I LOVE PAPER CRAFTING

Jellypark Winter Wonderland

2012-01-27T08:00:00.000-04:00

If you are looking for my Sweet 'N Sassy post, please scroll down. This is my second post for the day!

You would not believe how appropriate this new challenge theme at Jellypark Challenges is for me today. Our challenge is Winter Wonderland, and let me tell you, looking out the window today, it certainly is! We've had a pretty mild winter so far, but the snow today is really coming down. Can't really complain, it IS January!

The card I have made for this challenge features the adorable Snowball Girl. I thought she was so cute so I had to use her for this challenge. I think her hat is so cute. It makes me happy because I have a hat just like that in blue and whenever I wear it I feel a little silly but from now on I am going to think of her and maybe I won't feel so silly after all!
You are going to want to head on over to the Jellypark blog because we have some new releases today that you are going to love and you'll want to see all the wonderful samples the design team have created using these sweet new images.
Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Desserts, Anyone?

2012-01-27T06:00:00.000-04:00

I love me some sweet desserts. I've been through a bit of a health journey and having recently been to my doctor am not really allowed to eat much of them. It is so discouraging, because sometimes a bite into a sweet treat is just what you need. Today is my last challenge on the Sweet 'n Sassy team and I am saying goodbye with a challenge that is near and dear to my sweet loving heart - desserts.

I chose to use the A Donut for Cocoa image for this card and made the doughnut double dip chocolate - I mean, really...if you are going to endulge you need to do it properly! I am really craving a Tim Hortons doughnut now! Oh well, a girl will just have to dream!
You can check out what the rest of the design team has created on the SNS Digi challenge blog. I have really enjoyed being on this team, and hope you have enjoyed seeing some of these adorable digis here on my blog.
Thanks for joining me today!

Sweet Superheros

2012-01-24T12:44:00.002-04:00

I thought I would share something a little different than a card today. I decided last year that I wanted to make everyone a home made gift for Christmas. I thought about what I wanted to make for each person and I tried my hand at several different things. As I was surfing the web and wasting hours and hours on Pinterest, I found the perfect gift idea for my two little boys.
Superhero Capes!
Only problem? I can't sew worth beans! I mean, I really can NOT sew. I have a sewing machine but it doesn't like me much. Sewing machines and I have never really gotten along. I will sit down to work on something and then the next thing I know, I have broken a needle. I really am that bad! But for Christmas this year, I was going to try and overcome my fear of my sewing machine and make my boys some capes.
Here's a few pictures of them on Christmas morning. Here they are opening up the capes and discovering what they are...

They had to put them on right away, it was adorable!

They are reversible - so one side has their initial on it and is just red. The other side has something to fit them. My oldest loves to recycle so his is recycling symbols. My youngest loves Cat in the Hat so I made his with that on it.

Just thought I would share. They are getting a lot of use. I might just have to try making something else with my machine now...we're getting more comfortable with each other!

Thanks for stopping by!

SNS Blog Hop!

2012-01-20T09:00:00.000-04:00

It's c-c-cold out there today! Thankfully I have lots of fun going on on my blog today. If you're looking for my Sketches by Carly post, you will want to scroll down. This is my second post of the day.

This week for our Sweet `N Sassy Digi Challenge we are adding a little more fun to the regular challenge. The Sweet `N Sassy Digi Challenge design team is doing a blog hop for the January digital releases! All you need to do is hop along the list (in no specific order) and leave some comments as you go along. One of the design team members listed below is a mystery blogger and she will be picking one name from the comments on her blog post. The winning prize will be whole January Digi Release - how awesome is that? )

This week we're all making easel cards. I have to admit, this is the first one I have ever done, unless the first one was a few years ago. Regardless, it has been awhile. I am using the adorable new set You&Me . I thought this was a really cute one for a valentine for my hubby. Love it!

I stuck with the black and white theme for this card and I think it turned out really great. I hope you will join us in the challenge AND the blog hop this week! Be sure to stop by the design team's blogs for more details on their fabulous creations.

Stephanie Wright
Korin Sutherland

Thanks for stopping by my blog today. Have a wonderful day!

Sketches By Carly - Butterfly Girl!

2012-01-20T04:00:00.000-04:00

It's time for another wonderful Sketches by Carly challenge! These sketches are just so much fun, I love using them. This week's sketch is no exception. How cute and fun is this?

Here is the card that I made with the sketch. This week we are being sponsored by Karen's Doodles so I used the adorable Butterfly Baby Girl. I was inspired by the butterfly on Carly's sketch.

Don't forget to stop by the Sketches by Carly blog to see what the rest of the design team have made with this fabulous sketch, and to play along in the challenge yourself. I can't wait to see what you make!

I am entering this card into the Stampin' Sisters in Christ challenge to use something new - I used some new flowers that I just bought - they were so pretty! Thanks for checking it out today!

Wanna Do Lunch In Style?

2012-01-19T13:20:00.004-04:00

I love going out for lunch with the girls. I don't get to do it much because I don't really have many friends to go out with that aren't too busy with work and family. But it is so much fun to do, isn't it? It's nice to relax and catch up and not have to worry about getting lunch ready for the kids or anything else for the kids for that matter!

I was feeling inspired by that thought so I made these two cards today. There's a design team call at the Paper Shelter and I love their images. I know I am likely not going to make it since the competition is steep! But that's okay, I had fun making these anyway!
The first one features the Cool Waitress digital stamp. I love how cute it is and super easy to colour, too. I've never had a roller skating waitress, but that is pretty cool in my books!

The second card I made using the first digi I ever bought from The Paper Shelter. It's called In the 20's and I love, love, love it! I think I was born into the wrong time era. I would have loved to dress like a flapper and dance the night away with friends (just none of the other brash behaviour that came long with those flapper girls!)

I had lots of fun putting these cards together. I even made another one for my sister that I will share later. Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Tongue Tied

2012-01-18T09:26:00.001-04:00

I am still busy making Valentine's to give to my hubby leading up to Valentine's day. It has been fun making all these cards. I can't wait to see his reaction to these cards each day!

Today I made this card using a fun new image from Doodle Pantry called Love Snakes. This set is actually free with purchase right now, so hop on over to the store to do a little shopping! You don't want to miss out on this cutie!

I love how this one came together. I have decided that when my printer wants to work for me, I really like using precoloured digis. It is a lot faster, and when you have young children, that is always a good thing!
I am entering this card into the Doodle Pantry challenge this month! Now I have to run, my little guy wants me to play cars with him.
Thanks for stopping by today!

LCOM Sketch

2012-01-18T09:20:00.001-04:00

Today we have a new sketch at Let's Capture Our Memories! You can see it on the sketch blog. It's a great sketch designed by Kimberly. I thought it was perfect for a Valentines card so I whipped this one up!

I used the Heart Hugs digi from Clear Dollar Stamps for this card. Love how cute it is!
Thanks for stopping by! Hope you play along in the sketch!

New From Clear Dollar Stamps!

2012-01-17T12:00:00.000-04:00

It's new release day at Clear Dollar Stamps! Today we are releasing several new digital stamps that you are going to love. They are all awesome, as they always are every month! You can see all of the sets on the Clear Dollar Stamps blog, and I am going to show you three of the sets here today.

The first set is designed by Laurie Wilson and it is called Winter Bear. It was released last month as an acrylic stamp set, and we were all already in love with it then. It is so cute, don't you think?

I must say, I love how my sample card turned out for this set. It wasn't hard to make a super cute card with this totally awesome set, though! It just seemed to come together so easily for me. I love when that happens!

