Stamping Around Challenge

Hello, good day to you, and welcome!! It's taken what seems like forever for me to get this post up today, but I think all my computer issues are fixed for a while, so we're good to go!! This card manages to completely illustrate exactly what I'm feeling!! JOY TO THE WORLD!!! What a statement!! I made this card for the Stamping Around Challenge, and my challenge for you is to use a snowman/snowperson on a card or project. Stamping Around is a new blog offering a two week challenge, and to lucky participants, not only will you find a fun challenge and lots of inspiration, but also a chance to win a prize if you play along. The prize for the current challenge is the stamp set you see pictured here called Love You This Much. Now you won't find this stamp set in the store until January 7th, when it will be officially released at Sweet -n Sassy Stamps. This is just a little sneak peek for you. Be sure to check the blogs of all the Sweet -n Sassy Stamps Design Team members, because you may get to see some sneak peeks of some of the other gorgeous stamp sets that will be released next month, too. Check the blog roll in my side bar for all the links.

I used a great sketch I found on the Stampin' Sisters in Christ Blog, and put some of my favorite Daisy D paper into the mix. The hearts on this little snowfella's jacket made me think of Valentine's Day, so I thought why not go with that. I added some heart brads, die cut felt ribbon, and the red and white gingham ribbon for a little bling. I colored this image with my SU inks and an aquapainter, using a more bristly brush and extra water for coloring the coat to give it a more textured look and feel. How can you not break out in a smile when you look at this guy?

Please be sure to stop by the Stamping Around Blog, and link your creation for the rest of us to see! I know there is some amazing talent out there, and I can't wait to see what you have in store for us!!

Thank you for stopping by today. Part of the joy in my world is having you join me! Wishing you a glorious day filled with happiness! Happy stamping!

Love ya,

Peachy Keen Challenge #19

Good morning, and WELCOME!! This is my first post in almost a week! I can't believe how time flies. I hope you've enjoyed the celebration of Christmas as much as I have this year. Ours was very calm, and low key, which translated to VERY relaxing. What a wonderful holiday and weekend it has been!!

Today I'm excited to share another Peachy Keen Challenge with you. The challenge this time is a sketch. I LOVE those, and this is a fabulous sketch, indeed!! Hop over to the Peachy Keen Challenge Blog, to check it out, and there, you'll find that Angelica, Emma, Viv, Nikki, Janice, Jacqui, and Kathy will all have some wonderful inspiration for you! You'll have two weeks to play along with our challenge, and of course a chance to win an amazingly generous prize! I can't wait to see whay YOU do with this one!

I've really been wanting to challenge myself to try new techniques, so I jumped right in on the Technique Lovers Challenge over at SCS yesterday. The challenge there was to try the Van Gogh technique. The idea here is to color your images (lightly), then add shading and highlighting by "dotting" darker and lighter colors. Click on the image to get a little closer look, and maybe that will "show" you what I'm trying to describe. I'm from Missouri, which is the Show Me State, so I know what that's all about!! LOL!! This was certainly a challenge for me, and a much different technique than what I usually use. I could definitely use some more practice at this, but it was fun and a learning experience, so it's all good!

I used Peachy Keen Stamps PK-237 Cute Kitties stamp set for this card. They really are cuties, aren't they!?! They worked great for trying this technique, and I can't wait to create many, many great cards and projects with them. I pulled some of this gorgeous K&Co. paper from my stash for this card, and used up some of the brads I've been hoarding. I finished this one off with a bit of faux stitching around the images, and added a few more highlights with my trusy gel pen. A challenge + a new technique + great images = fun...fun...fun!!

FYI -- There's still time to take advantage of the 10% discount at PKS, and heaven knows there LOTS of great stamps to choose from, so you'd better get your order in before that great discount and 2009 are both over!!!

Thanks for stopping by today! As always, I'm blessed by your comments and encouragement! Please check back tomorrow, when I'll have a Stamping Around Challenge card to share. If you would like a sneak peek of the card and challenge, you can find that here. Have a wonderful day, and happy stamping!

