My Favorite Things

Me Again...

Hi-ya.  Me again.  Back with post #3 for today.  Makin' up for lost time, I guess.  Haha.  I wanted to be sure and share a card with you today, besides the card drive and color challenge posts, so here you are.....a cheery little anniversary card.  This one is 5" x 5".  I'm liking square cards these days.  So fun!  

This one has a flower and leaf image from Beautiful Blooms, that I stamped and cut out, and I also stamped teeny dots from the Polka Dot Basics II stamp set on aqua mist and punched out a 1/2" circle to make the flower's center.  The sentiment is from Heart Prints.  The patterned papers are from the Bitty Dot Basics and In Bloom collections.  Thankfully, the bobbin in my sewing machine had just enough ribbon left on it to sew the zig zag stitch across the top of this card.  Gonna have to rethread that puppy before I can sew on any more cards!  :)

We had a great weekend together, Bartley and I.  And on Saturday night, we went and picked up my Grandma and brought her over to our house for the evening.  Had such a great time....Bart grilled up some chicken breasts for dinner and we ate out on the deck and played UNO for quite awhile after dinner, while we drank coffee and enjoyed the great outdoors. I'm lovin' this weather we've been having.  

Hope you had a good weekend too!  I'll chat atchya tomorrow!

{Happy Anniversary supplies}

Paper: aqua mist, rustic cream, In Bloom, Bitty Dot Basics

Stamps: Beautiful Blooms, Heart Prints, Polka Dot Basics II 

Ink: dark chocolate, berry sorbet, aqua mist

Other: rustic cream button twine, rustic wood button, EK Success embossed curve punch, sewing machine/thread

Raspberry Suite Color Challenge #16

Hey there.....me again with post #2 for today.  :)  

Thought we should do another color challenge!  It's been unseasonably cool here and it definitely feels like fall is in the air.  It may not be quite here yet, but there is an unmistakable chill outside in the mornings and evenings that makes me excited for the upcoming fall season.  There's just something so heart-warming about big pots of soup and cozy movie nights with a roaring fire in the fireplace, warm sweaters and fun socks, chili and fresh baked brownies.......mmmm.  It's with all of that in mind that I decided we'd have a bit of a fall-inspired selection of colors for this week's challenge.  I have a pretty big collection of antique wooden spools so I decided to use a few of them in this week's photo, since they've got such great chocolate and kraft colors!  And I snuck in another one of my McCoy pieces....the sweet little creamy vase.

I will be using Papertrey's summer sunrise, dark chocolate, kraft and vintage cream, but you can feel free to use whatever brand of products you have on hand.  Just be sure that the orange-gold color is just that -- a bright, goldenrod type color.  It's not exactly orange and it's not exactly gold!  You can check out the Papertrey website for another look at summer sunrise, just to make sure you know what color I'm going for here.  :)

AND, I'm happy to report that I'm giving you an extra long deadline on this one, so that you can work on it over Labor Day weekend (in the US) this coming weekend, if you'd like!  ;)  See the deadline date below.....you've got a whole week!

Happy crafting, Dearies!  Can't wait to see what you do with this week's colors!!

Enjoy!

Color Challenge deets:
Create a card or other project, upload a photo of your card to your blog or online gallery & then come back here to post the link to your photo in the Mister Linky box below.  Don't leave your links in the comments section but feel free to leave me a comment after you've posted your link in Mister Linky.  You know I love hearing from you!

Also, be sure that the link you're posting is the direct link to your card!  Please don't leave your blog's url, but rather, the link to your specific post that shows us your card. 

Feel free to use the graphic I've created above, however you DON'T want to copy and paste the image!  Just SAVE the image to your computer and then upload the image to your blog post, as though it is a photo from your own computer.  Make sense?

Don't have a blog but still want to participate??  Don't worry!  You don't have to have a blog!  You are more than welcome to upload your card to an online gallery of your choice  (i.e. www.splitcoaststampers.com,  www.papertreyink.com,  www.twopeasinabucket.com, etc.) and then use the url for your photo in your gallery as the link that you post in Mister Linky.

Challenge ends Monday, September 7 at 9pm CST.

A Sweet Card Drive

Hi All!  Happy Monday to you!  I'll be back in a bit with another post or maybe even two for today, but I wanted to share this with you asap.  

