Thanksgiving wishes

Here we are at Thanksgiving once again. Where has the year gone? I send greetings and good wishes to all of you and hope you have been blessed with much to be thankful for. If you are spending time with friends and family, enjoy your time together. If loved ones are missing from your table, know that I care about your losses and heaven's gain. Life is full of changes, good and bad, but God has promised peace, comfort and understanding.

This card is made with the new SU Inline colors, Crushed Curry and Soft Suede. I chose a gate fold card to show off the turkey stamp from the set Gifts from the Earth stamped in Soft Suede on Natural card stock sponged with Soft Suede and mounted on Crushed Curry. The leafy dsp is from the Autumn Meadows Collection. The designer paper and stamp set can be found in the SU Holiday Mini Catalog which holds many fabulous items which are available through Dec. 31st.

Hugs and blessings to all of you!

So Thankful !

It has been almost a year since I started this blog and I am so glad to start up again. The card above is another version of the With Graditude card I posted last year but with a slightly different version of the Alcohol-Ink Resist background. I chose this card because I have not made many cards in recent months except for Stampin'Up stamp camps at which I assist my upline more than come up with my own creations. I hope to get my mojo working again so that you will find my blog worth following again.

Almost a year ago my husband came down with a brutal case of Shingles. He was treated intensely for it with pain and nerve meds., steroid injections etc. He had an allergic reaction to something (never diagnosed) which caused a rash over his body that lasted two months. All of this certainly took a toll on both of us and while I am normally a patient person, I found this all very difficult to live with. My health suffered also in minor ways, but the summer months brought us both relief. Unfortuately, my cards have taken a back seat and I never seem to get around to creating. Then in August, Ed was diagnosed with prostate cancer and you know, the news didn't really upset either of us. I had remembered hearing about a treatment for prostate cancer used at Georgetown University Hospital Center so Ed investagated it on the internet, got the blessing of his urologist and we began the process of getting into the program. At 71, he was not happy about the traditional methods of combating the disease. Surgery was completely ruled out due to his age. He qualified for Georgetown's Cyber-Knife Radiation and found the very best doctors, care and expertise he could receive. We will and have recommended this to other men. Ed completed treatment October 23rd and will continue to have blood tests for the next year, but his oncologist says he is cancer free.

I thank all of you dear friends who have known about all of this and have kept us in prayer. It truly means a lot to us. Where would any of us be without the love and prayers of family and friends. God has been our steadfast friend and strength.

I will try to get back to visiting all of your blogs and will add posts to mine as I am able.

Blessings!

Becca is 16 today!

Today is my oldest granddaughter's 16th birthday and we have been celebrating since yesterday. Ed and I took the whole family to Clyde's Tower Oaks Lodge restaurant. For those of you living in the DC area, the Clyde's group is well known for excellent dining. This one is housed in a log lodge reminiscent of the Adirondack Mountains. There are several rooms decorated in various outdoor themes (ex. hunting, fishing, English hunt etc.), an interesting decor for sure. There were 9 of us with reservations for 5:30, the parking was already filled and lining both sides of the Preserve street. In addition to us there was my son Mark, his son C.J., daughter Sue, son-in-law Sam, their kids Ellie & Roman as well as their daughter Becca who was the birthday girl. We had a wonderful dinner, excellent food and service and a good time together. This was a priceless rare time when we can all be together.
The card I made for Becca was made for a Stamp Camp with my up-line Denise. We used Summer Sun, Tempting Turquoise, Passion Pink, Whisper White and black cardstock all SU. We also under-lined the SU Lattice die with designer paper and trimmed it with a button brad made with the dsp and shapes left from the die cut Lattice.
Today continues Becca's celebrating with a trip to Six Flags to see a favorite band, her new blackberry and other gifts from the family. She is also supposed to get her learner's permit in the next few weeks......Oh how I remember being 16, almost 50 yrs ago, having fun, doing things with friends...so tame by today's standards but with the same dreams of driving. My heart is so full of love for this very special child, my 1st grandchild whom I helped to care for for her first six years. She & her mom came to live with us when she was 2 1/2 so we became very close. I'll close by saying Happy, Happy Birthday Becca!

Post SU convention meeting & swap

I attended a Post Convention information sharing, swap and fun time that my up-line Denise held over the weekend. She was the only one who attended convention and had much to share with her up-line, in-lines and down-lines. Only 8 of us were able to be there, one coming all the way from West Point, NY to visit with those she met at last year's convention. Denise had notes prepared for us to go over, her convention swaps which were all terrific, cards for us to make, samples to show of her 'make & take' and a gift for each of us . We all brought food (of course!) and swaps to share. Seeing all the fabulous swaps she brought back gave us lots of great ideas. It's so much fun to see how each person makes such creative cards.
This card was my swap for the meeting. I was running out of time so I had to make a quick and easy card which this was except for a few smeared silver places where the ink wasn't quite dry. I had wanted to do silver embossing, but didn't want to clean up the mess before leaving for the evening. I love the new ornament punch that I had just gotten for the Holiday mini pre-order! I used it with Ruby Red cs and put one of the new Icicle Rub-ons in the middle accented with a clear rhinestone brad. (A note of warning about the silver rub-ons: if your hands are the least bit warm DO NOT rest them on any of the images while cutting etc. they came off on my hand...I'm sure that's my own fault, but they are too expensive to waste) I stamped the center ornament with the So Many Scallops stamp in Siver Metallic ink which I also used to accent the circle ornament with a new stamp from Serene Snowflakes (Mini catty)on Christmas Cocoa dsp also from the mini. I mounted the 2 punched ornaments with dimensionals and made the hangers with a siver ink pen. My base was Night of Navy cs.