Love ya,

Holiday Recipe Challenge

Hello, welcome, and Happy Wednesday! Well, Christmas is almost here, and for the Recipe Challenge this week, we are doing holiday favorites. One of our favorite holiday treats is this cheese ball. It's so easy, and delicious, and I usually always have all the ingredients at ready for a quick and yummy fix. The paper I used for this 6x6 card is some more of the fabulous Basic Grey paper than can be found at Scrapbook Store at Your Door. Julie has a wonderful selection of papers for any occasion, so be sure to hop on over there and check them out!

I used my new Baked with Love stamp set from Sweet -n Sassy stamps for this creation. I love the versatility of that set, and it works so well with just about any recipe page you can think of. There's some great sentiments in the set, and if you go to the Sweet -n Sassy digis, you can purchase and download this great recipe card to pair with your stamp set for a fast and easy gift of a recipe. I decided to do a handwritten recipe with this one, as the ingredients and direction list was short and sweet.

Thank you so much for stopping by today! I wish you a lovely Christmas filled with the blessings and wonderment of this glorious season!

Love ya,

Doggies on Bloggies Day!!

Welcome to the first ever Doggies on Bloggies Blog Hop brought to you by a group of girls from the Sisterhood Of The Traveling Cards. If you came here from Karen's Blog, then you are on the right track. If not, then please be sure to start at the beginning with Kelly's blog, and hop along from there, so you don't miss a thing! Welcome, and enjoy the photos of our furry loved ones enduring complete humiliation all for the sake of our oohs and aahs!!

First up, we have Oliver sporting his All Star Hoodie. Oliver's ensemble came to us from the fabulous and talented designers at Orshlen Farm and Home. You look positively thrilled to be wearing an Orschlen original, Oliver.

With the look on this face, I'd say he's earned his Yum-Yum treat for the day.

Here we have Miss Lola looking particularly "Fetching" in her felt elf hat.


Does this hat make my "Ear" look big? You likey??
And finally, this would be Lola after she shook off the elf hat, and was trying to make a fast get away. Fortunately, I was pretty fast with the camera, too. The trick to slow her down is to mention a Yum-Yum. That'll get her attention.

Thank you so much for joining me for our Doggies On Bloggies Blog Hop. Your next and final stop on this journey will be at Catherine's blog. Should you get lost along the way, below you will find a complet blog list with links to follow! Have fun!!

Kelly

Kadie

Karen

Lorie

Catherine

Thanks for stopping by, and have a wonderful day!!

Love ya,

Inspirational Card Sketch Challenge

Hello, and welcome to my blog. Today, I'm sharing my first ever card for the Inspirational Card Sketch Challenge Blog. My dear friend Mary is on their design team, and I've wanted to play along for so long, so when I saw that there is a two week time frame to play along with this sketch, I thought... Perfect!! This is a great sketch to work with, and you should check out Mary's gorgeous card. BEAUTIFUL, isn't it?!!!

I've had this image colored for quite some time, and I've been waiting for an opportunity to put it with some paper. This sketch worked perfectly, and I already have a special person in mind to receive this card, so WOOHOO! One more card down, and on it's way!!!

I used some of my hoarded K&Co. Paper for this card, and I did a lot of sponging with Tim Holtz distressing ink. The image is from the Jesus Is Born stamp set available from Sweet -n Sassy Stamps. Oh what a beautiful stamp set, with the perfect sentiments. This is one of my all time favorites!! To get the taffeta ribbon ruffled, I frayed the end of it, then pulled one of the center threads up to gather. I then wrapped it around my DP, and secured it with adhesive. The brads are some I've been saving for a special project, and were a gift from my sweet friend, Kadie, which makes this card also eligible for the Stamping Sisters In Christ Challenge this week, which is to use up some of our hoarded blingage! As always, I colored the image with my SU inks and an aquapainter/blender pen. Highlights were added with a white gel pen, and that pretty much finished this card up.

