PAPER SMILES

Fun Fast Birthdays

2009-09-13T08:00:00.000-07:00

These are 2 of my favorite types of cards ~ clean, simple image/layout on 4 1/4" white card bases. My sister just ordered this Fun & Fast Notes set from SU and she was nice enough to let me borrow it and stamp a few images. There is a stamp for every occasion and they're all adorable! As the name implies, it's perfect for quick cards and she mounted the images and sentiments separatly which makes it even more versatile. I made these two birthday cards this week, one for a guy and the other for a girl.

My guy card features real red and ballet blue. A little added Crystal Effects and Dazzling Diamonds really makes this little cake pop ;) ! I used Copic markers (R29, B31 & 34) to add a little color to the cake. The sentiment is punched out with the word window punch.

My girl card features textured Melon Mambo & Regal Rose. I used Copic R29, R81 & R83 for a splash of color and Crystal Effects and Dazzling Diamonds again for the finishing touches. I really, really like PaperTrey's premium white cardstock to use as white card bases...it's crisp, white & nice and sturdy! I used the Scallop edge Punch and word window punch, along with 3 Kaiser self-adhesive rhinestones for a little extra sparkle :) !

That's all for now. We're having a wonderfultime in the Seattle area visiting family :) ... getting ready to shower and head to church! Enjoy your day, thanks for stopping by.

Divine Design September

2009-09-09T08:00:00.000-07:00

It's September 9th ... time to post our Divine Design projects for this month. I've been making bookmarks but this month decided to make a card instead.

I chose the verse from Romans 12:12 - "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction , faithful in prayer." This little verse is important to me because it focuses on three areas I want to grown in. Having this card out on my desk will give me the opportunity to see this scripture several times each day.

Be sure to check out Lori, Angel, Taylor & Jami's projects too! And when you upload to SCS, use the words BVC09
I have to apologize for not posting a Divine Design project for August. This challege came during finals week and I was just too buried in school work to even think about stamping. I really enjoyed making today's project. Stamping with scriptures is always extra fun :) !
For today's card I used a retired SU set called Elegant Expressions for the verse and a newer SU set called Thoughts and Prayers for the flowers. I colored the stamp with SU markers (Old Olive, Pumpkin and Ruby Red) then shimmered 'em with Spica glitter pens. The shiny finishng touch was Crystal Effects in the centers of the flowers. The cardstock is PT white, Old Olive & Ruby Red and that beautiful Olive ribbon is from the new Holiday Mini Catalog. I ran some Olive cardstock through an embossing folder then punched out the Photo Corners.
Thanks for stopping by :) .... I hope you're playing along with Divine Design. Remember, you can start anytime, the rules are simple and you can find all the details right HERE.

quick n easy birthday cards

2009-08-27T09:00:00.000-07:00

These past few months, since returning to college, my stamping time has been very limited so I've returned to a very quick and simple style for the most part. I found an old favorite SU set on my shelf, Think Happy Thoughts that's really helped me with fast,easy birthday, friendship and thank you cards. It's one of those "stamp", "punch" and "you're done" sets.

As much as I LOVE to color with my Copics, sometimes there's just not time, and for those times, this type of set is perfect. Plus, its can be used for masculine or feminine cards depending on the colors and accessories you chose. Skip the scallop circle and pop a brad or star in the center and you've got a great guy card.

I used the new Cottage Wall DP as my color inspiration and used Rich Razzleberry, Orchid Opulence and Old Olive. I just stamped the birthday greeting, punched it out with a 1 1/4" circle punch, layered it with 1 3/8" and scallop circle punch, then punched out a 3/4" center to give the button (from the button bouquet collection) a little contrast. I layered up the cardstock and DP and had these cards completed in no time at all. Here's another variation ~

and for the inside...I used the Heard from the Heart set ~ That's it for today. Thanks for stopping by :) !!

Loads of Anniversary Love

2009-08-26T16:45:00.001-07:00

Hello and Happy Wednesday! It's been a busy summer but my classes are over and I finally have a little time to do some stamping so I thought I'd show you one of my cards! I've got several birthdays and anniversaries coming up on the calendar, so I thought I should start with those cards. Plus my goal is to start and finish my Christmas cards before fall term begins on Sept 26th...so I've got a lot of cards to make in the next 4 weeks.

This card is for my parent's 54th wedding anniversary coming up later this week! I used yesterday's color challenge at SCS for some inspiration (CC223) which I really needed after not stamping much for the past 8 weeks. I borrowed this Loads of Love SU set from a friend thinking I'd make a few Christmas cards, but it works great for a variety of occasions, including anniversaries :) ! I added the sentiment (Happy Anniversary) from the retired set, Hugs & Wishes.

I used Copic Marker E25, E31, E34, N1, N3, N5, R46 & R43 and Spica Glitter Pens in Silver and Red. Crystal Effects gives the Hearts, Wheels and Glass some shine and dimension. You can double-click on the photo to see some of those details.

Thanks for stopping by ~ hope you have an awesome week!

Supplies for the card (4 1/4 x 5 1/2) ~ Stamps: Loads of Love & Hugs & Wishes Paper: Kraft, Chocolate Chip, Real Red & Paper Tray White Ink: Ranger Distressed Black Soot & Chocolate Chip Accessories: Copics, Spica Glitter Pens, Retired Pewter Hodgepodge Hardware, 1" & 1 1/4" Circle punches, Heart to Heart punch, Pepr piercing tool & Mat Pack, Crystal Effects, Small Deckled Rectangle Nestabilities, Big Shot.

Quick and Easy Bookmark Idea

2009-07-11T08:30:00.002-07:00

The new SU Idea Book & Catalogs arrived a couple weeks ago and my girls who pre-ordered catalogs all received this little corner bookmark along with their new catty :) ! It's an idea that SU gave us in the latest demonstrator magazine. Super quick and easy project and an extra special touch you can add anytime you give a book as a gift. I used the new Jumbled Alphhabet set which has 2 varieties of each letter, one small and one larger. As you can see, there is quite a variety of fonts and that's what I like about this set....the variety. The larger letters punch out with the 1 1/4" circle punch and layer up nicely with the 1 3/8" circle punch. Of course, I also used some of the new in-color cardstock and Designer paper (Rich Razzleberry, Melon Mambo & Razzleberry Lemonaide DSP).

The finished size of my bookmarks is 2", but you can make them any size you'd like. Just start with a square and score it down the center, turn and score it down the center again. I started with a 4" square of melon mambo cardstock....scored it at 2", turned it and scored again at 2". Then, cut one of the scored squares out. Here's how it looks (easy schmeezy...): Then you just fold your score lines and adhere the back flap to the middle flap. Those flaps that are adhered together will be the "back" of your bookmark, creating a little "pocket" between the back flaps and the front flap. (fyi- I used Zip Dry Paper Glue for this entire project...great stuff, economical, strong bond and quick dry and it does not wrinkle your paper.) You may need to do a little trimming if you can see any edges of the back flaps from the front. Here's how it looks just before you fold over the back flap and adhere it to the middle flap:After that I just layered up some cardstock and DP. Here's another bookmark I made using the Designer Label punch, one of the smaller letters from the Jumbled Alphabet set, and the 3/4" and 1" circle punches.
I used Melon Mambo Classic Ink for all the monogramed letters.

Here's what the bookmark looks like as it marks one of my favorite pages (pg 162) in the catalog...featuring the new Designer Papers :) ~

We normally post our Divine Design projects on the 9th of each month, but this month it will be the 16th (Thursday) ! Thanks for stopping by, hope you enjoy the bookmark idea. See you Thursday :) !!!

Water in-colored Rose

2009-06-28T20:04:00.001-07:00

Quick post to show you a card made with the beautiful Fifth Avenue Stamp set and watercolored with 3 of the new in-color inks: Melon Mambo, Rich Razzleberry and Crushed Curry. I have to thank my good friend, Nancy Littrell, who shared this technique with me the last time we got together. I'm a real novice at watercoloring, so if I can do this....anyone can! We stamped the rose with white pigement ink onto watercolor paper, hit it with the heat gun, sprayed the image with a water spritzer (you want the image to be wet), then took a watercolor brush and used re-inkers for our paint. I started with Curry, added some Melon then added touches of the Razzleberry last.

After the image dried, I cut it out and mounted it on the card. The new Razzleberry Lemonaide DP and along with textured card stock in Razzleberry and Melon provided great layers and pulled all the colors from the rose together.

This card highlights one of the things I love most about Stampin Up... perfect color coordination of the products! Plus, those re-inkers make beautiful "paint" ... I felt like a real artist while adding the color and watching the rose come to life! A simple sentiment from the All Holidays set was the finishing touch (punched out with the Large and Small Oval Punches). I used lots of Dimensionals which gives the card plenty of dimension.

If you want to see some REALLY beautiful cards, including several using watercoloring techniques, be sure to check out Nancy Littrell's SCS gallery .... I guarantee you'll be inspired! You can find her gallery right HERE.

Thanks for stopping by...have a great week :) !!!

Wishing you a bee-autiful day

2009-06-26T11:00:00.000-07:00

Quick post to show you a card I made this week :) and to wish YOU a bee-autiful day! I used the OCL set, Bees Knees. I had so much fun with this set!! I'm in the process of making a bunch of cards to be sold at a local Relay For Life event, so I need to keep the post short and get back to stamping. This set works really well for mass producing projects, including cards and bookmarks :)

I used my SU mat pack to create some fun paper piercing along the bottom edge.

I'm also anxiously awaiting the new SU catalogs which should be arriving on my doorstep sometime today. For those of you who pre-ordered your catalog, it won't be long now!!

Have an awesome day :)

Supplies for the card (size 4 1/4 x 5 1/2) ~ Stamps: Bees Knees Paper: Chocolate Chip, So Saffron, Neenah White Ink: Ranger Distressed Walnut Copic Markers: E31, E34, Y32, Y35, YG82, YG11, C1 Accessories: Nesties petite circles, Big Shot, SU Mat pack & Paper piercing tool, Sakura glaze pen, Spica clear glitter pen, brown gingham ribbon

Beauty and the Beach

2009-06-19T08:05:00.001-07:00

Today's card is my case of this week's features stamper at SCS (FS123) ... Roseanne! I love this image of Granny (Beauty and the Beach from OCL) and the way Roseanne used her nesties to create a small frame effect, so I tried both with my case. You can find her card that I cased HERE. I colored Granny with Copics (V06, E00, E02, YR04, Y08, Y11, E31, E34, R81, RV17, BG000, C3) and added some sparkly fluff to the beach (brown sugar) and her gray hair (platinum). If you double click on the photo you can get a great look at the sparkly fluff!!! I also added some Crystal Effects to add shine and dimension to her glass lenses, flowers, and her awesome jewelery.

Don't you LOVE how Granny is fully accessorized, even at the beach?? Speaking of love ... I have another sweet picture of Chloe to share. This shot really shows off her chubby little chins :) ! You can see a little more detail in this next photo of how I outlined Granny, cut her and the beach scene out, popped her and the sand pail up on dimensional, and used a background of white cardstock. The DP is from the new SU Razzleberry Lemonaide collection that will be available on July 1st in the new catalog along with the Rich Razzleberry cardstock that I used.
Thanks for stopping by ... have a great day :) !

Supplies for the card (size 4 1/4 x 5 1/2) ~ Stamps: Beauty and the Beach (OCL) Paper: Razzleberry Lemonaide DP, Rich Razzleberry, Neenah white cardstock Ink: Ranger Distressed Black Soot Accessories: Copic Markers, Spica Glitter pens, Crystal Effects, Sparkly Fluff, Lg Oval punch, Scalloped Oval punch, Kaiser orange self-adhesive rhinestones

Razzleberry Mambo Cupcake

2009-06-13T18:27:00.000-07:00

Quick post to show you another birthday card I made last week with my SU Crazy for Cupcakes set, along with two of the new 09/10 in-colors, Melon Mambo and Rich Razzleberry and the new DP, Razzleberry Lemonaide.I added some touches of Crystal Effects to the cupcake to give it some dimension and shine (you can double click on the photo to see some of those details).

I had a fun day with Chloe yesterday and took a few photos. Here are a couple of my favs ... She'll be 6 months old next week and is healthy, happy and cute as a bug :) ! Hard to believe this little girl spent most of her first 6 weeks of life in the hospital, undergoing 2 major surgeries. You'd never know it by looking at her today.... such a miracle!

Thanks for stopping by :) .... have a great day!

Supplies for my card (size 4 1/4 x 5 1/2") : Stamps: Crazy for Cupcakes (SU) Paper: Razzleberry Lemonaide DP, Rich Razzleberry & Melon Mambo, Neenah White Ink: Ranger Distressed Black Soot Accessories: Copic Markers, Flower brad, rhinestone, Crystal Effects, Photo Corner Punch, Oval Nesties, Big Shot, Dimensionals

Born to be Wild

2009-06-12T23:14:00.000-07:00

Today is my brother-in-law's birthday and this is the card I made for him ~ Happy Birthday Bob !!!

I used one of my favorite new OCL sets, The Tribe. If you double click on the photo you can get a better look at this cute little native. This set has so many fun and unique images...perfect for man cards, which are always challenging for me. Plus, I love the native lady and accessory pieces that comes with this set too :) !! On the inside of the card, I stamped "Happy Birthday" along with a Cupcake image ... sorry, in my haste to leave for Corvallis I forgot to take a photo of the inside, but you can see the entire set including all those super fun pieces right HERE.

I tried out some of my brand new 09/10 SU in-color cardstock on this card ~ Soft Suede & Dusty Durango. Copic E08 is a good match for Dusty Durango (you can see that on his shield). I've heard E44 is a good match for the Soft Suede, but I don't have that color yet, so I don't know for sure. The DP is by My Mind's Eye and you can find it at eP along with a great selection of Copics ! The layout for the card is from this week's sketch challenge over at SCS ~ SC232. For the stitching, I just used my paper piercing tool and mat pack to create the squares then threaded some linen thread into a needle and stitched in some Xs. Which reminds me, I received a few inquiries about how I did the ribbon treatment on my Divine Design project a few days ago so when I get home next week, I'll take a quick photo and show you how I did that. Super easy once you see how it's done.

