Happy New Year!!

Happy New Year everyone!! It's hard to believe that yet another year has come and gone. I remember once my mom told me that the older you get, the faster time goes by. And you know what? She was right again!!! I just wanted to post the New Years cards I'll be sending out on Tuesday. Yep, right on time!! lol But I figure it's still the new year for at least a week! I used my Simply Charmed cartridge for the bottle and glass and my new Peachy Keen face stamp set, appropriately named New Years!! And I used some more scraps to create the cards. Gotta love cleaning out those scraps! The pattern paper is from one of my DCWV stacks, the ribbon from Michael's (I know, a shocker!), the stamps are from Scrappy Moms and the ink from Stampin' Up, and don't forget the Stickles!
I just want to wish everyone a Happy New Year and that it be a safe and prosperous one for each and everyone of you. Thank you for stopping by my little blog and leaving such kind comments this last year. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading not only your comments, but visiting so many talented people who I now call friends. Have a great New Years Eve and as always, thank you for stopping by!

Baby Bumps

Good evening!! Hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the week after Christmas. I'm on vacation this week, which is the first time in over 20 years that I've taken the week after Christmas off. I must say I am enjoying myself. I finally got back into my room to play today. I spent the first part of this week doing chores around the house and cleaning/reorganizing my room. I was so busy the last couple of weeks that every time I made a tag or a card, I never cleaned up. What a mess! I've promised myself never to do that again, it was bad! So, I made a couple of cards for my bff's daughters, both of whom are expecting. The girls are only 13 months apart and I thought it was cute that they are both expecting and only 6 weeks apart. And the best part, is I was able to make both cards using all scraps! Yay!!!

I used my Cricut and my Gypsy for the first time in ages and my New Arrival cartridge, and of course, Stickles. The stamps were a combination of Pink By Design and Scrappy Moms and the ink is from Stampin' Up. The little flower on one of the hats is from Prima and I don't know which manufacturer the ribbon is from as it was in my stash too. Well, I hope you like my cards. Oh, and before I forget, don't forget about my 200 followers give away! $25.00 to Michael's is a fun way to start of the New Year! :) Thanks for stopping by and have a great evening!!

Merry Christmas Eve to All My Blog Friends!!

Good morning and Merry Christmas Eve!! I hope everyone is ready or at least almost ready for Christmas. I just wanted to wish all my blog friends and their families the Merriest of Christmases! I have met so many wonderfully talented people here in blog-land and feel blessed to call you all friends. Enjoy this time with family and friends and I'll see you back here next week!

Challenge #44 Christmas Shaped Card

Good Tuesday morning! Today is not only time for another challenge at CTO, but it is my final post as a Design Team member. As you know, CTO is in the midst of their new Design Team call and everyone is invited to join. Because of so much going on in my life, I have decided not to try out again, but don't worry, I'm still going to play along when time allows!! You can't get rid of me that easily!! :) So now on to my card. Because of a time crunch I had to go with something simple. I tried to create something on my Gypsy, but it just wasn't working. Ever have one of those days when nothing goes as planned? Well that was my issue with this one. Sooooo, I pulled out my Martha Stewart punches. The pattern paper is from DCWV, the stamps are from Pink By Design, and of course, Stickles!! I used my Stampin' Up punch for the sentiment on the front and finished it off with some ribbon from Michael's. The 3 snowflakes have been sprayed with 3 different colors of Smooch. For such a simple card it took me quite awhile to pull it all together! Told you it was one of those days!! lol Well, I just want to thank all of you for stopping by and following me while I designed for CTO. I have had so much fun and met so many wonderful friends while playing with my fellow DT members and I encourage you to try out. Link up a piece of your creativity and give it a shot, you won't be sorry!

I've Been Busy!!!

Hey everyone! Sorry I haven't posted in awhile, but it's been crazy around here, but then it's always like that this time of year. I haven't been in my room for so long that I've been having major withdrawals!! lol As you can see by the pictures, I've been busy in the kitchen. I love to bake and especially at Christmas. In years past I have taken a week off in December and do nothing but bake, but this year I only took a day off, so I had a lot to cram into a weekend's worth of baking! DH got a picture of me at my favorite kitchen appliance, my Kitchen Aid. Since he's usually at work when I'm baking, he was amazed at how much I got done in a few hours. Boy, what I could do with double ovens!!! :)

So after everything is done I put together goodie boxes for the office. Good thing I'm going back to work tomorrow, I need a break!! I'm taking the week between Christmas and New Year's off and I'm hoping to be able to get some major me time in my room. I haven't had that week off since my kids were babies so I'm looking forward to it. I hope you have a good evening and as always, thank you for stopping by!

