GRAND OPENING OF THE PEACHY KEEN CHALLENGE BLOG TODAY!!!!

Good morning, stamping friends! I'm so excited about what I have to share with you today, because it's a card made with my first ever Peachy Keen Stamps!! WoooHooo! I'm so thrilled about being a part of this amazing team. I made this card with the Piggy Tubby Time stamp. I tell ya that there is nothing more adorable than little baby pigs, and these are the cutest of the cute. I decided to do this card as a tribute to my DH (Darling Husband...he always asks me what is a DH, and why am I one.;-). Why, you might ask am I dedicating this card to him? Well first and foremost, he is my biggest fan...heck...he's probably my ONLY fan, but at any rate, he is so supportive. I think he checks my blog and the comments more than I do, and he sure gets a kick out of many of them!! Secondly, my DH deals with piggies every day, and many times they are the cute little adorable piggies. The pretty shiny pink ones that are so adorable until they start getting much, much bigger. My dad owns a livestock trucking business, and Allen hauls little pigs from one farm to another, sometimes 1,200-1,500 of them at a time!! I guess you could say that Al has a true appreciation of just how cute a little pig can be, so this one's for you honey!

In deciding what colors I was going to use, it didn't take me long. Of course pink would be involved, becaue pink piggies are my favorite, then I though brown of course, becaue there's usually mud involved where pigs are concerned. No mud on these babies, though! They are clean as a whistle!!! I punched some circles, added some shading and glitter, and layered them around the piggies. I couldn't decide on ribbon, then remembered that I had a piece of lace that I had crocheted quite some time ago, so I pulled that out and it fit the bill perfectly! I added a few more bubbles here and there, and then went in search of a sentiment. When I found my PTI Green Thumb set with the "May the simple things in life be yours" sentiment, I knew that would be perfect for this. I deviated a little bit from the sketch, but tried to incorporate as much as I could into this card. I decided to do a 5x7 card to accomodate the larger image. I LOVE painting the larger images!

Here's a close up of the card, so you can see the dimension and glitter a little better. I'm not very good a close ups, so any advice would be appreciated. Be sure to hop on over to the Peachy Keen Challenge Blog, and sign up to be a follower. You'll be entered into a drawing for three gift certificates that will be given away, and followers of the blog will get the following special promotion:

You can redeem this coupon at www.peachykeenstamps.com at checkout! I have activated this code, and it is available until 12 midnight Central Standard Time June 30th. We are in the same time zone as Chicago if that helps at all. The code will save you 20% off your entire purchase with the exception of gift certificates and gamsol.
BLOGSAVE20 is the coupon code. Please note it must be entered as UPPERCASE letter and the number TWENTY at the end. There is a minimum $15.00 purchase and for our USA customers, we still have the 99 cent shipping until tomorrow night too!

Card Details

Paper: Pink Pirouette Textured Card stock, DCWV Garden Party DP, Canson Watercolor paper, Chocolate Chip

Ink: Various SU inks for watercoloring, Chocolate Chip marker

Stamps: Piggy Tubby Time (Peachy Keen Stamps)

Accessories: Hand crocheted lace, circle punches, dimensionals, Large Oval Punch, Scalloped Edge Oval Punch, Dazzling Diamonds glitter, 2-way Glue Pen, White Signo Gel Pen, Black Marker, Aquapainter, Blender pen

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I would also like to remind you that today is the farewell blog hope for Cindy, Faith, Lorie, Deb, and Sarah. Please log on to Sweet -n Sassy Stamps blog to start the hop, and wish them a fond farewell. These are some amazingly talented women, and I'm sad to see them go, but wish them well in all their endeavors. You can also find links to this hop in my sidebar. Tomorrow begins the blog hop for the new DT, and I know they would love your support as well. My day will be July 2nd, and I hope to see you all there hip hoppin' away!!

Thank you so much for stopping by on this beautiful day. I love that you have taken the time to spend just a little bit of your busy day here. Your comments are always welcomed and appreciated, just as you are, and it is my hope that you've found some inspiration and uplifting thoughts. I hope you will come back soon! Have a glorious and blessed day, my wonderful stamping friends!

Love Ya!

PEACHY KEEN NEWS!!!!!!!!

