Cross-Eyed Owl

The SC today on SCS was one of mine that Roxie chose! How cool is that??? Mom and I had time to do one last card before she hits the road this morning. The time has gone way too fast. We've made lots of cards, and what a mess!!

Hope you like the card we came up with this morning. My owl looks very cross-eyed. Mom's does not. I can't figure that out!! Oh well, it is what it is.

Have a great day......be visiting your blogs later today.

Mom and I have been busy!

For the MMMY4 today, MariLynn had a picture of a wonderful teapot........you'll have to go see it in the gallery.......this computer is being VERY temperamental this AM!! Anyway, this is done in cameo and white, and I had this ribbon that matches perfectly!! The cb bg is Tiny Mosaic, and the sentiment is from Espress Yourself. We added some flowers, and now we will stoop for a while. We are thinking about a trip to M's. Hmmmmm........anyone want to join us??LOL!

The CC today had wonderful colors to work with: Vanilla, Cameo, Burgundy, and Artichoke. We decided to use our favorite set, Bloomin' Beautiful. We just love this flower, although the whole set is fabulous.

The flower is painted in cameo, and darkened with burgundy. Trust me, it's really there.

Not much to add beyond the ribbon, and few bg layers and some brads. We like the way it came out, and hope you do too.

Twick or Tweet

The hostess for this week's Doubledog Dare Challenge is Joanne (sleepyinseattle), who sent us a bag of Halloween stuff. The DARE was to make a Halloween card with the materials she provided. I should have taken a picture of the things she mailed.......ribbons, papers, pumpkins, ghosts, images, .....what fun!!

Here is the card I made.....I just loved the bats! But I have to tell you that the image of the skeleton with the dog taking a bite of his leg bone just cracks me up. I would have ordered the set for this image alone!

Please feel free to join us in the DARE. Make whatever Halloween card you want, just put DDC in the keyword at SCS so we can find it! Have a great day!

Mom is Visiting!

When Mom comes to visit, we do every challenge! We make cards nonstop from morning to night, taking time out in the afternoon for a glass of wine, but that's it!! Today we did the two challenges at SCS.

The wiper card was new to Mom, but not to me, although I have only made one of them before. We took a lot of time deciding what to use for the sentiment........I thought I had a million SU sets for Christmas. turns out I only have three complete ones, so we were a little limited, but we both like how it turned out.

The CAS challenge for today was to make a sympathy card. Mom doesn't have a lot of experience with CAS, so she was really surprised when we were done in about four minutes. We both like this one too.

Have a terrific day.......no commenting from us.......we're too busy making cards!!! LOL!

See you in a couple of days! Hugs to you all.

Another for Riley, Our FS

Because I saved NINE different cards I wanted to case of Riley's (and that was only on the first and the top of the second pages of her gallery!), I decided to go back to my addict...ahem.....craft room, and do another. I had saved this cutout from a card I received last Christmas, and thought it was perfect for this layout. I cb'd the middle section of the three bands, and used a punch for the scalloped circle, but that was about it. Add a couple dewdrops, a ribbon, and done. And speaking of done, I am, for the day. Seeya tomorrow!!

Reindeer for Riley

Riley Fitzgerald is the Featured Stamper today on SCS. I always love to see what she has posted. Her layouts are wonderful. I had to keep the theme, layout, and colors of the card I chose to case. What I changed was the dp, the image (still keeping the reindeer), the ribbon, and added a sentiment and pearls.

I am still working on Christmas cards, and the theme of Riley's card was perfect. I hope she likes what I have done in her honor.

Today it is raining like time (as my Grandfather used to say......and I STILL don't know what that means!LOL!). The grass seed that DH put in yesterday should take really well. I am dying to watch the Patriots play in the rain this afternoon....not as good as snow, but who needs THAT?????? We'll spend a lazy day, and since I twinged my back yesterday, that works for me. Have a great day......kick back and relax!!

IC Xenia Talor Tiles

The Inspiration Challenge at SCS today was a gallery of tiles by Xenia Talor. They are all beautiful! The one I chose on which to base my card is called Summer Trees. Obviously I used Fall colors to make this Thanksgiving, my first venture with the new In Colors from Stampin' Up. Very simple.......in fact, Clean and Simple.

Thanks for looking, and have a great weekend!

Half-Done Card........COOL!

How cool is the challenge this morning!! The LSC today is to start with a preprinted note card, and finish it in a Clean and Simple style. What took the longest was finding a note card in the back of my closet! The black and gray was so pretty, it really told me what to do, so I added more of those colors, and since the envie and a tiny strip on the bottom was pink.............
I had some flower die cuts from a million years ago, made by K & Co., and this one of the rose was staring me in the face, so on it went. I love punching and die cutting, so this was a snap. I am liking the results. Maybe I'll finish up the rest of the package, and tie them together as a quick gift!! Thanks for looking. Hugs to you all.