Birki Birthday Cake!

Good morning everyone! So yesterday was my birthday and I was blessed with a day of family and friends. And to top it off, my sister flew in for a surprise visit!! I haven't seen her in almost 2 years. My mom and DH kept it a secret until they arrived for dinner last night, the rats!! :) We enjoyed a fantastic bbq'd steak dinner, thanks to DH and DSIL, and then 2 of my DD's brought out this cake. For those that don't know, I LOVE Birkenstocks and leopard print anything!! So, DD #2 found a bakery here in Redding that makes specialty cakes. Apparently the owner was on the Food Network on one of their cake shows. Can you believe how real this cake looks? Right down to the buckles!! And it was DELICIOUS!!! Marble with raspberry filling!! YUM!! Sadly though, I don't own a pair of leopard clogs though, shocking as that is, but I do have 3 pairs of leopard sandals! lol Guess I have to track down a pair of these clogs now!! :) Well I hope you have a great weekend and I thank you for stopping by!

Challenge #42 Christmas-no green

Good morning and Happy Tuesday!! Welcome to another challenge at CTO. This week's challenge is to make something with a Christmas theme, but with no green. So for those of us that are traditionalists, this makes us step outside the box, right? My card was made using all Stampin' Up products and I thought that using Concord Crush and Whisper White cardstock was way outside my box! I then heat embossed with some white embossing powder. Now on to some other news, beginning today, CTO is having a Design Team call. Be sure to visit the website for all the information and share your creative talent with us! Thanks for stopping by!!

Birthday Sundaes Challenge #37

Good Sunday morning! Hope everyone has had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend and that your travels have been safe. Well today is another challenge atBirthday Sundaes. This week's challenge is to create a birthday card with a sentiment. I made my card using all Stampin' Up products except for the brads, which are from Hot Off the Press. The cupcake is actually a punch then paper pieced. I then added some Stickles. The label is a Sizzix tag I cut with my Big Shot, which was part of my starter kit. I hope you like the card and that it inspires you to play along with us. Please be sure to stop by the other designers and see what they have created. And as always, thanks for stopping by!

From Our House to Yours

Just wanted to take a moment to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you all have a blessed day enjoying family, friends, and food, and not to mention football!!! Be safe and enjoy your day!!

Challenge #40 at CTO

Good morning and welcome to another challenge at CTO. This week's challenge is to make a project for Thanksgiving and you must include a button. I've really been trying to clean out my scraps lately and all of the card except the pattern paper was scraps. I used a new set of Nestablilities for the leaves and I touched them up with some Stampin' Up inks. The border punch is also from Stampin' Up and the sentiment stamp is from Pink By Design. Be sure to stop by my fellow DT members and see what they've created, and if you feel creative, please show us what you come up with. Thanks for stopping by and I hope you and yours have a great Thanksgiving!

Saturday Evening

Hello and Happy Saturday Evening!! I was able to get in my craft room for a little bit this afternoon so I made this card to support Team #1 at CTO. Very simple card using all scraps. I used my Stampin' Up punches for the sentiment, and a Martha Stewart punch for the border. The sentiment stamp is from Scrappy Moms. Thanks for stopping by!

No Crafting Time = Sad Sissy!!!

Hello everyone! I am so sorry that I haven't been posting much lately. So much life has been getting in the way!! Busy at with family, busy with work, busy getting ready for my first workshop...the list goes on!! So that makes for very little "me" time. I've had enough time to lurk on blogs and make comments, but no real crafting time. :( I am on vacation this week, so hopefully there will be some crafting time along with all the family time and Thanksgiving. Thank you so much for understanding, and I will be back!!! I promise!! :)

Birthday Sundaes Challenge #35

Good Sunday morning! It's time for another challenge at Birthday Sundaes. This week's challenge is to make a birthday card and you must include a tree. Since it's been awhile since I've used my Cricut, I thought this would be a good time to use it. I used my Straight from the Nest cartridge for the tree. All the papers and cardstock were scraps from my stash, as well as the ribbon. The stamps are a combination of stamps from My Pink Stamper. I used a Martha Stewart border punch and my deckle scissors on the tag and some Stampin' Up White Frost Shimmer paint on the mint green paper and of course my white Zig marker for doodling. Thanks you so much for stopping by and be sure to check out my fellow DT members to see what they've created and then show us what you can create!

