SCRAPBOOK SATURDAY - A BLACK AND WHITE CHALLENGE

Hi all!! Well, I did it - he is at the airport and I am so very sad! But, I felt so comforted by all of your comments yesterday, you gals are just good for my soul!!! Thanks to all of you for thinking of me - I know Christmas will be here before I know it, and he will be home again! He is so grown up now, and I was afraid we would lose that closeness, but we are actually closer now and I just love it! That helps - and he also promised to call me as often as his schedule permits because "I love talking to you, mom!" - Ahhhh.....those are wonderful words for a mom to hear! So, it will be okay once I get back into my regular routine!! And, speaking of, it is Scrapbook Saturday again and today's page is one I did for a black and white layout challenge I issued over at the Coconuts site. Want to play along? Just go log in and Jen will set you up with your very own gallery - I would love to see what you all come up with! And, hey, there is candy at stake from ME - and it is always yummy *wink* So, this page uses the new line from Rusty Pickle Pop Star Collection and when I saw this, it had my son written all over it - LOL! The arrows are actually cut from another sheet of the same collection, and I just had a blast making this! And, the paper has blank lines on it so I just used them for my journaling - cool, huh?! This pic is of Tyler and Dexter(5 months) sitting on the front porch and it epitomizes the personality of my middle child! He is a big prankster, he is full of jokes and laughter, and he warms my heart with that smile! I knew when I saw this picture that I had to use it! The rub-ons are from Stampin' Up! as are the card stock, and the white buttons. Everything else is from my stash! So, are you up for it??? I hope so!! Until tomorrow - toodles!!

STAMP SOMETHING - TRIPLE PLAY! AND, A LITTLE WHINING....

I usually love Fridays because it gives me a chance to play with another fabulous challenge for Stamp Something but I am sad today because it is my son's last day...I did not think it would be as hard this time as it was at Christmas to let him go, but well, I am not handling this well at all! Any advice from moms who have done this already? My heart hurts....and so does my stomach! But, I am putting my big girl panties on, pasting a smile on my face, and spending quality time with him today since I have to get up and drive him to the airport at 6am tomorrow morning...uggghhhh!!!! To make matters worse, he has to do his second summer cruise underway (for those who don't know, my son is a midshipman at the Naval Academy) so I can't talk to him either!! Thank goodness Convention is right around the corner as it gives me something to look forward to - all those fabulous women, new stamps, new catty, my friends, ahhhhh....just what I need - only 19 days to go! So, now that you had to listen to me whine, I am ready to talk about my card now - LOL! This week's challenge was a Triple Play, which means you need three colors, three layers, and three embellies!! Isn't that fun??!! I swear, the challenges are always a blast to do, I just love them! I used my Fresh Cuts stamp set, I just love it, it is so versatile! I used three colors throughout my card: Bravo Burgundy, Not Quite Navy, and Brocade Blue. So, with those in mind, I took the stampin' write markers in those colors and hand inked the stamp to have the three differing colors on the image. This stamp is fabulous for that because of the way it is designed! It is stamped on Naturals White card stock which I figured is a neutral so I wasn't really cheating - LOL! I faux stitched around the two outside layers, and made the stitching Bravo Burgundy as well. I used my Ticket Corner Punch on the layers as well. The ribbon is Brocade Blue (it looks really light in the pic, but isn't) and Bravo Burgundy, which was the first of my three embellishments. The second is the Brocade Blue and Not Quite Navy buttons I used on the ribbons. The third is my Not Quite Navy brad used on the sentiment, which is stamped on Not Quite Navy card stock, punched out with my Large Oval Punch, and popped up on dimensionals. So, there you have it!! Now, get on over to the Stamp Something site and see what the other talented DT members did this week - I guarantee they will WOW! you! And, remember to upload your own take on the challenge, we want to see them! So, I am off to hang out with Zach - see you tomorrow!

TAMARA'S SKETCH CHALLENGE - AND BACK TO MY ROOTS!