That's about it. I'll have some new photos to show you of my sweet grandbaby, Chloe, soon ... I'm going to spend the entire day with her tomorrow!!! She's almost 6 months old and the most adorable little girl in the entire world. Nope, I'm not a bit biased, LOL !

Supplies for the card (size 4 1/4 x 5 1/2) ~ Stamps: The Tribe (OCL) My Mind's Eye DP, Dusty Durango, Soft Suede, Neenah White Paper: Ink: Ranger Distressed Black Soot & Chocolate Chip Accessories: Paper piercing tool/mat pack, linen thread, Copic Markers, Crystal Effects, Nesties Rectangle, Big Shot

Mambo Melon Cupcakes!

2009-06-11T12:46:00.001-07:00

I had the most wonderful morning just coloring,
relaxing and putting a few cards together!
I haven't done that in so long....what a treat! And to make it even sweeter, I had a few brand new goodies from the upcoming SU catalog to play with: Mambo Melon cardstock, and Mambo Melon 1/2" polka dot gg ribbon, Razzleberry Lemonaide DP. This Mambo Melon color is going to be a favorite of mine. I did a little color matching with my copics and ended up using RV17 along with R83 for the frosting. RV17 is a pretty close match for Mambo Melon, but I've also seen RV29 used and that looked good too. I used R29 & R22 for the cherries and and N3, N1, C1, E31, E34 & E13 for cupcake bases and tray.I topped the cherries and tray off with a little crystal effects to give 'em shine and dimension...I love that stuff!

I'm pre-making as many cards as I can during my break because once my classes start again, my stamping time will be very limited and I want to have plenty of cards on hand to give when I need them. I learned that lesson the hard way when I was trying to make graduation cards during finals week....not a good idea. Much, much more enjoyable to make them now when I have time to relax and create!

I'm off to Corvallis to visit my girls and my grandbaby :) ... yay!! Thanks for stopping by, I have a few other cards uploaded and will be sharing those over the next few days. Enjoy your day!!!

Supplies for the card (size 4 1/4" square) ~ Stamps: Crazy for Cupcakes (SU) Paper: Razzleberry Lemonaide DP, Mambo Melon, PT white Ink: Ranger Distressed Black Soot Accessories: Copic Markers, Crystal Effects, Horizontal slot punch, 1/2" Mambo Melon polka dot gg ribbon, round Nestabilities, Big Shot

Divine Design BVC

2009-06-09T08:00:00.000-07:00

It's June 9th ~ time to post our Divine Design Bible verse challenge projects! This month has flown by .... my brain is full of the principles of writing, social problems, nutritional statistics and algebraic formulas, but my last 2 finals were yesterday (woo-hooo!) so I'm enjoying a short break until summer classes begin. I sat down last night to make my bookmark & selected one of my all time favorite scriptures ~ Psalm 119:105 - Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. I love my classes and the opportunity to be in such a great learning environment at college, but the the Bible is my favorite and most valuable source of wisdom and guidance : ) !!

Here are links to the other scripture chicks so you can check out their June projects ~

Angel Wilde: Angelosity
Lori Craig: Make a D ifference
Taylor VanBruggen: Taylored Expressions
Jami Bova: Stamp Happy

You can join us with the Divine Design challenge anytime, the rules are simple and you can find all the details right HERE. I make a bookmark each month, but you can make any type of project that works for you. And remember to use the keywords BVC09 when you upload to the SCS gallery. If you're ever needing a little creative or spiritual inspiration, just pop over to that gallery and check out all the amazing projects.

Thanks for stopping by. I am hoping to have some time to play with my stamps over the next 2 weeks and have a few things to share with you :) !! Enjoy your week!

Supplies for my bookmark (size 3 1/4 x 5 1/2) - Stamps: Light of the World (Our Daily Bread Designs) Paper: Walk in the Park & Good Morning Sunshine DP, Kiwi Kiss, Chocolate Chip, Neenah White Ink: Chocolate Chip Accessories: Nestabilities scalloped and standard rectangle. Big Shot, 1/4" circle punch, Pewter brads, 1/4" Choc Chip & Old Olive grosgrain ribbon, Paper piercing tool, mat pack, dimensionals

Happy Birthday Joy !

2009-05-28T08:59:00.001-07:00

Super fast post to wish my friend Joy Kennedy a VERY, VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY and introduce you to a brand new set, Hangin' loose with Kona, that was designed exclusively for eP and it's available beginning today, in honor of Joy's birthday! You can check it out right here! And be sure to hop over to Joy's blog and wish her a very happy birthday :) !!!

That's all I have time for. I'm on my way out the door, headed to class. Finals are next week, and that's it for this term...whew!!! Ginormous birthday hugs to you Joy :) !

Swingin By with some awards!

2009-05-13T08:40:00.000-07:00

Happy Wednesday : ) ! I have a couple of cards and some blog awards to share with you today . The cards were both made with the new OCL set, Swingin' By. This set includes a variety of SUPER fun images and sentiments. You seriously have to see the entire set.... check it out right HERE.

Over the past 2 weeks, I've received a few blog awards...

KellyJean, Dancing with Stamps, sent me this "Exalting Christ" blog award! I'd like to nominate Angel and Lori, Jami & Taylor for this award. These girls inspire me with their amazing creativity, but more importantly, in their relationship with Christ. Thanks girls, for all the inspiration you provide :) !!!
And...Beth, Big Sky Paper and Design, gave me this "Makes my heart smile" blog award! And Deb at Bee Bug Creations did too :) !! I'd like to nominate Kyla, Lorri, Silke, Debbie (this week's SCS feature stamper plus she designed the stamp set that I used today...she's pretty much a super star!), Judy & Lorelie (btw... she has some awesome blog candy up for grabs!) for this award. These girls all have fun and amazing blogs that I KNOW you'll love to visit!!! And a HUGE thanks to KellyJean, Beth & Deb for these awards...you girls have been a real blessing to me...these past 2 weeks have been extra busy weeks and these awards encouraged my heart in a special way.

Back to some cards :) ... You gotta love this clever sentiment, "You'll Owl-ways be my friend". This card was also made with the Swingin By set...I had colored the owl and planned on using him on the first card, but he didn't fit, so I punched him and a sentiment out and whaa-laaa....another card!

I used these Copic colors for my cards today: BG72, BG78, YG03, YG95, YG11, YG13, E25, E27, E31, E34, BG000 and, of course, a blender pen.These fun DPs are by My Mind's Eye...Eclectic Paperie has a great selection of MMI DPs as well as Copics - you can find 'em all right HERE.

Whew, that was a long post! There are links to a ton of fun blogs and shops & I'm sure hope you'll have a fun time visiting each and every one :) !!! Thanks for stopping by, enjoy your day !

Supplies for the first card~ Stamps: OCL Swingin By Paper: MMI DP, Baja Breeze, Old Olive, Neenah White Ink: Ranger Distressed Black Soot Accessories: Copic Markers, SU Eyelet edge punch, SU horizontal slot punch, SU white taffeta ribbon, Paper piercing tool/mat pack Supplies for the second card ~ Stamps: OCL Swingin By Paper: MMI Dp, Certainly Celery, Choc Chip, Neenah White Ink: Ranger Distressed Black Soot Accessories: 1 1/4 & 1 3/8" Circle punches, 1/4" choc chip gg ribbon

Divine Design May

2009-05-09T07:45:00.000-07:00

It's the 9th, time to share my May Divine Design Bible Verse Challenge bookmark with you ! I've had a super busy week at school, so it was really nice to take a little break and make my bookmark. I used one of the ODBD stamps from the Design Team Scripture Collection 1. This wonderful scripture was selected by the very talented Amy Sheffer, to be part of the collection (great choice Amy!).

Romans 8:28 ~ "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to His purpose"

I will enjoy focusing on and memorizing this scripture during the month of May. How reassuring to know that God is working for my good...and thank goodness it's with His plan and not mine, LOL! His perspective is far broader and infinitely wiser than mine. Are you playing along with the monthly Divine Design Bible Verse Challenge? You can find the detais HERE. And if you're looking for a little inspiration, both artistic and spiritual, be sure to check out the Divine Design gallery at SCS. When you upload your project to SCS, be sure to use the keywords BVC09, so we can check out YOUR creation! Speaking of inspiration, here are links to the scripture chicks so you can see what they've created this month:

Angel Wilde: Angelosity
Lori Craig: Make a D ifference
Jami Bova: Stamp Happy

Taylor's on vactaion, spending a little time with the hubby, so she won't be posting this month. But you can still check out her super fun blog right HERE.Thank you so much for stopping by. Hope you have a good weekend and Happy Mother's Day to all you moms out there! My daughters, granddaughter and I will be spending tomorrow with my mom....4 generations of us together. What a blessing! Here's the card I made for my mom. She loves butterflies, so I think she'll love this. I used the Big Shot & SU Beautiful Butterflies die :) ~
Supplies used for the bookmark (size 3 1/2 x 6") ~ Stamps: ODBD Scripture Collection 1 Paper: Penny Lane DP by My Mind's Eye, Baja Breeze, Certainly Celery Ink: Chocolate Chip Accessories: 1/4, 1/2, 3/4, 1, 1 1/4, 1 3/8 & Scallop Circle SU punches, SU Pink Flower brad
Supplies for the card (size 4 1/4 x 5 1/2) ~ Stamps: SU All Holidays Paper: Penny Lane by My Mind's Eye, Baja Breeze, Pink Pirouette, Neenah White Ink: Baja Breeze Accessories: SU Big Shot & SU Beautiful Butterflies Die, Kaiser self adhesive pink & white pearls, Scallop Edge Punch *you can find the Penny Lane, My Mind's eye DP at Eclectic Paperie...they have a wonderful selection of MMI papers :) right HERE

And the winner is ....

2009-05-04T11:26:00.000-07:00

Thank you :) to everyone who played along with the Our Craft Lounge Blog Hop. It was a lot of fun, wasn't it? I could tell by your comments that you love the Bubbles set as much as I do!

Random.org picked a winner for me......(drum roll please)....and the winner is Amanda , who said...

I love this set. I think it's my favorite new release. Your cards are wonderful and I love the little treat bag. Thanks for the chance to win!

Thank YOU Amanda & congratulations! Please email me your address (youcanstamp@hotmail.com) so Joy can get that super fun Bubbles set on it's way to you!!!!

And if you weren't the winner today, no worries, you can hop on over the OCL and check out all the fun new sets, fluff, sparkles, blocks and other cool stuff! You can find it all right HERE!

My cards today were made with the OCL newly released sets, Tribe & Sunkissed! I have a class in 15 minutes, so I'm going to need to dash. I apologize for not listing all the supplies today...thanks for understanding :) and thanks for stopping by!!! Have a great day.

OCL Blog Hop & Blog Candy!

2009-05-01T03:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday and welcome to the ginormous Our Craft Lounge Summer Release Blog Hop! There's a list below of all the girls who are each showing AND giving away one of the new OCL summer release sets. I have the pleasure of giving away my this adorable set called "Bubbles" ... check it out ~ I used a some OCL Brown Sugar Sparkly Fluff for sand on my first card...that stuff is super fun and it makes awesome sand! The OCL girls are welcoming another talented illustrator, Debbie, to their already impressive lineup and she has a little surprise for anyone who wants to hop on over to her blog and say hi ... Debbie's Doodles & Designs! She's awesome and it's a blog you'll want to visit again and again!

Are you ready to do a little hopping? Before you go, be sure to leave me a comment so your name will go in the drawing for the Bubbles set. One comment per person please. I'll draw a winner at 3pm Monday :) !

Hop on over to these blogs and get yourself signed up for all the new sets . And, of course, you can always pop on over the OCL shop and check out all the great stuff (including the super-cool new acrylic blocks!)...it's right HERE! Alrighty then ... just click on the turquoise names listed after each set to visit their blogs and get yourself signed up to win, win, win !!!

Granny's Secrets - Diana Gibbs
Beauty and the Beach- Jeanne Streiff Summer Sweets - Heather McNally
Bubbles - Nancy Morgan
Oceans of Fun -Valerie Stangle
Sandy Sunsets- Vicki Garrett
Coastal Wishes- Denise Marzec
Garden Thoughts - Lila Holgate
Mice Friends- Holly McMillen
The Tribe - Pam Hooten
Flyin' Birthday - Jacqui Lines
Let Freedom Ring- Marianne Walker
Bees Knees- Carol Halvorson
Nailed It -Debbie Corbari
Sunkissed - Deb Felts
Life's a Beach - Joy Kennedy
Bring on the BBQ- Cindy Lawerence
School's Out- Sherry Cheever
Bookworm - Kendra Wietstock
Swingin By - Bethie Silaika
All About the USA - Roseanne Knowles
Dino-mite - Kisa Peters
Game On- Cambria Turnbow
Back 2 School- Amber Hillman

Supplies for "you're a star" card ~ Stamps: Bubbles Paper: My Mind's Eye DP, Taken With Teal, Kiwi Kiss, Neenah White Ink: Ranger Distressed Black Soot Accessories: Copic Markers,brown sugar & rockin pink Sparkly Fluff, Quickie Glue Pen, Crystal Effects, Large & Scalloped Oval Punches, Pink brads

Supplies for the fishy bag ~ Stamps: Bubbles Paper: My Mind's Eye DP , Real Red, Tempting Turquoise & Neenah White Ink: Ranger Distressed Black Soot Accessories: Medium cello bag, Scallop Edge punch, Designer Label punch, Red Spica pen, 1/4" real red, turquoise & old olive ribbons, Swedish fish (yum!)

Supplies for "love you more" card ~ Stamps: Bubbles Paper: My Mind's Eye DP, Tempting Tuquoise, Choc Chip, Neenah White Ink: Ranger Distressed Black Soot Accessories: Copic Markers, Crystal Effects, 3/4", 1", 1 3/8" 1 3/4"Circle punches, making memories silver heart brads, Amuse turquoise striped ribbon.

Thanks for stopping by ... have a great weekend :) !!!

OCL Sneak peek week!