Celebrate the Occasion Challenge #38

Good morning and welcome to another challenge at CTO. This week's challenge is to celebrate Veterans Day. This is a special day for me, not only to commemorate veterans, but it is the third anniversary of my dad's passing. It was so appropriate for him to pass on Veterans Day since he was the most patriotic man I know. I created this layout in his memory. He was so proud to be an American and showed it in everything he did, and he wasn't afraid to stand up to any challenge. He joined the Merchant Marines at 16 during WWII and then served in the Korean War during the 50's, which was when this picture was taken. Such a handsome man!! He could give John Wayne and Clark Gable a run for their money, that's for sure!! lol I hope that you visit my fellow DT members and see what they created and then join us and show your creation celebrating Veterans Day. Also, please be sure to thank a vet, past or present, because if not for them we wouldn't be living our freedom today!! Thanks for stopping by and enjoy your week! Supply List: Stand and Salute Cricut Cartridge Elegant Edges Cricut Cartridge Cardstock Recollection and Bazzil Ribbon from my stash Brads from We R Memory Keepers Stickles Smooch Spray Scrappy Moms and Pink By Design stamps

Birthday Sundaes Challenge #34

Good morning everyone! Welcome to another Birthday Sundaes challenge. Weren't our guest designers fantastic? I just want to thank them all for filling in for us while we had the week off. Now, on to this week's challenge to create a card with a birthday sentiment. Since it's been so hectic around here I decided to create something using all scraps. Here's a list of supplies: Cardstock, pattern paper, and ribbon from scraps stash Glitter paper from scraps stash Buttons and floss from stash Stickles Sentiment stamp from Scrappy Moms stamps I could probably make at least 100 cards from scraps, so only 99 to go!! :) Please stop by my fellow DT members and see what they've created. Hope you have a great Sunday. Thanks for stopping by!

A New Stampin' Up Demonstrator on the Block!

Hello and happy Friday!! I just wanted to make a quick post to make this tell you my good news. I am now a Stampin' Up Demonstrator!!! woo hoo!!! I'm super excited! I have been going to workshops for the last 3 or 4 years and have really enjoyed it. The demonstrator (who has become a close friend and fellow enabler! :)) is going to be doing a lot of traveling for the next couple of years for her job and I had offered to help, never thinking about becoming a demonstrator. Well, after we talked and I saw the October's promotion for a free Big Shot, I decided to go for it! I received my starter kit on Tuesday and my Big Shot on Wednesday. All I can say is WOW!!!! This is gonna be fun! My first workshop is going to be November 18th so I've got a little time to prepare. If anyone is interested in purchasing products, you can go to my online store here. Please feel free to stop by anytime and wish me luck on my new venture!!

Celebrate the Occasion Challenge #36 - Fall

Good morning and Happy Tuesday!! It's time for another challenge at CTO. This week's challenge is to create something with a fall theme, and fall just happens to be my favorite season!! So of course I had to make something with pumpkins! I went through my holiday stamps and found this set from Unity that I've had for a couple of years now. I really love the pattern to the leaves, which I fussy cut. The pumpkins I did a two-step stamp to give them a little more depth, and the sentiment stamp is from Pink by Design. This time I actually used Bazzil cardstock for the base, DCWV pattern paper, a piece of cream cardstock from my scraps that I used a MS around the page punch set and voila! I thought this was a pretty cute fall scene and I hope it gives you some inspiration to create something "fallish"! Be sure to visit my fellow design team members to see what cute things they've created! Have a great Tuesday and thanks for stopping by!

Birthday Sundaes Challenge #32 - Color Challenge

Good Sunday morning and welcome to another challenge at Birthday Sundaes. This week it is a color challenge using the colors purple, green, back, and white. For my card I decided to pull out older supplies from my stash and chose this Hot Off the Press pattern paper. I wanted to do something a little different, so I went for the z fold card. The cardstock and paper flowers are Recollection, and I used my Stampin' Up punch and stamp set for the front of the card. I also used the punch and stamp set for the inside sentiment mat, but the "with love" is from a HOTP stamp set that was one of my first purchases when I started cardmaking. The buttons, floss, and ribbon are from my stash too. I really had fun with this card and I hope you like it enough to join in the fun. Be sure to visit our Guest Designer Tiffany and see her cute designs, and don't forget to stop by the other designers either. They are a talented bunch! Have a great Sunday and as always, thanks for stopping by!

