Happiness....

As Valentine's Day approaches I can't help but think of all the people that are alone. The Holiday for Lover's can make a person feel so empty and sad because they aren't celebrating the day with the love of their lives. It leaves a person thinking about the love they never had, the love they wish they had and the love they let go. I try to think of the day as a time set apart from the rest of our days to remind important people in our lives that they are loved. I like to make sure that my Children, my Grandchildren and my Grandparents know how I feel about them. It's important to remember those who are alone. Make a special card for them. Maybe you have time to have lunch with them. That is what Valentine's Day is to me. Share your time with the people in your life that don't get that box of chocolates this year. It will make your Valentine's Day even better.

Addicted To Stamps and More. 

It's our Photo Challenge and here is our inspiration.

Our Sponsor this for this Challenge is Stamplorstions and the prize this week is a $10 Gift Certificate 

I did a "Z" card for the challenge this week:

• To start this card you need one piece of cardstock for the base of your card 5 1/4" x 12"
• along the 12" side you will score your paper at 2", 4" 8" and 10"
• I cut two pieces of red/white paper at 1 3/4" x 3" and used them to decorate the front two panels.
• The wood paper was cut 1 3/4" x  2" for the bottom of the panels and I glued ribbon across the center to hide the seam.
• The inside piece was cut 3 3/4" x  5" and the sentiment piece was added to look like a pocket.
• I folded and adhered a lace doily to look like a hankie.
• The Happiness piece is from our Sponsor this week I adhered it to the left panel after coloring it in with Prisma color Pencils.

I hope you enjoyed the card and you get a chance to enter our challenge this week. I can't wait to see what you create! Please remember to follow my blog and make sure to leave your comments and questions in the box below. See you soon and Happy crafting!

I will be entering this in the following challenge:
Through The Craft Room Door
power poppy Challenge

Sending lots of Love

Today at the Outlawz.ning.com We have a Challenge for each day of the week and I am a Guest Designer for them this month. Today, Monday, is the start of another Outlawz Greeting Challenge and this week the theme is "Think Spring" you also have to include a Greeting on the card for this Challenge. With "Cabin Fever" starting to hit everyone this is a great time to "Think Spring".

Robyn's Fetish Digital Stamps

Prize is: 3 images

• To start this card I used an eraser to remove the extra ink from the Digital stamp I printed out with my home printer.
• I water colored the stones, frogs and well.
• I used ribbon from my stash and glued it to the back of my green dotted card stock.
• When it was dry I used the Memory Box stitched Circle Die to cut out the well and used foam dots to adhere it to the card.
• The Greeting is from an Art-C sentiment kit and stamped onto yellow card stock and adhered to the bottom of the card.
• The frog is a button. I removed the loop on the back, tied tread into a bow around his wrist and glued him above the Greeting.

Isn't that frog a hoot!?! I have had him in  my stash for years and waiting for the right project to come along. and viola, Here it is! He is just leaping off the page for a hug. I hope that this and the other DT cards have inspired you. I can;t wait to see what you have created! ~Hugz~

Love Love me do.....

Hello Everyone, How are you today? I hope everybody is having a Fantastic Friday! I have a cheery Valentine's card for you today. It's a stamp called Love Bug from Unity Stamp Company. I love this stamp set. It came with several sentiment options and the image itself is very versatile. The Unity Stamp Company has a Facebook page called {Unity Show & Tell} and they have started a new challenge for their members.  

This week it is a Sketch Challenge.

Here is my card for the challenge:

I water color painted the image and then I added the scenery around the car using a masking technique. The License Plate Sentiment came with the set. I added some sequins for sparkle and fun. The Song Sentiment is also included with the set. I used part of the sky I made from the car and then I added the heart and sequins for some color and detail. The hearts were also included in the set and I stamped them as if they are fly in the sky. Once I had everything adhered to my 5 x 7 card I added stickles randomly around the card for sparkle. I hope you enjoy the card. I hope everyone has a blessed weekend! 

Your Age is Our Secret

I was wondering today how many people try to ignore a birthday because they hate getting older? I was also wondering how many people hide how old they really are and tell everyone they are younger? In today's society its frowned upon to be "older." The focus is young, sleek and sexy so does that encourage more people to hide their age? Everywhere you look the media is bombarding us with how we can be thinner, look younger, feel younger and have more energy. It's like everyone is trying to make time stand still. Age is the natural progression of our bodies but yet we resist it, loathe it, hate it. With all of this on my mind this morning it inspired me to make a birthday card reflecting the resistance of age....here's my card.

• This is an A2 size card (4 1/4" x 5 1/2") I started out with the monkey's stamp. It's from Stampabilities it's called 3 Wise Monkey's. I purchased it at Hobby Lobby and I stamped it with Lawn Fawn Black Licorice Ink.
• I used Prisma Colored Pencils to color the image and then used a die set from Gina Marie Designs for both layers.
• The sentiment is Happy Messages from Stampendous. I used WOW white embossing powder so it would stand out against the dark background.
• The hat and bowl of chips are buttons from my stash.

I used a little bit of humor on the card...couldn't help it. I just adore the stamp and thought it was perfect for this card. I kept the embellishments really simple because I want the image to be the focus. I hope you enjoy my card and it inspires you to run to your craft room and whip up something fun and playful! Hugz

Hello There...

