Making Cards Happen

TGF CHA Challenge#3

2010-01-27T14:08:00.000-05:00

Well, I got this one done! I need a couple of baby shower cards for teachers this spring & since each of them is expecting a little boy ~ I decided to make a simple card using the Toby Cub image from The Greeting Farm & a sentiment I typed up on Word. The card is square ~ SU Ballet Blue (I think). I used Copics & Smooch. And Nestibilities...Easy Peasy... But still quite cute...

It's nice to get a little crafting again, although I probably won't have too much more time after this weekend... got to gear back up to finish the rest of the yearbook...

TGF CHA Challenge#2

2010-01-26T00:48:00.000-05:00

I did it, I did it!!! Amazing 2 cards in less then 24 hours.... time to break out the champagne! And this sassy Charlotte looks like she is all ready for the party! I paired her up with some Basic Grey paper & a sentiment I made using MS Word when I was getting ready to print her out. Of course, I used Copics, Nestibilities, and this time I used a little Smooch ~ for those sassy lips & eyelashes ~ oh & a girls gotta have some highlites!!! And some ribbon from Target (I think). I think my daughter will want this card ~ maybe as a b-day card for their 'sassy' cousin....

The Greeting Farm CHA Challenge#1

2010-01-25T18:54:00.001-05:00

Here is my card for the challenge... I'm running out of time & I'll be back with all the deets once I've entered my card in The Greeting Farm challenge!

YES! I made it!! So, I get to play again tomorrow... I'm so happy to be getting some creating done... it's been so long. I've been busy, busy, busy. I've been going thru so much personal garbage ~ trying to refocus & gain some control again. I've started to organize the storage/play room, I've completed the first part of the school's yearbook (& let's just say, wow, what a huge job that is.... mainly because I have an impossible time picking pictures... not sure a Libra, accountant, perfectionist should ever attempt to make a yearbook... but I digress...) & I've been trying to reign in my eating ~ and going to the gym! At one point I was almost ready to totally get rid of all my crafting stuff... with so much else, I was just about to give up on it. But today, I came across the TGF CHA Challenge with this adorable MerIan digital image & I was inspired! I had just received some yummy PTI paper in Aqua Mist & well, there ya go... I colored Mer Ian with my Spicas & Copics, used a Nestibility Label to cut him out & a sentiment from Unity (which I stamped a long time ago & can't remember the name of the kit). I decided that since this card is going to a boy, I didn't want to have too much bling or any ribbon. Oh, & the paper is embossed using a Fiskers texture plate.

Now, I'm off to get busy with the TGF Charlotte image for tomorrow (I have a super busy day planned & won't get a better chance to complete the challenge...). It's good to be back!

So Sorry...

2009-11-27T13:06:00.000-05:00

I'm sorry ~ I had asked for my blog to be left off the FFF list this week ~ but I guess I didn't make it in time... I have had such turmoil in my life lately that I have lost my muse ~ if you find her somewhere ~ please tell her to return asap!!!

My Thanksgiving was quite nice. I cooked a very simple ~ major organic ~ traditional meal & spent time relaxing & enjoying time with my 2 daughters. I am trying to regroup & regain my focus ~ not just for me, but also for them! My oldest opened up with me yesterday & told me that she is sad when I am sad ~ and that she feels like eating when she gets sad. Talk about a wake-up call. I simply love them too much to let my personal issues ruin their young lives! We ended up taking a nice long walk after our dinner yesterday & have committed to making some more positive changes.

For everyone who has left me such inspiring comments ~ Thank You all so much! Knowing that there are such wonderfully caring people out there helps more than you will ever know!!!

Twilight Tuesday New Moon Blog Hop...

2009-11-20T06:49:00.002-05:00

If you are coming here from Eve's spot along the Twilight Tuesday's New Moon Blog Hop ~ Welcome! If not, be sure to go back to TT's list & start at the very beginning. (if you're here for the Unity~ Friends with Flair Friday post ~ keep scrolling down ~ it's the next post...)

As some of you might know, my oldest daughter is a huge Twilight fan ~ she's a tween & that whole drama is so very much her! She's a die-hart Team Edward fan & in honor of her excitement over the release of New Moon ~ I made this card. You can see where I got my inspiration ~ it's the New Moon Movie Companion book. I think it's always fun to see a little bit behind the scenes of the movie magic...but I thought the little dots all over Edward were a little funny (they didn't have a pic of this scene w/o them...). We have not been able to see the movie yet ~ our plans are for Sunday ~ I've got to remember to go & get tickets today ~ I'd hate to have to tell Jess that she has to wait any longer... plus all her friends are seeing it this weekend so going to school next week without seeing it will be...well... I might not live thru it, just saying!!! On a personal note ~ I think I know very well how he is feeling ~ my heart has recently been ripped to shreds (yet again) & my hopes have been dashed ~ lately my world has seemed nothing but grey & the tears just refuse to stop... of course, that's were my story ends & well, its not quite so dramatic... instead of revealing myself to the world & facing a certain death ~ I'm just spending 2-3 hours every day drowning my sorrows in aqua aerobics classes... but oh how I feel like rolling in a great big ball until the pain goes away or at least until it's more bearable ... so I think I can relate to Bella as well...

I used the The Greeting Farm's Digi ~ Wild Sprout Edward (bought a couple of weekends ago ~ I think it was a limited thing).

Now, be sure to keep along your journey to see what else my fellow Twilight Fans have in store by hopping to see Lois Bak.

Friday's with Flair Friends!

2009-11-20T06:46:00.001-05:00

Well, Ladies, it's that time of the week again & here I am with my latest Unity creation ~ I wanted something more 'manly'. Not too sure I succeeded ~ and of course the photo is not the greatest... that's what happens when waiting til the last minute. My personal life has been a bit of a wreak ~ I've let someone else's choice hurt me & well, I think I'm actually running out of tears. So, I guess this card might reflect how I've been feeling since I found out about the whole mess. My world seems very grey ~ with the exception of my little sparkly daughters. I'm off to drown my sorrows at the gym's pool again today ~ yesterday I did over 2 hours of aqua aerobics & by the time I got home my arms were so sore I could not even carry two bags of garbage to the collection area (which is a nice little walk) ~ talk about embarrassing!!!

Enough said!!!

I love hearing all your sweet comments & any words of inspiration & encouragement right now would be greatly appreciated as well!!! Thanks for coming by & be sure to enjoy all the other wonderful FFFriends too!!! Unity's Blog has a list of everyone who has got goodness to show today!

Psst~ I used the Sending my Love Kit that is for sale this weekend at 50% off ~ WOW what a deal!!!

Another...Friends with Flair Friday

2009-11-13T07:45:00.001-05:00

Seems like I should rename my blog to something like "Friday Only" ~ I guess I'm lucky that I love Unity so much otherwise I'm not sure there'd be any reason to blog at all. We've had some nasty weather the past couple of days ~ lovely Nor'Easter. Where we live though, we were extremely lucky to be speared the brunt of it. Although my girls were pretty scared by the strong winds & incredible rain, our power only flickered (quite a few times ~ knocking out cable & resetting the computer ~ ug).

This weekend on SCS ~ WishRAK is holding another Cards for the Troops Challenge so that we can send some Valentine/Easter/St Patty's Day cards to them. I used some yummy paper that I received thru WishRAK, but I used my Unity stamps that I love so much!

