Army Mom's Prayer For Her Son

Found this on Facebook this morning and thought I'd share since I couldn't get a card done for the life of me yesterday. Grab a tissue!

I Give To You, My Son

I held him as an infant; I hugged him as a boy
and through the years he has become my greatest pride and joy.

I love him more than I can say, his life more precious than my own,
but gone are the whims and notions of the little boy that I had known.

For the years have passed so quickly since the time it all began
and now he stands before me with the conviction of a man.

He wants to serve his country, he states aloud with pride
as I try to sort out the emotions that I'm feeling deep inside...

a union of the uncertain fear, which I cannot control
and the allegiance which lies deep within my patriotic soul.


I trust that my years of guidance will serve as a strong foundation
as he performs the duties requested from his beloved nation.


God please guide him as he travels to the places our soldiers have bled
and walk with him through pathways where those heroes' feet have tread.

Oh Sweet Land of Liberty, humbly I give to you, my son
praying you'll return him safely home when his work for you is done.

---Author unknown---

Clean and Simple

Good morning everyone! It is going to be another scorcher here in the pacific northwest! We are headed up to 94 degrees. I do like the heat much better than the cold though.

Today I thought I'd show you the card I made for Todd for our anniversary. When I saw the CPS sketch for this week I immediately thought of this Elizabeth stamp from SU! Along with that SU! has a new designer series paper pack called Love Letter which, despite the name, doesn't really have any hearts and such for patterns (although I do think this piece looks like hearts) but instead is black, cream, and red. I chose to use yellow, though, because Todd's favorite color is yellow. I wanted to use Lemon Tart but it was very hard to see on the cardstock so I went with Summer Sunrise instead. Plus I had the perfect satin ribbon for it. I also added just a little bling with some of the heart shaped, yellow colored Taylor's Tiny Twinkles on different spots on the card. Oh, yes and a row of pinking hearts from the SU! punch finishes the card off. I have to say that for such a simple card...I really like it!

This card works not only for the CPS sketch challenge this week but also for the Gina K color challenge which is to use black, cream, and one other color. And the Pollycraft Monday Challenge is a love/marriage theme so much card fits in perfectly! Very nice, huh?

So, that is just about it for the day. I'm going to get a part that broke replaced on my car and do a little shopping today but that is just about it. Ah, the lazy days of summer, huh?

Make your day a wonderful one today!

Going Grey with Scrap- Creations

Morning friends! Sorry for the late post! I totally forgot to get this up last night and today is our anniversary so I got to sleep in a little. That was nice!

Anyway, today is Christmas in July on Going Grey with Scrap-Creations. Seems easy right? Well, I don't really care for Christmas at times other than December so it was difficult for me to get in the mood but I did!

The paper is from BG's Eskimo Kisses and my image is a Dustin Pike image that I've had forever! I wasn't sure how I was going to make this silly dragon image work with the paper but I think it works okay? I used lots of fun stuff like liquid applique and smooch on this card. The sketch is the sketch for you to try for the week.

Well, I need to run. My computer has been acting weird all week and it is acting like it is going to shut down on me any moment so to avoid losing what I have done up to this point I'll sign off. Have a wonderful day everyone!

I'll see ya tomorrow and will share the card I made for Todd.

Verve Project - My Hero

Good Monday morning everyone! I hope you had a wonderful weekend and g0t lots done! I am pleased to say that Kyler is home...yay, and that I did get the project done that I wanted to so...here you go!
Verve Stamps Project Theme is My Hero. Well, I'm sure you know that I immediately thought of our military members and, for me right now, that is my son in basic training (BT). Now, I will not send this to him in BT as I don't want him to...well, whatever he would have to do for a card like this and frankly I may save it for a long time but I knew I wanted to make him something. I got a card like this from AAA in the mail the other day, tore it apart, and used it as my template for this project. Of course I used Verve's new set Hero and also Verve's set called Always On My Mind. Both are perfect for a personal project of this sort. All papers/chipboard embellies are from We Are Memory Keepers Old Glory Collection.

