Baby, it's cold outside

Good Saturday morning friends!  Welcome to Sweet Stop Saturday!

When I saw today's sketch I knew I was going to enjoy creating for it.  I love when I get to have an image large enough to not make a ton of errors in coloring!  Today's image is from The Stamping Boutique.  I thought the image and the sentiment would be perfect together so I went with it.  I just used some paper MME Signature Christmas pack and paired it with Marina Mist cardstock.  In real life this is super sparkly as there is lots of glitter pen on the snow, hearts, and such.

I will be entering this card is The Stamping Boutique's monthly contest as well as Fun With Shapes, Phindy's Place Challenge, and 4 Crafty Chicks.   I haven't really been entering challenges recently but I thought...why not so I will probably start linking more challenges up.

 Alright, here are my design team sisters blogs so make sure you go check them out and give them some love, k?

Cathy

Chris

Janice

Kim

Monika

Shannon

Shelby

Wendy

Please note that since we are moving into December I won't be posting quite as often.  A couple of my design teams are taking a break and when they do I do.  I will still be here just not quite as often.  Also, I plan on getting into digital scrapbooking through MyMemories Suite (see link on the left side bar) so I'll be showing you those pages as well as the cards I make.  I hope you'll enjoy that addition to my craftiness!  And one really neat thing is that I have a very exciting announcement on Dec 1st!

Thought of the day:  Did you know that nothing you do in this life will ever matter, unless it is about loving God and loving the people He has made. ~Francis Chan   In this 'it's all about me' world this can be difficult to hear but Francis is absolutely correct. 

Christmas Puppy

Good morning! For those of you who went out shopping on the crazy day they call black Friday...did you get everything you wanted?  Was it anything crafty?  If so...be sure to scroll up to my Black Friday/Cyber Monday Challenge!

Today is a new Sketches by Carly sketch release day.  This sketch is another super fun sketch that can go so many different ways.  We are sponsored by Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps this week, though, and by playing along you have the chance to win 3 free digis.  Yay!

So, my card features the super cute image called Christmas Puppy.  I always thought getting a puppy for Christmas would be fun but now that I have a puppy...whew, they are a lot of work!  Anyway, my patterned papers are from MME's Lost & Found Christmas paper pack.  I thought the image looked a bit vintage so I tried to have the rest of my card look that way too.  The photo corners are from Doodle Pantry and are SVG files so you can cut them with your Cricut and a version of either SCAL or MTC. 

Alright...here are the links to my design team sisters.  Make sure you go check out what they have done this week!

Jerusha

Julie 

Danni

Ceal

Margreet

Genevieve

Sarah

Shakira

Kathy

Kris

Carly

Thought of the day:  Remember that everyone you meet is afraid of something, loves something, and has lost something. 

Thanksgiving Pie And Appreciation

Happy Thanksgiving friends!  Pumpkin pie is a favorite on Thanksgiving so I had to play on that a little while making some favors for today.  I originally got the idea from here but ended up purchasing an SVG from SVG cuts as I don't cut straight enough to make the hand cut pie work well for me.  I did, however, use the whipped cream template from her. 

Just a single piece of pie for your viewing pleasure.

And here are how the treats go in.

Heeeyyy...who stole the first piece of pie?  Actually I ran out of pumpkin pie cardstock so I couldn't finish the entire pie.  So disappointing but I still love it!

I am sending Thanksgiving wishes with gratitude and appreciation to all of my blog readers!  Have an amazing day!  Please think about our military members that are serving away from their family today and throughout this entire holiday season.  Love you all!

Make sure you stop by tomorrow for a little Black Friday challenge I'm going to host for you all!

Mmmm...hot chocolate

Good morning!  So?  Is everyone ready for Thanksgiving tomorrow?  I think we are!  What are you all doing?  Staying home, going to someones house?  Since our Thanksgiving dinner isn't until 1pm I will have a fun little post tomorrow too.

Today I thought I'd show you the beverage holders I was hired to make, yep that is right, hired to make!  Yay!  After I posted this beverage holder I put it on our town's crafter's group on Facebook and actually got an order for two of them.  It is always hard to make something for someone else as you never know what their tastes are like (and I haven't heard from her as to whether or not she likes them) but I think these both turned out great!  The papers are just some that I have in my Christmas stash but one of the things that I like the most is the wreath and that is from SU!  I am also entering this into the Shopping Our Stash challenge this week which is Winter/Christmas.  Easy peasy! 

Thought for the day:  The more anger from your past you carry in your heart, the less capable you are of loving in the present. 

