You know you're from Colorado when...

 

...it's ok to post a snow themed card on the second day of Spring! :) I made this card Sunday night while the snow was lightly falling and I really love how it turned out! I pulled out my "daisyboardabella" stamp from Stamping Bella for the very first time! I know, crazy! She was another stamp that I had somehow managed to forget about and once I found her, she was calling my name! 

So to make this card I used Jen's Sketch For You To Try. It was another sketch that had jumped out at me so I am glad I got to use it! I colored Bella with my Copics and added some glitter to her board. The paper is from an older Cosmo Cricket Christmas pack but I thought it fit the theme of this card perfectly! I then used my Snowflakes embossing folder on my strip and cut out some snowflakes using my Snowflake sizzlits. 

 

That's it for today's post! Enjoy your Wednesday everyone! 

LoVE YoU Bunches!

 

Hey everyone! I'm finally back! :) We had a fantastic trip and I was honestly sad to have to go home. We miss our family so incredibly much and now that we have a baby, we have become even more homesick. Anyway, I apologize for not getting crafty while I was away. Between family visits and diaper changes, I just didn't have time! Haha! However, as soon as I got home I got crafty and am back to share my creations!

I absolutely love this image from By LORi Designs! Her name is Harper and she is one of the adorable Puddle Jumpers! I actually created this card for the current By LORi Designs color challenge that you can find here! The colors are great and I had a lot of fun playing with them! The sketch is from last week's Mojo Monday blog as well! 

Well that's it for today! Thanks so much for sticking with me! I'll have another card to share with you tomorrow so stay tuned for that! :)

Before I go, here are some pictures that we took while we were in Iowa!

My sweetie and me!

Uncle Matt approves!

Addison meeting her cousins and great grandma for the first time!

Our latest family picture. Look how much hair she has lost! :(

A Clean and Simple Picnic!

Isn't this Sarah Kay image from Stampavie just the sweetest? I decided to pull her out for this week's Clean and Simple challenge over on Splitcoast. This week's challenge was a fun sketch so I pulled out my Cosmo Cricket paper to use as the background strips. I colored the image with my Copic markers and sponged all of the edges with some Tim Holtz Antique Linen Distress Ink. After I popped the image up on dimensionals I then added some fun brads to the corners for a final look. Quick and easy! :)

Well, I had better keep this post short today. I am feeling kind of ill (dang morning sickness) and need to grab a bite to eat before it gets too bad! :D I hope everyone enjoys their Wednesday! I am officially 10 weeks along today and I couldn't be more thrilled about it!

Technique Lover's Challenge: Magic Marquee Card!

Today's card was a BIG challenge for me but I was determined to finish it! Yesterday's Splitcoast challenge was to make a Magic Marquee Card. They are crazy fun but difficult to make if you decide you want to try to adjust the size of the opening like I did! I knew before I started that I wanted to use this adorable SU! set called Lots of Bots and of course my mind couldn't be changed! Haha!

Here is the card when it is shut. Don't you just love that sentiment? It definitely cracked my husband up! Haha! (Edited to add: I just realized it's hard to read. It says "Happy Birthday Human!")
And here is the card when it is opened. The magical part of the card is that little window opens up and the "yellow curtains" separate to reveal the little robot! SO FUN! If you want to make your own, you can follow Jan Tink's instructions here.

As for the rest of this card, the paper is from the Cosmo Cricket Snorkel line. I think this paper is PERFECT for a little boy so I knew it would look wonderful on this card! The rest of the card is pretty self-explanatory but if you do have any questions, don't hesitate to ask! :D

I hope that you are all enjoying your Tuesday! It's a cloudy, cool day here and I am really hoping that it rains. We haven't had rain in weeks and numerous forest fires have started around us. We live only a short while from the National Sand Dunes and the smoke is really billowing from that fire! There is also a large fire just north of us by the Royal Gorge. SCARY! Let's do a rain dance shall we? :) Have a good one!

Prepare to be amazed...