This adorable little dolly is Kate and I first heard about her story when my dear friend Jennifer McGuire tweeted about her on Twitter.  Kate is 5 years old and she's fighting cancer and you can read all about her story at www.prayforkate.com.  Jennifer has decided to do a card drive for little Kate and her family as a way of encouraging them thru this awful challenge they're facing.  If you would like to send a card to Kate or any member of her family, please read all the details on Jennifer's blog about how to send them.  Jennifer is asking that all the cards be sent to her in time to arrive by Oct. 1 which is still a month away!

Mostly, would you join with me in praying for Kate's healing and for her family as they deal with the struggles of chemo (and the chemo making Kate sick) and hospitals and tests and all the stress that is involved with treating such a horrible disease?  I know that her family would ask for your prayers first and foremost, knowing that God holds them all in the palm of His hand and He is certainly able to do great and mighty things...even in Kate's sweet little body.

Thank you so much, dear friends.

  

In the Spotlight #15

Happy Saturday to you!!  It's been a busy week around here, which is why I'm a bit behind on updating the blog-o!  I've gotten lots of design work done this week though, which has been great.  Productivity, especially when it's of the creative sort, feels awesome, doesn't it?!  :) 

So, for today's card I decided to use some Hero Arts stamps.....do you have any of these sets?  So fun!  The butterflies (which are just SO pretty) are from the Artistic Butterflies wood stamp set.  I stamped the background pattern using a tiny flourish from the Clear Design Fancy Scrolls set and the sentiment is from the Clear Design Frames & Messages set.  Don't you just love how juicy these colors are?  Mmmmm.....

And now, how about if we check out who's In the Spotlight this week!

A. Anabelle O'Malley

B. Ange Kelly

C. Ashley Cannon Newell

D. Dawn W.

E. Jennie

F. Jessica

G. Julie Lacey

H. Kristie Larson

I. Leigh Ann Baird

J. Mariana Grigsby

K. Melissa Bickford

L. Natasha

M. Tiffany Heilman

N. Tiffany Johnson

O. Yuki

Thanks to all of you who played along this week.....you are what makes this so fun!  We're off to have some yummo BBQ for lunch (I've saved up some calories this week!) and we're having Grandma over for dinner -- Bart's gonna cook out and I think we'll be able to eat out on the deck tonight.  Love that!  Tomorrow I'm singing on the worship team at church so we'll be gone for awhile in the morning.  We have two morning services so I'll be singing at both of them.  Hope you have a great weekend, Peeps!

{You Are the Best supplies}

Paper: vintage cream, spring moss, hibiscus burst, melon berry

Stamps: Hero Arts: Artistic Butterflies wood stamp set, Clear Design Fancy Scrolls, Clear Design Frames & Messages

Ink: spring moss, hibiscus burst, melon berry

Other: spring moss topnotch twill ribbon, Hero Arts gemstones, Fiskars apron lace punch, EK Success diamond lace punch

Butterflies on Parade!

Hi there and happy Wednesday to you!  Thought I'd take a quick break from some designs I'm working on, to share a lovey-dovey card with you.  These Amy Butler butterflies have been hangin' out on my desk for quite awhile now, just waiting for the perfect card to put them on.  I had so much fun pairing them up with a sentiment and pattern from Damask Designs and Papertrey's pure poppy and sweet blush card stock, ribbon and buttons.  I love how the Damask pattern works so well with these sweet little butterflies.

I layered the top butterfly on a red butterfly I'd die cut using Stampin' Up!'s Bigz Butterflies die.  And the pure poppy vintage buttons threaded with rustic cream button twine were the perfect touches to finish off my little butterflies, don't you think?  :)  Goodness, but I love Papertrey's buttons!

So, how's your week going?  Are you getting any crafty time this week?  Are your kiddos back to school?  Are you settling into a new fall routine now?

Hope all is well.  I'll chat with you soon, Dearies!  It's back design work for me.  Ooh, I'll be adding some more cards to my Etsy Shop too so feel free to stop by and check 'em out!