Hey, it's that time again - another fabulous sketch from Tamara!! I swear, I just love doing these, it is pure joy for me to do these - her sketches are just awesome! And, I did go back to my Stampin' Up! roots....can't stray too much! So, here is my take on the sketch! I used one of my favorite stamp sets which is the Stitched Exotics - just adore these stamps! And, the sentiment is from the new Fresh Cuts stamp set, which I use a lot because I LOVE it!! Make sure you all head on over to Tamara's site to check out what the other talented ladies did for this sketch, and, if you try your hand at this one, upload it and provide the link so we can all see!! I will leave you with the recipe - off to do some shopping with my oldest since he has to leave early Saturday morning and head back to Annapolis for his summer cruise....*sniff, sniff*. I will be a blubbering mess I am sure, I already miss him just thinking about it and I know I don't get to see him again until December which will just about do me in! I don't know why people think it is soooo great when their kids move out, I want mine to move back in!!!!! So, off to get him some shoes and other necessities he needs - at least I can still do small things for him, it makes me feel needed! So, until tomorrow!! Smooches!
Card Recipe: (all items SU! unless otherwise noted)
Paper - Ruby Red, Cameo Coral, Naturals White card stock, Ginger Blossom Designer Series Paper
Inks - Cameo Coral, Mellow Moss Classic Stampin' Pads, Cameo Coral Stampin' Write Marker, Black Stazon Ink Pad
Stamps - Stitched Exotics, Fresh Cuts
Accessories - Corner Rounder Punch, Mat Stack and Paper piercer, River Rock double-stitched ribbon, Old Olive Button, 1/4 inch Circle Punch, Stampin' Dimensionals, Large Oval Punch, Square Rhinestone Brads, Small adhesive pearl (EK Success)

SHHHHHH....RUBBAHDULTERY ALERT!!

Happy Wednesday!!! Whew!! I am finally back on my normal schedule again - I did not know that so much laundry could be accumulated in a week's time - WOW!!! Good thing I like doing laundry, LOL! So, we had a nice day of rest yesterday to recover from vacation and will be going to the new aquatics park they just opened up - it has several large pools and some water slides with one being a 25 footer! So, it will be a nice afternoon with the kids considering it will be 108 degrees here today - YIKES!!! I will be in the water for sure. So, today I am going to share a card that I made using.....well......non-SU! stamps (looks both ways to make sure nobody is watching). I could not help myself, these stamps are so very cute that I caved!! They are stamps by Melanie Muenchinger called Cuddles and Hugs and they are so freakin' adorable that I had to have them! Everything BUT the image is Stampin' Up! though - I cannot leave my stampin' roots, I feel too guilty *wink* But come on, look at these koalas, I mean they are totally stinkin' cute! I also used the sketch challenge from Lesli's blog - when I saw it, I knew I had to do it! I love it and will be using this one again! I am thinking Convention swaps....but I digress. Back to my card! Although the sketch was not a square card, I decided I wanted a bigger card for this image so I went with it! I water colored my image using my stampin' pads and blender pen - I still love my blender pen, it is soooo very easy to use! And, I did the same on the leaves stamp - I just stamped the leaves in differing directions all over so it sort of looked like the koalas were sitting amongst them and not hanging out in mid-air. This is a simple card, but I am really pleased with how it turned out! I will leave you with the recipe - now I am off to get ready for a day in the hot sun and cool pools! Have a wonderful day! I will be back tomorrow with another awesome sketch from Tamara!
Card Recipe: (all items SU! unless otherwise noted)
Paper - Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa, Naturals White card stock, Chocolate Chip Designer Prints dp
Stamps - Cuddles and Hugs (non-SU!)
Inks - Going Gray, Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa, Handsome Hunter, Old Olive Classic Stampin' Pads
Accessories - Photo Corners Punch, Blender Pen, Chocolate Chip narrow grosgrain ribbon, Old Olive buttons, Vintage Brads

ANOTHER BLOG CANDY DRAW!

Hi all!! Really quick post - I was talking to Jen and when she heard I was giving away a gift certificate to Coconut Scrapshop, she told me to draw another name and she would send them one as well - whooohooo!!!! So, here are the pics of Zach drawing the name.....and the winner is......Chris aka Chris' Corner!!! What is so amazing about this is how badly Chris really wanted to win - God was smilin' down on you today, my friend! WHOOHOOO for you, girlie - I am so happy for you! And, I did get some stampin done today so tomorrow I will resume my regular morning posts - till then, TOODLES!!!