We all had a great time sharing together, meeting a few new women and having a lots of laughs. Just goes to show that you are never too old for a Slumber Party and you never outgrow making new friends.

Sweet Stop Sketch with limited supplies!

Once again I combined challenges using the Sweet Stop Sketch for Saturday with the Limited Supplies challenge on SCS which called for using only colors that had food in the title. The sketch uses a long card so I used a Groovy Guava long note from SU pairing it with Barely Banana, Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip and Very Vanilla. I chose the SNS set Chocoholic for the image and sentiment. The cake is marbled and glazed with Crystal Effects (which isn't picked up by my scanner) to make the icing shine.

Recent Challenges

Trying to catch up on my posting, so this first card is for three challenges on Splitcoast Stmapers. I combined the CAS25 sketch with the CAS26 stitching (faux or real) and the color challenge this week to use Certainly Celery, Blush Blossom and Close to Cocoa. The Blush cs is the case with paper ribbon trim from the Basic Grey Urban Prairie Collection print. I stamped the Happy Birthday from SU's So Many Scallops and punched it out with the scallop punch. I used a larger Marvy punch to mount it on and used the Close to Cocoa marker to make my faux stitching on the Celery cs. Another quick and easy card.


Last week's color challenge 229 on Splitcoast Stampers was to use Certainly Celery, Pixie Pink and Apricot Appeal. I found all these colors in this pretty print from Basic Grey's Urban Prairie Collection which made this card an easy one. A little scalloping edge trim for the ribbon and it was done. The sentiment in from SU's The Best is Yet set.

Congratulations Teresa!

Today's Featured Stamper on SCS is none other than my dear friend Teresa. The card I CASED was done in pink, so did mine in blue and used the other snowman image from SNSS Snow Friends designed by Korin Sutherland. I chose SU Night of Navy for the base, layering with Bashful Blue and dsp. I heat embossed the image in silver, colored the hat in Bashful Blue and used Dazzling Diamond glitter for snow. This didn't show up on my scanning as it does in real life. I found this ribbon from Oriental Trading in my stash deciding to use it because of it's shimmering qualities. The sentiment is stamped in Silver Encore ink which also was used to edge the Navy scallop layer. I used the CB Swirl folder to emboss the white panel.
Teresa, this has been your day, I hope you have enjoyed it!

My mojo was inspired by an apron!

Today's Inspiration Challenge on SCS is to be inspired by the aprons or other items on Heavenly Hostess so I chose Nouveau which is black velvet lace over fushia satin substituting Real Red cardstock instead of the fushia. Since I hadn't done the Monday Mojo 97 challenge yet I went with that sketch. I had a piece of black fillegree in my scrap folder so I knew it would be the black velvet overlay. I used SU Rub-ons for the sentiment & image and Silver Style Hodgepodge Hardware for accent. No stamps were used and only a little ink to make the dots.
I hope everyone has a good weekend. Blessings to all!

Circle of Friends Award from Becky

I am touched and honor to receive this Circle of Friends Award from my dear friend Becky It is she who inspires me with her devotion to God and her wonderful creativity.
I have the honor to pass this on to some of my friends although I cannot begin to list all the wonderful ladies I have met here and who I consider my friends. Even if your name is not listed you know who you are and can pick up this award also.
Ceal
Linda
Teresa
Ann
Jackie


To pick up the Circle of Friends Blog Award:

Cut and paste the award logo and use it on your own blog.
Nominate at least 5 other bloggers you feel have become part of your circle of friends.
Link to your nominees, within your blog post and include these instructions on how to pick up the award in your blog post.
To show your appreciation to the person who gave you the award, link back to their blog. Finally, comment on the recipient’s blogs, to let them know they've received the award.

Christmas in July challenges

I am combining the SNSS Christmas in July challenge with Korin Sutherlands' sketch from the Sweet Stop challenge for the week of July 25th. I chose the SNSS set called Christmas Poinsettias designed by Chris Dickinson.
y card stock is SU Riding Hood Red as is the ink. My patterned paper is from the Basic Grey Wassail collection, scallop and oval punches are SU and Stickles for trim and sparkle. I also cut out the wreath and mounted it on the dark red layer for more emphasis. It's hard to believe we are in the second half of yet another year. While I am not at all ready to think about cold weather and the Holidays, I guess it doesn't hurt to get creative juices flowing to think about Christmas cards. This is my 2nd one in a week, but I still can't get into the mood to make them yet...Thanks for looking and I hope you like me are enjoying wearing summer clothes and thinking summer thoughts!