2nd post today.......WT Leaves

For the WT today, the theme was leaves. I have been working on making a bunch of cards for the Fall, so this fit right in. I was really foolish in thinking I could just whip off a CD case. I hadn't done one in a long time, and it took forever of course. My carft table will take an hour to clean up. I used just about everything I own (well not really!) I have posted the two sides so you can see front and back, and I hope you like it. This one will go to my MOM, who loves shaker cards. I think you can see in the front picture that the sequin leaves are free-floating. I had planned to do a pocket card (thanks Wendybell!) for her as a surprise, but she was here, and wormed it out of me. Both my DD and Mom are able to do that!! Enough. Thanks for visiting. Have a creative and fun day.

Divine Diva Inspiration Challenge

The DDIC this week takes its inspiration from this beautiful fabric. The print is by Kobayashi called Chysanthemums, and I wish it was still available, because it's so gorgeous. The beige background and the variety of flowers, plus the wavy lines give it so much dimension.


My version of this fabric is here, below, done in beige, with razzleberry, durango, curry, and a touch of bermuda bay. I tried to keep a variety of flowers, as in the original, added some wavy lines, and used the punch as a textural dimension.

The layout for my card is an easel, the directions for which can be found in the SCS forum under

TLC242. Very easy and fun to do.

I hope you will join us in the DDIC .....just be sure to put those letters in your keyword so we can find your card in the SCS gallery.

Be sure to check out what all the other Divas have done with this challenge. Click on their names on my sidebar! See you again on November 5th.

Belli Challenge #76 and SC250....Two today!

The Belli Challenge today is sponsored by Creative Cuts and More. They have the most wonderful die cuts, and a fabulous assortment of windows, special folds, and a great variety of things for your creative projects. Their papers are gorgeous. Go to their website here :
http://www.creativecutsandmore.com/

The Challenge today is to make a Fall or Thanksgiving card with at least one leaf. I used CC&M's library pocket card, and a wonderful Karen Lockhart stamp. The leaves are punched out, markered and sponged. Feel free to join us in the challenge. You can upload your card to our blog
http://www.bellichallenge.blogspot.com/ and also to SCS by putting CBC76 in your keyword. Check out what the other DT members have done!!

The Sketch challenge today at SCS is pretty easy. I figured it was about time to use some of my RED paper! These little snowmen from Hero Arts are so cute! It's easy to color them because the area for each color is so small. I used my cb Snow Dots , a MS punch and some ribbon.....voila! I have another Christmas card to add to my growing pile.

Thanks for joining me here today. Have a fun and creative morning.

........and now for the DDC!

Julia (artystamper) is the hostess for the Doubledog Dare Challenge today. She dared us to make a coffin for Halloween candy.

It was easier to make than I thought it would be, and I have two views for you to see....the inside is dp, and the "eyeball" candy will be fun for my DGS Jake. The rope is to keep the Mummy from climbing out!

Julia gave us the website for the template here:

http://www.marthastewart.com/article/coffin-treat-box?lnc=07a19db8cdcee010VgnVCM1000003d370a0aRCRD&rsc=collage_crafts_gift-crafts

Please join us and when you upload to SCS, please put DDC in your keyword so we can find it!!

A Little Birdie............

What a terrible day it is here!! Very hard rain, and dark, dark, dark!! Impossible to get a good clear picture of my card this morning. It's a little fuzzy, but I think you can see it all right.

The color challenge forced me to open a new color, Bermuda Bay, and how FABULOUS it is!! A totally different color than Teal. I almost didn't get it. Watercoloring it, I could tone it down or use it full strength, and the bird really shows up against the muted browns of the owl. I hope you like it.

Julia has posted the Doubledog Dare Challenge, and it's rather involved, so I'll be back later with a different kind of project, a Halloween COFFIN. Sounds fun, huh? Seeya later.

I am in shape....Round is a shape!

At 3:30 this afternoon I decided to do the CAS challenge. thumping is not something I am particularly keen on, but I did it anyway. Of course the bg I chose to do it on doesn't show it up at all, so you'll have to take my word for it. I have had this image for a long time, and finally inked it to go with the sentiment that I think is funny. The silverware is actually silver, and I can tell she's a lot like me, except for the curly hair. I am always ready to have food put in front of me!!! I think I will send this off in the morning to my Mom, who will get a kick out of it. She didn't join us this weekend to see the grands, and she's probably feeling a little alone. A card should perk her up. When she gets one, she calls right away, and we have a chat about it. That's it for me. Seeya tomorrow.

