BBTB - Accents Essentials - Circle Challenge

This week our Bitten By The Bug challenge was to use one of the circle cuts from the Accents Essentials cartridge. I don't have that cartridge, so DeeDee sent me the cuts. I love the colors she sent to me, and I had no problem letting them inspire me to make this card!


The stamps are from Stampin' Up. I just love these stamps! I used the circles as frames. I popped up all three of the stamped images. The card front is Cuttlebug embossed, and I sanded the paper to let the white core show. The gorgeous ribbon is from Maya Road, and I received it as a RAK from Jen over at ScrapCity. The flower is a Prima. I just love the colors of this card!

It's going to be a busy week, and I can't wait until the 4th of July. I love celebrating the 4th of July with my family! I hope you all have a great week, and thanks for stopping by!

Guest Designer Featured Today!

I am happy to feature a gorgeous card that my oldest daughter Emily made for her pen pal. Hi Kendall!


I just love this stamp! This primitive man is just so cool to me! Emily found this stamp at a rubber stamp flea market. She created the "Hello!" panels using the Making Memories Rummage alphabet stamps. She added some Primas with a brad flower center. I love this color combination too! Well done, Emily!! I love it!

It's still so hot and humid! Ugh! Go away humidity! I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, and as always, thanks for stopping by!

Baby Card & A Tag

I never got around to posting this baby card that I made for Patsy's baby, sweet little Eleanor! I had to get a photo of it from Patsy, because when I finished making it, I sent it off without photographing it first! I was very pleased with the way it turned out.


I used My Mind's Eye Tres Jolie papers and sentiment. The paper is gorgeous and double-sided, and I used a strip of the reverse at the bottom of the card after using my threading water punch on it. I bought the lace at a garage sale, and it looks so pretty on this baby card. Just to make sure that the lace stayed in placed, I held it in place with five brads. I used up some of my alphabet beads and added Eleanor's name to the front of the card. Last, some buttons, ribbon, and a safety pin were my finishing touches. I think this is sweet and so cute! As long as Patsy liked it, that's all that matters!

I was tagged by Deborah. Here are the rules. Link person that tagged you and people you are tagging and notify them! Have fun!

My 6 "quirks" / things that drive me crazy!
1. People who chew with their mouth open.
2. People who chew gum with their mouth open and smack their gum.
3. Someone having a loud cell phone conversation in public.
4. My inability to declutter and throw things out! (I'm trying!!)
5. Walking barefoot on a wet floor. You know, like through a locker room! Ugh! I need to have flip flops on!!
6. Not having enough time in the day! I always want to get so much done, but that never happens!

I'm NOT going to tag anyone else, because I don't like to leave anyone out! So, if you want to put this tag on your blog, please do! Consider yourself tagged!

Whew, it's hot and humid here today. I hate the humidity! I hope you all have a wonderful Friday and a fantastic weekend! Thanks for stopping by!

Card Sketch #50

It's card sketch day over at Sketches! {by Tamara}. Here is my card using Card Sketch #50. If you create a card using the sketch, be sure to link it back to her site!


I used My Mind's Eye papers, and I used my threading water punch on two of the panels that I cut for my card front. On the center panel, I stamped a Heidi Swapp stamp. I just love this stamp! I used a small flower with a rhinestone to dot the "i" in the stamped image. I added some lace to the bottom panel. The lace was cream, so I rubbed my chalk ink pad across it first to distress it. I distressed the Prima and used a western brad as the flower center. On the top panel, I stamped a small flower stamp multiple times, and I added small green rhinestones for the flower centers. I love the color combination on this card, and I'm pleased with the way it turned out!

I hope you all have a wonderful day, and thanks for stopping by!!

Father's Day Cards

I never got around to posting the Father's Day cards that my girls and I made. They all turned out great. Masculine cards are always such a struggle!

This is the card that I made for my husband. I used Basic Grey Sublime papers. I love the man sheet with a bunch of masculine words on it. I cut them apart and put them down in a collage. This was such an easy card, but I really like the way it turned out.


My oldest made this card. It's a reference to a Sega game that Dave plays with the girls called Road Rash. They race, and they have chains on the bikes. She actually added a chain. Very clever!! The sentiment was done on the computer.


