THREE POSTS - OH MY!!!

***EDITED TO ADD*** Remember, if you like my layout, please go over to Lesli's blog and vote, the link is below. And, the votes are in the sidebar, not in the comments! Thanks!!!
I know, you are probably tired of me today, but I just realized I did not upload my challenge page - I am NOT missing it again this week!! So, here is my page for Lesli's sketch challenge! If you like it, please go over to her blog tomorrow and vote for me - thanks :-) This layout is about when I came to California for a surprise visit. Those of you who have been regulars on my blog know that Tony and I spent a year apart while I finished out my Navy stuff in JAX and he got started on our home and his job here. Also, I had to send the kids out five months before I could follow - I was very lonesome since Zach was at the Academy and everyone else was in CA! So, I was feeling very sorry for myself when I decided to hop on a plane and surprise them all with a visit! The only who knew was my MIL and my SIL who picked me up from the airport. Well, when the kids got home from school, there I was! Tyler dropped all his school stuff on the floor, ran over to me, and threw his arms around me. I was amazed and touched and humbled by his open display of love for me. Just thinking about it makes me smile - my boy is special!! I received the same from my little girl, but her page is for another day - LOL! Whoever said teenage boys don't like their parents have not met mine because Tyler and Zach openly display affection to me all the time, no matter what. Am I blessed or what???? So, that is a long explanation for this layout, sorry!!! Anyway, everything on this layout is Stampin Up! except for that one piece of swirly chipboard. I used rub-ons on the picture, and love the effect. I also used my white gel pen to draw out the letters. And, check out the Hodgepodge Hardware, itsn't it yummy??? I will leave the recipe for you below. Have a wonderful weekend!

Recipe:Paper - Chocolate Chip card stock, Close to Cocoa card stock, Close to Cocoa Designer Prints dp

Stamps - NONE!!

Inks - Close to Cocoa Classic Ink, Chocolate Chip Classic Ink, Stampin' Write Markers, White Gel Pen

Accessories - Coluzzle, Hodgepodge Hardware, SAB Rub-ons, Circle Scallop Punch, 1 3/8 Circle Punch, 1 1/4 Circle Punch,

Sponge

I HAVE BEEN REMISS...

***FOR TODAY"S CREATIVE POST, SEE POST BELOW***

in thanking Lesli from Dragonfly Time and Denise from Stampin with Denise for nominating me for this very nice award! The "Arte Y Pico" (Art & More) is given to bloggers who share their art and creativity making their contribution to the blogger world.
Here are the rules:
1) You have to pick 5 blogs that you consider deserve this award for their creativity, design, interesting material, and also contributes to the blogging community, no matter what language. 2) Each award has to have the name of the author and also a link to his or her blog to be visited by everyone. 3) Each award winner has to show the award and put the name and link to the blog that has given her or him the award itself. 4) Award-winner and the one who has given the prize have to show the link of "Arte y Pico" blog , so everyone will know the origin of this award. 5) To show these rules.
The five people I have chosen to receive this award are:
1) Angie at Chic 'n Scratch who inspires me daily
2) Dawn at Daily Scrappin Inspiration who never ceases to amaze me
3) Ila at Artfully Ila who does beautiful work
4) Carol at Crazy for Crafting who makes me smile everyday with her beautiful posts
5) Michele at Thoughts of a Cardmaking Scrapbooker who has amazing creative ideas and beautiful projects
I visit many blogs daily, and believe me, there is a whole list I could have put here!

JULEE'S MOJO MONDAY CHALLENGE

Yes, I know it's Friday and I had all good intentions of getting Julee's challenge done earlier in the week but I didn't so here it is today! I love her challenges and if you have never been to Julee's blog, you are missing out because she does beautiful work. You can find her at Poetic Artistry, believe me, you won't be sorry! So, here is my card. I used my Garden Whimsy stamp set because I love the butterflies in this set and wanted to use the big one as my main image. The base of the card is Sage Shadow card stock which I don't use often but really like. I then layered it with a piece of dp from the Porcelain Prints series (yummy!), used my ticket corner punch, and faux stitched around the edges. The center strip of dp is also from Porcelain Prints (the reverse side) and my fave!!! I used ribbon as my border on either side of the strip - it is from the Ribbon Originals set called District - I have been hoarding this since I love it so much, but then decided everyone needs to see how beautiful it is! I love this ribbon!!! The butterfly is mounted on Sage Shadow card stock and stamped in Not Quite Navy Classic ink on Whisper White card stock. These are all punched with my ticket corner punch as well. I then stamped the image again on another piece of Whisper White card stock, cut it out, and popped it up on dimensionals for a cool 3d look. I added some Sage Shadow color accents with my Stampin' Write marker and then added some dazzling diamonds glitter for a little bling. I also faux stitched around the image and added the silver brads from the vintage brads set. Finally, the sentiment is stamped on Sage Shadow card stock, stamped in Not Quite Navy ink, and punched out using my Large Oval Punch. I added a small piece of the Blue Bayou Double striped ribbon, popped it up dimensionals, and added some Not Quite Navy accents with my Stampin' Write Marker. Voila - all done! I love this sketch and already have plans to make some more cards with it today. I hope everyone has a fabulous Friday, I am off to scrapbook!!!

