Monster - hi

I created this card for the card challenge #16 on the Paper Popsicles blog. Amy created a sketch to inspire us. I also used a digital image from the Paper Popsicles store. This digital image is called "little monsters", and this is just one of the two monsters that you get with the digital image. Isn't he cute? I used new papers that I got in my Sassafras warehouse box! I used colored pencils and gamsol on the monster and added some googly eyes for fun! The "hi" metal pieces and the button are both Making Memories. The blue card base has been Cuttlebug embossed with swiss dots. I also added machine stitching. My bobbin ran out on the bottom of the card, and then the stiching got messed up, but you're not supposed to notice that! This card is very distressed and roughed up, so the bad sewing mishap kinda works here! This is a card I would give my nephew! Seems totally boy and crazy to me!!

Tomorrow, I will be posting some awesome cards that I created with a NEW set from The Cutting Cafe'. It's a secret . . . but I just might be giving the set away!! I hope you have a wonderful weekend! I will be enjoying the three-day Labor Day weekend for sure! Thanks for stopping by!

Thanks So Much

Paper Popsicles is carrying some new and exclusive digital images in the online store. In order to promote these new items, Melissa sent anyone who was interested a couple of free images to play around with. I created this card using the bouquet image. Isn't it fun? I used colored pencils and gamsol to color the image. I also used three different My Mind's Eye patterned papers. I really love printable images! You already know that I'm a huge fan of The Cutting Cafe', and having digital images and storing them on your computer is so easy! You just use them when you want. FUN!

It's raining a lot today. It's going to be gloomy all day long. Why is it that the weather has such an impact on my mood? I need sun on a daily basis, or I just feel "off". Oh well! I hope you have a wonderful day, and thanks for stopping by!

Hey Cupcake!

Who doesn't LOVE a cupcake? They are CUTE and delicious. What more could you ask for? Regina at The Cutting Cafe' created the most AMAZING set called All About Cupcakes, and I just had to create a cute card using a couple of the images!


I printed the sentiment and I cut it to size to use it as my card front. I then printed the cupcake, colored it in with pencils and added some Stickles. I detail cut the cupcake, and added it to my card front. The last additions were ribbon and a rhinestone heart trio. Does it get any EASIER than that? I don't think so! These cupcake images are ADORABLE, and the set Regina created is HUGE! So, check it out at the The Cutting Cafe', and tell Regina that Carol sent you!!


Next, my wonderful blogging friend Sharon presented me with this award. Sharon is so talented. I'm just not saying that! She creates gorgeous cards, and she is so funny! She'll play with words and create something that just makes me laugh out loud! Thank you so much Sharon! You have a lovely blog too!

I'm so done with winter. It's BRUTAL! Cleared the driveway yesterday, and oh yes, I get to do it again today. Yippee! To top it all off, the wind chills tonight are supposed to be close to -25. Yes, 25 BELOW zero. That's scary stuff! At this point, 20 degrees will feel like a heat wave! Well, have a great day, and thanks for stopping by!!

Owl Always Love You!

This CUTE owl is from The Cutting Cafe'. Regina has done it again! Hurry on over to take a look at the site, because Regina has a special Valentine sale going on right now!!


The wonderful thing about these PDF files is that you always have them. You keep it on your computer, and you can print it over and over and over again! I used colored pencils and gamsol on the owl. I cut it out with my Nestabilities. The GORGEOUS paper is Basic Grey Stella Ruby. I added some beautiful Primas with a wonderful Making Memories brad center. I also added some dotted grosgrain ribbon at the top. I love the way this turned out!! You can click on the photo to see it larger.

I hope you have a great day, and as always, thanks for stopping by!!

January PageMaps!

What a way to bring in 2009! MY layout is one of the PageMaps examples for January! Isn't that exciting? I feel like a celebrity! It was very hard to keep this a secret for over a month! Here's my page!