Thank you all for dropping by & checking out what I was up to this week! And if you choose to leave me a comment or two~ please now that I truly appreciate it! Be sure to spread the kindness thru the rest of the FFF blogs!

Deets:

Stamps: Unity ~ Go Ahead Wish (Sept 09 OM)

Ink: Memento

Paper: Unknown DP; GP

Misc: SU - Ribbon; CTMH - Liquid Glass; Smooch; Memento Markers; Stickles

Friends with Flair Friday...Ippity...

2009-11-06T00:22:00.002-05:00

Yesterday was exciting over at Unity with the announcement of the newest venture ~ Ippity. I signed up ~ I mean who doesn't love those stamps? And to be able to share with others!!! How fun is that!!!

But today is about Unity Goodness! I wanted to play along with some different challenges this week ~ I know shocking! Have you recovered yet? So this card is for the following~

MoxieFabWorld ~ Plum Crazy!
Twilight Tuesday ~ Sketch Challenge#14
Whimsical Ink Challenge ~ Embossing
StampTV ~ Technique Challenge Glaze it up!
& I also used the StampTV Thumping Technique

The card is 5x7 ~ the leaves were too large to fit in the circles for the sketch on a smaller card. I really liked how the thumping technique ended up looking ~ I'm so going to have to try it again. Thanks for coming by & leaving any comments you might have! I always enjoy reading them ~ really brightens my day ~ So make sure to visit all the wonderfully talented Friends with Flair & brighten theirs too!

Deets:

Stamps: Unity~ Simple Blessings
Paper: PaperTrey Ink ~ guide lines & Plum Pudding
Ink: PTI ~ Plum Pudding
Misc: Memento Markers ~ Sweet Plum, Lulu Lavender; PTI Ribbon ~ Plum Pudding; Nestibilities; CTMH~ Liquid Glass; Big Shot embossing plate

Copic Colour Challenge

2009-11-03T22:05:00.000-05:00

Here is my card for the Copics Colour Challenge #37~ to use R20 (blush), YG06 (Yellowish Green), E33 (Sand). Now I only had the blush & sand ~ I ended up using YG03, YG07 as substitutes as those were as close as I had. This is my first time doing one of their challenges, but I certainly had fun & I have a perfect card to donate to the WishRAK Cards for the Troops Challenge over on SCS later on this month!!!

Deets:

Stamps: High Hopes (I think)
Cardstock: Bazzill; Basic Grey
Misc: Copics; Liquid Pearls; Nestibilities; Smooch; ribbon

Twilight here we come...

2009-11-02T22:02:00.001-05:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful Halloween. My oldest decided that she needed to be a vampire this year in honor of her favorite books ~ The Twilight Series. She is super-duper excited about the New Moon movie coming this month. I used an eye-shadow from bare essentials to give her skin the 'Cullen' look ~ I also added it to the stripe in her hair ~ just 'cause I'm mean like that. When I told her that I was going to have to do some serious red eye reduction ~ she almost screamed at me that I better not!!! Those red eyes ~ plus the blood dribbled down her chin ~ mean she must have just eaten (but I'm guessing she's not a vegetarian...)... LOL...

Here she is with her lil sis who is not too into Twilight ~ so she was a witch this year ~ but she wanted some of that fake blood too ~ so I gave her some bloody tears (shhh... she doesn't know that that could mean she a vampire too).

I'm super excited to say that I won some of the awesome blog-hop candy from Twilight Tuesday & am patiently waiting to get it (well, not too patiently, I want those sweet new toys to play with NOW!!!)

Fall into Friends with Flair Friday

2009-10-30T08:10:00.001-04:00

Ever since I saw this beautiful Unity Kit, I just couldn't wait to get it in my hands to play with. And let me say, I am so not disappointed by it! This is so fun & versatile... & right up my ally for Clean and Simple & One Layer Cards...

I can't wait to see what all the other Unity Friends with Flair have in store for us today.

Deets:

Stamps: Unity~ Simple Blessings

Paper: PTI~ Kraft

Ink: Unity~ Burnt Umber; SU~ Pumpkin Pie

Misc: Smooch; Liquid Glass; SU~ Ribbon

Friends with Flair... New Baby!

2009-10-23T08:01:00.001-04:00

My neighbor just had a little baby boy & I of course had no cards available. Now, since you all have had a taste of my style thru the past several weeks/months, you know that I tend towards the simple. And yep, that's how this one is... with the exception of the huge bow ~ which if I were making this card to send I would never have put on... but since I am hand delivering it ~ hello, bow!!! I guess I've received too many beautiful cards ruined thru the mail system (having the brads/eyelets/rhinestones/pearls ripped from the card, etc) so I tend to go for the very mailable cards ~ well, I make cards, not fantabulous works of art that should be in the National Gallery on display ~ so they aren't going to have all the latest & greatest... just so you're warned.... lol... tends to mean I won't win any contests or be published or featured... but at least my hopes are that they will get to my intended unharmed. Yeah, Yeah, Yeah... I've rambled long enough & now I'm off for a busy day at the school ~ between the PTA stuff & recycling, I'm like a permanent fixture there...

I added a bit of twinkle with Spicas & a soft glow with Copics (cause don't all new Moms have a twinkle in there eyes & simply glow ~ at least for the first couple of days... til the lack of sleep kicks in)

Deets: Stamps: Unity

Paper: Unknown

Cardstock: GP

Misc: Copics; Nesties; recycled ribbon (unknown); Spica

Don't forget to visit the rest of my fellow Unity Flairicious Friends & leave a bit of love! It's always appreciated!!!

We're off to see... Friends with Flair...

2009-10-16T08:00:00.001-04:00

Wow! Friday again, who can believe it! Oh, I've started thinking Christmas ~ Halloween & Thanksgiving ~ I'm already too behind to think about those...

As everyone knows there is a fantastic sale over at Unity Stamp Co this weekend, so if you've ever wanted to check out what all the excitement is about ~ this is the time!!!

Things I learned from making this card: I don't have a good white ink, white chalk for some reason doesn't do so well on kraft paper, kraft paper kills daubers... boo hoo..., I have no clue how to make a ribbon all pretty like Jacquie *sigh*, but I still love this card ~ oh & I like my snowmen with smiles *wink*

Deets:

Stamps: Unity ~ wonderful... you (Stampin' Store Kit Oct 2009)
Ink: Unity ~ Burnt Umber; VersaMark; Memento ~ Sky Blue
Cardstock: PTI ~ Kraft; Close To My Heart ~ white
Misc: PTI ~ Ribbon; Stampin Up ~ Chalk; Liquid Pearls; Markers

Friday Friends with SImple Flair

2009-10-09T07:53:00.001-04:00

Hello ~ fellow Unity fans! I hope everyone is geared up to have a great weekend! I know I can't wait ~ I'm just now starting to feel a little bit back to normal ~ that ick just seemed to want to settle down & stake a claim...

This card is a very simple one ~ but is imo quite striking irl. I made this for the SCS World Card Making Day Unity Quote Challenge (Thanks Jimmi for all your hard work!!!) I had this quote that I hadn't inked up yet & I knew I wanted to pair it with some classy paper ~ to keep the focus on the quote & not, well, a bucket full of other stuff... The only thing I did do (which is almost impossible to see in the pic) is trace over the swirly in the corner with some chocolate smooch ~ it adds just the fight amount of elegance.