Happy Friend x 2

This week's color challenge on SCS is to use Not Quite Navy, Pretty in Pink and Really Rust. The Navy and Pink were easy but adding the Rust made me think this out. Paper Blooms Challenge for July 15, was to use animals which made me think of the elephant for both challenges. The card is pretty simple using the NQN base, patterned paper and pink to layer and color the image. The little bit of Rust comes in the flower leave, grass and sponging on the white paper. A rust rhinestone accents the butterfly. This stamp set Happy Heart Day always makes me smile. All paper and ink is Stampin'Up. This card is for all of you my friends! Love ya!

In the Pink!

Wow, I can't believe I have a card ready for this week's Belli Challenge! I made this as a CASE of a friends card but as the rules are, I changed several things including the addition of tiny flowers and placement of the sentiment and butterfly. The Belli Challenge is to use metal tags on your card. I used SU's Styled Vanilla Hodgepodge Hardware, I just love the creamy color! My stamps are the swirls from Baroque Motifs as a background using the new Mellon Mango ink on Vanilla cs. I added some tiny flowers using Pretty in Pink ink which was also used for the butterfly base to which Mellon Mango was used to "kiss" the stamps together to make a pattern. The sentiment is from Teeny Tiny Wishes, cs is textured Mellon Mango with dotted ribbon trim, butterfly is from Flight of the Butterfly raised with dimensionals and accented with a clear gemstone brad. I know I would be feel better receiving a cheerful card like this if I were the recipient, just love the colors!

Sweet Stop Sketch

The challenge on Sweet Stop this week has a spin; it must be a Christmas card made with the sketch. I am really having a hard time getting my brain to work in Christmas card mode. Last week's Ways to Use challenge on SCS also was a Christmas theme, so here is my entry for that as well. I chose part of SNS set Christmas Cheer designed by Korin Sutherland. I stamped the stocking image on watercolor paper and colored the ball, kitty and gift but pieced the stocking in SU patterned paper. I used Stickles in Gold for the gift ribbon and Frosted Lace for the stocking edging, also white gel pen for stiching. The card stock is SU Riding Hood Red, Wassail by Basic Grey which I also used in combination with the SU dsp to make paper ribbon for trim. I mounted the cut out image with dimensionals, sponged the Whisper White embossed Swiss Dots (CB folder) with R.H. Red and scalloped the with the SU lace punch, added Goldenberry Dew Drops (Robins Nest) on the bottom and a medallion sticker I bought at Michaels.

Award from Linda

Thank you so much Linda for this award. If any of you aren't yet familiar with Linda's wonderful creations, please check out her blog She has so many lovely cards and projects. Wait until you see the photos of her craft room, wow!!
I'd like to pass this award on all of you who read and comment on my blog. It means so much to me to know that you have taken the time to do so. I hope you will feel free to pick up the award for yourself. You all have Beautiful Blogs and have so much to contribute to your sister stampers.
Have a wonderful day!
Big hugs!

Saturday's Stamp Camp at Ruth Murphy's

I attended Ruth Murphy's Stamp Camp with another demo friend at which we made some terrific cards. This is the 1st and is made using the brand new Autumn Days stamp which makes a super masculine card! Ruth's design called for Crushed Curry cs for the base, Soft Suede printed in the same ink using the new Woodgrain background stamp, masking of the sky to reveal the blazing sun and and stamping the pheasant only once but using three colors on the stamp. First I stamped in Crushed Curry, then the feet & bottom in Soft Suede and finishing him in Dusty Durango. I love the effect all this gave. I did have some trouble using the daubers for the sky and ground; I haven't mastered a light touch with them. I much prefer sponging! Everyone's card was slightly different, making each one our own interpretation. I have done this with the next cards as well.


This card I call Blazing Roses. Ruth chose the cs and ink colors, but we took it from there as to how deep we wanted the roses to be. The Manhattan Flower embossing folder created the image on Shimmer paper. Turning it to the indented side, I first brayered in YoYo Yellow, then Pink Passion and finally Only Orange giving it an unusual color and leaving the outline white. I then cut the flowers out, stamped some leaves from A Rose is a Rose in Always Artichoke, cut them out and glued all to the orange cs layer then mounted on the Pink Passion base. The card is finished with a sentiment from Oval All layered onto a scallop layer of Pink Passion. I had a lot of fun with this card!

These are only two of the 5 cards we made. I'll post others soon. Thanks for looking.

CBC#69 and SCS WT227

I'm finally getting some cards finished and posted....seems like there is always something taking up my time these days.....I thought summer was supposed to be simple and lazy....but I don't find it that way...too much to do!
I did make this card last week and it qualifies for the Creative Belli Challenge which was to use texture on the card. My texture is the wide twill tape on which I stamped the floral image and also Crystal Effects which I dotted on the tree leaves. The Ways to Use challenge on SCS is to use 2 of the same items on your card, so I did the with the tiny flower accents. My stamp set is SU Thoughts and Prayers from the new 2009-2010 SU Idea Book and Catalog. I used Basic Brown, Rich Razzleberry & Ivory cs and ink & Always Artichoke ink.