Thank you so very much for stopping by and spending some time here today. I always enjoy your comments, as they keep me uplifted and inspired. May you have a glorious day filled with blessings!

Love ya,

Peachy Keen Challenge #18

Good morning, happy Tuesday, and WELCOME!! Are you ready for another great Peachy Keen Challenge? At the Peachy Keen Challenge Blog, you'll find a sketch challenge today, and a pretty fabulous one at that!! Do you think these newly released stamps are as cute as I do? Oh my goodness!! For this card, I used the PK-318 Penguin Doll Set. The newly released stamps at Peachy Keen Stamps are some of the (I know I keep sayin' it) CUTEST EVER, and ENABLER ALERT!!!!... Kathy is running some too good to pass up specials all month long!! How about cash every Friday, 99 cent shipping, and surprises in your orders? WHAT?? Seriously...CHECK IT OUT!!!!!

Okay, enough of the enabling, and on with the card!! Aren't these penguins adorable? I did some masking with this set, because they are both so darned cute, I couldn't decide which one to use. In the process, and quite by accident, I made them look like they are in the Grande Finale of a Rockettes kick line. How Suh-Weet is that? AND, with that Winter Rocks sentiment, this all came together like I planned it! Hahahaha! I LOVE it when that happens!!!

All of the paper/card stock for this card are from Stampin' Up!, and while you really can't tell it from the picture, the red and white DSP is flocked. It's such a pretty effect, and adds so much texture to the card. I watercolored everything with my SU inks and a blender pen, and popped up Mr. Penguin's hat with dimensionals. The buttons are some I've had in my stash, and they matched the center panel perfectly! Another wonderful accident. The tag for the sentiment is a Sizzix die, and I added accents around that and the frame with my white gel pen. The blue smudges around the sentiment were done with an ink pad using the direct to paper contact. Finally, I finished everything off with the red grosgrain ribbon.

Please hop on over to the Peachy Keen Challenge Blog, and play along with us. There's always a chance for a fabulous prize if you play. We have a new design team at PKS, so be sure to stop by the blogs of Viv, Angelica, Jacqui, Janice, Emma, Nikki, and Kathy, and leave them some love!

Thanks for stopping by today. It's a joy to share with you! I wish you a day filled with blessings and the joys of this glorious season. Make it a beautiful day, and do some stamping!

Love ya,

Recipe Challenge Monday

Good morning, or afternoon, as the case may be, and welcome to another Recipe Challenge Monday, sponsored by The Recipe Challenge Blog. Today, our challenge is to share a recipe from around the world. Well, I had to admit to Julie that I wasn't too sure about this challenge, but it turned out to be one of my favorites! After searching and reading about many traditions in other countries, I settled on Sweden, and the celebration of St. Lucia Day. You can read all about this celebration below. My recipe is for the traditional buns that the eldest daughter in the family serves to each family member on the Morning of St. Lucia Day. She does this dressed in a long, white dress with a red sash, and wreath with seven lit candles on her head!! Can you say DANGEROUS? Whew!! I'm thinking those battery operated candles may be in order for safety sake, but what an interesting tradition/celebration. I thought this beautiful digi from Sweet -n Sassy Stamps worked perfectly. This gorgeous set is illustrated by the talented Leah Cornelius. I colored this image with my SU inks and an aquapainter, and used some Yellow and Stardust Stickles on the candle for added interest and sparkle. You can find a whole array of colored Stickles at Scrapbook Store at Your Door.