Celebrate the Occasion Challenge #35

Good morning! Hope everyone is enjoying their Saturday. A few of us were going to go to the Scrapbook Expo in Sacramento today, but as the saying goes...."scrap happens" and we didn't make it. But that's ok, this way I am able to play in my room and hopefully get caught up on my holiday cards. I thought I'd make a quick card to support my fellow design team members at CTO. This week's challenge is to make a male birthday card. I tried to use all scraps on this which included Bazzil and Recollection cardstock. The pattern paper was also a scrap, so I don't know who it's by. I used a sentiment stamp and distressed Twine from My Craft Spot as well as some Stampin' Up stamps. I tore the paper with one of those edge rulers and then inked all the edges and added some brads from stash to finish it up. Hope you like the card and that you'll join us for this week's challenge. Have a great day and thanks for stopping by!!

Only 11 More to Go!!!!

Good morning and Happy Monday!! Hope everyone had a good weekend and that you're ready for another fun filled week!!! :) I see this morning that I only have 11 more to get to 200 followers!! woo hoo!! So here's a quick reminder that I'll be giving away a Michael's gift card when I hit 200!! I have had so much fun with this blog and have met so many wonderful people!! Thank you everyone who is already a follower and for the followers-to-be!! Have a great Monday and as always, thank you for stopping by!

Birthday Sundaes Challenge #31 - Tall Card

Happy Sunday everyone!!! Hope your weekend is going well and wherever you are you are enjoying fall. It's time for another challenge over at Birthday Sundaes. This week's challenge is to create a tall card and our sponsor is Sweet'n Sassy Stamps. I've never played with a digital stamp before, but this was fun. I chose this cute little mouse. I don't have any Copics so I colored him using my Stampin' Up colored pencils. I used Recollection cardstock and the pattern paper is from the Celebration stack by DCWV. The ribbon is from my stash, and I combined stamps for the sentiment. I used my label stamp and punch from Stampin' Up and the phrase is from My Pink Stamper. I used a Colorbox chalk ink to distress the mat under the sentiment stamp. I hope you can play with us and link up your creation. The winner of this week's challenge is your choice of 3 digi's. Please stop by the other DT members and our GD, LaKesha and show them all some love!! Thanks for stopping by and enjoy your day!

Scrappy Moms Terrific Tuesday Welcome Fall Color Challenge

Hello everyone, happy Saturday evening! Hope all is well with everyone. I only had a little time to play in my room today, so I made a card for the fall color challenge at Scrappy Moms. I used my Straight from the Nest cartridge for the owl and I had to add some Stickles and googly eyes. I used Recollection cardstock and pattern paper and the sentiment stamps both inside and out are from Scrappy Moms sets. I used my Stampin' Up punch for the mat and then inked it with Colorbox chalk ink. Another simple card, can you tell I like simple?? :) Well, thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoy the rest of your evening!

Link Up for Pink

Happy Friday all!!! Just a really quick post so I can upload this card over at Just Yolie. Today is the final day for their first annual Link Up for Pink linking party. I just got the new Scrappy Moms Believe in Miracles stamp set and I knew exactly what I wanted to make. This card is made using Bazzil cardstock for my little lady, Recollection cardstock and Me & My Big Ideas pattern paper and PKS face stamp. The ribbon and gems are from Michael's, and I used my Martha Stewart border punch. Pretty simple card. DH is tapping his foot to go out to dinner so I better run. :) Have a great evening and thanks for stopping by!!

Celebrate the Occasion Challenge #34

Good morning! Happy Tuesday and welcome to another challenge at Celebrate the Occasion! This week's challenge is create something for any occasion using the colors, red, black, and white. These cute little glasses were made for my bff's 50th birthday. About 11 years ago someone gave her a stuffed buzzard which has been passed around at everyone's birthday in our office. So when the Life's a Party cartridge came out and showed the buzzard, I knew I had to have it! I used Recollection cardstock and Stickles. Pretty simple, but were definitely the hit of the party!! Hope you decide to join us this week and show us what you can create, and please be sure to visit my other team members to see what cute things they have made. Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!!