Sorry ~ but I'm going to have to be a bit vague with the deets ~ I fell asleep last night before I got this post done & now I'm running late (as usual lately)...

Deets:

Stamp: Unity

Paper: SU; Basic Grey

Ink: Unity

Misc: Smooch

A Friend with Flair Friday Birthday!!!

2009-10-02T00:55:00.000-04:00

Yep! That's right ~ it's my Birthday!!! I'm turning the big 'ole 40!!! Geez, what in the world happened?!? I don't remember 40 years disappearing... oh, well ~ guess I'd better try to remember the next 40 a wee bit better! Thank Goodness for digital cameras & camcorders!!!

So, back to the Unity Goodness... When I saw the latest Unity Bachelor Challenge ~ my first thought was "Be Still, My Beating Heart" ~ or whatever that old saying is (guess my memory is fading with age ~ just happened ~ ya know) And I was inspired ~ by that gorgeous ensemble of polka dots & plaid ~ and I knew that this little doll with the huge heart was exactly what my card needed ~ I ended up making the sentiment using 3 other sentiments in the same set. I just get such a chuckle out of this card. See how the plaid is simply oozing onto those pretty polka dots lol!

Deets:

Stamps: Unity ~ KOM-SEPT09 {go ahead...wish}
Paper: Unknown
Cardstock: GP
Ink: Memento ~ Brown
Misc: Martha Steward ~ Gooey Punch; CTMH ~ Liquid Glass; Copics; Smooch; Nestibilities; White Gel Pen.

Friends with Flair Friday...

2009-09-25T09:18:00.000-04:00

It's Flair-tastic Friday again for all of us fans of Unity Stamps. Hope everyone is finding lots of inspiration to go off & create more goodness with Unity. Don't forget to check out all the other blogs that are participating at the Unity Blog.

I'm afraid that I'm still under the weather, so I don't have much to show you. I made this card for the BROMAN Challenge #1 over at SCS ~ it did not win ~ but I got a $5 coupon ~ so it's all good in my book!!!

Let's Mix it Up! is about as CAS as it can get ~ there are no layers ~ just stamping. I used markers to stamp the glasses ~ with a little extra sparkle from Spica on the drink & liquid glass on entire glass & the insides of the lime. My oldest dd came up with the idea to mix up the colors on the sentiment ~ love how it turned out!

Deets: Stamps: Unity ~ Cocktail Party

Ink: Memento ~ Lady Bug (red), Tuxedo Black

Paper: Unknown precut card

Misc: waterbased markers; CTMH Liquid Glass; Spica

Thank you all for dropping by & extra big THANKs for taking the time to leave a comment!!!

Flair-tastic Friday to You...

2009-09-18T07:38:00.000-04:00

I'm so excited to be participating in another one of Unity's Friends with Flair Friday ~ this week has been a real blear. I tell you, between the school meetings & volunteer work at the school ~ I've had no real time to do anything. SO ~ what seems to be the logical thing to do ~ sign up for Unity's Friends with Flair Friday blog hoppy thingy... oh, yeah, that makes sense... but then again there is nothing like a have-to or forever be shamed deadline ~ am I right? Sure ~ Luckily for me I found my inspiration just yesterday while visiting a wonderful blog ~ Taylor~Made by JenMarie. I simply loved the sketch, decided to do the challenge & this card kinda fell into place. Hehe, love it when that happens!

Thanks for taking the time to visit ~ I can pretty much say that I am currently doing something at the school ~ as the agenda for today includes... helping 3rd grader's class, Memory Book meeting, collecting all the recycling & finally getting the TerraCycling of CapriSun pouches going again this year! I hope I'll get a chance for lunch ~ that's all I'm saying!!!

Be sure to leave some loving for all my fellow Friend with Flair! I know I really love reading everyone's comments!

Deets:

Stamps: Unity~ HodgePodge of Happiness, Bitty Christmas Tags
Cardstock: Hobby Lobby
Misc: Ice Stickles; Nesitiblities; Copics

2009-09-11T09:18:00.001-04:00

Hope everyone is having a FLAIR-icious day! And getting lots of Unity goodness from all the wonderful Friends with Flair! For the complete list of the Friday Friends with Flair be sure to stop by the Unity Blog

I only have a simple card to show you this week ~ it's been quite a doozy 'round here ~ school started & the assistants did not appreciate the new bed time or wakey-wakey time either! So, temper have been less than steller to put it mildly! Not so great for the creative process... but luckily I had to make a 'male' birthday card (in only 30 minutes ~ ha!). And since he is a member of the military ~ no girly stuff was allowed ~ eek! And this is what I finally decided on ~ I love the Stylin Stars set ~ it is quite manly ~ don't ya think? (at least these stars are...) As for the sentiment ~ that was a bit tougher ~ but this one from Birthday Chic didn't come across to frilly. The background is embossed & stamped with Brillance (Platinum) for a bit of shine... and I threw some clear embossing powder on the sentient Su Garden Green as well.

I love how a bit of embossing adds such a touch of class to an otherwise simple card! Hope everone has a super-duper weekend! Thanks for stopping by!

Stamps: Unity~ Stylin Stars, Birthday Chic

CardStock: SU~ Garden Green, Sahara Sand

Ink: Brilliance~ Platinum; Versamark; SU~ Garden Green

Misc: clear embossing powder; nestibilites.

EtsyInspired Challenge#52

2009-09-06T23:43:00.000-04:00

EtsyInspired has reached it's 1st Birthday & I'm glad I am able to play along. The challenge this week is to go to Etsy & find anything that inspires you ~ I thought I'd like to do something with butterflies ~ so I did a search ~ and my what wonderful items came up ~but one thing really popped out to me & I went to check out the rest of the artist's creations & found an absolutely awesome inspiration ~ Comfortably Numb by thelittlefox. When I showed my oldest dd some of thelittlefox's gallery ~ she really liked it (I'm thinking I might need one item for a Christmas present ~shhh!) OK ~ back to the card ~ I wanted to keep it simple (to send to the WishRAK Labor Day Cards for the Troops Challenge) yet nice enough to make someone happy to receive it... I at once thought of the Unity set ~ Sweet zzz's & the Everyday Adorable (for the key & sentiment) ~ I kept with the overall color scheme ~ greys & red. I used the Spica pens to add a touch of bling (I covered it with Liquid Glass ~ cause the Spica's rub off terribly & I don't want to run the risk getting some soldier all sparkly) The photo doesn't show the sparkle but it is still there. I didn't think the little key stuck out enough when I stamped it with VersaMark ~ so I used my SU grey chalk to give them just a hint of definition. Oh ~ & the ribbon was only added to cover up a little red smudge ~ I'm such a messy stamper... LOL... but I think it ties back to the inspiration piece nicely (as there is red ribbon tied around the key).

On a personal note ~ I picked a copy of Dead Until Dark (A Sookie Stackhouse novel) at B&N today ~ heard quite a few people recommend them ~ so we'll see...