Since my recipe isn't readable after I reduced the size of the photo, I decided I'd better share the recipe in my post. Here ya go:

St. Lucia Buns
Ingredients:
1 stick butter (8 Tbsp.) 1 1/3 c. milk pinch saffron 3 Tbsp. yeast 2/3 c. sugar 1/2 tsp. salt 2 eggs (1 in dough, 1 to brush) 4 c. flour raisins for garnish
DIRECTIONS:
Melt butter in a small pan over low heat. Add milk and
Saffron and heat until about body temperature. (Test it as you would a baby's bottle, dripping a few drops on
the inside of your wrist. If the milk mixture gets too warm,
let it cool before mixing it with the yeast. Yeast too cool is
just pokey, but yeast too hot will never do its trick.) Mix milk mixture and yeast and let sit about five minutes.
The yeast will dissolve and start to foam. Add the sugar,
salt, one egg, and about half the flour. Knead the dough on
a floured surface, adding flour to make a smooth dough.
Let rise in a warm place about half an hour. Punch down,
and then form into buns. One traditional shape is to
make a rope of dough about six inches long (about 15 cm)
and then form it into an S. Lay it on a parchment-lined
baking sheet and tuck raisins into the curls of the S. Let rise
again in a warm place, about half an hour. Brush the risen
buns with beaten egg. Bake at 400 degrees F about 15 min.,
until buns are golden brown.

Sweden's Celebration of St. Lucia Day

Some trace the "re-birth" of the Lucia celebrations in Sweden to the tradition in German Protestant families of having girls dressed as angelic Christ children, handing out Christmas presents. The Swedish variant of this white-dressed Kindchen Jesus, or Christkind, was called Kinken Jes, and started to appear in upper-class families in the 1700s on Christmas Eve with a candle-wreath in her hair, handing out candy and cakes to the children. Another theory claims that the Lucia celebration evolved from old Swedish traditions of “star boys” and white-dressed angels singing Christmas carols at different events during Advent and Christmas. In either case, the current tradition of having a white-dressed woman with candles in her hair appearing on the morning of the Lucia day started in the area around Lake Vänern in the late 1700s and spread slowly to other parts of the country during the 1800s.
In the Lucia procession in the home depicted by Carl Larsson in 1908, the oldest daughter brings coffee and St. Lucia buns to her parents while wearing a candle-wreath and singing a Lucia song. Other daughters may help, dressed in the same kind of white robe and carrying a candle in one hand, but only the oldest daughter wears the candle-wreath.

Thanks for stopping by today, I hope you enjoy this bit of Swedish Chrismas tradition. Be sure to check out The Recipe Challenge Blog for the rest of the design team submissions. You're sure to find a lot of information and inspiration, as well as some more wonderful recipes for your enjoyment! Have a blessed day, and happy stamping!

Love ya,

December Kit Kat Challenge

Good morning! Early morning here, because here I am posting at 12:20 a.m.! I've got lots to do tomorrow, and I don't trust blogger to follow through with my scheduled post, so I though I'd go ahead and get it done, so I'll know it's done. KWIM? Anywho... this little lovely was sent to me and the rest of the Kit Kats by the fabulous Catherine. This Victoria Case image is so sweet!! I colored her up with my SU inks and a blender pen. The sketch is from Mercy's Tuesday Sketch Challenge #51. I just found Mercy's blog, and WOAH, Nellie!! There's some fabulous inspiration going on over there!! I hope to get to play along on a regular basis!!

In addition to the adorable image, Miss Catherine sent along that gorgeous Basic Grey DP, the beautiful satin ribbon, and the pretty red fiber. I think I used everything she sent with the exception of a piece of yarn, which I would have used if I could have found a place for it!! :-D

It doesn't show up very well in the photo, but the snow and snowflakes have dazzling diamonds on them. The poinsettias have flower soft in the centers, and the accent highlighting was done with a white gel pen. My Martha Stewart punches gave me that pretty loopy border and the snowflakes, and rhinestones finished off the bling for this card. I hope you like it as much as I do! I'm so happy with this one!!!! I can't wait to see what the rest of the girls have in store for us, so please follow the links to their blogs, and check it out!!!!

Catherine

Susan

Jeanette

Kelly

Michelle

Thanks for stopping by today, and have a glorious day!!! Please come back soon, because I look forward to each and every visit!! May God bless and keep you today and always!

