Rejoice!

The weekend is getting closer! Haha! My FIL is coming tomorrow to go camping with us this weekend so I've been working on a couple of cards for him to pick from for his Christmas cards this year. I'm sharing one of those tonight with you. This is the one my husband liked the best. It's not my favorite but it was fairly easy to make and I could easily mass produce these.

The dies are from Technique Tuesday's Nativity. The background for the dies is a shiny gold die cut from MFT Stitched Circles. The card base is red card stock. The sentiment is from Technique Tuesday Christ is Born stamp set. The sentiment is heat embossed with black embossing powder. I'm going to have Dad pick his card so I can take stuff along to work on it while we are camping this weekend.
I am entering these challenges:

• Rudolph Days: anything goes Christmas
• Crafty Hazelnut Christmas: anything goes
• Merry Christmas challenge: anything goes
• Simon Says Wednesday challenge: anything goes
• Hiding in my craft Room: any holiday

This is probably my last card for the month of September. We'll be taking our new camper out for our "maiden voyage." I won;t have any Internet this weekend so I won't be able to check in. Hope you all have a wonderful weekend. Here's a picture of the new trailer.

We are excited to finally get to try it out. I'm sure there will be things that we forget but we'll deal with it as it comes. Thanks for stopping by. See ya'll next week.

Donna

We Have a Birthday

How has your week started out? I hope very well. Mine has been busy so far. I'm feeling a little better today but I'm still blowing my nose and coughing. Not my idea of fun. I did manage to get a card done today even after a lot of hours volunteering today.

This birthday card uses MFT Space Explorer stamps and coordinating dies. I used Tim Holtz watercolor paper for the background. and layered distress oxide inks to make the space look: peacock feathers, twisted citron, picked raspberry and black soot. I used the same colors for the balloons except the black soot. The stars and astronaut are colored with Copic and Spectrum Noir markers. I finished the images off by using a white gel pen for embellishments. The sentiment is from the same set, heat embossed with white embossing powder on black card stock and die cut with MFT Pierced Fishtail Flags. Love how this turned out! I am entering these challenges:

• MFT Sketch Challenge: sketch 
  
• The Outlawz Friday challenge: birthday
• QKR Stampede: anything goes
• Crafting by Designs: you're the man
• Penny's Paper-Crafty: anything goes

Hope your week is off to a wonderful start. It rained all day today and it looks like rain for the next two days. We need the rain but I do like sunny days. I am off to bed and hope that I actually sleep tonight. Thanks for stopping by. Make it a wonderful week!

Donna

Happy Fall

Fall has finally arrived both on the calendar and in the air. Our temperatures today are 30 degrees cooler than yesterday. And no more 90 degree weather in the forecast so far. I'm thrilled! I am ready for fall. Next weekend we'll be taking our maiden voyage in our new travel trailer. Just a short trip to try things out and see what we are missing as far as supplies go. So I am looking forward to that. My card today reflects the fall season.

The image is called Ms. Scarecrow with Squirrels and is from Createful Heart Design. This is the freebie image this month at The Outlawz. I colored the image with American Craft markers and die cut it with MFT Stitched Square dies. The orange background piece is also cut with the MFT Stitched Squares. The designer paper is from Trimgym. The yellow card stock is embossed with the Victoria embossing folder. The sentiment is from Papercrafting.com. I am entering these challenges:

• Sketch Saturday: sketch 
  
• The Outlawz Progressive challenge: use Ms. Scarecrow with squirrels
• Createful Heart challenge: fall/autumn
• Crafty Friends: use fall colors
• 4 Crafty Chicks: tic tac toe (red, flowers, kraft)
  
• Crafty Sentiments Designs: fall colors

We had the twins today for several hours. Took them to the park to swing, their favorite pastime.  Then took them to lunch and to our house for a nap and then some play time before we delivered them back home to Mom and Dad. A great time had by all. Thanks for stopping by. Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Donna

Birthday Flowers for a Birthday Girl

Almost the weekend. I was supposed to volunteer today but too sick to do that. I am sure they wouldn't have appreciated my coughing, sneezing and blowing my nose all the time. I'm going to go to bed early tonight in hopes that I feel better tomorrow. I have to go to the award ceremony for the Senior Salute. I haven't had a lot of ambition to do anything today. But I managed a very simple card that isn't quite up to my usual standards. Given my handicap this week, I'll live with it.