For this card, I have used the following supplies:

Stamps/Images: CDS Winter Bear

Cardstock/Paper: Bazzill, Bo Bunny, Little Yellow Bicycle

Inks/Markers: Promarkers, Prismacolour, Bic Mark Its

Accents/Tools: Little Yellow Bicycle Die Cuts, AnnaBelle Sprinkles

This next set is a fun one as well. It's also designed by Laurie Wilson and it's called Toucan of Love. I love the bright colours and the girl and guy toucan. Too much fun!

Love it! I think my husband would get a kick out of it too, so I have made another Valentine card for him with this set. It's kind of colourful, but then so am I. So it works! The sentiments that I used just cracks me up. Too cute and funny, too!

For this card, I have used the following supplies:

Stamps/Images: CDS Toucan of Love

Cardstock/Paper: Bazzill, Echo Park

Inks/Markers: Promarkers, Prismacolours, Bic Mark Its

Accents/Tools: Prima Ribbon, AnnaBelle Sprinkles

The last set I am going to showcase today is called Loving Critters and it was also designed by Laurie Wilson. I think it is adorable, don't you? Perfect for those valentine cards you know you're making right now!

I chose to use the pig in the sweater because it made me smile. I can't wait to use the rest of them because they are all so adorable! My son is totally in love with penguins so I am going to have to make a special valentine for him with that one later.

For this card, I have used the following supplies:

Stamps/Images: CDS Loving Critters

Cardstock/Paper: Bazzill, Bo Bunny, Echo Park

Inks/Markers: Promarkers, Prismacolours, Bic Mark Its, Copics

Accents/Tools: Spellbinders Nestabilities Classic Ovals, Spellbinders Nestabilities Scalloped Ovals, AnnaBelle Sprinkles, Offray Ribbon

I think the sentiments are just so much fun and they go so well with the critters. I love how this card turned out, it makes me so happy! I just love the colours and that pig is way too cute for words!
So, what do you think of these cute sets? Are they something that you need to have? I thought so! Hop on over to the CDS store to do a little shopping today! But before you leave, check out the rest of the design team and their awesome work using these new releases.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today! I hope you've enjoyed seeing how I used these sets. See you soon!

You are missed!

2012-01-16T12:56:00.001-04:00

I am a bit late posting my Karen's Doodles card today. The challenge post is late today, and that is my fault too. But I am sure you won't be too angry when you hear there's a design team call! You can check out the details over on the blog.

Today's challenge is to do some paper piecing! This is not my forte at ALL, but I love how my card turned out. I had never tried printing a digi on patterned paper before so I am pleased with how it looks in the end. I used the adorable image called Tissue Please for my card. Make a great missing you card, don't you think?

Don't forget to check out the blog for the design team call. We would love to have you apply! And thanks for stopping by today! Leave me a comment, it will cheer me up!

Clear Dollar Stamps Blog Hop ~ I {heart} you!

2012-01-15T12:00:00.000-04:00

It's that time again! We are hopping with Clear Dollar Stamps! If you have come to me from the lovely Linda's blog then you are in the right place. If you are just joining in now, please start back at the Clear Dollar Stamps blog to start the hop.

The theme of our blog hop today is I {heart} you. I was in the dollar store this week and the Valentine's things are already out and ready to be purchased. I even saw Easter candy there, believe it or not. Woah, Nelly! Slow down! It is only January! Still, love is in the air. At least in our house, it is! Every year I give my husband 14 cards, one for every day of February leading up to Valentine's day. I am looking forward to doing this again this year, and I have been busily making some cards for him. Here are two that I have made that are for my sweetie.
This first one features an oldie but goodie from the CDS store called Cup of Cocoa. I added in a sentiment from the Sweet & Spicy set as well. One of the reasons I love this set for a Valentine's card, even though it is out of the normal realm of lovey dovey things is because it reminds me of one of the things I love about my husband. He's always willing to make me up a nice hot cup of tea or mug of hot chocolate or something warm and delicious. And then we will sit there, quietly drinking our drinks together (*ha! not always with two little boys running around). When we do get a few moments peace, it is nice to sit together and just be. It really does warm my heart!

The second card that I made to share with you today is a sneak peek from a set that will be released on Tuesday, January 17th. Normally our digital releases come out on the 15th but since we're having the blog hop today, we are postponing it a few days. I thought it would be fun to preview one of the new sets to get you all excited. It's called We Go Together. How cute is this? My hubby is going to get a good laugh out of this one. ESPECIALLY since I am a vegetarian! But it is so cute, I could not resist making something with this.

So, don't forget to come back on Tuesday to see what else I have whipped up with the new releases. There are tons of good ones this month, as always! If you are ready to hop off to the next blog, you're going to want to go and see Shell! But before you leave, please leave me a comment. I love to hear from you, and of course, you might just win a prize (and what better timing to win a gift certificate to win some digital stamps with the digital release in just a few days!)
Thanks for hopping along with me today!

What's New?

2012-01-13T07:00:00.000-04:00

If you are looking for my Sweet 'N Sassy post, please scroll down. This is my second post for today!

Today is my first ever card made for my Jellypark design team spot. I am really excited to share it with you. You can find out all about today's challenge, Something in My Pocket, by visiting the blog. There are also two new releases today, and I get to share with you what I have done with one of them.
I love how cute this stamp is. I think you can use it for pretty much any occasion, because all you need to do is add a sentiment to the bubble. How easy is that? I've made this a pretty general card so it could be used for anything, but I can totally see myself using this cutie for a birthday card, congratulations card, thank you card, the sky's the limit!

I can't wait to see what you make for the challenge. And don't forget to pick up the new releases in the Jellypark store! Thanks so much for stopping by to visit today!

Love You More

2012-01-13T06:00:00.000-04:00

It's Friday the 13th! That doesn't really mean much to me since I am not superstitious in the least. Still, it is a cool date to remember! I hope you are all having a wonderful day today!
We are having a monochromatic challenge over at the Sweet 'n Sassy Digital challenge blog today. I hope you will play along! I am not a lover of monochromatic cards because I love love LOVE colour! But it is always fun to break out of your comfort zone every once in awhile, right?

I used the ever so sweet Rhubarb's Heart digital stamp for this card, and then layered a sentiment right over the heart. It was kind of fun! I like the shades of this particular red. It looks really nice, don't you think? Maybe a sweet card for my darling husband for Valentine's Day this year?
Don't froget to stop by the challenge blog for details on the challenge blog and to see what the rest of the team has created!
Thanks for stopping by!

Toasty Bears

2012-01-11T17:39:00.003-04:00

It's been a pretty mild few days, but today it was a chilly walk to school. It was so brisk, my four year old was crying on the walk home (and I was too a little bit). I am so thankful to be in our new place, where the walk to school is only 5 minutes instead of an hour! Tonight it is supposed to snow, and should be snowing for the next day or so. I was inspired by the snow to make this card today.

There is just something about these Toasty Bears that make you feel all warm inside! I think it would be pretty cold where the polar bears live, but they look warm and happy to me! I used this adorable image from Clear Dollar Stamps. Don't forget to pop by on Sunday for the CDS blog hop, then again on Tuesday for some new releases. You're going to be really impressed by all of them, I just know it!
I am entering this card into the ABC Christmas challenge - A for anything goes. This is a pretty simple card to put together, I might just make some more and build up a stash for next year. I am also entering this into the Fab n Funky and Cards for Men recycling challenges. I pulled the felt snowflake off a teeny tiny clothespin that was holding a tag on a gift this past Christmas season.
Now that we are having a cold snap, my throat is feeling a little icky. I think I will go lie down for a bit. Thanks for stopping by. Have a great day!

Love, Love Love!

2012-01-09T06:00:00.000-04:00

Love is in the air! Okay, maybe not. But Valentine's day IS just a little over a month away and we're celebrating at Karen's Doodles! Now that the holidays are over, maybe you can too!
I decided to use one of my all time favourite stamps for this challenge today. I just absolutely adore the I Love You Grandpa image. It just warms my heart!