Quirky Birthday

Good morning friends!  I hope you all had a great weekend!  We ended up with more snow over the last couple of days than I thought we'd get but 'tis the season!

Today I have a clean and simple card to show ya.  I used the sketch from this week's Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge.  Everything (except for the ribbon of course) on this card is from the Quirky Ostrich set from Doodle Pantry. On the inside I wrote I hope you get the chance to shake your tail feathers for your birthday this year!  That sentiment is taken from the set as well. 

For the first time in about 10 years I will not be making Thanksgiving dinner...little known fact about me...I had never cooked a turkey until after Todd and I got married.  Since then (10 years) we have made Thanksgiving as a couple.  I have made some dishes and Todd made some.  Of course, that would depend on his schedule but I digress.  We are going to Grandma Nancy's house for Thanksgiving Dinner and the only thing I will be cooking is mashed potatoes.  And not just any mashed potatoes but a recipe from the Pioneer Woman.  I call these the 'I don't care" mashed potatoes 'cuz you just can't care what is in them!  Yeah, you all know they are going to be good, huh? 

Make sure you hop over to the Doodle Pantry blog so that you can see what challenges we are sponsoring and perhaps win some more of those fabulous DP images for yourself!

Thought of the day:  I am incredibly proud of my infantry solider!"Infantrymen have a pride and arrogance that most Americans don't understand and don't like. Even soldiers who aren't infantrymen don't understand. The pride doesn't exist because we have a job that's physically impressive. It certainly doesn't exist because it takes a higher level of intelligence to perform our duties. It's sad and I hate to admit it, but any college student or high school grad can physically do what we do. It's not THAT demanding and doesn't take a physical anomaly. Nobody will ever be able to compare us to professional athletes or fitness models. And it doesn't take a very high IQ to read off serial numbers, pack bags according to a packing list, or know that incoming bullets have the right of way. The pride of the infantryman comes not from knowing that he's doing a job that others can't, but that he's doing a job that others simply won't. Many infantrymen haven't seen a lot of combat. While that may sound ideal to the civilian or non-infantry soldier, it pains the grunt. We signed up to spit in the face of danger. To walk the line between life and death and live to do it again - or not. To come to terms with our own mortality and let others try to take our life instead of yours. We have raised our hands and said, "Take me, America. I am willing to kill for you. I am willing to sacrifice my limbs for you. I will come back to America scarred and disfigured for you. I will be the first to die for you." That's why the infantryman carries himself with pride and arrogance. He's aware that America has lost respect for him. To many he's a bloodthirsty animal. To others he's too uneducated and stupid to get a regular job or go to college. Only he knows the truth. While there are few in America who claim to have respect for him, the infantryman returns from war with less fanfare than a first down in a high school football game. Yes, people hang up their "Support Our Troops" ribbons and on occasion thank us for our service. But in their eyes the infantryman can detect pity and shame; not respect. Consider this: How excited would you be to meet the average infantryman? Now compare that with how excited you'd be to meet a famous actor or professional sports player and you will find that you, too, are guilty of placing the wrong people on a pedestal. You wouldn't be able to tell me how many soldiers died in the war last month, but you'd damn sure be able to tell me if one of the actors from Twilight died. Yet the infantryman doesn't complain about that. He continues to do his job; to volunteer his life for you, all while being paid less in four years than Tom Brady makes in one game. It's a job most Americans don't understand, don't envy, and don't respect. That is why we have pride for the infantry!"  Author Unknown to me

Let It Snow

Good morning friends!  Happy Saturday!  Who has fun things to do today?  I hope it includes lots of fun crafting!

I have been really blessed recently that my weekend hasn't been too overflowing with things to do.  That really gives me the change to get ahead on things...like this card.  I made it for this week's Sweet Stop Sketch Challenge two weeks ago.  Go me!

The paper for this card is from Cosmo Cricket's Mitten Weather pack.  I love the coziness of the plaid and dots and those mittens?  Adorable...at least I think so.  The word art is from Meljen's and I believe it was a freebie awhile back.  It is always fun to receive Meljen's freebies!  What you can't see in the photo is that I used lots of Gelly Roll pen on the little swirls, dots, and lines on the image.  It is really shimmery in real life.  So fun!

I hope you'll join us for the sketch this week!  You can see that I flipped the sketch but either way it is perfect for so many main images!

Okay, and before I link you up to my design team sisters I had to share a photo with you.  Trixie loves to sit in front of the heating vents in the house so I removed the bin of paper that I had under my crafting table and put her blankets (old pillow cases but I'm going to get her a blanket for that spot) right by the heater.  It has taken a couple of days but it is now a spot that she likes to lay in when I'm in there.  As a matter of fact she looks almost exactly like that photo as I'm typing this post up!