I am posting a card today! WHAT??? I know, I know! It's a miracle! :D Anyway, here it is!This is the very first card I have made since...well...November! I can't believe it took me this long to get back into the swing of things. I had some things come up...some BIG things...and I am just super excited about them!

Want a hint???

This card was sort of inspired by these recent events.

Ok....

I'M PREGNANT! :D

Woah! Crazy huh? I lose my job and end up getting pregnant! Haha! Talk about timing? We are so thrilled though. This has been a long awaited moment, that's for sure. With this new development, we are also seriously considering moving...again! This time, we will probably move back to our home state of Iowa so that we can be near our family. I would obviously miss Colorado but our hearts are just not here anymore.

Anyway, back to the card! I made this card tonight using the Splitcoast Sketch Challenge from Wednesday. I decided to finally ink up this adorable Penny Black set that I bought way back in September! These cute little frogs just look so adorable together and I knew they would be perfect for the sketch! The paper is some retired SU! paper as is the ribbon. I colored the frogs with my Copics (I am so glad I decided not to sell them!) and then popped them up on dimensionals! All in all, I think it turned out pretty stinkin' cute considering I have been a little rusty at this card making business! :D What do you think?

Ok, that's enough for tonight! Guess what...I made TWO cards tonight which means I will have another one to show you very soon! Yippee! Until then, have a great night!

A Not So Scary Magical Monday!

I am VERY sorry that it has been so long since my last post! It has been one hectic week/weekend! Let's see, last week I developed a severe migraine and couldn't seem to get rid of it and then, to top it all off, we went to Colorado Springs to go grocery shopping and ended up getting stuck there for the rest of the weekend due to an ice storm! Talk about crazy! We didn't have anything with us but the clothes on our backs so it was kind of miserable but at least the hotel was warm and safe! :)

Anyway, this card is one I created for today's Magical Monday from There's Magic In The Air! This week the fabulous Leigh Anne has challenged us to use some sort of 3D coloring element so I choose to use stickles (a girl's best friend)! :D You can find this week's digital image for free on the TMITA blog and if you play along with this week's challenge you could win a prize! Why not? A free digital stamp plus a chance to win? Can it get better than that?

It's Another Magical Monday!

Right. Magical and Monday just don't go together in my book! :) Well either way, it IS time for the There's Magic In The Air challenge and you are invited to join! This week Nina has designed a FANTASTIC image that has so many possibilities! All you have to do to get it is download the FREE digital image and create a card using it that also has some type of embossing on it! Cool huh?

For my card I used my Copic markers to color in the flower as well as color the pearls to match! I used some Crate Paper that I picked up from the Jacksonbelle store and embossed it with my swirls embossing folder!

Well that's it for today's card! I'm off to school! :)

Hip Hop Thursday: Back to School Style!

Welcome to another fabulous Hip Hop! You should be arriving here from Wendy's blog. If not, start here at the Unity blog! :)

For my card I used this fun school house from the August KOTM in celebration of school starting back up. It means I have to go back to work but I can't tell you how excited about that I actually am! I look forward to teaching some youngsters! :D I used yesterday's SCS sketch challenge for my card and pulled out some of my retired SU! paper. I felt like the colors in this paper were perfect for a school theme! I stamped my school house, colored it, and cut it out so I could pop it up on dimensionals. I then added some So Saffron ribbon as well as 3 brads and a fun clip! Other than that, I think you can pretty much figure out the rest of my card.

So now that you have seen mine, hop on over to Renee's blog so that you can check out her fabulous creations!

Magical Monday!

Welcome to another Magical Monday! I must admit that this is my favorite Magical Monday YET! :D This week Nina has challenged the design team to create a gate fold card using this gorgeous image which is called "Beached Boat". Isn't this image just fantastic? I love all of the detail that she put into it. It's perfect for a masculine card! If you would like to snag this digital image for free then head on over to "There's Magic In The Air"! Nina is giving it away free this week only! :D Also, if you decide to play in the challenge, you too can be entered to win a yummy prize! All you have to do is use this image and create a gate fold card, post it online, and link it to the challenge post!