Doesn't it make you feel warm and fuzzy all over? I decided to go with more non traditional colours for a Valentine's theme and I like the way this turned out. It's just overall sweet, don't you think? Stop by the challenge blog to play along!Thanks for stopping by!

1, 2, 3 Recipe!

2012-01-06T06:00:00.000-04:00

It's Friday! Have you enjoyed the first week of the year so far? I know I have. We're getting ready to pack it up and go home after spending the holidays with my family and I hate to go. It's been so nice to be together. I hope you enjoyed this wonderful season as well!
Today at the Sweet 'n Sassy Digital Challenge blog, we're having a recipe challenge! To play along you need to have 1 number element, 2 embossings, and 3 colours. I had to think long and hard about what I wanted to do for this card and here's what I came up with.

I used the Cheerleader Cookie digital stamp for this card because of the number element on it. Worked for me! And of course, it is pretty cute, too! I hadn't used my Cuttlebug for embossing in a long time. I had to dust off the old embossing folders for this one and I loved it!
If you want to play along in the challenge and see what the rest of the design team created, just visit the blog. Thanks for stopping by today!

Snow CASE

2011-12-30T06:00:00.000-04:00

It's almost the new year! Are you ready for 2012? I sure am! We are ringing in the new year with my family this year, which is pretty special and unusual for us. A very exciting time! I hope that you are enjoying the holidays and spending them with family and friends.
This week for the Sweet 'n Sassy Digital Challenge, we are CASE'ing a fellow design team member. Korin is actually the owner of Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps, but the minute I saw this card I loved it and had to make one just like it!

I went with her colour scheme and overall design, but fit it with the size card that I wanted to make. Instead of using the Smiley Snowman digital set, I used the Bundled Up Snowman digital stamp instead.

I love the way it turned out! It is just too cute. I kind of have a thing for snowmen. They are adorable! I hope you will play along in the challenge this week. Just hop by the blog to see the rest of the design team's case'd creations and enter your own!

Thanks for stopping by today. Happy New Year!

Exciting News!

2011-12-21T10:45:00.003-04:00

Just wanted to share some exciting news. I am going to be designing for Jellypark for the next few months. Hurray! If you haven't seen Jellypark before, you need to head on over there right now. You will love all of the awesome digital stamps they have. Soooo cute!
Here are some of my favourite Jellypark projects so far:

I am really excited to be part of this team. Stay tuned in the new year for some more exciting projects from me with Jellypark stamps!
Have a great day!

Jolly Joy

2011-12-21T06:00:00.000-04:00

Christmas will be here in four short days! One of things I love about Christmas is the joy that fills the air. Everyone wants to do really wonderful and helpful things for each other to share the love. It just makes a person really happy and joyful, doesn't it?

For this card I have used the Jolly Joy digital set from Clear Dollar Stamps. It was really fun to colour and put together this card. I am wishing you lots of joy and happiness this Christmas!
Have a wonderful holiday! Thanks for stopping by!

2011-12-19T06:00:00.000-04:00

It's Monday! I always love the start of a new week (even though technically that is on Sunday). It always feels so good, doesn't it? Today I have a non Christmas card to share with you. I thought it would be nice for a change. Even though Christmas is in less than week!
Today at Karen's Doodles we are challenging you to use dots and stripes. I LOVE Echo Park paper, so it was really easy to pull this together thanks to their Dots and Stripes paper lines! I used the fun and fabulous Happy Feet Woman image for this card.

I just love that she is so happy! The pink and yellow looks so nice together too! I think it is such a fun card! Why not play along in the challenge? Stop by the Karen's Doodles challenge blog to see what the rest of the team has created and to enter your card as well.

Thank you for stopping by my blog today!!

Clear Dollar Stamps Blog Hop ~ White As Snow!

2011-12-18T12:00:00.000-04:00

Hello! Thanks for joining me on the Clear Dollar Stamps Blog Hop! It is still a little crazy at the house. We have now moved but trying to get everything all organized and tidied up before Christmas is a huge task! I am sure it will get done. I am taking a break from all of that today because it is Sunday today. Instead I am showcasing a card I made for today's blog hop theme, white as snow.
If you are just joining me know, you will want to start the hop back at the Clear Dollar Stamps blog. If you have come from Stacy's blog, then you are in the right place!
I love snowmen. I have a cute collection of them that I do not dare take out of their boxes. It's kind of sad, really. They're all breakable and I have two sons - they're not the greatest combination if you do not want something to break! At least I have my fix of cute snowmen on paper! This one is no exception. Love it!

I used the Snowman Cheer digital image for this card. It is super cute and is available coloured or just the outlines. I loved colouring this one up - it was so easy! And making this card was a snap too, just what I need in the middle of moving and unpacking and preparing for Christmas. I love how cute it is!
Thanks for stopping along on the hop. You are off to Barb's blog next to see what she has created for you! Have a great day!

A Christmas Tag

2011-12-16T06:00:00.000-04:00

Good Friday morning! I hope you are all doing well today! It's getting closer and closer to Christmas! Are you ready? Do you need to crank out some tags for those gifts you are wrapping? Then you need to visit the Sweet 'n Sassy Digital Challenge blog for today's challenge!
I must admit, making anything other than a card is challenging for me. Especially tags! I don't know why, but they never seem to look like I want them too. I have seen others make gorgeous tags that are just so breathtaking you don't even want to use them on a gift. Mine aren't like that! Still, I was pleased with the way my tag for this challenge turned out.

I decided that for this, less is more. I used the sweet little Chilly Paulie digital stamp for this and then went from there. This looks nothing like what I had planned, but I think it looks much better this way! Don't forget to see what the rest of the design team has come up with for this challenge. Just hop on over the blog to check them out!
I am so exhausted from moving and it is not even over yet. I still have to unpack, decorate for Christmas, oh my! It's a busy but exciting time. Off to see what I can do next! Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

New from Clear Dollar Stamps!

2011-12-15T12:00:00.000-04:00

By the time you read this, I will be in full swing of moving to our new house! It's moving day for us, and we are busy, busy, busy! Pray for me if you think of it, it could get a little hairy today!

It's new release day at Clear Dollar Stamps! Today we are releasing several new digital sets that you are not going to want to miss. They are all awesome! And just in time for Christmas. You can see all of the sets on the Clear Dollar Stamps blog, but here are the sets that I have chosen to showcase for you this month.

The first set is called Happy Healing by Deedee Anderson. I love love LOVE this one, it is so cute. The duck really makes me smile. I love Dr. Duck and the poor crippled duck with the broken wing and leg. Poor thing!

And here is the fun card that I have made using this set. My sons love to read the book Duck at the Door by Jackie Urbanovic, so I have taken some inpsiration from her books when colouring up my little duck. My friend's son broke his arm this fall and his cast was green, so I thought I'd give the duck a green cast, too.

For this card, I have used the following supplies:Stamps/Images: CDS Happy HealingCardstock/Paper: Bazzill, Pink Paislee, CTMHInks/Markers: Promarkers, Prismacolour, Bic Mark ItsAccents/Tools: Favourite Findings Lime Buttons, The Twinery Twine
The second set that I have chosen to showcase is Winter Eskimo by Laurie Wilson. It's pretty adorable! This was the first set I had ever purchased from Clear Dollar Stamps, as it is also available in a clear acrylic set. How cute is it?

I love the ease of resizing my digital stamps for whatever project that I want to work with, so I loved that I can make these little guys bigger or smaller or whatever I wanted to do with them. I decided to keep both of these cards pretty simple, but I like how they turned out. They're pretty cute!