Deets: Stamps: Unity ~ Sweet zzz's, Everyday Adorable
Cardstock: GP; SU ~ Sahara Sand; Unknown red
Ink: VersaMark; VersaFine ~ black; Memento ~ Rhubarb Stalk
Misc: Nestibilities; Spica; CTMH~ Liquid Glass; SU ~ Chalk; Sakura Glaze pen; Zig pen; Ribbon

Thanks for dropping by & I'd love to hear any comments!

First Eva Friends With Flair Friday!!

2009-09-04T08:00:00.001-04:00

Happy Friends with Flair Friday! A celebration of the friends of Unity Stamp Co!

I'm so glad you have hopped over to see what I've been upto. Weel, let's just say this is the card that almost did not happen... you see I am horribly unorganized & it took forever to find the stamps that I envisioned for this card which is going to go to the WishRAK Labor Day Cards for the Troops Challenge (0915) ~ Thanksgiving/Fall... I hope that someone will feel special when they receive this card from their family member so far away this fall! I had a totally different base for the card ~ but it was too light ~ so out came the Kraft (the image was stamped in grey to match the original card oh well). I added a little green to match the green ribbon ~ but my little assistant's comment was Yuck! So, I brought out the brown. Oh~ and yeah, I dropped the glue lid on the image ~ but I refused to throw it away ~ so I sanded the whole thing instead ~ now it has a soft suede feel. Then, I thought the acorns needed some glossing over so I used my liquid glass on them... any squiral would love 'em ~ right?

Thanks for stopping by today & I'd love to hear what you think! Til next time!

Stamps: Unity ~ Birds of a Feather, Fall Festival
Ink: Memento ~ London Fog, Potter's Clay; Stampin Up ~ Pumpkin Pie
Cardstock: PaperTrey Ink ~ Kraft; SU ~ (?)In-Color, Very Vanilla
Misc: Ribbon (?); CTMH Liquid Glass; Copics

Twilight Tuesday Sketch Challenge# 7

2009-09-02T23:47:00.001-04:00

So, we're in Barnes & Nobles getting a Twilight calender for my oldest dd & what do my eyes spy ~ yup ~ you guessed it an official Twilight stamp set! Ha! Of course, had to get it & you know what it stamps pretty well. I haven't checked all of them but 3 out of 8 are great...

I'm enjoying the Twilight Tuesday's Challenges & decided to check out some of the older ones ~ esp. the sketch ones... never can have too many sketches ~ right? So, this is TTSC7 ~ I think it looks perfect for the Team Edward stamp ~ Plus, I needed some cards for the WishRAK Labor Day Cards for the Troops Challenge (got the ribbon from one of the fantastic members) & figured that some soldier might just have a tween/teen girl who is also a Team Edward member & would love to get this card ~ Hope I'm right... I used the Black/Red/White colors from the books... Oh, & I did color each one of the polka dots with a Gelly Roll stardust pen ~ I mean duh ~ Edward in the sun!

Tomorrow is open house at the school & the girls are having mixed feelings ~ can't blame them really ~ it is always a bit scary to meet a new teacher.... Plus, they've had so much freedom this summer they are not happy to get back to the school routines ~ I'm a meany & don't allow any TV on school nights. Yep, gotta earn my worst mommy of the year award ~ am I right?

Etsy Inspired Challenge ~on time!!!

2009-09-01T21:08:00.002-04:00

I know, amazing ~ I'm usually always late ~ but this not this time... So, without further ado...here is my card for the EtsyInspired Challenge#51 ~ Red Crow Arts.

I made this card after seeing this mosaic art piece. I actually repurposed a project that I had made when I was a member of a Close To My Heart Hostess club with a bunch of great ladies. The orginal project was a 3d project with receipes & I think places for pictures... but that is just nothing I would ever use. And of course, I am too 'Green' to just throw the thing away or to even put it in the recycling bin. One thing I do like about the CTMH papers are their white core ~ it comes in handy with projects like this... my little assistant thought it was the BEST!

Deets: Stamp: CTMH

Ink: CTMH

Cardstock: CTMH

Misc: CTMH~ Liquid Glass, Waxy Flax; Cuddlebug Embossing Folder; sanding block; unknown snowflake.

A Week Late... TTIC44

2009-09-01T10:10:00.006-04:00

So when I read the Twilight Tuesday Inspiration Challenge # 44 on Twilighttuesday.com (Craft Challenge: Make any project that celebrates your favorite book! It can be a project about a book, for a book, inspired by a book title or cover. ) last week ~ I knew exactly what book I would use for my inspiration ~ a classic from my childhood that I must have read a thousand times ~ Anne of Green Gables ~ I always dreamed of going to Prince Edward Island & basking in the beauty of the countryside that Anne so dearly loved... I immediately thought the Boards & Beams house by PaperTrey Ink would be an absolute perfect Green Gables & the older SU In-Color (sorry don't know the name) reminded me of Anne's dreaded hair (at least she dreaded it when she was young...). I think this would also be a lovely little cottage for the newlyweds (Bella & Edward & of course baby Nessie).

As for the Comment part (Comment Challenge: Which novel would you put in Bella’s hands (classic or contemporary) for her to read? Did Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse or Breaking Dawn inspire you to read (or re-read) any of the classics? Do you compare Edward and Bella to that of Wuthering Heights Heathcliff and Cathy? ) ~ I'm really not too sure what book I'd put in Bella's hand ~ there are just too many great books out there which of course, she has plenty of time to read...As for Wuthering Heights... um, I might go back & re-read that one as it's been more than 20 years since the last time... & my memory fails me at the moment....

A Happy Day for the Final Unity Hip Hop Hangover...

2009-08-28T00:51:00.004-04:00

as well as a sad day. As you all probably know Hip Hop as we know it has had it's final hurrah. Yesterday we bid a final farewell to the Thursday Hip Hop with yet another fine sampling of Unity goodness supplied by the ever-talented Design Team.

But we've been assured that something New & Wonderful will happen ~ but we will have to wait just a tad... So to celebrate the coming of the new & going of the old... I have made 2 cards to share with my fellow Unity fans!

First off, a CAS card for the Color Challenge(CC233) & Limited Supply Challenge(LSC234) over at SCS. I really love how this card turned out ~ it turned out to be somewhat of a bear ~ as I can't stand to have anything showing on the insides of my cards ~ I was forced to be creative when attaching the Waxy Flaxy... I used my Scor-pal to create a ridge for the Liquid Glass & glued it to the paper...

Deets: Stamps: Unity ~ July & Aug 09 KOM

Cardstock: PaperTrey Ink ~ Kraft; Stampin Up ~ Real Red

Ink: Stampin Up ~ Chocolate Chip

Misc: CTMH ~ Liquid Glass, Waxy Flaxy; Nestibilities; Scor-pal; sponge dabber

Card #2 was inspired by my oldest daughters love of all things Twilight... we've been listening to the soundtrack quite a bit lately & when I saw the stamp ~ happy day ~ I immediately thought of 'Go All the Way (Into the Twilight)' by Perry Ferrell ~ enjoying this song is not a stretch for me as I have always enjoyed Jane's Addiction... The bird image brings thoughts of the 2nd book ~ New Moon ~ as Bella (the bird) is stretching towards Jacob (the sun)~ bringing happy days back once Edward leaves... I chose the color from PTI based on the name: Lavender Moon... & the PTI Guide Lines paper reminds me of Edward~ guiding Bella away from harm in her mind...

