Did You Know...

that Paper Pretties has a weekly challenge? You didn't well now you do, and trust me, you don't wanna miss it!! Every week in the Paper Pretties challenge forum,Danielle(dlounds) hosts a fabulous challenge and out of all the entries a winner is picked. The winner gets a prize from our Prettie Mama Christie. If you want more info on these challenges, check out the home page of Paper Pretties for more details. Right now, Danielle's challenge is to use buttons on your project or card. My card features Flutter By Sophia and some yummy Cosmo Cricket Honey Pie DP. The main image was colored with my SU markers and then layered with Sage Shadow and Ruby Red. The buttons are from SU as well as the ribbon which was part of the Rustic Retreat ribbon originals. The scallops were made with my SU corner rounder....how happy am I that I don't have to do THAT anymore(LOVE my new SU scallop punch).
stamps-Flutter By
paper-Ruby Red, Sage Shadow, Very Vanilla, watercolor, and Cosmo Cricket Honey Pie
ink-Black Stazon
tools-buttons, ribbon, SU markers, corner rounder, white gel pen, glitter pen

And don't forget to get your entries for the Paper Pretties Cutie Pie contest into Christie before 8CST on Thursday July 31st...the winner receives all the new releases for FREE!! So, if you have some Pretties stamps, show them a little love and win some GOODIES!!! Also, the deadline to sign up for the Stamp Of The Month Club and get Howdy Girlfriend Sophia before it is released to the public in September is on Thursday at 11:59pm. Be sure to tell them I sent ya!!

Day Four-continued!!

So, when I saw Sharon(notimetostamp)'s challenge this afternoon, I got a little worried. I mean you saw my last card right, I don't know HOW to stamp simply!!LOL!! So instead of stamping simply, I really tried to use stuff I already had made up. The flower is from Bloomin Beautiful and I had watercolored it the other day to use and didn't so that was easy. The frame was already stamped with the Sanded background and already had the oval cut out, so that was easy-all I had to do was put in the brads, sponge, and attach. The rest was pretty simple, so I won't bore you with the details except to say that SU seriously needs to quit making me like stuff so much...I didn't buy any extra of this paper and I am going to go into a deep dark depression when it is all gone. This card also qualifies for the Ways to Use It Negative challenge. Thanks for stopping by again, and have a great day!! Don't forget, you have one week from today to sign up for the Paper Pretties Stamp Of The Month Club to get Howdy Girlfriend Sophia before she is released to the public, and to enter in the Paper Pretties Cutie Pie contest. The person chosen will win all this months new releases for FREE...what a deal!!

stamps-Bloomin Beautiful, Sanded and Short and Sweet

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

ink- Black Stazon, Chocolate Chip, Groovy Guava and Wild Wasabi

tools-big silver brads, aqua painter, chocolate satin ribbon, Cuttlebug, Oval Nesties

SCS Non-Raffle and More Challenges(Day Four)

So, a month or so ago I got a private message through Spiltcoast Stampers asking me if I would be interested in making something to donate to the SCS Non Raffle fundraiser. Anyone who knows me KNOWS that I love to give, so of course my answer was a definite YES!! Only one problem...I hate to alter stuff....but for a good cause....I can do anything!! What's the cause?? Glad you asked....the non-raffle is being held to raise money for flood victims in the Midwest. Since I live in the Midwest, but thankfully experienced no flooding of my own(I live on a HUGE hill), this cause was near and dear to my heart and I would pretty much do anything to help out!! So some super sweet people at SCS-peggysue and Jenn Balcer being the ring leaders, organized a NON raffle to collect money to be donated to the Red Cross. The last time I looked there were 63 raffle prizes from the wonderful people and companies that are associated with SCS and I am so honored to be one of them!! The way it works is you go to this link....and then read all the info...hit the donate now button and chose your donation. Let's face it people, times are tough and if you can help out with a $5 donation, why not??!! So, you want me to shut up and show you the goodies....here they are!! My set includes an altered tin, some dividers to keep your stuff separated(I keep cards in one I own and the dividers separate out the happy birthday from the thinking of you, and so on), an altered notebook, and 6 cards made by me(2 HB, 2 ToY, and 2 TY) including envelopes. Before you all start to ask, the paper is 3 bugs in a Rug and I actually found some last night at Scrapbook.com thanks to some wonderful person on SCS, thanks again Tina!!