{I Love You supplies}

Paper: sweet blush, pure poppy, vintage cream

Stamps: Damask Designs

Ink: pure poppy

Other: pure poppy vintage buttons, rustic cream button twine, sweet blush luxe satin ribbon, Fiskars apron lace punch, SU! Bigz Butterflies die

With Sympathy

Hi there,

I thought I'd share this little sympathy card with you today.  I know sometimes sympathy cards can be kind of challenging but with a little thought, they don't have to be too tough.  I usually try to keep the sentiment simple so I can write my own message inside the card....this one came from Mega Mixed Messages.  As for images, I often gravitate to flowers for sympathy cards -- and who doesn't have at least one flower set in her stamping arsenal, right?!  I generally like to use colors that are soft and serene, without being drab and depressing.  I think purple is one of those colors that fits that bill just perfectly! 

For today's card, I stamped a great big flourish on the plum pudding bitty box basics that peeks out just a bit from around the flower's edges.  Then I used flower images from the In Bloom stamp set, stamping them in plum pudding ink on lavender moon card stock.  I used spring moss ink & card stock for the leaves.  (This card is 5"x5".)  I just love the impact that these larger flowers have on a card front.  It's a snap to put together a beautiful sympathy card when you have great images like these to work with!

Chat atchya tomorrow, Crew!

{With Sympathy supplies}

Paper: vintage cream, plum pudding, spring moss, bitty box basics

Stamps: In Bloom, Mega Mixed Messages, Fancy Flourishes

Ink: plum pudding, spring moss

Other: plum pudding classic grosgrain ribbon, plum pudding vintage button, rustic cream button twine, Palette glitter, SU! scallop edge punch

Just Sayin' Hey....

Hi-ya Kids.... 

Gonna keep this short and sweet this evening.  I've been busy today with errands and design work but I squeezed in a bit of time in the studio to make a card to share with you.  This one uses Heart Prints and Polka Dot Basics II as well as some bits and pieces that were laying around my desk.  :)

Hope your week is getting off to a great start!  I'm hoping to accomplish a lot this week.....wish me luck!  Hee.

{Love You Forever supplies}

Paper: raspberry fizz, aqua mist, dark chocolate, vintage cream

Stamps: Heart Prints, Polka Dot Basics II

Ink: dark chocolate, aqua mist, raspberry fizz, fresh snow, vintage touch tea dye

Other: dark chocolate vintage buttons, SU! top note die, Fiskars apron lace punch

It's A Beautiful Day.....

Hi-ya!  It's seriously gorgeous here in Kansas and it has been all weekend!  Friday night, we enjoyed dinner with friends out on our neighbors' patio.  Last night, Bart and I (and Riley boy) soaked up some more of the great outdoors and had dinner out on our deck and I'm thinking we might just do the same thing tonight!  The temps are absolutely perfect, the skies are blue and the sun is shining.  Ahhh.....What's the weather like where you are this weekend?  Is it warm and sunny like here?  Is it rainy and gloomy?  Or are you enjoying your winter season on the other side of the globe?  (Hi Aussies and New Zealanders!!)  ;)

All right, on to today's card.  It's just a sweet little baby boy card.  I used a few stamp sets on this one.  Obviously Polka Dot Basics II, and then I pulled out Men of Life for the cute sailboat and the sentiment is from Mega Mixed Messages.  And, I used my upper crest punch from Fiskars on that new leaf (green) card stock.....I like the sort of 'waves' look it has when positioned under the sailboat!

I have a couple more book recommendations for you before I go.  Remember when I told you about reading A Promise To Believe In by Tracie Peterson and how much I liked it?  

Well, I just finished the other two books in the series and they were every bit as good as the first one.  Loved them a lot!  The series is about 3 sisters back in the 1880's and the trials and dangers they face and the love they find as they run their stagecoach stop.  Each book focuses primarily on one sister, but the story of them all is continued thru all 3 books.....I just love that.  But it means you'll want to read them in order.  ;)

Book 2 - A Love to Last Forever

Book 3 - A Dream to Call My Own

That's it for today, Friends.  Hope you're enjoying your weekend!

Smooches!