Lovely Oak

Today's SCS Limited Supplies Challenge is to choose from the A'La Carte Menu of the items you want to use formaking your masculine card. I chose the following: Menu #1 (2)non-floral nature theme; Menu #2 (2) greens & browns; Menu #3 (1) ribbon & brads but no bows. I used the oak from SU's Lovely as a Tree and sentiment from Congrats. My card base is Certainly Celery in a 5" square card. On that I mounted the wonderful textured diagonal brown stripes from To the Nines Specialty paper, also two cream brads and Mellow Moss ribbon. My oak is stamped three times using the Stamp-a-ma-jig first in Certainly Celery, then just the base in Close to Cocoa and the leaves in Mellow Moss for variation. The word Congratulations is stamped in Close to Cocoa. I sponged Mellow Moss lightly on the stamped paper to soften the look.

Four in One !

I combined 4 challenges in making this card. First I took the Mojo92 Sketch and used the Paper Blooms challenge to use something that inspires me which is the many bright flowers of summer. Next I took the SCS Color Challenge to build my card using the colors of Tangerine Tango, Pacific Point and Summer Sun which also worked for the Ways to Use challenge today which calls for bright bold colors. these challenges all seemed to come together in this card. My cs is SU Tangerine Tango, Pacific Point, Summer Sun & Whisper White. The floral print is from DCWV Blossoms & Butterflies & I used Pacific Point ink with the verse from SU's God's Blessings. The flowers were made with the SU Flower punch, the ribbon is something I had in my stash and the butterfly sticker was mounted on the Sun cs, cut out and adhered with a dimensional. I have been trying to broaden my color palette by using brighter colors and this did just that! Thanks for looking.

Stars & Stripes for Belli # 68

Today's Belli Challenge is to create a card with a Patriotic theme. This is an interpretation of the American flag using a backgound of deep red with raised silver stars & dots. The stripes are cut from strips of antique looking Early American style paper, blue paper with white dots, a star punched from Natural SU card stock and a red button for accent. The button and star punch are SU. No stamps or ink were used to make this card. A friend supplied the patterned paper, the maker unknown to me.

Red, White & Blue Super Hero!

This week's SweetStopSketch challenge is to make a card with the sketch and also the added twist of using red, white and blue. I used SNSS set Super Hero to make a birthday card. My card stock is Night of Navy, Whisper White and Real Red patterned paper all SU as well as the ink and markers in Brilliant Blue and Real Red. I added white gel pen accent dots.

Home Sweet Home Father's Day

The current Belli Challenge combines the Sweet Stop Sketch #7 and a Father's Day card. I decided to use the house from SNSS "Home Sweet Home" set. The house is colored with SU Watercolor Pencils and mounted on Naturals cs which also form the base. The accent paper is from the SU "To the Nines Specialty" collection and Kraft patterned paper. The 'Family' brad is from Oriental Trading, brown ribbon: JoAnn's(gift), printed twill tape: Michael's and Happy Father's Day stamp: SNSS "Cool Dude". I wanted to go with a different look on this card since my husband really likes being at home. This card also meets the challenge at Paper Blooms to make a Father's Day card for a man of influence in your life.

CAS 19 Flower Power

Today's CAS challenge on SCS is to make a card based on Natasha's pink blooms so I chose to use a simple floral paper with only 2 floral brads to accent. I really like the simplicity of the design and how quickly this came together. I rarely think to use only paper and now stamps. Will have to try this more often.

Father's Day Golfer

This card for my son is my entry for the Cupcake Craft Challenge to make a Father's Day card. These are retiring colors from SU, Pacific Point, Kiwi Kiss and Riding Hood Red. The base is Chocolate Chip the stamp set is And Many Mower from the Occasions catalog. I used their design and sketch but made a card, not a bag. I udes Blender pens to color the image, cut it out and mounted it on the Kiwi. Ribbon and a green brad complete the card. Another quick card!

Blogger award from Grace

Thank you Gracefor giving me this award. Your blog is amazing and I feel honored to be given the award by you!

There are a few requirements to accepting the Honest Scrap Award and they are as follows:

1. I must thank the person who gave me the award and list their blog and link and

2. I must list 10 honest things about myself.

I have had to think about the answers to this, thus the reason for not posting before.

Here goes:
1. Have lived in Maryland for all but 13 years of my life, so I consider MD my home state.
2. Have never dyed my hair, it's all my own color.
3. Went to the movies weekly as a teen, haven't been in years and that was a Disney movie with my
granddaughter.
4. First microwave in 1986, nervous about it, now can't live without one!
5. Have eaten many words..esp. "I'll never do that"!
6. Enjoy traveling, favorite places CA. and Germany.
7. Had no idea I would enjoy paper crafts until 4 yrs. ago.
8. Was part of a Friendship Youth group of the M.Y.F. Wyoming Conf.(PA.) to Puerto Rico 1959 and used a 35mm. camera for the 1st time.
9. Take God's word seriously: forgiving over & over, turning the cheek and never hold a grudge.
10.Love family heirlooms that have been passed to me, they are priceless items of family history.

Now I pass this award on to all of you who visit my blog and write such wonderful words of encouragement. I feel blessed to be in the company of all of you very creative friends.