I used Fancy Pants "About A Boy" goodies that I won from Paper Crafts magazine. I cut the title with my Expression. I sewed on some zig zag stitching. I added a big Prima, and on the bottom, I stamped an Autumn Leaves swirl stamp. To add some interest to the stamp, I colored it in with colored pencils and used gamsol to soften the look. I added some ribbon and ric rac. You can click on the page to see it larger!! I'm THRILLED that I got to work with this great sketch before anyone else got to see it!! Woohoo!! Thanks Becky Fleck! You rock!


Here's the amazing sketch! Take a look at all of the January PageMaps sketches. I'm especially thrilled, because when you load the January sketches, I'm the first one on the screen!! I'm just giddy with excitement!

Happy New Year my friends! I appreciate you all very much, and I cannot wait for an inspired and creative 2009! Thanks so much for stopping by!

BBTB - Flower Frame Challenge

This week at Bitten By The Bug, we were challenged to use the flower frame on the Pooh & Friends cartridge. Once again I don't have this cartridge, and once again DeeDee came to my rescue and sent me the cut. Thanks DeeDee! Be sure to check out all of the FANTASTIC creations by the other BBTB designers. I say this every week, but they are all AMAZING!


I used the cut to frame a Stampin' Up image from a set called Pocket Fun. I think this is such a cute image! I used colored pencils and gamsol to color in the stamped image. After I framed it with the flower frame, I added rhinestones to all of the flower centers. The "you make me happy!" sentiment is also a Stampin' Up stamp. The card front is DCWV, I wrapped sheer white ribbon around the card front, and then I added a trio of Making Memories flower brads over the ribbon. You can click on the card to see it larger. I think this turned out really cute!

Well, we had TONS of rain over the weekend. We had 8"-10". Just crazy! Luckily, we didn't have any problems with electricity, so the sump pump kept on working all weekend long. Tons of flooding in the Chicagoland area.

I just also have to mention Carlos Zambrano. He pitched a no-hitter for the Chicago Cubs, and it's the first no-hitter for the Cubs in 36 years! WOW! He's just amazing! Way to go!

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

Latisha's Sunday Sketch #2

Latisha created a new Sunday Sketch, and I created a card with it right away. This is my card for her Sunday Sketch #2. Check out her sketch, and give it a try!


I used an awesome image that I just received from Chris. I used colored pencils and gamsol on the image. I cut the oval and the mat with my Coluzzle. The striped pattern paper is My Mind's Eye. I created a ribbon slide for my twill ribbon. I stamped "relax" using some $1 Michael's acrylic stamps. I matted the sentiment, and then I cut the ribbon slots using a Making Memories slot tool. I love the twill. I distressed everything with chalk ink. So, what do you think?

My girls have summer band this morning, and then we NEED to run to WalMart. We have lots of miscellaneous items that we're running out of. That's not good, because that means we'll be spending way too much money. It's horrible how expensive everything is right now. It's not just the gas prices.

I hope you have a great 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!

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!

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!

Penguin Vacation Card

My very good blogging friend Deb at Stampin' on the Mountain is going on a much-anticipated vacation to Kauai, and that gave me the perfect opportunity to use my new penguin stamp on a card for her! I hope Deb has the best vacation ever! She really deserves this time away!


My SBS2 Sister Becky posted the CUTEST cards using this stamp, and after I saw her cards, I just had to buy the stamp! Look at her first card here, and then another one here! You really need to check out her creations, and I'm sure you'll agree that they're AMAZING!

For my card, I stamped the penguin, and I used colored pencils and gamsol on the image. I added a tiny bit of Stickles to the center of the flower on her head. The sun and the palm tree were detail cut from some awesome paper that I found in the Target $1 spot. Target papers are so very thin, but they're really CUTE! Both the palm tree and the sun have some foil on them. Very cool! The "vacation" ribbon is also from the Target $1 spot. I wanted to create a "scene", so I tore paper to look like a beach, the water, and the sky. What do you think? I was thrilled with the way this card turned out, and better yet? Deb loved it too!

It's rainy and gloomy here today, but that's OK, because we did have three awesome days in a row. It was actually warm, and the SUN was out! I hope you all have a wonderful day. Thanks for stopping by!

