FLLCCEL1, FLLCCEL3

Today I have a bit of sunshine for you!! The first card is a sketch challenge for Flourishes...I used a new set to me, Beach Life , for this card. The bottom panel had round circles in the sketch, so I colored up these flip flops and punched out circles and added a little bling to them!!

The second card with the Easter lily is a CASE challenge from Flourishes to find a designer and CASE one of her cards. This was easy to find the designer, Dawn Burnsworth!! Her lily card shown on her blog, My Stamping Thyme was gorgeous!!

Of course, since this was a new release, I did not have it...but I had been given this set "I Am the Way" from ODBD by a special friend last year. When I saw Dawn's card, I knew I had to give it a whirl! Of course, Dawn's coloring is amazing...so I didn't attempt to match that, but love this set and the layout and the paper by Basic Grey!

This is the last of my challenge cards, I made 4 this time around, and it took awhile!!

Thanks for looking and your sweet comments! Have a great week!

This is my submission for this week's challenge on the Flourishes newsletter to use pink and green for your card! I love this Flourishes stamp, it is my go-to and is so versatile. This was stamped in Vintage Sepia and sponged with pink pirouette. Then silver pearls and pink ribbon and gorgeous paper added and you have a card!!

I hope you like this one, I don't think you can go wrong with these stamps...

As always, thanks for looking and I am always encouraged by your comments!

Have a good evening! It's late here, I'm about to relax and watch a good movie!

It's a Celebration!!

I absolutely love the sweetness of this image from Stampavie. I can't tell you how long I've waited for my liquid applique to come in, but couldn't get my hands on it! So, I finally scrounged around and found a white tulip paint writer for my frosting, and then used some pink cotton candy stickles for the polka dots!

This is my submission for this week's Flourishes Celebration theme: make a card that depicts some type of celebration! Flourishes is celebrating this week with lots of challenges and goody bag prizes...check out the Flourishes Newsletter for all of them, but hurry!!

Thanks for stopping by, hope this card gives you a smile! I have two today, so come on back!

Whatcha Got Cookin'?

No, this isn't another recipe post, I am just trying to think of a catchy title to go with this Baking Tilda...today is a new challenge on the Just Magnolia blog, a sketch. While my sketch isn't exact, I think all the components are there!! This was a new Tilda for me, colored in copics and I made a ribbon flower from the wide SU striped ribbon and paired this with some buttons from PTI and antiqued with a bit of Tim Holtz distress inks in Tea Dye. I also used some new nestabilites, Labels 8. I love this card...it made me happy to make it and reminded me of one thing that gives me joy and I am missing right now...and that is hospitality and cooking up something special for others. So I am entering this in Stamping Sisters in Christ challenge to make a card that brings you joy.
Each week the SSIC has a challenge with a short devotional and this week is by my dear friend, Peggysue...so head on over to the SSIC blog (see sidebar) to view.
I am behinder and behinder in challenges...and wanted to try a few more today and tomorrow, so please come back!!
Have a great day!!

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?

A few of my Favorite Recipes!!

A friend at stamp club brought a caramel fruit dip with sliced apples and it was so yummy. The recipe is from one of my favorite cookbooks, Creme de Colorado. I will be sharing two fruit dips that you might enjoy for your next gathering or just a quick snack at home. So good and healthier than store bought cookies!

My friend and I got to talking about our love of cooking, and she told me she still had her first cookbook, the yellow striped Betty Crocker's for children...and what a coincidence, so did I! What fun it was to reminisce over those recipes that I recall making for my family to earn a Girl Scout's badge, like the porcupine meatballs!

Now it is so easy to google a recipe and download it...but I have to say I love my old cookbooks...I can leaf through them and they bring to mind not just a recipe but a memory. Many I have hand written notes dating back to the early 1980's when I made a certain cookie for my daughter's preschool party...or a special entree for a dinner with friends. Those recipe pages that are stained and almost falling out of the book are probably the most treasured. It also reminds me that I am not as adventurous in cooking as I once was...and maybe I should try experimenting a little bit more.

