For my friend....

Today is Saturday! Yippie! I love Saturdays! Today I'm showing you a couple of photos of what I made for my now real life friend Danni! I got to meet her yesterday so in preparation I had to make her something and I couldn't make her something if I didn't make a little something for her kiddos, right?

First up is the bucket o' goodness that I made. I decorated it with some bright pink paper and embellies that I won some time ago. I added paper, candy, chai tea, some pre-stamped images, and an A Muse Studio stamp set in a personalized bucket for her to enjoy! This was SO MUCH FUN to make! She lives in the Seattle area so this bucket has a bit of a rainy type of feel to it. I decorated the lid with some rub-ons the from the collection as everything else.

Then for the kids I took a couple of small take out boxes, decorated them with some paper and their names and filled them with some Starburst. I hope they will use their boxes for other things in the future! Again, these were super fun to make!

Yesterday we got to have lunch at the Space Needle, we toured the Washington State Capitol building, met up with Danni and just had an all around great time! I love summer!

What are you doing this weekend?

the perfect blend

Good morning friends! We had an absolutely wonderful time away for our anniversary Wed/Th! Scroll down for my favorite photo.

Today is another anniversary definitely worth celebrating. Today is my mom and dad's 44th wedding anniversary. I am blessed to have three sets of parents and this is the set of parents that I was given through marriage. I love Don and June so much and it has been an absolute privilege to have them be in my life. I adore the card that I sent to them but, honestly, it doesn't fit them all the well...they don't drink coffee. (The image and sentiment are from the A Muse Studio set called The Perfect Blend) What I love about this card is the sentiment 'the perfect blend'. Seriously how could you be married 44 years and not be the perfect blend? So Happy Anniversary you two!

Alright, I wanted to share my favorite photo from our anniversary trip. Todd and I had just had our dessert (I had strawberry shortcake...it was just like what my mom used to make!) and were enjoying the view from our balcony when Todd said...take a photo of this, plopped the glass on top of the railing and I took the photo. Isn't it just lovely? It was the perfect ending to an incredible day of hiking, good food, and my wonderful husband for company! If you were wondering about Cave B you can go check it out HERE.

Guess what is exciting about today? I get to meet my blogging friend, Danni! I can't wait until she is no longer a blogging friend and is a real life I've met her in person friend! I made her a fabulous little something so come back tomorrow to see it!

Have a wonderful Friday and make sure you wear RED today to remember everyone deployed!

Today is the day!

Good morning all! For those of you who only look at the photo and then go comment if you like it please know I did NOT make this card! There is a story behind it. If you want to know the story...keep reading!

So...today is the day! Today is my 10th wedding anniversary! I know that to some that may not seem like much but to a girl whose first marriage ended in divorce and was widowed from the second marriage, 10 years is a lot! It is incredible the plan that God saw when I couldn't see anything in my future. He knew that Todd was going to be the partner for me and I for him. Like most married couples things are not roses all the time but over the years we've steadily worked our way to a marriage that I think honors God and our vows...even when Todd is being a poopie head...lol!

Onto the card. I saw a card like this back in 2008 on my friend Sarah's blog. Over these last several years I have picked up the card, looked at it and decided not to use it yet so back into its storage place it went. I pulled it out the other day and decided it was perfect for our 10th anniversary. So, Sarah, thank you for making this card...I know Todd is going to LOVE it!

As you all know we have parented my three boys together over these last 10 years and again, I know we haven't been perfect but I think my boys are pretty amazing! My oldest is staying with Kyler today so we can go do another little hiking trail, have some dinner, and spend the night away from the house. I'm so looking forward to it! What I am not happy about is the "gift" that I ordered for us didn't arrive yesterday as promised so that means we won't have it before we leave. Yep, I'll be making a phone call today!

So...HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TODD! Thank you for the adventure of the first 10 years...here is to 30 more!