Bunny Easter Card - Sketch Challenge

I finally got a chance to create a card for Nicola's Sketch #5 Challenge. If you haven't done one of her sketches, you should give it a try!


I struggled with this card at first, because the sketch seems to be for a square card, but I wanted to make sure I could fit it in an envelope, so I created it in my usual 4.25" x 5.5" size. The harlequin patterned paper is from a DCWV glitter mat stack. The blue layer is featuring another NEW Cuttlebug large embossing folder. This one is harlequin. I stamped a bunny stamp that I've had for a long time, and I used colored pencils and gamsol on it. I actually shaded the bunny a little, and I'm pretty happy with the way the shading turned out! I added one small Prima with a brad.

Thanks for stopping by!

Bella Rocks & More HAPPY Mail!

I wanted to use another Bella image that I received, AND I wanted to use another NEW Cuttlebug large embossing folder. I'm happy to say that I was able to do both!


My SBS2 Secret Sister sent me Bella stamped images, and this one is just the coolest! Look at Bella with her guitar. She really ROCKS! I'm loving this new embossing folder. It's called allegro. Both of my girls are very musical, so this folder was a MUST for me. The ribbon is fantastic, and I think I got it at Hobby Lobby. The "you rock" is Karen Foster snap stamps. I colored the image with pencils and used gamsol. I'm very happy with the way this card turned out!


I'm happy to say that I finally know WHO sent me the wonderful Bella images! I received my SBS2 "reveal" package yesterday. My secret sister is Inking Aloud's, Lori T. Lori is so talented, and it's always so much fun to visit her blog, because all of her creations are such eye candy! We're also both on Tamara's Sketches! card design team. Very cool! I had NO CLUE that Lori was my secret sister, and she was an awesome secret sister. This is the card that I received with my reveal package. I love the red and turquoise. It's such a pretty card!


Lori also sent me an altered notepad and pen. Isn't this fantastic? I love it! Such a pretty color, and the stamping is perfect!


Look at these monogram sticky notes! So cool, all different colors, and I love the dots! Such happy sticky notes! They're sitting here right on my desk!


She also sent me lots of packages of BLING! Love it all, and I will use it all, because I just love bling! Such pretty rhinestones! Plus, look at the jumbo altered paper clip! Gorgeous! The red and brown is so striking!


The altered paper clip is worth a second look. It's so pretty! I love it! I love it ALL! Thank you so much Lori! You were just an awesome secret sister! I am one of the luckiest bloggers that I know! I have "met" such amazing women, and you're all so wonderful, generous, and kind! Thank you!

Well, if you saw my 10 p.m. post and photo from last night (below), you will know that I'm a little bit crabby today, because we got more snow! It's heavy and wet, and I need to go outside to finish shoveling it. I did a little bit of it already, and I'm tired! Ugh! Yuck! I guess all of this will just make me appreciate spring so much more when it finally arrives! Have a wonderful day! Thanks for stopping by!

First Bella Card!

My SBS2 secret sister sent me some wonderful Bella stamped images, and I'm FINALLY getting a chance to use one!


I'm also showing you ANOTHER NEW Cuttlebug large embossing folder! This is the paisley, and I love it! I colored Bella with colored pencils and used gamsol. I added a Prima Sprite, a beautiful Making Memories brad, some Michael's ribbon, and I was done. I can't wait to use more of the Bella images that I got, because they're all fantastic! Thank you SBS2 secret sister!

I have lots of errands to run today, so I'll catch up with all of you either later today or later in the weekend. Thanks for stopping by!!

Bird Card

I got a couple NEW Cuttlebug large embossing folders. I LOVE the large embossing folders! This one is birds and swirls. It's so pretty!

The bird stamp is from a Stampin' Up set, and I don't think I've ever used it before, but wow, is it PERFECT on this card! I love it! I colored the bird with colored pencils and used gamsol. I added a Prima with a button, some twill, and three brads. I'm really pleased with this card! It's subtle and I love all the natural colors.

It's so COLD again! This winter is exhausting! I just wish it would warm up a little! Thanks for stopping by!!

Eat Dessert First!