Anyway, hope you enjoy these.



Caramel Fruit Dip

1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar (packed)
1 tsp vanilla
8 ozs. cream cheese (may use light) softened
fresh fruit for dipping

Put sugars, vanilla and cream cheese in blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Serve with a colorful assortment of fresh seasonal fruit such as apple slices, strawberries, or pears.
Great for a healthy casual snack or afternoon teas!


Orange Cream Fruit Dip

8 ozs. cream cheese, softened
7 ozs. marshmallow creme
2 T fresh orange juice
1/2 tsp pure orange extract
(or if you don't have that, I've added 1/2 tsp of orange zest)

In food processor or blender, mix all ingredients together. Chill until ready to serve.
Created especially for strawberries!

These chicken enchiladas remind me of the kind in the restaurants with the green tomatillo sauce...they are spicy and creamy. To speed things up, I usually use a roasted rotisserie chicken from the store and a 16 oz. jar of Tomatillo salsa which is just the right amount. But hey, if you want to go for making your own salsa and have the ingredients in your produce department, then let me know how it turns out.
This is our oldest daughter's favorite too, and since giving her the cookbook, she makes her own from scratch. I am so impressed!!

Chicken Enchiladas with Tomatillo Sauce

1/3 cup half and half
6 ozs. cream cheese, softened
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
3/4 cup finely chopped onion (make it fine, you don't want to taste crunchy onion bits.)
Tomatillo Sauce
12 8-inch corn torillas
3/4 Cup shredded cheddar
3/4 Cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Condiments: shredded lettuce
chopped tomatoes, olives or sour cream (your pick!)
Sauce:
1 store bought jar or make your own:
2 dozen tomatillos, husked
4-6 serrano peppers, stemmed, seeded and minced
3 cups chicken broth
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
1 tsp salt
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Beat together 1/2 and 1/2 and cream cheese till smooth. Add chicken, onion and salt to cheese mixture and blend. Soften tortillas by wrapping in damp paper towel and heating in the microwave on medium heat for a minute or wrap in foil and place in low oven.
Spoon a thin layer of tomatillo sace in the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish. Dip each tortilla in the tomatillo sauce. Place approximately 1/4 cup of chicken mixture down the center of the tortilla. Roll and place seam side down in the baking dish. Spoon remaining tomatillo sauce to taste over the casserole. Cover with foil and bake in a preheated oven at 350 for 20 minutes or until hot. Remove foil and add the cheeses. Bake for additional 5-10 minutes longer or until cheese melts and sides are bubbly.
Serve with condiments and enjoy ...ole!!

Serene Sympathy

It's my first time joining in Becky Oheler's Challenges...using a video and giving specific matting and colors. The goal for me is to use my Papertrey Ink stamps and find easier card formats to put together a card more quickly with less fuss and still have the impact I desire. So, I made this with a PTI set and used versamark ink and white pearl embossing powder. A happy "mistake" is there was some enchanted evening blue ink on my leaf that hadn't all been cleaned off before I stamped in the versamark...giving subltle blue hues and sheen to the leaves. The top was scored twice and a simple cream taffeta ribbon tied for ease of mailing. The ribbon was supposed to be blue but I didn't have any which matched, even with my copics to color, so I just kept with simple cream. The combination is stunning, enchanted evening and soft stone cardstock...I love it!!

Tell me, what do you think of this as a sympathy card...would you prefer the colors be lighter for the base and more embellishment? I am beginning a swap and need to make quite a few sympathy cards...so I would appreciate your thoughts on this.

Thanks for stopping by...have a blessed day!

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!!

Pot of Purple Petunias!!

This card was made for two purposes...the first to honor the featured stamper on SCS, Jovial Judy!! I Cased one of her card layouts for this spring card!
Also this week's Flourishes challenge is "All About Me." Now normally that would sound selfish to make something all about myself...but that was the call...use things you love!
So I love new stamps, and I love flowers, I love container gardening and usually have purple petunias, and I love these swirled diecuts and I love learning new things (as in coloring my bling with a copic) and I love purple or in this case, razzleberry, and I love....to STAMP!!
Hope that about covers what I love that I tried to portray in my card today!
Hope you had a good weekend! Thanks so much for stopping in!