MY GIRL LAYOUT

Good morning!! Well, I have been scrappin' again - I don't know why, but I feel really motivated to do pages right now so that is what I am doing! This layout is of my daughter the last night before she left on a plane from Florida to join her dad in California and start school. She has two little best friends there - the three of them were inseparable and in fact, Kayla will be spending a couple of weeks with them this summer. To say goodbye and have one more night together, the girls went out for dinner and to see the movie Hairspray together while I finished packing her things. It was bittersweet because she loved spending time with them, but knew it was goodbye for a long while. So, to cheer her up, I bought her this new outfit at Limited Too (Kayla's fave store) and she looked so cute I just had to take pictures before she left. As you can see, she is starting to get impatient in one of the photos because I kept saying, "just one more". I did get some cute ones though and so I used them today. There are a lot of details to this layout - I wanted it to be really girly! (Click on each picture if you really want to see the details because they will be bigger!) The base is Tempting Turquoise card stock and the dp is from Memory Makers and Posies Glitter Print. I actually cut out the flowers surrounding the pics from the Posies Glitter Print paper because is already had bling on it, and the flowers are so soft and pretty, I just love them! Also, it went well with the pretty flowers and vines on the pink dp. I backed the photos in some swirly blue paper from my stash - sorry, don't know who makes it, there was no printing on the back - and I also used my Coluzzle to cut some circles from the same paper. Then, the stamping began - I had a total blast!! I stamped with Friendship Blooms in Tempting Turquoise Classic Ink all over the three circles and used my Pixie Pink Stampin' Write marker to highlight them. I also stamped the little flower doodle from the same set all over the paper, again using Tempting Turquoise and outlining in Pixie Pink. I decided to use the letter K from the Onboard Simon Lower chipboard set. I sponged Pixie Pink Classic ink all over it and then used my flower doodle stamp and stamped all over it in Tempting Turquoise. I also added some Tempting Turquoise ribbon. Since I used a piece of lined dp that was actually a scalloped circle, I decided to punch holes all around the scallops and add ribbon. I alternated between Tempting Turquoise and Pixie Pink Ribbon and I think it looks cute! I also used the dp as my journaling block - hey, the lines were already there! Now, please notice on Kayla's shirt, there is a bling butterfly....I could not resist pulling this into the layout so I used the large and small butterfly from my Garden Whimsy stamp set, stamped them on the page in Tempting Turquoise, and then restamped them on the swirly blue paper, cut out the base image, and popped them all up on dimensionals! It really looks like little butterflys are flying all over the place! And, I added some Pixie Pink accents to all of them along with some Crystal Stickles to give them some bling. The letters for the title are cut out of Pretty in Pink card stock using my Cricut. I also stamped all over the letters before I stuck them on the page so you can see the same doodle stamp as I used previously. The flower over the "i" in the title is from the Baroque Motifs set and punched out using my 1/2 inch circle punch and then adhered with a dimensional. I am excited with how this layout came out because I wanted it to be special for Kayla. Well, she LOVES IT which makes me sooooo very happy!!! That's what it's all about, right??? Okay, I am off to clean the house, uggghhhh!!! See ya tomorrow!

BEATE'S INSPIRATION CHALLENGE

Happy Hump Day! Although I never got really excited about Wednesday when I was working, I always felt closer to my weekend on Thursday - LOL! Today I have a card to share that I did for Beate's Inspiration Challenge. I totally loved what she picked this week because it contains some of my favorite colors and reminds me of the ocean. I made a square card because the stamp I chose to use is soooo large (but I love it!!) I used the Hostess Level I set called From the Garden - isn't this a gorgeous stamp??? I have to be honest, when I first saw it, I was like "oh, not another flower!" BUT then I started to see what people were doing with this beauty and well, I had to have it!!! Maybe if I quite blogging, my checkbook would be fatter.....nah, not gonna happen!!! So, on to the details. The base of this one is Taken with Teal card stock, which I then layered with paper from the Porcelain Prints Designer Series Pack. Oh, how I love the yummy paper in this set!! There are actually two separate pieces on here, one is a full piece, and the other is a half piece cut diagonally to give it some interest. I sponged on the diagonal piece of dp with Green Galore classic ink to pull out more of the green and sponged around the edges of the whole card with Green Galore and Taken with Teal classic ink. The image is stamped on Whisper White card stock in Brown Stazon, and then colored in using my Stampin' Write Markers. The sentiment is from the SAB stamp set Lots of Thoughts (the biggest choice during SAB by all customers!) which I punched out with my Small Oval Punch and then mounted with an oval from my Antique Brass Hodgepodge Hardware, which I love. Nope, no stitching, no ribbon, no punching of the corners - I felt this image could stand by itself and make a statement so I kept it simple. I am happy with how it turned out and I really hope you all like it too!! Till tomorrow - see ya!