Good morning, my happy stamping friends!! I am so excited to share my news with you about Peach Keen Stamps. I received an email yesterday from Kathy Jakopovich, the owner of Peachy Keen stamps, to let me know that I have been chosen for their Design Team! Wooohoooo!!! Can you say EXCITED?? I quite literally stumbled upon their DT call on Splitcoaststampers, and as I was looking at PK's website, I commented to my DH that their stamps had the cutest little familiar faces, and that I would LOVE to be on their DT to get the chance to work with those stamps, because they are just so darned cute! So, cut to the chase, I gathered my information and sent it to Kathy's email address, because there wasn't much time left to apply. I honestly figured that I didn't stand much of a chance at getting a spot since there were only two positions being filled, and the competition is undoubtedly fierce. I know very well that there are a lot of talented stampers/artists out there. After I got my information sent in, I felt compelled to go back to Peachy Keen's website to look around a little more, becaue I couldn't get it out of my head how familiar the faces on those adorable animals and snowmen looked. As I was surfing around the site, I found the place where Kathy was offering her Paint A Happy Face books, and the light went on! I have been tole painting from Kathy's books for YEARS! I have painted everything from wooden sleds with the adorable "What's So Funny Snowman" to fruit jars, candles and light bulbls with those oh, so cute gingerbread and snowman faces with crew socks on their heads for hats! They are the most adorable little gifts, and always sell so well at our church's Apple Festival/Craft Bazaar. When I finally put it all together, and realized that Kathy was the same lady who had written some of my all time favorite tole painting books, I was even more excited at the possibility of working on her design team. I felt like I had found a dear friend whom I had lost touch with!! Maybe this little story will help you understand why I was so excited to hear from Kathy yesterday! I'm still on cloud nine!!!

Peachy Keen Stamps will be holding the GRAND OPENING of their new challenge blog on Tuesday, June 30th. Please drop by, sign up to follow (have the chance to win a fabulous prize), play along, and help welcome them to the wonderful world of blogging. It's all still a pretty new experience to me, but I have to say that I have met some of the most kind, caring, and wonderful people in my life through blogs and blogging, and I know that this experience will only become more of a blessing as I continue the journey. To Kathy, and everyone at Peach Keen Stamps... Thank you very much! I am thrilled to have this opportunity, and I look forward to a wonderful, creative journey representing Peachy Keen Stamps!

Thank you for stopping by today, and I hope your day is filled with people and things that you love! May our good Lord bless and keep you!

Love Ya!

Saturday Sweet Stop Sketch

Good Saturday morning to you, friends! With Saturday comes yet another fabulous challenge from the Sweet Stop. Every week, I think the sketch can't be topped, but every week I find myself loving the new sketch even more than the last. This week's sketch was certainly no exception. Hop on over to The Sweet Stop Blog to check out some amazing samples by the Design Team, and be sure to play along, and leave a link to your creation so we can see how much fun you're having with this sketch too. I love seeing how many variations there can be to one sketch, and I can't wait to see what you'll do with this one!

Here is my submission for this week's challenge, using the newly released Birthday Buddies set from Sweet -n Sassy Stamps. I think I've mentioned it before on my blog, but it bears repeating that this is one fantastic stamp set! It comes with three adorable little animals, along with some great sentiments and the little extras for the background. I tried to use most of them in order to showcase the versatility of this set! I think it's a must have to add to any stamp collection. I used some of my gorgeous glittery DCWV Garden Party paper stash, becaue it matched my watercolor choices. I seldom "plan" out a card. I usually watercolor the image and then go in search of paper to match my choices. I guess that's kind of a backwards way of doing things, but it seems to work for me, so to quote my dear Great Grandpa..."If it ain't broke, don't fix it". Good old common sense wisdom there for ya! ;-D I finished this card off with some pretty pearl embellishments that were a gift from my Secret Santa, Kadie, and added the fabulous organza/satin ribbon from Stampin' Up!. I LOVE that ribbon, because I think it makes such pretty bows, and it's great to work with.

Supply List

Paper: Baja Breeze, Kiwi Kiss, Canson Watercolor Paper, DCWV Garden Party

Ink: Various SU ink for watercoloring, Not Quite Navy, Black Stazon

Stamps: Birthday Buddies (Sweet -n Sassy Stamps)

Accessories: Colored flat back pearls, Scallop Circle Punch, Organza Ribbon, Aquapainter/Blender Pen, Circle Punch

I hope you are having a wonderful weekend so far. It's a pleasure to have you stop by today, and I look forward to your comments. Please enjoy the rest of your weekend! May God bless and keep you!!

Love Ya!

Grrrrrrreat Camping

Good morning to ya, and Happy Friday!! Another week has flown by, and I've been spending a lot of it stamping. I'm trying to get ahead in posts, sketches, and blog hops. Did you see the Sweet -n Sassy blog hop schedule in the right hand sidebar of my blog. Be sure to check it out. There will be lots of fun and inspiration along the way, so please be sure to hop along!! I made this card today again, just for fun, but I used the Wednesday SCS Sketch Challenge for the lay out. I just recently got this set, and while I don't camp anymore, I couldn't resist this adorable guy! When I found the K&Co. paper with all the camping things it was easy to decide where to go with this one. I liked all the cute images printed on the heavy paper, so I cut them out and made use of those. I finished it off with some brads, a sunshine paper clip, and stitching with hemp twine.

Here's a little closer vew of the layers.

Supply List

Paper: Kiwi Kiss, Chocolate Chip, Bella Rose DSP, K&Co. DP, Canson Watercolor Paper

Ink: Black Stazon, Various SU ink for watercoloring

Stamps: SU Under the Stars

Accessories: Hemp twine, brads, paperclip, ribbon

I appreciate your visit to my blog today, and I hope your day is beautiful. Many blessings to you and yours, and please come back soon!