Love ya,

Hot Stuff and Sweet Peas?

Good morning! Today I'm going to share a couple of fun little projects I've been working on. My DH just loves these Hot Tamales, and when I saw this hot pepper image from Sweet -n Sassy Stamps, I thought of him, and his hot tamales. I decorated the bottom of the box just a little bit with some card stock and DP, and then added my image which was colored with SU ink and my aquapainter. I think I'll put these in his Christmas stocking, but wouldn't they make a great little Valentine gift too? Hmmmm. I think there's more hot tamales in our future! LOL!!

My second project is a little 3x3 card. I love having these around to add to a gift, or for just sending a little note of encouragement or thank you to someone. The little sweet pea image looks like I added teeth to him, but I'm sure it's just the reflection of the light above on the rain drops that I covered the peas with. That really added shine and dimension to them, and I LOVE the look. Both of these stamps can be found in the Punny Fruits and Veggies set at Sweet -n Sassy Stamps. Sorry my pictures are a little dark, but I can't find good lighting anywhere in this house today. We're getting a winter storm, so there's no natural light whatsoever!
Thanks so much for stopping by today. I hope I've given you some inspiration, and I wish you a day filled with blessings! Come back soon, and HAPPY STAMPIN'!

Love ya,

Good evening, and happy Monday! I'm way late with my post today, but I'm in good company, because, when I visited Ceal's blog a minute ago, she said she was late too. I'm in very good company indeed! Our theme for the Recipe Challenge Blog this week is a progressive dinner. I've never actually been a part of one of those, but I would really like to. I think that would be lots of fun!

My part of this challenge is the main dish. I had authentic Jambalaya for the first time last year, and was it ever good. This recipe sounds just as yummy, and a whole lot easier to make. I love those one pot dishes that you can have ready when you get home from a long day. A crock pot has to be one of our most under used kitchen items, and I'm really making more of an effort to use mine.

The paper, flowers, die cut leaves, and flower pot all came from The Scrapbook Store At Your Door. I cut the hot pepper strip from the back side of the green polka dot paper, and stuck the pieces back together. I added some flower soft to the center of the prima flowers, and finished everything off with the button border. I think I'll give this recipe a try this week.

Thanks for stopping by, and many happy blessings to you and yours. Happy Stamping!

Love ya,

SNSS Digi Day at SNR

Hello my stamping friends and welcome!! It's SNSS Digi Day over at SNR Card Universe, and today I'm sharing the card I made for today's challenge. There's lots of fun chatter and card sharing in the Sweet -n Sassy forum over there, so head on over and jump in on the conversation and inspiration. There's free digital stamps involved, so, what are you waiting for??

This card is made with one of the newer digital releases from Sweet -n Sassy Stamps called Get Well Paulie. I just LOVE Paulie the Polar bear!! He's as cute as can be even if he is under the weather. What a fun image to color, and as always, I used my SU inks and an aquapainter/blender pen. The paper is part of the Eskimo Kisses collection from Basic Grey, and the self adhesive die cut border and flower are out of the same package of paper. All I had to do was add some rhinestones and the sentiment and voila!!! Another card for my stash!!

In your spare time, don't forget to head over to the Sweet -n Sassy Stamps Digi Website and check out what's new for Digi Day over there. You'll find a link to the store so that you can purchase the newest release, and there will be lots of inspiration from the DT and guest designers. My friend, Mary is one of the fabulous guest designers this month, so please be sure to leave her some love! Have a glorious and blessed day, and HAPPY STAMPIN'!!!

Love ya,

A SNSS RELEASE...A PKS CHALLENGE...AND A BLOG CANDY WINNER!!!!!

Good morning! WOW, there's a lot to put in one post this morning!! I today's post you will find a card I made for the Sweet -n Sassy Stamps new release, which is being held today. You'll find the newly released Punny Fruits and Veggies, along with the gorgeous Trees of the Field set both on the SNSS website, and ready for a new home among your favorite stamps. Please also note the special donation that will be given to Sarah Anderson's family with every purchase of the Trees of the Field set.

