FS99 Stampfilled Dreams...

Today's Featured Stamper was the super talented Barb Schram(stampfilleddreams). I really enjoyed going through her gallery, and I subscribe to her blog through my google reader, so I get to see what she is up to all the time!! I chose this card to CASE, and I have to tell you...it kicked my buttttttttt.... Seriously, I started it LAST NIGHT and just now got done with it!! Sad part is the fact that it turned out NOTHING like I wanted it to...I don't know where I went wrong. Anywho, since it took me HOURS to create, I am posting it..whether I like it or not(before you yell at me, as you all always do, I do like it, I just don't LOVE it, kwim)!! I love this stamp set from There She Goes called Butterfly Happiness. It is full of gorgeous images and fabulous sayings...I just couldn't get them to work for me. I started by stamping the vine branch thingy in Chocolate Chip ink and then I did a shadow with Creamy Carmel. The butterfly was stamped with Pale Plum and Chocolate Chip. My DP is from the retired Enchante DSP from SU. On the Chocolate Chip layer, I stamped my Canvas background with Chocolate Chip ink. The brads are from SU, I did a lot of piercing, used some retired cream organdy from SU, and added a little clip to the sentiment and it was done.

Well, that is it for me now!! Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!!

Raspberry Tart DSP=YUMMYYYY!!

Okay, so I am OFFICIALLY in LOVE with this paper, and I think I MAY have a new favorite color combo!! I had to go out and run some errands with DH, but while I was gone, all I could think about was getting home and stamping more with this yummy paper and combo. A few weeks ago, I won a blog candy giveaway from my friend, Julie Lacey. She sent me a few of her favorite things, which happen to be MY favorite things, so it was DEFINITELY a win/win!! I got some YUMMY May Arts ribbon, pearls, and a handful of stamped images from Stampin' Bella. I actually own this particular Bella, but shamefully, she has never seen ink. Since Julie's images were laying on my desk, I decided to go ahead and use the ones she sent me!! I started by coloring my LatteBella with my SU markers and then outlined it with a Cool Grey Copic No. 3 marker. I have been throwing around the idea of getting copics, and actually got enough money from friends and family for Christmas to get a BUNCH of them, but I am so fickle about it...do I need them..do I HAVE to have them??? Jury is still out, but let me tell you, I am VERY tempted!! Anywho...I colored her and then layered her with Rose Red CS. Using the SCS sketch from this week, I adhered my panels to a piece of Whisper White that had been run through my Cuttlebug with the Paisley folder. I decided to also use this card for the Holiday Extravaganza Challenge number 4, which was to use one piece of DP, two main colors and a neutral, and at least 3 punches. Since I had to use three punches, I added the sentiment panel..but after investigating the Sketch Challenge gallery, I decided that I wasn't the only one, so no worries. I also saw at the last minute that for the HEC04, we were supposed to use ribbon and no other embellishments...so.....pay no attention to the brads in the corner...hehehe.(thing Wizard of Oz..I know, I am TOTALLY lame)!!

While looking at the Holiday challenges, I saw that challenge number three was to make a "scrap-ling". Now, I have never heard of one before, but I decided that I would TRY to make one...good grief, you don't realize how small 1 1/4ins is until you try to work with it. I decided to use the same colors, ribbon, and stamps as my Lattebella card and the fabulous card I posted earlier. I don't know what these are supposed to be used for, but I thought I would use it as a book mark to send to my friend who just had a birthday today...hmmm, wonder who THAT could be???LOL!! Luv ya Jodi!! I didn't do anything special on this, except for cut out the flowers and glue them on...easy peasy!! It was a GREAT way to get rid of scraps though!!

Well, that is it for me for right now..off to work on the Featured Stamper challenge...I am on a roll baby!!!

Yayy, New GOODIES!!