Okay...now get along and visit my design team sisters...I know they have made beautiful projects for you all to see!

Cathy

Chris

Janice

Kim

Monika

Shannon

Shelby

Wendy

Thought of the day: The only way to have a friend is to be one.  I think I have some e-mails to send!  

Happy Thanksgiving?

Did you see The cute images released at Meljen's Designs this morning?  You know I couldn't resist this super cute Turkey Shooter!

I'm not sure I love the way I did the paper (I think I should have made the orange the background and the light patterned the accent) but I still think it is a cute Thanksgiving card, that I need to get out in the mail soon, huh?  The sentiment is from the turkey's point of view.  I doubt he thinks Thanksgiving is very happy!  LOL!  The sketch is from A Gem of a Challenge for the week.  I will also enter it in at Meljen's as the challenge for the week is fall...easy, huh?

Alright, just a quick post for ya this morning as I need to get my day officially started as it is a even busier than normal Thursday.  Have a wonderful day everyone!

Thought of the day:  Difficulty-The only thing that makes it a part of your life is that you keep thinking about it.  Give it to God and then let go!

5-Photo Tutorial

Good morning friends!  Here we are at Wednesday and the week is just zooming by!  We are predicted to get 3-5 inches of snow today starting at about noon.  The rest of the week is half days for Kyler so at least I won't have to be out in it today...yay!

As promised yesterday I have a 5-photo tutorial on how to make a twine "haystack".  I'm not very good at this so if you have any questions please let me know!

Okay, I first tie my twine around my card where I would like the finished haystack.  Finish it with a knot that has longer ends.

Next, based on how much twine you'd like in your 'haystack' cut a length of twine (in this case two) and keep halving it 'til it is a little longer than you'd like the size to be on your card.  This allows you enough length to cut the ends of the twine after you put it on your card.

Now just snip the looped ends so you have a pile of short twin pieces.

Lay your twine 'haystack' on the knot you tied on your card and then tie a knot with the ends of your twine on your card.

Once you tie your knot you can trim up the ends of you 'haystack' to the length you'd like and you are done!

My card is made with the super cute Doodle Pantry image called Pirate Birdie and this set is, of course, pre-colored.  Have you ever noticed how much I love pre-colored?  It makes it SO easy to whip up a super cute card!  The patterned papers are from the set, too.  The card sketch is from Clean & Simple #166.  

Don't forget about Doodle Pantry's current challenge.  Just create something made with a DP image (not just sentiment), link it up to the DP blog, and you will receive the Wishbone Ants set for free.  See the DP blog to check out the Wishbone Ants set. 

Well, that is it for today.  Like I said if you have any questions about the tutorial just let me know otherwise I hope you have an amazing day!

Thought of the day:  Do not regret growing older.  It is a privilege denied to many.  ~Unknown

New Release Day!

Good morning friends!  I hope you had a great Monday!  Today is a new release day with Clear Dollar Stamps and there are a ton of very fun, new images for you to check on their website!

I'm going to show you two of them.  The first, to the right, is actually a digi set that was converted from a clear stamp set called For Unto You.  I adore the simplicity of these images and the little sheep are so cute.  The set comes with tons of sentiments so you can do just about anything with it!  If I had more of the sheet music paper I might actually consider this for my main Christmas card this year.  The Halo and star are both covered in Sundance Smooch and the sheep have a little glitter on them, too.

My second card is made with a set by Trudy called Hearts and Holly.  I love that this sets main theme is all about Jesus.  What a wonderful way to remind everyone that receives this card that Jesus is the reason for the season?  The papers are part of the Hearts and Holly set so it was fun and simple to put together.  What you can't see if that the white dotted blue back ground is all sparkly.  I took my Clear Star Gelly Roll pen (which I use a TON) and just dotted it all over the blue background.  It is a really nice subtle effect in real life.   

I hope you will head over to the CDS Blog to check out what everyone has made for the release!  I also want to let you know that this will be my last post with CDS.  I have enjoyed designing for them and just am making a couple of changes.  Thank you to Jerusha for asking me on the team and being a great digi team coordinator!

I had a couple of people (okay...just one) ask me how I make the little "haystacks" (bundles of twine) that I've been using on my card so tomorrow I will be showing a real short tutorial on it.  It will be short because it is so simple but it really has a fun effect on the card, I think.

Thought of the day:  Sometimes it is okay to take a step back and admit you are being ridiculous.  Raise your hand if you've been there, too!

The smile...

Over the years I've been told that I'm always so happy.  I love the above Thought Of The Day as it is exactly why I smile through the pain, stress or frustration of life.