For my card I printed the image on water color paper and colored it in with my Stampin' Up! markers and blender pen. I sponged the edges with some Tim Holtz Antique Linen distress ink and applied a SU! rub-on to the bottom left corner. I then cut and folded my card stock and layered on some BasicGrey paper. After attaching my image I stuck on a button that would hold the card shut and paper pierced around both panels. The twine was a final little touch that I felt really tied the whole look together!

Well that's it for me today! I am enjoying my last two days of freedom before I have to go back to school! I will be back tomorrow with another Jbelle challenge so don't miss it!

Introducing Kacey!

Isn't she cute? This is one of the newest releases that Nina has designed and her name is Kacey. You can pick her up in digital form over on the "There's Magic In The Air" blog! Trust me, you will want and NEED her! :D Don't forget that there is also a challenge that you can participate in! This week's challenge is a really fun sketch. All you have to do is create a card using the sketch Nina has created and include Kacey and you will be entered into a random drawing to win an not yet released digital image! Head over to the blog to see what the other designers have done as well! I will post more about this card a little later. A couple of friends are on their way to stamp with me this morning so I need to get ready for them first! Thanks for stopping by!

You're Amazing!

Don't you just LOVE this cute image! She is called Cowgirl Ava and just by buying her you can donate money to the Weiman family. She was created by Pink Cat Studios and is a digital stamp. If you want to hear about the journey they went through with their son Ethan, go to their site. It is one that you will need a tissue for.

Well, after purchasing these images I couldn't wait to use them so I immediately printed them and colored them! I wanted to use one of the Verve release sketches so I pulled out this one. The sentiment fit the sketch perfectly too so of course I HAD to use it! :D The paper I used is Cosmo Cricket's Sugared design. I then colored in little Cowgirl Ava with my Stampin' Write markers. As a final touch I decided to add some Sage Shadow ribbon (which matched PERFECTLY) and some ivory pearls. Overall I think this card turned out to be super cute but I have to give most of the credit to the adorable image! :D

Well, that's it for today's post! I am having a wonderful Sunday and am SUPER STOKED for my hubby to get home tomorrow! Until then I am going to use today for my last chance at "me time". I may take a nap and watch a movie, we will just have to see! I will be back with another card tomorrow though so don't miss it! :D

TECC64: Two Tough Challenges!

Good morning! I hope you are all having a glorious Friday! I loved being able to sleep in a little this morning after a long and stressful week.

The sketch that Taylor has for us this week is really fun and simple. I wanted to use it for the Verve Release color challenge so I pulled out a piece of my Cosmo Cricket Everafter dp because we all know that I can't create a card without designer paper! :) The color combination that we were supposed to use was light blue, soft yellow, and soft brown. I decided that since So Saffron and Baja Breeze matched my dp, I would use those two colors as well as Kraft. Little did I know just how much of a challenge I was creating for myself! For some reason, I struggled to get a look I was satisfied with. I poked and prodded at this card until finally I decided it was cute enough. It's definitely not one of my favorites but I don't hate it either. The final touch that finally satisfied me was the sponging around the edges. I am just amazed at how much life it can bring to a card! For the stamps I decided to pull out my Verve set called Serenity and use the sentiment "Just Because" from my Fluttering By set. I also added some cute rhinestones, stickles, and ribbon as some extra embellishments.

Make sure you stop by Taylor's blog to see today's sketch. Taylor has also picked Sandra MacLean for this week's featured sampler! Check out her blog too!

Want to see more? Sure you do! Make sure you check out the rest of the fabulous Cupcake Samplers! They're sure to be great!