2009-04-28T00:30:00.000-07:00

This is sneak peek week for Our Craft Lounge, plus there's gonna be a HUGE blog hop on Friday! You'll be able to check out all the new sets PLUS have a chance to win each of the new releases! I'm giving away a SUPER cute set...you won't want to miss it!Today's cards were made with the soon to be released Bookworm set :) And what perfect timing, with the school year coming to an end soon, this is a wonderful set to make teacher appreciation cards.

I'm dedicating both of these cards to my daughter, Megan, who is in her 3rd year of college, training to be the BEST teacher ever! You go girl :) !! I'm SO proud of you.

The new sets won't be available till Friday, but you can find more sneak peeks right here ~
Cami
Joy
Heather
HB
Pam
Kisa
Kendra
Holly
Val
Debbie
Charmaine

I received some thoughtful blog awards this past week :) ... thanks girls!!! I'm so sorry I haven't been able to share those yet. I'll sure try to show you those and pass them along a little later this week. Lots of fun stuff happening in the stamping world! Thanks for stopping by. Be sure to check back later in the week for that BLOG HOP!!

Supplies for the first card ~ Stamps: Bookworm (OCL) Paper: My Mind's Eye DP, Choc Chip, Riding Hood Red, Neenah White Ink: Ranger Distressed Black Soot Accessories: Copic Markers, Crystal Effects, SU Large Oval Punch & Scalloped Oval Punch, SU Scallop Edge Punch, American Crafts stitched red ribbon, Paper piercing tool, NEW OCL acrylic blocks

Supplies for the second card ~ Stamps: Bookworm (OCL) Paper: My Mind's Eye DP, Choc Chip, Riding Hood Red, Neenah White Ink: Ranger Distressed Black Soot Accessories: Copic Markers, Crystal Effects, SU Scallop Edge Punch, Paper percing tool, Photo Corner Punch, Silver Brads, Circle/Scallop nesties, NEW OCL acrylic blocks

Hooray for Administrative Assistants!

2009-04-22T11:34:00.000-07:00

Today is Administrative Assistant's Day ... and if that's you, well I hope your day is extra special and you are recognized for your hard work and contribution to making your office run smoothly! I know a couple of very special girls who are being honored today and they received these SU gift certificates from their grateful office-mates. Have a great day Sheri & Carly ... you guys are the BEST :) !!

Gift certificates make great gifts and I'm always trying to think of fun new ways to present them. These were super easy. I used Parisian Breeze Specialty Paper for the for the sleeve, so it has a little texture and it's pretty inside and out :) ! I cut that at 6 1/2 x 3 1/2 and scored at 3" & 6". Then you just adhere it together (I used sticky strip). I used my 1 3/8" circle punch to create a little notch at the top.

This is what it looks like before you add the sticky strip to the inside of the flap and bottom edge ~
I printed the GCs on the computer (whisper white card stock) then layered 'em up with some chocolate chip card stock. Then I pulled out my Owl Together Now stamp set and stamped a little hoot-hoot hooray and a flower with chocolate chip ink. My large oval punch layered up beautifully with the new Scallop oval punch from the Occasions Mini catalog. A little 5/8" striped baja breeze gg ribbon tied with some 1/4" chocolate chip gg ribbon and the little gift certificates were ready to go!

The finished size of the sleeve is 3 x 3 1/2" and the certificates are about 3 1/8 x 2 3/4".

Several of you have asked how Miss Chloe is doing. Thanks for asking...you guys are so sweet. I know many of you prayed along with us during those first difficult weeks of her life and I just can't thank you enough for those prayers. Other than a few digestion issues (somewhat expected following major abdominal surgery), she's doing amazingly well. She just turned 4 months old last week and weighs about 10 1/2 pounds. You'd never know that this little girl has undergone 2 major surgeries. I'd like to say that she's just a normal little baby, but ummm....she's our miracle baby, so that word normal just doesn't seem to fit :) ! Spring has sprung in Oregon and we've had bright, sunny weather this week. Katie sent me this photo of Chloe trying out her new sunglasses ~ Pretty stylin', don't you think? From the looks of this photo, most of that 10 1/2 pounds is being stored in her chubby little cheeks and chin :) !!!

Thanks for stopping by! Thought for today ~ smile every chance you get & see how many smiles you get back :) ... I bet you get a ton !!

Hoot Hoot Hooray!

2009-04-17T16:39:00.001-07:00

I'm taking a quick break between homework and housework to show you a card I made for my nephew Mikey who turns 29 today :) !! I kept this pretty clean and simple, but that's Mike's style, so I think he'll like it. It still baffles me, but guys just don't like glitter and ribbon on their cards....weird, LOL!

I used the SU set, Owl Together Now. I love all the fun owls that are available this year... they're such happy little creatures :) ! The entire card went together fairly quickly...I used my 1 1/4 & 1 3/8" square punches for the 4 background squares. I paper pieced his hat in, colored the image with Copic Markers and added some Crystal Effects for shine and dimension. That's about it. The finished size is 4 1/4" square.

That DP is from the new Occasions Mini Catalog...it's call A Walk in the Park. You can find that paper and the mini catalog right HERE.

The happy birthday sentiment is from the All Holidays set. By the way, if you're looking for a nice Mother's Day sentiment, that set has one of my favorites. You can see the entire set right HERE. As the name of the set implies, this set has a sentiment for pretty much every holiday throughout the year...very handy!

Well, that's about it for me. Back to the books. Thanks for stopping by. I hope you have an awesome weekend :) !!!

Divine Design April 09

2009-04-10T15:25:00.001-07:00

I apologize for needing to post my April Divine Design project a little late! It's been a very busy week...I'm sure you understand :) ! The scripture on my bookmark was especially meaningful for me during this busy week as God faithfully answered my prayers, encouraged me and gave me strength for each day and each task! What an amazing verse. I have to thank my friend, Angel Wilde,for selecting this wonderful scripture to be part of ODBD's DT Scripture Collection 2. Speaking of Angel, here are the links to the scripture chicks so you can check out their projects this month~
Angel Wilde: Angelosity
Lori Craig: Make a Difference
Taylor VanBruggen: Taylored Expressions
Jami Bova: Stamp Happy

I hope you're playing along with the Divine Design Bible Verse Challenge. The rules are simple and you can find them right HERE. You can join anytime. And don't forget to use the keyword BVC09 when you upload to the SCS gallery!

I only had an hour to complete my project this morning, so I kept my bookmark simple and used some of my fun new SU hardware to dress it up. Those white brads 5/16" (from the big catalog) and the Jumbo Grommet is from the new Occasions Mini Catalog. The ink is Chocolate Chip, and the cardstock is Chocolate Chip, Summer Sun, & Whisper White. The DP is SU's Good Morning Sunshine. Stampin' Up did all the color coordination for me which saved a ton of time :) !

Muffin celebrated her 1st birthday earlier this week. She wanted to wish everyone a very Happy Easter. She knows the real reason for Easter is to celebrate our risen Savior, Jesus Christ... but she can't pass up a chance to dress up, so .....

What do you think? I think she makes a pretty cute little Easter Bulldog, LOL!!

Thanks for stopping by. Easter Hugs & Blessings to all :) !! My classes have kept me busy, but I'm really enjoying them. I'm still hoping to post about once a week whenever possible. Now that the first 2 weeks of classes are past, I think I've figured out some strategies for time management and effective studying, and should be finding some stamping time each week !!

Simple Prayers

2009-03-29T09:18:00.000-07:00

The first time I saw this stamp set,I knew I wanted to make a simple black and white card with the images. My sweet friend, Nancy Littrell, shared her Fifth Avenue Floral set with me (thanks Nance!). She showed me some fabulous, colorful cards she's made with it. Her SCS gallery is full of amazing creations, you can see them all right HERE. Even after all her colorful inspiration, my card ended up being, black & white :) ! I love the simplicity of it and the clean lines. I used the Praying For You sentiment from the Thoughts and Prayers set, along with the new scallop oval punch (available April 1st in the Occasions Mini Catalog). Here's a closer look at some of the dimension on the card, created by stamping an extra flower, cutting it out and popping it up on Dimensionals, as well as adding touches of Clear Spica Glitter Pen & Crystal Effects to a few of the petals. Those are two products that I use all the time and the good news is, they're really inexpensive. A bottle of Crystal Effects costs about $6 and will last you a long, long time. And those clear Spica Glitter pens are a steal at less than $3 each. If you're looking for an inexpensive way to add shimmer and shine to your cards, I highly recommend both.

During Nancy's visit, she also showed me her new Manhattan Flower Textured Impressions Die.

I ran a few through my Big Shot, then promptly added one of the dies to the SU order I was placing that evening. It creates an instant, gorgeous floral impression that can be layered or used alone to create a card. You can see the simply gorgeous card Nancy created with it right HERE. Isn't that stunning?

These are two styles of cards that I'm likely to make extras of to keep in my stash. A great card to send off to a friend, to let them know you're thinking of them and praying for them.

Thanks for stopping by. My classes begin tomorrow, so my posts will be a little less frequent, probably once or twice a week during Spring Term ... it's gonna be tough, but studying is going to have to come before stamping :) ! Have a great week.

Supplies for the first card (size 4 1/4 x 5 1/2) ~ Stamps: Fifth Avenue Floral, Thoughts and Prayers Paper: Basic Black, PT White Ink: Ranger Distressed Black Soot Accessories: Large Oval Punch, Scalloped Oval Punch, Spica Glitter Pen (clear), Crystal Effects, Dimensionals

Supplies for the second card (size 4 1/4 x 5 1/2) ~ Stamps: Thoughts and Prayers Paper: Basic Black, PT White, Bashful Blue Ink: Ranger Distressed Black Soot Accessories: Manhatten Textured Impressions Die, Big Shot, Bashful Blue Taffeta Ribbon, Stamp-a-majig

Pat The Bad Dog

2009-03-27T01:32:00.001-07:00

Well...Pat's not really bad, just being a little silly :) ! I had a super fun time stamping with Cami (stamp a little love baby) earlier this week. She and her daughter Avery are the sweetest girls you'll ever meet (seriously!). We played with some of her OCL stamps and this image worked beautifully for this week's SCS sketch challenge (SC221). You can see the entire Pat the Bad Dog set right HERE. And, I have something new to show you. Do you see that sparkly, fluffy "dirt"? It's- Brown Sugar Sparkly Fluff and it will be available very soon,anyday now, at OCL!! It comes in a TON of colors and it's soooo easy to use. I love the texture and hint of sparkle it adds. I colored the area with Copic E31 (great for sand & dirt), then used a Quickie Glue Pen and drew glue onto the areas I want to "fluff", then sprinkled on a little fluff, tapped off the excess and whaa-laa! Super easy and I love the results. The DP is from the Penny Lane collection by My Mind's Eye. I'm really diggin' (as Pat would say) that DP! My finishing touch was adding Crystal Effects to the dog food,dog dish and Pat's nose. I can't seem to make a card without Crystal Effects these days. It adds such great shine and dimension.

That's it for today! Thanks for stopping by. I have more fun stuff to show you...soon :) !! Have an awesome day!

Supplies for the card (size 5" square) ~ Stamps: Pat the Bad Dog Paper: Riding Hood Red, Chocolate Chip, Neenah White, Penny Land DP Ink: Ranger Distressed Black Soot Accessories: Copic Markers, Brown Sugar Sparkle Fluff, Quickie Glue Pen, Sakura Clear Glaze Pen, Riding Hood Red Taffeta Ribbon, SU 5/16" Brown Brads, Crystal Effects, Paper Piercing Tool & Mat Pack

Hoppy Anna Mae

2009-03-23T22:14:00.000-07:00

I'm back :) ! I've been out of town for a few days, visiting the grandbaby and picking up my youngest, Megan, from college. We're enjoying a little time together during spring break. I made this card for her last week (finals week) and when I got to her apartment she had it proudly displayed!! And now that she's received it...I can show it to you too. I used the OCL stamps,Hoppy Anna Mae (girl) and Pean-nut Bunny (sentiment). OCL just started a Spring Sale...all the Easter sets are 15% off !! Just in time for Easter!!! I used SCS Sketch Challenge (SC219). Really fun little layout, one I hadn't tried before.
Since I've been out of town, I haven't done much stamping, but I do have several projects on the workbench and a BIG Stampin Up box full of goodies to unload, ...so I'll have more to show you later this week. And, I have a new picture of Chloe to share with you, taken on the first day of spring :) ! 3 months old and up to a little over 10 pounds!! Look at those chubby little cheeks. I know I'm a little partial...but come on, you've got to admit, she is such a cutie!! I'm glad you stopped by, hope your week is extra nice!

Supplies for the card (size 4 1/2 square) ~ Stamps: Hoppy Anna Mae, Pea-nut Bunny Paper: Tea Party DP, Certainly Celery, Almost Amethyst, Neenah White Ink: Ranger Distressed Black Soot Accessories: Copic Markers, Small & Large Oval punches, non SU polka dot ribbon & button brads (sorry, these were just in my collection...don't remember the brand), Sakura clear glaze pen, Spica glitter pens

ODBD Anniversary Grand Finale

2009-03-17T03:00:00.000-07:00

Today is the grand finale for the Our Daily Bread Design's First Anniversary Celebration ! Check out the Blog Hop & your chance to win...details are right HERE. Today's cards were made with 2 brand-new stamp sets that were created using favorite scriptures from the Design Team. You can check out those new sets HERE! As a former member, Kelley even let me pick one..."my" scripture stamp is Micah 6:8. It's one of my life verses. I think of Jesus when I see this verse. He gave us such a good example of what it looks like to Act Justly, Love Mercy and Walk Humbly with God. So that's my scripture and my scripture stamp!!

The next card features the scripture submitted by DT member Lorelie Kim...Ecclesiastes 3:1 ~

Don't you just love the font and style of these scriptures? I think they're just beautiful. They are treasures and can't wait to try out every last one of 'em! And the fun part... I'll think of the DT girls when I use their scripture! Now that's a win-win situation :) !!

I pulled out my retired SU set, Never Ending Joy, for the tulips. After stamping the flowers (I used markers), I painted on some Golden Wheat & Pink Poinesetta Shimmerz. After that dried (about 5 minutes) I covered 'em with Crystal Effects to really make 'em pop! I painted some touches of Celery Shimmerz on the stems and leaves too.