Pacific Point Butterfly

The CAS challenge is based on beach towels and bags this week, so I chose a towel called Framed Border in Cosmic Blue and White. My colors are Pacific Point Blue and Whisper White. This is a design of my friend Denise used in Stamp Camp. Stamp set is SU Simple Friendship with the butterfly stamped once on the cs and then again, cut out and mounted for a raised effect. Clean, Simple and Fun!

Ecclesiastes 3:1

The verse I chose for this card is from the Encouragement stamp set by Sweet'n Sassy stamps. We often think of this verse when their is a death, but it tells us that God has a purpose for all that happens to us, that He will see us through and give us courage for the trial.
The sketch I used is again from this week's Sweet Stop Sketch Challenge along with a color combo from Christian Paper Craft Magazine to use Basic Black, Kraft and Soft Sky or Baja Breeze. The card stock is Stampin'Up, the flowers were a gift from a friend & the brads are SU as is the eyelet punch. Thank you for stopping by. Blessings!

My 1st MOJO card

Decided to give MOJO Monday sketch a try along with SCS color challenge using retiring IN-Colors Kiwi Kiss, Red Riding Hood and Tangerine Tango. This was certainly not a color combo I would choose but gave it a try. I used retiring SU Bella Rose and Walk in the Park dsp on the tangerine base, then mounted stamped cut out butterflies with dimensionals. Stamp sets are Oval All and Great Friend. This is definitely not in my comfort zone but I am trying to do new things. What do you think?

Graduation CBC #66

This is not my usual style card and I almost didn't play again this time. However I remembered that I had a Graduation Paper Kit from Creative Memories that I had bought to use in my kids' albums because their school colors are black & gold. I looked through it and found some stickers I could use with the paper to make a card. The cs is Stampin'Up as is the congratulations stamp from the Congrats set. I used Korin's sketch from this week's Sweet'n Sassy Stamps
Sweet Stop Challenge. Unfortunately I don't have any graduation stamps so I went in this direction with the challenge. Have you joined the Creative Belli Challenges yet? If not take a look and join the fun!

The Potting Shed: my demo design

I wanted to focus on the retiring IN-COLORS'08-'09 and also the current Occasions Mini, so I chose Kiwi Kiss for my base color coordinating it with the Walk in the Park DSP. My stamps are from Scene in the Garden colored with Watercolor Pencils on Natural Ivory cs, sentiment from Soft Summer in Creamy Caramel also used in edging and sponging. I chose brass brads for detail. This is the first time using the Colored Pencils and I like the softness and textured they provide. This was a fun card to make!

Cupcake Craft Challenge #41

This weeks challenge has been 2 shapes/2 colors on Cupcake Craft, so here I am squeaking in under the deadline I hope. This design came from my up-line Denise and I really like the simplicity of the clean lines. The flower was cut from the SU Big Shot Flower, Daisies2. Three sizes & colors done in one cut, love that! Colors are Bashful Blue, Whisper White and Basic Black. the white layer is scalloped with the SU Eyelet Border punch and black ribbon is added to finish the card. No verse or sentiment is added as I haven't decided how I will use this card. Very quick, clean and simple to make.

Never Forget

This is one of Sweet'nSassy Stamps Digi stamps that we were able to download when joining the Stampin' Out Alzheimer's Fundraising Event this week. This is my first attempt with digi stamps and chose SU Vellum card stock to print on. I then used ink and blender pens to color the flowers. I did notice that the black printer ink ran into some of the ink when coloring so the effect is not quite the way I wanted it to look. I chose SU Bella Birds dsp and Pink Pirouette cs to mount the vellum image and sentiment. Finished with sheer ribbon. There is still time to join the group of stampers who have made a donation to the Alzheimer's Fund, you can use the link on my blog. Please make a difference by donating!

While the idea is to send a card to someone suffering with Alzheimer's or a family member, I am sending this to the family of a long time friend who just passed away from a long battle with cancer. Though we haven't seen each other since I moved almost 5 yrs. ago, I remember her as being a woman of strength for her family, friends and community. She freely gave of her time to the Ladies' Aux. of the Volunteer Fire Dept, the schools while her children were growing up, to Church activities and wherever she was needed. Almost a year ago she lost her oldest son to a sudden massive heart attack dealing with this horrible loss while battling the disease that took her life. Now she is at peace and home with the Lord.

Many blessings to all of you!

Memorial Day Weekend Thoughts

My good friend Teresa has posted Blog Candy with a twist. In commenting she would like everyone to tell what plans they have for the Memorial Day Weekend. My plans are always low-key because I try to remember the meaning of why we celebrate this holiday. Having just honored our active duty service men and women with Armed Forces Day, thoughts now turn to those who have given service to our country during war time. This is what I wrote on Teresa's blog.



As always on Memorial Day weekend, I honor the memory of those who gave their lives in service to our country in war time and in peace. Being born during WWII several of the kids I went to school with had lost dads. Then as a young adult, I saw friends off to Viet Nam never to return, their names forever etched in The Wall. The brave men and women who have given the greatest sacrifice to our country deserve our rememberance and gratitude as do those who continue to serve today. With active military service family members, their welfare and dedication is always in my thoughts and prayers.