I wasn't going to pre-order any of the new SU sets, but the thought of new stuff at a discount APPEALED to me, so I broke down and placed an order!! For my card today, I used the soon to be released set, Sweet Stems and some YUMMY Raspberry Tart DSP. My sketch is from Jen del Muro's Sketch For You To Try. I also used the second Holiday Extravaganza challenge(to use scallops, a square card, no glitter, ribbon, and a three word sentiment) and today's Inspiration Challenge. I chose this chair from the Mackensie Childs store...GOOD LORD DID YOU SEE THE PRICE ON THAT THING!!!!! YIKES!!! Can you imagine all the stamping supplies you could buy with that much money...much wiser investment if you ask me, LOL!! Anyway, I stamped the stems with Black Stazon on Whisper White and colored them in with my SU markers. The outline was done with my Cool Grey Copic marker No. 3. I cut the scalloped Cameo Coral layer with my long rectangle Nestabilities. For the stems, I used a blender pen and my Kiwi Kiss ink pad to color them. Then I stamped and colored extra of the flowers and layered them on the big flowers. To accent the center of the flowers, I added some silver brads from SU. The sentiment is one of my FAVORITES from the SU set, Absolutely Fabulous. I did some piercing and it was done!! My mojo is SLOWLY coming back....at least I only needed 3 challenges to get this card going...sheeeshhh!!

Thanks for stopping by and have a GREAT DAY!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JODI!!

So, today is Jodi(kharmagirls) Birthday and we Pretties are celebrating in STYLE!! If you are just now hearing about our birthday party blog hop for Jodi(yep, that's what this is), then head on over to Christie's blog to get started!! If you know Jodi at all, you would know that she has a serious Starbucks addiction...that girl loves her lattes, hence the coffee theme!! I am suffering from serious stamper's block(yep, it's true), so I decided to use a few challenges to try to get me in the stamping spirit!! I chose the Holiday Challenge Extravaganza challenge number one, to be inspired by a onesie from Old Navy. I chose the colors to be inspired by. Next, I used Taylor's Cupcake Sketch challenge(but I did change the sentiment a little). Then I decided to go with Friday's Limited Supplies challenge(to use no Christmas stamps, images, papers, colors...no Christmas). And Finally(literally, FINALLY), I made this card for this past Wednesday's Put a Hole In It Prettie Wednesday Challenge. This is the first time in the history of the challenges that I have been late, and I truly apologize for it...I have no real excuse, cause I had plenty of warning, it just didn't happen and for that, I am sorry girls(never again though, the guilt is KILLING me)!!

Anyway, I started with one of my FAVORITE Prettie Stamps(it is after all the only reason why I went to the Paper Pretties SIYJ party in the first place, that and my friend Lesa(luv ya babe)), Look Who's Perky. I stamped the cup images on Kraft Cardstock and colored them with my SU markers. The outline was done with my Going Gray marker, and the steam was colored with my white gel pen, Creamy Carmel marker, and a glitter pen(Sakura). The DP is from the SU Patterns DP(hostess level one reward). I cut the image and it's layer out with my Label One dies and them pierced a border. The ribbon is from SU and so are the brads( the clips are from Making Memories). For my sentiment, I cut a scallop circle out of Chocolate Chip, then a 1 3/8ths out of Night of Navy. I then punched a hole through the entire card front. The sentiment is from the Paper Pretties set, Bugs and Fishes, and was stamped on Whisper White. I then lined the holes up and glued it to the card base. The card front is popped up to give it some depth. With all that said, I am not thrilled with this card, so Jodi, after work tomorrow, I am TOTALLY going to redeem myself(so I say)!!! Just know that it took half a pot of coffee to keep me awake and FOUR challenges to get motivated....yeoooowwwww!!

Thanks for stopping by...now for the rest of the hop!!! This is "technically" your last stop...next, head on over to Jodi's blog to tell her HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

Thanks for stopping by...have a great day!!!(what are you still doing here, go wish her well already......)