MY LITTLE COWGIRL

Howdy all!!! Yep, I am practicin' my country - LOL! Today I have another scrapbook layout to show you - I am really lovin' that I am getting some pages done!! Although, I need to go back and do the kids as babies.....but that's another story! This is a two page layout of my daughter feeding the horses next door. Kayla adores horses and really wants to have one of her own. She has gone to horse camp, taken lessons, and just adores being around them! We are going to have her take some more riding lessons here and then we will see about the horse. I would prefer she just continues to visit the ones at the neighbors! So, not everything on this layout is Stampin' Up! although a good part of it is. However, I have found this new site that I have become addicted to called COCONUT SCRAPBOOKS! The owner of this fabulous store is named Jen, and let me tell you, you will not find ANYONE as sweet as she is - she is totally adorable! Her store stocks THE MOST awesome stuff I have seen in a long time. Now, I am all about the bargain, okay? Well, not only does Jen carry all the latest scrapbooking stuff, she has a dollar section, a clearance section, a special features section, and a new release section -I swear, I can get lost on her site for days!!! She also gives you free shipping for orders over $50 and ships everything priority so you get it super fast! So, why am I telling you all this? No, Jen is not paying me, I have not left Stampin Up! (in fact, she is a customer and is learning to love stamping!), and she is not blackmailing me, I simply love what she has to offer! I will tell you this as well: I have asked Jen if she carried a certain item, and she did not, but she ordered it for her store, let me know, and I bought it - she is fabulous, I tell ya!! I have ordered from her store three times in as many weeks (yep, I am weak, I know *giggle*) and plan on ordering lots more in the future. So, get on over there and tell her Alex sent ya - she will appreciate it! The link above is to her blog (fantastic) but there is a link from there that will take you to the store. Also, while you are there, check out Jen's phenomenally talented design team - those girls can scrap!! So, we interrupt this public service announcement to get back to my layout - LOL! The Dp that I used for this came in a kit that I bought from Jen called Cosmo Cricket Wanted and I love it! It has several sheets of western themed paper, some cardstock stickers, some rub-ons, and some great journaling tags (I used one here). And if you order one of Jen's kits, there is a coupon that you can use for your first order to get $10 off (of course I used it!) So, I used this kit with this layout because I knew it would work really well with my Wanted and my Bronc Buster stamp sets. It also allowed me to use some of my SU! chipboard that I covered in Really Rust and Chocolate Chip Ink, then stamped all over using my paisley stamp from my Wanted set (you can see it if you look really close!) I love the effect, it looks wonderful IRL. I have listed the Stampin' Up! items below and if you have any questions, let me know! Now, go visit Jen! Later!
Stampin Up! Supplies Used:

Paper - Really Rust card stock

Inks - Really Rust and Chocolate Chip Classic Stampin' Pads, Brown Stazon

Stamps - Wanted and Bronc Buster

Accessories - Corner Ticket Punch, Scallop Circle Punch, Felt Fusion flowers, Vintage Brads, Hodgepodge Antique Hardware, Stampin' Dimensionals, On Board Accents Chipboard, Jumbo Pewter Eyelets

LESLI'S SCRAPBOOK PAGE CHALLENGE

Happy Monday all! I hope everyone had a fabulous Easter! I know we had a great time at my SILs house - the kids went hunting for eggs, there was all kinds of good food, we got to spend special family time with everyone, and everyone seemed to have a really great time. I think everyone is chocolated out though (wow! never thought I would hear myself say that - LOL!) So, today I want to share a page I did for a challenge over at Lesli's blog Dragonfly Time- if you have never been to her blog, you need to because she is fantastically talented and she posts these challenges every week. Of course, dummy me forgot to upload it to her site though so I missed the vote. Oh well, you all can tell me how you like it! The challenge rules were we had to make a monochromatic page in that all the papers needed to be the same color. There had to be at least two different shades of card stock, and at least two different patterned papers used. There had to be at least three journaling strips, there had to be ribbon, and it had to have a large title. So, this is what I came up with. I took the kids to the zoo early last week and my son Tyler was goofing around with his cousin. He stole his hat, threw it on his head, and struck this pose which I managed to capture on film. This is my son - he has a wonderful sense of humor, is always joking around (sometimes too much!) and loves to make people laugh. I was so excited to capture this because it was such a spontaneous moment and I feel I caught his personality on film. I totally love this picture and will be framing this page for my scrap room as well. There is very little journaling, but what is there says it all. He is so cool, so cute, and sooooo mine!! I love this boy so much, my heart just wants to burst thinking about it! So, now the details. I will say up front: not all products used are SU! The base card stock is Brocade Blue, the photo is backed in Night of Navy card stock, the arrows are punched out of Night of Navy card stock using my arrow punch, and the ribbon is Blue Bayou Double stitched grosgrain ribbon. I also used my Corner Rounder on the photo and the paper it is mounted on. The large chipboard stars come from the Onboard Accents Hearts and Stars pack and I used my Large Star Punch for the dp stars on top. Everything else is stuff from my stash which I will not list so if you have a question about it, just ask. I hope you like my page, and Lesli, next time I will get it uploaded to you!! Have a great day everyone!