Jami Sibley: More is More
Jackie Pedro: The Scalloped Edge
Donna Baker: Serenity in Stamping
Sherrie Siemens: Card Creme
Ana Wohlfahrt: Ink a Stamp
Vicki Chrisman: This Art That Makes Me Happy
Lynn Mercurio: Stamperosity
Monika Davis: M.A.D. Stamper

TSG Sneak Peeks Day 2: Roses & Chocolate

Good morning! It's Thursday which means tomorrow is Friday! Yay! Here is another fabulous stamp set that will be released this weekend from There She Goes! I am going to keep this post short today but you can find the rest of the details from this blog post as well as Jessica's blog! Anyway, this set is called Roses & Chocolate and was designed by Jessica AND Faith! Didn't they do a fabulous job? For this card I also used Jen's Sketch For You to Try. Well, I will give you more details with tomorrow's card. Sorry for the lack of words today, I'm not having a very good start. Thanks so much for stopping by though and I will be in much better spirits tomorrow!

Make sure you check out some more sneak peeks from the rest of the fabulous team! They won't let you down, I'm sure! :D

Angela

Bev

Denise

Holly

Faith

Maki

Silke

TSG Sneak Peak: You're So Punny...AND MORE BLOG CANDY!

Ok, I have to tell you that I absolutely LOVE this soon to be released set from There She Goes! It is called "You're So Punny" and it has the cutest images and sentiments! This set was one that was inspired by the very talented Holly McMillen (aka: Toy on SCS)! Isn't Mr. Squirrel just adorable? I think he would work perfectly on a masculine or little boy card! In fact, I made this card for my husband for Valentine's Day! I just love how versatile it really is! :D Anyway, this set will be released on Sunday, along with two others, and to kick off this new release we will be having a rockin' party over at Paper Craft Planet in the There She Goes forum from 7-9 p.m. Pacific Time. At that time, Jessica will reveal all three sets and announce the winner for the challenge that she has going on this week. What is the challenge you ask? Well let me tell you! :D This month's challenge is all about GOING DIMENSIONAL! That means you need to include dimensionals on your card in some form or another! Make sure you use your There She Goes stamps in order to be eligible though! Stop by Jessica's blog to get all of the details! Now of course this was not difficult for me since I can hardly make a card WITHOUT them! Haha! In fact, I used 3 different sizes of dimensionals on this card (got the idea from Jessica)! Make sure when you complete the challenge, that you upload it to SCS with the keyword TSG03. If your name is picked, you will then win one of the newly released sets! How cool is that??? :) But wait! There is more! Leave me a comment on this post and I will randomly select a winner who will receive a There She Goes mini set! The winner will be announced at the release party at Paper Craft Planet on Saturday night! So...two chances at blog candy! Can't beat that! :D Well, before I get to the details of the card, I also want to give a shout out to Julie Lacey who is this month's There She Goes guest designer! Welcome Julie! :D You will also want to stop by the other TSG Design Team members' blogs so that you can see some more sneak peeks!

Anyway, for the details on my card, I saw Mercy's Tuesday Sketch Challenge yesterday and decided to play with it! I am really starting to enjoy making square cards! I paired Mr. Squirrel with some My Mind's Eye dp. I just love the soft colors in this piece of paper. I think the pattern is just fantastic too. I layered it on Very Vanilla and Close to Cocoa card stock. I also popped up Mr. Squirrel on a piece of Sage Shadow card stock. I colored him with my Prismacolor Pencils and OMS. I sponged down all of my sides with my Ranger Antique Linen Distress Ink and sponge daubers. For my final touch I added 6 vintage brads to the top and side of my card!

I really hope that you enjoyed today's post! Make sure you stop by tomorrow morning for another sneak peek! I really love tomorrow's set too! :D

Also, don't forget about the sketch challenge and blog candy opportunity from this post!

A Hundred Hearts!

Good evening everyone! It is quite around here tonight because my hubby and my bro are both at youth tonight. I usually go but wasn't able to tonight due to some unforeseen stomach issues! I am not sure what upset it so bad but I can hardly walk without having issues! Ok...anyway...TMI...I know! My whole point of telling you that was that I have time to share this card with you as well as go and make some more! As long as I am sitting, I am fine!