This Deserved It's Own Post

For those of you that don't know, I celebrated my birthday(30th) back in October. A few weeks after my birthday, I got an email from my friend Carolina(craftycaro). She didn't want to ask, but she hadn't seen the birthday present she sent me on my blog, so she just wondered if I had received it...and I HADN'T!! How sad is that!! I was so upset for her, one-because she thought I didn't like it so I hadn't posted it, and two- because her hard work had been lost in the mail!! When I told her that I had never received it, she said she would make another and send it to me...I told her it wasn't necessary, but she was determined(and you KNOW how we women/stampers can be)!! Right before Christmas, I received this GORGEOUS frame and card in the mail from her. LUCKY ME!! For those of you that don't know, my husband and I are desperately trying to have children of our own with no success, so for now, I am just an Aunt to my gorgeous nieces and nephews. When I first saw this sentiment on Carolina's blog, I LOVED it, so I am HONORED that she used it to make me a special gift!! Now all I need is to find a good picture of my kiddos to put in it!! Thanks so much Carolina, and I am sorry you had to remake it, but I am NOT sorry I received it finally!!!

More Christmas Cards

Here are some more FABULOUS Christmas cards I was lucky enough to receive from my friends!! I am too tired to go into detail, but to each one of these FABULOUS stampers, you know I ADORE you all!! You are so super talented, and to think of me, makes me so happy!! Thank you for being so fabulous!!
First one is by Charlene Merrick(lilluvsstampin).











Second by Becky Carafa(Beccabatgirl).










Third is by Jessica Diedrich.













Fourth is by Laura Fredrickson(scrapnextras).













And last, but not least, Lavon Gill.

Busy Busy Busy

I have been so busy that I have totally neglected my blog!! Thank you to the few of you that are still hanging around, it means the world to me!! I have been working non-stop trying to get my Christmas cards done, and I am happy to report that all but 3 of them are signed, sealed, and postmarked...yayy me!! I feel so cheesy sending out Christmas cards the day before Christmas, but I am relieved to see that some of my favorite stampers are in the same spot...makes me feel a tiny bit better, LOL!! I also have to apologize to my Pretties...I am way behind on this weeks challenge and my regular posting day, but I hope to make it up tomorrow, I am just too pooped to stamp tonight!! What a whirlwind the last two days have been!! Besides the normal hustle and bustle, and all the holiday preparations, my poor little nephew came down with a nasty cold. Poor kid was miserable yesterday, which means I got less than nothing done all day. I was totally exhausted when he left, but stayed up until 3am working on Christmas cards(which you will see in a minute). After 3 very short hours of sleep, I had to go to work. When I got outside, my car started, but the wheel wouldn't turn...ACCKKKK!! Since I was already running late, I ran inside and stole the keys to my husbands truck...hehe!! Come to find out, some belt came off and my DH'sUncle had to put it back on for me...but man was I stressing!!! So, needless to say, I am exhausted, but I wanted to post the card that I made(actually 25 of them) last night until 3am. I started with the Verve Stamps set, Ornamental Christmas. I stamped the image with Silver Encore ink on Whisper White. The DP is by Heidi Grace, and I used my Circle Nestabilities to cut it out. The white and Not Quite Navy layers were cut out with my new Label One dies. The base is PTI white(cause it is so thick it makes an amazing card base), then NQN and Whisper White again. This card was pretty basic, but I spent FOREVER cutting and embossing at my Cuttlebug.

Well, that is it for me tonight!! Hope you all have a Merry Christmas!! Be safe and God bless!!

Good Grief...

said in my best Charlie Brown voice....have you SEEN this weeks Featured Stamper???? Honestly, I am no stranger to here work, but still when I go to Paula's gallery, I am BLOWN away. She has MAD coloring skillz...seriously, she is crazy talented!! I had the pleasure of being a Whipper Snapper Featured Designer with her as well as being on the My Favorite Things team, so like I said, I am no stranger to her work. When I saw that she was the FS this week, I knew EXACTLY what card I wanted to attempt to CASE. Well, I attempted it, and I FAILED, but I still love my card...it just is no where near as amazing as hers is, kwim?? I was not only inspired by her card, but by her wonderful use of Kraft cardstock, so I decided to combine the two. I am out of acetate, so I had to make my card base Pearlized White cardstock instead. I paired it with Kraft and some yummy DP by Basic Grey. It is part of the Fruitcake collection and is truly gorgeous. I loved that the ornaments on my branch, from the MFT Branch Out set, mimicked the shape of the ornaments on the paper. I stamped the branch with Chocolate Chip cardstock and then colored it in with my SU markers. I then added some white gel pen to highlight it and went back over it with my Creamy Carmel marker. The ornaments were colored with my SU markers and then highlighted with my white gel pen. I made a major booboo, and was gonna have to start over, then I got the brilliant idea to cut the branch and ornaments out...what the HECK WAS I THINKING?? Talk about hard..geez me, never again, LOL!! I then adhered my branch to a piece of Kraft cardstock and added some Dazzling Diamonds glitter. I then layered it with some more Pearlized white. The rest is pretty self explanatory, and I have a ton to do. Last night my mom and siblings, along with their significant others and children, were here for Christmas, and tonight we have Christmas with my Dad, so I gotta get busy!! Thanks for stopping by!!