She even added a chain to the back of the card!


This is the card that my youngest made. So Harley-Davidson! I love it! The metal letters and the motorcycle brad are perfect! The motorcycle stamp is Stampin' Up.


This is inside on the left side of my youngest's card. Look at the "vroom, vroom" -- perfect!!

So, those are the Father's Day cards that we made for my husband. Of course, he loved them all!

Have a great day, and thanks for stopping by!!

Woohoo! Awesome Goodies!

Well, I think we all already know that I am a goodie and bargain junkie! On Sunday, my husband and I went to my sister-in-law's house (my husband's sister) to pick up our girls. They had a girls night out with their Aunt and had spent the night. They had so much fun! Anyway, before we went to get them, I convinced my husband that we should stop at a scrapbook store in the area that was going out of business. Everything was 75% off. I'm very happy that I stopped by, because look at what I got!

This is everything just reclining and relaxing on my big chair and ottoman! Hello goodies! You can click on the photos to get a better view.

I got some Cosmo Cricket Dutch Girl papers and die cuts, Autumn Leaves stamps, chipboard pieces, Maya Road month/day sheers, small Maya Road stamps, a border acrylic block, fantastic ribbon, etc.

You can see more ribbon and wonderful Heidi Swapp black and white papers! Yummy!

I got a bunch of the Teresa Collins journal-it sheets. FUN! I also got some Basic Grey Cupcake papers and some Cosmo Cricket Hello Sunshine papers! Above the journal-it sheets is an awesome package of chipboard pieces.

I got a couple of western sheets and the cutest western stickers. I also got some Noteworthy papers by Making Memories and a couple of Creative Imagination papers.

In the center of this photo, you can see some die cut Creative Imagination sheets. They're so pretty and fun with the awesome borders! I also got some rain dot flower packs.

Now, I got all of this for just less than $40!! It was all 75% off!! I actually showed a lot of restraint! I wanted to buy everything with it being 75% off! The best part about this was that my husband patiently waited outside for me to finish up shopping. He's awesome! I had a blast bargain shopping. Now, I'm not supposed to be spending, but when you come across a bargain like this, how can you refuse?

I'm totally behind on blog hopping, and I have a feeling it's going to be that way the entire summer. However, I will try to catch up with all of you soon! As always, thanks for stopping by!

BBTB - Celebrations - Banner Challenge

This week at the Bitten By The Bug site, we were challenged to use the banner on the Celebrations cartridge. At first I struggled with what I wanted to create, but when I finally decided to make a small banner instead of a large one, it all fell into place for me.


I used Basic Grey Romani papers for this birthday card for my daughter Jessica's birthday which is in July. I cut and shadowed the banner cut, and then I added Basic Grey Romani letter stickers to each pennant. I used four rhinestone brads to adhere the pennants together, and then on the ends, I added some fun ribbon. I then just adhered the whole thing to the top of my card. I took another strip of the patterned paper, and I used my threading water punch on it and I distressed it with chalk ink. I then added some Prima ric rac, a Prima flower, and a Prime rhinestone flower center. My daughter just LOVES lime green and orange, so she will be thrilled with this birthday card!

I have some AWESOME goodies to show you tomorrow. I stopped at a scrapbooking store that was going out of business, and everything was 75% off! It's very sad to see a store go out of business, however, I am thrilled with the bargains that I got. I'm not supposed to be spending on crafting items, but at 75% off, how can you refuse? My husband even agreed with me, and he waited patiently while I shopped! He's awesome! I didn't go hog wild in the store, but I just bought lots of fun stuff that appealed to me. I'll show you tomorrow!

Have an awesome day, and thanks for stopping by!!

Hello! Guest Designer Card

I am happy to feature a guest designer on my blog today. This card was made by my oldest daughter Emily, and she mailed it off to her grandma in Arizona just to put a smile on her face!


