A card for Katie

AS many of you in the stamping community have already heard, a fellow stamper and active member of Splitcoast Stampers, Katie Renz, was recently diagnosed with cancer. Katie is the wife and mother of small children and is battling for her life!!
This week's Teapot Tuesday challenge on Splitcoast is dedicated to Katie and their is also a place to donate to Katie's medical expenses and also receive some amazing digital stamps!! Just click on the Teapot in my sidebar for the link!

My card was water colored with reinkers, a challenge for me but one that I so enjoy!! The aura in the back is by watering down my paper slightly and adding barely banana ink as a little aura of light. The entire image was spritzed with pearl glimmer mist for some slight shimmer. I hope you enjoy your visit!!

My blog candy will be posted later this week...stay tuned!!

Teapot Tuesday and my Stamp a Stack Christmas Cards

Is it Tuesday yet? I am late, as always, to the Teapot Tuesday party...but this week the destination is a hospice organization in Austin, Texas, and I couldn't miss sending a card to such a wonderful organization! You can view Cindy (Mothermark's) teapot Tuesday story by clicking on the black and white polka dotted teapot on my sidebar to read and laugh!!

The rest of the cards are from a Christmas card stamp-a-stack I attended over the weekend, at my demo, Carn's house. This was only 3 of the cards we made, I still have one more to make up! I don't have any of these stamps, so it is really nice to have a variety of cards to add to my small stash, and of course, I got home and had to add a silver pearl here, or some glitter there. The snowman was made of punches, and I am so punched challenged, I tell you, I had glue stuck everywhere. So if it were not for this class, I am sure my punches would be underused!
Tell me, which is your favorite of the Christmas designs? I'd really like to know!
We had snow last night, and this morning, a blanket of gentle peace covered the ground. So pretty!!
Thanks for stopping in, I've got French Roast on the menu, would you like a cup?

My little "Hope Tote"

As many of you already know, I was just recently visiting my parents in Grand Junction as my Dad underwent knee replacement surgery and mom was transferred to a care center. Dad's surgery went well, and he was transferred to the care center a few days later to join mom. Although on different wings they are "together" and each can encourage the other while there. The plan is for Dad to finish up rehab to the point of being able to go back into the home and not only care for himself, but also do the wheelchair transfers needed for mom to return. That is the challenge ahead of him!
I am going to include the address where you may mail a card if you're moved to do so at the end of this post!
Thanks to my friend, Cindy, (Mothermark,) this week's Teapot Tuesday destination was none other than my home town to Grand Junction, Colorado!! My parents will be deluged with cards from all over the country encouraging them, lifting their spirits, brightening their days and I am sure the staff's and anyone who crosses their paths!! Thank you to all the "Tea Potters" who are sending cheery cards their way!!
My sample for this week did not follow Mothermark's story or sample, but I wanted to make this little tote and a set of cards to include. I saw this tote on Stacy (Twinshappy) blog found here. I loved the size of the cards this was intended to hold (4x4) and used my favorite SU! paper to make a set of cards. This tote is made from a clear acrylic box cut in half!! What a fun concept, then I used nestabilities four to cover the front and back.
Here's a silly thing I did though, after attaching the handle in brads and scor-tape, I wasn't able to take any of the note cards out!! So I had to remove the handle and make a new one, and this time I left it really long so the cards could be removed!
You can see this week's Teapot Tuesday challenge by my wonderful friend, Cindy here!
If you scroll down to the bottom of her post, you will be able to view the one-of-a-kind personalized card that Cindy is so good at making: it has a "picture" of me and our two daughters with our names on it!! How special is that!! The story and the cards can also be viewed on SCS's home page by looking under Tuesday's heading. I'll include a post later on my next visit to see my parents of all the cards!!

Ok, here is the address:

Joyce and Roy Cotton
C/O Mantey Heights Care Center
2825 Patterson Road
Grand Junction, CO 81506

Teapot Tuesday on a Wednesday!

This card was made for this week's Teapot Tuesday Challenge on Splitcoast Stampers! You can read about the challenge by clicking on the polka dot teapot on my sidebar and reading Cindy's (Mothermark on SCS) story and the destination station!
This week the cards are being mailed to a fellow SCS'er who is struggling with chemo therapy sessions.
Having had several family members who in the past year have undergone several surgeries for cancer, I feel a lot of empathy for people undergoing surgery, chemotherapy, and special "diets."
I used the "polish stone" technique for the background, it is so pretty in person. The color combo I used was SU's! wild wasabi, ballet blue, and lovely lavender.
I decided to make two of these as I have lots of occasions for this particular stamp!
Thanks for popping in to see me...I always appreciate your visit and love reading your comments!