Okay, now onto some more fun stuff!! This is the card that I made for Holly's(Toy) sketch challenge today for the Dare to Get Dirty challenges. I used my Cuddle Me Sophia and paper pieced her dress with some Tangerine Tango cardstock that had been run through the Cuttlebug with my Swiss Dots Folder. I then colored the dots with my white gel pen...before you ask, yes I tried to do the dots by hand, but they just looked weird, so I had to do it this way!! I colored the rest of her with my SU markers. Just this morning I saw where Christie had colored Sophia's bear pink, and I LOVED it, so I decided to go outside my norm and color her pink...and I still love it!! Before you ask, yes, this card is as heavy as it looks!! I think it has been all these challenge this week that have limited my creativity, with a sketch I can do whatever I want, right, RIGHT!! The colors on this are Tangerine Tango, Pink Pirouette, and Pixie Pink. The Dp is from My Mind's Eye and the charm(is that what you call it) is from Queen&Co.. The rest is pretty easy to figure out I think!! I am off to try my hand at Sharon's(notimetostamp) stamp simply challenge....probably not gonna be easy!! Go figure(says the girl who just put 11 brads on one card)!!

stamps-Cuddle Me

paper-Tangerine Tango, Pink Pirouette, Pixie Pink, Whisper White and My Mind's Eye DP

ink- Black Stazon

tools-silver brads, pink satin ribbon, photo corners punch, Cuttlebug, Swiss Dots, Oval Nesties, SU markers, Primas, Queen&Co. brad charm

Finally, some RAK's

I have had some of these for a few days....so I think it is way past time to share them!! This first card came to me from Lesa(okcapitolgirl). She sent it along with a Studio G clear stamp set and some yummy ribbon. Thanks Lesa!!

This next card came from Cindy(onehappystamper)!! Isn't it gorgeous!! I love the bright colors and the hardware!! I am still kicking myself for not getting this set from the mini catalog!! Thanks Cindy, I love it!!

My next card came from Charmaine(charmwarm). Isn't it awesome!! She does such beautiful work, and I love the scene she created here. I can remember loving this card when I first saw it, so I am super excited to get to keep it forever!!LOL!!

And last but not least I recieved not one but TWO sets from my dear friend Carolina!! Carolina is not only a great friend, but she is a FABULOUS person. Not only did she send both of these sets to me, she also sent a DVD that she used to use with her nephew Gaven and she sent my new nephew Jared some onsies, sock and this GORGEOUS tin that I TOTALLY need to get a picture of. It is amazing!! Thanks for being such a good friend to me Carolina!!

Some Tags and Awards

Okay, so I am probably the worst person in the world to tag or give an award too!! I just spent the last 20mins going through my blog posts looking for all the awards I have been given so that I can post them!! I only found a few, so if you tagged me, and I didn't get to it, I am so sorry(don't think I don't appreciate it, I am just an airhead)!! The first award was given to me by Joan. It is the Stempel award. I am so honored that she would think of me for this award!! Thanks so much Joan, sorry it took me so long to post!!


The next award I received from Jackie Pedro and Vickie Waugh. It is the Brillante Award. The rules for this award are:
1. The winner can put the logo on his/her blog.
2. Link to the person you received your award from.
3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs.
4. Put links to those blogs on yours.
5. Leave a message on the blogs of the people you have nominated.
Thanks so much girls...truly you both rock!!
The last was actually a tag from Donna, and it was to list 7 random things about myself. I have done this twice, so I am gonna try to come up with 7 new things...

1. I have two tattoos-people are usually shocked to hear this, but I feel it is just another way to express yourself artistically. For those of you that are curious, I have a frog on my shoulder blade and a sun and moon on my hip.
2. My ears are pierced-4 on one ear, 2 on the other. My mom got my ears pierced the first time when I was 4, she says you could hear me screaming from one end of the mall to the other!!
3. My husband and I have 9 dogs.....I have one the rest are his for hunting.
4. I got married the day before my birthday because I was terrified of turning 26 and not being married...weird right??
5. I love to send out RAK's(maybe not random, but totally true). In the last week or two I have sent out 30+.
6. I am terrified of all bugs....all of them....
7. I can't read the same book twice...I can watch the same movie 100 times, but never once have I been able to read a book for the second time.
Okay, so here's the deal...I am supposed to nominate people for all of these awards, but knowing me, I will forget to tell them so I am going to nominate EVERYONE.....you all are the reason I keep coming back and posting so it is appropriate!! If it weren't for all your encouragement, I would have hung it up a long time ago, so thank you!!
Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!! I will be back in a few with a post of all the FAB RAK's I have received!!