The image is from Bugaboo called Flower Box. I colored the image with distress inks mixed with  champagne shimmer paint from Stampin' Up. In real life the flowers, leaves and butterflies really sparkle. I sponged a background using distress inks and MFT Mini Cloud Edge Stencil. The background paper is from the Paper Studio. The flourish is from MFT Fancy Flourish die. I die cut the image with MFT Inside and Out Stitched Rounded Squares. The sentiment is from MFT Birthday Cutie stamp set. I finished it off with more sparkly gems in the right top corner. I am entering these challenges:

• Tuesday Morning Sketch challenge: sketch 
  
• Catch the Bug: Bingo challenge (bottom row: sentiment, sparkle, Bugaboo image)
  
• The Outlawz Twisted Thursday challenge: in the garden
• Scribbles Designs: pick a patterned paper
• Lil Patch of Crafty Friends: anything goes
• A Bit More Time to Craft: anything goes

I am off to get ready for bed. Definitely an early to bed night! Hope you have a wonderful weekend. Take care!

Donna

Impossible Card

The week hasn't started out too well for me. Not sure what I've come down with but it's keeping me close to home and this was supposed to be my busy week this week. Just achy and blowing my nose a lot. I did manage to get a card done this evening so this should be a quick post and then to bed I go!

Beccy from Beccy's Place posted a fun tutorial for an Impossible Card, so I thought I would try it out. I used Berry Wreath by Beccy (wasn't able to find it on the web site to link) and I added a sentiment in the center from Create with TLC. The wreath is fussy cut and then popped up from the background paper. The background paper is from American Craft and Decosse's Dynamite Doodles. The sentiment on the striped paper is from Beccy's Dasher and Dancer stamp set. For embellishment I use a Zva gems (stalk and leaves). I am entering these challenges.

• Beccy's Place September challenge: fancy folds
• Simon Says Wednesday challenge: Pop it up
• Merry Christmas challenge: anything goes Christmas
• Crafty Hazelnut Christmas: anything goes
• Through the Craft Room Door: anything goes
• The Outlawz Festive Friday challenge: Christmas

Yesterday I finished making sauce out of the rest of our garden tomatoes. Tonight we finished off the hot peppers by making hot sauce. So now I;m going to take my sneezing nose to bed and hope that tomorrow is a better day. Take care!

Donna

It's Dueling Time

The 15th is the Dueling Darlings Day. Hello to all my dueling sisters. This month the Dazzlers' hostess was Debby and the Diva's hostess was Suzy. I am a Dazzler so thanks to Debby for the awesome cute kit that she sent. This month the theme is sunflowers.

In our kit we had: Hammock Hibernation Stampability Stamp; Inked with Memento Black ink' Designer paper from the Paper Studio (Hobby Lobby); and embellishments were from Deb's stash. I colored the image with Prismacolor pencils and mineral spirits. I added Glossy Accents to the middle of the sunflower and the bear's nose. I used the honeycomb designer paper, the polka dotted black ribbon and three of the black self-adhesive gems, Deb suggested that we use our favorite sentiments. I really tried to find a fall sentiment to go with this image but just didn't find anything that I liked. So I decided to make this a masculine birthday card and found this "Treat Yourself" sentiment in the Latte Love from Jillibean Soup stamp set. I heat embossed the sentiment with white embossing powder and die cut it with MFT Pierced Fishtail Flags. The image is de cut with Gina Marie Designs Cross Stitch Rectangles. I hope you'll check out the fun cards from the rest of the Dueling Darlings.

Dazzlers:
Darlene
Jeanette
Shelly
Terry A (Splitcoaststampers Gallery)
Terry L
Tracie
Debbie B (Splitcoaststampers Gallery)

I will be spending today with the twins and my DH. Today is my birthday and I'm sure we'll have a great time together. I always love spending time with the twins. Thanks for stopping by and hope you have a wonderful weekend! If you are in the southeast US please know that I am praying for your safety. 

Donna

Fall Blessings

This didn't post yesterday so I'm a little behind.
Happy Thursday! I haven't had a lot of crafty time the past couple days but the rest of this week is mostly clear so I am hoping that will change. I did finish a card last night that's been on my desk.

The image is a blended digital image. The mushrooms are from Pattie's Creations (the freebie for this month) and the little elf is from Birdie Brown (a designer for MFT). The background papers are Basic Grey Origins 6x6 pad. The card base is kraft. The sentiment is from my stash and I wrote the source as splendid printables but haven't been able to find it on the Internet. I used these dies: MFT Stitched circles (image) and sentiment (MFT Stitched Ovals). The sentiment is inked with Siced Marmalade distress oxide ink. The image and sentiment are popped up with foam tape.
I am entering these challenges:

• Pattie's Creations: fairytale/fantasy
• Simon Says Wednesday challenge: pop it up
• Tuesday Morning Sketches: sketch 
  
• Outlaws Festive Friday: anything goes
• If You Give a Crafter a Cookie: anything goes
• Cutie Pie challenge: shades of autumn

Thanks for stopping by. I hope to be back with some other creations soon. For those of you in southeast US, my prayers and thoughts are with you. I have family in the area so I'll be keeping tabs on the hurricane. Please be safe.