This next scripture was selected by none other than the most wonderful Kelley Holland ...owner of ODBD. She chose Ecclesiastes 3:11 ~ The card is simple, but all in all...I think I like it. What do you think? I know I like the scripture, that's for sure :) !

Be sure to do a little ODBD blog hopping and get yourself signed up for some fantastic prizes !! Hope YOU win! Thanks for stopping by.

Supplies for the first card (size 5 1/2 x 4 1/4) ~ Stamps: Scripture Collection 2 (ODBD) & Thoughts an prayers (the branch) (SU) Paper: Black, White, Sage Shadow, Retired SU DP Ink: Ranger Distressed Black Soot Tools/Accessories: Oval Nestabilities, Ticket Corner Punch, Sakura Clear Glaze pen, Kaiser self-adhesive pearls Supplies for the second card (size 4 1/2 x 3 3/4) ~ Stamps: Scripture Collection 1 (ODBD) & Never Ending Joy (retired SU) Paper: Tea Party DP, Regal Rose, So Saffron, Certainly Celery, White Ink: Chocolate Chip & SU Markers Regal Rose, Pretty in Pink, Barely Banana, So Saffron & Certainly Celery Tools/Accessories: Nesatbilities Label 1, Shimmerz, Crystal Effects, May Arts yellow polka dot ribbon Supplies for the last card (size 4 1/2" square) ~ Stamps: Scripture Collection 2 (ODBD) Paper: Good Morning Sunshine DP, Kiwi Kiss, Choc Chip, White Ink: Chocolate Chip Tools/Accessories: Nestabilities Long Scalloped Rectangles, Paper piercing tool, Kiwi Kiss Satin ribbon, Crystal Effects, Dimensionals

Happy Birthday Ruth

2009-03-12T10:40:00.001-07:00

My friend Ruth will be celebrating her 84th birthday next week. She loves cats, crafts and working with yarn, so I think she'll really like her card. Kit the Kat, from Our Craft Lounge, is covered in Gray Fluff (coming soon to OCL). I colored the cat with Copic N1 & N3, with some pink touches with R81 & R83...then added some 2-way glue, sprinkled with fluff, tapped off the excess and whaa-laa I had a soft, furry, fluffy cat :) ! If you double-click on the photo, you can see the fluff detail a little better. I've kept the Tea Party DP on my workbench all week. I'm really enjoying those fun spring colors. The Birthday sentiment is from the SU set, Bitty Birthday. Here's a close-up of that Kitty ~
That's it for today. I'm in the middle of doing a little Spring Cleaning, so I'd better get back to work. Thanks for stopping by... hope your day is blessed with joy :) !

Supplies for the card (size 4 1/4 x 5 1/2) ~ Stamps: Kit the Kat, Bitty Birthday Paper: Afternoon Tea DP, Regal Rose, Neenah White Ink: Ranger Distressed Black Soot Accessories: Copic Markers, Sakura clear glaze pen, Sm & Lg Oval punches, Gold Brad, 1/4" gg Saffron ribbon, 2-way glue pen, Gray fluff

Happy Anniversary ODBD

2009-03-11T00:01:00.000-07:00

Our Daily Bread Designs is celebrating their 1 year Anniversary! Congrats Kelley, I'm so proud of you and happy for your success!! As a former DT member, I have the honor of taking part in the celebration! Be sure to check out all the posts this week for your chance to win some fun prizes :)

March 10: Amy & Angel

March 11: Holly &Lorelie & Nancy
March 12: Angella & Chris
March 13: Betty & Dina
March 14:Jane & Judy
March 15: Angie & Sita

March 16: Becca & Laurie

I used the gorgeous Light Of The World set for my first card. It was the very first set that Kelley released one year ago, and still one of my favorites. That scripture is one of my favorites too!! I colored the lighthouse image with Copic Markers, then painted on some highlights with Shimmerz. Angel did a tutorial on Shimmerz yesterday...you can check it out right HERE! She did a wonderful job of showing a variety of techniques and ways to use Shimmerz! I added Crystal Effects to create "glass" for the lighhouse. You can double click on the photo to see those shimmery/shiny details.The new Parisian Breeze Specialty DP from SU worked beautifully for both my cards. I really like Baja Breeze & Chocolate Chip together.

For my second card I used the Sing To The Lord set! I plan on stamping a scripture inside the card...there are several great choices...so I can select one specially for the person I send the card to. You can check out the entire set, including the scriptures and sentiment right HERE :) !

This little bird and branch create such a beautiful springtime image. Perfect for this time of year. I used Copic Markers BG72, R81, 83 & 85, Y35, E31, E25, YG95 & C1. The new SU Eyelet Border Punch provided a nice soft touch, along with the White & Pink Taffeta Ribbons. And the finishing touches were the Dew Drops.

That's about it for me. I hope you enjoy hopping around to the ODBD blogs this week and be sure to get signed up for those prizes!! Thanks for stopping by :) Happy Wednesday!

March Divine Design

2009-03-09T08:00:00.000-07:00

It's the 9th and that means it's time to post our monthly Divine Design Bible Verse Challenge projects! I made my monthly bookmark and used Psalm 25:5 ~ Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long. I love this passage. It's my prayer. And thanks to the bookmark, I'll be focusing on this scripture and memorizing it this month. Are YOU playing along with the challenge? If you are....great! If not, you can join anytime. The rules are simple and you can find them right HERE. And remember to use the keyword BVC09 when you upload to the SCS gallery!

Need some inspiration? Here's a link to the other Scripture Chicks and their amazing March projects ~

Angel Wilde: Angelosity
Lori Craig: Make a Difference
Taylor VanBruggen: Taylored Expressions
Jami Bova: Stamp Happy

I wanted to apologize for not leaving more comments in the BVC09 (Divine Design) gallery & thread over at SCS. My schedule these past 3 months has been just crazy. After being gone for 2 months, we've had company for 2 of the last 3 weeks. It appears that things are getting back to normal around our house (except for me having the flu this weekend) ... so I look forward to checking out the BVC09 gallery this week! Can't wait to see what YOU've created :) !!!

Miss Chloe came to visit last week. She loves bath time. I took this picture of her enjoying a bath in my kitchen sink. Our little miracle baby! And...I wanted to share some news with you. I've decided to return to school! As of March 30th, I'll be a full time college student. My intended major is nursing, but I'm leaving a few other options open. God's been tugging at my heart for a while and I knew some changes were coming. I'm really excited for this new opportunity to work toward my bachelor degree. I hope to take that degree into the mission field one day. I'll continue with Divine Design (of course!) and look forward to stamping and posting when I have free time. I'll also be continuing as an SU demo, but for now, won't be doing any design work so that I can focus my attention on my studies.

I'm taking part in Our Daily Bread Design's Anniversary Celebration this week. My "official" post will be on Wednesday but I wanted to give you a little sneak peek today. I was on Kelley's original Design Team when she kicked things off one year ago...and the first set she released was Light of the World ...and that's the stamp set I used for today's card. It's still one of my favs! You can check out the fun at these blogs, beginning tomorrow ~

March 10: Amy & Angel

March 11: Holly &Lorelie & Nancy
March 12: Angella & Chris
March 13: Betty & Dina
March 14:Jane & Judy
March 15: Angie & Sita

March 16: Becca & Laurie

Thanks for stopping by. See you back on Wednesday for some ODBD Anniversary Fun :) !!!

Supplies for the bookmark (size 6 x 3) ~ Stamps: none, computer generated scripture Paper: Certainly Celery, Regal Rose, Whisper White, Tea Party DP Ink: Computer pink Tools/Accessories: Scallop Edge punch, 1", 1 1/4" & 1 3/8" Circle punches, Boho Blossoms punch, Saffron Button, White floss, 1/4" Saffron gg ribbon

Supplies for the card (size 4 1/4 x 5 1/2) ~ Stamps: Light of The World Paper: Tea party DP, Regal Rose, Neenah White Ink: Elegant Eggplant Tools/Accessories: 5/8" Regal Rose gg ribbon, Celery button, Paper piercing tool/mat pack, Dimensionals

Hoot Hoot Hooray!

2009-03-05T12:22:00.000-08:00

...and Happy Birthday! Man, I am totally LOVING this Owl Together Now set from SU !! You know how it is when you see a stamp set in a catalog or online and instantly love it? Well this set was love at first sight for me and since inking it up, I think I love it even more. It's been especially great for quick, easy cards. I made this card for Jeani, who celebrated her birthday last week. Hey Jeani...hope your day was super happy :) !

I used some of my gorgeous new SU Specialty Designer Paper, Parisian Breeze . It's textured and cover weight cardstock, so it worked great as a base for my card. I used the Happy Birthday sentiment from my All Holidays set. And of course, I colored the owl and branch with my Copic Markers!

Here's a peek at the inside ~

Hey, I have the pleasure of helping Our Daily Bread Designs celebrate their one-year Anniversary next week! Here's some of the fun things you can look forward to checking out:

Each day March 10-16 the Design Team members will be posting fun stuff on their blogs and will be giving away Blog Candy! We will be giving away a set a day! But you will have to visit each one to see where it is! And who wouldn't love a tutorial on Scor-Pal, 3D boxes, Polyshrink, Glimmer Mist and Shimmerz? We will have all that and more!
March 10: Amy & Angel

March 11: Holly &Lorelie & Nancy
March 12: Angella & Chris
March 13: Betty & Dina
March 14:Jane & Judy
March 15: Angie & Sita

March 16: Becca & Laurie

That's about it for today. Thanks for stopping by & I hope you have a great day!! Next post will be Monday... my monthly Divine Design Bookmark project. See you then :) !!

Supplies for today's card (size 4 1/4 x 5 1/2) ~ Stamps: Owl Together Now & All Holidays Paper: Pariasian Breeze Specialty DP, Chocolate Chip, Neenah White Ink: Ranger Distressed Black Soot, Chocolate Chip Accessories: Copic Markers, Crystal Effects, Scallop Edge Punch, 1/4" brown grosgrain ribbon, 1 1/4 & 1 3/8" Circle Punches, Sakura clear glaze pen, Spica clear glitter pen, dimensionals, pewter brads

who-la-la

2009-03-03T12:31:00.000-08:00

I fell in love with these owls the first time
I open the Spring Summer SU Idea Book & Catalog. It's called Owl Together now. I finally got to ink it up last week and had so much fun making this anniversary card. I used Copic Markers for coloring, Sparkly Pink Fluff on the hearts (coming soon from OCL!) and my brand new, To The Nines, textured DP. Those owl eyes are covered in Crystal Effects, which totally gives them that googly eye effect ;) ! You can double click on the photo to get a closer look at the details.

I also made a birthday card with this set...I'll show that to you later this week :) !

Here's the inside ~ I used the Hugs & Wishes set for the sentiment. It's one of my "most reached for" sentiment sets!...

Supplies used~ (size 4 1/4 x 5 1/2) ~ Stamps: Owl Together Now, Hugs & Wishes Paper: Regal Rose, Chocolate Chip, Neenah White, To the Nines DP Ink: Ranger Distressed Black Soot Accessories: Copic Markers, Scallop Edge Punch, Pink Sparkly Fluff, Crystal Effects, Brown satin ribbon, Pink Taffeta ribbon

Thanks for stopping by :) ... Enjoy your day!!!

Happy Birthday Katie

2009-03-01T13:46:00.000-08:00

Super quick post to show you one of 3 cards I made last week. This one was for my daughter (Katie's) birthday! She loves dragons and she's very musical, so I combined 2 of OCL's super fun new sets, Drake the Dragon and Star Rocks. I also used some pink sparkle fluff on the dragon's wings...coming soon to Our Craft Lounge!!

Katie & her family have been visiting so I still haven't had much stamping time, but I'm having such a fun time with the baby :) ! Here's a picture of Miss Chloe. She's almost 3 months old and nearly 9 pounds. Such a sweet, sweet girl! Doesn't she look happy?

and here's a close-up of that dragon :) ~and the inside ... with a gift card tucked inside ~ and a close-up of the inside dragon image :) ~

Thanks so much for stopping by. I'm off to enjoy a little more family time :) !!!

Happy Birthday Trenton

2009-02-21T07:59:00.001-08:00

We've had company all week, but I did manage find an hour to sneak into my stamping room and make this birthday card :) ! In the process, I think I discovered the most challenging type of card for me to create is one for a teenage boy. Maybe it's because I raised 2 girls...the whole boy thing is still a little confusing, lol! This card will have a little money inside, so that should help, and it will be attached to several boxes of candy, so that won't hurt either ;) ! Happy Birthday Trenton, hope your day is extra special!! Does anyone have suggestions on stamps or projects that are good for teen boy? Please feel free to share your ideas with me! I could really use some help in that area. Here are a few of the punches and the coordinating Polka Dot Punches (free!) stamp set that I used ~

The card features Pacific Point Blue & Kiwi Kiss cardstock. Love those colors together. I pulled out the sentiment from the All Holidays SU set. The 1 3/4" Circle was stamped with my free SAB set, Polka Dot Punch (pictured above) and layered up with several other circle punches and topped off with a Small Star punch. A little Striped Kiwi Kiss Grosgrain Ribbon, paper piercing and Silver Brad were the finishing touches. Finished size for my card is 4 1/4 square (my favorite!). I used Black Stazon ink for the senitment and Pacific Blue Classic Ink for the Polka Dot Punch Image.

Many of you are familiar with Sale-a-bration (SAB) ... but incase you're not, it's Stampin Up's biggest promotion of the year! There are lots of products that I wait to purchase until it's time for their "free gift with purchase" , like Clinique. That's kind of what SAB is like. For every $50 in merchandise you order, you get to choose a FREE stamp set or product from the SAB brochure...and there's no limit! Right now you can also get a FREE Spring Summer Idea Book & Catalog ($9.95 value) just for placing an order of any amount on-line. For more details on those promotions, just click HERE (or on any of the colored links above). And remember, YOU always get the LOWEST price on-line, just by specifying a demonstrator (hopefully me!). And... if you're ever thought about joing SU as a demo, either as a business or just to enjoy the discount on your personal orders, there are extra bonuses for joining now. I joined 2 years ago during SAB and it's been such a great opportunity for me. I know, I know, you probably think there's a catch, but if there is, I haven't found it yet. It's genuinely been a great deal for me. My hobby now pays for itself :) !!!! If you have any questions about any of the current promotions or products, please feel free to email me anytime at youcanstamp@hotmail.com :) !