Day Three

Day Three of the Dare to Get Dirty challenges are underway and the first one I did was for Lauren's monochromatic challenge. I also used the SCS sketch for today. I colored my Inky Antics turtle with my SU markers and added then colored and cut out the cupcakes separate. I popped them up for a little dimension too. My colors are Always Artichoke and Certainly Celery. The white panel was run through my Cuttlebug with the Spots and Dots folder. The paper is from SU and the ribbon is some I got from a share with Jody Morrow. Can you tell I am loving my new scallop punch!! That thing makes it so easy to scallop EVERYTHING!!
stamps-Inky Antics
paper-Always Artichoke, Certainly Celery, Whisper White
ink-Black Stazon
tools-Oval Punch, spiral clips, ribbon, scallop punch, SU markers

My next card was for Jenn's inspiration challenge. I stamped my branch from Garden Silhouettes in Celery and then went over the stems with a black marker. The ribbon is more that I got from a share with Jody. I ran the black piece through my Cuttlebug with the Textile folder to give it some drama!!
That is all for me now, I will be back later to add links and details, I am running late!!
stamps-Garden Silhouettes
paper-Basic Black, Certainly Celery, Whisper White
ink-Certainly Celery and Black Stazon
tools-celery ribbon, textile folder, Cuttlebug, SU markers, scallop punch

Prettie Wednesday-One Embellishment

When I saw Charmaine's challenge two weeks ago, something inside of me cringed...ONLY ONE EMBELLISHMENT...say it ain't so Charmaine!!! Okay, so I am dying to add some brads or spiral clips to this, but I picked the prettiest, shiniest ribbon I could out of my stash to make myself fell better...it is a sickness. I used Danielles sketch challenge from last week and my never before used set, Sweets For the Sweet from Paper Pretties. I love this set, so I can't quite figure out why I haven't used it, but I have now so all is good. I stamped the pie on Very Vanilla and colored it with my SU markers. I then put crystal effects on the pie pan AFTER I cut it out with my nesties(along with the layers). The paper is some from SU Apple Cider paper. This is on it's way to Charmaine so I hope she likes it. Jodi is today's challenger and I can't wait to see what she has in store for us!! Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!! Don't forget to enter the Paper Pretties Cutie Pie contest!!

stamps-Sweets For The Sweet

paper-Very Vanilla, Apple Cider DSP,Really Rust, Close to Cocoa, and Chocolate Chip

ink-Black Stazon and Chocolate Chip

tools-Cuttlebug, oval punch, nesties, satin ribbon, SU markers

Day Two-More Challenges

Hello Everyone!! Before I get to my challenge cards, an announcement....Paper Pretties is having another Cutie Pie contest!!!
How would you like to be Paper Pretties Cutie Pie? I thought you would!! All you have to do is make a card using your Paper Pretties stamps and send it to Christie at christie@paperpretties.net, and she will chose a winner from the entries. Besides getting to call yourself a Cutie Pie, you will also get all the stamps from this release for free!! You have until July 31st at 8pmCST to get your entries in!! Good luck!!
Okay, now on to the cards!! I am back some more challenge cards from this weeks Dare To Get Dirty challenges. If you want more info on these, you can get it here. My first card is for the SCS color challenge and Christine(Christinecreations) challenge to watercolor. I stamped my Cuddle Me Sophia from Paper Pretties on watercolor paper and colored it with my aqua painters and re-inkers. The colors are Soft Sky, River Rock and Very Vanilla. I used Soft Sky DSP and SS and River Rock ribbon. The hardware is from the aged copper hardware from SU. For the sentiment, I used a rub on from the Love and Happiness set that was a sellabration set for SU.
Stamps-Cuddle Me Sophia
Paper-Watercolor, Soft Sky, River Rock and Very Vanilla
Ink-Black Stazon, re-inkers-Soft Sky, River Rock, Blush Blossom, and Barely Banana
Tools-hardware, aqua painter, stitched ribbon, scalloped edge punch
My next card was for Michelle(s49erfan)’s masculine challenge. I have such a hard time with masculine cards so I really tried to follow the helpful tips that Michelle gave us. I stamped my truck from Classic Pickups with Black Stazon and colored it with my SU markers. I then layered it with Ruby Red and Creamy Carmel. The background was stamped with the Weathered background stamp from SU in Creamy Carmel, then all the edges were sponged. I added some twill tape with some aged copper hardware. The card base is Whisper White, Ruby Red, Creamy Carmel and Close to Cocoa.
Stamps-Classic Pickups and Weathered
Paper- Whisper White, Ruby Red, Creamy Carmel and Close to Cocoa
Ink-Black Stazon
Tools-aged copper hardware, SU markers, twill tape
My last card was for JulieHRR’s challenge to make a white based card. As you all know, I have layering issues…so cards like this are a total challenge for me….but I LOVE MY CARD!! Yayyy!! The base is Whisper White with the bride from She’s All That stamped on it. I stamped the flowers separately in Real Red and cut them out. I added some black and red organdy and some red brads. The scallops were made with my SU scalloped edge punch. I did one layer in white, and then added a black layer underneath for some drama. Well, that is all for me today…Hope you have a great day and thanks for stopping by!!
Stamps-She’s All That
Paper-Whisper White and Basic Black
Ink-Black Stazon and Real Red
Tools-Black Organdy, Red Organdy and brads, scalloped punch

A Few Challenges For You!!