The Elmo stamp is so appropriate for my mother-in-law, because it was my mother-in-law that gave Emily her first Tickle-Me Elmo on Emily's first Christmas. Now you have to remember back to Christmas 1996. Tickle-Me Elmo was brand new, and he was the HOT and popular toy for Christmas that year. My mother-in-law got one before all of the hoopla over this toy started, and even though she had offers to buy the toy for much more than she spent on it, she kept it for her granddaughter. I can still remember Emily's excited little 10-month old face back then when she saw this toy. He was cute, red, fluffy, and so very huggable. What else could a little girl need? She didn't particularly like the voice box inside the Elmo (it was kinda loud), so we removed that, and he was just a stuffed toy for her, and they were inseparable. Aw, the memories! So many of Emily's photos as a toddler and young girl include Elmo, because she was always holding him! She still loves Elmo. Then again, I still love him too!

Wow, I got off track of the card, didn't I? Emily recently bought the Elmo stamp at Hobby Lobby when the stamps were half off. She colored him in with colored pencils and used gamsol to blend and soften the look. She added so Primas and did some distressing. The "Hello!" was designed on the computer.

I know my mother-in-law, Emily's grandma, will get a huge smile on her face when she gets this card! I hope you all have a great weekend, and thanks for stopping by!

Card Sketch #49

It's card sketch day at Sketches! {by Tamara}. This is my card for Card Sketch #49. Be sure to stop by the site to take a look at the amazing cards this week. Also, if you make a card using the sketch, be sure to link it back to the Sketches! site. YOU could be a future guest designer.


I used some cute Bo Bunny dotted pink paper that I received as a RAK or a prize (sorry, I can't remember who sent it to me). Both the dark pink shadow layer and the dotted paper card front were cut using Base Camp on my Cricut. It looks like a very large postage stamp. I added a chipboard swirl that I got from Wendy at ScrapCity. I painted it pink with my Making Memories paint. I stamped the two-step butterfly with Stampin' Up stamps. The "enjoy" stamp is a $1 acrylic Michael's stamp. I added a few rhinestones, and that was it! I'm pleased with the way this card turned out.

I hope you all have a wonderful day. I'm behind on blog hopping, but I'm sure that will be the case for most of the summer. Thanks for stopping by!

I've been tagged!

My SBS2 sister Kathleen has tagged me, and since I am in summer blogging mode (meaning that I'm not posting very often during the summer), I will actually play along this morning.

The "rules" of the game: Each player answers the questions about themselves. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5-6 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer.

Ten years ago: I quit my work-at-home computer programming job to become a full-time SAHM. I had a toddler and an infant, and finding time to actually work was becoming more and more difficult. Looking back, I should have asked for a leave of absence, because I had an awesome job, and I was working at home! However, no regrets. I love being a SAHM, and I do believe it's made a huge difference in our daughters' lives.

Five things in todays 'to do list':
1. Take Princess for a walk (done!)
2. Create my Sketches! card and complete a couple of challenges.
3. Run to Target with my girls to get my youngest a new bike.
4. Take my youngest to a pool party, and then hang out and have fun with my oldest.
5. Do at least one "power half hour" of cleaning -- hopefully in my scrapping area!

Snacks I enjoy: Sugar-free popsicles, peanuts, cashews, and sugar-free Russell Stover chocolate candies (I'm low-carb dieting, so these answers are different!!)

Things I would do if I was a millionaire: Invest wisely! Make sure my husband never again has to work and plan my girls' college educations.

Places I have lived: Grew up in Crestwood, IL. Lived in Frankfort, IL, Gilbert, AZ, and now Mokena, IL.

I will tag:
Judy, Glee, Carole, Liz, Latisha, and Chris. I could go on and on with the tagging, but I'll stop there. Have a great day, and thanks for stopping by!

BBTB - ZooBalloo - Elephant Challenge

Our challenge this week over at the Bitten By The Bug site was to use the adorable elephant on the ZooBalloo cartridge. Be sure to check out what the other design team members made . . . every week I'm amazed at the creativity on that site!! Don't forget there is also a contest going on over at the BBTB site. Check it out, and get creating!!


I'm not sure why, but the minute I looked at this elephant, I thought about making a baby boy card. I used Provo Craft and DCWV patterned and solid papers. I stamped a circular baby sentiment from a Stampin' Up set, and I cut it out with my Coluzzle. I added white sheer ribbon and some "Oh Baby!" ribbon, plus I added a safety pin at the bottom. Once again, I just had to add some googly eyes. I think this turned out pretty cute.