For this card, I have used the following supplies:Stamps/Images: CDS Winter EskimoCardstock/Paper: Core'dinations, Bo Bunny, BazzillInks/Markers: Promarkers, Prismacolour, Bic Mark Its, Copics, Stampin Up! Brocade BlueAccents/Tools: Waterfall Stickles, Crystal Stickles

For this card, I have used the following supplies:Stamps/Images: CDS Winter EskimoCardstock/Paper: Core'dinations, Bo Bunny, BazzillInks/Markers: Promarkers, Prismacolour, Bic Mark Its, Copics, Stampin Up! EggplantAccents/Tools: Icicle Stickles, Crystal Stickles
So, what do you think of these cute sets? Are they something that you need to have? I thought so! Hop on over to the CDS store to do a little shopping today! But before you leave, check out the rest of the design team and their awesome work using these new releases.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today! I hope you've enjoyed seeing how I used these sets. Don't forget to stop by on Sunday for another fantastic blog hop with Clear Dollar Stamps. See you then!

We Wish You a Merry Christmas

2011-12-12T06:00:00.000-04:00

It's moving week! I am a little stressed...but I am still cranking out the cards, so that's got to say something. It is the only thing that keeps me sane, really! It's my sweet hubby's birthday as well today, so we're having a fly by little party as well! This week at Karen's Doodles we are having a clean and simple challenge. I don't often do these kind of cards, but let me say I love how this turned out. And it was so easy!

I used the Carolers image this week, and let me just say it is so cute! I really liked making this card that I think I will make some more just like it. So watch my blog later this week for some more! It's so simple and it says so much, don't you think?
Hop on over to the challenge blog to check out the rest of the team's clean and simple cards and to enter a card of your own. Thanks for visiting me today!

Filled with Warmth and Love

2011-12-09T06:00:00.000-04:00

If you are looking for my Sketches by Carly post, please scroll down. This is my second post for today!
I don't know about you, but I love a nice hot drink on a cold wintry day! There's just something about the colder weather that makes you long for a nice warm mug in your hand. That's the theme for our challenge over at the Sweet 'n Sassy Digital Challenge this week. I was totally inspired to make this card!

I used the Sweet Cocoa digital stamp for this card. I love how this image could make a Christmas card, or even just a wintry card. I know I will use it again and again! It's so cute!
I am entering this card into the AUD Sentiments challenge this week. I also thought it fit the theme at Creative Card Crew this week. I am really feeling the need for some hot chocolate with marshmellows, so off I go to get that made. Yum!
Thanks for stopping by my blog today. Don't forget to check out the blog for the challenge details and to see what the rest of the design team has come up with!
See you soon!

Sketches By Carly ~ Sliding in the Snow!

2011-12-09T04:00:00.000-04:00

It's time for another Sketches by Carly! I love these sketches, they are so much fun! This is going to be a month long sketch challenge so you all can relax and enjoy the holidays with your family and friends (and so we can, too!)

Here's the awesome sketch:

This month, Sketches by Carly is being sponsored by The Paper Shelter. If you aren't familiar with that company, you need to go and check it out. They have some of the sweetest images ever! I chose to use the Santa Cute Helper image for my card today.

How cute is that image? I love it! Be sure to check out the Sketches by Carly blog to see what the amazing design team has cooked up with this sketch. I love it! I can't wait to see what you make with this sketch!
I am entering this card into the Meljen's challenge this week to use green. Green is one of my all time favourite colours, I love it! And it is easy to use when you are making a Christmas card. Speaking of which, I am also entering this into the Stampin' for the Weekend Christmas challenge and the Colour Create challenge this week to use red, white and green.
We get keys for our new house tonight. I am very excited! We're even getting a babysitter so we can walk through again, do some cleaning and just get ourselves organized. I can't wait! Thanks for stopping by my blog today. Have a great weekend!

Joy to the World!

2011-12-07T06:00:00.000-04:00

Hark! The herald angels sing, glory to the newborn king! I have that song in my head as I post this card today! I love how sweet this little angel is, it really makes the card, don't you think?

I used the Patchpal Angel set for this card. It is so sweet, honestly! I just love how this card came together. Do you ever get that feeling that the card you just made turned out much better than it was in your head when you started? This is how this card turned out for me. It is so sweet!
I am entering this card into the Stampin' Sisters in Christ challenge this week to use an angel on your card. I think it fits the theme at the Pile it On Bling challenge too - I got out the Ice Stickles for this card and added some glitter to these wings. Love how they look! I am also entering it into the Craft your Days Away buttons or bows challenge (I love my bows!), ABC Christmas Y for Yipee, it's Chrsistmas challenge, and Digi Stamps for Joy's christmas challenge with a twist.
I need to run, so much to do and only a week away from moving, so I am feeling a little stressed! And a special doctor's appointment today that I have been waiting for for over two years. I am nervous. So I had better get going! Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

2011-12-05T06:00:00.000-04:00

Good Monday morning to you! Today is the start of a new week and we are hoping for a great one! It is getting closer to Christmas and I have some fun Christmas cards to share with you this week!
This week at the Karen's Doodles challenge blog we are doing a recipe challenge! The recipe is 3 embellishments, 2 papers and 1 image. Not too hard, right? If you are looking at my card and wondering where my third embellishment is, it's actually in the braided ribbon at the bottom. I used two different shades of pink ribbon and for some reason it doesn't look that way. But it is there, honest!

For this card, I've used the super cute Christmas Morning Boy image and paired it with some bright and cheery paper from Echo Park. I love EP paper, I seriously use it all the time. Love it!
You can check out the challenge blog for some more details and to see what the rest of the design team has created. You won't be disappointed!
I am entering this card into the Simon Says Stamp, Stamptacular Sunday, Come and Get It and Christmas All Year Round anything goes challenges.
Thanks for stopping by!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-02T12:00:00.000-04:00

If you are looking for my Sweet 'n Sassy post, please scroll down. This is my second post of the day!
It's already December! How did time fly by so quickly? It is hard to believe that Christmas is only a few short weeks away! I love to give my son's teachers a little something at Christmas time. He has Aspergers and can often be a handful, but he is such a joy! Still, I know it is hard for them some days so it's nice to get a little something. I made these adorable Christmas signs and I think they will each get one this Christmas.
The CiC challenge at Clear Dollar Stamps is Christmas themed for the next two weeks, so this is the project that I chose for that challenge. I have used the adorable Patchpal Reindeer digital stamp set for this.

You will want to head over to the CDS blog to check out the challenge details and see some samples from other design team members. We really have a great team there, they always come up with the best ideas!
Thanks for stopping by today!

SNSDC ~ Christmas Gift

2011-12-02T06:00:00.000-04:00

Good Friday morning! Are you feeling the Christmas spirit yet? I am, but them I am not. We are in full swing moving mode. We are moving house and it is busy, busy, busy! Only two short weeks, too. I am feeling a little panicked! Good thing I am ahead of the game in some places...like my crafty world!
This week over at Sweet 'n Sassy Digital challenge blog, we are asking our crafty friends to create a Christmas gift. I like to share with others the true meaning of Christmas - it really doesn't have anything to do with gifts (although we all love giving and receiving them during the holidays!) I decided to make this box which holds a bible, a notebook and a pen. A perfect gift for those who are just starting to go to church and are searching for the truth.