Make a Wish

Good Saturday morning friends!  I hope you are all having an amazing day!  Welcome back for another Sweet Stop sketch!

I did take this sketch and expand on the segment to the right as I wanted to use my 'happy birthday' punch.  My card is way different than the rest of them this week but...I needed a bright and happy birthday card and this perfectly fits the bill!

The image is from Meljen's Designs and papers from the Sassafrass Ellie's Tale paper pack.  I had a ton of fun coloring that yummy looking cupcake!

I know I'm behind in posting this (another long night with the new dog...she does not like her kennel!) so I'll move along to the list of design team members...

Cathy

Chris

Janice

Kim

Monika

Shannon

Shelby

Wendy

Thought of the day:  Refuse to be content with just the knowledge of God, but insist on experiencing his presence.  Have a personal relationship with Jesus!  Do you have questions about what that means, a personal relationship?  Just shoot me an e-mail and we'll talk. 

Veteran's Day with Sketches By Carly

Happy Friday everyone! And Happy Veteran's Day to all of our Veteran's and active duty military members!  You are all appreciated!  ***So sorry for the delay in posting...Blogger messed up, I had it scheduled!***

Today is a new sketch day with Skeches by Carly.  This time we are sponsored by Bugaboo and I have had the pleasure of designing with their image called AKV Army - Flag USA.  I gotta tell ya I love this card.  The sketch was so much fun to work with and tweak to make the layout work for this fun image and my Veteran's Day theme.  I wish I could tell you who made all the fun papers on this card but I honestly do not recall.  For this soldiers uniform I Google'd ACU (the name of the type of uniform that Army soldiers wear right now), found a good photo and then printed the pattern on some cardstock.  I then ran the ACU'd  piece back through my computer to print the soldier image on.  I just cut out the helmet and jacket, adhered it to my base image and have somewhat of an authentic soldier for my card! Fun stuff, huh?

I know you want to play along so I've posted the sketch here on my blog so you can get started right away.  When ready you can head on over to Sketches by Carly to upload your card to InLinkz. I'm also entering this in the Blogger Challenge Veteran's Day Challenge. 

I know you guys want to see what the rest of the design team has made so I'll link you up.  Be sure to leave them all some love, k?

Jerusha

Julie 

Danni

Ceal

Margreet

Genevieve

Sarah

Shakira

Kathy

Kris

Carly

Please take the time, not just today, but everyday to thank a Veteran.  I can pretty much guarantee you that you will make their day!

Thought of the day: In war, there are no unwounded soldiers.  Jose' Naroski

A Very Merry Christmas

Good morning friends!  So sorry for being away the beginning of this week but I have some fun stuff to show you the next couple of days! 

This Christmas Wreath image really caught my eye during the Doodle Pantry new release so I just had to use it.  I combined the image with patterned paper from Echo Park's Seasons Greetings and the Pollycraft Monday Challenge sketch to make this card.  I just think this turned out to be a great 'traditional' Christmas card.

Make sure you check out all of Doodle Pantry's new releases by clicking HERE to go to their blog.  There is also a list of winners from the 12 Day of Christmas Blog there.

Alright, tomorrow you are going to see the newest sketch from Sketches by Carly for which I themed the card perfectly for Veteran's Day.  Then on Saturday is my Sweet Stop post...another cute card if I don't say so myself!  Finally, keep check back as next week on Tuesday is the Clear Dollar Stamps Digi release.  Fun stuff coming up for sure!

Thought of the day:  Faith in God includes faith in his timing. 

All Year Round Blog Hop

Hello friends and welcome to your April stop on the All Year Round Blog Hop featuring the wonderful calendar set from Clear Dollar Stamps!  If you came here from Lisa's blog you are right on track.  If you are just stopping in here why don't you head on over to the Clear Dollar Stamps blog to start at the beginning?

When I first saw these calendar pages I knew I wanted to work on a 6x6 calendar using the cute images from CDS.  For April we have a cute bunny that I paired with some lovely paper from the Sweetly Smitten patterned paper pack from Sassafras.  When I do pages like this I just Google 6x6 scrapbook page layouts and choose one that fits my main image well.  The numbers at the bottom are made from kraft thickers that I just inked with a Bermuda Bay ink pad.  A little pink on the bunny with an outline in blue and tahdah!

Alright, I'm sure you want to continue on the blog hop so head on over to Jan's blog to see her cute calendar project!

Thought of the day:  I love that random memories that no matter where I am in my life they make me smile. 

Double the fun!