Hello There Everyone and Welcome. This morning it was still snowing from yesterdays storm. We had a bit of a blizzard going on and travel was really bad. I was reminded that these snow storms not only close schools and make it hard for us to get around but they also make an already difficult situation for our seniors even worse. Our senior citizens have medical needs. They need to keep their doctor appointments, or to get to the pharmacy to pick-up their medications. Sometimes its as simple as they need to get to the food shelf or the grocery store. We hustle around taking care of our families and our parents are left to figure it out on their own. Its such a simple step to remember that Grandma, Grandpa, Mom and Dad need us to check on them during these storms. They need a ride or maybe for us to pick something up for them. I was reminded today how hard it is for them.....This inspired me to make a card to just say hello and to remind them that I'm here and ready to help with the things they might need. Here is my card.

I water colored the images with TH Distress Inks.

I water colored the grassy area the same way.

I used Stormy Sky Distress Ink and a mask cut like the top of clouds to form the sky.

The butterflies and her ribbon have Diamond Stickles and the center of the flowers have glossy accents.

I used WOW white embossing powder fro the sentiment "Hello"

The purple Jems are from my stash.

The Stitched rectangle is a die cut with Gina Marie Designs.

I hope that everyone remembers their elderly Family members during the storms. Stop by, have a cup of coffee and just say hello. Take them out to lunch before you get their groceries. Its time will never regret spending with them. I hope this finds you all well, safe, healthy and blessed. Hugz

Excellent Easter Chicks

Hello Everyone and Welcome pull up and chair and grab a cup of coffee, or tea. Today, I was thinking about my Grandchildren and the up coming Holiday. No not Valentine's Day...Easter. How does your family celebrate Easter? Do you have a big breakfast after Church, or maybe an Easter Egg Hunt with all of the children and then a brunch? For me and my Family its a special day. My three children come over with their spouses and all the Grandchildren, seven of them. We have a Brunch set out Buffet style so everyone can eat at their leisure. I stuff 120 eggs and hide them all over the house, outside if it's nice. I also make an Easter basket for all the grandchildren and I hide them, too. The kids have a blast trying to find them all. It's so much fun watching them scatter about and giggling the whole time. There have been so many years when an egg doesn't get found for months..lol I can't remember where I put all of them. I love watching the children and their happy faces. All of this made me dig out a stamp set I bought at Hobby Lobby for probably $1. I knew I had to make this card. I will be sending it to one of the grandchildren.

• I stamped the image with archival ink. Then I pulled out my TH Distress inks and started painting.
• Once I had the stamps painted the way I wanted I wet the paper and laid some pumice stone ink onto the ground and around the images.
• I splattered black ink to make the gravel appearance along with Vintage Photo. 
• For the grass I used mowed lawn and drew grass randomly around the card.
• The Salty Ocean was perfect for the clouds masking technique. I used the mini inker to do this.
• Mustard seed is the color of the sun. I just dabbed it on the mini ink pad and the rubbed it in a circular motion on to the sky.
• I used a piece of Pink cardstock for the matting and then adhered it to an A2 size card.
• The little banners are from a sentiment kit from last year. I just cut the ends to make the banner points.
• The Pink and white thread was wrapped three times around the crease of the card and then tied into a bow.

I love this little stamp set by Prima. It not only has eggs in the basket but the Bible, too. All to often people are in a hurry to celebrate the holidays lately but forget what the Holiday is all about. You can't Have an Easter Celebration without acknowledging that it is about Jesus, his sacrifice and his rising. I Hope that your and your families Easter brings you Peace, Good Health and Happiness. HUGZ

I will be posting this in the following challenges:

http://www.thedailymarker.com/

http://lilpatchofcraftyfriends.blogspot.com/

http://www.wordartwednesday.blogspot.com/

http://lemonshortbreadchallenge.blogspot.com/

Love is the Link

Hello Everyone and Welcome to the first Outlawz.ning.com Greetings Challenge for the month of February. I'm honored to be a Guest Designer for February. The Greetings Challenge Theme for this week is "Love is in the Air" and You have to use something with wings in your image or embellishments. The sponsor for this week is Creative Bug Digis and I highly recommend you check them out. They have a nice selection of Digi's that are as cute as can be. The Winner of this Challenge will receive 5 Free Images! Here is my card.

She is called Mrs. Sunshine and isn't she cute as can bee? I loved water coloring this card with Tim Holtz Distress Ink. The image had so much going on that it made it fun to do. After I water colored her I decided to use Tim Holtz Distress Ink and a Mini Inker to make the dirt. For the clouds I used the cloud masking technique and Broken China Distress Ink. I added Glossy accents to the Rose Water in her little jar. I found the sentiment stamped on vellum from a project I was doing last year and never used. It seemed perfect for this card. I added a little Frog on one corner of the vellum and  a little flower on the other. This way I could cover up the glue spots from adhering the vellum ;). The ribbons are all from my stock and the little Dragonfly is a button I had picked up last year. I hope that this has inspired you. I can't wait to see what all of you are going to create this week! Have a blessed week.

I plan on entering this in the following challenges:
Eureka Blog Challenge
catch the bug blog
simon says monday challenge
lemonshortbread challenge
Tuesday throwdown