On a personal note, I will be helping with an SU Stamp Camp on Sunday afternoon at my upline's. She is a retired Army veteran.

Whatever your plans are for the weekend, be sure to fly the American Flag, attend a memorial service and thank God for those who gave us the freedoms we enjoy today!

My Dear Mother

Today I have no new cards to post, haven't had time the last few days! Today I will give a memorial to my mother, who passed from this world to the arms of Jesus on June 14, 2003.
My mother was born in 1916, raised by a twice widowed mother who came from a strict German background, graduated from high school at 16 and worked in a 5&10 where she met my dad whom she married in 1936. Together they began a relationship that spanned decades of caring, dedication to Christ and raising a family. Always active in church work, my dad studied for the ministry when I was in high school. When he was ordained, he and my mother embarked on a new phase in their lives, serving the Lord together. When my dad passed away my mother continued to witness, pray for others and lend a listening ear to many. Her example of being a Christian was known by all who knew her. To us, her family, she gave advice, love, forgiveness, strength and her never ending faith. To her many friends who called her "MOM", she offered her generous spirit! Her greatest legacy to me was her wonderful relationship with God which saw her through many difficult times and poor health in her last years. So today as we honor and remember our mothers and all the women who make a difference in our lives, may I wish you all a wonderful day of celebration! Hugs and blessing!

Ellie's 1st real design!

Today Ellie's elementary school had Kindergarten registration so she had no school. I decided we needed some one on one time together so she is spending the day with me. One of the things we have done is make a Mother's Day card for her mom, my dd. She wanted roses and that's what she got! Ellie age 6 1/2 stamped this herself placing the roses and butterflies where she wanted them. I am amazed at how well she designed this! I only had to help her get started with the stickles. Ellie has made many cards but not something like this, I know Sue will treasure it. We are trying to make her Mother's Day a pleasant one with her DH out to sea. I am so proud of how much this little girl has grown in the past year.Looks like another stamping family member!

Friday morning: I'd like to thank all of you for the kind words to Ellie about her card. I'll show her next time she comes over, she will be so happy! Her artistic talent comes from her dad who when he has the time, has done wonderful drawings.
Have a beautiful and blessed day!

Paper Blooms Challenge #5 and CBCC #36

I made this card for my very dear friend Denise who is my mentor. She introduced me the joy of creating cards. She has two Cocker Spaniels who are her "babies", so Casey and Pepper are going to give her a Special One of a Kind Mother's Day card! I designed the card with the China pattern inspiration piece for Paper Blooms' Wednesday Challenge. I chose SU Raspberry Tart (just love the colors!) and River Rock cs. I made paper lace and ribbon which I covered in a sheer Dusty Rose organza ribbon from Michael's The Prima flowers blend in the color the center being a Rose Dew Drop from Robin's Nest. Vanilla Hardware, frames the Designer Label stamp and punch from SU. The Raspberry Tart paper has Kiwi stems, but I really like the balance of the River Rock with the dsp better.
Having just seen Courtney's challenge to use flowers anywhere on your card, I thought "gee I just did that." So here is my entry for your challenge Courtney!

Black and Linen Floral

Last Thursday's SCS Ways to Use challenge was to use basic black as the dominant color on your card, so I knew exactly what I wanted to do. I chose the black and linen floral print from the DCWV La Creme matstock pad that was a gift to me. There are some very interesting patterns included and also some flocked patterns, out of my comfort zone but I have to reach out every so often to try something different! That said I tried to be careful to keep the rest simple. I chose the Happy Mother's Day from SNSS Special Women stamped on the solid linen matting it on solid black. The only trim is a French Vanilla SU brad and two tiny black butterflies punched from Creative Memories Meadow punch. On the inside flap of the tri-fold card I added a few linen butterflies and continued them under the linen paper on which I stamped the sentiment. I will be sending this to my friend who gave me the paper. Oh yes, I used a Martha Stewart lace edge punch to scallop the bottom of the paper. This friend has not been feeling up to par for several months so I'd like to tell her how special she is to me on Mother's Day. She runs a day care and has nurtured many little ones over the years. We met through scrapbooking and became fast friends.

I just found my list of challenges for last week and realize that because I used a large brad, this can be entered in the Creative Belli Challenge #64. You were to use a large brad or jumbo eyelet.

Women to Women Sharing Jesus

Are you looking for devotionals and messages from our sister stampers, writers and crafters? There is a new site I was invited to join and I invite all of you to join also. No challenges here, just Christian women writing meaningful stories about their relationship with Jesus Christ. You may know some of the team from their blogs. Grace is one of the team members. You'll find some of your friends have already joined the group. Please take a look and consider becoming a follower. WTWSJ There is also a link on my sidebar.
Blessings,

Very humbled to accept this Honor....

The last post told you about the new site WTWSJ and invited you to take a look and perhaps follow the group. Korin Sutherland has passed an honor to me for exalting Christ on my blog. Receiving this award brought tears to my eyes because I don't begin to feel worthy. I have met so many wonderful Christian women who share my love of the Lord and express themselves more eloquently than I.