Love Ya!

Cake and Candles

How about a birthday card today? This digital stamp by Victoria Case is Cake and Candles. My DH commented how much he liked the look of this card, and said that she reminds him of a lady from the 1950's. I guess I can see that. I think she's pretty adorable. I love her coordinating skirt and headband! My all time favorite technique of course is watercoloring, and I especially love the large images. This a large image, so that made it perfect for a 6x6 card. I hit a sale at Michaels the other day, and scored some of this wonderful K&Co. paper that has the pretty punching along the edges. I just LOVE it!! I added the sentiment from the Sweet -n Sassy Stamps Birthday Buddies set, and embellished with primas, and ribbon. Nothing too fancy, but oh, did I enjoy coloring this beauty. Especially her hair!! I'm a fan of big hair, and she's got a great poof going on!!

Here's a closer view of the layers. I swear if it weren't for dimensionals, I would never be able to put a card together!
Supply List
Paper: Textured gray card stock, basic black, Canson watercolor paper, K&Co. DP
Ink: Basic Black, Various SU ink for watercoloring
Stamps: Victoria Case Cake and Candles Digi, Birthday Buddies (sentiment)
Accessories: Big Shot, Lots of Tags Die, Ribbon, Primas, Brads, Aquapainter, Blender Pen

I hope you have found some inspiration here today. I'm very happy that you could stop by and spend some time here. Please come back soon, and my our good Lord bless and keep you and yours today and always!

Love Ya!

Sweet Stop Sketch Challenge

Good Monday afternoon to you! Hope this day finds all well with you, and that you are staying cool. That's a tough order to fill in our neck of the woods today. The outdoor thermometer read 108.3 degrees a few minutes ago. I guess you could say it's as hot as a fire cracker, so that's what I'm going to share with you today. This card was made for the Sweet Stop Sketch Challenge #09, which was a sketch with a twist, and the twist was to use red, white, and blue. Click on the link in my left sidebar and jump over there to upload your submission and play along.

The image for this card is the newest digital release from Sweet -n Sassy Stamps. Korin came up with this fabulous digi just in time for those Independence Day cards. I think I will use this one for my Sisterhood of the Traveling Cards Swap. Lady Catherine is our hostess this month, and paying homage to our country, as well as those who are bravely serving our country is her theme for this month. A perfect choice, I thought, and bless Korin, because this digi arrived in my email box just as I was stressing because I have NO patriotic stamps. She saved the day for me!! I will say that the rest of this card I struggled with. We are fresh out of any patriotic paper in our area, so I made my own with what I could find that was rustic, as well as red and white. I sponged the edges of everything with Tim Holtz distress ink in vintage photo. The sparks from the bottom of the rocket have glitter on them, but it doesn't show up well in the picture.

Supply List

Paper: Night of Navy, Riding Hood Red, Rusty Pickle DP, Canson Watercolor paper

Ink: Black Stazon, Various SU Ink for watercoloring, Tim Holtz Vintage Photo

Stamps: Sweet -n Sassy Digital Release

Accessories: Star punch, Large Star Punch, Sponge, Star Brad, Round Brads, Riding Hood Red Ribbon, Dazzling Diamonds Glitter

I'm thrilled you could stop by today. Please come back soon!

Love Ya!

The Birthday Queen

Happy Sunday friends! I'm so happy to share some of the pictures of my Granny celebrating her 87th birthday yesterday. We had such a good day, and she was so cute. She is pictured here with the flowers Grandpa gave her for her birthday. I don't know who is more proud of these beauties...Granny, or Grandpa. We literally have to carry them from room to room, so she can enjoy them, and should you happen to forget to bring them with you, no worries, because she will remind you!!! :-D This woman is one of the sweetest people to bless this glorious earth, and I cherish each and every moment spent with her. She really enjoyed her day, and loved her tiara and queen banner. What a gift this special day was for all of us. We enjoyed a wonderful cookout (rain and all), along with the love and fellowship of family, and we can't wait to do it all again next year!!

A close up shot of our queen. What a gorgeous smile!! We are sooooooo lucky!!! I did spend some time on Friday night and Saturday finishing up my niece Madisyn's birthday invitations. My sweet sister, Wendi, did help finish them by printing and stamping the inside, and old forgetful me failed to get a picture of the inside. For that, we followed up the Once Upon A Time with...It Was Madisyn's Birthday, along with all the deets about where, and when. I also stamped the adorable Princess Anya from The Greeting Farm, to include on the inside for all Madisyn's cousins and friends to color. My Princess Anya stamp was a blog candy win from my friend Kadie. I chose that stamp specifically to use for projects for my nieces. THANKS, KADIE!!!!!

Here's a close up of the invitation.