I made this card using my brand new Verve stamps! I actually won this set at the last stamp release (Thanks Julee) called "Hundred Hearts" and I am so glad I did because it is fabulous! I love all the sentiments and verses that are included in it! I am sure you will be seeing some others in the near future! :) The sketch that I used for this card was from this past Friday's Viva la Verve sketch with a twist of pink! Now, if you know me, you know I LOVE pink and that this challenge would be easy for me. Well, I have to admit that it really was! :D The only part I struggled with was trying to get the hearts to fit. I actually was supposed to have 3 circles but instead substituted the middle circle with the sentiment. The dsp I used is actually some new paper from SU! called Candy Lane. I just love the colors and patterns that are included in this pack of paper! I decided to use the two pieces of dsp and layer them on some Very Vanilla, Close to Cocoa, and Pink Pirouette card stock. I used my new (thanks to my hubby) Martha Stewart scallop lace punch to add a little flair. I then tied some Riding Hood Red taffeta ribbon over the middle of the card and popped the sentiment up on top of that. I guess that really sums up this card but if you do have a question, just leave a comment.

Well, I'm off to go stamp! I am going to play around some more of these fantastic sketch challenges that I haven't had a chance to use yet! I will hopefully be able to get a lot done this evening! Take care and good night!

How About Some Our Daily Bread Designs?

Ok, ok...I'll switch it up a little! :D Instead of showcasing some Verve today, how about I showcase some gorgeous Our Daily Bread Designs??? I don't think anyone actually complained but I really want to share my love of ODBD with you as well! I seriously can't get over how amazing this company really is! I am SO glad I found them! :D This set in particular has been great because when I am looking for a quick and easy card, all I have to do is pick which stamp to use, ink, stamp, and voila...image complete! Haha! I actually have to admit that I haven't inked my lighthouse stamp up yet though...shame on me...I plan on using it tonight though! Woohoo! Ok, anyway, enough of my random ramblings! This card was one I made for the Our Daily Bread Designs first sketch challenge! The sketch was a really neat one and so this card came together quickly! I, again, used my Flourished Christian Symbols set and paired it with some BasicGrey Sugared paper and gold ribbon that I received from Maria (love ya girl)! I added some sponging with more mustard to the edge of the image panel and then topped it off with some felt flowers from the SU! Flower Fusion II set. For those of you who are wondering...yes, I did include a sentiment...it's just on the inside of the card. :) Well, I think that certainly sums up this card! If you have questions, let me know!

Can You Stand Some More???

Ok...so if you haven't noticed, I'm kind of on a Verve kick! I have been all about these fantastic stamps lately! I just think that they make the most uplifting cards and I love being able to share my beliefs with my blog readers! Anyway, this card uses two different Verve stamps: "Polka Stars" (which is currently on sale), and a Plain Jane called "1 Thessalonians 5:17-18" To make this card I used last Wednesday's SCS sketch challenge! Can you believe that I am not late with this one??? Haha! Anyway, I also went to Archiver's this weekend and picked up some of this new fabulous "Archaic" paper by BasicGrey. While I was there I also decided to try out some Tim Holtz Distress Ink on my paper edges and I absolutly love the affect that it has. For some reason, it just looks different than when I sponge my SU! inks over the edge of the card stock. Who knows why. I also used more of my Bazzill card stock that I got free from Archiver's! :D I just love that store! To finish up the card I added some SU! vintage brads to the top and bottom corner! Well, that about sums it up for this card! If you have any questions, feel free to ask! I hope you all have an enjoyable evening! My Bible Study girls should be here pretty soon so I need to get ready for that!