I have a TON of un-inked stamps and gorgeous new DPs calling to me from my workbench. Hopefully I'll find a little creative time and will be back to share some projects and ideas with you soon.

Thanks for stopping by :) ... have a great weekend!!

Blog Candy Winner!

2009-02-15T12:13:00.000-08:00

Wow! It was so fun reading your comments...I can tell you are as excited as I am about the new OCL stamps :) !! I hope you all enjoyed a fun Valentines Day! I had my son-in-law pick a random winner (thanks Ryan), for the Ducky Days set, and the lucky duck is...(drum roll please) ...

The Crafty Den said...
Hi Nancy, thanks for the chance to win this gorgeous stamp set. I love all the new sets but if I had to pick one it would be Kit the Kat. Have a great weekend. Hugs, Denise x

Congratulations Denise :) !!! Just email me (youcanstamp@hotmail.com) with your mailing address, and the OCL girls will get that Ducky Days set mailed out to you!

And...incase anyone hasn't seen that Kit the Kat set Denise picked as her fav, you can check it out right HERE. It's one of my favorites too!!

Chloe is really excited about the new OCL stamps and wanted to extend her congrats to Denise :) !!! The Valentine card pictured above is a super quick, simple one I made for Chloe and her mommy & daddy. It features one of my favorite OCL sets, Anna Mae. Not only do I adore that sweet little Anna Mae image, I also appreciate how versatile the set is. It's one I'll reach for all year. She's colored with Copics, Shined up with a Sakura clear glaze pen and matted with a Long Rectangle Scalloped Nestie.

And then there's Muffin......who doen'st know quite what to think of Chloe or the stamps. She got all dressed up for Valentine's day and even had her nails painted RED (by Megan)...but still, everyone seemed to be paying more attention to the baby. She's a little bit of a drama queen...you can see the sad eyes in the picture, but I assure you, she's still getting tons of love & attention :) !

Thanks for stopping by...and thanks again for playing along with the OCL give-away weekend! I'll be back to some sort of regular stamping/posting schedule soon...but for now, I'm off the enjoy some family time :) !!!

Blog Candy Friday!

2009-02-12T23:33:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow's Valentine's Day...so how about a sweet treat? Yay, it's time for Blog Candy! A chance to win a brand spankin' new Ducky Days stamp set from Our Craft Lounge :) !!! And there's more. OCL is celebrating their Winter CHA Release by giving away a total of 28 sets this weekend! It's my pleasure to give away the Ducky Days set, and you can see it, along with the other 27 new sets, right HERE! Both of today's cards were made with the Ducky Days set. My favorite thing about this set are those rubber boots! Love 'em!! I colored the Duck's boots red with Copic R37, the covered them with Crystal Effects, so they're super-duper shiny. I added Crystal Effects to the boots on the 2nd card too.

So... you're probably wondering how you can get signed up for that blog candy. To sign up for my blog candy, just leave a comment on this post telling me which of the new releases is your favorite & why (one comment per person please). You can find 'em all right HERE. I'll pick a random winner on Sunday at noon (pacific time). And...to get signed up for the other sets to be given away, just pop over the CAMI's blog (stamp a little love baby!). She's got some fun up her little pink sleeve....something about a Surprise Hunt? You'd better check it out :) !
I'm looking forward to reading your comments. I'm going to wish you a Happy Valentine's Day today, because I have family coming to visit this weekend, so I won't be posting again until Sunday...when I pick that winner! Have yourself a wonderful weekend,thanks for stopping by!!
Supplies for today's cards (size 4 1/4 x 5 1/2 and 4 1/4 square): Stamps: Ducky Days (OCL) Paper: Baja Breeze, Pumpkin Pie, Pink Pirouette, Kiwi Kiss & Chocolate Chip and Neenah White cardstock, My Mind's Eye DP Ink: Ranger Distressed Black Soot & Chocolate Chip Accessories: Copic Markers, Sakura Clear Glaze Pen, Crystal Effects (SU), Ruby Red Brads, 3/4", 1", 1 1/4" & 1 3/8" SU Circle Punches, 1 1/4" & 1 3/8" SU Squre punches, Rectangle Nesties, Baja Breeze Button
*Stampn Up products can be found online HERE
* Copic Markers, My Mind's Eye DP & Ranger Distressed Soot ink can all be found at Eclectic Paperie's online store, HERE

Shhh...an early Valentine card

2009-02-12T13:08:00.000-08:00

Quick post to show you the Valentine card I made for my wonderful husband :) ! Now I have to hide so he doesn't find it before Saturday. It's hard to be sneaky, he always seems to see whatever I'm working on. We got a bulldog puppy last August and, in the beginning, she was supposed to be for me & my daughter. But Bogue has absolutely fallen in love with that little dog. It's so sweet to see them together. I thought it only fitting that I make his Valentine with this new stamp set from The Greeting Farm, Pup Star. I also used my new SU Eyelet Border Punch..love that thing!!

Happy Valentine's Day (a little early) from Muffin!

Be sure to stop by tomorrow to get signed up for BLOG CANDY!

Supplies for the card (4 1/4 square): Stamps: Pup Star (The Greeting Farm) Paper: Chocolate Chip, Riding Hood Red, Candy Lane (SU) DP & White Ink: Ranger Distressed Black Soot & Chocolate Chip Accessories: Eyelet Border Punch (SU), Small & Large Oval Punches, Paper Piercing Tool/Mat pack, Heart brad (non su), Copic Markers & Sakura Clear Glaze pen

Simple Love & Gratitude

2009-02-11T21:05:00.000-08:00

Simple seems to be my theme lately. I made this card last week before coming home. It was for my mother-in-law's 90th birthday!! I was a little worried that it was too simple. My supplies were pretty limited, but I think it turned out okay. And the most important part...Ruthie loved it and it made her smile :) !

The heart is covered in Crystal Effects so it's shiny and the Black 1/4" grosgrain ribbon sparkles because I colored it with a Clear Spica Glitter pen. Both of those details are hard to see in this photo (sorry). I used the new SU set, Love You Much along with the coordinating Three Hearts punch. Finished size is 4 1/4 square (my favorite size). I used Riding Hood Red, Basic Black & White cardstock. Dimensionals added dimension to my card, lol!

An another simple card made with the same supplies, but this one was a thank you note for a very special friend :) ... you can see the Crystal Effects on the heart and birds a little better in this photo ~

Good news ~ I'll have BLOG CANDY on Friday !!! Thanks for stopping by & be sure to stop by Friday, check out the goodies & get yourself signed up :) !

Divine Design Feb 09

2009-02-09T08:00:00.000-08:00

After 8 weeks of being gone ... I'm finally home! Chloe is doing really, really well! I thank God everyday for that sweet little girl and for her amazing recovery. What an experience. Thanks again to everyone who prayed and shared kind words of encouragment with us. You were part of the miracle :) !!! I arrived home yesterday & was greeted by my wiggling bulldog and smiling husband. After being gone for so long, I wanted to spend some time with the hubby, so I kept my project very simple. I used my beautiful new stamp set from ODBD called Lift Up Our Hands, to make my bookmark...it features the scripture Hebrews 4:16. I found another translation (NCV) that I really liked and thought you might enjoy it too

"Let us, then, feel very sure that we can come before God's throne where there is grace. There we can receive mercy and grace to help us when we need it"

I use www.biblegateway.com to reference different translations sometimes. It's a nice resource. This Divine Design Bible verse Challenge is a wonderful way to combine Scripture and Stamping. I create a bookmark each month that helps me memorize and meditate on a particular scripture. I hope you'll consider joining us in this monthly challenge. You can get started anytime, just jump in when you can :) ! The simple rules can be found right HERE! And if you have any questions, please feel free to email me, anytime ~ youcanstamp@hotmail.com.

And, here are links to the other Scripture Chicks so you can check out their fabulous projects ~ Lori Craig: Make a Difference, Taylor VanBruggen: Taylored Expressions , Angel Wilde: Angelosity, Jami Bova: Stamp Happy

Have you seen this new Divine Design blog badge? It was designed by our very own Jami Bova : ) ! If you play along with the DD challenge, this badge is for YOU! To add it to your blog, just follow Jami's perfectly wonderful directions:

1. Copy everything between the /* and */ 2. Paste the HTML code onto your blog. (for Blogger, you'll add an HTML gadget and paste this code)
/* http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=408999" target="blank"> http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/ff2/jbova/DivineDesign2009.png" border="0" alt="Divine Design 2009"> */

Thanks for stopping by! I'll leave you with a fun little picture of Chloe enjoying her new swing. She looks pretty happy... hope you have a happy day too :) !

Supplies used for my bookmark (size 3 x 5 1/2") ~ Stamps: Lift Up Our Hands (ODBD) Paper: Kiwi Kiss (textured), Chocolate Chip & White Ink: Kiwi Kiss & Chocolate Chip Tools/Accessories: 1" & 3/4" Circle punches, Silver Filigree Flower Brad (SU), Silver brads

Smiles

2009-02-01T20:57:00.001-08:00

What could possibly keep me away from stamping for 6 weeks??? This picture pretty much says it all. Chloe is simply amazing. She is such a fighter. Heart surgery at 5 days old, Omphalocele surgery at 5 weeks old...and at 6 1/2 weeks old, a healthy, happy little baby back at home! Katie took these pictures of Chloe & I this weekend and I think they're going to be favorites :) ! I will be heading home later this week & I do promise to start showing you stamping projects again. Lots of ideas and a bunch of brand new stamps waiting for me at home...but for now, I'm just going to enjoy these last few days with Chloe and a few days with my husband who's coming to visit too! I do miss my stamping, but this family time has been precious! To thank you for your patience while I've been away...there will be BLOG CANDY coming up soon...so be sure to check back :) !!!

Here's me & Chloe again. I had so many people tell me that being a grandma was going to be very special, but oh my goodness, I had no idea it could be this good. Couldn't be any better.

Thanks for stopping by! Have an awesome week :) !!!

Lovebug, Chloe, Tags & Awards

2009-01-25T00:15:00.000-08:00

Isn't this little bug adorable? It's from the Love Bug Set, by OCL. Here's the inside~ Perfect for Valentine's Day, or anytime you want send a "just bugcause" card. Those just because cards are fun to send (and receive!). That awesome DP is from My Mind's Eye, Just Dreamy 2 collection. That paper comes in so many super fun designs...you can check 'em out right HERE!

Thanks again for all your prayers for my granddaughter Chloe :) ! This picture of Katie & Chloe was taken the day before her surgery.The last couple days were pretty rough, but she's doing much better now. Got her breathing tube out this evening and is resting peacefully. She's still got some recovery to do, but she's getting better and stronger each day... thanks to those prayers! And a special thanks to Jackie who works here at the OHSU campus. She emailed me to offer her help if we needed anything. What a sweetheart! Stampers really are the nicest people in the world :) ! Which leads me to my next thought...

Many thanks to Sherri, Chris & Teresa for the blog awards and tag. These girls have GREAT blogs that I'm absolutely sure you'll enjoy visiting... I sure did! Each blog is overflowing with fun and inspiring projects. Here are those awards ~

I've been tagged by Sherri at Roses in My Heart, to tell you 5 things I'm addicted to and 5 things I really, really don't like.

I'm addicted to: 1) Kind people 2) Coffee 3) My new granddaughter, Chloe 4) Store bought cake 5) Copic markers

I really, really don't like: 1) Liver ...blech! 2) Slow internet connections 3) Waking up and not having fast, easy access to coffee 4) Being idle, sitting still with nothing to do 5) Disorganization

Next, a butterfly award from

Chris at Twinkles Glow with Stamps

And last, but not least...

Teresa, at My Life's Art , gave me this Lovely Blog Award~

I am running out of time, space and energy, so I'll have to pass these awards on in my next post. It's late and I'm getting soooo sleepy (must be Chloe's heart monitor, it's so steady and rythmic, it's lulling me right to sleep!). Thanks for stopping by :)

To Have & to Hold Scrapbook pages

2009-01-20T22:05:00.000-08:00

A couple more scrapbook pages to show you! This time featuring my daughter's wedding which was held on New Year's eve 2 years ago. I used the SU set, To Have & To Hold and some retired River Rock DP & Cardstock along with classic black and white cardstock. The ceremony & reception were held in a historic ballroom. I chose these colors, papers and stamps hoping they would reflect a bit of that charm.

You can double click on the first 2 photos to get a closer look at some of the shimmery detail. I used my Clear, Gold & Black Spica Glitter Pens to add a touch of shimmering elegance :) . I even used the Clear Spica on the black grosgrain and white taffeta ribbons so they sparkle too. I also used Kaiser self-adhesive pearls and a Martha Stewart Edge punch. I like using the self-adhesive pearls, because they're inexpensive plus you get 3 different sizes...so you always have just the right size! My pages today were both 8x8" size.

Incase you haven't heard...the new Spring Summer SU catalog is out and there are some super fun new stamps, papers and accessories! So far, my favorite new stamp set is Owl Together Now :) and you can see it right HERE. Isn't that just too cute? I'm being patient and trying to wait till Feb 1st to order it, so I can get some free SAB goodies. If you don't have a copy of the catalog yet, you can always check it out online right HERE or if you'd like your own copy, you can get one FREE, just by placing an order online, Feb 1st-April 30th. It's SU's way of saying thank you! Sale-a-bration is coming right up on Feb 1st. Another way to get free goodies just for placing an order! Whoo-hoo :) !!!

This will be my last post for a few days. After being back in Corvallis for 2 days, we're headed back to Portland tomorrow to take little Miss Chloe to the hospital for her next surgery on Thursday. I'll try to share updates when I can. Thank you so much for stopping by :) ... have a great week!