Butterfly Tree

Hi, it's been awhile, hasn't it? I am feeling the pinch to get this card up on my blog and just a bit to say before I have to sign off as my husband will soon be taking the computer away for tax purposes!!
Today's card is a submission for two challenges. The SCS inspiration challenge and this week's Stamping Sisters in Christ verse from 1John 4:10.

The verse, "This is real love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins."
The challenge was to make a card that shows God's love for us. I don't know any better way to show God's love than prayer...I am always so encouraged when someone says they are praying for a specific need or heartache and it is humbling for me if I can pray for someone else. Prayers are like these butterflies that light on the soul and ease a burden.

This is a 4 1/4 inch square card. If you want to see the original inspiration, it is from the site, Lark. What cute vintage stuff, and you might get a kick reading some of the notebook titles.
Here is the card: http://www.larkmade.com.au/products/paper-goods/foliage-and-birds-card.html
Have a wonderful weekend! Thanks for stopping in!

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Just wanted to wish you, my stamping and blogging friends, a Happy Valentine's Day. My husband and I are surrounded by snow laden pines in beautiful Steamboat Springs. Doesn't this look like fun? We probably won't be going on a toboggan ride, but maybe a walk with snowshoes up a nearby hill.
I love these old fashioned Valentine's..they make my heart sentimental and bring back a bit of nostalgia for me. Whatever you do today, be sure to tell the ones you love how special they are!!
Happy Valentine's Day...and will see you in a couple of days!!

Gift for Our Daughter

Not too long ago I received the most beautiful stamp set from Innovative Stamp Creations. After participating in the Crazy4Challenges (see sidebar) I was alerted by a friend that I had won!! This set, Silhouettes 1, is one I'd seen many times in galleries and always loved it!

So I was so excited to be able to choose this set which comes with a few other lovely silhouette images and sentiment sets. Thank you Innovative Stamp Creations , I love it!

This week our youngest daughter celebrated her birthday, and I decided to make a 3 part frame using this set and the sentiment from SU in the center as her gift from me. The outside matting is rolled with a new large SU wheel from the new mini catalogue. Then the images on the card and the frame were colored in with markers before stamping. The card's border punch is EK Success and the ribbon and hardware are from SU.

Remember you can click on the photograph for a larger image to pop up...the frame is a bit hard to see...but looks really pretty in real life.

I enjoyed making a frame and hope it gives you an idea to use some of your own stamps to frame up!

Thanks for stopping by today. I so appreciate you taking the time and comments are always fun to read!!

Have a great day!

Flourishes Anniversary Challenge FTTC52A

Today is the deadline for Flourishes Anniversary Challenges. I have 3 that I am posting today (see previous posts for viewing)...and this one is a combined challenge, (although I will only submit it for one)...Cindy Haffner's sketch challenge and Silke's challenge to keep it pink!!

I found that the tulip from the Flourishes set can fit in a small circle...I really was excited about this discovery! The pink squares are some designer paper, the tulip is colored in several shades of pink copics and cotton candy stickles added, along with a pink taffeta ribbon (not SU) and pink rhinestones. That's enough pink for any girl for one day...don't you think??

If you do come by and happen to actually read this, will you let me know which is your favorite of the 3 today? I am just curious...I have a fave...but would like to know what you think.

Thanks so much for stopping by...wish me luck on the contest!

Flourishes Anniversary Challenge FTTC52B

This is my second submission today for Flourishes Anniversary Challenges. This one is issued by Betty Wright, and is for cutting out an image and popping it up!!