Donna

You Make Me Feel Special

If you frequent my blog, you will likely know that I volunteer for several organizations. But my favorite time of the week is the time I put in at Head Start with my twin grand twins . I usually go to their classroom every Wednesday morning and spend time with all the kids in the class. They make me feel like I'm doing something special and they leave me with a smile on my face for the rest of the day. Last week I got an email that said the teachers at Head Start had nominated me for an award that's given at the Senior Salute luncheon. I've never been to the luncheon before so this will be a new experience. I'll be presented with the award in two weeks at the luncheon. Tom is going with me and three of the teachers from Head Start will also be there. I am very honored that they would think I deserved this award. I think they are the unsung heroes working with these kids. At any rate, I wanted to have a card ready to send to Head Start thanking them for nominating me for the award. This is what I came up with.

Earlier this year I won a bunch of shaker card pouches from Jillibean Soup that had coordinating stamps and dies. This is the large flower shaker pouch and because I wanted to add the sentiment inside the shaker I didn't use the flower stamp outline. The leaves around the edges are from that stamp set (Flower Bloom). I tried using the smaller flower stamp in the lower right corner but didn't like the way it stamped so I switched to using AlteNew Heart Stamp set and coordinating dies. I inked them up with Mustard Seed and Bundled Sage distress inks and finally Memento Black ink. I don't make many shakers but I hope I'll use these shaker pouches a bit more often. They are kind of bulky to send through the mail so I'll probably keep these for hand delivered cards.
I am entering these challenges:

• CAS on Friday: flowers
• C.R.A.F.T. challenge: shaker card
• If You Give a Crafter a Cookie: anything goes
• The Outlawz Twisted Thursday challenge: 3 of something (flowers)
• Simon Says Wednesday challenge: stamp it for Stamptember
• The Flower challenge: anything goes

Hope your week is off to a great start. Looking forward to some crafty time this week I hope. We got to see our youngest son yesterday in Indianapolis. He was in the vicinity for a wedding so we drove up and had lunch with him and his lovely wife before he flew back to Boston. Those visits are too few and far between but it was great to see them. Thanks for stopping by.

Donna

Christmas Trio

I had time to play a little last night after mowing the lawn. We got it in before the start of the rain. As I was looking through a pile on my desk, (do you have piles like I do?) I found several Bugaboo Christmas image already colored and ready to go. So why not use them.

The image is Bugaboo's Christmas Trio Block. I'm pretty sure I used Copics to color this image.  I die cut the image with Gina Marie Cross Stitched Rectangles. I was following the Tuesday Morning Sketch design for this week.

So the sketch dictated some of my choices. I used the Laurel Leaf border punch to create the border under the image. The designer paper is from American Craft Christmas paper. I couldn't decide what I wanted to do with the little squiggles to the left but I finally decided to fashion this wreath out of Doodle Twine and found these wooden embellishments that I got eons ago from a Simon Says stamp kit. So the wreath ornaments and the embellishments bottom right are from that stamp kit. The sentiment is from Altenew Halftone Holidays. I stamped the sentiment with MFT Cherry Crisp Pigment ink and then embossed with clear embossing powder. But the red ink reacted with the green cardstock so it really looks black anyway. LOL! So I am entering these challenges:

• Tuesday Morning Sketches: sketch above
• Catch the Bug: anything goes
• Addicted to Stamps and More: holiday 
  
• Crafty Hazelnut Christmas challenge: anything goes
• The Outlawz Paper ala Mode: non-birthday celebration

Wishing you a happy Friday and a wonderfully relaxing weekend. We just found out that one of our sons is coming to the area for a wedding and we'll meet up with him in Indianapolis on Sunday for a brief visit before he flies back to Boston. I am really excited to get to see him. Thanks for stopping by. Take care!

Donna

We all Scream

This is post number 2 today. It's not very often that I get two cards completed in one day. I am enjoying this extra creating time. Sometimes after a season is over and I should be moving on to the next one, an idea will come to me for something that I should have done earlier. In this case it was a combination of a sketch and a sentiment. If you've hung around here for any length of time, you probably know that I am very into sketches and it's not very often that my cards don't start with a sketch. In this case, I should be moving on to fall but I am back with a summer card.