Since I don’t participate in nearly enough challenges, hehe, I decided that I would try to participate in all the Dare to Get Dirty challenges this week. Two challenges were posted today. The first one was posted by Jody Morrow(texasjodylynn), and SURPRISINGLY, her challenge was a ribbon challenge…LOL!! I have the hardest time working with patterned ribbon, but I do love it, so I decided to close my eyes, reach in my embellishment box and pick one randomly. I came out with this ribbon from American Crafts. I used it to inspire the colors of my card. I also decided to play in the My Favorite Things sketch challenge, so I used that sketch on my card too. I stamped my Peppermint image by MFT with Black Stazon on white cardstock. I colored it in with my SU markers and then cut it out. I made the cirles using my Nesties. I layered it with Chocolate Chip and added some silver brads. The other colors on my card are Pretty in Pink and Garden Green.
Stamps-Peppermint and Essential Sentiments by MFT
Paper-Pretty in Pink, Garden Green, and Chocolate Chip
Ink-Black Stazon
Tools-oval punches, SU markers, brads, Cuttlebug, Nesties, American Crafts ribbon, Swiss Dots folder, spiral clip
My next card was made for three challenges(go me!!). The first(and I feel like I owe her a HUGE apology) was for the Featured Stamper challenge from last week. Stephanie Hargis was the featured stamper and I just adore her and her work!!! I can’t believe I didn’t play last week, but hopefully she will forgive me now!! The second challenge was for the Dare To Get Dirty challenge posted by Laurie(lauraly), and it was to use vellum. The third challenge was for the Paper Pretties Weekly Challenge to use Brocade Blue, Sage Shadow, Very Vanilla and Close to Cocoa. If you haven’t played in Danielles challenges, you really should!! They are awesome, and if your card gets chosen you win a PRIZE. Check out the Paper Pretties home page for more details!! Anyway, I ran my vellum through the Cuttlebug with my Paisley folder. I layered it on Very Vanilla with two strips of Close To Cocoa DSP. I then adhered it using silver brads and tied some hemp twine around it. The main image is by Paper Pretties and it is the August stamp of the month, which means you have until 11:59pm on the 31st of July to sign up and get this stamp a month before it is released to the public. How cool is that!!( Just be sure to tell them I sent you!!) I colored her in with my SU markers and sponged the edges to soften it up. I added a spiral clip with some grosgrain ribbon on it to add a little more to the card. Okay, well that is it for me for today(I think)!! I am off to stamp some more!! Thanks for stopping by yet again, and I hope you have a FABULOUS day!! Oh, and if you want more info on the Dare to Get Dirty challenges-check this out!!
Stamps-Howdy Girlfriend
Paper-Brocade Blue, Close to Cocoa, Very Vanilla, Sage Shadow
Ink-Black Stazon and Close to Cocoa
Tools-SU markers, spiral clip, grosgrain ribbon, silver brads, hemp twine, Cuttlebug, paisley folder

Featured Stamper- Susiestampalot

I was so excited when I saw this weeks Featured Stamper on SCS. I had the pleasure of meeting Susan when I went to that shoebox swap in Arlington, TX. , and she is a fantastically talented stamper and super sweet and funny to boot!! I had this card done last night, but was to tired to post it and then when I got up this morning I realized that I used the wrong color ribbon….duhhh. See what 5 screaming girls will do to your brain!!LOL!!! I decided to go ahead and post it, because I still love it, even if the ribbon is wrong. I choose this card of Susan’s to CASE. My main image is from the Whipper Snapper set Posies For You. I stamped them with Black Stazon on Whisper White and colored them in with my SU markers. I cut it and it’s layers out with my circle Nesties. The colors I used were More Mustard and the new SU color Riding Hood Red. The DP is from the East Coast Prep DSP and it is layered with RHR, WW, and Baja Breeze. I did the faux stitching with my white gel pen and paper piercing tool. The ribbon is Pumpkin Pie striped from SU, and yes, I still don’t know what I was thinking!! I am off to check out all the challenges on SCS!! Thanks for looking and have a great day!
Stamps-Posies For You
Paper-Riding Hood Red, Baja Breeze, More Mustard, Whisper White, and East Coast Prep DSP
Ink- Black Stazon
Tools-white gel pen, Cuttlebug, Nesties, Pumpkin striped ribbon, SU markers

And now, some pictures of my nieces...no wonder I am so tired!! It took 30 photos to finally get a couple of good ones, and as you can see, they were having fun. The picture of just the two girls are my nieces Katie and Maddie, aren't they cute!!