I WENT FROM THIS....

TO THIS!!! Good morning everyone! I hope you are having a fabulous Saturday! I know I will be, I am going to a crop in a little while and I am very excited because that means other gals to chat with! I swear, my social life took a serious nosedive moving here - I have nobody to hang out with so I am very happy about spending some time in the company of some great women tonight doing what I love! So, today I decided I wanted to alter this little frame I got in the clearance section at Big Lots - gotta love it!! It is actually a magnetic frame which I thought was pretty cool! I wanted to use Berry Bliss dp to make this really girly as I am sending this to a friend and I know she LOVES this paper! I covered the whole frame, cutting out the middle and sanded down the edges slightly with my sanding block- I had to be careful because for some reason this dp did not like to be sanded! I think it looks okay though! Then, I went punch happy and made different flowers out of all the different dp in this series. I used my scallop circle punch, my ! 1 3/8, 1 1/4, 1, 3/4, and 1/2 inch circle punches (whew!) to make two of the flowers and in both of the centers, I used a build-a-brad with a small flower punched from the Berry Bliss in the center. The other two flowers I made using my 5-petal flower punch and placed a circle rhinestone brad in the center of each of those. Instead of leaving this open for a picture, I used Pretty in Pink card stock, and my One of a Kind stamp set to make this a home decor item. The flowers from this set are stamped in Close to Cocoa classic ink. The big flower is stamped directly on the card stock but the three smaller ones are punched out using my Boho Blossoms Punch and popped up on dimensionals. I love this stamp set because all the stamps were designed to be used with our punches. The center of the big flower is actually another flower in the set punched out and mounted on a dimensional. I added a vintage brad to the center of all of them, stamped the sentiment in the right hand corner, added some flowers on the left side using the last stamp in the set (I used them all for this!) For a final touch, I added small white dot accents with my white gel pen and this really made the flowers pop! I am pretty pleased with how this turned out! Hope you all like it! Now, off to pack for my crop (this is the part I hate because I never know just what to take!)

YOU'RE UNFROGETTABLE....

Good Friday morning!! I am sooooo glad it's Friday - only two more days until Tony comes home and relieves me of puppy duty - LOL! Oh yeah, I miss him too! *wink* So, today, since I was up at the crack of done with the little guy, I decided to check out Beate's weekend sketch challenge - AND I LOVE IT!!!! So, I made a card! I really like this sketch and know I will use it again! I wanted to use my Unfrogettable stamp set - it's really cute, and I have neglected it. I also decided to make a square card because the stamp is large and I did not want the card to look crowded. Although I may have overdone it with the hodgepodge.....oh well. So the base of this card is Garden Green card stock and the next layer is Mellow Moss card stock. I faux stitched around the edges using my mat stack and paper piercer. The two smaller squares are also Garden Green card stock and Mellow Moss card stock and I also stitched around those layers. I used my stampin' wheel Lilypad for the background on both of the squares....I just love that wheel, aren't the lilypads cute??? I colored in the flower leaves with my Garden Green stampin' write marker and added some dazzlin' diamonds to the leaves. The frog is stamped in black stazon ink on Naturals White card stock and then punched out using my small square scallop punch (not SU! - they don't have one.....YET!) Then, I used my jumbo square scallop punch with Garden Green card stock (also non-SU! for the same reason). I had to change to the square from the circle because the frog is just so big - LOL! I inked the edges of the image, added four vintage brads, and colored him in using my stampin' write markers and my blender pen. Then, just for fun, I added two small black brads for this eyes and used my white gel pen to add the small circles! The sentiment is stamped in black stazon on Garden Green card stock and punched out with my Large Oval Punch. I then added a piece of Antique Brass Hodgepodge Hardware which matches my brads perfectly! So, this little guy is going in the mail to a new friend who is just so sweet! I hope everyone has a wonderful Friday - I am off to blog browse!

I AM SO SLEEP DEPRIVED...

I thought today was Wednesday - had to change my post title, LOL! I was blog hopping and wondering why everyone kept saying it was Thursday - sheesh! Well, it is now one day closer to Tony coming home! Yes, I miss him - but more importantly, he can help with the baby, er puppy - LOL! See, this one is Tony's dog - he wanted a hunting dog, an outside dog he could hang with! Well, great I said, come hang with him!!! He is actually doing a little better at night - either that or I am so tired I just don't hear him anymore, LOL! So anyway, here is what I have for you today - nothing too inspired although I have a couple of projects I will be able to share with you soon (you have to be patient, I have to wait too!) This is a simple card so I won't go into a lot of detail, I will leave you the recipe below. I used my Garden Whimsy stamp set for this one - I totally love this set and cannot believe I just ordered it, what is wrong with me????!!! I am in love with the butterflies in this set so of course I had to use one here. I did cut the head of the flower and the butterfly out and pop them up on dimensionals for some depth. And, I used my beloved jumbo eyelets - they better never leave the catalog, that's all I have to say! I hope you like it! I am going to try and squeeze in a nap, see ya later!
Card Recipe: all products SU! except for the stickles
Paper - Garden Green card stock, Naturals White card stock, Summer Picnic Designer Series Paper
Ink - Garden Green Classic stamp pad, Garden Green Stampin' Write Marker
Stamps - Garden Whimsy
Accessories - Ticket Corner Punch, Mat Stack and Paper Piercer, Old Olive narrow grosgrain ribbon, Jumbo Pewter Eyelets, Large Oval Punch, Sponge