I got this great image in an image swap from Flossie. It just cracks me up! Words to live by though, don't you think?!!


This is for Nicola's Sketch #4. I've never made a tent topper card before, so I wasn't really sure of sizes, etc., but this turned out just fine. I wanted it to fit into an envelope, so I used that as my size guideline. The card itself is a 4 1/4" square with rounded corners. The square scallop was cut using Mini Monograms. I used colored pencils and gamsol for the coloring, and I added a couple of Primas with a rhinestone. The card front is DCWV Pocket Full of Posies.


Here are my girls after the music competition on Saturday. They're proudly wearing their medals! Them both wearing striped sweaters was an accident . . . they normally don't dress alike!! I was really proud of them! Then again, I'm always proud of them!

Thanks for stopping by!

Rock Star

I was anxious to use the stamp that I won from Elaine. This Rock Star stamp is very cute.


I made this card for my girlfriend Kathy's son. He just started guitar lessons, so I'm going to send this to her so that she can give it to him. He's blond, and he has a black guitar, so I tried to personalize it a little with my coloring. I used colored pencils and gamsol. I even used pretty paper! I used Basic Grey Skate Shoppe paper for my card front. The extra guitar stamp is from ki Memories. The "you rock" stamp is Love, Elsie Roxie. I even broke out the Tim Holtz texture hammer, and I smashed my brads! Look at me . . . using stuff! Woohoo! By the way, did you notice that I drew the mouth on the image? Some of these images don't have mouths, and I wanted him to have a mouth. Does it look OK?

Thanks for stopping by!

Hanna - But I Need It . . .

Thanks to the SBS2 image swap, I got this Hanna image from Bonnie. Isn't Hanna fun?


This is a theme card for me yesterday with the QVC craft day! Except, I know that I don't need it, I just WANT it! Once again, I let a DCWV Glitter Mat Stack inspire my card. I used gamsol and colored pencils to color Hanna. I used my Coluzzle to cut the circles. I added a flower gem to one shopping bag, and three gems off to the side, because Hanna needs a little bling!

We have more bad weather heading our way. More snow . . . yuck! Thanks for stopping by!

SNOW DAY, You Float My Boat, and an Award!

It's a SNOW DAY! My girls are home from school! We have a lot of snow outside, and it's still snowing. My husband is stuck in Florida, and he can't get a flight home since they are all getting canceled. Well, I guess if you're going to be stuck somewhere, it's good to be stuck somewhere with warm weather! I don't actually know how to work the snow blower though, so I'll be shoveling in a little bit. My back hurts already just thinking about it!


I got some great images in a small SBS2 image swap. These came from Lori, and I just had to do some gamsol coloring last night with these Stampin' Up images. I think this boat is so cute. I added the Prima as an afterthought, and now I'm thinking it looks out of place on a nautical card. Hhhmmm . . . I love those little clouds of smoke! Aren't they cute?


Next, I got an award from my SBS2 sister Kathleen and from my very good blogging friend Andrea. Thank you ladies. I'm seriously honored when someone presents me with these awards! I think they're so fun! I'll be happy to spread the love! This time, I'm going to concentrate on some of my SBS2 sisters. I'm spreading the love to seven of my sisters: AnnMarie, Becky, Bonnie, Flossie, Lori, Lori, and Maria. It's hard to give these awards out, because I want to give it to everyone! Thank you Kathleen and Andrea! I'm thrilled that you thought of me!

Thanks for stopping by everyone! Have a great weekend!

Be Marvelous

I'm taking part in an image swap with some of my SBS2 sisters. I got some great images yesterday from Flossie, and I just had to put a card together! She sent me both the lady in the hat AND the "be marvelous" sentiment.


I used colored pencils and gamsol for the coloring. I cut the circles with my Coluzzle, and the scallop was made using Mini Mongrams and my Cricut. I paper pierced each scallop, but you can't see that too well. The patterned paper card front is ticket-punched DCWV Pocket Full of Posies, and the ribbon is American Crafts. I added three brads to the ribbon. I know exactly WHO I'm sending this card to! It's perfect for her!

Thanks for stopping by!