Basic Pomegranate Sky-yum

I wonder how we never had this color combo before, it is fabulous!!!! Emily is swamped getting ready for our big shoebox swap in Arlington Texas(yes I know I live in Illinois, but I am still going!) and forgot to do the color challenge-the horror!! Tobi(jazzytobi) stepped up to help out and came up with this FANTASTIC color challenge(if I do say so myself!!). I started with my Flutter By stamp set from Paper Pretties and stamped her twice, once on Whisper White and once on Soft Sky DSP with Black Stazon. I then cut out just her dress and placed it on the white image. The rest was colored with markers and I added glitter to all her jewelry, because lets face it, she NEEDED some sparkle!! The sentiment is from the SU set All Holidays, and has to be one of my favorite sentiment stamps! I love the way it is written and the fact that you can use it for anything!! The rest is pretty simple, but if you have a question, please be sure to ask!!
ENABLER ALERT!!!! Christie over at Paper Pretties is having a contest to kick off our big news on May 1st. For more details go check out her blog and the Paper Pretties site, this is one giveaway you do not want to miss!!
stamps-Flutter By and SU All Holidays
paper- Soft Sky CS and DSP, Purely Pomegranate, Basic Black
ink- Black Stazon and Purely Pomegranate
tools-Blender pen, black organdy and brad, glitter pen, pomegranate satin ribbon, white get pen, gray marker, Cuttlebug and Oval Nesties

Namaste`

I am gonna be honest with you, I have no idea what that word means, but it sounds super peaceful to me. Say it out loud a few times, don't you feel better now??LOL!! Anyway, I made this card last night for the My Favorite Things sketch challenge over on SCS but once I was done I was too tired to post it!! Cindy Haffner hosts this challenge, and always comes up with the most fabulous sketches!! I altered mine a little, because I made my main panel too wide, so I made it a semi-tent card, we'll call it a pup tent(you know, one of those one man ones). LOL!! I stamped the main image from Serenity Now in Black Stazon three times, one on each side of that super cute Cutie Pie paper from SU and once on Whisper White. I paper pieced her outfit and the wallpaper and colored the rest with markers. I paper pierced around the whole main image panel and then added some brads on either side on the main card. I am sure I am gonna get some comments about what Namaste` means, and that would be great, that way I don't have to wonder all day what it means!! Thanks for looking and have a great day!!
stamps-Serenity Now by MFT
ink- Black Stazon
paper-Not Quite Navy, Rose Red, Whisper White, and Cutie Pie DSP
tools-white taffeta, oval punches, silver brads, SU markers, crafters tool kit

WOW!!

You should see this bundle of goodies I got in the mail from my pal Linsey(scraperlinsey)!! She sent me all this amazing stuff and one of the cutest cards EVER!!! I love all of it Linsey and I really appreciate your thoughtfulness!! Isn't she the best!! If you can't see it, there are scrapbook stickers, epoxy stickers, these super cute flower brads, ribbon, matching stickers, a zig painty to write inside my cards, and a Fiskars stamp set!! And would you look at all the bling on that card!!! That cow is really styling in her big sunglasses!! You are too good Linsey!! Thanks again for being such a super sweetie!!!

I received this GORGEOUS card from Laura(scrapnextras) yesterday too!! She wrote inside it that she dares me to be fabulous, and I just want her to know that I accept!!! Laura makes some of the most gorgeous creations and I am so happy for all the recognition she is getting here lately! On top of her Verve Visual designer spot, and getting chosed for the Dirty Dozen, I even saw one of her fabulous creations on Stampin Up's Stamper Showcase the other day!! I am a lucky girl to have her as a friend. Thanks Laura, I love it!! I really need to break down and buy the pretties kit from SU, because those flowers are awesome. If only I had known a long time ago that you could color them with your markers!! Thanks again Laura for making my day with this fabulous card!!

My last RAK came from Charmaine(charmwarm). This is her card to me from one of the Prettie Girl Wednesday challenges. Thanks Charmaine, it is even cuter in person!!!

I have two different cards of my own to post, so be sure to come back by!!

Tart and Tangy Two-fer!!

I don't think that is a word, but I despise making titles, so you get the first thing that pops in my head!! I completely forgot about the Featured Stamper challenge on SCS yesterday and wanted to participate. This weeks FS is Michelle(Sf9erfan) and she has a fabulous gallery!! I chose the first card she had posted in her gallery and changed a few things around. I started with a white base and then layered it with Real Red and some paper from the Summer Picnic DSP. The bigger circles were cut out with nesties and the smaller were cut out using my SU punches. I used markers to color the image and put some xmas red Stickles on the cherries. Instead of using the photo corners punch, I decided to use a couple of brads from the Stylized Silver Hardware from SU. The sentiment is from Sweet Serendipity and it was also colored with markers and then stamped. When I first saw this set and paper, I had to have it, so I am happy to finally get to use it a little!! Since I wanted to participate in the Technique Lover's Challenge today too, I decided to use what was already out on my table to make it. Today's challenge was a double open card(I think that's what they called it) and was super easy. Here is a link to the original, but I used the amended version that was posted with the challenge so that I could use 8 1/2x11 paper instead of 12x12. All the supplies were the same, except for the hardware. I decided to use white brads instead. That is all for me right now!! Thanks for looking and have a great day!!
stamps-Sweet Serendipity and Tart&Tangy
paper-Real Red, Whisper White, Old Olive and Summer Picnic DSP
tools-markers, red striped ribbon, hardware, white brads, xmas stickles