Ain't Nobody Here but Us Chickens!!

Yes, it is another Teapot Tuesday in stampland...over on SCS my friend, Cindy, (Mothermark) has a teapot this week without a head. Something about chickens too...so I went straight to my stamp shelf and pulled out this cutie image from Penny Black. How did she know I have been just waitin on the word, "chicken" so I could put these cute critters to ink!!
Anyway, to read the entire story, take a quick peek at the story, just click on the polkadotted teapot in my sidebar (scroll down) and you'll get there!!
Hoping everyone is having a great Tuesday!!

Fill your Day with Happy!

I have always loved this stamp set from SU...the little critters with their banner...and today is Teapot Tuesday's challenge to make a card that is easy to make and flat to mail. I had already colored this image, so it didn't take any time at all to assemble this. It is for a fellow SCS'er who mails cards to kids who need some cheering up due to illness.

I am happy to make this card that will be mailed to children in a locall burn center to hopefully bring some cheer for them!! For the Teapot tuesday thread, click on the polka dotted teapot in my sidebar.

Thanks for looking, and make your day happy today by cheering someone else up. That is the best kind of happy there is!!

Teapot Tuesday and Patented Bird Feeders

Have you ever had a week/day/month/year that just seemed to be discombobulated? Definition: to throw into a state of confusion, upset.

My week has definitely been that way...I can not explain all the variables and factors that have entered in to make my normal world tilt off it's axis, but it is discomforting to me. So today, because I was home, because I had 2 dogs instead of one, because I had no car because my daughter was in a car accident and needed mine, because I am taking my other daughter into a surgery that I am not even sure is a good idea tomorrow, and because she is coming in on a plane this afternoon from a 3 day Las Vegas stint that I don't approve of for a girl her age, and because the exterminator called at the last minute and was in the area and could he spray the house, and because my tummy still hurts...I decided to stamp.

I wish I could say I feel all better now, but if nothing else, this card made me smile. It reminded me of simpler times when I could control at least a few of the circumstances life threw my way, and I could laugh at our kid's humor.

My card was made for my wonderful friend, Cindy's 101 Teapot Tuesday cards celebration. The assignment was to bring dots or spots...and so in an effort to add to this dotty card, I ran the sweet puppy image through the CB swiss dots folder. After I looked at this dog, now all covered with what looked to be a bad rash, I was reminded of my oldest daughter's run-in with a moderate case of chicken pox. She was covered in those dots, and her little sister, always the mischievous one...giggled with glee and demanded some "chicken pops" of her own. It made me laugh, and still makes me smile to think of it.

If you click on the first picture, you can see the hummingbird "in flight." I received this patented "Best Hummingbird Feeder" from a family member from Virginia as a hostess gift. We had talked a lot about our love of bird-watching, and living in Virginia, she has a wider variety of colorful songbirds than we do here in Colorado. I was so delighted to receive this in the mail, and hung it up immediately when we got to our mountain condo this past weekend. I must say, it is pretty cool to watch the hummers, they can actually "perch" on the lips edge which is flatter and wider than most hummingbird feeders. I just took this with my little Kodak camera, so was happy it came out so well.

So tomorrow I will be helping with my daughter's convalescing and hoping that the surgery goes well..

I wish you a happy, even though possibly, discombobulated day~~

Ribbon, Shimmer, Bling...a little bit of Everything!!

For today's Teapot Tuesday challenge...(click on the black and white teapot on my sidebar to read all about it!) ...and using this week's Flourishes sketch by Silke.

After I made the card, I looked again at the sketch and noticed the ribbon running through the lower panel with something on the side...thankfully was able to pry this oval up and added some ribbon under it and more bling!! So this card is a little blingy, but I still like it!

Wanted to join my friend, Cindy, and the Teapot Tuesday gang...but alas, today I am not having luck uploading my card...so hopefully they can bop on in here on the birdbrain train!

Thanks for looking!! Come join in the fun on today's Teapot Tuesday!!