This is a one layer card that used double masking. The sentiment is from Create with TLC. The ice cream cone is from a retired Simon Says Ice Cream Dream kit (2014). I colored the ice cream cone with Spectrum Noir markers and added "chocolate chips" to make my mint chocolate chip cone. Yum! I created two masks: one for the cone and then a circle mask to add the background color. The background is my favorite Peacock Feathers Distress Oxide Ink. To cut the circle mask I used Spellbinder's Circle dies. A fun a very mailable card! I am entering these challenge:

• AAA Cards: sketch 
  
• Anything Goes with Create with TLC: use a Create with TLC element (sentiment)
• MFT Birthday Project: CAS
• Work it Wednesday: favorite stamping technique (masking) in celebration/birthday theme
• Simon Says Monday challenge: stamp it on
• The Outlawz Friday challenge: birthday

I did my errands this morning. Finished up a project for Opportunity House, where I volunteer. Waiting for the storms to roll through. If they hold off until after dinner I will try to get the grass cut. And maybe a little more creative time this evening. Now I am off to finish dinner. Thanks for stopping by. Hope you have a super end of your week!

Donna 

Happy Birthday to Ewe

Happy Thursday morning! Supposed to be another hot day today but slightly cooler (under 90). I am so ready for fall. Even if it means getting out jackets. Besides anniversaries in September, I also have lots of birthdays (including mine!) So it's birthday cards today.

The image is from Bugaboo Stamps called Circle Sentiments - Birthday Ewe. I colored the image with Copic markers and die cut with MFT Stitched Circles. I inked the edges with Salty Ocean Distress Oxide ink. I die cut 3 MFT Heart Balloons in the three colors that I used (blue, green and yellow) and then added Wink of Stella to give the balloons a sparkle and some white gel pen accents. Also drew in some strings for the balloons. The background paper is MFT Perfectly Plaid and I embellished with three enamel dots in the bottom left corner. I am entering these challenges:

• Catch the Bug: anything goes
• Feeling Sketchy: sketch 
  
• 2 Crafty Critter Crazies: use a critter
• The Outlawz Tuesday Color challenge: blue, green and yellow with a birthday theme
• Hiding in my Craft Room: pastels
• A Bit More Time to Craft: anything goes

I have a "free day" today. That doesn't happen often. So I'll run my errands and make dinner and maybe get some more play time in! Have to get moving on my FILs Christmas cards. Making 30 of them takes some time. Make it an awesome day!

Donna

Happy Anniversary

September is a month of anniversaries for our family so I need a few anniversary cards. I thought I'd work on one today.

I inked up the background with Distress Oxide Inks: picked Raspberry, Lucky Clover and Salty Ocean. It's difficult to see in the photo but I sprayed and then dropped water on the ink. When it was dry I Die cut the panel from the stitched panel die in MFT Blueprints 13 and mounted it on the black cardstock to make it pop. The image is from Eureka Stamps. I colored it with Spectrum Noir and American Craft markers and added white gel pen for accents.  The image was die cut with MFT Stitched Squares but I die cut it twice to fit the image better so it came out as a rectangle. The sentiment is from MFT Essential Sentiments and die cut with MFT Essential Fishtail Sentiment Strips. All the card elements were backed with black cardstock and finally added to a green cardstock base. I am entering these challenges:

• My Favorite Things Sketch challenge: sketch 
  
• The Outlawz Monday challenge: rectangle cards
• Cupcake Inspirations: spectacular backgrounds
• QKR Stampede: anything goes
• Crafty Sentiments Designs: anything goes

We are on the down side of the week. It's been hot and very dry here and we are predicted to get rain for the next couple days but so far everything has passed us by. So we'll wait and see what happens. As long as out temperatures are below 90 I will be a happy camper. Thanks for stopping by. Have a super day!

Donna

Feel Better

Last week I needed a get well card. I don't send many of those kind of cards but I decided that I should at least have one on hand in case the need arises again. So that was the impetus for today's card.

The image is called Water Can from Limited Runs. I colored the image with Copic and Spectrum Noir markers and die cut it with Spellbinder's Labels 35. I added the sentiment from MFT Essential Sentiments. I traced the Labels 35 die on purple card stock to get the background piece. The plaid background is a scrap from my scrap box. I punched the butterfly border from a Martha Stewart punch and then added three pink pearls to each butterfly to form the body. The flowers are some leftovers out of my embellishment box, as is the extra butterfly. I used Wink of Stella on the water can flowers to add some shimmer. I used the leftover butterflies from the border punch to decorate the envelope and the inside of the card.