Truly Blessed

Since getting into stamping, I have met some of the most wonderful people this world has to offer. Everyday I am reminded of why I do what I do by these wonderful women..without their encouragement, I wouldn't be half as successful, truly. In the mail the past few days, I have received some truly GORGEOUS cards from these wonderful women. My first card came to me from my friend Jodi(kharmagirl). Since meeting last year around this time, Jodi and I have continually grown closer and have formed, what I would call, a very valuable friendship-one I will be eternally grateful for. Jodi sent this GORGEOUS card to me, and let me tell you, it is STUNNING in person...I just don't know how she does it!! Thanks Jodi, MWAHHH!!

The second card that I received came to me from Donna Baker. Donna has the biggest heart and MAD stampin skillz. She is a true artist and is so loving and giving. This card is not only a card, but an ornament too(she even signed the back, what a rockstar). Thanks Donna, you amaze me.

My next card was sent to me by my friend, and fellow Prettie Girl, Christi(cici510). Christi just recently joined the team and has been WOWING me with her talent and wonderful spirit. She is a wonderful person, mother, stamper, and friend. Thanks Christi, you rock girlfriend and I can't wait to get to know you better!!

This next card was sent to me by my friend, Jessica Knutsen. Jessica is the owner of There She Goes stamps and is ROCKIN my stamping world with her awesome images. Not only is she a super talented designer, she is an amazing stamper and an all around fabulous person. Thanks Jessica, you ROCK girl!!

This last card was sent to me by Silke Ledlow(sparklegirl), which you could probably tell by looking. Her work is so distinctive and flawless. Silke is the sweetest person and a SUPER talented stamper. She inspires me everyday with her enthusiasm, kindness, and all around ROCKIN's skillz. Thanks Silke for being my friend and for being so fabulous, you amaze me girl!!

Okay, I think I just made myself sick with all the gushing, but seriously, I LOVE my PSF!!!

I've Got the Blues....

Not really, but if I don't get the rest of my stuff done, I will soon, LOL!! Today's Limited Supplies Challenge was to make a card where 3/4ths of the card had to be blue and you could only use one non-paper embellishment. I chose brads, although it KILLED me not to put some ribbon on here...if ever a card needed a nice white organdy bow, this here is the card, LOL!! Okay, enough blah blah, onto the details!! The card base is Not Quite Navy which I paired with Baja Breeze(quite possibly my new favorite color) and Gina K. White. The DP is from the Ski Slope pack and the top white panel was run through my Cuttlebug with the argyle folder. I used my scalloped edge punch to create the not so faux ribbon around the middle....it's there, it just doesn't LOOK like ribbon(which is what I REALLY wanted to use). For my main image, I stamped the poinsettia from the Gina K. set, A Year of Flowers, which was designed by my friend Melanie. The sentiment is from her companion set, Say it With Flowers. I used my Cuttlebug and Circle Nesties for the main image layers and my SU circle punched for the sentiment. For the poinsettia, I stamped it three times on Gina K. white and water colored it with my Niji waterbrush and Not Quite Navy ink pad. I then cut out two of the flowers and just the center on the third. I layered them together and then added some silver brads to the center. In the interest of keeping it limited(which is REALLY hard for me to do), I didn't go ahead and do all the piercing that I wanted to do...hmmm, maybe I should do a MORE version of this card??

Anyway, that is it for me now...I am off to my stamp table to finish putting together some more cards and then work on putting the insides in and getting them mailed...fun for me!! Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!!