{Baby supplies}

Paper: rustic cream, vintage cream, dark chocolate, aqua mist, new leaf

Stamps: Men of Life, Mega Mixed Messages, Polka Dot Basics II

Ink: aqua mist, dark chocolate, new leaf

Other: rustic jute button twine, rustic wood button, upper crest punch-Fiskars, sewing machine/thread

Raspberry Suite Color Challenge #15

Hi there!  Time again for another Raspberry Suite color challenge!  Are these colors JUICY or what?!  Oooh, they make me happy just lookin' at 'em.  I'll be using Papertrey's Melon Berry (the orangy color), Hibiscus Burst, Spring Moss and Vintage Cream but you can feel free to use whatever brand of crafting goodies you have on hand.  A couple of things to keep in mind when you're selecting your colors though.....the melon color is not plain old peach.  It's a bit of an orangy peach so we're not talking pastels here.  The 'medium pink' is not a light pink and not a hot pink.....it's in between the two.  (That's where the 'medium' comes in.)  Hee.  Think, almost a bubble gum pink.  And the moss color is a soft green with a bit of yellow in it.  Make sense?  Oh, and the cream is not white.  It's a vanilla or cream color!  Hope those descriptions help you out a bit as you select your colors for this week's project!  I know sometimes with different computer monitors it makes it hard to tell just what the colors are supposed to be.  ;)

Anyway, I can't wait to see what you come up with using these cheery, fruity colors!!  My fingers are just itching to create something myself, using them!  Happy crafting, dear ones!

P.S.  Please read thru the directions below and make sure you're posting your links correctly -- there were several links last week to blogs, rather than specific posts.  It takes a lot longer for me (and everyone else wanting to see your card) to scroll thru newer posts to find your challenge card!  :)  Thanks, Girlies!  

Color Challenge deets:
Create a card or other project, upload a photo of your card to your blog or online gallery & then come back here to post the link to your photo in the Mister Linky box below.  Don't leave your links in the comments section but feel free to leave me a comment after you've posted your link in Mister Linky.  You know I love hearing from you!

Also, be sure that the link you're posting is the direct link to your card!  Please don't leave your blog's url, but rather, the link to your specific post that shows us your card. 

Feel free to use the graphic I've created above, however you DON'T want to copy and paste the image!  Just SAVE the image to your computer and then upload the image to your blog post, as though it is a photo from your own computer.  Make sense?

Don't have a blog but still want to participate??  Don't worry!  You don't have to have a blog!  You are more than welcome to upload your card to an online gallery of your choice  (i.e. www.splitcoaststampers.com,  www.papertreyink.com,  www.twopeasinabucket.com, etc.) and then use the url for your photo in your gallery as the link that you post in Mister Linky.

Challenge ends Thursday, August 27 at 9pm CST.

Happy Friday, Friends!

Hi there!  It's Friday......can I get a WA-HOOOOO?!!  :)  Don't you just love weekends?  I hope that this weekend, you'll get a bit of time to have some fun, to enjoy your friends and family and that most of all, you'll get to REST a bit.  We don't take enough time to rest these days, do we?  

I have a cheery little card to share with you.  I seem to be on a shabby chic kick.  I'm loving using my vintage touch tea dye inks on the edges of all my little bits of card stock.  So fun and EASY, you know?  You just drag the special little stamp pad around the edges of the papers!

I used more of those teeny-tiny dots from Polka Dot Basics II, but I stamped them in dark chocolate ink on dark chocolate card stock.  I just wanted a subtle background and I LOVE how it turned out.  Then I busted out some oldie-but-goodie stamp sets -- Beautiful Blooms and the sentiment is from Spiral Bouquet.  I {heart} that swirly, scripty font.  Sigh.

I stamped the flowers in berry sorbet ink with a dark chocolate border and stamped the leaves in dark chocolate as well.  I cut everything out and then went over each one with the Chamomile tea dye ink and added berry sorbet vintage buttons to the centers of the flowers with mini glue dots.

I hope that you have a FAB weekend!  Ours is looking to be fairly low-key which is awesome.  Dinner with friends tonight and church on Sunday are the only two things on the agenda.  Perfect!

Take care, Dearies!

{With Gratitude supplies}

Paper: berry sorbet, dark chocolate, kraft, vintage cream

Stamps: Beautiful Blooms, Spiral Bouquet, Polka Dot Basics II

Ink: dark chocolate, berry sorbet, vintage touch tea dye

Other: EK Success embossed curve punch, sewing machine/thread, berry sorbet vintage buttons