For this set I used an acrylic box that I had on hand (I am so not good at making things like that - I prefer to buy them already made. It saves me so much time and effort!) I think this box held candles or something like that before I used it for this gift. I used the adorable Away in a Manger digital stamp from the Sweet 'n Sassy store. I love this one, it is so sweet and it says so much.
I can't wait to see what you are making for this challenge! You can head over to the challenge blog to read more about the details of the challenge and to enter your project there.
Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Christmas Thanks

2011-11-29T12:01:00.001-04:00

Think back to when you were younger - remember that Christmas sweater that you great Aunt always used to make for you that never fit quite right? I thought of that when I saw this image and I just had to have it and had to make a card out of it. Way too cute! It's a sweet image from Jellypark Stamps called Oversized Jumper Gift. Too cute!

In the inside it says "A GREAT Big Thanks!" although I didn't get a photo of it. I am going to make a few of these as thank you cards for my boys to give out to the grandparents after Christmas. I think they will all get a smile out of them. I am entering this into the Jellypark Thank You challenge and the Party Time Tuesday anything goes challenge.
Thanks for stopping by my blog today!!!

Christmas Wishes

2011-11-28T07:30:00.001-04:00

It's another Monday morning here today. The sun is still not up yet, but I am! Got to love my little guys who wake up before the sun. (And caffeine, what would a mother do without it?) Today is also a new challenge at Karen's Doodles challenge blog and we are using non traditional colours on our Christmas cards today. I love this adorable little guy from the digital image Baby Present. It is just way too cute! So I had to use it.

I am entering this card into a few challenges. There are tons of Christmas challenges out there right now! I am entering it into the Pile it On challenge this week, sugar and spice. I am pretty sure it works! And for the Christmas challenges, I am entering it into the Papertake Weekly challenge, Shopping our Stash challenge, Little Red Wagon challenge, the Friday Mash up challenge, and Aud Sentiments.
Thanks for stopping by my blog today! Hope you have a wonderful Monday!!

Holiday Sheep!

2011-11-27T10:00:00.000-04:00

Hello everyone! My lovely friend Lorie has a challenge on her blog for you to use anything that you bought this weekend at a Black Friday or Cyber Monday sale and use it on a project. She has a prize up for grabs, too. You can check out her blog here for the information on this fun challenge. I thought I would play along, too. I didn't buy much this weekend since I am not in the States so we don't have all sorts of those great sales. But I did buy this green ribbon so I had to make a card.

I thought I would enter this card into a few different challenges as well. I am entering into the Pollycraft Christmas Fun challenge, the Simply Create challenge, and the Stamptacular Sunday challenge.
Thanks for stopping by my blog today. I hope that you will play along with Lorie's challenge. Too much fun!

A Few of my Favourite Things!

2011-11-25T06:00:00.000-04:00

If you are looking for my Sketches by Carly post, please scroll down. This is my second post for the day!

It's Friday! I always love Fridays, especially when my husband does not have to work the weekend, which is the case this time. Today my oldest has no school, hurray! So we are enjoying a day together - the boys are playing with new birthday gifts and are being very well behaved for now. There's no school on Monday, either, so I am going to have to figure out some fun activities to do with them to keep them from getting bored!

Today I want to share a card with you that I made for the latest Sweet 'n Sassy Digital Challenge with the theme "my favourite things." Of course, now I have that lovely song from the Sound of Music in my head (better than having childrens songs in your head 24/7). I chose to use the Pamper Me image because I love anything girly. Even before I met and married my husband and had two boys, I have loved pretty and girly things. Now especially since we are overloaded with boy toys, clothes, bedding, etc. I love to have nice smelling creams and lotions and pretty polishes and candles and anything pink. My favourite colours are also pink and green, so I have used that as my colour combo for this card.

I am entering this card into the Dutch Dare recipe challenge (I used ribbon, layers and rhinestones), the Digital Tuesday challenge to sparkle and shine (I used some Magenta stickles on that nailpolish, love it!) and also the Pile it On P is for challenge (in this case: pink and polish!).
Well, I had best be off doing something with the boys. They can only be good for so long. Maybe it's time to break out the paints or something. If it wasn't so cold, we'd go and play outside. It's that time of year I guess!
Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Sketches by Carly

2011-11-25T03:00:00.000-04:00

It's time for another Sketches by Carly challenge! Today's sketch is pretty awesome, I must say. She always does such a great job with her sketches.

The challenge is being sponsored by Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps today so I got to use another one of their great images. I chose Cocoa's Latte because it is one of my favourites. I love it! I also used one of my favourite colour combinations for this one. I love pink and brown together! What's your favourite colour combo?

Don't forget to check out the blog to see all of the challenge details and what the rest of the design team has created with this sketch. And of course, there is a prize for one lucky participant, so I hope you will play along.
I am entering this card into the Anything Goes sweetie challenge to create something to eat that is sweet. I hope it is okay to enter a drink for this challenge - I know whenever I go to get a hot drink treat I usually get hot chocolate or something sweet like apple cider or a pumpkin spice latte. The last time I got a hot drink as a treat it was a peppermint hot chocolate and it was delicious! (Of course I paired it with a not so healthy donut!). I am also entering it into the Meljens challenge to use twine - I loooove my twine so that was not a hard one!
Alright, I need to go make another post. But before YOU go, will you leave me a comment? I love hearing from you!
Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Katie's Celebrate Life Blog Hop

2011-11-22T12:00:00.000-04:00

Katie Emerson RenzApril 10, 1971 - November 7, 2011Forever in Our Hearts
Welcome to Katie's Celebrate Life blog hop brought to you by Clear Dollar Stamps. As many of you know, Katie was a huge part of CDS. From beginning to the Tuesday tutorials to creating challenges to making beautiful cards, Katie did it all and with that beautiful smile of hers. This post is not going to be easy to write, but I am glad you are here with me. If you are coming from Christi's blog, you are in the right place. If not, please begin the hop at the Clear Dollar Stamps blog.
I did not get to work with Katie for long before she left for medical leave, but she was one of the sweetest and nicest people you could ever meet. She was a loving mother, wife and friend. When reading through her journey of battling cancer, I would often close my eyes and try to think of myself in her shoes. She was a mother of boys, just like me. I could only imagine how terrifying and heart wrenching it might be for her - but in the midst of her pain, she wrote with clarity and honesty and you could see how much fun she had with her children, even at the end. She has inspired me to just love on my boys with all of my heart and soul, for as long as I can. If nothing else, I feel compelled to pray for her boys when I pray for mine. It's not much, but I know God cares for them even more than she ever could.
It was thinking of her boys that inspired me to make the cards that I did today. I was looking through the countless cards and projects that she created while designing for Clear Dollar Stamps, and this one card stood out to me. It's very simple, but I love it. I knew this was the one that I wanted to CASE.

I love how fun and light hearted this card is. The paper is perfect for it, too! I didn't have the cool paper that she did, but I tried to copy the overall layout as best I could using the Monster Mash set. I made a set of six cards, using two of each monster and different sentiments from this set.

I like how they turned out. They make me smile, just like Katie's card did - just like Katie did. If there is one thing I will miss about Katie, it is that incredible smile. I hope you will continue to pray with me for Katie's family. Pray for her husband Kevin, and her three boys Hunter, Nathaniel and William. Pray that they will find peace in the memories that they shared with Katie. The Lord hears our prayers and he cares more deeply than we do.

Thanks for joining me in this special blog hop. The next stop on the hop is Kathy. If you have been touched by Katie's life and legacy and you would like to donate to Operation Renz, you can do so by clicking on the button below. Thank you for stopping by to celebrate Katie's life with me today.

2011-11-21T06:55:00.001-04:00

It's another Monday morning! And today is a special day at our house because it is my youngest son's fourth birthday. Hurray! We have a lot of fun and special things planned for him today. I can't wait! So before I get right into the festivities, I wanted to share a card I made today for the Karen's Doodles Celebrate with Santa challenge! It was really fun to make it!