I hope you're all having a wonderful day. The weather today is sunny and in the 70's. I could go for weather like this all year round . . . it's just gorgeous outside. Thanks for stopping by!

White On White Challenge Card

Deborah at Stampin' On The Mountain is having a white on white card challenge for some blog candy. Since it was such an unusual challenge, I decided to give it a try and create a white on white card.


This is my very white card. I actually really like the way it turned out. Cuttlebug embossing really adds dimension to the paper. I added white sheer ribbon, some clear dew drops, a white Prima, and a white button that is sewed on with white ribbon.

Today is Father's Day, and we had a very nice day. We spoiled my husband, and I also saw my dad today. My brother had us over for a barbeque, and we also spent quality time at home. It was a great day.

I received some horrible, tragic news from a blogging friend yesterday. It literally made me gasp, then made me tear up, and it's been on my mind a lot since I read her message. I've been praying for her and her family to get through this unimaginable time in their lives. I hope all of the prayers that she is receiving give her and her family some peace at this time. I came online to check email, and post this card, and I just felt strange about blogging when something so tragic has happened to someone that has become such a good online friend. I'm honestly heartbroken for her, and I wish that there was something that I could do to ease her pain. I will continue to pray for her.

Thanks for stopping by.

All Boy

I made my mom a wreath wall hanging for Mother's Day, and in the center was a photo of my girls with Princess. She really loved it. Last week my mom sent me a photo of their neighbor's son, and she asked me if I could make a wall hanging for this little boy's mom. This couple lives across the street from my parents, they are expecting baby number two, it's been rough for the mom getting to this point, and they just adore their son! I think this little boy has quite the fan club! This young couple is living pretty much surrounded by seniors, and they're all crazy about Brandon! Of course, I was happy to make this for my mom to give to her neighbor!


Sorry for the weird paint technique on his face, but since I don't have permission to post his photo on my site, I didn't want to take any chances! I used corrugated cardstock mounted on red. I attached the photo, used a My Mind's Eye denim frame that I got from Sharon, and attached a MME title and hinges. I stamped a "You Make Me Smile" ticket and "Completely Loved", both of which are Autumn Leaves stamps. The letters that spell out Brandon's name are Lil' Davis chipboard. Last, I added two large eyelets with my Cropadile, and I threaded through some rope. I can't wait to see what my mom thinks, and then of course, I want to know Brandon's mom's reaction!!


Here's a closer view. Once again, sorry for the crazy paint on his face. I love how rustic this turned out! It's totally "all boy"!!

I FINALLY got a bunch of thank you notes out in the mail today. Does anyone else have the problem with actually getting cards written out, addressing the envelope, and then mailing the card? I don't know WHY I have such a big problem with this. Even if I need to go to the post office because a card is too thick, I pass the post office all the time! It's just crazy. Anyway, I hope you're having a great day, and as always, thanks for stopping by!!

Card Sketch #48

It's Thursday, so there's a new card sketch up on the Sketches! {by Tamara} site. This is my card for Card Sketch #48. I love the sketch this week (then again, I love the sketch every week), and for the first time since being on Tamara's card team, I turned the sketch. I'm thrilled with this card! It's for my Dad! Please be sure to check out what the other card designers created. They are all wonderful! Also, if you work with the sketch, link it back to Tamara's site. You could be her next guest card designer!


In the sketch, the horizontal part at the top of the card look like a negative film strip to me. The minute I saw the sketch, I knew I wanted to use one of the negative film strip frames that I've had for a long time. I love these frames! I inserted small photos of my girls, and for the sentiments, I designed those on the computer. The papers used are all My Mind's Eye from a big slab that I got at Hobby Lobby. I love the My Mind's Eye slabs! I added some American Crafts ribbon, decorative brads, and I did a lot of chalk ink distressing. My dad is going to love this card!

I hope you all have a wonderful day. Such strange weather reports on the news every single day. Tornadoes, flooding, extreme heat . . . it's just awful! I hope you are all doing well and the weather isn't affecting you in a negative way! Take care, and thanks for stopping by!

I'M PUBLISHED!!