A Teacup full of Sunshine!!

Just trying to warm up the Bat Cave for Auntie's visit!! To view the fun, click on the Polka Dotted Teacup on my sidebar and join us for my friend, Mothermark's Teapot Tuesday challenges! Cindy always has a hoot of a story to share and lots of fun and laughs!
This is for the Stampavie Challenge to use glitter on your card. I am so enamored with these Stampavie images...they bring me such a smile and are fun to color up and adorn. You can read about the Stampavie challenges here: www.stampavie.com/dt/


This one fit especially well with the Teapot Tuesdays, don't you think??
The glue is not even dry, sorry about that, but I am in a hurry to get this in. I do not know what time Colorado time is converted to Central Europe Time, so I hope I didn't miss the deadline.
Thanks for coming by...I always enjoy your visits and love reading your comments! Sweet friends are all of you!
Oh, that reminds me, I need to add a sentiment to this, but am waiting to see where I will mail it first!

Crazy for Daisies!

Today is Teapot Tuesday on SCS, and my friend, Mothermark, asked me to make a sample for this week's Daisy teapot. I fell in love with the softness and prettiness of Cindy's teapot choice...which you can view if you visit her blog (on my sidebar, "This is my Story.")

While there, you have to read the entire story that goes with the teapot to get in on all the fun, but this week we (the tea-partiers) are on their way to help Miss Sadie who is a master gardener in dire need of more daisy petals. It turns out that there is a suitor, Sir Pluckapetal who is up to no good in Sadie's garden night after night.

I had to search for the song, Daisy, Daisy, (we used to sing that all the time as kids)...

and here is the first chorus:

"There is a flower within my heart,

Daisy, Daisy!

Planted one day by a glancing dart,

Planted by Daisy Bell!

Whether she loves me, or loves me not,

Sometimes it's hard to tell:

Yet I am longing to share the lot

Of beautiful Daisy Bell."

~Harry Dacre, 1892

And then we break into the chorus,

"Daisy, Daisy,

give me your answer do!

I'm half-crazy all for the love of you!

It won't be a stylish marriage.

I can't afford a carriage.

But you'll look sweet, upon the seat

Of a bicycle built for two."

Now do you remember Daisy's reply? I don't know if I made it up one day with a bunch of girlfriends or if this is written somewhere , but I always sang the second verse:

"Andy, Andy,

Here is my answer true!

You're half-crazy,

If you think I will marry you!

It won't be a stylish marriage,

You can't afford a carriage~

And I'll be beat,

if I sit on the seat,

Of a bicycle built for two. "

Thanks for coming by today and hope you can play along in this week's Teapot Tuesday! This week is for the "softer side" and the cards may be sent to encourage a fellow stamper. You can read more about that on Mothermark's blog, or in the Challenge Forums on Splitcoast Stampers under Teapot Tuesday.

Enjoy the Ride!

We've got a cloudy day here in Colorado with rain straight for the past almost 24 hours...so maybe that's what inspired my bright sunny card this afternoon! Tilda's top was paper-pieced and the sketch was this week's Just Magnolia's blog challenge for the week.

This is also for my friend, Cindy's Teapot Tuesday's card this week to find a ride at the Kentucky Derby. I told her I have no horse stamps, but I might bring a bicycle, I don't think she will mind, do you?

And over at Stamping Sister in Christ's Blog, the challenge this week was to make a card using flowers. The verse this week is Isaiah 40:8: "The grass withers, the flower fades, but the Word of our God stands forever." What a comforting scripture in times of upheaval in our lives. Thank you SSIC for the challenge!

And thanks so much for looking...and for making my day brighter just by being you!!

Oh, I have to thank two good friends of mine for helping me stay supplied: Peggysue, thank you for this Tilda stamp, I love her, and thanks to Linda Borneman for this gifted paper last year, Chloe's Closet from Making Memories!

Teapot Tuesday, Feel Better!

This week's Teapot Tuesday is taken from a quilted inspiration of a teapot with calicoes and gingham in pinks, greens, and blues.

The "soft side" of the challenge was to make a card for a local (to me) woman of 22 years who has just recently been diagnosed with cancer and is undergoing chemo treatments. My heart goes out to her, and this will be sent to help her feel the love and encouragement knowing others are praying for her.