What a great challenge...I fiddled with this card way too long and think I stumbled on the nestabilities that were too large for my card! Also tried stamping the image on a designer paper and then stamped another and cut it out and popped it on top. I tried this several different ways and this is what I ended up with. The green bow was added at the base of the tulip for a little stem...and the tulip was spritzed with pearl glimmer mist. Since the deadline is today, I am submitting it...but this is one I'd like a do-over! LOL!! Thanks so much for looking and stopping by today!

Flourishes Anniversary Challenge FTTC52C

Today I have 3 submissions for Flourishes Anniversaries Challenge.

This one is to make a Fruity Birthday card using a fruit or fruit inspired paper, etc.

So, I used this strawberry set which I LOVE!!

This was made with Kraft paper, some designer paper, and the strawberry was colored with copics and popped up. I used a Martha Stewart fence punch on some yellow dotted designer paper and a wide red gingham ribbon! I hope you like it! Let me know which one is your favorite of the three please!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Birds and Blooms

Just a quick Sunday morning post...I had time to stamp a card early this morning for several challenges. Today's featured stamper on SCS is Barb Anders, and Casing one of her beauties is what got me started.
And today is also when the Stamping Sister's in Christ challenge for the week is announced. This week's challenge was taken from the verse:
Mark 10:7-9
"For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and will be united to his wife, and the two will be one flesh..."
The challenge given was to use 2 of whatever you used on your card...so taking inspiration from Barb Ander's card, I used 4 (hey that's 2 of 2, right) of the scalloped squares and then 2 birds, and 2 flowers...I liked the image of love blooming...that was my thought. But then after I made this card, I had to laugh, because it looks like the mama bird is chirping away at the papa bird and isn't that the way it sometimes is...yak, yak, ...better than squawk squawk!!
Also, this week over on Crazy 4 Challenges blog the challenge is to make a Valentine themed card...so there is my heart chipboard covering my assorted ribbons!
So 3 challenges and I hope you're not too confused reading this.

For my stamping recipe:
Stamps: SU Cheep Talk, SU En Francais (chipboard heart)
Inks: SU Purely Pomegranate, SU Chocolate Chip
Paper: PTI white, SU pink pirouette, SU chocolate chip, Basic Grey Urban Prairie
Accessories: Chipboard Heart, White craft paint, Assorted ribbons, Scalloped Square Nestabilities, SU Stitched Felt Sweet Pea


Thank you so much for stopping by, hope you like my untraditional Valentine...I actually like this one pretty well!
Have a blessed Sunday!

My Favorite Flourishes

One more post today, please don't miss the last one, how often do I get two done in one day, anyways?

This week the Flourishes Design Team is issuing challenges in honor of their anniversary! This one I am participating in is using one of your favorite Flourishes stamps...

I have only a few Flourishes and I have to say I have more than one favorite...but this one I probably use most often, I love the feminine quality and the different looks you get if you use solid background, the black magic like my last one made with this set, or marker technique.

I also made a recipe of bath salts and used these little jars I use to hold buttons and primas from Hobby Lobby to hold these salts. Tied a lavendar polka dot ribbon around the rim and there it is!

I doubled this original recipe from Flourishes blog:

Bath Salts

1 cup coarse Sea Salt

1/2 Cup Epsom salts

1/2 tsp glycerine (found at pharmacies)

2-3 drops fragrance oil of your choice (I found at health food stores)

optional: 2-3 drops of food coloring

I doubled this and it made enough for 4 small jars and one larger one. I used the jasmine frangrance oil and added at least 6 drops then a bit more...it has a heavenly fragrance. I already used this for a bath, and it was truly wonderful...about 1/2 of this jar is what I would use for a large soaking tub...appx 1/4 cup.

Enjoy the recipe and my thanks to Teresa Momber and this link here to see hers:

http://flourishesnewsletter.blogspot.com/2009/07/limelight-week-4-with-theresa-momber.html

PTI Day 5 Emboss Resist Challenge

Today's technique is one I have tried before, but not in these colors...I took my inspiration from the designer paper and used a couple of layered blues for the papers and the inks...none of which are exactly the same but it worked out alright!