IT'S OFFICIAL! I just got my free issue of paper crafting with kids by Paper Crafts! I'm published! I'm on page 19, and I'm so excited!! Thank you Paper Crafts!!


This is the special issue! I'm in it! OH MY GOODNESS!! Well, I have a couple of things that I need to finish up, but then I will be sitting down and looking through this issue. It looks wonderful!! This will give me tons of creative ideas for my girls and I! Yeah! I'm so excited! Thanks for stopping by!!

BBTB - Doodlecharms - Popsicle Challenge

Be sure to check out the Bitten By the Bug site this week, because there is a new contest going on! Our latest challenge over at BBTB was to use the popsicle on the Doodlecharms cartridge. How fun!


Here's my card for the challenge. I cut the popsicle at 5", and on the "flavor" layer (cherry!), I added a couple of layers of UTEE. It didn't photograph well, but it's super slick and shiny, and it looks wet! The penguin stamp is just perfect, don't you think? He's a cool dude, and so I created an appropriate sentiment on the computer! I added some raffia and a red button. The background paper I've had for a long time, and I think it's NRN Designs. I used colored pencils and gamsol on the penguin image. I have so much fun making this card, and I'm very happy with the way it turned out! What do you think?

Off to take my youngest to basketball intramurals, and then my oldest and I are going to run a couple of errands. My youngest and I are getting haircuts this afternoon, and then we'll be home to figure out the rest of the day. I had to take my van in yesterday because the "service engine soon" light would not go off, and the van was hesitant/chugging a little. It needed new spark plugs and a tune up, and it is now back at home. It's so strange NOT having a vehicle for one day. We didn't really NEED to go anywhere, but it's so strange knowing that you CAN'T go anywhere! I'm totally behind on blog hopping (again), but I will catch up with you all soon! Thanks for your continued wonderful comments, and thanks for stopping by!

Love

Lisa is one of the owners of 4 Scrappy Sisters. I love the 4SS site! Lisa and her husband renewed their marriage vows yesterday. How romantic! Members of the message board decided to post cards in the gallery for her as a surprise. This is the card that I made.


I used Love, Elsie Roxie papers. The papers had everything that I needed to make my card. I just detail cut the images that I wanted to use. I love the man and the woman with the pink heart! I love the little "i do" sentiment as well as "forever" and "yes". The "love" is perfect, as well as the music note, because Lisa was actually going to sing a song to her husband! Perfect! The paper made this card super easy! Nothing fancy, but I think it's very sweet and cute.

I hope you had a great weekend. Thanks for stopping by!

I won some Blog Candy!

I've been working on a lot of things, but I can't show you any of them!! I worked on my card designs for my reign as the ScrapCity Guest Card Designer for June. I received an amazing kit, and I had so much FUN making the cards. I cannot wait to post them on ScrapCity's site and on own my own blog! They turned out GREAT if I do say so myself! I also finished up my BBTB project today, but I can't show you that until Monday!! So, I have been creating, I just can't post any of it yet.

So, I will tell you about some Blog Candy that I won! My good blogging friend Dawn at Buggin' Around had a very fun blog candy . . . we had to guess what song she was named after, and we had to answer a couple more questions about the song/artist/year made, etc. It was FUN! I am happy to say that I won her blog candy, and I'm going to get this 8x8 Disney Princess page kit! Very cool!


My girls LOVED the Princesses when they were younger, and I have lots of fun pictures of them that I haven't scrapbooked, and I would love to get them in an album. This kit will be so PERFECT!


I snatched these photos off Dawn's blog. This kit looks just wonderful, and I cannot wait to play with it. Aw, I love all things girly, Disney, and Princess, so working with this kit is going to be delightful!! Thanks Dawn!

I hope you're all having a wonderful weekend. We had some very threatening weather come through early this evening, the tornado sirens went off, but I have to admit, it didn't look too terrible, and luckily it all moved through very quickly. Enjoy the rest of your weekend, and thanks for stopping by!!

Card Sketch #47

It's card sketch day on the Sketches! {by Tamara} blog. Here is my card for card sketch #47. Be sure to check out the designs by the other card designers. They are all fantastic this week! If you create a card using the sketch, be sure to link it back to Tamara's site. YOU could be her next guest designer!