Rhubarb's Good Book

Morning friends! Was your Monday all you hoped it would be? Did ya get everything done? Mine sure was busy but I'm happy with what I got done!

I have another cute Rhubarb the Teddy Bear card for ya today. Can you tell I really like Rhubarb? Anyway, this is the newly released (today!) Rhubarb from Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps called Rhubarb's Good Book. I used this image and sentiment thinking this would be a great card to use for a birthday for which you are giving the recipient a gift card to their favorite book store (mine is either Amazon or Barnes & Noble just in case you wanted to know!). Wouldn't that just be adorable? The layout for this card is this week's sketch over at Card Patterns. It is very clean and simple (again) but with lots of potential.

Alright, we are off to Olallie Park today. I'm just SO excited about the rest of this week! Tomorrow it will be 10 years since I married the man that I truly believe God had waiting for me! Yes, I mean Todd! LOL! Stop back tomorrow to see the card I chose to give him for this big (to us) accomplishment!

Have a wonderful day!

Big thanks!

Good morning friends! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! I sure did...my boys are home, well the two that could come home! Yay!

Today, I have a quick clean & simple card for you using one of Doodle Pantry's cute images (but they are allllll cute!) called Beaver Hello. Today's card is exactly why I like digital images so much. You just place them on the paper where you want them, print them off and you are set to go! So easy! I used one of the patterned papers that comes with this set along with some ballet blue and wild wasabi (I think) cardstock.

This card is off to a friend who gave Kyler a ride home from camp on Saturday but not just any ride. This friend's dad is a pilot and he gave Kyler (and a couple of other kids) a ride home in his personal airplane. 45 minutes instead of 3 1/2 hours! Yay! Super cool, huh?

Alright...I'm off to get my day started! I hope you all have a wonderful Monday! See ya tomorrow!

A Muse Studio 2011 Holiday Catalog!

Good morning friends!

I'm excited to announce that I have seen it! I have seen the A Muse Studio 2011 Holiday Catalog! It is fabulous! Oh, you want to see it too? Oh, okay...just go ahead and send me an e-mail and I will send it in PDF form right back to you!

Items from the new holiday catalog will be available for purchase Aug 22nd!

There are so many exciting things happening in the next couple of months...check out A Muse A Palooza!

It is an exciting time to join A Muse Studio - - especially for $99!

Bumblebee

It's Woohoo! My husband has been out of town all week and he gets home tonight! With Kyler having been gone too it has been very quiet in the house. God revealed many things to me this week and one of them is when he says "it is not good for man to be alone so I will make a helper"...that is us ladies. We are here to be our husband's helpmeet (definition is: a help suitable for him) and what a privilege it is for me!

Anyway, because I was on my own this week I did have lots of extra time to craft which was SO fun! Today I'm showing off a new SVG file from Clear Dollar Stamps called Mini Car. Now, my son LOVES the Transformer movies (even though he really can't watch 2 and 3) so I thought I'd try to turn this mini car into one of the stars of the movie, Bumblebee! I know...I know...it is a bug but surely you can all see the Camaro in this bug just bursting to get out?! I made this for a welcome home giftie for Kyler and to be sure that he knows it is supposed to be Bumblebee I wrote that on the license plate on the back! The car isn't perfect but I will make it again and I bet I'll be closer to "perfect" next time!

Alrighty, I think that is it for today. I have several things I'd like to get done before the DH gets home so I'm off! Have a wonderful day!

Patooie!

Good morning my creative friends! Today is going to be such a busy day so I have to make this quick since I'm already behind thanks to Firefox crashing on me this morning! Ugh!

When I went to craft the other day I wanted to make something completely out of norm for me lately so I saw the challenge that House Mouse had up and found an image that someone stamped for me a long time ago and got to work. I can't really give you specifics on what I used other than the fact that it was another Key Ingredients Kit from Taylored Expressions and that is why it all matches so nicely! One of the requirements for the challenge is to use buttons, bows, and bling so I got them all on here! I have to tell you that I totally adore this card...I think it is so cute and picnic-y.