So my goal lately is to always try at least two new things, today's was layering sponging for the emboss technique, and using my blade for trimming the white piece rather than trying to cut everything to fit. I learned that on today's video, such a simple thing, and yet is made this a bit easier.

Thanks for coming by and hope this card brings you a little dose of sunshine!

Here is the link with the information:

http://nicholeheady.typepad.com/

Teapot Tuesday, Sketch Challenge , and SSIC Challenge

Today is Teapot Tuesday on Splitcoast Stampers, and I wanted so badly to participate. The story, however, is about a cow...I think da Muddermark has an affection for bovines, and alas I am not equipped with a plethora, no not even a single cow stamp. However, I have a dog named Copper, who is a Corgi, and Corgis are cow-herding dogs.

I have been enamored with this dog from Mo's Digital Pencils for so long, because he reminds me so much of my dog...the shape, the disposition, the coloring...and this image reminds me of my youngest daughter with our dog a few years back.

It has taken me much effort, I tell ya, much effort, to figure out how to upload a digital! It is not the digi designer's fault, but this has been a process to get this image and download it and color it. So your comments, encouragement, would be so very welcome right now. I want to do this again, I love these images!

Okay, so for the story, you have to visit the Teapot Challenge blog of Mothermark (just click on the polka dot tea cup in my sidebar) and you can read her exciting story of Curt the Squirt, sister of Alicia, who is in the cow prankster business but has found himself stuck somewhere jumping over the moon, and needs to get unstuck. This is where my little dog, also known as Mr. Copper-Fella is to the rescue...he is going to go round up Curtis by nipping at his heels, barking incessantly and jumping up and down like a wild animal that he is until Curtis budges...then he's going to whip Curtis into shape doing cow aerobics until...until...untill...well the cows come home, or Curtis loses a few inches, whichever comes first!!

I used the Sweet Sunday sketch found above to help get this card started. I used some pretty gingham glittered paper and paired with pink pirouette and white card stock. The bow underneath was made using some wide crochet scrap ribbon and layering a pink taffeta over it with score-tape, then cinching it together with some white thread. The hearts are from my sweet friend, Dawn, (flowergal36)who I so {heart}...thank you!!

And lastly, this card is for this week's Stamping Sisters in Christ challenge 24 based on the verse Matthew 18:4 "Therefore whoever humbles himself like this child is greatest in the kingdom of heaven." You can visit this challenge forum by clicking on the Stamping Sisters in Christ button at the top right of my blog.

So head on over to the teaparty blog and check out today's story and play along, you have all week to get Curt into shape!!

More birthday cards from Friends!

Alrighty, I am back again with 3 more cards to share with you, none of which I can claim any credit for...these are snippets of love from friends...the best kind~~

The first is from my friend, Joanne, (JoJot) on SCS, she knows one of my favorite color combos...and look what she does with punches...just amazing how she can align everything up and make such a dramatic entry with her cards! Thank you Joanne, and stay away from the glitter, ya hear me??

The second card is a tri-fold with Tilda on the front and the sweetest little poem on the second fold ...VikkiJo knows her folds and always makes creative cards with them! Thank you so much VJ for this sweet Tilda card!

And the third is from my new friend, Joyce (ashjoy) on SCS , and a fellow dork sister!~Can you fill the chill as you gaze at this cute lil house mouse scene...I wish I could enjoy winter as much as these cuties! Thank you, Joyce, such a fun creative card!

I am back tomorrow with as many cards as I can figure out how to successfully upload on my blog...there is a way to do it and although I am learning, I don't know that just yet. So bear with me, and hope you enjoy these!

Thanks for stopping in!

Thank you!!

I received some beautiful one of a kind works of art for my birthday, and wanted to spend this week showcaseing some of them. Some days we get so caught up in the actual making of a card, that we might forget how much sheer pleasure and joy it gives the recipient to receive it in the mail!

Thanks ladies, for your kindness! Your talent inspires me, your thoughts touch me, and your generosity overwhelms me!