Barnyard fun

2009-01-16T09:00:00.000-08:00

It's time for a little Barnyard Fun with the McSplendid Farm set from The Greeting Farm! This set also includes the most adorable horse, cow and cat. My card is super simple, but it was really fun to make! It's one of those cards that just makes ya smile :) ! Here's a photo that shows how I popped up the ears, nose & wing on dimensionals.I used a fat Copic Marker (YG03) to make the grass...super easy!

We're back in Portland. Made an unplanned trip after Chloe developed a little infection, so she's been admitted for iv antibiotics. The plan is for her to go back home in a day or 2, then come back Wednesday to be admitted for her next surgery. I had this grand plan of stamping yesterday afternoon, had several images all stamped & ready to color and put on cards, but when we woke up and discovered the infection, those stamping plans got put on hold. One look at that sweet little face, and as much as I was looking forward to stamping, she was instantly forgiven. Here's a picutre of her just after the iv was started...she was not a real happy camper, but in true Chloe style, she perked up really fast and was her cheerful self in a matter of minutes. She is such a trooper!

I can't tell you how much I appreciate your sweet comments and the prayers. Chloe is 4 weeks old and a whopping 6 pounds 10 ounces. She's made amazing progress and I truly believe that is an answer to all our prayers. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

Okay... I'm off to search for a strong cup of coffee :) to make up for sleeping in a hospital chair/bed! Nothing a little caffeine won't fix, lol! Thanks for stopping by. Enjoy your weekend!!!

Scrapbooking Muffin

2009-01-14T15:52:00.000-08:00

A few more scrapbook pages to share with you today. These all feature my puppy, Muffin! I used some awesome doggie stamps, Pat the Dog and Pat the Good Dog, from Our Craft Lounge! Tons of fun accessory pieces that are perfect for scrapbooking. Speaking of perfect, I used my Copic Markers & Spica glitter pens to coordinate with the My Mind's Eye DPs from the Just Dreamy 2 collection. The stamps, markers and DPs all made this project fun & easy!

Muffin's growing up so fast, she's already 10 months old and over 30 pounds of lovable bulldog! That border of dogbones and hearts is one of my favorite stamps...perfect for creating a fun little doggie theme. And those fire hydrants...aren't they adorable? These first 2 pages are 8x8".
This is one of the first photos taken of Muffin when we brought her home last summer. I love the carefree expression on her face. She really is a "good dog" and this was a very "happy day for her, and for us too! And there's that dogbone/heart border again...love it! It almost looks like it's part of the DP doesn't it? This last page is 6x6".

If you're interested, I still have 2 retired SU sets up for bid over at ebay! But they'll be gone by noon tomorrow. One set alreay sold, but The Merci & Spring Solitude sets are still available. You can find all the details right HERE. The "Merci" set was my favorite SAB set from last year. You can scroll through several pages of projects I made with that set right HERE! I have the minimum bid set at just $7.50, which is a really good deal for a brand new, unmounted set.

Thanks for stopping by...more scrapbook pages and few other projects coming up in the next few day :) !

It's Ian

2009-01-12T20:01:00.000-08:00

Hey you! I have a couple of new Ian cards to share with you today from The Greeting Farm (formerly known as Pink Poison/Splendid Little Stamps). You can see all the newest Ian stamps right HERE! Marie is rolling out a whole new crop of stamps! It's so hard for me to see all of these and not be at home with all my stamping supplies. I do have a few supplies and just received a few new sets from Marie, so I'm hoping, hoping, hoping, to do a little simple stamping this week. You can check out all those super fun new stamps right HERE! I made Sheriff Ian card last month and I've been saving it to show you.

My daughter Megan made this next one with the Quarterback Ian stamp!That girl is a creative genius!!! Ian's helmet is shiny, thanks to a generous coating of Crystal Effects. And how about that grass? I love every single shimmery, shiny detail she put into this card!

For those of you who have family in the military, you've got to check out the last couple posts over at the Greeting Farm Blog. Marie has designed a brand new Ian set to honor and celebrate our brave soldiers and you can check it out right HERE! I can't wait to get home next month and try this set out. It's going to be perfect for making cards for the troops!! Marie has a special offer for families of soldiers, so pop on over to the blog and check it out!

And here's a new picture of Chloe! She's almost 4 weeks old & a whopping 6 pounds 1 ounce! I'm not sure how it's possible, but she just keeps getting cuter by the minute. She's doing really well & her next surgery has been scheduled for January 22nd. I have to admit, I miss being home, but this is really a once in a lifetime experience and I wouldn't trade a minute of being here to help care for her. She is truly a little miracle!
Oh, and incase you're interested, I have 3 retired SU stamp sets up for bid at ebay. You can check 'em out right HERE. Great deals on some great sets :) !

Have a great evening! Thank you so much for stopping by :)

Divine Design January

2009-01-09T05:30:00.000-08:00

Happy Friday :) ! It's time to kick off a new year of the Divine Design Bible Verse Challenge for 2009! My bookmark features a scripture that I find great comfort in. It's reminds me that in an ever changing world, Jesus is never changing, always the same! My family & I have experienced many challenges and changes in 2008, but Jesus has been our rock, our peace and our ever present source of strength. No matter what life throws at you, Jesus is still the answer!

I apologize for the not-so-great photo (I miss my photoshop!!)...I'm away from home for another month or so, but I didn't want any of that to stop me from getting started on the challenge. So, I used my limited supplies, very limited time & marginal lighting and you know what...that's okay! I want to encourage you to do the same...use what you've got, make a project & join us for this year-long challenge!!!

I'm so grateful to Lori Craig for getting this challenge started one year ago and I'm honored to be co-hosting this year along with my friend, Angel Wilde! The rules are really simple. Just make a project each month in 2009 that features scripture. Some of the girls are doing scrapbooks, cards, journals, calendars...whatever works for you. I'll be making a bookmark for my project each month. As Lori pointed out last year, the important thing is to create a project that helps you meditate on and memorize God's Word. For all the details, you can check out the Divine Design thread at SCS right HERE! And when you upload to SCS, be sure to use the keywords BVC09, so we can easily find everyone's projects for 2009 in one gallery!

I'd like to introduce you to the Divine Design Scripture Chick team for 2009. We'll be posting our projects on the 9th of each month. These girls are so much for than just super talented stampers, they are beautiful Christian women and their love for God's Word shines through their projects. Here are the chicks along with links to their blogs & SCS galleries ~

Lori Craig: Make a Difference, SCS Gallery~ Stamp_momma

Taylor VanBruggen: Taylored Expressions , SCS Gallery~ TayloredExpressions

*taylor will be posting her divine design project this month on the 10th

Angel Wilde: Angelosity, SCS Gallery~ angelwilde

Jami Bova: Stamp Happy , SCS Gallery~ SgtStamper

Nancy Morgan: Paper Smiles, SCS Gallery~ ncmorgan

If you have any questions, just email me (youcanstamp@hotmail.com)! Thanks for stopping by, have a great weekend.

Supplies used for the bookmark (size 3x6") ~ Stamps: *Love You Much (SU) Paper: Pirouette Pink, Riding Hood Red, White, *Candy Lane DP Ink: Computer generated Scripture, Ranger Distessed Black Soot Accessories: *Heart to Heart Punch, Scallop circle punch, 1 3/8" circle punch, Pretty in Pink brad, Riding Hood Red Taffeta Ribbon

*the Love You Much Bundle that I used to make my bookmark is currently available at SU for 20% off ... you can find all the details right HERE :)

Scrapbooking Megan

2009-01-06T16:00:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! I have several scrapbook pages to share with you over the next couple of weeks. Starting with two featuring my daughter Megan! This first one was made using the new Love You Much Bundle from SU! I love this set & the coordinating heart punch. The bundle also comes with some beautiful DP, but I was going for a bold orange & black theme (Oregon State University...Go Beavs!), so I saved the Valentine DP for a future project. I used some Pumpkin Pie DSP Prints along with Basic Black, White & Tangerine Tango cardstock. My Scrapbook pages are 8x8. For me, that's the perfect size for a scrapbook page. I sometimes get a little intimidated with trying to fill a 12x12 page.

Here's a scrapbook page using the Get Physical set from Hanna Stamps (tennis shoe) ~ Then I used my Copic Markers to color the shoes and draw in the sand. This is a fun, fresh combo of Real Red, Bashful Blue & White!

Baby Chloe got to come home from the hosptial on New Year's Eve :) and is finishing her recovery at home...she's doing really well & getting ready to head back to the hospital in a couple weeks for her next surgery. Thank you SO MUCH for your sweet comments and prayers. Here's Mommy Katie & Chloe getting ready to leave the hospital and head for home...the perfect way to celebrate the new year!! I'm staying with Katie & Ryan, helping them care for Chloe. I won't be home until after Chloe is fully recovered from her next surgery, sometime in February. So I am here and most of my stamping supplies are at home. I appreciate your patience while I'm away from home and not able to post as often as I normally would.

Many of you are familiar with the Divine Design Bible Verse Challenge. We're starting a new year of Divine Design 09 later this week. We'll be posting on the 9th of each month, for 2009, and I hope you'll consider playing along. It's a great way to combine scripture & stamping. It's easy too!! You can find details right HERE and if you have any questions, you can email me anytime

(youcanstamp@hotmail.com)! Angel Wilde & I are co-hosting this challenge for 09 and I'm looking forward to sharing my projects with you & being inspired by YOUR scripture based projects too :) !! More on DD later this week.

Thanks for stopping by :) !

Merry Christmas To You & Yours

2008-12-25T19:00:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas! I almost forgot that I'd uploaded these cards to share with you on Christmas. I made this first card earlier this month with the Shimmerz I won as blog candy (thanks Stacey!). I used the To You & Yours stamp set (SU) and painted on some Sky Blue Shimmerz. It's really easy to use and the results are so pretty (you can double click on the photo to see the shimmery details). The simple, elegant sentiment is from the All Holidays set (SU). Here's another card made with the To You & Yours set ~We are so grateful to our family & friends for their faithful prayers & encouragement as we've spent the past 8 days in the NICU and Pediatric ICU. God has answered those prayers and Chloe is getting stronger everyday!! Here she is, 8 days old, celebrating her first Christmas! She's showing off her beautiful hat, made with love by our special friend, Nancy Littrell :)Experiences like these make you remember what's really important...and it's not the stuff under the tree, that's for sure. It's the love of family & friends and the gift of salvation that baby Jesus brought to this world. We've enjoyed a wonderful Christmas day & I hope you have too. Santa visited the PICU today bringing joy & toys to all the kids...even the youngest little patient...baby Chloe :) !

Peace, Love & Joy to you & yours

from Chloe, Katie & Santa

And the Winner is...

2008-12-23T00:14:00.000-08:00

Chloe's smiling 'cause we get to pick a winner for some blog candy today! I'm happpy to report that Chloe had her heart surgery yesterday and it went very well. She's recovering in the pediatric intensive care unit and receiving excellent care. Mommy & me spent the night in the room with her and she had a rough night, but much better this morning. I had my Katie pick a number for the random drawing and that winner is....(drum roll please) ~

okienurse , who said...
Awesome baby girl! Everything will go well with the surgery tomorrow and she will be much stronger for it. I really love all the stamps available but my favorite is the treemendous set.Merry Christmas!

Congratulations Okienurse, you're gonna love your new OCL stamp set! Please email (youcanstamp@hotmail.com) me with your snail mail address & I'll make sure that you get your So In Love set asap! I have to agree, Tree-mendous is one of my favorites too! And another favorite that got mentioned a lot was the new Love Bug set! Here's a card I made with that set ~

and a closeup of that adorable little bug!

And here's my favorite little love bug...Chloe, hanging out with some of her new friends!

I have MORE BLOG CANDY coming up real soon :) and a few projects to share with you including scrapbook pages! And, of course, updates and photos of Chloe. Thank you so much for the sweet comments and prayers...we appreciate it more than words can express :)

And remember...today's the last day to take advantage of FREE shipping with SU on all orders over $70 and the first day to order the brand new sneak peek Love You Much bundle at 20% off. All those details can be found right HERE!

Welcome Chloe!

2008-12-20T12:18:00.000-08:00

I have something VERY very special to share with you...pictures of Chloe Kate Thurman, my very first grandchild! She arrived via c-section, at OHSU, on December 17th, 18 1/2" inches long, 6 pounds 2 ounces. She's soooo beautiful!!! Mommy, Chloe & Daddy are all doing well.

As we anticipated, Chloe has two problems that will require surgical correction. Her first surgery will be to repair Coarctation of the Aorta and that will take place on Monday. When she is recovered from her heart surgery, she will have surgery to repair her Opmphalocele. Other than that, she is perfect and gorgeous :) ! Here's another look at her with her eyes open (the photos are a little marginal but they're completely unedited...I'm just excited to have the laptop here at the hospital and have the ability to take photos and email them to friends & family!)

It's snowing and beautiful in Portland! Sounds like we're going to be here for a month or longer, so we're getting settled into our routines and I've located all the good coffee shops here at the hospital :) ! If you haven't signed up for the Valentine Blog Candy yet, there's still time. I planned on selecting a winner on Monday, but it could be later, since Monday is surgery day. You can get yourself signed up by clicking HERE!

Here's a great photo of mom & dad having one of their first visits with Chloe in the nicu earlier this week. Thanks for stopping by. I have several projects uploaded and waiting to show you over the next few weeks, along with more updates and photos of Chloe :) !!!

hugs...from "grandma" nancy :)

Baby It's Cold Outside!

2008-12-16T08:38:00.000-08:00

I thought I'd be away from the computer for several days...but due to the weather, I find myself having a little time this morning. Baby it's COLD in Oregon ;) ... woke up to 10 degrees in Corvallis today. We're heading to Portland in a couple hours. Waiting for it to "warm up"... upper 20s is the best we can hope for today, but we're also waiting for better road conditions. In the meanwhile, I wanted to show you the very last Christmas card that I made before leaving home. It's a warm, wintery scene accented with the hearts from the upcoming Love You Much stamp set & coordinating punch (available December 23rd). This card and the candle were for a very special lady named Anita :) ! Like so many of my friends, her life is a beautiful expression of love and warmth, so this card and candle were the perfect Christmas gifts for her! You wouldn't believe how yummy this candle smells! My friend Tonya hand pours these soy candles (click HERE to visit Tonya's blog). The Little Felt Flurries & the Button (from the Button Bouquet collection) were quick & easy decorations for the lid :) !! The Holiday Treasures DP and Riding Hood Red Taffeta Ribbon provided just the right amount of decoration for the tin.