Deets: Stamps: Unity ~ Aug 09 KOM

Cardstock: PTI ~ Lavender Moon, Plum Pudding, Guide Lines; GP

Ink: PTI ~ Plum Pudding

Misc: CTMH ~ Liquid Glass; PTI ribbon; CB Swiss Dots; Copics; Zig pen

Thank You so much for dropping by & have fun checking out all the rest of the HHH talent... I know I will!!!

Yorktown Victory Monument

2009-08-24T21:40:00.000-04:00

So what is one to do instead of making cards ~ well, let's see ~ when you live in one of the richest areas for colonial American history ~ you see the sites ~ what else? Of that & Busch Gardens... but that's another day... We had some special visitors come to see where we live ~ so we got to show them some of the places that make this area such a gem! The only thing is that I had to tell them that next time they must come down either fall or spring ~ 'cause summer is just too hot & muggy to really enjoy anything outdoors for too long. Not only that but it takes me forever to recover from the heat & humidity...

I am starting to feel a bit better ~ and I'm hoping to get some new cards done real soon...

Happy Hip Hopping Hangover Friday!

2009-08-14T02:10:00.001-04:00

Happy Hip Hopping Hangover Friday! I'm so glad you stopped by today to see what I've come up with. Well, first off I've got to say that this card is nothing like what I had planned ~ I was orginally doing a farris wheel card ~ but it just didn't come out right ~ now I have a couple of farris wheel images that must find their way to the proper paper & then onto a card... Of course, the images are from Unity Stamp Co. ~ the August Store KOM to be specific. The green cardstock & ribbon are PaperTrey Ink. The white is GP. Ink is Memento... Also, used were SU Watercolor Crayons, CTMH Liquid Glass & misc. green & brown buttons from my LSS... I used Fiskers plates to emboss the CS thru my Cuttlebug...

My little assistant helped a great deal with the card & we stayed up way too late trying to get this done ~

We love any comments you'd like to share!!! And Come Again real soon!!!

Better Late Than Never...

2009-08-11T00:31:00.002-04:00

So Monday I was so wishing that summer was over & my little MoonStars were back in school ~ just for a minute of peace & quiet. You see, we've been having some mighty HOT weather as of late & we've been bunkered down like a bunch of trolls in a deep dark noisy cave... you get the picture right? So my nerves are pretty shot... But I did finally get around to making a card ~ at first I had no inspiration ~ but then I thought again of the Unity Guest DT 123 Challenge & well, Twilight (which was watched again & again & again...).. & this is what fell together quite nicely... for someone who never thought she'd ever use a button on a card ~ I sure am lately... I must be pretty good at bandwagon jumping!

Deets:

Stamp: Unity ~ July KOM

Paper: BasicGrey ~ lemonade

Cardstock: GP, PTI ~ Summer Sunrise

Ink: Memento ~ Cantaloupe & Rhubarb Stalk

Misc: Nestibilities, BasicGrey button, CTMH Waxy Flax, PaperTrey Ink Summer Sunrise ribbon.

Happy HHH

2009-08-07T02:46:00.001-04:00

Happy Hip Hop Hangover Friday!!! Hope everyone is enjoying these wonderful creations by the Unity Customers!!! I am always blown away by all the talent that I see every HHH Friday! I made this quick little card in honor of the Angela at Unity~ seeing that this is one of her favorite quotes... I'll keep this short ~ & maybe just maybe you'll check out some of my previous posts ~ to see even more Unity Goodness!!!

Deets: Stamps: Unity ~ Quote Bundle Pack, Growing in Unity

Paper: Stampin Up ~ DSP Green Tea

Ink: Memento ~ Summer Sky

Misc: SU Ribbon, BasicGrey buttons, Label 4 Nestibilities, silver thread.

Thanks again for stopping by!!!

CAS26 Challenge

2009-08-06T00:33:00.002-04:00

Happy Hip Hop Unity Style! Today is Thursday & if you're familiar with Unity Stamps ~ you know that Thursdays are big ~ with the Design Team showing off lots & lots of Unity Goodness! If you haven't already ~ you owe it to yourself to pay Unity a visit & Hip Hop along...

Here is a card that I came up with ~ for the CAS26 - Stitching Challenge over at SCS. Seeing as I had been working on organizing my stamps for most of the day ~ nice Clean & Simple seemed perfect to try. And when I read that the challenge was to use stitching (real or faux) I immediately thought of the July09 KOM by Unity. How perfect is that little pocket & patch!!! After I stamped the pocket & cut it out ~ I laid it on my Night of Navy ink pad & it looks exactly like denim!! So, pleased!!!

Deets: Stamps: Unity ~ July09 KOM

Ink: SU ~ Bordering Blue, Night of Navy, Rose Red; Memento ~ Rhubarb Stalk

Cardstock: SU ~ Bordering Blue, Naturals White, Rose Red (I think ~ it was a scrap)

Misc: Smooch ~ Silver, Signo Gel Pen

THANKS for stopping by!!!

EtsyInspiredChallenge#47

2009-08-05T12:30:00.001-04:00

Yesterday, I was chatting over on SCS with some Unity friends & I mentioned that I had no idea what to do next ~ surprising isn't it?!?! *giggle* And Ashley (HeartHugsDesigns) suggested I do the EtsyInspired Challenge #47 from her blog. Seeing that I'd never done one before & that I felt really good about what I'd been making lately ~ I called for my trusty assistant to see what she thought. Once I pulled up the EtsyInspired shop ~ Julie's Jewels ~ the oh's & ah's & of course, I want that one! started. So I knew it would be easy to find some inspiration ~ but not so sure we could pull it together to make a card... My assistant really loved the Rock Crystal Quartz w Aventurine & SSilver Necklace. Sorry, I don't know how to add the actual picture to my blog ~ but the link should take you straight to it... And off we went ~ assistant picked out everything ~ the paper, the Unity butterfly & even the ink that she used to daub the papers with to add a bit of color ~ yep ~ the lovely butterfly was all her (once I embossed it in silver for her...). I did make the suggestion of cutting out the card with the scallop circle.... Thanks for stopping by...

Deets: Stamp: Unity ~ Sept 08 KOM

Ink: Memento: Angel Pink, Bamboo Leaves, New Sprout; Versamark

Paper: BasicGrey ~ Porcelain;

Cardstock: Georgia Pacific

Misc: Silver embossing powder (?); Ribbon (?), Nestibilities thru the Cuttlebug, Smooch ~ SilverFox.

Twilight Tuesday Inspiration Challenge #41

2009-08-04T17:52:00.002-04:00

So, I've never participated in a Twilight Tuesday Inspiration Challenge on Twilighttuesday.com before but after seeing so many of the awesome creations by Jacquie on her blog ~ Family & Crafting ~ I finally decided to play along. This challenge was from Eve... "It’s complicated….we all know that. I mean really could you choose? Well for some of us it is easy {Edward for me!} However, for Bella it is a little more difficult. Jacob fills that void {or hole} while Edward is gone. And does a pretty good job at it. It is complicated and for sure- a love triangle at it’s best. Is Jacob more of a brother type figure? Or do you see Bella falling into love with Jacob while Edward is gone? There are so many angles to this triangle…….."