Supply List
Paper: Chocolate Chip, Whisper White, Pink Pirouette DSP, Pink Pirouette
Ink: Basic Gray, Chocolate Chip, Pink Pirouette
Stamps: Perfect Princess, Once Upon A Time (Both SU), Princess Anya (TGF)

Accessories: Pink Chunky Glitter, Dazzling Diamonds, Rinestones

Thanks for popping in today. I've been working on a card for the Sweet Stop Sketch Challenge and I will have that to share with you tomorrow. It's a little late, but with all the birthday preparations and celebration, I've been happily preoccupied! Have a glorious evening, and may our good Lord bless and keep you.

Love ya!

Sassy Stampers Stamping Fun

I'd like to share the projects from my Jefferson City Sassy Stampers Club with you. We met on Monday night, and other than a lot of rain early in the day, it was a glorious and beautiful day. We had some good food, fabulous fellowship, and lots of happy stamping putting this card and recipe page together, and I hope you enjoy our efforts!! This card is a case from the fabulous blog of Jill Hilliard. I love Jills blog, and enjoy her crisp clean style of stamping, as well as all the wonderful projects she creates using Stampin' Up! product. This was a quick and easy card showcasing use of the Big Shot with both the Top Note Die, and the Texture Plates. It's a bit hard to see in the photo, but IRL the Texture Plates are a very nice touch. This particular plate is one of Stampin' Up'!'s exclusive backgrounds, and they are such a bargain!! You get three double sided plates (6 different backgrounds) for only $11.95! I thought that was a steal!!!!! The Top Note Die is also a Stampin' Up! exclusive, and it is my all time favorite! There are so many uses for this thing, and the creative projects using it just keep coming. I chose to use the wonderful Parisian Breeze Specialty paper for the purse, and added those gorgeous corduroy buttons for the snap. The sentiment is a sneek peek from one of the level three hostess sets from the new catty. I promise you're going to LOVE the new Stampin' Up! catalog! It's one of the best yet, in my humble opinion. This was truly a quick card, and I just love my purses, so I had to try this technique out with the girls, and I think they liked it too!

Our 6x6 recipe page this month is a bright and cheerful page that went so well with the Fruit Pizza recipe submitted by our hostess Geana Godsy. The Tart and Tangy stamp set is so much fun to use with the markers, and we tried out the rock and roll technique with the orange slices. That's a great technique to use for getting more than one color on a stamp without the markers.

Our group of Sassy Stampers share a closeness and love for stamping together that is unsurpassed. They are a wonderful bunch of supportive friends, and I'm so thanful to God for bringing and keeping us all together. It's truly a blessing beyond words to be in the company of this amazing group of women! Stamp on Sassy Stampers...STAMP ON!!!!

Much Love To You All!!

Sweet -n Sassy Release Party TONIGHT!!!

Are you ready for a par-tay?!!! Tonight's the night!! Sweet -n Sassy Stamps is hosting a release party tonight from 8-10 p.m. (Eastern Time) for the release of 5 new stamp sets. Come join in all the fun!!!!!

In celebration of the party at Sweet -n Sassy Stamps, I'm sharing a card made with the Birthday Buddies stamp set that is one of the featured sets being released. Oh, my goodness, are there ever some cuties in this set, and five sentiments are included, along with some great little stamps for backgrounds. I guess I'm in a mood for bright cheerful cards, because I was drawn to this K&Co. paper, and the white just seemed to frame everything so well, and make it all pop.

Supply List

Paper: Whisper White, Baja Breeze, K& Co. DP

Ink: Black Stazon, Various SU inks for watercoloring, Pixie Pink

Stamps: Birthday Buddies from Sweet -n Sassy Stamps

Accessories: Big Shot, Nesties, Prima Flowers, Corduroy Brads, Wide striped organza ribbon,

I'm so happy you were able to stop by today! It's a cloudy, rainy and dreary day here. I hope it's a beautiful sunny day where you are, but if not, then maybe this card will bring a little light and cheer into your day, as it did mine. May God bless and keep you!

Love Ya!

SSS08

Are you ready for another Sweet -n Sassy challenge? Well, Saturday has arrived, and with that comes another challenge from the Sweet Stop. This is the sketch for Saturday, June 13th, and what a sketch it is! Oh did I ever have fun with this one!! Be sure to check out all the samples from the SNSS DT, because it looks like they enjoyed this one too!

I knew I had put back some of the Stampin' Up! Au Chocolate paper, which retired quite some time ago, and when I saw this Chocoholic stamp set from Sweet -n Sassy Stamps, I knew exactly where my paper stash was going. I have to say that I absolutely LOVE this stamp set!! It has some of the most wonderful sentiments, as well as a variety of chocolate goodies to color. What a delicious treat this would be for anyone's collection, but it's a MUST HAVE for the chocoholic!!