Okay, I guess it's time to shower and head for Portland. It's warmed up to a whopping 12 degrees outside! Don't forget to sign up for my Valentine Blog Candy...click HERE for all the details. One lucky duck will win that brand new So In Love set from OCL :) !!!!!

Also wanted to remind you of several $$$ saving specials going on at SU. I know it's a busy time of year to be keeping track of all this, so I'll recap for you ~
10% off ALL retiring stamp sets
20% off sets from the Sampler Catalog (when you spend $20)
FREE Shipping on all orders over $70
Love You Much Bundle sneak peek 20% off beginning Dec 23rd!
Keep in mind, December 23rd is the last day to take advantage of the Free Shipping offer...so if you were to place an order on the 23rd, you could take advantage of ALL 4 specials on that day !! I know all you smart, savvy shoppers will appreciate that tip ;) ! You can always find details on the current specials right HERE and place your online order too!! When you designate a demonstrator (hopefully me) you always get the lowest possible price!
Thanks for stopping by...have a warm, cozy, happy week!
Supplies for the card (size 4 1/4 square) ~ Stamps: To You & Yours, Love You Much (hearts) Paper: Riding Hood Red (regular & textured), Chocolate chip, Ski Slopes DP, Neenah White Ink: Ranger Distressed Black Soot Tools/Accessories: Riding Hood Red Taffeta Ribbon, Love You Much triple heart punch, Kaiser self adhesive pearls, Copic Markers, Crystal Effects, Chunky Glitter, Oval/Scalloped Nesties with CB

Valentine Blog Candy !

2008-12-15T09:00:00.000-08:00

I know, I know...it's December & you're still working on your Christmas cards ... but Valentine's Day really is just around the corner, and I'd love to spread a little Christmas joy by giving away one of the newly released sets by Our Craft Lounge! I'm going to be away from the computer for a few days, so I thought this would be a great time to do a little blog candy! I'm giving away the brand spankin new OCL set I used to make today's cards..."So In Love", and you can find it right HERE! I heat embossed Brilliance Graphite Ink with Clear Embossing Powder...I LOVE how the embossed black pops agaist that Just Dreamy 2 DP (My Minds Eye). There are 3 new sets being released today...you've got to check out the card Cami made with the new Love Bug set... it's right HERE! Isn't that adorable? Here's my second card...using pretty much the same supplies as the first, similar layout, but no DP on this one ~

More embossing on this card plus I used a Copic Marker to color in the tiny red hearts and a clear Spica glitter pen to add a little sparkle to the open hearts on the borders :) ! Have you seen the specially packaged assortments that OCL is offering? You can check 'em out right HERE! Copics make great Christmas gifts...my family totally surprised me last year with my very first set of Copics for Christmas! It's hard to take me by surprise, but they did it. I've thanked them about a million times...I LOVE my Copics!

This year, I'm expecting a gift that's even more special. I'm about to become a grandma for the very first time :) !! Baby Chloe is scheduled to arrive this Wednesday (the 17th) & will need surgery & some special care, so we're traveling to a hopsital where a team of specialists are ready to give her all the help she needs. We'd appreciate your prayers and I will update you when I can. In the meanwhile...how about some blog candy?

To get your name in the drawing for the Blog Candy just leave a comment and tell me which of the OCL sets under the category of Love & Such is your favorite...you can find 'em right HERE. I'll leave the blog candy open for 1 week and random.org will pick a winner on December 22nd. One entry per person please. Thanks for stopping by. Enjoy your week :)

I used similar supplies for both cards...so I'm going to combine the supply lists. The only real difference is the first card has DP and the second card has Copic markers and no DP...

Supplies ~ Stamps: So in Love Paper: Real Red, Pink Pirouette, Basic Black, Just Dreamy 2 DP Ink: Brilliance Graphite (with clear embossing powder & heat gun) Tools/Accessories: Ticket corner punch, Scallop edge punch, Small & Large Oval punches, Black Brads, Black American Crafts ribbon, R46 Copic marker, Clear Spica glitter pen, Sakura clear glaze pen,

Easy Gift Card Holders

2008-12-12T08:00:00.000-08:00

It's getting to be that time of year when quick easy gift ideas are appreciated...so I'm doing a little re-run of a project I created last year. It's a classic, simple, super easy little Gift Card Holder and it's one of those projects I use all year long. I thought you might enjoy it too!! You can find my tutorial right HERE! I start with the gift card when deciding which colors and stamps to use. I think it's fun to make it all match :) ! This first one is a gingerbread theme. Here's the inside ~ Here's a gift card I made with the Holiday Lineup stamp set~Instead of adding Eyelets, I just wrapped the Silver Stretch Cord around the finished/closed gift card, tied a knot and secured it under the image piece. Here's a peek at the inside ~As I was reading through my tutorial, I thought of one step that might need to be clarified. When you're finishing your gift card (step #8), you'll close the gift card all the way up, then wrap the cord (or ribbon) around the gift card. The eyeletes (or image piece) just anchor it into place. Also, you'll want to pull the stretch cord just a little bit tight, so there's enough tension to hold the gift card closed, but leave enough slack, so it can be opened too. That part is really easy....just a little tricky to explain.

If you prefer to use ribbon, you can do that too! Your gift card holder becomes a little package that gets untied to reveal the gift :) !! Here's a special treat that would be fun to give AND fun to receive!! I used the Sweet Treats set from Our Craft Lounge :) ~ And here's how it looks when partially opened ~ And all the way open, to reveal a special treat...a yummy Starbucks giftcard! Speaking of yummy, OCL is now carrying some specially packaged assortments of Copic Markers. You can check it out right HERE!And my last gift card idea ... create YOUR OWN customized gift card ~I made a Stampin Up gift certificate, but you could make custom gift cards for any occasion. A "Dinner & Movie" certificate for the hubby. "One free carwash", "Dog wash" or "Babysitting" certificate. A "Mommy & Me Afternoon" certificate for the kids. Lots of possibilities. To make your gift card, just cut a piece of cardstock 2 1/4 x 3 1/2 & use your 3/16" corner rounder to punch all 4 corners. I printed mine on the computer. Here's what the outside of that gift card holder looks like (I used the Holiday Lineup set, again!)~

Whew...this is oneLONG post, but I hope it was helpful. Thanks for stopping by, let me know if you have any questions and HAVE an AWESOME weekend!!

Supplies for the Gingerbread gift card ~ Stamps: Deer Friend (hostess level-2) & Best Yet (hostess level-1) Paper: Old Olive, Real Red, Whisper White, Ski Slopes, DP Ink: Chocolate Chip Tools/Accessories: 3/16" corner rounder, Slit Punch, 1 1/4, 1 3/8 & Scallop Circle punches, Silver Stretch Cord, Silver Eyelets, Cropadile, Red rick-rack, Sakura clear glaze pen, Spica red glitter pen

Supplies for the Reindeer card ~ Stamps: Holiday Lineup Paper: Garden Green, Real Red, Neenah White, Ski Slopes DP Ink: Ranger Distressed Soot Tools/Accessories: Scallop Edge Punch, Slit punch, Silver Stretch Cord, Copic Markers, Spica Clear & Red glitter pens, Sakura clear glaze pen, Red rick-rack

Supplies for the Sweet Treat card ~ Stamps: Sweet Treats (Our Craft Lounge) Paper: Pretty in Pink, Chocolate Chip, Neenah White, Sweet Always DP Ink: Ranger Distressed Soot Tools/Accessories: Slit Punch, 3/16" corner rounder punch, 1/4 & 1/2" circle punches, Nesties circle & oval/scallops with CB, Copic Markers, Spica Pink & Clear glitter pen, Crystal Effects, Dazling Diamonds glitter, Sakura clear glaze pen, Pink Taffeta ribbon

Supplies for the Snowman card ~ Stamps: Holiday Line-up, Merry & Bright Paper: Baja Breeze, Real Red, Neenah White, Ski Slopes DP Ink: Ranger Distressed Soot Tools/Accessories: Slit Punch, 1 1/4, 1 3/8 & Scallop Circle Punches, Silver Stretch Cord, Silver Eyelets, Cropadile, Copic Markers, Spica glitter pens, Sakura clear glaze pen

Congrats!

2008-12-11T00:01:00.000-08:00

I'm a pretty big Anya Fan...for those of you who may not be familiar with Anya, she's a line of stamps that Marie (aka Pink Poison...soon to be The Greeting Farm) has created. You can find 'em right HERE. This is a very special month for Anya because she met the man of her dreams, Ian, and they got married :) ! Their wedding set is called Cake Topper ... perfect for Weddings & Anniversary cards. In fact, this card is for my daughter and son-in-law's upcoming anniversary!! You'll be seeing more of Ian...soon! I also played the Our Creative Corner's Sketch Challenge and I really like how the sketch worked with these images. Great stamps, great sketch...a perfect pair :)!

Anya's dress was outlined with a C1 Copic marker, covered in Crystal Effects and Sprinkled with Dazzling Diamonds glitter! She's gorgeous!! Ian got a little bling of his own thanks to my Black Spica glitter pen and Clear Sakura glaze pen. He looks handsome in his tux..doesn't he? You can double click on the photo if you're interested in seeing any of the details up close. Just don't look too closely at my coloring of their faces...my E00 was running out of ink and it shows. I was just too excited about coloring and glittering, I didn't want to stop and re-ink. My bad, lol :)

This week has been such a treat for me. I've enjoyed some unexpected, extra stamping time. I'm taking advantage of some free time while I can...in a few days I'll be packing up and heading out of town (for Baby Chloe's arrival!). I do have a few more projects uploaded to show you while I'm gone. And...a fun and easy gift card holder coming right up! Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have an awesome day :)

Supplies for the card (Size 5 1/2" square) ~ Stamps: Cake Topper Paper: Pretty in Pink, Going Gray, Basic Black, Neenah White Ink: Ranger Distressed Soot Tools/Accessories: Word Window Punch, Copic Markers, Crystal Effects, Dazzling Diamonds Glitter, Sakura clear glaze pens, Spica black, pink & clear glitter pens, crystals, Paper Tray silver ribbon

Retiring Sleigh Bells

2008-12-10T00:01:00.000-08:00

I finished up a few more quick cards last night and got them in the mail today. I used Crystal Effects and Chunky Sprinkles on the image and the snowflake, so the card pretty much looks like it just had a little sprinkling of snow :) !

Hey, have you seen the Stampin' Up's retiring stamp list? Lots of great sets on that list including this one, Sleigh Bells Ring (the "Merry Christmas" sentiment is from the Holidays & Wishes and it's not retiring). And the really special part ... SU is offering 10% off all retiring stamps ... plus FREE shipping on all orders over $70 (December 9-23rd)! That's a pretty good deal. To check out those retiring stamps just click HERE. After January 18th, the retiring stamps are gone for good and you'll pay WAY too much if you try to get 'em on ebay :) ! I don't mention this very often, but if you're interested in ordering SU supplies, you can do so anytime, (24/7) on-line (click HERE) and when you designate a demonstrator (hopefully me) you always get the discount price. Okay, now I sound like a commercial so that's enough about that :) ... if you have any questions, just email me (youcanstamp@hotmail.com).

It's late, so I'm gonna keep this short :) ... thanks for stopping by! To hear the classic song, Baby It's Cold Outside, click HERE. Love that version :) !!!

Supplies for the card (size 4 1/4 x 5 1/2) ~ Stamps: Sleigh Bells Ring, Holidays & Wishes Paper: Baja Breeze, Basic Black, Ski Slopes DP, Paper Trey 110# white Ink: Ranger Distressed Soot Tools/Accessories: Crystal Effects & Chunky Sprinkles (on the image and the snowflake too!), Felt Flurries, Silver Brad, Copic Markers, Oval/Scalloped Nesties with CB,

Let it Snow!

2008-12-09T06:32:00.000-08:00

I've been working on finishing up a few more Christmas cards before I leave AND I hope, hope, hope to have a easy gift card holder to share with you in the next few days too! Today's card is from the Big On Christmas set! Great image for a quick card. I colored the "Snow" in with a Copic BG72 (good match for Baja Breeze) the hat with E25, nose YR07 & the cheeks with R81. I colored over everything with a Clear Spica glitter pen then added glossy highlights with a Sakura clear glaze pen. I used the Ski Slopes DP for a lot of my cards this year and as my color inspiration too. If you need a little color inspiration try mixing and matching these: Chocolate Chip, Baja Breeze, Real Red & Old Olive!

Here's the inside, nothing fancy, but it works :) ... I used the sentiment from the retired "It's Snowtime" set ~

How about a classic Christmas carol to brighten up your day? Click HERE to enjoy Let it Snow by Dean Martin : ) ! Thanks for stopping by, have a great day!!

Supplies for the card (finished size 5 1/2 x 4 1/4) ~ Stamps: Big in Christmas, It's Snowtime (retired) Paper: Chocolate Chip, Baja Breeze, Neenah Classic Crest White, Ski Slopes DP Ink: Distressed Soot & Chocolate Chip Tools/Accessories: Copic Markers, Spica & Sakura glitter & glaze pens, CB with Snowflake EF, Photo Corner Punch, Silver stretch cord

December Divine Design

2008-12-08T00:03:00.000-08:00

It's December 8th... time to post our Divine Design monthly projects :) ! Hard to believe but this is our 12th and final project for 2008. Seems like just yesterday that I got an email from Lori Craig (Make a Difference) asking if I'd like to join her & a few other girls in doing monthly scripture based projects...and now we're posting our final projects for the year. It's been a rewarding challenge and one I plan on continuing in 2009!