Birthday Sundaes Challenge #30 - Fall Colors Birthday

Good morning! It's time for another challenge at Birthday Sundaes and this week's challenge is to create a card using fall colors. Fall is my favorite time of year so I was looking forward to making this card. I made this using Recollection cardstock and a piece of 3 Birds pattern paper. I used a new Martha Stewart's all around the page punch set for the mat and my Stampin' Up punches for the My Craft Spot sentiment stamp. I then added Stickles and some pearls from my stash. I really hope you decide to play along this week and get into the fall season. This week's Guest Designer is Nancy from Punch Creations, so please be sure to stop by her blog and show her some love! Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!

Link Up For Pink!!!

Happy Friday!! I hope you all are having a good day. It's a gorgeous fall day here and I was lucky enough to play in my room. I made this card for the Link Up For Pink party that Yolie, Gaby, and Celeste are having until October 14th. I used Recollection cardstock for the entire card. The mat was made using my new Martha Stewart Punch All Over the Page daisy punch. I found an extra large glitter flower in my stash and I cut the pink ribbon on my Cricut using the Stand and Salute cartridge. The sentiment stamps are from Pink by Design. Since my coworker was diagnosed, I have been so much more aware, as we all should. Please enjoy my card and if you haven't had your mammogram, make your appointment today!

Challenge #13 - Welcome Baby

Hello again! I created a card for the Welcome Baby challenge at Cricut 360. I used my New Arrival cartridge and used all scraps for this card, including the card base itself. Yay!! Some more scraps cleared out of my stash!! I added a Prima flower to the diaper bag, used a PKS face stamp, a Martha Stewart glitter pen on the bottle, a Hot Off the Press border stamp on the powder can, (at least I think that's what that is) pearls from 3 Birds, and a banner cut with a Nestabilities die and used Scrappy Moms sentiment stamps. I like the way it turned out. I dropped my acrylic block on the inside cover of the card so I hid it by creating a gift card holder. :) No mistakes, just more ways to embellish!! Well, time to clean up, thanks again for stopping by!

CCCC #33 - Christmas

Hello everyone! Hope your Wednesday is going well! I thought I'd get started on some Christmas cards and decided to submit this card to the Cricut Cartridge Chaos Challenge using the Cricut Christmas cartridge over at Tattered Time. I have never used this cartridge, but now I LOVE it!! There's so many cute images on it!! I chose the wreath, and for those that know what a QVC shopaholic that I am, will recognize Valerie Parhill's fresh balsam wreath with the way I decorated this. lol I used Recollection cardstock and the pattern paper is from a Hot Off the Press cardmaker's stack that I got maybe 5 years ago. I spritzed the wreath with some Smooch spray and added some gems and ribbon from Michael's. The jingle bell is also from Michael's and I used some Martha Stewart Baker's Twine to tie it to the wreath. The sentiment stamps are from Pink by Design. I just love the retro style of the font. Well, hope you like my card and that you have a fantastic day! Thanks for stopping by!

Celebrate the Occasion Challenge #33 - Breast Cancer Awareness

Hello everyone! It's time for another challenge at Celebrate the Occasion. This week Team 1 is showcasing projects for Breast Cancer Awareness. So here is a card I made to support my fellow team members. This card is for a very special coworker who is now fighting her battle with this deadly disease. I used Recollection cardstock and Me & My Big Ideas pattern paper. The ribbon is from Michael's and the sentiment stamps are from Pink by Design. You can show your support too by creating something and sharing it with us. Thanks for stopping by!

One card, two challenges.

Hello everyone, happy Monday evening! Hope your week has gotten off to a good start. It started out rainy today, just the way I like it...when I'm home!! lol So after work today I thought I'd go and play in my room. I made this card for two challenges, one at Scrappy Moms using the Mini Monsters cartridge, and the second at My Craft Spot, Monday's Challenge, Too Cute to Spook. Since I don't have the Mini Monsters cartridge, I used Paper Doll Dress Up with a Peachy Keen Face Stamp. The cardstock and pattern paper is from Recollection, the Halloween twine from My Craft Spot, Gelly Roll pens for doodling, and the sentiment stamp is from the newest release set from Scrappy Moms. A simple card for a Monday. Hope you like my card, and as always, thanks for stopping by!