I put my neglected nesties to good use on this card, and since I used scallops to frame the image, I wanted to follow through with more around the sentiment and below the designer paper. The polka dots around the image and on the brad were added by me with a white gel pen.
Supply List
Paper: Very Vanilla, Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa, Au Chocolate DSP (retired)
Ink: Black Stazon, Various SU ink for watercoloring, Chocolate Chip
Stamps: Chocoholic from Sweet -n Sassy Stamps, Noteworthy from Stampin Up! (retired)
Accessories: Chocolate Chip taffeta ribbon, Organza polka dot ribbon, Chocolate Chip Brad, Nestabilities, Cosmo Ultra Fine Glitter, Tombo Adhesive, 3/4" square punch, Scalloped Square Punch, White Gel Pen

Thank you so much for stopping by today. It is my hope that you will find something here to bring you joy, and inspire your creativity. Please come back soon, and have a blessed day!

Love Ya!

This special award was shared with me by a very sweet and special lady who has shared some of the most gorgeous creations I've ever seen with us through her beautiful blog. She has been supportive, encouraging, and always faithful in leaving uplifting comments to not only my blog, but so many others. There are many people out there in cyber stampin' land that proudly and lovingly call her friend, and I'm very happy to be one of them. Thank you sweet Carolyn for this special award! It is now my turn to pass it on, so I would like to share it with a few of my faithful and supportive friends. I'm choosing to share this with:

Kadie

Mary

Sandra

Lauri

Susan

Kelly

Catherine

There are so many more that I could share this with, but I'm going to save some of those friends for the other sisters to pass along to. Please know that I look forward to all of your comments, and am touched and humbled by your kind words and support. Our cirle of friendships keeps growing, and has become such a blessing in my life! You are all beautiful people. Isn't it amazing that I know that even when we've never met personally, and in some cases I've never seen a picture. I know it because of your beautiful, kind and generous souls! Love and hugs to you all, along with my sincere gratitude for all your support and encouragement!

Have a blessed day full of Happy Stampin'!!

Good morning to you! Well, it's Friday, and I'm sure you are all ready for a nice relaxing weekend. I know that I am, and I hope that's what's in store for you!!

Today's card is the new Sweet -n Sassy digital stamp release for this week. Isn't this little bear the cutest? I just love his adorable little face, and I love the rough cut lemonade stand. I couldn't wait to have the chance to watercolor this fella up. I took one of my old aqua painters, and cut off the frayed tips to make more of a bristled or rough brush, and I used a little extra water when coloring (just the bear), to give him more of a textured or fuzzy look. He looks like he needs to be fuzzy to me. I could hardly wait to break in to my new Stampin' Up! supplies and get my inky hands on those new In Colors, and the Wonderful Razzleberry Lemonade paper, both of which I used on this image. For embellishments, I chose the new polka dotted grosgrain ribbon in Melon Mambo, and Crushed Curry, and Dew Drops. I wanted to give the edges of the image a distressed look to go with the lemonade stand, so I used the Soft Suede ink pad in the direct to paper technique. Finally, for the sentiment, I couldn't resist the 5 cent Beary Good Lemonade, which I added by hand with a black marker, and the inside absolutely has to include a packet of lemonade mix with the sentiment "When life hand you lemons...Make Lemonade." What a great summer image to play with, and the possibilities are endless. Thank you once again, Deedee Anderson for a wonderful image. What a talented lady!! You can find a link to this wonderful digital image here.

I am so excited about the New Stampin' Up! catalog. It's beautiful, and I am already starting to love the new In Colors. It's always a bit difficult for me, because every year I think there's no way I could possibly like the new colors, or use them as much as I do the current ones, but the new colors always quickly become some of my favorites. In addition to the new colors, I've seen several new stamp sets and collections that will knock you socks off! I'm also so happy that we are going back to one catalog per year. Much less overwhelming for both the customer and the demonstrator in my opinion. Orders can be placed from the new catalog beginning July 1st. Please be sure to contact me if you would like a copy. I'll be offering a free catalog with your first order (minimum $50.00), and you can place your order online through my website www.loriesouther.stampinup.net, the link to the catalog in my sidebar (link to new catty available July 1st), or email me directly.

Supply List

Paper: Crushed Curry Textured card stock, Melon Mombo, whisper white, Razzleberry Lemonade DSP

Ink: Various SU ink pads for watercoloring, black marker, Soft Suede

Stamps: Sweet -n Sassy Digital Stamp

Accessories: Polka Dotted Grosgrain Ribbon, Dew Drops, White Gel Pen, Aquapainter

Thank you for stopping by my blog today! It is always a pleasure to share with you, and I look forward to your comments. Tomorrow is the Sweet Stop Saturday Sketch Challenge, and I'll have another Sweet -n Sassy card to share with you. Be sure to check out the amazing sketch challenge, and play along. I can't wait to see your creations! Have a blessed day!

Love Ya!

Hangin' By A Thread

Good morning! I've been a little under the weather, and I've been out of the blogging loop for a couple of days. I'm back and feeling better. Definitely like getting some cards made. Today's the day. Cleaning and cards...what could be better, right? Well, that's easy! Forget the cleaning and just do the cards!!! ;-D I hope you don't mind if I share a picture with you today, and what came to my mind as I looked at it.

