Middle Son

Can you believe how pretty he was? His older brother looked like a prize fighter when he came out! He was a forceps delivery, and they had scratched his face all up with the fetal monitor. His head was kind of a funny shape, too. One eye was swollen shut. Within a week, he was an exquisite Gerber baby, but boy, right there at first, you had to wonder!!

Now Sky weighed more than a pound less, and this is how perfect he looked!! At 15, he is now more than six feet tall!

This is for Erika's scrapbook challenge over on StampTV. If it weren't for those challenges, I'd never make a LO! I used GinaK's Down on the Farm and Warm & Fuzzy on this page.

For You My Friend & Blog Candy Winner

I made this for GinaK's June release party challenge over on SCS. I'm not feeling too well today, so I'll be brief. I went in to the eye doc on Friday and he prescribed drops for an eye infection, and I think they are making me sick. Either that or I'm just plain old and worn out!

This week's blog candy winner is:

Кари Сол said...

Hello, Carla!
It's me again....
Your stamps one is better than another. Thank you for chances. Fledgling stamper - this aboute me :)
Thanks and hugs.

Congrats! Send me your address, and I'll get these right out to you!!

Thank You Verve!!! Now to make my choice...

This gorgeous flower is from Cornish Heritage Farms' Shady Tree Studio line. It's called Large Bloom. It's just the right size for the focal point of an A2 card. Plus, it's beautiful, and so easy to color. Here, I colored it to match these crazy designer papers, which might be American Crafts. I didn't have a whole piece of any of these, so I'm not sure. They are thin and double sided, if you know what they are, LMK and I'll edit.

I used another butterfly die cut from Creative Cuts and More. It's cut from DoubleMates, so I have two color choises for each one-pretty cool, huh?

Why do I have paper I don't know about? I used to be a member of Self-Addressed. They sent wonderful card kits and had such terrific prices. The thing is, I didn't write down the makers every month because that was pre-blog and publish. Now I keep everything in its original packaging so I always know who made it. This drives my baby sister crazy, but that is just a bonus, of course. The only downfall of kit clubs is that they send colors I would NEVER buy on my own-like these colors for instance. I figure it's good for me to get out of my comfort zone now and then!

I especially love this card, because I won a free Verve set with it!!! I am pretty stoked because I only have one Verve set and I like it a lot. I have no idea how I will choose just one more set. I've been thinking about it, and I think it would be wrong to expect my free set to travel all the way to CO by itself. Just wrong, I tell ya! Don't you agree?

I used Verve's Abundant Blessings on this card. It's a gorgeous and versatile set. It embosses beautifully-and no conditioning! This image is my first try with this stamp, right off the sheet. Perfect. These bold/fine images can be hard to emboss perfectly, but it wasn't a problem here. EVERY time I want a black image that will either be watercolored or left alone I use my VersaFine Onyx and SU! Crystal Clear powder. It's a fool proof combo-take it from me, I can be pretty foolish!!

I used Bazzill Bling in Black Tie and Sugar Daddy for this card. Bling is one of my favorite cardstocks, and I get all mine at Creative Cuts and More.

Glitter Birds and Holidays

This card is for two challenges, GinaK's StampTV Color Challenge, and Verve's June release challenge. The colors were Bubblegum Pink and Aqua Blue, a combo I really love. I used Bazzill as the base, and I think the designer paper is Crate. It has the lovely thickness and texture of Crate paper, and it's double sided. It's not labeled, though, so I'm not sure.

The chipboard bird is Maya Road. I dabbed it with Aegean Blue Ancient Page, then sprayed it with Caspian Sea shimmer mist. I love Ancient Page pads for this type of thing because they are very soft and juicy. They have saturated and easy to apply color. I have the minis, and I just tap them onto my stamp instead of the other way around. It's gorgeous IRL!! I added some vintage seam binding, an adhesive gem and Aqua Stickles on its beak.

The gorgeous flower is GKD's latest StampTV set, Eclectic Summer. It's a hugely versatile set. I've only used two of the stamps, and I already love it to death. I stamped it on the DP with VersaFine Onyx, then embossed with Ranger Holographic. I finished the mulberry flower & frame off with a little Crystal Stickles and called it good!

