Flowers for You

Happy Friday! All my posts this weekend will be scheduled as I will be celebrating our 40th wedding anniversary with family and friends. We are flying our children home tonight to be here for the celebration. I am so excited to see them all. And the boys will get to see the twins and how big they have grown. It will be a fun event.
Today is my last post as a guest designer for Bugaboo Stamps. The last three months have just been awesome. I love Bugaboo Stamps so much and they are so fun to play with. Thanks for Tammy and Jodi for having me as a guest. Today is freebie Friday over at Catch the Bug. Check out the cutie today!

This is Tulip Can. I colored it with Spectrum Noir markers and die cut it with Gina Marie Designs Cross Stitch Rectangles. I used the same color of pink to color the edge that I used to color the flowers. The sentiment is from Hero Arts It's Your Day stamp set. I followed the sketch at Tuesday Morning Sketches. The patterned paper is all scraps from my scrap box. Both patterns are Recollections Home Basics. I added some sequins as embellishments. I love the combo of pink, green and gray. Really like this card!
I am entering these challenges:

• Simon Says Wednesday challenge: anything goes
• Seize the Birthday: anything goes birthday
• Tuesday Morning Sketches: sketch 
  
• Creative Knockouts: for the girls
• 4 Crafty Chicks: anything goes
• Crafty Hazelnut Patterned Paper challenge: use patterned paper

I will have 2 scheduled posts tomorrow as new challenges begin for a couple of my design teams so head back for those posts. I hope to be back next week here and there. The kids will be here most of next week and I want to spend as much time as possible with them while I can. And of course the twins are always around. I'll be sure to share some pictures of all the fun. Thanks for stopping by!

Hugs,

Donna

Elegant Lady

So I am frantically trying to finish up my design team projects for the end of June and the beginning of July. My schedulethis week has been so full but I am glad to say that I am beginning to see the light at the end of tunnel. I do have to get everything posted yet this weekend and our boys are flying home Friday night and our 40th anniversary party is Saturday. So I'm going to have to get them up now and hope that everything posts on time. So I'm almost at the last minute for the Outlawz Progressive challenge this month. I am sliding my card in at almost the last minute.

The image is from Sheep Ski Designs called My Fair Lady. Such an elegant image. I colored her with Spectrum Noir markers and added Spactrum Noir shimmer pen to her gown and hat. I used Spellbinders Labels 13 to die cut the image and added faux stitching around the die cut. The background paper is from Recollections Home Basics. The sentiment is from a retired Gina K stamp set. The card base is yellow card stock and I have a dark green car stock layer behind the dotted paper.
I am entering these challenges:

• Outlawz Progressive challenge: use My Fair Lady image from Sheep Ski Designs
• A Bit More Time for Crafting: anything goes
• Digi Choosday: anything goes
• QKR Stampede: anything goes
• Simon Says Wednesday challenge: anything goes

I am off to bed. Another busy day tomorrow. Thanks for stopping and have a wonderful day!

Donna

Bugaboo Christmas Jar

A new release today at Bugaboo stamps. This is my last week as a guest designer for Bugaboo and I've enjoyed my three months as a guest there. I love Jodi's images. They are such fun to create with. This week Jodi is releasing an adorable Christmas image.

The image is Christmas Jar from Bugaboo. I colored the image with Spectrum Noir markers and die cut the image with Gina Marie Designs Cross Stitch Rectangles. The Christmas lights paper is from Decosse's Dynamite Doodles. I added two thin strips of green paper and embellished the image and the strips with Gold Stickles. The sentiment is from a retired stamps set from Gina K called Blessed is the Season. I used the sketch at Sketch Saturday for inspiration.

I am entering these challenges:

• Sketch Saturday: sketch above
• Hiding in my Craft Room: any holiday
• Crafty Hazelnut Christmas challenge: anything goes Christmas
• Crafty Hazelnut Christmas Extra: anything Christmas goes
• Simon Says Wednesday challenge: use patterned paper
• ABC Christmas challenge: M is for more than one (more than one ornament, candy cane, star, lights)

Hop over to the Catch the Bug blog to see all the fun creations that the designers created with this image. Thanks for stopping by. Have a wonderful day!