Great Swaps Challenge

This weeks Great Swaps Girls challenge is posted over on the GSG blog and guess who this week's hostess is, ME!!!! This challenge is open to anyone who wants to play and I sure hope that you do! It may come as a surprise to some of you, and some of you definitely know better, but I am somewhat computer challenged. I don't know as much about computers as I should or need to. I wanted to do a sketch challenge for this week, because I love sketches, but I didn't know how to design and "model" of one. I was going to make a mock up with black, white and grey paper and decided to get brave and try making one in my paint program(just the standard one that comes with the computer) and I shocked even me. It is a little rough, but I did it!!

I don't think there is a whole lot to explain with this card, but what you don't really see is that there are crystal effects all over the pot, and all the flower petals are outlined with glitter pen. I used my markers and ink pads and an aquapainter to color this. Thanks for looking and don't forget to head over to the GSG blog to play along!!

stamps-Bloomin Beautiful and Circle of Friendship

paper-Chocolate Chip, Groovy Guava, Whisper White and Afternoon Tea DSP

ink-Black Stazon

tools-page pebbles, crystal effects, aquapainter, SU markers, circle punches, guava ribbon, chocolate ribbon, gold brads, white gel pen

Brace Yourselves!!

I am about to tell you a story that is going to outrage a lot of you(hopefully, because everyone should be). I am not going to get into the gory details of the events of last night, but as you all know(if you have been reading my blog daily) my cousin in law Brandi got married this weekend. Since about 4pm on Thursday, I have spent every waking minute with the bride to be, and her family decorating, preparing, making flowers, rehearsing, you name it!! It was a gorgeous wedding(and that is why I have been gone so long, btw), and everything from the dress to the dessert was amazing. All day long I could feel a bad headache(what I call a migraine) coming on, and by the end of the toast(and my first glass of champagne), I couldn't hold out any longer. I finally got so sick, and my head hurt so bad that I had to leave the reception(crying about not wanting to leave the whole way to the car which does WONDERS for a headache-NOT!!)and go home and go to bed and I told Travis to stay at the reception. When he got home, finally, he woke me up and told me a story that had me sick to my stomach. During the reception, one of the guests found an opened wedding card on the floor in the lobby, from there, it went very wrong. To make a VERY long story short, one of the guests(and YES we do know who it was) got into the card box(mine I had loaned Brandi from my wedding) and stole the cash out of the cards. She was taking them to the bathroom, opening them, taking out the money, leaving checks and gift cards behind, and then putting them in the trash with paper towels over them. To top it all off, when confronted, she accused someone else, and they ended up questioning him(and a couple of others she pointed fingers at). Eventually, she finally gave in and gave back some of the cards she hadn't opened and all(or at least what she said was all) the cash she had stolen. Now yesterday and today, which should have been joyous days, have been completely overshadowed by one sick persons actions. I can't for one minute begin to imagine the kind of person it would take to do something like this nor do I want to. What's worse is the fact that today the bride and her parents had to spend the day calling around to people trying to find out how much money was in their cards so that they will know what to report(and what to get back from her). Honestly, I don't believe we will ever know how much she stole, and it's not even about the money. It's about the fact that she did this, and now it is like a black cloud over the whole day. Believe it or not, she WAS a close family friend, and someone that in the past, when she needed help, had come to the brides parents for it. In the process of her stealing all of these, she broke the church that my Mom had made for my wedding. I have kept it out in my house as a decoration since the day I moved in because it was gorgeous, and it really meant a lot to me. I cried when I had to tell my Mom what had happened, and she offered to fix it, but I refused, somehow it's not the same anymore. I had planned on keeping that forever, to use at my children(when I have them) and my nieces weddings and now I can't. If I know my mom, she will make a new one, but it will never be the same.
Sorry for that, but if you can't tell, I am still really upset. I stamped this morning as therapy, and I am getting ready to stamp some more. I made this card to give to Brandi today and for the the first challenge posted in the new Paper Pretties challenge forum by Danielle. She challenged us to make a trifold card, so I made one using this tutorial on SCS. I started with a Basic Black base and then layered it with Purely Pomegranate and some DP from the DCWV All Dressed Up stack. The main image is Cuddle Me from Paper Pretties. Her name is Sophia, and if you can't tell, I just love her. She is colored with markers and the dress and bow are covered with a Sakura glitter pen. I will be back later with whatever else I can come up with, I need some therapy!!
stamps-Cuddle Me and All Holidays
paper-Basic Black, Purely Pomegranate, Whisper White, and DCWV DP
ink- Black Stazon
tools- oval punches, black organdy, pomegranate satin, white brads, corner rounder, SU markers, aquapainter, glitter pen