For craft challenge:
Make a card {or other item} that represents the love triangle between Bella, Edward, and Jacob.

This card came into my mind easier than any card I've ever made ~ it was just there after I had blog hopped thru the Twilight Tuesday's talented Designers... & listening to 15 Step by Radiohead that was playing on Jacquie's blog (BTW, my dd thanks you for making me buy the song from iTunes.... )

So ~ does the card have the Twilight feel to you? Do you see the triangle? I guess I should explain how it's in my mind.... Edward is the Blue heart ~ representing his 1900 time period w/Smooch to show is glistening vampire skin; Jacob is the Yellow sun & Bella is the Brown (her eyes & hair) deer ~ the object of both of E & J's affection ~ just as the deer was the object of the hunt in the beginning of the movie... & the brown words are how Bella feels towards them. Plus, each image is ever so slightly overlapping & intertwined... Also, if you'll notice the brown paper edging is torn when it overlaps the blue & the yellow ~ as she is torn in her feelings... the deer is walking towards Edward but looking over her shoulder towards Jacob... and the green ribbon is the meadow where she was with Edward & later where Jacob ended up saving her...

Deets: Unity Stamps ~ Jan 09 KOM, Feb 09 KOM, July 09 KOM, Heartfelt Memories

Ink: SU ~ So Saffron, Close to Cocoa, Bordering Blue

Cardstock: SU ~ So Saffron, Close to Cocoa, Bordering Blue, WW

Accessories: SU Old Olive Ribbon; Smooch ~ Moonlight, Siren; Liquid Pearls ~ Lemon Yellow.

SU WOW!

2009-08-04T14:45:00.001-04:00

Look at the wonderfully awesome cards that I made ~ these are card kits made by Shannon & sent to me with my Stampin Up club order. I adore how they turned out ~ I did change a few things just slightly thou. First off, the Lattice Card was originally a square card ~ but alas, my major character flaws & lack of square envelopes required that I change it to a regular sized card... Of course by doing this I had to change the layout just a smidge... putting the ribbon in the middle instead of the top... & I never put anything on the inside of the card (if at all possible) so I trimmed the edges of the ribbon instead of wrapping it around... One thing that Shannon's card had that I just had to have was stitching ~ unfortunately due to space issues ~ I can't have my sewing machine out ~ so I did some faux stitching ~ didn't think it would turn out ~ but it actually looks really good...

Next is the precious relaxed kitty card (sorry I don't now what it's really called ~ apparently my little cat loving assistant made off with the directions....) ~ my little assistant helped a huge amount on this card ~ she ripped the edges, glued down the layers (with a bit of help) & even picked out the color of the kitty & colored it as well. The original kitty was grey ~ but my assistant wanted an orange kitty ~ so there ya go! We used the SU Watercolor Crayons ~ which haven't been used much since I got my Copics last summer ~ & I realized how much I miss using them... plus they are so easy even my 8 year old assistant can use them with ease... I might look into getting her some used ones for her to 'play' with...

Thanks for coming by today!

Unity Challenge...

2009-08-04T00:08:00.002-04:00

Here is the card I came up with for the 123 Challenge *Unity Guest DT Contest*.

1 - Stamp (can use same image multiple times) - July 09 KOM
2 - patterned papers -from Stampin Up's To the Nines Speciality DS Paper
3 - embelli's - PaperTrey's Ocean Tide Ribbon, Colorbok's Rub-on, brad (unknown)

And for some unknown reason, I just had to play the soundtrack from The Phantom of the Opera... I seldom make 'boy' cards as my assistant called this card ~ although she was not so sure of the sparkly rub-on ~ but since it was a very manly bronze I insisted on using it...

I can't wait to see what all the super-talented crafters come up with for this Unity Challenge ~ it's bound to be very inspiring!!!

Monday's Inspired Card...

2009-08-03T00:43:00.003-04:00

Happy Monday Everyone! Thanks for dropping by to see what my assistant & I have been upto... we're on a roll! Again, we used the fabulous SCS gallery as inspiration... particularly this card from the ever-talented Jacquie (momofour26 on SCS).

We used a stamp from Unity's Feb KOM. Paper: Mellow from BasicGrey. Cardstock: Kraft from PaperTrey Ink. Ink: Stampin Up~ Chocolate Chip. Pen: Signo White Gel. Smooch: Green Apple & Moonlight. My assistant used her poor little fingers to distress the edges of the paper ~ it's good to have an assistant! I don't even have to clean my stamps any more!!! But she still refuses to get me my Latte ~ not that I drink it anyway ~ but it's funny to ask her for it every so often...

As a side note ~ my LSS {heart} is out of Smooch ~ don't know if my card helped or not ~ but I'm ever so happy that it sold out & now I'll keep my fingers crossed that she'll carry the new colors....

Hope you'll come back by & see what we've come up with next!!!

Happy Rainy Sunday...

2009-08-02T13:59:00.002-04:00

My assistant & I successfully completed yet another card. Of course, we ended up using a Unity stamp ~ Confession: i{luv}unity ~ we simply adore this set & have been itching to make these flowers. Paper: Porcelain by BasicGrey. Ink: Memento in London Fog & Bamboo Leaves. Ribbon: unknown. Nestibilities, Cuttlebug, CB Embossing Folder, Buttons: Boxer Scrapbook Products, & misc threads.

Inspired....

2009-08-01T16:31:00.004-04:00

Wow ~ pretty much sums up how I feel right now! It's August 1st ~ just can't believe it... Summers nearly over & it's time to start the back to school shopping... Yes, I know I've not been the best blogger ~ but frankly, I haven't had anything to blog about... my oldest daughter decided she {loves} Twilight & being the good mother that I am ~ I was forced to read the books before I let her at 'em. Took me about a week to go thru the series... they were pretty good ~ kinda pradictable, but since they are aimed at the teen (tween) set, that's to be expected. As a reward for being so brave at the dentist, the girls were allowed to pick a prize... can you guess what the oldest wanted? ~ well, if you guessed the Twilight movie ~ you're absolutely correct! And she's been driving her little sister crazy ~ wanting to watch it every day this week... I just have to *giggle* ~ I remember (ok this will age me but) my first Shaun Cassidy record ~ OMG ~ I listened to it while daydreaming every day for I don't remember how long... OK, OK, OK... so I'm not concerned about her little Edward crush... Yep, she's Team Edward... I've learned quite abit in just a short time... and she's really looking forward to the New Moon movie in Nov....

Now, while I was feverishly finishing up my reading ~ I did nothing card wise... but as my youngest announced that she was indeed leaving home if she had to suffer thru watching Twilight one more time... I decided it was time to enlist her help as my personal crafting assistant. So, with really no idea of what to do ~ I headed to SCS & brought up my Favs from the gallery & had her pick out a few for us to CASE. And here are what we came up with...

Embrace Each Moment: is inspired by the wonderfully talented Unity DT member Jimmi (jpmayo on SCS) her cards are unbelievable! I'll try to link her card here (hope it works). My assistant picked out the colors that we used ~ from a packet of Memento Dew Drops. She also picked the yummy Papertrey Ink ribbon & the Stampin Up paper. Stamps from Unity ~ Bevy of Butterflies.