I used the Santa Dog image for this card. We don't really do Santa at our house, but I thought this was pretty cute so I had to use it! I am entering this into the 2 Sisters challenge to let it sparkle, Creatalicious Christmas sparkle challenge, Digital Tuesday Christmas challenge, and Phindy's place Christmas challenge.
Alright, my husband is making pancakes for the birthday boy so I had better run. Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Clear Dollar Stamps THANKFUL Blog Hop!

2011-11-20T12:00:00.000-04:00

Are you ready for a blog hop? We are hopping with Clear Dollar Stamps design team today with the blog hop theme, THANKFUL. Appropriate for this time of year, with the American thanksgiving this week and Canadian thanksgiving not too long before. I think it is important to be thankful all year round. This time of year it is so easy to be thankful when you see the changing leaves and are snuggling up on the couch with a nice hot drink. (Okay, who am I kidding? I am in Canada and there are no more leaves and it is FREEZING!) But, I am still thankful! Thankful for family, relatively good health, and all the Lord has blessed me with.

If you are joining me from Stacy's blog, then you are in the right place! If not, then you will want to head back to Lori's blog (the lovely owner of Clear Dollar Stamps). Then you'll be right on track! The card that I have made today is a harvest theme card (likely the last one for this year), and I love it. Charlie is just so cute and fun. So I hope that all my American friends will appreciate this as they get together for their thanksgiving meals this week.

I used the adorable Charlie Harvest digital set for this card. It's pretty cute, isn't it? That Charlie sure makes me smile! As I am typing this, I am listening to Christmas music. I must admit, I am in Christmas mode now that our thanksgiving is over. However, just because I am thinking Christmas does not mean I can't stop and think about what I am thankful for. This Christmas season? I am thankful most of all for the birth of my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ who was born in a dirty, lonely place so he could live and serve and bring hope and healing to a broken nation, century after century. I am thankful for His ultimate sacrifice and the peace and joy I have received from His gift. If you want to know more about this, send me an e-mail. I'd love to talk to you!
I don't usually create more than one card for blog hops, but I had to for this one. So, here is my Christmas themed thankful card using the For Unto You set that was just released this month. It's pretty basic, but it is such a nice set I like the picture to say it all.

If you're ready to hop to the next blog, you're going to leave here and go straight to Kathy's lovely blog. Don't forget to leave me a comment before you leave. I hear there is a prize up for grabs! Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Vintage Christmas

2011-11-19T14:58:00.001-04:00

This weekend there is an online Christmas card crop this weekend at the Let's Capture Our Memories forum (my LSS). There are different challenges to complete, but I thought I would share this card that I made for a vintage card challenge. If you follow my blog, you already know my speciality is bright and cheerful cards - so vintage is totally out of my comfort zone. I don't think it turned out too badly, do you?

This is the first time in a very long time that I have used a rubber stamp. It has been a long time. If you love it and need to have it, you can find it here at Biblical Impressions. I love the look of the old snowman looking at his newspaper. Makes me smile!
Thanks so much for visiting my blog today!

New Arrival

2011-11-18T06:31:00.001-04:00

I know I have been mostly making Christmas cards lately (I made a few more last night, it is just that time of year), so I thought I would throw in a baby card. You all know I love to make baby cards! This one is pretty sweet, too. I have quite the stockpile of baby cards now. I need people to start having babies now. I have been trying to get my two married siblings to get on the baby train, but they are not budging. Although there are one or two at my church who are currently expecting, so that is great news! I just love babies. I wish I could have more!

I made this card using the Mama Duck digital stamp from Sweet 'n Sassy stamps. Today is a new challenge on the Sweet 'n Sassy Digi challenge, and the theme is all about birds. We are still celebrating the fourth birthday of Sweet 'n Sassy stamps, so every card that you enter in November will have you entered into winning three digital stamps of your choice (and two entries if you use a SNSS image). And as if that is not enough for you, during the month of November we are also giving one winner four images of their choice each week! So be sure to play long before the month ends!
Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Heals the Brokenhearted

2011-11-16T17:50:00.001-04:00

Today I am sharing a quick card I made for a friend who is going through a bit of a tough time. I always like to have some encouraging words to share with a friend when I know they need someone to lean on. I created this simple card using the sketch at Let's Capture Our Memories this week.

That's it! I am off to a meeting. Thanks for stopping by my blog today!!

New From Clear Dollar Stamps!

2011-11-15T12:00:00.000-04:00

It is new release day at Clear Dollar Stamps! Today we are releasing several new digital sets that you are not going to want to miss. They are all awesome! I always have a hard time choosing what sets to showcase each month because they are all so great. You can see all of them on the Clear Dollar Stamps blog.

The first set I am showcasing today is by Deedee Anderson called Let Your Light Shine. It's so versatile and can be used for so many different occasions.

Here is the card I created with the set. As soon as I saw it, the lava lamp was calling out to me to be coloured. It's so much fun!

For this card, I have used the following supplies:

Stamps/Images: Let Your Light Shine CDS

Cardstock/Paper: Bazzill, Echo Park

Inks/Markers: Bic Mark Its, Triart Markers, Tattered Angels Lemon Zest Glimmer Mist

Accents/Tools: Offray Ribbon, Annabelle Sprinkles

The second set that I am showcasing today is a previously released clear stamp set that was turned into digital files. It was designed by Shawne Arnold, and it is called Meowy Christmas. I love it, and I think you will too. It is way too cute!

Here is the card that I made using this set. I love all of the images and I am sure I will use them all on cards this Christmas season, but the little cat in the stocking really made me smile, so I had to use it.

For this card, I have used the following supplies:

Stamps/Images: CDS Meowy Christmas

Cardstock/Papers: Core'dinations, Echo Park, Making Memories, My Minds Eye

Inks/Markers: Clearsnap Liquid Chalk, Bic Mark Its, Copics, Prismacolours

Accents/Tools: Ranger Frosted Lace Stickles, The Twinery twine in Maraschino and Pea pod

I hope you love these sets as much as I do. You can visit the rest of the design team to see their amazing, amazing work. We have some new members this month, so be sure to visit their blogs and leave them some love.

Before you leave, I just wanted to let you all know that on Tuesday, November 22nd we are having a special blog hop to celebrate the life of our friend and fellow design team member, Katie Renz. Many of you may have crossed paths with this wonderful woman in the crafting community. Please stop by the Clear Dollar Stamps blog next Tuesday to celebrate with us.

Merry Christmas

2011-11-14T08:23:00.001-04:00

It's Monday today and I have a ripping headache. Unfortunately, on days like these my boys are really loud and don't have a volume control button or a mute button. Oh well, the oldest is off to school as I type this so I only have to contend with one noisy boy.
Today is a new challenge at Karen's Doodles! This week we are making anything but a card. Let me tell you, I always step out of my comfort zone when I have to think outside of a card (at least where stamping is concerned). But I think this Christmas hanging that I made is cute and would make a great gift, don't you?

I used one of the new Christmas images for this one called Snowmen Caroling. It's so much fun, they are just so cute and festive. You can hop on over to the Karen's Doodles Challenge Blog to see the details for the challenge and the rest of the design team's awesome creations for this week's challenge.
I am also entering this card into a few challenges this week. Pile it On is having a Christmas challenge, and in the theme of piling it on I am entering it into the following Christmas challenges out there this week: Christmas Stamping All Year Long (new stamp), Papertake Weekly, Wags N Whiskers, and Tip Top Tuesday. I am also entering it into Stamps & Fun's winter challenge and Crafter's Companion let it snow challenge.
Now I am off to find some advil or something to take and a nice cup of tea and maybe some breakfast. Hoepfully this headache will subside before too long, they are never fun. Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Cocoa's Christmas Ornament

2011-11-11T06:00:00.000-04:00

If you are looking for my Stamping Boutique blog hop post or my Sketches By Carly post, please scroll down. This is my third post for today!
The pressure is on for Christmas this year. I am feeling slightly overwhelmed with all I have heaped on my plate for the holidays this year. My parents are coming for Christmas day (a huge deal since they live in another province), then we are travelling to see my Grandmother for a 90th birthday! Not to mention all of the handmade gifts I decided to give this year. I started making things in July - but I've procastinated a bit too much! Then there's the craft fairs I signed up for to sell some cards. Yikes!
Thankfully, I've been making Christmas cards lately. Here's another fun one using an adorable image from Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps. I love Cocoa! I made this card for the paper piecing challenge that is over on the digi challenge blog today. Let me just say that paper piecing is NOT my forte, but I think I did okay here.