This first card is from my wonderful friend, Dawn (flowergal36)...Dawn knows my love for Tilda's and sent this adorable Edwin (is Edwin a cousin, a brother, not sure??) having fun in the fishing pond! I love this, it has real fishies swimming across the page and what looks like a nautical knot on the border...Dawn even decorated the inside of this cutie. I am so blessed to have gotten to know Dawn this past year, and find out we share much in common besides our stamping interests!! Isn't this such a fun cheerful card?? Thank you, Dawn!

The house mouse in pink tulle is from my fun friend, Pat Smethers. Pat is so loving and exuberantly shares it with friends...this card touched me with the sweet image, the pink tulle, and her stitching is making me itching to try it!! I have met Pat when she came to Colorado with Shirley (wannabcre8tive) and we stamped together, drove up to the mountains with some other stamping friends...the first thing I noticed was her huge heart and loving words that she sprinkles her conversation with! No wonder Pat is a favorite person of mine!

The second card is from one of my dear dork sisters, Linda R. Linda is a new SU demo and her work just explodes with new creative ideas...I love this beauty in pink and her background border just makes it so soft and romantic! Thank you, Linda!

I will share the next 3 tomorrow, thanks so much for stopping in!!

Boquet for Featured Stamper!!

Today is Featured Stamper Day on SCS, a day where one stamper is honored by CASEing a card. I loved Karen's gallery and her style is one that I would love to aspire to. Having a love for florals and rich colors, I was drawn to a Victorian style...this used a technique called "Black Magic." The most difficult part of this for me was trying to figure out how to mat a frame so it opens to the inside and the image is actually on the inside of the card. That was my challenge to myself and I don't think I did it right, but if someone knows how to do that and can give me a picture, I'd try it again. Other than that, I love the colors and technique used today.

I think I will be referring to Karen's gallery often, I learned so much just in the short time I was there!!

Thank you for looking, and hope you have a blessed and restful Sunday!!

Stamping Sisters in Christ, C4C21

This week's Stamping Sisters in Christ challenge was taken from Joshua 24:15..."As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord." We were asked to make either a card to use for a house welcome, hospitality, or a home decor item.
Well, thankfully I had received this stamp set in the mail just the other day, and it has a chair in it. In my house, I have a chintz chair just like this in my bedroom. Next to it is a basket overflowing with notebooks, cards, my Bible, studies, mailers from missionary friends...and I thought about this a bit. That chair is a pivotal part of service for me.
Actually, I have two chairs that I sit in a lot at my house. The other chair is my swivel stamping chair in my stamp room. It is pretty comfy too. The chairs represent a bit of inner struggle I go through every day when I plant myself down. Most days I am drawn more frequently to my stamping chair than to my studying/praying chair. It is easier for me and my feet just do the walking and that is where I end up,usually with the intention of making a specific card for someone.
I just recently started a new Bible Study which also means more disciplined study is necessary to complete the course and do it well. So in the past 2 weeks as I head with my morning coffee, I have had to be more deliberate which comes first...the prayer/study chair or the stamping chair. For me, service means sitting first. I can't truly know what God desires for me any day unless I spend time with him first and talk with Him. The needs can be great, one person may need a card of cheer, another friend may be undergoing an upcoming surgery, maybe my adult children need me to do something for them, my parents need me, and the list goes on and on. I can easily feel overwhelmed and a bit unsure what to do first. Spending time in my chintz chair helps me to focus on the priority of the day, and gives me so much peace as I have a definite goal in mind.
So, I am really happy to be stamping, but I don't want to sacrifice the most important thing which is time spent with the Lord to do it.
One thing I have found and this is probably not a new thing for most of you...but suddenly as I am reading my Bible there are parts of it that are just coming to life in my head. I am reading in Genesis right now and am captured in my imagination the people of the drama as it unfolds from the pages of history. I see other people in my own life being paralleled by these Old Testament heroes and the words become alive. Wow, isn't that what it is supposed to be? But God is speaking to me in a way that seems clearer than it has in a long time. So, enough of my thoughts today...there is no cohesive end, it is just me desiring to serve God through knowing God more...
and hopefully loving Him and others better than before.
Oh, and my card, oh my, I have not watercolored in so long and it shows. I forgot which ink to use, do I get my paper wet before, do I use an aqua brush and if I use my watercolor pencils, how do I blend them. So there is not a lot of adornment on this card, just practice. I still like it alot and it makes me happy. Maybe I can use it for a thinking of you or a get well card. What do you think?