While enjoying a beautiful day outside a couple of weeks ago, Allen snapped this picture of a caterpillar seeminly suspended in mid air. This little guy was actually hanging by a very delicate thread, no doubt trying to find the perfect place to start spinning a cacoon to morph into a beautiful butterfly. The butterfly. One of God's creatures that make the world a more beautiful place, just by being in it. I couldn't help thinking that this caterpillar might serve a life lesson for us. Do you ever feel like you're the one hanging by a delicate thread? I think we all have times in our lives when we are very much like this catepillar. Hanging by a tiny life line, and looking for a place of comfort and safety where change can make us strong and beautiful. My life line would have to be my faith. My faith that our Lord is good, and is always there, on the other end of my thread, ready to reel me in to the safety and comfort of His loving arms. It's through the warmth, comfort, and safety of His love that we are allowed a glorious change in our lives. A change into a stronger and more beautiful servant of God. Give thanks and praise to God today for change. so that we may make the world a more beautiful place just by being in it!!Thank you so much for stopping by today! I will have a card to share with you tomorrow. I have lots of new stamping toys to play with, so who knows where creativity will lead me! May God bless and keep you within the safety and comfort of His loving arms today and always!

Love Ya!

VC Challenge #2

Hello friends! I Hope you are having a teriffic Monday! I created the card I'm sharing today for the second Victoria Case Challenge. This week the challenge was to use the colors black, white, and pink only. I just recently purchased this adorable kitty stamp from Victoria Case Art Design, and this was the first time it had seen ink. I love this image, but I'm not
entirely happy with the way my coloring turned out. It was kind of hard to get the black and gray colors just the way I wanted, and I didn't feel like I quite got there. I'm okay with it, but I think I'll try again, and make this litte kitty a bit more "aMEWsing" by using different colors. I know...that was sooooo bad, but I couldn't resist! I'm sure Mary Ellen will appreciate it, though. :-D

I stamped the sentiment in both pink and black and offset it for a little bit of a shadow effect. I finished off this cutie with lots of tied ribbon, and some scroll work cut with my Big Shot and Sizzlet die.

Today was a great mail day!! I received 7 new stamp sets from Sweet -n Sassy Stamps. Three of the sets are the first of my DT stamps, and of course I had to place an order for a few more goodies! ;-) I am so going to do some playing after dinner tonight. I've been somewhat lost on Monday nights since I don't have my American Idol to watch, so I'm going to get in some good stamping time this evening. Happy stamping for me, and I hope for you too!!!!

Supply List

Paper: Basic Black, Whisper White, SU Afternoon Tea DSP

Ink: Black Stazon, Various SU inks for watercoloring

Stamps: Victoria Case Kitty

Accessories: Ribbon, Black Brads, Aquapainter, Blender Pen, Big Shot, Scroll Sizzlet Die, SU Oval and Scalloped Oval Punches, White Gel Pen

Thanks so much to all of you who left such nice comments about the Heart of Stampin' Up! award. It's very sweet and kind of you, and I truly appreciate your warm, and gracious thoughts. I wish all of you many happy blessings today and always!

Love Ya!

A Very Special Honor

Hello stamping friends! I have something to share with you this evening that is very touching and special to me. I have spent most of this beautiful day counting my blessings, and being very, very grateful to God for giving me such a caring and loving support system. I was first introduced to stamping, and Stampin' Up! by a local demonstrator, Nancy Williams. The first workshop I ever attended was organized by Nancy, and I very quickly fell in love with this very new form of crafting (at least it was new to me). I attended every workshop and class that I could for almost a year before I decided that I wanted to become a hobby demonstrator and take advantage of getting the discount myself. Nancy was a very supportive and encouraging person to have lead the way for me, but I had no intention of ever hosting a workshop. I just wanted to be able to buy what I felt I couldn't live without at a discount. That lasted about a week and a half until my sister called as said she would like to host one of those parties that I'd just become involved with. That was the beginning of a wonderful journey.

The fearless leader of our fabulous Stampalicious Stampers is the very sweet, kind, and generous Heather Deshayes. Heather is such a special person, and treats all of her downline members like members of her own family. She is truly an inspiration to us all. I have been blessed to attend Regional Conventions, Leadership, and a National Convention with Nancy, Heather, and many of our group of 50+ members, and I can honestly say that the friendships that we have developed between our close knit group of Stampalicious Stampers is a glorious gift. Every year, Heather hosts an appreciation Luau for all of her downline members with delicious food, fabulous fellowhsip, free stamps, and special awards very similar to the awards given by Stampin' Up! at a national level. I was so very happy when Heather announced that my upline Nancy was the winner of the Sales Award within our group. My amazing downline member Lauren Winemiller (who just gave birth to a beautiful baby girl), was the recipient of The Demonstrator of the Year Award, Jennifer Potter (whom I've had wonderful email and telphone conversations with) was the winner of the Recruiting Award. The Rising Star Award went to Traci Falls, whom I haven't yet had the pleasure of meeting , and that left The Heart of Stampin' Up Award... I was shocked, thrilled and honored to be the recipeint of this very special recognition within our group, and I joined the company of my dear friend and upline, Nancy, who was last year's recipient.