One of the other requirements for this challenge is to leave comments on all the design teams blogs and then go back and leave a comment on the House Mouse blog...I haven't done that yet and I'm way short on time today so I need to get to work! Oh! I just realized I have until the 31st to get this all done...whew! I can hop around to all the blogs tomorrow...Yay! I've also used the sketch from The Sweetest Thing for this week on this card.

But for today I must get going. Have a wonderful day everyone!

Hello, Friend

Good morning friends! I can hardly believe we are at the middle of the week already! Kyler will be home on Saturday and while I'm liking the quiet house I gotta tell ya I miss him SO much!

So, I was planning on showing you a different card today BUT then I remembered I wanted to make sure that you had time to play in Carly's Sketch Challenge (which ends Friday) so I needed to post it today.

So the super cute kittie image you see on my card is one that the talented Miss Carly drew up and her mom, Kris, made into a digital stamp set. It is also the FREE set you will receive when you play along with Carly's Sketch Challenge! There is also a prize attached to the sketch challenge sponsored by McMahon5 Designs so you should probably go check it all out and participate...don't you think?

The papers, flowers, and brads on this card are from last month's Key Ingredient Kit that I get through Taylored Expressions. I adore my kits and am waiting for my new one to come...hopefully today!

I'm throwing a little Mama Mia party tonight with a couple of friends! Really we are just getting together to watch the movie...it is one of my favorites. I'm making Roasted Banana Pudding for the snack. I can't wait but I have a lot to do in the meantime so...I'm off!

Have a fantastic day everyone! (I just wish it felt like summer here!)

Sad Heart

It is with a sad heart that I inform you of the following losses in Afghanistan two days ago.

Fallen Heroes: Sgt. 1st Class Kenneth Elwell, of Holland, Pa. and Pfc. Tyler Springman of Hartland, Maine who were killed Saturday by an improvised explosive device in Kandahar province. Seven other soldiers were wounded. The men were assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division based at Fort Wainwright, Alaska.

SFC Elwell was the acting 1st Sgt and had only been with the unit for about a month. He gave up his R&R leave to be with these men. PFC Springman was my Jon's friend. I believe the memorial service in Afghanistan was today. Seven other men were injured, a couple seriously. I am so sad for the families of these men, their friends, and their family in Afghanistan.

This was my son's platoon and had he been there he would have been involved with this incident but please know that God protected him as Jon had been sent somewhere else for about a week (I even got to Skype with him!) and was NOT involved in this incident. I praise God for his provision of safety! I'm also completely stunned at the imminent danger that my son is in. I knew he was in danger I guess I refused to let myself see how much.

Rest In Peace SFC Elwell and PFC Springman. God will comfort and give your family strength during this time. You will not be forgotten!

Snowflakes Today!

Good morning friends! This is my second post today so I hope you'll go up and read the first one too.

Remember I told you that Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps is releasing a Rhubarb the Teddy Bear image everyday? Well...here is today's image. He is called Rhubarb's Snow Day! Isn't he just the most adorable little guy?

I used the sketch from Clean & Simple Stamping from a week or so ago for this card. I loved that it made the background paper easier to see as I think the paper adds to the chilliness of the card. This paper is from Jolly By Golly paper pack from Cosmo Cricket. I tried a new to me technique for coloring Rhubarb today and I just love the way he came out! This is my first winter/Christmas card of the year!

Okay, short post so I can get back to creating. I hope you have a fabulous Tuesday!

Read. Learn. Achieve!

Good Monday morning all! I hope you had an amazing weekend! Mine was pretty status quo but Kyler did leave for camp yesterday so the house is pretty quiet right now.