After visiting a friend's blog, I decided to add this to the Crazy4Challenges blog , this week to use pink in a card!! Yay, I love pink...and this blog is way too fun to miss!

Stamp Club Projects

Last night was my first of the year Stampin Up Stamp Camp and our demo spoiled us with 4 projects~ One is not featured today, why, because I left it there~~ So that will be for a different day, but hope you find some fun and inspiration by these three!

This card was made (pictured below)with the scalloped trim corner and border punches and those cute see through Sweet Treat cups along with some of the new designer paper. A little tricky to get the hang of the corner punch but I love the effect, don't you? And those hearts all spell out a message...basically it says, "Eat me, no, do not eat me." Because the only way to eat this is to rip open this cute card, so if I give it away, I will include a box of these candy conversation hearts so the temptation isn't there!!

And the card to the right is probably my favorite, just because of it's sweetness and promise of Spring. I love this bird punch, and can see a lot of future projects with this, and decor for my stamp room. The branch was cut out from two papers, the celery and chocolate chip and then layered for a shadow effect...I'll have to remember that one~ Our demo, Carn, gave us so many fun projects to do, and what a great way to start off the year!!

This last project is a cute tin that has been altered using some designer paper and the heart from the "Movers and Shapers." The inside of the tin has 4 mini peppermint patties that were covered with 8 of the embosslit dies and one was stamped with the "friend" sentiment which if set just right in the tin, peeks out of the heart opening. I was so impressed with the ease that the Big Shot cut through this tin~~ Isn't this a cute set?

Just wanted to share a few of the cards and projects with you...hope you have a wonderful day whatever you are doing. Thanks for stopping by~

Love Love Love...Coffee Anyone??

Love is in the air...well, at least at my house, there is uaually a strong aroma of fresh coffee, and I love that!! Today, in honor of SCS Featured Stamper Sunday, I chose to CASE a card from Anne (jdmommy)'s gallery!!
One of Anne's cards gave me the start I needed, featuring cut-out hearts in the corner. I just received these cute already glittered-up hearts and the ribbon from my friend, Dawn (flowergal36) and the Coffee and Sentiment stamp set from my good friend Charlene...and haven't even found them a home yet in my stamp room. I didn't want to put them away without finding a fun card to put them on!!
So, this sentiment, "You're the Cream in my Coffee" is one of my favorites. I must have read it when I opened this package up and then put it in the back of my mind, because later I was thinking about Valentine's and my love for coffee and wouldn 't this be a great sentiment to put on a Valentine?? I mean, I thought I had just made it up, and thought I would have to try to computer-generate it just to go with a Valentine in my head?? How excited I was when I looked at the coffee set, and there it was. Must be those brain cells in decline...I wish they would manufacture a coffee that has memory capabilities as part of the coffee beans!!
Thanks for popping in, and the coffee pot is on just for you today!!

Night Song

I have a special affection for birds and when looking to bring cheer or comfort, my mind settles on bird images often.

I made this card using this week's MOJO Monday sketch...don't ask what happened to my Tuesday-Thursday...and today's SCS challenge to use a bird in your card.

This is a sympathy card for my Aunt who lost her daughter (my cousin) who was only a few years older than I. I am hoping it brings her some measure of comfort knowing that others care and our lifting her up to the Father.

I had taken the photo and was about to put this in the mail, when I looked and decided my bird needed a bit of color. Just by brushing over it with a couple of colors, he is brought to life. I also decided to move the picture background, the boquet is from my good friend, Cindy, in the background!! Isn't it a breath of fresh air??