In all honesty, I have to say that I don't feel like I am deserving of any awards. I like so many others, put my trust in our Lord to guide me in the direction He has chosen for me. There are most certainly hardships along the way, but the way in which we choose to handle life's challenges serve as an example to those around us, and I couldn't believe more strongly that the giving of yourself to others, and being willing to serve in whatever capacity that God calls you is greatest gift you can give yourself for a happy life. I am so very blessed, and I'm completely humbled by the kind words and generous spirits of my fellow demonstrators. The following is an excerpt from the speech Heather gave last night, and I share it with you not to be prideful, or boastful, but because it means so very much to me. I listened to these words with tears streaming down my face. Happy tears, sad tears, and joyful, joyful tears!!

Heart of Stampin’ Up! Award

Each year at convention SU honors a demonstrator with the Heart of Stampin' Up! Award. Recipients of this award embody the spirit of Stampin' Up!'s Statement of the Heart as they make a difference in people's lives. This demonstrator, as many of you do on a daily basis, has shown extraordinary kindness, dedication, generosity, or a willingness to serve others. This person exemplifies goodness, goes out of her way to help others, and honestly gives of herself.
This award was hard to narrow down as I received numerous emails about kindness that you’ve all shared to each other and to strangers. I am humbled and honored to be a part of this group.
For those of you that do not know, Stampin’ Up’s Statement of the Heart

To love what we do
and share what we love,
as we help others enjoy creativity
and worthwhile accomplishments . . .
in this we make a difference!
This year’s winner is such an outstanding, sincere lady. Not only is she creative, she shows a genuine love for Stampin Up!

She’s been described as:
A generous soul with a huge heart!
SO kind… no matter what is going on in her life, she always takes time to listen to you and help whenever she can!

Nancy Williams writes about the nominee: While going through some unbelievable hardships this past year, she has been faced with her grandparents' failing health and has taken upon herself to care for them in their home by moving in with them. All the while, she still builds her SU business. She has installed internet in her grandparents' home so that she can keep up with her growing business and her beautiful, uplifting blog. She even has a new recruit and has promoted to Senior Supervisor while taking on all these other responsibilities. Her commitment to her business and to her strong faith I think exemplify what Stampin' Up is all about and I'm happy to call her "friend".

For these and hundreds of other reasons I know she is truly deserving of the "Heart of Stamping" award!!
The Heart of Stampin’ Up award goes to Lorie Souther!

This is a picture of the stamp set I received with the Stampin Up! Statement of the Heart, along with the gorgeous braclets that accompanied all of the awards given. The silver charm braclet has a beautiful heart engraved with SU, and the reverse side says Heart of Stampin' Up! 2009. The round charm is an encased mustard seed with the scripture from Matthew 17:20 "If Ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed... Nothing shall be impossible unto you". This scripture, and the significance of the mustard seed is exceptionally special because it is a part of a sermon that was shared with Heather several years ago by her dear mother, Mauretta who passed away suddenly in January. This was such a beautiful way for Heather to honor the memory of her mom, and many of us missed having our chats with Mauretta, as we so often did at various events. She was such a loving and caring woman, with grace and class, and is sadly missed, but joyously, and lovingly remembered by all those who were blessed to know her.

In closing, all I can humbly offer is a very genuine and sincere THANK YOU! Thank you for sharing with me this love and enthusiasm for our craft, for being an inspiration, and for all the encouragement and support along the way. Your love and friendship is one of the greatest blessings in my life! Beyond that...

Stampalicious Stampers...STAMP ON!!! :-)

Love Ya!

Sweet -N Sassy Sketch #7

Hello, and happy weekend to you!! I hope you are enjoying a wonderful and relaxing weekend with your family and friends. I'm excited to share with you today, because I have another fabulous sketch challenge to show you from the Sweet -n Sassy Sketch Challenge. This is my second week to participate, and both weeks have been wonderful sketches to work with! I'm tellin' ya, if you are in need of inspiration, these challenges are the way to go. That's the hardest part for me. Choosing a layout that is, and the talented team at Sweet -n Sassy has taken all of the guess work out for us! Hop on over to the Sweet Stop Challenge and check out all the gorgeous samples by the Design Team! There's never a lack of inspiration, or creativity, and I promise you will come away ready to do some happy stamping!! This is my card inspired by this wonderful sketch. When I saw this weeks digital stamp release, I knew I had to use it for this. Isn't this little guy just adorable? I LOVE him!! He was illustrated by the wonderfully talented Deedee Anderson, who is a member of the SNSS design team. I encourage you to go check out the SNSS website, and be sure to stop by the design team link! You can spend some glorious time surfing their amazing and inspirational sites. I have been following so many of these creatively talented artists blogs for a long time, and it's a blessing and an honor to be in their company. They are all card making celebrities in my book!!!!