This is Flourishes' Timeless Tuesday sketch challenge. This was my first time to use Patriotism on Parade, and I'm so glad I got it, I know it will be fun to have on hand. The journaling block is Sassafrass Lass, isn't it cute? The rest of the paper is Bazzill, and Cool Caribbean. The fireworks and flourishes were embossed with Ranger's Silver and Red Tinsels, two of my favorite sparkly embossing powders.

Don't forget to scroll down for Stampin' Up! Blog Candy!!

Sisters & Friends~~~Nature is the art of God

This one is for Verve's release week challenge # 2. You can find all the festivities in the Verve forum over on SCS. This is my only Verve set, Abundant Blessings. I will definitely buy more, this is a really beautiful and versatile set. The copper tiles were made using SU!'s old Mostly Flowers. All the paper is HOTP, and the sentiment is from one of those K&Co tins, I can never remember what they're called. Of course we have Classy Copper ep and Copper Stickles on this one. I'm pretty liberal with my copper usage!! I also highlighted some of my layers with a Stardust pen-these pens are indispensable!!

I spent a ridiculous amount of time on this card. It's very hard for me to make very symmetrical sketches, especially those with several identically sized elements. When I say very hard, I mean VERY hard. WAY harder than trying to understand Paradise Lost-now that's hard!! I'm so right brained that it's close to being a handicap. Luckily, I'm an English/Drama/Speech teacher, a job I can do with my tongue in my mouth and limited brow furrowing and tantrums.

This is for this week's Crafty Secrets challenge over on SCS, Inspired by Nature. Marcy challenged us to use nature in our cards. That is a simple thing to do with SO many of CS's sets. Here I used Fairyland, my newest set. Also, the paper the nest is stamped on is from my Birds & Botanical Notes. My pics don't show it, but I stamped the bird in Chocolate Brilliance and embossed with Holographic. I also added a few sprays of Chestnut Brown Glimmer Mist. The other paper is Basic Gray LilyKate, as is the ribbon. The sentiment is K&Co. I added one of my flowers, and lots of Crystal Stickles. This card sparkles!

Don't forget to scroll down for Stampin' Up! blog candy!!

Crafty Secrets

I made this card after the one below, and I really started to get nervous, because again, it's just not that great a card! I was worried that I left my mojo in the Oklahoma Panhandle! If I did, that's too bad, because I'm not going back there! Not even for my mojo! Holyoke, CO is such a pretty little town! I feel like I'm in Alabama, except without the heat! They've had seven inches of rain here in the last three weeks. It's like a jungle. I LOVE the green, the Panhandle doesn't have any green. It's all brown and gold. I swear that damages the phsyche.

Back to the card: I used a Domestic Goddess Creative Scrap as the main image here. This is for the Mojo Monday sketch. I usually use Verve stamps for this challenge, but I hadn't unpacked that box yet when I made this. I did find my Verve stamps last night, so that was a relief. I hope this card qualifies, because I had to tilt a couple of the elements to make it work.

There's not much sparkle here. Just a dab of Crystal Stickles on the fairy's wand and wings, and a few shots of shimmer spray. If you are looking for an all purpose Stickles, Crystal is the one!


This card is for CSSC73 over on SCS. The challenge was All About Me. I just had a hard time with this card! It didn't turn out very well, and I don't know how well it tells you about me, but I'll explain it as best I can. First, I think Altered Art, the Crafty Secrets stamp set I used for this challenge, was my first CS set. I LOVE CS, so that's definitely about me! Also, the frame underneath the face is an Inkadinkado stamp. It's beautiful on its own, but I use it this way a lot, too. It's called Ornate Bird Frame. Second, I love to emboss, and I love copper, so there's Classy Copper ep, copper cord, and Copper Stickles on this card. I love birds and music, and I also like for my cards to look a little different from everyone else's. It's okay with me if I am not on top of every trend. Finally, I love purple, but I hate this Vintage Violet InColor from '07, I don't think I'll ever get it used up. About my personality, I'm the scattered creative type, and this card is definitely scattered! Maybe I did better on the challenge than I thought!!

Don't forget to scroll down for Stampin' Up Blog Candy!

Floral Slice of Cake from Shady Tree Studios

This gorgeous piece of cake is from Cornish Heritage Farms' Shady Tree Studio line. It's so pretty, I just love it! It could work for weddings, baby showers, and birthdays, of course! Here I used a generic K&Co tag, so I could use this card for any of several differnt occasions.