I kept the photos small so they would load faster so if you'd like to see anything larger just click on the photo. ENJOY!

Above - Page One

Pages 2 and 3

Pages 4 and 5

Pages 6 and 7

Pages 8 and 9

The accordion side shot

Hope you like the project and that you have a wonderful day!

Fabulous Day

Well, I've done it! A full week of posts on my blog. It wasn't too bad at all! I hope you've enjoyed it. It sure has boosted my creativity!

Today's card is for the Taylored Expressions sketch challenge. It is one of those sketches that you could either go over the top with layers and embellishment or keep it pretty clean and simple. I think you can tell which one I chose. I also used the TE In The Park set again. It is such a fun set that you can do all sorts of things with. I just love how bright and cheery this card is! I do believe this one is going to Todd's grandma. It should bring a smile to her face.

Tomorrow is Sunday so I will not be posting. I do have a project that I hope to be working on this weekend so hopefully I'll have that for you on Monday and the Going Grey challenge on Tuesday. In the mean time, have a wonderful weekend!

**Yay! This card was chosen as one of Taylor's Top Crops for the sketch challenge. See HERE! So exciting!**

Just sittin' here...

Woohoo, y'all it is Friday! What a long week this has been. And the best part is that Kyler comes home tomorrow afternoon...yay!

I got the new Taylored Expressions stamp set called In The Park the other day and just had to make a card with a couple of the images. When I saw the sentiment I thought it would be cute to pair with the dog so that is what I went with. I used this week's Mojo Monday sketch and papers from the In The Park Pantry Kit. Overall a fun card to put together. This card also works for the Cupcake Challenge Blog which is to use a dog or cat on your project.

I think this one will go off in the mail to my grandpa and his wife. They love getting cards that I've made.

Well, I'm off to officially start my day. A little bit of exercise, a little bit of crafting...should be fun! Have a wonderful Friday everyone!

Quick Card - Quick Post

Just a quick card and post for ya today. I need to get myself moving so I can exercise and get myself to Care Net on time today.

This is the last of the cards we made at stamp club last week. The layout is from last week's CPS sketch (I think it was last weeks...it could have been the week before). I just love how the embossing folder and the Greenhouse Garden paper go so well together. Throw on a little ribbon and a simple sentiment and you have a wonderful, quick card when you need it!

I'm having a Tupperware party tonight so if any of my in town friends want to come on over and see the new and fun products they have...I'll see ya at 6:30!

Have a wonderful day everyone!

The card that caused a mess...

I know, I know...can you believe it? I'm posting for my third day in a row...craziness, huh? Can I just say that this week is going by extremely slow? It is only Wednesday...ugh! Apparently I'm just used to have things to do and places to go with the kids. I can't wait for Kyler to get home!

So, the cuteness of this card would not be appreciated without the knowledge of what my craft desk looked like while making it. Yep, that is right...take a look at the photo to the left (enlarge it if you dare). I was going to glue down the top embossed portion to the black base and the glue wouldn't come out so I squeezed a little harder and well...you see the result, glue absolutely everywhere. The glue was on the floor, on my shirt, on my desk, and on my keyboard. It was an absolute mess. I sat there for about 5 seconds just in amazement and then figured I should get it cleaned up since it is quick dry glue. Thankfully it came off of just about everything...except my clothes...bummer!

Anyway, this card is a simple SU! only card that is 4x4. I love that size for quick cards like thank you notes. Inside is a piece of whisper white cardstock on which I stamped the flower again, that just finishes off this card nicely. The flower is from the set Fast & Fabulous which is a hostess set in the new IB&C.

The only thing about not having any boys at home with me is that I don't feel guilty about spending time in my craft room which is why I've had cards to share. I have a portion of a card sitting on my desk that I'll finish off today and hopefully show you in the next couple of days, too. I'm loving my stamp time!