As always, I used my SU ink pads, and an aquapainter to color this adorable image, and I decided to try the cloud background technique for the first time. I'm happy with the way that turned out, but it's definitely a technique that one needs to practice to perfect. The DP is from DCWV's Garden Party collection, and I love those soft ocean colors. It worked beautifully with the colors I chose for the image. There was no planning there at all. I colored the image, and then chose the paper. Another delightful accident!! I love it when that happens!! :-) So many of my friends in the sisterhood are getting in to the copics. I love the rich deptch of color that is achieved with them, and I really, really would like to learn how to use them. I think I may try a few, and see how it goes. The are so pricey, though. I must pace myself. If any of you have any teriffic advice about them, I'll take all I can get.

Supply List

Paper: Baja Breeze, Not Quite Navy, PTI White, DCWV Garden Party DP

Ink: Various SU inks for watercoloring

Stamps: Both Fishing Bear and Sentiment are SNSS digital stamps

Accessories: Dew Drops, Prima Flowers, SU Corduroy Brads in Baja Breeze, White Gel Pen, SU Scallop Oval Punch, Martha Stewart Punch, 1" Circle Punch

Thank you so much for stoppin by The ThINKin' Spot today. You're always welcome, and I hope that you find something here that inspires you. May our good and gracious Lord bless and keep you today and always! Please come back soon!

Love Ya!

VC Challenge #1

Hello, and thanks for stopping by today! It's less than half an hour till midnight, so I'm going to go ahead and make this post for tomorrow. That's close enough for me!

This card was inspired by the first ever Victoria Case weekly sketch challenge. What an awesome sketch this is, and this image was a lot of fun to color. I had to make this horse a Palomino. I don't know why, other than I've always thought they were so beautiful. The stamp is called A Horse Of Course, and it is illustrated by Victoria Case. I just crack up every time I see those big front teeth, and those eyes are sooo sweet!! The K&Co. Urban Rapsody paper all coordinates so well, and I actually cut the horse shoes from the back side of the brown print paper behind the image. How lucky was that to find horse shoes in that package of paper?? Since I'm at my grandma's and there's no sewing machine, I decided to do a little faux stitching.

Supply List

Paper: Not Quite Navy, Old Olive, Whisper White, K&Co. Urban Rapsody DP

Ink: Black Stazon, Various SU inks for watercoloring

Stamps: A Horse Of Course from Victoria Case

Accessories: So Saffron Brads, Prima Flowers, Crafter's Tool Kit, Chocolate Chip SU Marker, Signo White Gel Pen

I'm going to keep this short and sweet today, because I'm getting tired and midnight is closing in. Thanks again for stopping by. I always look forward to your comments, so please don't hesitate to tell me what ya think! Have a beautiful and blessed day!

Love Ya!

Forget-Me-Not

Good mornin' to ya! I hope it's a beautiful day wherever you are. The sun is shining here, and it promises to be a glorious day...well, for a while anyway. I think there's rain moving in, but we can use a little rain around here, so we're looking forward a few showers. No flooding, though! Just a few showers.

I have another card made with a Sweet -n Sassy digital stamp. Aren't these forget-me-nots pretty? This gorgeous set was illustrated by the very talented Korin Sutherland. I hope she won't mind that I share the information about what she is doing with some of the proceeds from this digital stamp set. I truly believe in the importance of giving our love and support to others in whatever way we can, and this is such a generous way to share that gift. Sharing a gift of love through papercrafting and stamping! What could be better?!!! By living with and caring for my elderly grandparents, I know first hand just how this disease affects individuals and families. This would be a great opportunity to give a digital stamp a try, and at the same time give to The Alzheimer's Association. Here is a link to this Sweet -n Sassy Digital Stamp.

Forget-Me-Not
$5.00
Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps will donate $2.00 from each digi set sold to the Alzheimer's Association to help with their efforts to provide and enhance care and support for all those affected by this heartbreaking disease.

I have really had a blast with the digital stamps that I've been playing with. These beauties were inspired by some flowers I have planted in the back yard that are the prettiest colors of coral and red. When I found this K&Co. paper with the same gorgeous colors, everything just kind of came together. I did quite a bit of sponging on the edges of all the papers, and I finally put some of those wonderful latte buttons from Stampin' Up! to good use! If you haven't tried playing with a digital stamp yet, I encourage you to give it a whirl. It's very easy, and a great way to try out images to see if you like them, or maybe you'd like to make one special card, but don't think you'd ever use the stamp again. I don't do anything special, or use any special ink to print. I just use my regular whisper white cardstock, and print away. I do heat set the images with an iron to help prevent bleeding when I watercolor, and then when I'm all finished with an image I heat set the ink once again with an iron.

I would like to give special thanks to those of you who have sent congratulations, and shown your love, support, and encouragement in so many ways the past couple of days. I am so excited to be a part of the upcoming Sweet -n Sassy Design Team, and I can never truly express how much your support and encouragement means to me. God has blessed me in so very many ways, and I consider YOU...my friends a very special blessing. Have a lovely day, dear ones, and HAPPY STAMPING!!

Love ya!