I am entering these challenges:

• Limited Runs challenge: anything goes with Limited Runs image
• Festive Friday Outlawz challenge: get well
• Sketch Saturday: sketch 
  
• Crafty Cardmakers: all creatures great and small (butterflies)
• Hiding in my Craft Room: pastels
• Creative Knockouts: something to say

Well, that's it for me today. It's been a busy one. I have to go shred a roast that I have in the crock pot for tomorrow's dinner. Tomorrow morning is my favorite time at Head Start. Looking forward to seeing the twins. Have a super "hump day!"

Donna

I'm Bats About You

Monday is about to end. We had the twins today and poor little Arthur took a tumble down our stairs. The stairs are carpeted so it could have been worse. Once we got them to bed and I made it back home, I had some time to make a card this evening.

This was a fairly easy card to put together although it did take some time. I used the MFT Essential Fishtail Sentiment Strips to die cut the designer paper from my scrap box. The bats and sentiment are from the MFT Witch Way is the Candy stamp set and coordinating dies. I heat embossed the sentiment with white embossing powder and die cut it with the MFT Essential Fishtail Sentiment Strips. I also added some wiggly eyes to the bats. I am entering these challenges:

• MFT Sketch challenge: sketch
  
• Simon Says Monday challenge: stamp on it
• The Outlawz Twisted Thursday: anything goes
• Creative Knockouts: something to say
• Catch the Bug: anything goes

That's it for me tonight. I am ready to fall into bed and stay there for a while. Tomorrow I'll be catching up with some work I need to get finished. Hope your week is off to an awesome start!

Donna

Happy Fall Y'all

It doesn't quite feel like fall here. Today was 94 degrees here. But maybe if I start thinking fall, we'll get more fall-like temperatures. I don't mind putting the shorts away and the trees turning pretty colors. I am anxious to take the new camper out to enjoy some natural surroundings. Tom suggested that we live out of it for a day or two to make sure we have everything we need when we do get a weekend to camp. We just might do that some time soon. So my card tonight is for the fall.

I used Brat Pumpkin from Bugaboo Stamps for this card. I colored him with fall colors from Copic and Spectrum Noir markers and die cut him with MFT Stitched Ovals. The card base and the backing oval is kraft card stock. The designer paper is from Basic Grey Origins 6x6 paper pad. The sentiment was a freebie from Paper Craft World. I distressed the edges of the main card layer with Spiced Marmalade distress ink. I am entering these challenges:

• Stella Sketch: sketch 
  
• Lil Patch of Crafty Friends: anything goes
• A Bit More Time to Craft: anything goes
• QKR Stampede: anything goes
• Simon Says Monday challenge: fall/autumn
• Tuesday Outlawz challenge: tic tac toe: patterned paper/stamp/card

Wishing you all a Happy Labor Day if you are in the U.S. I hope it's a relaxing holiday for you. I'll have the twins tomorrow so not really too relaxing but it will be fun. And maybe after they go home I'll get some time in my craft area. One can hope anyway. Have a super week!

Donna

Christmas is for the Birds

Happy September! Oh my, where is this year going? It's time for a new challenge at 12 Months of Christmas Link Up. The challenge is always anything goes (that's Christmas) but we like to add a little twist if you'd like to be challenged. This month we want to see birds on your cards. Have a tweet Christmas!

Our sponsor this month is Sparkle 'n Sprinkle. The artist for this stamps set is Beccy Muir. The set is called Grumpy Goose. I colored him with Copic markers and used three different digital papers from Decosse's Dynamite Doodles. The sentiment is from the Grumpy Goose stamp set. I used MFT Pierced Fishtail Flags to die cut the sentiment and surrounding designer papers. I added some twine and a MFT die cut button for embellishment. I hope you'll pop over to the 12 Months of Christmas Link Up and check out our latest challenge. I am entering these challenges:

• Tuesday Morning Sketches: sketch 
  
• Beccy's Place September challenge: use a Beccy's Place image
• Crafty Hazelnut Christmas Challenge: anything goes
• The Outlawz Festive Friday challenge: Christmas
• Through the Craft Room Door: anything goes
• Simon Says Wednesday challenge: anything goes

Thanks for stopping by today. I hope your September brings all good things to you and your friends and family. It's really time to start getting ready for the holidays so make a Christmas project and share it with us at 12 Months of Christmas Link Up!

Donna