Friend to Friend: is inspired by the uber-talented Paula (mrslaird on SCS). Her card is just so beautiful that it caught our eyes immediately! I didn't have the same colors that she used ~ and again

my sweet little assistant picked the colors we used ~ she used the SU color coach ~ I'm so proud!!! We used Taken with Teal & Tempting Turquoise cardstock & Taken with Teal Classic ink. My little assitant even ran the Cuttlebug to make the Swiss Dot background paper. I changed the card a bit by making panels instead of the layers ~ I'm just not a layering type of gal... And we cut the sentiment out using Label 4 Nestibilities. Also, used were Stickles for the faux rhinestones and an unknown ribbon. The stamps used were from Unity ~ Bevy of Butterflies & June KOM (sentiment)

Remember the Moments: And finally, here is another CASEd card based on the awesomely talented Ashley (HeartHugsDesigns on SCS) ~ she is such a sweetheart! My assistant and I were scoping out some of the Unity cards on SCS when this card caught my daughters eye ~ so much so she insisted we make one just like it!!! I gave her a stack of Basic Grey 6x6 papers & she picked out June Bug, and with the help of the SU Color Coach ~ she picked SU Summer Sun & Night of Navy cs & Night of Navy ink. I had to alter the design just a smedge ~ as I don't make square cards ~ call it a character flaw... Oh, I got to use Sahara Sand as the base ~ it's got to be one of my favorites, don't know why?!?! And yep, we used Smooch Gold Lame on some of the owl's feathers & CTMH Liquid Glass on the eyes. Stamps by Unity ~ June KOM.

Hip Hop HangOver

2009-07-17T07:00:00.006-04:00

Here it is. Hip Hop HangOver for Unity Stamps! Had a wonderful time Hip Hopping yesterday with all the amazing Unity design team members. Talk about inspiration!! And today we, the customers, get to show off our Unity goodness.

If you checked out my posts this week ~ you've heard that I've been on a quest for a 'perfect' card to give to my LSS to spotlight Smooch. And in my little mind ~ scheming as I do ~ I've decided to use Unity stamps so that (hopefully) I can inspire more people to want Unity & therefore cause my LSS to order more (for me)!!! And guess what?!? Here it is ~ one I finally am happy with. It spotlights Unity & Smooch & Basic Grey papers... win~win!!! Only thing I'm kinda worried about is that I used Copics to color in the cupcake wrappers & I'm not sure how it will hold up to being on display ~ I know that the color guide that I made last summer has had quite a bit of color change & it's not even exposed to constant light... I guess we'll see... Oh & if you look closely ~ you'll see where I dropped one of the bauble-y things & got a little Liquid Glass on the DP ~ but it's really not that noticeable IRL...

I thought a nice little pic of all the things that I used to make the card would be nice for a change of pace.

The only thing missing is my beloved Cuttlebug. But other then that item ~ these are the products I tend to 'have' to use whenever I make a card...

And how excited am I ~ I finally figured out how to get my blog name on my photos... whoever said old dogs can't learn new things!!! I need smilies!!

Another day... another card...

2009-07-15T19:12:00.002-04:00

Today just sped by. Doesn't feel like I got anything accomplished. Not that I ever seem to feel that way. A bit sad really....

Onto the card front... so, I'm on the quest for the perfect Smooch card... still haven't found it & not thinking I probably will. Darn perfectionism.... as well as procrastanation... generally just need to hang my head in shame...

Ok~ enough of that!!! No more self-pity!!! My dd had a bday party to go to today & I of course had no child bday cards on hand ~ so, instead of making the perfect Smooch card for my LSS ~ I had to make one for an 8 year-old. I did use Smooch ~ almost used all the colors I had ~ HA!!! I love the Moonlight color as a creamy frosting on the cupcakes!! And you see the sprinkles? Yep ~ smooch!! The confetti one turned out to be my favorite ~ so easy to make the little straight lines with the tiny tip.

A shout out to Unity for making such cute & easy stamps ~ I was able to line up the cupcakes & the sentiment on one block & stamp it at one time ~ how easy is that!!!!

My daughter loved it!!! And that is all that matters!!!

Dets:

Cardstock~ SU, GP & some misc paper from Micheals

Stamps~ Unity: Mix-up of Cuteness, UK-310A

Ink~ Memento

Other~ Nestibilities, Smooch, Trim Accents, Copics, CTMH Liquid Glass

Inspiration...

2009-07-14T20:19:00.000-04:00

The assistants & I went to eat lunch next to Barnes & Noble ~ & I just happened to have a coupon to B&N... so off we went. I went straight for the Craft Magazine section & the girls went to the Children's section. I picked out about a half dozen mags to check out ~ I really wanted to fall in love the Take Ten (I think that's the name) ~ but I just couldn't ~ I don't know what is wrong with me... I just couldn't love enough of the cards in it to buy it. From the cards I've made so far on this blog ~ you can probably tell that I tend to go towards the Clean And Simple ~ Coloring Book ~ Keep It Simple S ~ style of card making. I've just never been into the type of cards that have everything just short of the kitchen sink on them. Or much of the grunge-y stuff either...

If you peek at the selections that I found I also got a Blog mag & one on organizing ~ something I am so challenged with in all aspects of my life. Some nice summer reading for the endless hours at the pool... yeah!!! I was getting a little tired of always doing Sudoku... Well, it's late & the girls are getting a bit hungry ~ hope they can finally decide what they want... probably not...

The Beauty of Butterflies & Smooch

2009-07-14T19:49:00.001-04:00

So what have I been doing today? Well I tried to make a card for my LSS using Smooch. I also wanted to use items that could be bought at the store ~ unfortunately I did not succeed... I wanted to use only Basic Grey paper ~ but I couldn't make it happen. I think the card I orginally had in mind would have worked on a larger card. Also, the other paper was more red & the Smooch turned out more maroon. Luckily I had this left over ribbon & brad that matched perfectly. I had also wanted to use the sentiment 'within' as well. But it just wouldn't fit. After I finally assembled the card ~ well, I kinda like it... I tried to get the photo to show the shimmer of the Smooch ~ am I the only one who has problems getting shimmers & glitters to show up decendly in a photo?!?! I sure hope not.... One day I should really try to build one of those photo boxes.... just another project to add to the mile long list of things I need to do...

And now we're back...

2009-07-12T15:56:00.008-04:00

So have you missed me? Yes, well then you probably would like to see why I've been MIA. I have had no time to do any crafting ~ I know ~ very sad isn't it? Every so often our little family does what I call the whirlwind tour of North Carolina ~ to visit both sides of the family. Visiting the central NC area for awhile & then the mountain area. We always stay in a hotel in Boone, NC to visit with my parents. This year we visited Blowing Rock... as you can see the girls (aka my assistants) loved climbing all over the rocks ~ not necessarily meaning to scare their poor Oma to death. Although I lived in the area for many, many, many years ~ I never visited the attraction before. Now that I no longer live there ~ I'm trying to visit as many of the 'fun' tourist~y places with the girls as possible. Another thing I love to do when visiting Boone is to drive the Blue Ridge Parkway. A couple of years ago, we drove the Parkway from Boone north thru VA to Skyline Drive ~ it was magnificent! We stopped at almost all of the Overlook areas ~ looking at the amazing views & log cabins & sawmills... country stores... we saw animals & even had to stop for awhile to wait for the raccoons to cross the road...