I printed out this digi twice, and then stamped a background stamp in black on the ornament, cut it out and glued it down to create a bit more of a glamourous looking ornament. I have not yet mastered how to print on patterned paper. I am sure I will get there, but if you have been following my blog you know that I have a really wonky printer that only likes to work on occasion. (A new printer is on my wish list for Christmas, so perhaps in the future I can try it).
I am entering this card into the sketch at Christmas Card Challenge (even though I added a little extra piece of paper), the Clear It Out holiday challenge, Charisma Cardz cute challenge, and Paper and Such's paper piecing challenge.
Don't forget to stop by the Sweet 'n Sassy blog to see the challenge details and to see the amazing creations of the design team! I have to run, the overwhelming feeling is getting to me. What can I do today?
Thanks for stopping by!

SBC #44 - The Nativity

2011-11-11T02:00:00.000-04:00

If you are looking for either the Stamping Boutique blog hop post, please scroll down. This is my second post today!
Did I mention how excited I am to be part of the Sketches by Carly team? Today I am showing my first DT card that I made with Carly's sketch. Her sketches are always so fun and outside of my usual. Have you ever been stuck in a rut where all of your cards look the same? I sure have...and that is why I am so glad to be part of this team. Here's the awesome sketch for this challenge today:

Today the challenge is being sponsored by Bugaboo Stamps (the winner will receive SEVEN digital images, how awesome is that?) so I chose to use the Mary Joseph and Child digital stamp. This sketch was super fun and easy to follow. I loved how easy it was to put this card together.

Don't forget to check out the blog to see all of the challenge details and what the rest of the design team has created with this awesome sketch. You are not going to want to miss out, I hear there is an out of this world prize!
I am also entering this card into the Jellypark challenge to use non traditional Christmas colours, the Stampin' Sisters in Christ challenge to use a stamp you haven't used in a long time (can you believe it has been two years since I used this one?), the Everybody Art advent challenge and Digital Tuesday's anything goes challenge.
Thanks for stopping by today (for the second time) - I love it!

The Stamping Boutique Freestyle Blog Hop!

2011-11-11T01:01:00.000-04:00

We're hopping with The Stamping Boutique today! If you are just joining us now, you will want to head over to Christy's blog to start. If you've been hopping along, you'll have come from the lovely Rene's blog. She always has something awesome to show and today is no different, am I right?

There are so many different images in The Stamping Boutique's store. I love so many of them, it was hard to choose one for today's blog hop. I do love the look of monkeys on a card, though. (I don't think I would ever want to meet one in real life!) So I had to choose this Pocket Patootie Monkey image. It was just too cute to pass up!

It's pretty cute, right? I enjoy it! Your next stop on the hop is Arielle! Before you hop off to go check out what she's created, please leave me a comment! I will randomly choose one lucky winner from those who have commented to win one free image of their choice from The Stamping Boutique store! This blog hop will run until November 13th at 12:59 EST. I will announce the winner on my blog here on Monday, November 14th.
Thanks for stopping by! Happy hopping!

Shared With A Friend

2011-11-10T11:30:00.001-04:00

I am going to be making a lot of Christmas projects in the next few weeks, so I thought every here and there I would throw in something completely different. I like to change things up. Change is good, right? Sometimes...

Today I have a sweet card to share with you that I made using the super cute Quirky Skunk coloured digital stamp.(If you haven't been to Doodle Pantry to check out the Quirky collection, you need to. I love it!) I do not love skunks. This summer we had a skunk family living in the parking lot behind our house and let me tell you, the boys and I would be out in the yard playing and then all of a sudden have to run in because something scared a skunk and the next thing you know..peeoou! I always sleep with the window open and sometimes I'd wake up at 2 a.m. and practically choke on skunk spray. Disgusting! We never got sprayed ourselves, so we didn't need tomato juice baths (thankfully!) but it was pretty nasty. Thank goodness this skunk is all cute and no stink!

I am entering this card into the current Doodle Pantry challenge. I also thought I would enter it into the Digital Tuesday's anything goes challenge, the C.R.A.F.T. challenge to make something cute (I'd say this qualifies!), and the ABC challenge to use crocheted flowers (my sister made me these, I love them!) and last but certainly not least, the Sketch Saturday challenge.
Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Home is Where the Snow Falls

2011-11-08T07:27:00.003-04:00

It's at that time of year that we are thinking ahead to Christmas and getting ready for the upcoming holiday season. I am sure you will be seeing a lot of Christmas and Holiday cards on my blogs in the next month or so as I am sure that I will be seeing them on yours.

Here's another wintry card that I created with the Snowman's Laundry Line digital image from the Stamping Boutique. It's just a cute little image that makes me smile, how about you?

Before we know it winter will be upon us. Thankfully, yesterday was such a beautiful day and all I needed was a light jacket (and even that was bordering too warm!) I think today is going to be another nice day as well. I need to run, it is almost time for my son to get out the door and go to school and I have not even thought about what to put in his lunch yet.
Thanks for stopping by my blog!

Sweet N Sassy Birthday Blog Hop!

2011-11-07T08:57:00.000-04:00

If you are looking for my Karen's Doodles challenge post, just scroll down to the next post. This is my second for today!

Thanks for joining me for the Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps Birthday Blog Hop! Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps is so excited to be celebrating four wonderful years! I am new to desinging for Sweet N Sassy Stamps, but I have known about the company for quite some time and know that Korin pours her heart and soul into the company making it a wholesome and happy place. I am thrilled to be included in this team and this wonderful blog hop!

A fantastic group of Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps design team members past and present (along with some special friends) have put together this fabulous Birthday Blog Hop to kick off a whole month of fun! We have 36 stops so the hop will take place over three days - feel free to take your time visiting each blog! You have until 11:59pm EST November 9th to leave comments on as many blogs as you can. (Please leave a comment on my blog, they REALLY brighten up my day!) On Saturday, November 12th Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps will announce FOUR winners (chosen at random from comments on random stops along the hop); each lucky winner will receive a prize pack including stamps, dies, paper & twine valued at $40! How awesome is that?

If you have been following along already you should have come from Makiko's Blog. Isn't she awesome? Love her card! If you are just joining in you will want to start at the SNSS blog and go from there. You won't want to miss any stops along the way. Also, don't forget to comment on as many stops as you can....the more comments the better your chance of winning one of the amazing prize packs!

Since we are celebrating Sweet N Sassy's birthday, I thought I would make a birthday card! Plus, it is birthday season in our house. My birthday was last Wednesday, my oldest son turned six on Friday, my other little guy will be four on the 21st! And if that is not enough, my brother in law, my brother and my sister all have birthdays this month - and then my sweet husband's is in December. That is A LOT of birthdays! I used the adorable Party Hat Cocoa digital stamp. I love this one! So fun! And in true Jerusha style, it's loaded up with bright papers and embellishments.

Your next stop on the hop is Mary's blog, but just in case there are any hiccups (like linking to myself instead of Mary earlier today, oops!) or you get lost along the way (I know I would!), there is the whole list of happy people on this party train:

Jerusha Borden ~ you are here!