Donna

Quilt Bear

Very quick post just to get this card in to the QKR challenge this week. I started working on this card last weekend and with day camp this week I've only had a couple minutes here and there to finish it. But here it is. I like it a lot.

The background is Gina Marie Designs Quilt Die. Using scraps from my scrap box to do the in lay die technique. And I added the QKR Birthday Bear. Just love the colorful results. Sorry this is so short. I am off to watch the twins now. Can't wait for camp to be done tomorrow. I am totally exhausted and running on caffeine. Entering this into the QKR challenge: anything goes with optional quilting/stitching. I'll be back on the weekend I hope to tell you about my super busy week. Thanks for stopping by!

Donna

New Release at Bugaboo Stamps

It's Tuesday! And time for something new at Bugaboo Stamps. Stella is back and at it again with another funny image and sentiment. I made a really simple card.

Colored and cut out the Frame It - Stella - Belly Button image and adhered it to some of my favorite plaid designer paper. This paper is from Jak Heath called Strawberry Smoothie. And I added a button. I followed the sketch at CAS(E) this Sketch.

I am entering these challenges:

• CAS(E) This Sketch: sketch
• Through the Craft Room Door: anything goes
• Hiding in my Craft Room: feminine
• Crafting by Designs: anything goes

This is a scheduled post. I am working Girl Scout day camp during the day and I am with the twins in the evenings. So it's a busy week. I hope to be back crafting next week. Make it an awesome week!

Donna

Wedding Day

Just a quick post as we are off to help set up Girl Scout day camp this afternoon. Hopefully it won't take all day but we'll see. I was able to get one more card done and wanted to share before my mind flies in another direction and I forget that I even made it. LOL! Since my card today is for a wedding I thought I'd share that today is my hubby's and my 40th wedding anniversary. 40 years with the same guy and we haven't killed each other yet. He's the love of my life and what keeps me going. Happy Anniversary, Tom. Love you lots. Here's to 40 more years together.

A friend's son got married this weekend and I wanted to send a congratualtions card. The card base is white with a black card stock background. The ictures and sentiments are stickers so very easy to put together and I added a Zva gem flourish. Quick and easy, not much to it.
I am entering these challenges:

• The Outlawz Monday challenge: square card
• Through the Craft Room Door: anything goes
• Lil Patch of Crafty Friends: anything goes
• Creative Knockouts: anything goes

I hope you all have an amazing week. I do have a post for Tuesday that will be scheduled and I have two other cards that I'd like to make but I seriously doubt I will find time this week. So if I am MIA you know day camp and the twins have led me to exhaustion. LOL!

Donna

Bacon in the Sun

Happy weekend! Today we have the twins all day. It will be a great day! We'll g for walks today and maybe get the swimming pool out since it's supposed to be in the 90s. Valerie didn't like the pool very much the last time but I'll make the water warmer this time.
A new challenge at Catch the Bug begins today.  It's Bugaboo Bingo!

I really like the card I made for the challenge. I've been wanting to use this image for quite some time. It cracks me up!

The image is Bacon in the Sun colored with Spectrum Noir markers. Iused buttons for the sun glasses. The sun is from Spellbinders. I added Wink of Stella to the drink and umbrella. The sentiment is die cut with MFT Pierced Fishtail Flags.  I used the third column: buttons, Bugaboo image, and sentiment. This is really what our weather has been like lately. It's been in the 90s almost every day this week. I hope you'll join us at Catch the Bug this week.
I am entering these challenges:

• 4 Crafty Chicks: summer fun activities
• Addicted to Stamps and More: anything goes 
  
• Crafty Sentiments Designs: summer
• Cutie Pie challenge: all creatures great and small
• Sunday Outlawz: summer activity
• Simply Create Too: summer fun
• 2 Crafty Critter Crazies: use a critter

That's it for me today. Hope you have time to craft and relax this weekend. If I get a chance to post this week it will be scheduled. During the day I'll be at Girl Scout day camp with 200+ girls and in the evening I'll be with the twins as I am back to being the only extra caretaker they have. So I am assuming by next weekend I'll be ready to drop but we'll see. So if you don;t see much of me this week at least you know I am still alive. (maybe LOL!) Thanks for stopping by.

