes and hung on. I think I "averaged" 90 miles per hour. If my husband had been driving we'd still be on our way to camp. Many years ago, while I was in college, my friends nicknamed me "Mario". Probably not something to brag about, but we made it to the campfire. Then yesterday we attended the closing ceremonies and came on down to Corpus to see my mom and dad. We were quite exhausted but Nana and Papa were tickled to see the boys. We'll spend a week in Corpus and then make the long trek back to Rifle. I brought a few cards, my camera and my laptop and will try and post a few things later today. Sorry that I've been absent so long. I'll make it up to you all. Have a great day! Lesly

4th of July Cupcake

This was a very strange 4th of July with both of our boys away at camp. The fireworks just weren't as bright without the Oohs and Aahs of John and Michael. So, instead of continuing to watch them, I decided I would make a card. The cupcake paper is crimped and the icing has bead sprinkles. I used Inkadinkadoo Cupcakes and Stampendous Freedom Cupcake stamps. The icing and toothpick insert are raised on dimensionals. Thank you for looking and leaving your comments. Have a great weekend!

Bloomin' Mojo

This is the card I made for the Monday Mojo Sketch #44 over at Poetic Artistry. I combined it with the color challenge #173 over at Splitcoast. I love the sketch - the colors together are a different story. I had a really hard time combining them. The stamp set is Bloomin' Beautiful from SU. I used the lids of my stamp pads to watercolor the image. Thank you for looking and leaving your comments. Have a "bloomin beautiful" day!
Recipe:
Stamp Set: Bloomin' Beautiful
Paper: Purely Pomegranite, Wild Wasabi, Certainly Celery, Whisper White, SU DP
Ink: Basic Black
Accessories: SU Silver Hodgepodge, Photo Corner Punch, Ribbon, Rhinestones, Dazzling Diamonds

Baroque Tiles

This was a difficult sketch challenge for me (Splitcoast). It reminds me of tiles in a kitchen which also has lots of copper in it...possibly a stove hood or lots of copper pots and pans. I sponged the whisper white with green galore, night of navy and creamy caramel. The stamp sets used were SU Baroque Motifs and Mostly Flowers. Then I cut it in equal sizes and embossed it with two layers of glassy glaze. I mounted the tiles on night of navy and layered it on copper paper. The emblem on the front is embossed with SU copper EP. The ribbons are sheer navy and copper cord. Thank you for your comments.

Papertrey Ink Blog Hop Contest

I made this card in a hurry to try and satisfy the Papertrey Ink Blog Hop Contest requirements. I also used the Splitcoast color challenge for this week. I'll add more details later. Thank you for looking.

Dancing in the Rain

I made this card for the Unity Company Sketch Contest. While I was in Walmart I found these pretty embroidered iron on "thingies" and fell in love with the colors. They are colors I would never have put together on my own. I used Yo Yo Yellow, Opulent Orchid and Really Rust. The ink is Autumn Leaves Kaleidacolor. Thank you for looking and leaving your comments.

Just Clownin Around

I have to tell you a little story about a very special woman in my life. My sister, Karen, is incredible. She is always taking care of other people and maintains a beautiful home with her wonderful husband. Sissy is an incredible cook and enjoys entertaining from one to one hundred on a regular basis. In addition to all of the numerous things she does on a volunteer basis, she is part of a group of ladies that clown at the Children's Hospital in Corpus. I have tried for quite some time to make a set of clown cards for her, but they never came out "just right." This card is the first in a series of clown notecards that I will be giving to her when I see her later this summer. If you click on the image it is easier to see the glitter and coloring. The clown is colored with pencils and blended with gamsol. The buttons are a puffy paint and there are dazzling diamonds on the ruffle and gloves. The paper is SU whisper white, glitter stack and a purple that was in my scrap box. The clown stamp is a very old DOTS stamp that I purchased on Ebay. Thank you for your comments.

Sudsol Chat & Challenge 120

A very nice lady over at Sudsol invited me to participate in a Chat & Challenge #120 over at SUDSOL (demo only site). What she neglected to tell me was that I would have about 15 minutes to complete it as I was late getting in. (Tee hee!) Oh well, I'm a fairly adventurous person...... so here is the sketch and my completed card. Thanks for your comments.

Color Challenge 171

Definitely NOT my favorite color challenge at Splitcoast. This card is for CC171 using soft sky, basic black and kraft. Oh well....I guess you can't like all the choices all the time.... Thanks for looking.
Recipe:
Stamps: Garden Silhouettes, Warmest Regards
Paper: Soft Sky, Basic Black, Kraft
Ink: Basic Black
Accessories: SU Punch, Ribbon, Pearls

My "Working" Room

Ever since my boys were old enough to talk, they called this my "working room." I spent most of today rearranging things and trying to make it more "workable." On the right side (outside of the picture) is my sewing table which houses my Janome quilting machine and on the back wall is a shelving unit with all of my stamps. It's still a work in progress, but it's better than its ever been.

Boys At Camp

Well, we are able to go on a special website and see pictures that are taken at camp everyday. You never know if you'll get to see your kids or not because they are taking pictures of over 250 boys every day. Well, I went to the website and....VOILA.... I would recognize those long, gangly, frog legs anywhere. (Plus, I recognize his new swimsuit.) This is the backside of my older son, John. Looks like he's having a ball!

Glimmer Missing You

I made this card to send to my boys at camp. It uses the technique challenge #173 on Splitcoast. I made my own glimmer spray using a travel size bottle of hairspray, 4 drops of caramel reinker, 6 drops of marigold morning reinker and about 1/2 tsp of bronze pearl ex. I really like the effect and want to try and make other colors. Thank you for leaving your comments and have a blessed day!
Recipe:
Stamps: Lovely as a Tree, Simple Sayings
Paper: Pumpkin Pie, Chocolate Chip, Mulberry
Accessories: Reinkers, brads, ribbon, pearl ex

Embrace Life Challenges

I made this card this morning to satisfy two of the challenges over at Splitcoast - the color challenge CC170 and sketch challenge SC180. I changed the color of the pearls by dipping them into my Versamark pad and then in gold EP. Thank you for visiting and leaving comments.
Recipe:
Stamps: Stampin Up Embrace Life
Paper: Real Red, Regal Rose, WW, So Saffron
Ink: Versamark, BB
Accessories: Ribbon, Pearls, EP

Boys Headed to Camp

Well, it's been a really rough weekend for mom. My boys, John (11) and Michael (8) are headed to Camp Stewart in Texas for one month. This is the first time they've flown alone and been gone this long. I took this picture in front of the fountain at Denver International Airport before putting them on their flight to Austin where my sister will pick them up. All I've been able to do is cry since Saturday morning. I know they're going to have a wonderful time, but I sure hope the month flies by quickly.