I plan on posting some of my fun birthday cards here in a few days...our mail is so slow, so some of them are trickling in!! I had a wonderful birthday, thanks to all my stamping friends for making it that way!~ I so appreciate you!!

Sleigh Ride Dinner in Steamboat Springs

What a night to remember! For my birthday, my husband arranged a weekend surprise dinner at our favorite place to hang out, Steamboat Springs. The dinner included a gondola ride to the ski lodge located about a 1/4 of the way up the ski mountain where you were able to stop and grab a hot cup of cider...then board this "sleigh ride" to the other side of the mountain. Since I do not ski anymore, I was thrilled to see so much of the mountain lit up by the lights of the caterpillar and the stars. We bundled up and enjoyed the view. What fun!! The dinner was a full 5 course meal served indoors (thankfully, not a warmed tent) and with full wait staff!! Entertainment included a man on acoustical guitar that sang so many of my favorites, I was playing "Name that Tune" the entire meal!! I didn't get any pictures of the food, although I was tempted. Do you like food as much as I? Let's just say I have eaten at some of the best restaurants in Venice, Austria, and Switzerland, and this rivaled them all!! Yumm-o!!

Our daughter, Erin and I on the sleigh ride. The sleigh was a big red machine with platform seats going across in rows. It was pulled by a ski-cat (caterpillar) which for the 75 people or so was a lot more do-able than a few horses, I am sure!! It was so fun!! But cold, you ask...well, the 16 degree temps were made bearable with wool blankets that we wrapped around our waists and sat upon. And then my sweet husband gave us his to lay across the top of our laps. The most amazing thing, the stars at night were out and you just had to look up above the snow-capped pines and winter white aspens to see them. It was breath-taking!!

Tom and I at my birthday dinner. I had to edit this photo because my hand went berserk at the last minute and showed up right next to my chin. But I have to add this, see the lovey-dovey couples in the background? The table above my head...the couple became engaged that night. The man on the guitar sang some sentimental love song, they announced a special request, and he got down on his knees and proposed. It was so sweet to see the movements, tentative, and her reaction, which was joy. It just made me cry~~

Erin and her Dad, Tom, at the dinner at Ragnar's Restaurant at the top of the ski mountain.

Thanks for coming along to view my pictures and read of the fun night we had!! It was probably the most memorable birthday I have had. Let's just hope I can remember it...hee!!

And just so you don't worry, I am having another dinner at our favorite hamburger joint tonight with our other daughter who had to work over the weekend.

Don't you love that about birthdays? It just keeps getting celebrated in small and big ways all week long!!

All Things New

Good morning and Happy New Year to you!! This week I am combining two challenges. The CCEE blog has 2 new additions and they happen to both be friends of mine. So how could I not participate?? After a holiday break, they are back! The sketch challenge is by Cindy Haffner. Also this week, the Stamping Sisters in Christ issued a challenge based on the Bible verse: 2 Corinthians 5:17: "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation: the old has gone, the new has come!" We were asked to create a card or project celebrating a new baby or a new Christian's conversion.

I do not have any new babies in our family, but if one comes along, I will be ready now. There is something so precious about a new life and so I wanted to celebrate that today along with a New Year!!

This card was made using a new SU set I ordered, Bundle of Joy. I combined bashful blue and a Making Memories new designer paper pad, "English Garden" that contains so many pretty designs, but this one is the dotted yellow.

Thanks so much for stopping by and wishing you lots of new blessings in all forms in the New Year!!

SCS Inspiration Challenge

Today was the Inspiration Challenge on Splitcoast Stampers! My card was inspired by a goofy Cat clock...well, I had this house mouse image so went with that, but the colors are there!!
Here is a link to the clock:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=19686290

This card is also for the Crazy4Challenges #18 Polka Dots challenge...I had fun with this one...you'll have to look and see how many polka dots I have...
Here is a link to the challenge:
http://crazy4challenges.blogspot.com/

Thanks for coming by my blog today, Happy Stamping as always!!