BEATE'S INSPIRATION CHALLENGE...SORT OF

Hi all! Well, I am still sleep deprived and I have decided Dexter is not nearly as cute at 2am - LOL! I had forgotten about this part.....if I ever mention the word puppy to you again, remind me about this, okay? Seriously, he is a sweet dog, but he never seems to shut off. Most puppies need sleep, but not this little guy. I know I do though... I feel like I am walking around in a fog! And, with Tony gone, the "baby" duties have all fallen to me!! He doesn't get back until Monday...hope I can stay awake until then! So, today's project is supposed to be for Beate's Inspiration Challenge, but I am not sure it qualifies. But, I am going with it. The colors of blue and brown jumped out at me and since they were lanterns, they reminded me of outside, and well, bugs! So, I decided to use my Bugs and Kisses Stamp set for this one - I am really lovin' this set!! The base of this card is Bashful Blue card stock which is then layered with Bashful Blue Designer Prints paper that I actually received in a Hostess Level I set that has several of these sheets in all different colors and patterns - what a totally great Hostess gift!! Anyway, I faux stitched around those two layers, using my white gel pen. I also used my Ticket Corner Punch (don't I always?!) The next layers are Kraft, Bashful Blue, and Confetti White card stock. On the Confetti White card stock, I stamped off the dragonfly image so there are faint images of this stamp all over - it is hard to see here but looks great IRL. I also used my Ticket Corner Punch on all three of these layers, added faux stitching, and then four vintage brads. Then, on all the layers, I added Close to Cocoa classic ink with my sponge. The image is layered with Bashful Blue and stamped on Confetti White card stock. I also stamped the image on some more of the Bashful Blue Designer Prints paper, cut it out, and paper pieced the wings of my dragonfly. The sentiment is stamped on Bashful Blue card stock and punched out using my Large Oval Punch. I added some dotted accents with my Close to Cocoa Stampin' Write Marker, and then I took the small ant stamp from the stamp set and stamped it in Close to Cocoa on my White grosgrain ribbon. I love the effect this left! I then put the sentiment up on dimensionals. Finally, I decided to add a Build-a-Brad so I stamped the ant on Confetti White card stock, punched the head out using my 1/2 inch Circle Punch, and added the whole thing to my card. I have to say, I really like the brad, I think it adds some cuteness to this card! So, there you have it! I hope it meets the Inspiration Challenge because this is what I came up with! And, just to show you there is no hard feelings between me and the new guy in my life, here are some pics of the bad little boy! My Golden Retriever Cisco is ten years old and laying around is what he does best so he is not sure what to do with all the energy Dexter has! The first pic is one of them after playing - Cisco was done, but Dexter was not until Cisco laid his big paw on Dexter's head and that was that. So, Dexter just laid there and stared at him - LOL! The next one is when we were working in the yard - he kept getting underfoot so I tossed him in the wheelbarrow for a ride! This last one is of him after being scolded - he was carrying one of my shoes around in his mouth - he LOVES shoes, socks, shirts, anything he can put his mouth around! He looks guilty, doesn't he - LOL! So, see, I do love him, just not at 2am!!! See ya tomorrow!

HAPPY APRIL FOOLS DAY!!!!

I have never liked this particular day, only because I think kids use it to be cruel to each other. But, it is what it is so I hope nobody gets too bad a prank played on them!! This card is what I did Julee's Mojo Monday challenge and although I love the layout, something about this card is just not what I wanted it to be. I may have to try it again, but for now, here is what I did! I had started out with the idea of using my Tart and Tangy set but this one just sort of evolved and I ended up using other sets instead. The base of the card is Bashful Blue card stock which I then layered with Garden Green card stock. The next layer is Old Olive card stock with a piece of Summer Picnic dp layered on top. Then, a piece of Real Red card stock was added. I used my Ticket Corner Punch on every layer. I made the flower by stamping the flower from my So Many Scallops stamp set on Old Olive card stock and punching it out with my Scallop Circle punch. I paper pierced the scallops as well. The middle circle of the flower is actually Naturals White card stock that I sponged with Bashful Blue Classic ink and punched out with my 1 inch Circle punch (I didn't have any scraps of bb, so this seemed a quick solution). The center of the flower is a build-a-brad with a piece of Summer Picnic dp in the center. The stem of the flower is Bashful Blue Taffeta Ribbon and the leaves are punched out of Old Olive card stock using my Small Oval Punch. On each side of the card, I stamped the small bugs from my Garden Whimsy stamp set - aren't they cute??!! Then, on the left side I added three small buttons and on the right, I added the sentiment which is from my Much Appreciated stamp set, stamped on Naturals White card stock in Black Stazon, sponged with Bashful Blue Classic ink, punched out with my Key Tag Punch, and popped up on dimensionals. I also added a small piece of Real Red narrow grosgrain ribbon. On various parts of the card, I added some small dots using my Stampin' Write Markers and I also added a little bit of Stickles. Like I said, this card did not come together easily for me but here it is! I think I will have another go at this sketch later! Let me know what you think!