This is my first card here in my new house. My baby sister came on Saturday and about worked me to death getting my stamp room in order. I finally begged to go to bed around midnight, and she started in on me first thing Sunday morning!! Her attention span is longer than mine, and if it weren't for her, it would probably be another week before I got a card made! THANKS SWEETIE!!

BTW, do you like this picture with a dark background and less close cropping? I usually use a white background and crop very closely, I just felt like doing something different. Which do you like best? Don't worry, you won't hurt my feelings!

The butterfly here is from Creative Cuts and More, isn't it pretty? I ran it through the bug with my Swiss Dots folder. I love the way it turned out!

First post from new house & Blog Candy winners!!

I have decided to give a stamp set away every Sunday for as long as I have them. This is my eighth giveaway. Perhaps you would like Festive Four from 2004 for yourself. Or perhaps you know a fledgling stamper who could use it. I used this set all the time back in 2004. It is well loved, but still in perfect stamping condition. All you have to do to enter is post here. I will announce the winner next Sunday when I post the next set. If I do not hear from the winner before I post the next set, it will join the following set, and that winner will get two. ONE entry per person, please. Thanks for taking the time to visit me. You are a blessing in my life!

The winner of Sunday Blessings # 6, Mostly Flowers, is:

bissecat said...

I love stamps too and I thangs for a chance to win.Greetings from Finland.Blessings.

June 8, 2009 11:07 AM

The winner of Sunday Blessings # 7, Birthday Best, is:

Annelies said...

I mainly make birthday cards, so I think this stamp set is great! Thanks for a chance to win! Greetings from Belgium, Annelies

June 14, 2009 2:26 PM

Girls, send me your addresses and I will get these stamps right out to you!!

Coffee & Friends!!!

Another scheduled post!! It's Tuesday. I'm assuming I survived the move and am now busily making our new house a home. As long as I have DH and three DS's, I'm happy anywhere! Boy, what I wouldn't give to sit down right now with one of my blog buddies and have a cup of coffee! Come on over, I'll put a pot on! This is my favorite MFT set, Hot Stuff. I found this stamped and partially colored image in my extras box the other day and decided to make something of it! I mixed Tempting turquoise, Bazzill, Basic Gray Perhaps, and some Pink Paislee Vintage Moon for this one. I hope you are all able to have coffee with a friend sometime soon! Wish me luck at making some friends here in my new community!

Moving Day!

Lots of the stuff for this card came from GinaK's newest StampTV kit, Eclectic Summer. The Basic Gray Lime Ricky paper and the stamps came in the kit. I added Whisper White, Bashful Blue, Ballet Blue, Mellow Moss and Brilliant blue. I stamped the image with VersaFine Onyx and embossed with SU!'s Crystal Clear. I sponged the water and sky with several SU! inks, added some M's Dollar Spot gems, and made lots of dots with my American Crafts white gel pen. I also used SU!'s Ticket Corner & Tab punches.
Well, the moving van is here today, this is another scheduled post. While you are reading this, I am running around, tearing my hair out and shouting at the people I love best in the world. Those people are likely dinging up all my antiques with their shoddy loading techniques and making merciless fun of me. If I know my people, and I do, they won't be taking this move nearly as seriously as they should. They will be laughing and smirking at me behind my back. There will be lots of, "Yes, dears," and "I love you, Moms!" And who knows what other subterfuge these experts I call my boys use to charm me every day. Of course, I'll take it all, just like I always do, as long as in the end, I have it my way. Which I will.


I used Flourishes DIY Topiary for this card. I colored the image with chalks and Chalk Enhancer I got from GKD. The ribbon here is from Basic Gray's Gypsy collection, plus I added some skittles and Orange Stickles. The base is Bazzill, and everything else is from Tinkering Ink. This card also works for Pink Persimmon's Orange & Pink challenge!

Sunday Blessings #7

I have A LOT of stamps I don't use anymore.  I have decided to give a stamp set away every Sunday for as long as I have them. This is my seventh giveaway. Perhaps you would like Birthday Best from 2004 for yourself. Or perhaps you know a fledgling stamper who could use it.  It is well loved, but still in perfect stamping condition. All you have to do to enter is post here. I will announce the winner next Sunday when I post the next set. If I do not hear from the winner before I post the next set, it will join the following set, and that winner will get two. ONE entry per person, please.  Thanks for taking the time to visit me. You are a blessing in my life!