Going Grey with Scrap-Creations Challenge

Morning everyone! Today is Tuesday and I love Tuesday here on my blog. Yeah, you know why...it is Going Grey with Scrap-Creations Challenge day!

Today we got to use Louby Loo images and our challenge is to use 3 embellishments. And who doesn't use multiple embellishments on a card? I used the super cute Beach Maggie...isn't she adorable? My Basic Grey paper is June Bug and I used a June Bug Woolie and Pop (the little heart embellishment), too . I also used the Sweet Sunday Sketch for this card...isn't it wonderful?

Kate, the owner of Louby Loo has so generously offered a $10.00 GC for the winner of this weeks challenge so you know you have to try it out!

Be sure to check out all of the design teams wonderful creations by heading to their blogs via my side bar links! See ya soon!

The Dani-Lorie Project

Happy Monday everyone! I hope you all had a good weekend. Mine was okay. I currently have no children at home and it is a very strange feeling indeed!

Starting today and continuing every other Monday you will see a card that my friend Dani and have have challenged each other to make. I decided I wanted to see more of her wonderful cards and in the process I know it would make me be more faithful to my card making and posting so it is a win-win situation, right? I chose the first challenge which is a summer birthday card. Summer mean bright fun colors so I chose to use Cosmo Cricket'sDeLovely papers and Matilda Muffinbread from Stamping Bella on my card. Over there to the right you will see a close up of all of the sparkle this card has. This card also works for two challenges...one is the sketch challenge over at Paper Play Challenges and then the layering challenge at Flutter By Wednesdays. I think I have plenty of layers here don't you? Oh, and this card also qualifies for the Pollycraft Monday Challenge which is a birthday card! Woohoo!

So...hop on over to Dani's blog at Dani Gets Crafty and see what she created. I can guarantee it will be wonderful!

Oh, and have a wonderful Monday, too!

Pink for Monique

Happy Saturday everyone! Isn't it great to officially be in the weekend? I don't have huge plans today but I'm totally okay with it! Oh, and before I show you the card I have to tell you that I got a call from Jon last night! It was the obligatory I'm here, I'm fine, and I love you that is inspired by the drill sergeant but I was happy to hear his voice for sure!

Onto the card. A couple of days ago Robin, from The Pink Stamper blog had a call for cards to be sent to a friend of hers, Monique, that has been diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer. Because of the fact that I love pink and I have a soft spot for card calls for people with cancer I had to make a card for Monique. I was happy (sort of) to get to use some Sizzix products that I had gotten awhile ago. I also used a stamp that I got from CHF called What Cancer Cannot Do. I embossed the bottom layer of the card with the texture plate, cut a pink ribbon and glued it down on a white layer then I stamped the sentiment in Regal Rose on vellum card stock. I have used the pink pearls so that I could glue the vellum on the white cardstock. I have used this sentiment once or twice before and I always use this layout. I really think it makes the sentiment the most important thing on the card.

My favorite part of this card? Where it says that Cancer cannot steal eternal life. Oh so true everyone!

Well, I hope you have a wonderful day!

Sorry I Was Crabby

I know...can you believe I'm here another day? It helps to have stamp club, huh? Today I'm showing you the card I made for our swap. Clean and simple is what I always need once I get around to getting my swap card together so the Fall-To Layout #98 was a perfect option.

I have really been wanting to use that crabby crab since I got the It's The Thought set, I mean, really...isn't he just too cute, crabby or not? I kept this super simple but it would be easy to take this layout up a notch by adding some scallops on either side of the horizontal panel and some ribbon...I may use this sketch again, soon.

Anyway, I hope you are not having a crabby day but having a wonderful day! It is Friday and that is WONDERFUL!

Today's forecast is so I hope to get outside to do a little weeding and trimming of my gardens...they are so in need of it!