Donna

Happy Father's Day

I ran out of time to make a lot of Father's Day cards this year. The twins kind of took precedence lately but I did manage to get one done for Tom's Dad.

Jennifer McGuire had a video the other day for layering stencils to make backgrounds for cards. I used a couple of her ideas on this card. I used the Neat and Tangled Polygon stencil with Salty Ocean distress ink. I then moved the stencil and used Peacock Feathers DI to create another pattern. But I thought the Peacock Feathers overwhelmed the Salty Ocean so then I put the stencil back to the original set up and ran it through my embossing machine. It embossed the stencil area and gave the whole card a really neat textured affect. I cut the Happy from paper from my scrap box. The die is from Simon Says Painted Happy Birthday Wafer die set. I added some little hearts from Spellbinder's Sweet Wishes die set. The bigger heart is from Lawn Fawn's Stitched Party Banner set. I added Glossy Accents to the large heart and Wink if Stella to the Happy and the small hearts. The Father's Day was computer generated and die cut with MFT Pierced Fishtail Flags.
I am entering these challenges:

• Creative Knockout challenge: anything goes
• A Bit More Time to Craft: anything goes 
• Simon Says Wednesday challenge: emboss it
• Inspiration Destination: anything goes
• Through the Craft Room Door: anything goes

We are on the downside of the week. I hope it's been good for you. I found out tonight that the other twin watcher came down with bronchitis so it's back to just me again. Won;t get much crafting done for a while. Next week is Girl Scout Day Camp so I'll be at camp all day and come home to watch the twins in the evening. I'm going to be one tired person next week. Thanks for stopping by.

Donna

A Magic Card

Halfway through the week already. Hard to believe how fast the time is moving. Half of June is almost gone. The digital stamp that I used tonight has been on my list to use for a while and I finally got around to using it tonight.

This digi is from QKR Stampede.  I colored the wizard with Spectrum Noir markers. The background paper is Fairy Paper from Create with TLC. I used MFT Inside and Out Stitched Rounded Corner Squares to die cut the image and MFT Pierced Fishtail Banners to cut the yellow banner. I used the star die from Spellbinders Sweet Wishes as embellishments. I cut them out 4 times and mounted them on top of each other for some texture. Here;s the inside of the card.

My husband loved this card. And he gave me several suggestions as to who I could send it to (or make more of them). LOL! I am entering this into these challenges:

• QKR Stampede: for the guys
• Try Stampin' On Tuesday: sketch 
  
• ATG with Create with TLC Element: used TLC Digital Paper
• Tuesday Throwdown: for the men
• Addicted toStamps and More: anything goes
• Sweet Stampers: dies or punches

Thanks for stopping by today. I am so glad you stopped by. Hope your week is going well. I am getting ready for Girl Scout Day Camp next week. It might be a long week as I will be at day camp all day with over 200 girls and then with the twins in the evening. But we'll get through it. I have a much smaller role in camp this year. I am definitely not the program director as I've been for the past 8 years. See you again soon.

Donna

Sparkly

Happy Monday! I can hardly believe that I got an extra card done this weekend. It has happened so seldom lately. And the good thing is that I just might be able to get another one in soon. My card today is a bit out of characer for me. I love to add sparkle to my cards but this one goes above and beyond what I normally do. But I just love the sentiment.