This time we went

South & stopped at the Lin Cove Viaduct... from this pic you can not only see the Viaduct (see the bridge like structure wrapping around the mountain), but also in the distance you can see the Grandfather Mountain which has lots of 'wild' animals ~ bears, otters, deer, etc. & a swinging bridge that is quite a challenge to get children across. We visited it several years ago & the girls can't wait to go back ~ we just didn't have the time on this trip.

There is a wonderful trail that leads under the

Viaduct & thru the woods ~ unfortunately we did not have enough time to do much hiking ~ the girls loved going up ~ not so much coming back down. But as we were leaving the area they asked if we could go back & finish the trail. Maybe next time...

Another fun stop is the Moses Cone Park ~ the girls got to pick fresh raspberries ~ saw horses & the amazing house with the stunning views....

And now we're back ~ to continue on with what's left of summer ~ it's amazes me that July is almost half over... I feel like I better start thinking about making my Christmas lists.... Oh, and I went to pick up some more Smooch at my LSS {heart} & the owner wants me to make a sample card for her! So totally exciting ~ I hope to make something that will be somewhat CAS ~ & to use Unity, Smooch & BG papers ~ these are the items she carries & if my card can help encourage more shopping ~ that would be FANTASTIC!!!

2009-07-03T08:00:00.004-04:00

Happy Hip Hop Hangover!!!

This is my first ever time to participate & I wanted to showcase some cards that I've done this week ~ that I have not already added to SCS. With this card ~ I made it along with another one for the SCS Hip Hop Challenge to use your newest Unity kit. I checked my orders & figured out that this is the latest of my Unity Goodness ~ Folk Inspired. The stamps are so beautiful & inspiring.

I used Basic Grey paper & in this card I decided to use my SU Watercolor Crayons ~ I haven't used them very much since I discovered Copics... I'm not sure if you can tell ~ but I used another one of my latest 'favorites' ~ Smooch. It adds a little shimmer & is so easy to use! I used Ancient Page ink & SU Ribbon. ...and of course, my Nestibilities.

For my next card I used the June KOM ~ they are such great values with a wonderful variety of images. I made this for SCS Sketch Challenge #234.

I used (again) Basic Grey paper, Memento ink, Copics, & my Nestibilities. Oh ~ any my base card is made with GP cardstock.

Be sure to check out Miss Boo for more HHH!!!

This is NOT our house...

2009-07-01T15:30:00.004-04:00

.... but it's cleaner..... LOL.... I woke up this morning at around 7:15 & decided to start to clean.... of course, it'll take a miracle to actually get it done. I'm not the queen of clean ~ sadly not in my blood... I wish it was... one major thing is organization... I'm not too good at that either...

Ok ~ enough of that ~ a little about the picture ~ a couple of years ago, we decided to drive the Blue Ridge Parkway from Boone NC to Skyline Drive in VA. It was early spring ~ so there was very little traffic & it was a little chilly. We stopped at every overlook and each log cabin. It was so much fun ~ if you ever get a chance to take this drive ~ you really should. The girls had so much fun exploring the cabins & I loved the views!

Well, I've rambled enough & I still have more stuff to do ~laundry seems to take forever!!! AND I really want to work on some SCS challenges using my new Unity Goodness!!!

2009-06-30T12:06:00.003-04:00

So where did yesterday go? I was very busy doing a whole bunch of nothing... First, we decided to enjoy a nice breakfast at Cracker Barrel & picked up some goodies for the Grandmas of the family ~ nice smelling hand lotion & soap; fresh & fruity candle; and a pretty Sunflower arrangement for the sun porch. The girls decided that they needed new Webkins ~ and as a result ~ they both jumped on the computers to register & play. AND I didn't get to be online at all. SO, I decided to play with my Unity Goodness. I've come to the point were I need to catalog my stamps ~ I stamp on computer paper & put it in a zippered 3 ring binder. This helps me 2 ways ~ first to make sure that the stamp is good & 2nd to enable to figure out which images I used when uploading a card.

I made a couple of cards yesterday ~ here is my favorite one. It is for the Featured Stamper (Dawn L) Challenge over at SCS.

Items Used:

Peacock stamp from Unity's KOM 01/09 Love, etc.

Smooch paints

Copics

Cuttlebug Embossing Folder

Nestibilities

Ribbon

Memento ink

Brilliance ink

2009-06-28T09:39:00.005-04:00

Happy SUnday!!! What do you think of my heading picture? It's one of my assistants walking on the Yorktown, VA Beach... I love the footprints in the sand.... One the reasons I love living here is the great beaches... they are so much fun to go to ~ except during summer ~ when there are just too many people for my taste. I love to take the girls to the beach after school & let the do their homework & frolic in the water a bit...

Today I thought I would showcase another great stamping company that I love~ Stampin Up. I used to be a 'hobby' demo in a previous version on my life ~ but now I am just a happy customer. I had dreams of hosting fun stamp camps in my home ~ but alas, now that is impossible ~ just too small of a place... back to my Life 2.0... the adorable mouse is from a retired set called And Everything Mice & it's colored using the SU Watercolor Crayons ~ which are my 2nd favorite coloring tools after my Copics. I'm not too sure about the papers that were used ~ as this is a card that I put together for the WishRAK Cards for the Troops Challenge back in Jan 09.

If anyone knows how to get my heading picture centered on the top ~ please leave me a comment ~

Actually, I love all comments ~ so feel free to leave me one regardless!!!

I'll Be Working Up a Storm...

2009-06-27T11:35:00.002-04:00

YES!!! My scheduled post worked!!! Now I'm working on tweaking things here & there. I'm hoping to make a list of Blogs that I :LUV: ... but I want to get permission before I add them. I'm not too sure of the whole Blog Etiquette concerning that type of thing ~

Of course, working on my new blog is not the only thing I'm wanting to do (or having to do) today... I really want to play with my new Unity Goodness... my assistants insist on going to the pool today (not a pool person myself ~ so I just hang-out listening to my iPod & doing SuDoKu)... and for some reason the place just refuses to clean itself....

Testing Future Posting

2009-06-27T08:00:00.005-04:00

This is fun ~ like a new class ~ trying to read up & figure out the lingo. I had a computer programming class in college many moons ago & let's just say ~ it wasn't my best subject. I just hope that I'll be a little better at this then I was back then.

I've decided to dig into my archives of cards to find something not on my SCS Gallery... I made this card using an image from Pink Petticoat (digital image). I love these images for quick cards~ they are very 'happy' & work great with my Copics & the bright SU paper (I think it's Gable Green). Other items I used were my Cuttlebug with the Embossing Folder & my Nesitibilities, and Stickles. This card was sent to the WishRAK Cards for the Troops challenge back in Jan.

Starting out...

2009-06-26T18:06:00.000-04:00

Here it is... what I've been putting off doing for ...let's see... forever... but I really want a place to share my cards. And probably do a lot of rambling... I've got a lot to learn ~ but really what else should I be doing this summer ~ cleaning?!?! Let's see if I can add a picture....

If this works ~ this card is made using some of my favorite Unity stamps ~ my wonderful assistants helped with this card... I used Stampin Up Certainly Celery paper & ink, PTI ribbon that I received thru SCS WishRAK , & Bazzil paper. My base card is GP ~ which I like very much...