Monkey Business

Today's limited supplies challenge over on SCS was to make a card following a list. The list was
1. Make a square card. (Any size)2. Use only scrap pieces of paper. (The base card doesn't have to be a scrap.)3. Use ribbon or fiber scraps.4. Use only ONE other embellishment.5. Use any colors, stamps, and tools. Easy enough, I thought!!! I had just got done making some cards for a color wheel swap, and I got called by my CIL, the one that is getting married this weekend, and she wanted to know if I could come help them get some stuff ready for this weekend, so I dropped everything and went to the rescue. I took us about two hours, and 16 ziploc baggies(I had to cut veggies for trays) but we got it all done, yayyy!! When I saw this challenge, I decided to use what I had out on the table. My card base is even one that I had cut for another project and decided not to use. The colors are Close to Cocoa, Barely Banana, and Sage Shadow(it's all your fault Carole) and the main image is from Zoofari. I glued it all together and the paper pierced around the edges. I really try not to waste my ribbon, so all my scraps were little, so I decided to do ribbon tabs. What was cool is that I had already colored the main image for the swaps, but had too many, so this card literally took 5 minutes. Now that's fast(especially for me)!!! Hope you like it and I hope you have a great day!!
stamps-Zoofari
paper-Close to Cocoa, Barely Banana, Sage Shadow, Whisper White, and Close to Cocoa DSP
ink-Black Stazon and Close To Cocoa
tools-maize and white grosgrain, white brads, markers, paper piercer and mat pack

Our First Featured Swapper

ETA: The date of the Paper Pretties release has been changes, so sorry for the false alarm!!! I will let you know when it is rescheduled!!!
Okay, back to the card!! As I said yesterday, I was asked to join a group called Great Swaps Girls. We have started a blog and are hosting challenges twice a week. One challenge will be posted every Monday, and it will change each time(ie. this week it was color, next week, who knows!!). On Wednesday we will have a featured swapper challenge, kinda like the SCS featured stamper challenge, where we chose one of the wonderfully talented ladies from our group to spotlight! This week it was none other than Miss Strappystamper, Miss Scalloped Edge herself, Jackie Pedro!! She has a fantastic gallery and a wonderful blog, and it was an honor to get to CASE her. I picked this card for a few reasons, one was the fact that I need a wedding card for my cousin in law this weekend, and two, I needed to make something for the ways to use it challenge over on SCS(which was to use scissors). I will go ahead and lay it out there that this is not my idea of a fabulous color combo(Brilliant Blue, ack!!), but it is the colors of the wedding, so I had to use them. I stamped the hearts from Always(SU) in Versamark and embossed them in white. I loved how Jackie had the ribbon slide with the half pearl on hers, but I don't have any(double ack!!), so I used a crystal brad from Making Memories. The rest is pretty easy to get, I think, but as always, if you have questions, please don't hesitate to ask!! I had to change a few things on the card so, besides the brad, I changed the colors, heart positions, sentiment, ribbon and placement, added layers, changed embossing folder, and changed my back ground stamp.
stamps-Always, Sweet Serendipity, and Filigree
paper- Basic Grey, Brilliant Blue,Whisper White
ink-Versamark and Basic Gray
tools-stylized silver hardware, blue organdy, grey taffeta, silver cord, designer label punch, crystal brads, cuttlebug, swirls folder, white EP
Also, I would like to thank my pal Donna over at Serenity in Stamping. She has been on a winning streak as of late, and I made a comment about it. She sent an email back to me saying that I had won something from Kim Hughes' birthday celebration. WHAT!!!! Say it ain't so!!! I had no clue I had won, and quite frankly had forgotten I had even signed up!! I won a May new release stamp set!!!YAYYY!! Thanks Donna for having my back, hehe, and as I told her, if you ever see I won anything, let me know, I probably forgot to check(cause I never win anything!!). Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!!

Do You Wanna Know....

what I have been working on!!! I keep saying how busy I am, and I have a list as long as my are right now of projects and things that I have to get done, and this was one of them!!! Yay, I can check something off my list!! My cousin-in-law Brandi is getting married this weekend and she asked me(on Sunday evening) if I would be willing to make some table numbers and reserved signs. I will go ahead and admit that I love Brilliant Blue, but these are kinda pretty!!! Thanks for looking and have a great day!!

I Am Blessed

I have recieved a few RAK's in the mail recently that I wanted to share!! The first is from Billie Rillo, the second is from Christie over at Paper Pretties, and the last one is from Debbie(dbdoodle). She also wrote the most beautiful note and she sent me a present to encourage me in my journey to become a mom! Aren't I lucky!!