I'M BAAAACCCKKKK - WITH BLOG CANDY WINNERS!!!!

Hi all!!! WOW!! What a fantabulous time we had on this wonderful houseboat - so much fun!! We swam, played games, tubed, skiied, read books, and just hung out!!! We ate a lot (too much, teehee), stayed up late, got up early, and just had a blast!!! We are all nice and tan, and were ready to come home and take a real shower with hot water - LOL! There is a shower on the houseboat, but it is lake water....so, you know we were happy to get in our own! We got home around lunch time today and I have been doing laundry, grocery shopping, and unpacking all afternoon - uggghhh!! BUT, it is all done, everything is back to normal, and now I can enjoy my new goodies that came while I was gone (I love new stamps!) AND announce our blog candy winners - WHOOHOO!!!!! First, the winner of the blog candy for my June sketch - all of you who participated (over 40, thanks!) did a fabulous job, they all ROCKED!!! Thanks so much for doing the sketch since it WAS my first ever! I loved them all! So, since it was a sketch challenge, I could not do random generator for the winner. In honor of my son being home, I let him choose the winner - we put all the names in a Naval Academy hat and he picked..........DEB aka STAMPINGRANNY!!!! Whoohoo, doing the happy dance, I am sooo very excited for you, girl!!! I know she is going through some trying times right now, so I could not be happier that Zach picked her! I will send those right out to you, sweetie! And, the second blog candy was to post while I was gone - and boy, did you all!! I am sincerely blessed with so many wonderful people who visit my humble blog daily - I love you gals, you do my heart a world of good!! I can't believe I had over 200 names (remember, you got an entry for every day you posted) in the hat - just look at this!! So, Zach did the honor and drew the name and the winner is......KATHLEEN aka MY HAPPY PLACE! WHOOHOO Kathleen, she is another regular reader on my blog and a fabulous stampin' friend!!! She is the lucky gal who just won a gift certificate to the Coconut Scrapshop, which is so fantastic I can't seem to stay out of that place - LOL! So, Kathleen, I will PM you with the details on how to redeem your GC!!! Thanks to everybody who visited me while I was gone this week - I promise to visit all of you tomorrow when I have settled back into a routine! But, I thought I would leave you with a few pics of my trip before I go! This first pic is of Tony and I standing on the swim deck of the houseboat on the first day - we were already in vacation mode, and loving the water! This second pic is me relaxing and reading.....well, a scrapbook magazine, LOL! I can't help it, I am addicted - I love reading them over and over, I always see something new. And, lastly, I wanted to share this wonderful pic of my three gorgeous kids! I know I am biased, but gosh, aren't they good looking??!! I don't know how I produced some wonderful creatures inside and out, but I am thankful God blessed me with them, they really are a joy!! So, I will be back tomorrow with some more pics and hopefully a project!! Till then!!! Smooches!

A QUICK CARD TO SHARE - USING SCRAPS!

Hi all! Well, it is Sunday and my last day on the houseboat - we come home tomorrow! I am sure I have tons of pics and stories to share, so make sure you pop in tomorrow as my post will be later in the day after we get back and get settled! This card was made out of scraps I had left from my Black Market Society paper - I did not want any of it to go to waste! I used the sentiment from my Fresh Cuts stamp set, which I then punched out with my Small Oval Punch and then framed with a piece of Silver Hodgepodge Hardware. I also added three silver brads down the side. The centers of my flowers (cut out from the dp) are Ice Rhinestone Square brads, and then I popped the flowers up on dimensionals. The ribbon is Chocolate Chip narrow grosgrain ribbon, which to I added a matching button. The smaller flowers are mounted on a piece of Close to Cocoa card stock that has been punched out with my Large Oval punch. The flowers have small pearls adhered to their centers. I think it came out pretty well, and the best part is, the card is made completely from scraps I had! So, make sure you leave a comment to be entered in to the drawing for a Coconut gift certificate - you don't want to miss out! So, until tomorrow!!
*STAMPIN HUGS* Alex