HAPPY MONDAY!!

Hi all! Boy, am I posting late today!! Having a new puppy around really throws off my schedule - LOL! Not to mention, I am soooo tired from getting up with him at night. I can't wait until he stops whining and missing the litter! So, anyway, on to my card for the day. This one is for the weekly mojo Monday challenge issued by my upline Kimberly (love ya, girl!). We had to make a card using any background stamp we have. Well, I chose my Stitched background stamp because I ADORE it!!! So, the base of the card is Regal Rose card stock. The next layer is Pretty in Pink and is stamped with my background stamp in Regal Rose Classic ink. I added faux stitching around the edges and used my corner rounder on both pieces of card stock. Then, I used some of my yummy dp called Rose Red Prints Designer Series and cut two strips, then punched them with my Ticket Corner Punch. I added three Regal Rose brads to one and two Jumbo Pewter Eyelets to the other. I threaded the eyelets with Regal Rose narrow grosgrain ribbon. The flower was fun to make. The base is punched out of the opposite side of the same dp using my Circle Scallop Punch. I then pierced each scallop with my paper piercer. Then, I used ALL of my SU! Circle Punches and punched them alternating between Regal Rose card stock and Pretty in Pink card stock. The center of my flower is a build-a-brad which I decorated with a punched out flower from the same dp using my 3/4 inch circle punch. I added some white dots around each circle layer using my white gel pen. The sentiment is from my Just Celebrate stamp set and is stamped in Regal Rose Classic ink on Pretty in Pink card stock, and punched out with my Small Oval Punch. I adhered it to a piece of Regal Rose card stock punched from my Large Oval Punch. Using my Regal Rose Stampin' Write marker, I dotted the outside of the oval, and added a small piece of Regal Rose narrow grosgrain ribbon. Lastly, I popped it up on dimensionals and voila, all done! I hope you all like it!!! See ya tomorrow - I am off to blog browse!

BEATE'S WEEKEND SKETCH CHALLENGE AND OUR NEW EDITION

Hi all! I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend!! It has been quite eventful around here, I can tell you that!! But, first, Beate's sketch challenge. I actually made two cards because really loved this sketch. The first one I made using my Pun Fun stamp set - I love this set because it is so versatile, you can make so many different types of cards with it. For this one, I used the cute little rocket ship which I stamped in black stazon and colored in using my stampin' write markers. That yummy dp is East Coast Prep. All items on this card are SU! and the full recipe is listed below.

Card Recipe:Paper - Tempting Turquoise card stock, Old Olive card stock, Pumpkin Pie card stock, Whisper White card stock, East Coast Prep Designer Series Paper

Stamp Sets - Pun Fun

Inks - Black Stazon, Stampin' Write Markers

Accessories - Ticket Corner Punch, Mat Stack and Paper Piercer, Pumpkin Pie brads, Tempting Turquoise Grosgrain Ribbon

This next card is using a stamp set that I have had for awhile but had not even mounted it yet. I can't believe I waited so long, it is really a cute set! It is called Bugs and Kisses and now that I have inked it up once, I know I will use it again! I just love this little earthworm, he is stinkin' adorable! The card is pretty self-explanatory so I will just leave the recipe below. All items SU! except for the stickles on the worm.

Card Recipe:

Paper - Garden Green card stock, Certainly Celery card stock, Flowers for You Designer Series Paper

Stamp Sets - Bugs and Kisses

Inks - Garden Green classic stampin' pad, Certainly Celery classic stampin' pad, Stampin Write Markers

Accessories - Old Olive brads, Ticket Corner Punch, Large Tag Punch, Sponge, Mat Stack and Paper Piecer, Stampin Dimensionals, Wild Wasabi Double Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon

Now, I would like to share with you the new edition to our family. His name is Dexter and he is an eight week old Lab. He is as cute as can be and will be our new outside dog as soon as he is a little bigger. I was really nervous about how my weiner dogs would be with him because they are pretty aggressive around other animals, and I was right! We had to keep them locked up and tomorrow I will be buying muzzles for the two little weiners until they can learn to play nice and not try to eat him! I think once Dexter is big enough he will take care of it on his own, but right now he is a baby and they scared him to death. Cisco (my golden) really took to him and they romped outside together for awhile, the old man (he is 10) and the baby. Very cute!! Anyone ever introduce a new dog in the house with weiner dogs already in residence? Any advice would be greatly received! As I said, he will only be in the house for a short while, he will have a doggy door to the garage, and a dog house outside as his job will be to guard our property and keep the critters at bay. I have to say, I have never had an outside dog before - mine have always been indoor dogs, so this will take getting used to. Ah, the joys of moving to the country! Enjoy the rest of your weekend - hope I did not bore you too much!!