It's my my honor & priveldge to be a part of the Divine Design team this year! The girls on the team are truly amazing and have inspired me all year long, not only with their creativity & talent, but even more with their love for the Lord! Scripture plus stamping really is a match made in heaven :) ! Here are the links to their blogs so you can check out their December projects: Lori Craig ~ Make A Difference, Angel Wilde ~ Angelosity, Jami Sibley ~ More isMore , Taylor Van Bruggen ~ Taylored Expressions

This month I made a bookmark to tuck into my bible & take with me. I'm packing up & preparing to spend several weeks with my daughter and son-in-law as their baby is born and undergoes a series of surgeries. Baby Chloe will be born in Portland on December 17th ... I'm gonna be a grandma :) ! As I was praying and asking God for a scripture to focus on, I went back to one of my favorites (Phillipians 4:6-7), and found a new version (NLT) that I really liked! (Biblegateway.com is a great online resource). My bookmark is 3 x 6". I stamped the sweet little flowers from the OCL set, Tree-mendous onto some brand new (soon to be released) SU Valentine DP and colored them in with Copics & Spica markers. They look so pretty irl, but the sparkle & shine didn't show up in the photo...you can double click on the photo to see more detail, but the sparkle just didn't show up...you'll have to trust me on that one :) !

And...Here's a fun little project my daughter Megan made ~

Meg was diagnosed with a pituitary autoimmune disease earlier this year, so a scripture that speaks about weakness and exhaustion...she can relate to that. As she returns to college and starts classes next month, she chose this to be the scripture she'd focus on. Yep, we've had our share of challenge this year, but I bet a lot of you are dealing with struggles of your own. The reality is, struggles and challenge are a part of life. Whew, I'm just glad this scripture reminds us that those who trust in God WILL find new strength...we could use a little of that! Megan started out thinking she might frame this, but decided to laminate it instead. She has a wall of inspiration cards and quotes at her apartment...it will probably find a home there :) ! Finished size is 5 3/4 x 7 3/4" and she used the "For Peeps Sake Chick" stamp and the row of heart flowers are from the SU set, Happy Heart Day. She LOVES her Kaiser self-adhesive rhinestones...uses them on almost every project she makes :) ! And I LOVE what how used those rhinestones to make swirls...such a clever girl!!

I hope you'll play along with Divine Design this month and maybe even think about making a commitment to make monthly projects in 2009! If you upload your project to SCS, be sure to use the keywords BVC08. Thanks for stopping by :) and have a great day!

Sleigh Bells Ring

2008-12-05T07:42:00.000-08:00

Happy Friday! Quick post to show you one little card today. It's from a set in the holiday mini, called Sleigh Bells Ring. Beautiful image (you can double click on the photo if you'd like to see more detail) and with just a few touches of color with Copic markers, some sparkle & shine with Crystal Effects and Chunky Sprinkles and it was ready to be die cut with Circle Nestabilities and mounted on the card! The Riding Hood Red Taffeta ribbon is so pretty...and just the right finishing touch :) ! I used some left over DP that was given to me as an elf gift last year. Hey, that reminds me, wanna hear a fun song? Click HERE to hear the Mercy Me remix of Sleigh Bells Ring! Isn't that great? I love music so normally when I'm creating a card I have a song running around in my head! It rarely snows here on the Oregon Coast, so songs and cards like these just help me to pretend what it would be like to live in a winter wonderland.

Guess what? My friend Cami is giving away some COPIC BLOG CANDY! No kidding!! Hop on over to check it out and get yourself signed up right HERE!!!

Thanks for stopping by... hope your Friday is Fun & Festive!

Additional supplies used for the card (size 4 1/4 square...my favorite): Cardstock: Chocolate Chip, Baja Breeze, Riding Hood Red, Neenah White Ink: Ranger Distressed Soot Copic tip: B72 is a good match for Baja Breeze & R37 looks great with Riding Hood Red! I also used E31, E34, E25, W3, B00, G72, N1 & N3

Holiday Lineup Elves

2008-12-04T11:02:00.000-08:00

At our monthly stamp meeting this week I had the opportunity to stamp off a few images from set I don't have (thanks girls!) and MUCH to my surprise...this one ended up being one of my favorites! How did I miss this in the catalog? What a fun, fun set! It's called Holiday Lineup and you can find it right HERE. If you like to color as much as I do...you will LOVE this set :) ! I have a couple other projects to show you with the other 2 images that come with this set, but for today, it's the Elves :) . I colored them with Copics, added a few touches of sparkle with Spica Red & Clear Glitter pens, Touches of shine with Sakura Clear glaze pen and the finishing touch....a line of Crystal Effects covered in Chunky Sprinkles! The Very Merry sentiment (and the snowflakes on the inside of the card) is from the Short & Sweet set. I'm down to just scraps of my Ski Slopes Designer Paper...I love those colors (Old Olive, Real Red, Chocolate Chip & Baja Breeze).

Here's a peek at the inside (that sentiment is from a retired SU set) ~

What did we ever do without that Scallop Edge Punch? I use that punch constantly...it's one of my favorite tools!

I've been tagged and honored with a few awards these past 2 weeks....and I DO appreciate it! I sure plan on getting to those very soon. I'd love to pass them along and share the blogs of the great girls who passed those awards along to me! Soon....hopefully :) ! Thanks for stopping by...have a GREAT day!

Supplies for today's card (size 4 1/4" square): Stamps: Holiday Lineup, Short & Sweet, It's Snowtime (retired SU) Paper: Old Olive, Real Red, Neenah white, Ski Slopes DP Ink: Ranger Distressed Soot Tools/Accessories: Copic Sketch Markers, Spica glitter pens, Sakura clear glaze pen, Amuse ribbons, Kaiser self adhesive red pearls, Scallop Edge punch, Crystal Effects, Chunky Sprinkles

Quick & Simple Color Challenge Cards

2008-12-02T14:20:00.000-08:00

I looked at my to-do list this morning and then I popped over to SCS to see what the color challenge was and I was delighted to see that Emily had picked some great colors that would help me with 3 manly Christmas cards I needed to make for the hubby to give to his work associates! The challenge was to use Sahara Sand, Basic Black & Very Vanilla (CC195). I made 3 very similar cards, I'll show you 2 of those today. My 2nd challenge was that my stamping time was very limited today, so I had to keep the cards simple...and that's just what I did. I used my Lovely As A Tree set...it's such a classic!I used Graphite Brilliance ink with clear Embossing Powder for all the images and sentiments on today's cards. Embossing only takes a second and the results add a lot to an otherwise simple card. I love how that Graphite Brilliance ink just pops...it's SO black...I love it!The final touches for first 2 cards was just a touch of Crystal Effects with Chunky Sprinkles (glitter) ! You can double click on the first photo to get a closer look at the snowy details :) .

And here's another little card made with a stamp set (deer friends...SU hostess level-2 set) that was out on my workbench. This one isn't for the guys...but it is kind of sweet, don't you think? It went together super quick. Gotta love those circle and scallop punches...they really help with making quick cards and tags!!

Thanks for stopping by! If time allows, I hope to share a fun tutorial with you later this week...for a SUPER simple little gift card holder!

Supplies for all 3 cards (I used such similar supplies...I'm going to combine): The first 2 cards are 4 1/4 x 5 1/2" the last card is 4 1/4" square ~ Stamps: Pine Tree (Lovely as a Tree-SU), Merry Christmas (Hero Arts), Warm Wishes (Hugs & Wishes-SU), O Holy night (Deer friends, SU Hostess level-2) Paper: Basic Black, Very Vanilla, Sahara Sand Ink: Graphite Brilliance with clear Emobossing Powder Tools/Accessories: Heat Gun, Embossing buddy, Crystal Effects, Chunky Sprinkles, Black & Gold Brads, 1/4" black gg ribbon, Paper piercing tool/mat pack, 1/4" circle punch, 1 3/8" circle punch, Scallop circle punch, Gold Stickles, Black/white stitched Amuse ribbon, snowflake cb embossing folder

Lil' Pea-Nut Birthday Wishes

2008-12-01T10:26:00.000-08:00

Another quick post (it's that busy time of year!) to show you a card with the Lil, Pea-nut set from OCL! So many fun pieces with this set...the flowers, the grass, the birthday hat & gift...just a few of the fun ways to accessorize sweet little Ellie! I don't know about you...but we have a lot of family & friends who have December birthdays, so it's time to make some birthday cards! We're celebrating an extra special birthday today ...it's my Mom's 72nd birthday :)! Here's a close up of Ellie ~ Do you like her orange toe-nail polish? It looks great on her but I could never pull it off ;) . I colored the image with my Copic Markers, added some shimmer with my Spica Clear glitter pen (parts of the grass look white in the photo, but it doesn't irl...it was just a lighting thing with the camera) and added some shine with my Sakura clear glaze pen! That DP is more of the Just Dreamy 2 (My Mind's eye). I'm a pretty big fan of the SU DPs, but I have to admit, this paper is running a very close second! The Markers, Pens, self adhesive rhinestones & DP can all be found over at Eclectic Paperie!

Thanks for stopping by! I better get back to work on my to-do list :) ... it seems to be growing rather than getting shorter, lol! Enjoy your Monday!!

Supplies for the birthday card (size 4 1/4 square): Stamps: Lil' Pea-nut Paper: Baja Breeze, Tangerine Tango, Chocolate Chip, Neenah Classic Crest White, Just Dreamy 2 DP Ink: Distressed Soot Tools/Accessories: Self-Adhesive Kaiser rhinestones, Circle/Scalloped Nesties with CB, Dimensionals, Sakura clear glaze pen, Spica clear glitter pen, orange striped Amuse ribbon

Sweet Stamping Deals!

2008-11-29T12:33:00.000-08:00

Just a quick post to update all you Stamping Shoppers on some great deals going on this weekend! First off...the SU Holiday Extravaganza Sale is ON :) ... hop on over HERE to check out all the details. But don't wait too long...you only have till Dec 1st and quantities are limited! When you order online and designate someone (hopefully me!) as your demonstrator, you'll get the lowest (discount) price. And right now if you place on online order with me, I'll send you a refund check for your shipping cost...so shipping will end up being FREE between now & December 1st!! Woo-hoo...let the shopping begin :) !! Any questions...just email me (youcanstamp@hotmail.com). That free shipping offer is on ALL purchases you place with me online between now & December 1st!

Next, OUR DAILY BREAD DESIGNS is also offering FREE shipping PLUS some sweet blog candy! Check out Kelley's BLOG for all the details...right HERE!!! I placed an order last night and took advantage of that free shipping :) !!! Besides for selling beautiful Scripture stamps, Kelley also offers a wide selectin of stamping products including my favorite new ink, Ranger Distressed (soot)!

And...it's Double Pink Ticket weekend at Our Craft Lounge! Double tickets included with each stamp set. That's 2 chances to win with every set you purchase!! Check it out right HERE!!!

AND last but not least, there's a SALE on Shimmerz plus a chance at some blog candy this weekend too! I just placed my very first order today. My friends Cami & Kisa keep raving about it, and I'm a huge fan of shimmer, so I decided to give it a try! You can find all the details about the sale prices and some sweet blog candy right HERE!!!

Those are all the specials I know about...hope those tips help you save a little $$$ and maybe win some sweet candy!!! I've been gone for a few days, so once I get a little catch up done around the house, I hope to do a little stamping & have a few things to show you :) !!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-27T09:32:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving! Big hugs to everyone...hope your day is filled with love, laughter and yes...Turkey!! This year has been a challenging one for me and my family, but God's been faithful to provide all that we've needed, one day at a time. Part of that provision has been flooding my life with amazing friends who have been an tremendous source of love & support. I really do have so much to be thankful for today and everyday :) !!!

My first card is sweet little Anna Mae from Our Craft Lounge...reminding you to SMILE :) !!! To fully appreciate the OCL stamps, you HAVE to see ALL the pieces included in the sets. Anna Mae & Lola Mae are paper dolls for grown ups :) ... SO much fun... you can check out those sets right HERE!!! I intentionally left Anna Mae's dress plain in this image, because I covered it in Spica Red Glitter pen (after coloring it with Copic Marker R37)... it has this wonderful shimmer irl that you just can't see in the photo. I also used a Clear Spica glitter pen to add shimmer to other parts of the image and to the DP too! Anna Mae's little dress is a great space to paper piece in some DP or stamp hearts or stripes with the stamps that are included...lots and lots of options. The OCL girls created these sets to be VERY versatile!!! I've been sharing a little bit about my favorite Copic Markers and the Anna Mae card includes some of those favorites including...E25 & 27 (brown hair & shoes), E00 (skin tone) R81 & 83 (rosy pink) & R37 (really close to Riding Hood Red). I also used BG11 & 13 (blue/green). I outlined her with my must have C1!

This next card features the Lola Love set & several of the same Copic colors, R37, BG 11 & 13, but I also used Y35 & 32 for Lola's blonde hair. Plenty of sparkle on this card too...you can see it best on the heart, its covered in the Red Spica Glitter pen (just like Anna Mae's dress)! As you can tell, I'm a big fan of sparkle!!! If you haven't tried the Spicas and want to see what they're like, I recommend starting with a Clear Spica. For about $2.50, it's a great way to add shimmer to your projects! Oh, and for any of you who are still trying to figure out which ink to use with your Copics...I've been using Ranger Distressed Ink (Soot) and LOVE it! It dries instantly and doesn't bleed with the Copic Inks. Just stamp & color...no patience needed...now that's my kind of ink :) !!!

The girls at OCL have started picking winning PINK TICKETS from their premier weekend celebration. If you have a pink ticket, be sure to check HERE to see if you're a winner!!

Supplies for today's cards (for the sake of time, I'm going to combine supplies, because they're so similar) ~ (Anna Mae card 4 1/4 square, Lola Love card 5 1/2 x 4 1/4) ~ Stamps: Anna Mae & Lola Mae Paper: Chocolate Chip, Riding Hood Red, White, My Mind's Eye Just Dreamy 2 collection Ink: Ranger Distressed Soot Tools/Accessories: Copic Sketch Markers, Spica Glitter Pens, Petite Circle, Oval & Long Rectangle Nesties with CB, Janome Sew mini, Riding Hood Red Taffeta Ribbon

May God bless you with a grateful & satisfied heart today!!!