Happy Snowman

I just love this snowman image from Holly Berry House!! He's so jolly! Even though he's a pain in the **** to color, I always love the results. Today he is bright with markers, and the RED really makes a statement, don't you think??? I had fun doing the new Easel Card technique, and it's so easy, I'm sure I'll make more of them. I'm getting a good dent in the number of Christmas cards I need to make.......when we go to NH in November, that's the only stuff I'll take with me.
We had a wonderful day yesterday, watching three of our grandchildren perform. John and Tommy play Pop Warner Football. The day was bright and sunny, but chilly with a pretty good wind. At eight and nine, they are so cute in their football pads and helmets with these little bottoms in spandex pants! DH took lots of pictures. I'll have to post those later. Granddaughter Erin, who is 12, had a cheerleading competition at Assumption College in Worcester. It was fascinating to see what these girls can do! Her team got a first place Trophy!! It was in the gym, so it was pretty loud (and so was the guy I was sitting next to!!!), but I could see everything!! Such fun!!

Today is R & R time. It's chilly here, leaves are changing quickly, and I dread the winter ahead. I think I'll just focus on today. Have a great one, and thanks for joining me here. Hugs.

Parisian Peacock

I don't always do the Inspiration Challenge, but today when I looked at the incredible choices, I fell in love with the glass wall hanging of the peacock. I took a picture of it so you could see how closely I followed the design. After two days of no stamping, I was entertaining thoughts of doing something in my favorite color, but this piece was too beautiful to pass up. DH and I have had a busy couple of days, in spite of the fact that he has a pulled muscle in his groin (EEEEEEEEEWWW!!), and has a terrible head cold. We managed to go off our diets, but are still within reach of our goals. I have less than 6 pounds to go, and I am feeling better in my body.

I woke up with a headache, but I never let that stop me from stamping. I have two design team cards to make for the middle of next week, so I'll be working on those today. Tomorrow we are going to watch the DGS's (age 8 and 9) play Pop Warner football, and DGD's Cheerleading competition. If I get a chance to do the FS it will be late. Have a great weekend my friends, and thanks for looking here again. Hugs.

Round Two, B/W/ and RED!

I really did like the sketch challenge this morning. The snowman card I made got me to thinking about how many Christmas cards I have made, and how many I need. I like to do each one differently, and that takes time. October isn't too soon to start. I checked my list, and I am not even halfway there, so here is another card for the sketch.

I love silhouette stamps, and I think this one from The Paper Garden is wonderful. I wanted to add something with a little pizzazz, and pomegranate ribbon seemed to work the best...........and you know how I adore any shade of RED. I have no idea what the company is that made the bg print.....I had just a little piece left.

I like this one a lot. I hope you do too. the rest of the day I'll be glued to the TV.......baseball at its best!! I just love the playoffs!! Bye!

Unassembled Snowmen

For the SC today, I had some Christmas dp right on top of my table. I love this saying, and this snowman paper seemed to be just perfect. I had to just cut one out and pop it up.

I also had my new MA snowflake punch there, and went nuts using it. All the extras that punched out got used too.

Yesterday after all our errands, we went out to lunch (falling off the diet), but we were so good! Steak and veggies, a glass of wine, and I still lost weight! How great is that??! Today I promise to be good.

Have a great day! Hugs to you all!

Doubledog Dare Challenge

Today I am the hostess for the Doubledog Dare Challenge. I challenge you to make a masculine Get Well card. No ribbon or flowers allowed. Anything else goes. If you play along, please put DDC in your keyword. Mine is here, combined with the CC on SCS.

The colors for today are mellow moss, kraft, and white craft ink. I really like this combination, and it was so easy to use with the DDC. I love this ship stamp from Post Modern Design (it's a cube!), and it shows up better than I thought it would with the white ink. I made some waves, added brads and a hand written sentiment, and that was enough.

We are off to the grocery store and a few errands, so I'll be checking back in with you this afternoon. Happy stamping!

Animals for a Monday!

Happy Monday! Well, that weekend really flew by! Mom was here and enjoyed the WCMD Challenges, and so did I. We got the first group of them done before company came for dinner. I did the rest after she went home in the morning.

The cards for today are for two different challenges. The leopard is for the CAS35, which had a wonderful website from which to choose inspiration. I chose a pillow that was done in a leopard pattern. Luckily, last week I had gone to M's, and they had a sale on animal print ribbons. Gimme some of those!!! Bought some for me and some for Mom too. I love the In The Wild set..........great leopard, don't you think???


The second card I made was for the Technique Lover's Challenge. Today Lynn had us make Faux Suede, and IRL it looks like it! Very simple.......rub the CS against a table or anything with a hard edge and break the fibers. Then when you separate them, the inside looks like suede, and you get two sheets. I love this image of the peacock. I cut the thank you off the front and put it on the side of the wood so I could use the image alone. Works great!. I used my favorite MS border punch and a couple of brads. Very easy. Actually, I guess I made TWO CAS cards today.

Our leaves are turning, and lots are already falling. Our friend Cheryl looked at the driveway as they were leaving Saturday, and said, "Your tree threw up!" That's how many leaves are down!! Have a wonderful Autumn day. Hugs to you all.