After I printed the sentiment I lost what file I had it in,but I am pretty sure it's from Ginger's House. I die cut it with Gina Marie Designs Cross Stitch Rectangles. The adorable little turtle is this month's stamp for the progressive challenge at Gerda Steiner called Hello Turtle Friend. It's hard to see in the photo but I made the butterfly sparkly as he is the turtle's sparkly distraction. I used some scraps of some glitter paper that I had laying around. The flower was a scrap I found on my desk from another project. The kraft card stock base was inked with three colors of distress inks (Cracked Pistachio, Mowed Lawn and Bundled Sage) using the Neat and Tangles Stars stencil. Then I added Eucalyptus Stickles to the stars, the butterfly and the word Sparkly in the sentiment.
I am entering these challenges:

• Gerda Steiner Progressive Challenge: use Hello Turtle Friend
• Sketch Saturday challenge: use the sketch 
  
• Addicted to Stamps and More: photo inspiration 
  
• Hiding in my Craft Room: super scraps Saturday
• 2 Crafty Critter Crazies: use a critter
• Digi Stamps 4 Joy: anything goes optional butterfly

That sentiment is kind of how I feel about retirement. I was going to tackle the world and do things that I never had time for. And then along came my sparkly distraction. You just might agree that our twins are pretty sparkly and a great distraction for me!

They have the bluest eyes and the longest eyelashes. I know a lot of women would give a lot to have eyelashes like these two have. Love them to pieces! Have a wonderful day!

Donna

It's a Guy Thing

Happy Saturday! I Have so little time I have to craft anymore. I really have to free some time up, cause I am missing it big time. Yesterday was my hubby's birthday so I made him a card using the new challenge over at Catch the Bug: fast and furious (men, cars, gears, steampunk, sexy girls). I went with Gus as he's one of my favorite Bugaboo characters.

The image is Gus - Birthday - Recount. I colored him with Spectrum Noir markers and die cut the image with Spellbinder's Labels 13 backed with black card stock. The background is stamped with candles from a retired stamp set from Stampin' Up! called Celebrations. The blue strip is a scrap of Bokeh Digital Paper from Decosse's Dynamite Doodles. I followed the sketch from Tuesday Morning Sketches for inspiration.

I hope you'll join us this week for our new Fast and Furious challenge at Catch the Bug. Here's a chance to get a masculine card ins tock for someone special. I am entering these challenges:

• Tuesday Morning Sketches: sketch above
• Simon Says Monday challenge: masculine
• QKR Stampede: for the guys
• Thursday Outlawz challenge: anything goes; twist masculine
• Simon Says Wednesday challenge: make it masculine
• Through the Craft Room Door: anything goes

I am going to leave you with some pics of where I am spending most of my time lately. The twins turned 8 months this past week. They are growing up so fast and time os flying by. So here's my little cuties.

                                                    Arthur                                        Valerie

It may look like Valerie is bigger than Arthur but it's really the opposite. Both are such smiley wonderful babies. We are so blessed and I am doubly blessed to get to watch them grow up. Have a super awesome weekend!

Donna

Anything Goes at Catch the Bug

Welcome to my second post today. This is my last month as a Bugaboo guest designer (sniff). I love working with Jodie's images. The new challenge this week at Catch the Bug is easy peasy: anything goes! Here's my card for the challenge.

This is the anniversary card I sent to my son and his beautiful wife. They just celebrated their second wedding anniversary. The image is Bugaboo Grow Old 4 Square. I colored it with Spectrum Noir markers. I mounted the image on yellow card stock and then a red card stock base. The embellishments are Lawn Fawn and Neat & Tangled sequins. I hope you'll join us this week for this easy challenge at Catch the Bug.
I am entering these challenges:

• QKR Stampede: anything goes
• Crafter's Cafe: anything goes; optional travel (travel through life)
• Digi Stamps 4 Joy: anything goes; optional twist butterflies
• Penny's Paper-Crafty: anything goes
• Digi Choosday: anything goes

Thanks for stopping by this weekend. I hope your weekend is awesome! I have a busy week coming up so we'll see how much crafting I get done. Blessings to you all!

Donna

Graduation Time

Happy Saturday! And welcome to the new June challenge at Imagine That Creative Playground. The theme as always is anything goes. But if you use an Imagine That Digis by Kris stamp you get the set of the month. It's definitely a cutie this month. You'll want to play along to get this new set: Giraffe with Coffee.

I didn't use the featured set for my cards but it is an anything goes challenge, right? So I was in need of several graduation cards. So here's what I came up with.