I am making one just like this only in blues for our daughter who is going to have surgery in two days for skin cancer which was just recently diagnosed as melanoma. While melanoma or any cancer is frightening in terminology, we are encouraged that it is in the early stages, and normally responds favorably to removal. Although no surgery is fun at all...so I am nervous for her. It's a mama thing. I am so grateful that I can send cards to others who are going through trials even more difficult than ours...it really does help ease a burden to reach out to someone else.

If you'd like to read more of Lindsey's story as told by Mothermark (Cindy) you can go here:

http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=483090

Thanks for stopping in...

I used impression obsession stamps for this and some beautiful paper that I'd like to wrap myself up in from a good friend...made by Melissa Frances, and some polar white flower soft applied with Allene's quick grab glue for the shawl collar, cuffs, and pockets. Don't you wish you had some bunny slippers just like these?

Color Me Happy!!

"In the throes of winter, I found within me there was an invincible summer"...who wrote that? Not sure, I always thought it was a good saying, and poetic, but not really true of me. In the throes of winter I find that there is in most people...one long whine.

So no whining today, the sun is shining outside, and I am playing along with my best buddy, Cindy (aka: Mothermark) in her Teapot Tuesday challenge. It's hard to be grumpy when you are taking snowboard lessons with Abner, the Abominable Snowman, really it is!! But Abner gets grumpy because apparently, he is surrounded by white and needs some color in his world.

So I am introducing Abner to my field of tulips!!

This was a fun and cheerful card to put together using Papertrey Ink's Everyday Button Bits. Because I really wanted to use some of my new wide red and white gingham, I kept the blooms red with a simple green framed out with the white swiss dots!!

Thanks for taking a peek today. Hope the throes of winter don't have you in the doldrums...you can always reach for your stamps and bring in a bit of spring!!

What do Snowmen Really Do at Night???

This is the profound question I was confronted with last night about midnight when I saw Lisa Lara's teapot card challenge. The Teapot Tuesday is now a regular challenge under the forum section on SCS, so look there if you would like to participate!

The teapot card was so cute and the Teapot was the prettiest one I've ever seen, all painted up in deep purple and twilight blue colors...

So this was the card I came up with. Naturally, snowmen play freeze tag at night!! What else can you do in sub-zero temperatures?? Living near the North Pole, they have lots of night sky...so what more fun way to spend the hours than playing freeze tag??

Now some of the tea potters are crazy, so you never know what they'll be up to...so grab a cup of cocoa, zip on up to the North Pole...and play along!!

My card was made with a image given to me by my friend, Peggysue!! It was perfect for this challenge today...and I had a few shimmerz paints and wouldn't you know there was a Wild Plum and Mystic Blue in the box, so that is what I used to paint on this night sky! Then Martha Stewart Holidays Glitter in Snow was added at the bottom. Thanks for stopping by today!

Dashing through the Snow!! Teapot Tuesday

This week's Teapot Tuesday challenge was to make a card of one of your favorite Christmas memories, or what you would most want to get for Christmas.

I made my card using last week's sketch challenge, giving my little friends and me a hill to ride our toboggan on. This stamp is my first ever Whipper Snapper and is so cute, I love it. I had ordered this along with some Magnolia images about 3 months ago...these penguins have been around the globe a few times, I think. The order was from the UK and I have no idea where the package went but finally had to go to the post office to pick it up.

It reminds me of my going to Disney World one year with our kids in January just after Christmas. While my two young daughters and their Dad were being whirled around on those really fast rides, I was riding by myself in one of those boats through the canals of "It's a Small World "...ya know the one with the singing people from various countries donned in their heritage costumes...I am sure that is just demented to some of you...and I am proud to say that I did make it down the Log Ride but seriously was looking for a place to jump off at the top of the mountain!! I was holding our oldest daughter's hand and she was having to reassure me...

well, so back to this card.

This is me and my stamping buddies...I am the one on the end and you can't see, but my flipper is dragging in the snow on the other side trying to slow the sled down. My friend, Charlene (Bertie) is on the top of the hill hurling snowballs at us...and we are dodging them coming down the hill. Oh what fun!!

And you, my friends, reading this, are the ones in front...we are having a good time, aren't we??

Thanks for coming along, I promise I won't drag my flipper the whole way...

What is your favorite winter time activity??

Dusty turned Valentine!!