I was totally inspired by the ki Memories shimmer patterned paper. I adhered a panel on kraft cardstock, and I added American Crafts ribbon around the card front. The "Thanks!" and the butterfly are from a little acrylic set that I got for my birthday from my blogging friend Patsy. I used colored pencils and gamsol on the butterfly. I did a lot of chalk ink distressing on all of the paper pieces. I'm very pleased with the way this card turned out.

It's going to be so HOT and HUMID today. Ugh! It's overcast and there is a threat of thunderstorms. Oh well! We'll have to figure out some fun stuff to do inside today. I'm sure we'll manage! I hope the weather is better where you're at! Have a great day, and thanks for stopping by!

Library Class

For the last four summers, I've done a class at the library during the summer reading program. This year, I decided that we're going to alter clipboards!


Since Hobby Lobby has paper for 1/2 off this week, my girls and I went there today to pick out paper for my class project. I love this paper from Paper Studio. There wasn't enough of just one design, so we picked two. Half the class will use one design, and half the class will use the other. The solid color cardstock will be use to personalize the clipboard. The red will be a mat, and the blue will be used for either personalization or I will type up something on the computer. I might type up something really clever like "MY clipboard!" or something like that!! I just need Michael's to have ribbon on sale, and I will be getting ribbon for them to tie onto the clip. The class is only 45 minutes, and it's for preschool through 4th grade. From past experience, the majority of the kids are preschool age, so my projects need to be quick, easy, and impressive! I think an altered clipboard will be awesome!

Have a great day, and thanks for stopping by!

Guest Designers!

I'm happy to feature my TWO favorite guest designers today! They made retirement gifts for Mr. Lamb, the retiring music director in our school district. He has taught in our school district for 36 years, so his retirement is well-deserved! Mr. Lamb loves to go fishing, so his gifts are themed for his favorite hobby!


My youngest, Jessica, made his this wonderful "Angler's Fund" jar. He can save all of his coins, and use them to purchase fun stuff for fishing! Jessica had help from me, because altering these jars can be a little tricky!


Here's one side.


This is the back of the jar.


This is the other side of the jar. The green and brown ribbon around the jar lid looks pretty good!

This is the lid. Just so there is NO confusion as to the purpose of this jar, Jessica added "place coins here" . . . very helpful! The circle was cut using my Coluzzle.


My oldest, Emily, made this fantastic card! She had absolutely no help at all from me! Isn't it wonderful! I'm VERY impressed!

Well, I'm off to chaperone the "end of the year" bowling party for all of the junior high band and choir students. This should be interesting!! It's really awful outside today. Very hot, humid, and there are thunderstorms. Yuck! I hope you all have a wonderful day, and thanks for stopping by!!

BBTB - Stretch Your Imagination - Grasshopper Challenge

Our Bitten By The Bug challenge this week was to use the grasshopper on the Stretch Your Imagination cartridge. I do not have that cartridge, but thanks to Carole for sending me this cut, I was still able to take part. Be sure to check out what the other design team members created for this grasshopper challenge!


I struggled with using the grasshopper! I didn't know WHAT to create, but I am "hoppy" with the end result! I used SEI Gertie's Garden papers. I designed the sentiment on my computer, and I cut out the sentiment and a scallop circle with my Nestabilities. I distressed a little with chalk ink, and I also added some dotted ribbon. Once again, I just had to add googly eyes!

Today is our first official day of summer vacation, and it's going to be very warm today. The girls and I are actually doing some work in the house (going through closets, straightening up, etc.), but I'm sure we'll find some time for FUN! Have a great day, and thanks for stopping by!

It's Bloomin' Wonderful!

All of our flowering bushes are just GORGEOUS and totally WONDERFUL! Take a look! These are by our front door. The pink is so vibrant and pretty!




Late in the summer, the really huge fuzzy bees just LOVE these purple flowers!


I wish I could do a scratch and sniff computer screen for these! The lilac smell is honestly intoxicating! These are on the side of our house, and you can smell them when you walk out the front door. It's one of the best smells ever! I love it!



It's bloomin' wonderful around here! Thanks for stopping by!!