This was for a nephew who graduated from 8th grade this week. I love the adorable guy image from the Graduation Value Set 1. I die cut the pre-colored image with MFT Cross Stitched Ovals. The sentiment is from the same stamp set. The background paper is from Congrats Grad Digi Paper.

My second card is really a gift card/money holder but uses the same stamp set and papers.

And here's the inside of the card.

Kris has some really awesome graduation sets available, including a brand new set called Graduation Giraffe. Can you tell giraffes are the thing this month? LOL! They are so cute. I hope you will play along with us this month at the Creative Playground anything goes challenge.

I am entering these challenges:

• Outlawz Thursday challenge: anything goes; optional twist stars
• A Bit More Time to Craft: anything goes
• Simon Says Wednesday challenge: anything goes
• Crafty Sentiments Designs: not a card (gift card/money holder)
• Through the Craft Room Door: anything goes

Thanks for stopping by today. I'll be back shortly with the new challenge for Bugaboo at Catch the Bug.

Donna

Bugaboo Friday Freebie

I love Fridays! Not only can we start the weekend but you can get  a freebie from Bugaboo. What a deal. Today's freebie is just so adorable that I had to share it with you.

The image is Bugaboo Monkey Topper. (I'm unable to get into the site right now so I'll add the link as soon as I can.) I colored him with Spectrum Noir markers. and added a sentiment from Create with TLC. Just a very CAS card but I think it's so cute! Check out the Friday Freebie over at Catch the Bug.
I am entering these challenges:

• 2 Crafty Critter Crazies: use a critter
• Doing Life Create with TLC: use a TLC element (sentiment)
• Crafting by Designs: anything goes
• Addicted to Stamps and More: clean and simple 
  
• Simon Says Wednesday: anything goes
• Monday Outlawz challenge: anything goes

Thanks for stopping by. I'll keep trying to get to the link for the freebie but right now the only thing I can get to is the front page. Everything else brings up an error page for me. Have a super fantastic weekend!

Donna

New Challenge Month

Welcome June! But my how fast the time goes by. It's time once again for the new challenge over at 12 Months of Christmas Linkup. Our optional twist this month is Fur, Fluff, Feather or Fins and our sponsor is Imagine That Digis by Kris and Decosse's Dynamite Doodles. You don't have to follow the theme but your creation does have to be Christmas oriented. If you link up at least two cards you will receive a free digital paper.
In order to have a chance to win the prize from our wonderful guest sponsor this month, make sure that your Christmas card has an image of household pet as the focal point (i.e., cat, dog, bird, mouse, rabbit, hedgehog, ferret, fish, turtle, etc.).  If you do follow the optional theme, be sure to add FT after your name so that we include you in the draw for the prize.

Remember, you don't need to follow the theme to link up your cards and earn a free paper each month, and have your name thrown into the year end draw for some extra digital goodies. You only need to follow the theme if you want a chance to win this month's sponsored prize of a $10 gift certificate to the Imagine That Digistamp store.
Here's my creation for the challenge:

I used Snow Mice from Imagine That Digis by Kris/ Theimage is colored with Spectrum Noir markers. The background paper is Decosse's Dynamite Doodles Ecclectic Digital Paper and the snowflakes are punched from DDD Bokeh Digital Paper. I added some red card stock as an accent. I used white gel pen to add stripes to the snowman's hat and scarf and use Diamond Stickles to add some sparkle.

I am entering these challenges:

• Simon Says Wednesday challenge: anything goes
• Crafty Hazelnut Christmas: anything goes
• Crafty Hazelnut Christmas Extra challenge: anything goes Christmas
• Crafty Hazelnut Patterned Paper challenge: use patterned paper
• 
  
• Die Cuttin' Divas: anything goes 
  
  
  
• Hiding in my Craft Room: any holiday
• Friday Outlawz's challenge: Christmas

I hope you will play along this month with us at 12 Months of Christmas Linkup and get a head start on those Christmas cards, Thanks for stopping by today. I'll be back with more design team projects in the next few days.