Don't you just love it when two challenges converge into one needy cause? Today is the Operation Write Home's blog hop which you can find here:

http://www.owhhomefrontblog.org/
The idea from what I can gather as a latecomer is to honor our servicemen/women (Any Hero)...by sending in cards to either express gratitude or to be used as a Valentine card which our Any Hero can mail home to a loved one. The card I made yesterday had some little pink hearts on it and I purposefully added pink and blue with a dash of red so this card could be sent by a parent in the military to their child (boy/girl) expressing love and letting them know they are missed!! I am planning on mailing this one in to Operation Write Home and they will send it along.
The other challenge was issued by my friend, Charlene (lilluvstampin) on SCS to make a card for Dusty the Bear who is looking for a new home now that his owner left him abandoned in a dirty attic. The bear brigade is on it's way to rescue Dusty and unite him with some little boy or girl that misses their Daddy at home and needs a bear to hug!! Thanks Charlene for the challenge...and stay tuned next Tuesday for a new Teapot Challenge. It is now listed on the challenge forum page on SCS.

Thanks so much for looking, and hope you can make a card for the OWH, what an honor to participate in this cause!

Rupert Romps

So it's another Tuesday and to get the whole story, you need to visit Mothermark's blog (on my sidebar), This is my Story! Rupert is wanting to romp in all the Fall leaves and is hoping Barney Bear will drop the basket and join him!

It's all about teapot fun!

Oh, and this is also a sketch challenge on the Crazy4Challenges blog.

Thanks for stopping by, and wishing you some fun leaves to romp in or stomp on today!

Uncle Beeford and the Boys in Booneville!!

The teapot party has been seen in swarms moving south to Booneville, Mississippi! According to Mothermark, we are requested to not worry about rsvp'ing but just bring on the bees!! I don't know why, I can never understand her stories, but they are hilarious, and entertain everyone week after week!

My card was also for today's sketch challenge issued by Rox on SCS.

To participate in this week's Teapot Tuesday and read the story and see the most creative cards in the beehive...click on the Teapot Tuesday button on my sidebar!!

Thanks for looking, hope to see ya at the party!

Snail in Waiting

Thanks for coming by my blog, today is a whacky day for all the Teapot Followers...we are at the Tour of France and having a party. Who knows if we'll get by as spectators, join the race, or end up shopping at some fancy stamp botique...but this snail in my little card is waiting and worrying about what to do as well.
To see the inspiration story and card from Cindy, visit her blog here: http://mothermark.blogspot.com/


My snail is a little shy...she feels a ruckus and a rumblin under her shell so close to the ground, and is thinking about venturing out to the road to get a better view...well as well as a snail can see with one eye!! She is curious and wonders if there is a big storm coming and should she seek cover...but her curiosity is getting the better of her. Now I am wondering what she should do in this situation, what do you think??

This scene was created with Basic Grey's acrylic stamp sets, Critters n Treats...the clouds are made from an acrylic sheet cut with scalloped scissors and sponged at angles in bashful blue ink. The tree was covered with artichoke ink then hit in a few places with glorious green ink for some dimension. Then I decided to add some berries to the tree with some bright red brads. To complete, I took some felt flowers and addded these big BasicGrey brad centers. The ribbon was was threaded with ginham, then another wider gingham was tied in a bow and added to the top. The background polka dot paper was ran through the cuttlebug with the flower and circle embossing folder. Last, some crystal effects was added to my snail's shell.
Can't wait to see what unfolds today at the party...hope to see ya there!!

Fifty Two Teapot Celebration!!

Today is the one year anniversary of Cindy (Mothermark's) Teapot Tuesdays! This card was inspired by Cindy's found on her blog here:

http://www.mothermark.blogspot.com/

My little teapot is shrinky dink plastic...I found these cool markers yesterday that you can use on plastic and colored this little stamped image in and then shrunk it in the oven for 7 minutes to make a teapot charm. I don't think the picture shows the detail, but it has color in real life. This is a 5 x 5 square card with the bottom border trimed about an inch and then scalloped. A strip of this cute designer paper from Cosmo Cricket was added along the inside bottom of the card. The plastic charm was mounted on the curly label punch stamped in kiwi kiss, and the matting is also kiwi kiss.

Congratulations on your one year of teapots Cindy!~ It has been so much fun joining you!