Taylored Expressions Cupcake Challenge #45

Good Friday morning! Sorry for the lack of posts this week! I can't even begin to tell you how crazy busy we have been! To be honest, I have been so exhausted that I haven't even felt like stamping much. It was pretty hard to find time to sneak into my stamp room to make today's card but I did, and I really enjoyed myself! :)

This week Taylor has a really great sketch! I absolutely hated ovals until I got my nesties so now I am in heaven! They just make life so much easier! Anyway, I used this adorable caroling cupcake from the Home Sweet Home set from Stamp a Sweet Impression! I just think he/she is so adorable! I also combined some dp from the Christmas Key Ingredients Kit and some dp from Stampin' Up!'s Ski Slope pack. I was pretty amazed at how well they coordinated! For the image I stamped it in StazOn and then colored it in with my Crayola pencils and OMS. Easy peasy!

Thanks for stopping by my blog today! Make sure you check out Taylor's sketch and her sample! You also won't want to miss this week's featured sampler: Cindy Lawrence! She is one talented stamper! I have been a long time admirer of her work!

Want to see more? Sure you do! Make sure you check out the rest of the fabulous Cupcake Samplers! They're sure to be great!

Jami Sibley: More is More
Monika Davis: M.A.D. Stamper
Jackie Pedro: The Scalloped Edge
Donna Baker: Serenity in Stamping
Sherrie Siemens: Card Creme
Ana Wohlfahrt: Ink A Stamp
Vicki Chrisman: This Art that makes me Happy

Well, that's it for today! Nick and I are off to do some Christmas shopping! Yikes! :)

Recipe:
Stamps: SASI (Home Sweet Home)
Paper: Very Vanilla, Baja Breeze, Ruby Red, SASI Christmas Key Ingredients Kit, Ski Slope dsp
Ink: Black StazOn
Accessories: Ribbon, Brads, Nestabilities, Big Shot, Crayola Pencils, OMS, Blending Stump, Dimensionals

Friends Furever

I love this adorable MFT set! I loved it the minute I saw it! However, it wasn't until I won it from Carolyn King that I realized JUST how much I loved it! Haha! I pulled it out to use it for the first time on Sunday and just love how the card turned out! I colored the image using my watercolor paper, SU! markers, and blender pens. For the sketch I used the OCC sketch challenge but altered it a bit. I paired the image with the Hawaii Papaya dsp again along with some tangerine tango ribbon and brads (which are actually hard to see).

That's all I have for today. We are getting ready to go to Iowa so I am not sure how I will do with my posting throughout the rest of the week. I will do my best! Have a great day everyone!

Recipe:
Stamps: MFT
Paper: Kiwi Kiss, Chocolate Chip, Tangerine Tango, Watercolor, Hawaii Papaya dsp
Ink: Black StazOn, Chocoalte Chip
Accessories: Ribbon, Dimensionals, Brads, Blender Pens, SU! Markers

A Simple Sympathy Card

A man from our church died this past week and his funeral is on Monday so I wanted to make a sympathy card for his dear wife. I actually didn't have any sympathy stamps until I recieved my new There She Goes sets in the mail Thursday! The set I used was "Here For You" and it is such a beautiful sympathy set. I used Beate's Weekend Sketch Challenge for this card too. Since I didn't have a whole lot of time to stamp like I had planned, I made it a quick card. I pulled a piece of Urban Garden dsp for the larger rectangular panel and then stamped this fabulous quote and embossed it with white ep. I am not sure if you can read it but it says "Words, however kind, can't mend your heartache: but those who care and share your loss wish you comfort and peace of mind. May you find strength in the love of family and in the warm embrace of friends." Isn't that just amazing? What a touching quote. Anyway, this card is absolutely gorgeous in real life and I couldn't get it to photograph like I had hoped but I didn't have time to try again so hopefully I will have the chance later. I just wish you could see the true beauty of it. Well, that's it for today! I have to take a test this morning so if you could remember to say a quick prayer for me, that would be fantastic! I NEED to pass this thing the first time. It is too expensive to have to retake! Enjoy your Saturday and I will be back tomorrow with another card!


Recipe:
Stamps: There She Goes (Here for You)
Paper: Basic Gray, Kiwi Kiss, Urban Garden dsp
Ink: Versamark
Accessories: White EP, Ribbon, Brads, Dimensionals