Just a quick little post for you today. I've been playing around with some SVG's and doing a couple of challenges from a couple of company's that sell SVG and this is one of those challenges. The challenge from Little Scraps of Heaven Designs was to use one of their ice cream files (yesterday was national ice cream day) to make a tag. Well, I morphed my tag more into a bookmark. Since I was making this for Kyler to use I made the background green like he likes and the ice cream is all chocolate. The fabulous sentiment is from Doodle Pantry's Book Worm set (isn't it nice how sometimes the sentiment makes the project?). I just added some doodling around the tag, white gel pen and clear star gelly roll to the ice cream and then sponged around the vanilla cardstock so it wasn't so bright and called it done. I think he will like it especially when I attach an actual value to it. I'm going to tell him if he gets a certain amount done in his workbook (yes, he still has to work through a workbook in the summer) then I'll take him for ice cream/frozen yogurt. I think he'll do it anyway but this is a nice addition.

Alright, there it is. Tomorrow I have a super cute Rhubarb card to show ya! Have a wonderful Monday!

May I Get You A Lemonade?

Good morning friends! Welcome to the Clear Dollar Stamps July Blog Hop!

You should have arrived here from Linda's blog. And if you just happened on this post and would like to start the hop from the beginning just head back to the CDS blog HERE to start at the beginning.

I just had such a fun time making my card for today! I decided that what is more summer-ish then bright colors and a yummy drink? And, just who wouldn't want a super cutie turtle to bring them their drink? So... I decided to use the Turtle Greetings digital image set. Funny, though...I didn't use a greeting. Seems I'm getting away from that recently. Anyway, I used DeLovely patterned papers and then tried my best to color my image to match. After I got done coloring the sky I decided I didn't like it just plain so I grabbed out my cloud dies, cut a couple, sponged them a complimentary color, adhered them down, and then cut them with the straight edge. It really gave the card the *umph* I was looking for! My final two accents were to add Glossy Accents to the glass and a cute little bow to the bottom of the card with some baker's twine. I used the sketch from Let's Capture These Sketches for this card as well. Oh, goodness! I just realized that I left out an element of this card sketch...oops!

I hope you will hop on over to Cassie's Blog to see the fabulous project that she has for you! Have an amazing Sunday!

Jargon

Good Friday morning friends! What a busy week it has been! And it is half way through the month already! Craziness!

Today, I'm excited to share with you an image from one of Clear Dollar Stamps newest digital sets named Jargon. It is a fantastic set of three different types of jars along with sentiments that work for several different occasions and even some digi paper! This set is priced perfectly at $4.00.

Would you like to see all the wonderful digital sets that are being released today? Well, just click HERE to be taken to that page. You'll also want to check out the CDS blog. There are awesome tutorials and ideas for using all your new Clear Dollar Stamps images!

I hope you enjoy the new release from Clear Dollar Stamps! Have a wonderful Friday everyone!

Don't be afraid!

Good morning ladies! I've been having so much fun in my craft room this week. I think Todd thought I was trapped in here yesterday as I worked until 9:30 pm before spending some time with him.

I thought I would share with you a peek of what it looks like behind the photos of my finished cards. Plainly put...it is a mess, especially in the middle of a project. Right now I'm working on a couple of scrapbook pages from the wine hike that Todd and I took in June. I'm looking forward to getting them done. I just need a vine SVG...anyone know where to get one? Please tell me that other people have messy crafting areas too. This is just part of it by the way! If you want to see what my craft area looks like all nice and new you can click HERE. Looking at those photos makes me want to take a couple of days just to re-organize. Hmmm...I may have to do that soon!

Well, you should get to see those scrapbook pages very soon! Tomorrow is a new release day over at Clear Dollar Stamps and then Sunday I am participating in a blog hop so I hope to see you back then!

Rumbly in my tumbly...

Good morning my bloggy friends! Here we are at Wednesday already this week. Can you believe we are almost at the middle of July already? Sheesh...this month is flying right by too!

Today, is my day to post on the Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps blog and this is the card that I made to show off. Isn't it fun?