I have looked at many wonderful blogs written by sisters in Christ and pass this along to some of the members who have touched my life in some way. I wish that all my dear friends were a part of this wonderful site so that I could include them as well.

Here are the details about this award:

"The Exalting Christ Blog Award is given to bloggers who consistently exalt the name of Christ on their blogs. What a joy to see crafters blend their passion for Christ and paper crafting. This award is given to bloggers who share Christ through their posts or through the design of their artwork. We are commanded in Scripture to be 'salt and light' sharing the Good News of Jesus no matter where we are (Matthew 5:13-16). This award is just a way members of Women to Women: Sharing Jesus can say thanks for exalting Christ with us!

Rules:Post the blog award in a regular post on your blog with the explanation, including the original link to WTW and the rules for passing the award along

1. Name five people to whom you want to offer this award and link to their blogs. The blogs need to obviously exalt Christ in some manner.

2. Contact the bloggers you have named to let them know they can pick up their blog award from you.

3. Invite them to permanently display the WTW blog badge and/or the award on their blogs. The badge can be obtained on the WTW site."

I am thrilled to pass this award on to the following 5 dear sisters in Christ:

Chris Olsen
Christi
Judy
Betty
Michelle Bradford

Please take a look at the lovely blogs these Sisters in Christ have created!

I have been honored!

To have friends you must first be a friend and I am so honored to be called Friend! Many people touch our lives and have become our friends, so I too will take the time to honor some of my stamping friends with this award. If I could I would name many, many more who have become my friends through stamping. This is for all of you! Thank you to all who encourage, advise and help me along my stamping adventure!

Here is the text to be included with the award and it is to be passed on to 8 others. This award comes from Ceal and I have to give it to her because she has become one of my dear friends who encourages my work, gives me Christian love and support in life and I have come to cherish her. Thank you Ceal! The other 7 are listed in no particular order:
Chris
Becky
Linda
Grace
Shirley
Teresa
Heidi
Please check these lovely ladies' blogs, they offer encouragement, advice and friendship.



I was also honored with an award from Grace who sent me this Brilliante Blog award. She has a fabulous blog so be sure to check it out if you aren't familiar with it. Thank you Grace!
Now, the rules for receiving this award:
1. The winner can put the logo on her blog.
2. On your blog, link the person you received your award from.
3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs
4. Put links of those blogs on yours
5. Leave a message on the blogs you've nominated
What a great way to share with the rest of blogland some great blogs they might not have seen yet and might just really want to visit again and again! So here are my nominees:
Deb
Jackie
Chris
KathyJ
Denise
Wendy
Ann

CPCM Saturday Artist: Ceal

One of my favorite people is Ceal who is the Christian Paper Craft Magazine featured Saturday artist. I have CASED one of the cards from her blog changing the slightly different color, backgound and sentiment. I used one of the CB border folders in Just my Style on a Groovy Guava SU long note. I stamped SNS Dream Silhouette flowers in the Groovey Guava onto white cs and stamped the sentiment from SNS Be Still in Close to Cocoa matching the trim. The ribbon is Coffee from JoAnn's and used Antique Hodgepodge Hardware instead of a bow. The peace that Ceal's card evokes spoke to my heart and this is what evolved..."Peace be still and know that I am God". Do you have that Peace that only comes from God? It is a wonderful feeling that will bring you through many trials and difficult times. Blessings to all!

Challenges

This was made for SNS' DT Monday challenge to use Scripture. Once again I took apart a card that was started at a swap and now that I changed it, I'm not so sure it is any better but it certainly has more detail with adding the Basic Grey Two Scoops dsp. The stamp is from SU Occasions Mini called Soft Summer. The card design was actually supposed to look like the example in the catty, but you know me, I had to change it!! I made mine into a Mother's Day card with a Bible verse, both from SNSS Special Women and Rejoice in the Lord. The ribbon came with the basic card supplies and i added the K&CO. jewels to pick up the deeper shades. Ink used is SU Rose Red for the words and Regal Rose for the rest. This card also fits the criteria to list it on the new Christian Paper Crafts Magazine site. If you haven't been over to see it, you really should. This site glorifies the Lord through creativity, sharing, praying and joy of Christian Crafters. A link can be found on my side bar.

The criteria for this card is from SCS's Ways to Use challenge this week to make a white card. I chose the CB Textile folder to emboss the front, added Prima Hydrangea flowers in pale shades with SU pink rhinestone brad centers. The ribbon is from Michael's, Marvy scallop punches, BG paper, SU Whisper White cs & Regal Rose ink. The words are from SNSS Special Women and True Friend. The sketch is from Cupcake Craft Challenges also on my side bar, another fun challenge for you to try.
I'll probably make a few more Mother's Day cards to send to some very dear friends. My mother is at home with the Lord and never saw any of my cards as she passed away before I began this wonderful hobby, but I know she would have cherished them as she did all the cards I sent! We had a very special relationship and she was a wonderful Christian woman who shared her faith daily. Distance kept us from seeing each other as often as we would have liked so we talked every day and did so until the day she went home to be with the Lord. I was able to get there and hold her hand as she went home, I know she heard my voice.