Have a great day!

Amour

Morning friends! How is everyone today? I hope your summer is going well! It has been the longest week since Jon left for basic training. I've heard from him here and there, last night being one of those time. He starts actual basic training tomorrow. I'm so happy for that as that means we can count down to graduation! It will also be easier for him to be busy doing the training he is there for. I can tell you that this is much harder than I thought it would be. I guess all my boys, no matter their age will always be my babies.

So, we had stamp club last night and it was so fun! "My girls" are such a wonderful group of women...I love them all! This is one of the cards they made. Now, don't go being all impressed as I did CASE it. Mine is, of course, a little different than the original card (don't remember where I saw it now so if it is yours let me know). The stamp set is a new SU! set call Artistic Etchings. I was immediately drawn to it but wasn't really sure if I'd use it or not. I do love the heritage look that this card has. I'm not going to list what I used for the card but if you have a question please let me know. I will say however that I used the new Crumb Cake ink pad as a substitute for creamy caramel and it worked well!

Alright, if you've read this far...pat yourself on the back. That was a lot of chatting on my end. Have a wonderful Thursday!

Thinking of you today...

Good morning friends! I know, I know...where have I been? Well, frankly, I've been uninspired. It is just one of those things that happens but I've noticed it happens more when I don't stamp/craft regularly so I guess I should be more regular about it right?

I'm back for another Going Grey with Scrap Creations Challenge. Last week we made summer cards with some really cute images and due to the holiday week we thought we'd give more people the chance to participate so we are extending the challenge one more week. Check it out HERE...I really think you would want to participate! I just want to mention that I used the sketch HERE. It was a fun, simple sketch that fit this image perfectly!

Well, tomorrow night is my very last official act as a Stampin' Up! demonstrator...stamp club. I'm almost ready for everyone and it should be lots of fun! After the order is placed and I know it have safely shipping I will be faxing in my resignation to SU! and will then be able to full explain ALL of my cards to you. Yay!

Well, we are off for some shopping and then dinner at our house with friends so I should get busy! Have a wonderful day all!

Hello, Sunshine...

Good morning! I hope your Monday was good and that you have some fun plans for today! I do think my card will brighten you right up today!

Today is Going Grey with Scrap Creations Tuesday and today's theme is summer so I decided to go bright with my card (at least the paper...I could not get a good photo for the life of me...sorry about that!). Isn't that frog just adorable? I love the sass! You can find out all about the challenge and the image HERE.

I do believe I'm going to use this card as a birthday card for my niece.

Busy day today so I'm off and at 'em early. Have a wonderful day!

4th of July

If you have been coming to my blog for any period of time you know that we are an Army family. My DH was in the Army for almost 22 years. You also know my 18 year old son has enlisted in the Army and leaving for basic training this week. In that spirit I will leave you with the following...

Happy Birthday Cupcake

Happy Friday friends! I hope you are having as good of a day as I am! I've gotten quite a few things checked off my list. I still have one thing I'd like to get done but I think I may have to give it to Todd to do.

I found a super cute challenge blog called Cupcake Craft Challenges. I was happy to see that this week's challenge is a sketch! Woohoo!

Anyway I found this super cute paper pack when we went shopping on Tuesday. It has super cute paper, die cut pieces, and even some 12x12 border pieces. I decided I could make a cute card with the papers and pieces and had a birthday card to make so...perfect! Although you can't see it in the photo I did use a glitter pen on the candle flame and other places to give it some shimmer. I'll put the recipients name in the upper blank portion of the circle prior to giving her the card.

Well, that is it. I hope you like the card and will check out the Cupcake Craft Challenge blog. I should be able to get some more crafting in today (woohoo for me!) so hopefully you'll see something tomorrow, too!

Oh, and speaking of cupcakes I'll be making some this weekend for Jon's going away/good luck party on Sunday. I'll be taking a photos of them so I'll be sharing for sure!

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!