The newest release at SNSS is called Rhubarb the Teddy Bear. I adore this new teddy bear...he is so cute. While he doesn't look like Pooh bear one of the first thing I thought when I saw it was that he has a rumby in his tumbly so I had to run with that theme!

The Bee Hive/Bee's are an SVG pattern set from Little Scrap's of Heaven. While it didn't cut out as a card I just made a card the size of the bee hive, taped the bee hive down, and then cut the card to the shape of the hive leaving a flat spot at the top.

Korin, the owner of SNSS, is releasing a Rhubarb a day for the next 5 days (at least)! Make sure you head on over to The Sweet 'n Sassy Connection to be one of the first to see the newly released bears!

Well, that is all I have for you today! Make to a wonderful day!

Critter Tops

So...how was your Monday? Did you get lots accomplished or did ya just wish it wasn't Monday? Well...today is Tuesday and a brand new day! Enjoy it for all that it is worth!

Today's card is a clean and simple card that I made with the FTL from this week. I have days that I just want to make something that is cute but not so much work and yesterday was one of those days for sure. After working one two more time consuming projects (you'll see one tomorrow) I decided to go easy with my Doodle Pantry card for this week. While I was going through my DP stamps I saw the cute Critter Tops set. Since I haven't worked with those yet I thought why not? I'll make this into a boy card using the Turtle Top and the newly released Primary Patterns Digi Paper Pack. I was a little intimidated by the Turtle Top but I chose the size I wanted my circle first then sized it to fit that. I think it worked so slick! The sentiment is from the Super Birdie set (one of my all time favorite DP sets!).

Don't forget to stop by the Doodle Pantry store and check out the Digi Grab Bag. Each great set in the Grab Bag is only $1! Laurie has lots of freebies throughout her store too!

Alright...I'll see you tomorrow with another super fun card!

It's A Birthday!

Good morning friends! It is a new week for us to praise God, love our family, and CRAFT! (Notice I left work out of the equation?) Do you have any big things going on this week?

Today's post is all about my niece. She turns 10 on Wednesday and, while this will be late, this is the card and gift I have her. I have known that she loves to draw and is crafty from visits with them but I wanted to double check she still liked that so I called my brother. She also likes science and is a girlie girl so...I ran with the girlie girl. Go figure, huh?

I gotta tell ya about this card. It is made with an SVG file from Little Scraps of Heaven Designs. While I love my SVG's I have been frustrated too because I just didn't understand how to size the way I wanted. I know to check the 'keep proportions' box and then resize but that would give me something smaller than I wanted (see the inside of the card) so I finally asked the question on the LSHD Facebook Page then went off to shower. Well, while in the shower (does anyone else get some good thinkin' time in the shower?) I figured it out and it was a Duh! for me moment! When resizing in SCAL I just have to keep an eye on the main element of the SVG that I'm cutting to see what size it is and then all the pieces will end up fitting perfectly! Keeping the 'keep proportions' box checked, of course. So, the correct size I wanted is on the front of the card and the size I first cut is on the inside. Super cute with both, don't ya think? I'm going to enter this card into the Cooking with Cricut anything goes contest too! And I just found that this card works perfect for the Fashion-ista challenge over at Getting Cricky. And I used Carly's sketch again!

Then I wanted to send her a little giftie to so I got together some paper, animal shaped paper clips, pens, and, of course, some OPI nail polish (my favorite brand!). I put it all into a fabulous Thirty One Gifts organizer that I got when they were having their clearance and tahdah, what I think will be a perfect gift for her! Unfortunately it will be late. Her birthday is Wednesday and I'm just sending it today so it won't get there 'til Thursday. I'm bummed about that but that is what I get when I procrastinate! I hope I can come up with something equally as good for my other niece when she turns 16 in October!

Well, that is it for today. A long post I know. I am going to work today but the best part about that...I like my job!

I hope you make today a wonderful Monday!