**NOTE**

We are moving back home to Colorado this month. I don't know the exact dates yet, but I will schedule Sunday Blessings for next Sunday and the following Sunday. Don't worry, as soon as I am settled and we are hooked up to the internet, I will draw winners, and ship your set to you.

Thank You Anne Ryan!!!

Oddly, I felt like working with Thanksgiving images in the middle of June. This image is from Crafty Secrets' Autumn Blessings Heartwarming Vintage Cuts. They are gorgeous, and I love them! Everything else, except for the Copper Stickles is from HOTP.

This is another scheduled post. I'm taking a break from cleaning and packing. It's actually the 11th as I write this post. Scheduled posts is such a wonderful feature of blogger. It still feels odd, like I'm not really talking to you. Here I am fiddleing with TIME! EEKS! I hope I don't mess anything up!

If you are a member over at SCS, I hope you have the pleasure of knowing Anne. She is a dear, sweet and very talented woman. Anne has been an incredible supporter of my work, her kind words truly give me a lift. She is the kind of stamping friend who makes you feel like a super talent. We all need one of those, don't we? I sent Anne a RAK a while back, and this fabulous beauty showed up on my doorstep a few days ago. Isn't it beautiful? It's so rich and luxurious, I just love it. She also sent the most wonderful BIG envelopes! They are made of sturdy kraft style paper and measure 6x6. She got them at Marco's Papers, and you can bet I will be ordering more! BTW, even her writing is perfect! I should have taken a picture of the inside of the card as well!~

Livestock and Ocean Breezes

I hadn't bought a new Hanna Stamps set in a year or so, so the other day I decided to have this new Hanna sent to my house. This stamp is detailed, yet not hard to color. Even cutting her out wasn't too bad. I use scissors for the large parts, and my craft knife for the smaller areas.

This is My Mind's Eye Kaleidoscope, I thought these colors worked well for a beach scene. The ribbon is American Crafts Brighton. I have quit buying patterned ribbon. Period. It's too hard to match, and I'll use this spool once a year or so. I really got sucked into these AC ribbon boxes. They are so visually appealing at the store, but when you get them home, you're in trouble! I suppose if I used ribbon instead of paper as my starting point, they would work better.

I added Aqua Stickles around the star and on other strategic locations. Did you know that if you have sponged your edges before you add your Stickles that it will pick up your ink color and match perfectly? Aqua is actually much less turquoise than it is here. It's picked up the Tempting Turquoise ink. It's really beautiful when you put Gold Stickles on top of red or pink ink. The glitter stays gold, but the glue turns the shade of your ink. Fun fun! All the red is atyou Spica, I love this pen!!

If you are interested in being a guest designer for Hanna Stamps, check here.

This is Down on the Farm from GinaK. This was last week's StampTV sketch challenge. This is a cute set. I've never trimmed these animals so close, but they look pretty cute this way, don't you think? The base is SU! Kraft, and the rest is HOTP.

I'm packing and miserable, and you're blurfing!!!???

This one's for this week's Mojo Monday Sketch. This is the only Verve set I have, it's called Abundant Blessings, and it's gorgeous! The paper is SU!'s Kraft, and Crafty Secrets' Earthy Pad. I stamped the images in VersaFine Onyx and embossed them in Crystal Clear. Then I did a little sponging and painted on a couple of shadows. The rubon is Basic Gray, and the jewels are Doodlebug Beetle Black. I colored the brad with a Sharpie. It was yellow. I don't use a lot of bright yellow, so Sharpies come in handy!

This one is for Sweet & Sassy Stamps' weekly challenge. They have a challenge blog called The Sweet Stop. Their sketches are always fun, and just look how cute this Gift Squirrel digi stamp is!

The base for this is Doodlebug Velveteen paper in Limeade. It's bright, let me tell you! Most everything else if rom Making Memories Noteworthy line, except for the felt Thickers. I added a little Aqua Stickles on the leaves and grass, just like always!!

This is a scheduled post. I'm writing this on the 10th, while I still have my computer unpacked. I dread packing my studio and computer the most. Who cares about the kitchen and the rest of the house?!

Don't forget to scroll down for Stampin' Up! blog candy!! This week it's Mostly Flowers from 2003!