Paper Blooms Earth Day Challenge

Paper Blooms challenge for Earth Day was to recycle something for use on your card. Does this flower look familiar? I took the card I recently made apart to save the flower and ribbon for this card which was supposed to be for Paper Blooms 3rd challenge.....This is the first chance I had to make the 5 B's challenge, went to upload and found the challenge ended yesterday. So I am entering it for this week's challenge instead! I decided that I liked Pacific Point as a base, placed my blossom and ribbon on it, then added the word 'bloom' and 2 layered butterfly with gem body for interest. My stamps are SU: Bloomin' Beautiful, From the Garden and Flight of the Butterfly, ink and cs is Pacific Point. The flower is colored in Pink Pirouette, So Saffron, Certainly Celery and Basic Brown. The gems are Doodlebug's Blue Jeans Jewels, Stickles and ribbon finish the card. I saved the cs from the original card to use again for something else, no waste here. I love scraps and use almost every piece of paper I can.
Thanks for taking a look and leaving a comment.

Color challenge, wrong stamp, lessons learned....

The color challenge on SCS this week is Bordering Blue, So Saffron and Pink Pirouette. Easy, I thought, pretty colors. Perhaps it would have been, had I chosen a different stamp to use, but after I colored and cut out the large flower (SU's From the Garden) I wasn't happy with the cs base. The blue just didn't look right, so I went with the saffron after running it through the CB with the Swiss Dots folder although I still don't like the look, something dark would really have made the flower stand out. However, I stuck to the colors but may tear it apart and finish it differently now that it's entered in the challenge. This is one neglected stamp among many and thought I would give it some use. I stamped it in Basic Brown on Whisper White using Pink Pirouette to color the petals and So Saffron with a touch of Certainly Celery for the leaves. I added yellow Stickles to the center and Diamond to the rest to add a little dewy sparkle, although the scanner didn't pick this up. No sentiment because I'm not sure how I will use this card.

Thinking Embossed Thoughts: 2 for 1

This weeks Creative Belli Challenge is to use some form of embossing on the card and the Monday SNS Design Team challenge is to make a "Thinking of You" card. I combined the two using the CB Paisley Folder to emboss the front of my Mellow Moss card which I then scalloped the edge using matching SU dsp to show beyond the scallop. I picked up the other colors in the dsp: Pretty in Pink for the scalloped trim with a strip of dsp down the center, a Paisley die cut punched with my CM shape maker and Tempting Turquoise ink for the sentiment from SNSS Sweet Gretchen. I added a finishing touch of Dew Drops.

Cupcake Craft Challenge #35: one layer

This week's Cupcake Craft Challenge is to use only one layer of cardstock beside your image layer adding all the embellishement you care to use. I made this card at a friend's and thought it was perfect for this challenge. It is all Stampin' Up: Brocade Blue base and strip, Whisper White embossed with Background Texturz Plate on the Big Shot, silver embossing on the heart and sentiment, white ribbon and stick pin, pearls and crystals from the Pretties Kit & heart punch. Stamps are from Polka Dot Punches and Holidays and Wishes.

Cello Bag Topper

The Creative Belli Challenge this week is to use our cello bags. I made this topper to 'top off' my gift for a friend who adores chocolate especially 'very good' chocolate. I can't scan the Harry and David Dark Chocolate Truffles I bought for obvious reasons so I am only showing the topper. Naturally, I chose Sweet'n Sassy's "Chocoholic" stamp set coloring and mounting thechocolate pieces with dimensionals. I used the SU Top Note Die in reverse making it a frame for my patterned paper. The edges are stamped front and back with the small pieces of chocolate candy. I know that my friend will be very happy with her gift!

SNS April Sketch and CAS challenges

The CAS challenge was easy and combined with SCS's Color Challenge: So Saffron, Bashful Blue and Close to Cocoa. For this I used Bashful Blue cs with coordinating blue stripe, So Saffron Ribbon and Close to Cocoa ink for the verse from SNSS Rejoice in the Lord. My card is actually 5x5, but the scanner only picked up part of it, not sure why! I added a flower punched from the three colors and finished with a rhinstone brad.


The sketch challenge is designed by Suzy. I chose SNSS Sweet Dreams stamp set stamped on white cs, colored and mounted on the SU dsp to add dimension to the card. The colors are Blush Blossom, Bashful Blue and Mellow Moss. I used the D'vine Swirl CB folder to emboss the card base.

It seems like I am only able to enter a few challenges these days, but I'm hoping to have more time again soon.

Sweet'n Sassy April Release Challenges

Chris' challenge is to use birds somewhere on your card. My card base of So Saffron was embossed with Birds & Swirls CB folder. I chose the SNSS sets of Rejoice for the verse and His Eye is on the Sparrow for the image panel on watercolor paper. I colored it with SU markers and mounted it on Close to Cocoa which I used on the verse as well. I added Easter Blessings from the SU set Flexible Phrasesand sponged Soft Sky on the background. 'His Eye...'is fast becoming a spring favorite of mine and use it every chance I can. I sing the hymn silently each time I think of this set as it has been special to me since childhood.