Secondly, we have a new challenge posted today on the Peachy Keen Stamps Challenge Blog. I'm so excited because the winner of the last challenge was announced this morning, and it was none other than my very dear and sweet friend, Kelli Santi!!! Woohooo!! This just proves, that if you play along, you're bound to win that fabulous prize sooner or later!! CONGRATULATIONS, Kelly!

And last, but certainly not least, the winner of my blog candy. Let me start by saying that I was overwhelmed with the response, and I would like to thank each and every one of you for your kind comments and support. Without you, the followers, I wouldn't even be here. It's your kind comments and support that give me the inspiration to keep going, and I thank you from the bottom of my very blessed heart!

There were 444 entries, and you had until midnight last night to enter for a chance to win. I decided that I would let Random.org choose the number at 11:00 a.m. CST this morning, since that was the first chance I've had to sit down and get organized. Are you ready??????

The LUCKY WINNER IS: #76 Melissa S. from Dayton, Ohio. Melissa, I will be contacting you shortly for your mailing address! CONGRATULATIONS to you, and thanks for entering!

Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers: 76

Timestamp: 2009-12-01 17:00:03 UTC

This card is my submission for this week's Peachy Keen Challenge. This challenge was a recipe, and we were to include, polka dots, stripes, a border, and an image. Be sure to check out the link to this challenge so that you can play along. YOU could be the next lucky winner!!!

This image is one of the newly released stamp sets from PKS. This adorable little guy is from the PK-328 Winter Greeting Card Set. If you were doing a little online shopping over the holiday weekend, you could have snagged this little fella free with your order, along with all of the other fabulous deals that Kathy was offering. Be sure to check the PKS website often for fabulous specials, and tons of inspiration!! I used my Basic Grey Eskimo Kisses paper pack for this card, and I even used the border that was included in the package for the border on this card. The image was colored with my SU inks and an aquapainter/blender pen. I distressed the edges of the cardstock and paper, the fur is mulberry paper that was dampened with water and plucked with that wonderful Paula's Plucker that can also be found at PKS. What a wonderful little tool that is! I found myself at a complete loss for something polka dotted, because all of my ribbon was the wrong color. Well, after I thought about it a bit, I decided that I would try coloring my red polka dotted ribbon with a burgundy marker, and it worked like a charm. I've colored white ribbon before, but never colored ribbon, so I was unsure about what I would end up with. As it turns out, it worked fantastically! I finished the embellishments off with some Hodpodge Hardware, and a sentiment from my Stampin' Up! Teeny Tiny Wishes set.

This fun little pear card was made with the newly released Punny Fruits and Veggies stamp set from Sweet-n-Sassy Stamps. There are so many wonderful little images to choose from in this set, along with coordinating sentiments. These would make such cute little valentines, or note cards, and they would be great for use with recipe pages. Such a versatile set of stamps for a great price, so be sure to stop by the SNSS website and be one of the first to add these little cuties to your collection! I "peared" (punny, huh?) this adorable image up with some of my favorite Basic Grey Porceline paper, and punched the edges with my new EK Success scroll edge punch. For the finishing touch, I added the pretty organza ribbon, and the last of my favorite green pearls. I got some great inspiration for the sketch from a past sketch challenge on SCS. Ya gotta love those challenges, right? I've got some more fun projects to share with you using this set, so please stay tuned!!

Well, I think this is all I have for you today. We've covered a lot of territory in today's post, and I feel like I've done some marathon typing. Thank you so much for stopping by, and thanks again to all of you who entered to win my blog candy. I've already started putting things away for the next big give away, which will be my blogiversary in February, when more yummy goodies will be up for grabs. Have a glorious day, my stamping friends. May God bless and keep you, and HAPPY STAMPING!!

Love ya,