Good morning friends!  I must apologize for posting late today.  Just when I thought we had our new dog figured out (scroll down to see photos) at night I found we were wrong and I ended up sleeping longer than I had anticipated.


Today is double the fun as my card layout is for this week's Sweet Stop AND for the 12 Day of Christmas blog hop with Doodle Pantry.  If you are following along with the DP Blog hop and came here from Dawn's blog then you are on the right track.  If you want to start at the beginning click HERE to be taken to the Doodle Pantry blog.  When you are done here be sure to hop on over to Sarah's blog!  Please note the DP blog hop officially starts at Noon EST.

So, what is this blog hop all about?  Well, just one of the cutest and most versatile digi sets that Doodle Pantry released on the first.  It is called 12 Days of Christmas.  The images are cute for lots of things like tags, little gifties and such but I used the 12 Drumming Drummer on my card as it will be for my son for Christmas this year.  This set comes in color and outlines and is only $4.50!  Now, you have until the 8th to see all the fun images the DT has made but you only need to post your name/e-mail on the linky on the DP blog in order to be qualified to win!  Winners will receive $10 credit to the DP store...yay!

If you didn't know, the 12 Days of Christmas are actually after December 25th until Epiphany on January 6th.  Now, I know I made a card today but I actually intend on making a tag with these images and giving a gift to my husband each day for the 12 Days of Christmas.  Fun stuff!

Okay, now I know you want to see what others have made with the Sweet Stop Sketch this week, too so I'm linking you up below to their blogs:

Paper Perfect Designs

M.A.D. Stamper

Enchanted Ladybug Creations

Inky Paws

Sugar Pea Designs

Golden Inksperations

You Got Ink Where?

  

Well, have fun hopping around and seeing all the amazing work of the Doodle Pantry and Sweet Stop Design Teams and enjoy your Saturday!

Repeat after me...awwww...

Morning!  Sorry...nothing crafty for you today but Saturday and Sunday will be super fun days!  I'm just going to share another couple of photos of Trixie. 

So, I have heard that Dachshund's like to pick a favorite person to hang out with.  I gotta tell you our Trixie likes to hang out with whoever will let her sit on the couch/chair with them.  So far we all love having a lap dog.  We are trying to teach her, though, that she is only welcome on the furniture when we are there too.  I think that is going to be a long process.  LOL!

Dachshund's also really like to burrow...so far, not an issue.  This is one of the ways Trixie loves to sit with me (yes, isn't my robe just lovely?).  She is such a silly girl!

Last nights sleep was much better but I think that is just because we got a bark collar for her, re-did her bedding area, and put a sheet over her kennel.  I'm also considering moving her kennel into a different room so that she can't hear the other two dogs at night.  She keeps disappearing into Kyler's room.  I think she is laying on the soft stuffed animals.

I hope you are having a super week so far!  See ya back here Saturday!

Thought of the day:  Having a rough day?  Place your hand over your heart.  Feel that?  That's called purpose.  Your alive for a reason.  Don't give up!

I'm Sorry

Good morning friends!  Well, it was an interesting night at my house last night but I'll get to that later.  First, I must show you the card I made to show off one of the brand new file releases from Doodle Pantry!

This month's new releases are absolutely fabulous and super cute, as always!  I got to play with Quirky Donkey.  There are so many options with this set because of the fabulous sentiments that Laurie has included...Christmas, I'm sorry, and well, just plain cute!  This set also come with two matching papers of which I used one.  I really like the monochromatic look the patterned paper allowed me to achieve with this layout.  It will be the perfect card when I need to apologize, which for me will most likely be soon.  The sketch for my card today is from  Sweet Sketch Wednesday.  It looked much more difficult then it turned out to be!

Make sure you hop on over to the Doodle Pantry blog to see what all of the design team members have made and make sure to leave each of them some love on their blogs.  You know we all love that!

Now...why was my night eventful?  Welll...in addition to getting a daughter-in-love soon we have rescued a dachshund named Trixie.  She is completely adorable and loves her people but did not like the kennel last night.  Our home, her forever home, is her third home and the person two before us had her crate trained but the person just before us let her sleep in bed with them...huge mistake!  Trixie barked almost the entire night.  I think there was only a three hour time period in which she did not bark.  *sigh*  First thing this morning (and I mean first thing...I couldn't stand it anymore at 5am so I got up) I bought the book Dachshund's for Dummies.  She has her own little spot in my craft room, just a old pillow case I put on the floor for her.  Hopefully that will make her a little happy but she would prefer to be on my lap, that is for sure!  Please pray for her to have an easy transition to our family...and that we get some sleep tonight!

Thought of the day:  If your always racing to the next moment what happens to the one you're in?