That's it! Thanks so much for stopping by my blog. I hope you are enjoying the hop so far. I know I love sitting in front of my computer with a cup of tea or hot chocolate or something warm and just going through all of the blogs and taking my time getting inspired and leaving comments for all of those who've created the wonderful projects.
Happy Hopping!

Karate Boy

2011-11-07T06:00:00.000-04:00

Today is a new day! I always love Mondays because it feels like the fresh start of a new week. And also because it means a new challenge at Karen's Doodles! Today we are challenging you to use black and white and one other colour (skin tones are allowed, thankfully!) I do not know what possessed me to think of brown. Usually when I think of black and white's plus one I think red. But this time my idea just went a different direction. I think I like it, though!

I used the image Karate Boy for this card. I have had this one for awhile but haven't liked the way I coloured it up. It just all came together for this one once I printed it off and coloured it in brown. (I am really hoping that one of the martial arts has a brown belt, because I never researched it before I coloured it!) I hope this card will encourage someone. I always like my cards to do that.
I am entering this into the Stampin' Sisters in Christ challenge to use an older stamp that hasn't been used in awhile, Craft Your Passion challenge anything goes plus brown, Stamps R Us masculine theme challenge, Paper Play and Simon Says Stamp button challenges, and Paper Crafting Journey challenge to use a digi.
Well, I need to run. I have lots to do today! Thanks for stopping by my blog!

Year Round Calendar Blog Hop!

2011-11-06T12:00:00.000-04:00

Surprise! The digital design team at Clear Dollar Stamps have come together to showcase a special set in this blog hop! We thought the set Year Round Calendar was so cool we wanted to show you different ways that you can put this set to use.
If you are just joining us now, you will want to start at Patti's blog. Then you can follow along with the months of the year and see what we've created. If you've just seen the month of November on Sandy's blog, then you are in the right place. So that means I am showcasing December!
I really love Christmas. It is my favourite holiday! It's such a wonderful season to celebrate. My project today is a pretty simple one. I've altered a cookie sheet to use as a calendar and message board for the month of December.

I know that these can be very elaborate, but I just wanted something simple and not over the top. I've glued the calendar piece down, but the To Do list and the photo of my boys are just held on by magnets so they can be interchangeable! (That picture is from two years ago, I need a new one from this year!)

And of course, you need to circle the most IMPORTANT day of the year! That way you can keep track of when the big day will arrive. (I know my boys are ALREADY excited about it!)

So that's the end of the Year Round Calendar blog hop! I hope you have enjoyed it and that you have commented on every blog for your chance to win this set. We are giving away TWO sets, so you have an extra chance to win.
Thanks so much for stopping by my blog! Good luck!

Christmas Tree Cocoa

2011-11-04T06:00:00.000-03:00

Today is the day I get to showcase my first card for Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps! I am so excited to start sharing my cards with you, I have had so much fun colouring. I have to admit, I am a little in love with Cocoa mouse, so you will be seeing him a lot!

The challenge today is to create a Christmas card! You can see all of the challenge details over on the Sweet 'n Sassy digi challenge blog. I just mentioned I have a bit of a Cocoa addiction, so here is the adorable Cocoa's Christmas Tree digital stamp on my Christmas card.

I must admit, I love Christmas. I love everything about it, including making Christmas cards. I love looking at new Christmas papers in the store and indulging a little bit when I think I need something new. Most of all, I love giving them away!
Speaking of giving things away, here is some exciting news for you. In addition to the regular monthly challenge prize at Sweet 'n Sassy, one randomly chosen participant in the challenges this month will receive 4 digis! That is one new winner each week this month - just a fun way to add to the birthday celebrations!
Thank you so much for stopping by my blog today! Don't forget to stop in and see the rest of the design team's creations at the SNSS digital challenge blog!

Birthday Blog Candy Winners!

2011-11-02T07:06:00.005-03:00

It's my Birthday! The boys woke me up this morning at 6 a.m. with birthday hugs and kisses. I guess if you are going to have to wake up at an ungodly hour, at least that is a great way to do it! Today I thought I would share a super simple birthday card that I made for my oldest son's sixth birthday which is on Friday. Six years ago today I was ready to burst and waiting anxiously to have that sweet baby I was two weeks overdue with and at the same time hoping desperately I'd be able to eat my birthday cake and not go into labour! Aiden really loves penguins, so here is a card that I made for him using a cute penguin digital image from Doodle Dragon Studios.

I don't put any embellishments on the cards I make for my boys because they are lovingly nicknamed Hurricane Aiden and Tornado Micah (although I never say that to them, it sure feels like that after they've been through a room!) Thankfully, they know how to clean up. But they have shredded things before, so I keep their cards simple.
Now, you are waiting to hear who has won the blog candy that I posted for my birthday. Here are the winners chosen randomly by random.org I am giving away a $10 gift certificate to purchase some digital stamps from each of these awesome stores. Winners please contact me - you have a week to claim your prize!
The winner of $10 in digital images for Clear Dollar Stamps is Nina!

The winner of $10 in digital images for Clear Dollar Stamps is Julie!

The winner of $10 in digital images for The Stamping Boutique is Dana!

Congratulations to the winners! Thank you for stopping by my blog and being supportive of me in this craft. Have a wonderful day! I am excited for cake! (It's the little things!)

EXCITING NEWS!!!

2011-11-01T11:27:00.000-03:00

I have an announcement to make! I have been invited to join the Sketches By Carly design team. I am really excited about this new venture. Carly is a 12 year old girl who designs all of the sketches and creates amazing cards with them. Some of my favourite cards have come from sketches by Carly!
I have also joined the Sweet N Sassy digital design team for a few months. I have already started creating some cute cards with these digis, you are going to love them! We have a blog hop coming up on Monday, November 7th you are not going to want to miss. It's their 4th birthday this week and they are celebrating in style with lots of sales and other fun things, so go and check it out!
While I am here announcing things, you should know what The Stamping Botique is also having a blog hop on November 11th. You will want to come and check that out as well!
Thanks for stopping by my blog! You still have one more day to enter my blog candy - I draw winners tomorrow!

U + Me = Chemistry

2011-11-01T06:58:00.000-03:00

Did you survive Halloween? My boys had a wonderful time visiting the nursing home and saying Happy Halloween to people as they passed by in their costumes. They looked awfully cute, if I do say so myself! And they got a little spoiled with a bit of candy as well. Good thing Mom only lets them have one thing at a time!
Today I wanted to share a card I made this weekend. When I saw this image, Back to School Chemistry Set from the Stamping Boutique, I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it. I didn't have a sentiment to go with it so I scoured Google looking for something and when I finally found this after searching a few different ways, decided it could not be any more perfect.

I didn't really go crazy with the embellishments because I wanted to save it and give it to my husband for his birthday. He might get a good chuckle out of it!
I am still recuperating from last night, I feel awfully tired this morning! Don't forget, today is the last day to enter for my BLOG CANDY, I will draw winners tomorrow! Check it out!
See you soon!

What's Shakin'?

2011-10-31T06:00:00.000-03:00

It's Monday morning, which normally is not very fun. But today is Halloween and the kids are excited and it is nice to see them so thrilled over a simple thing like dressing up and visiting the residents in the nursing home. It is also time for a new challenge from Karen's Doodles! This week we're looking to quotes for inspiration and my husband showed me this one a few weeks ago in a devotional book he was reading and I loved it!
Appreciate the members of your family for who they are, even though their outlook and style may be different from yours. Rabbits don't fly. Eagles don't swim. Ducks look funny trying to climb. Squirrels don't have feathers. Stop comparing. There's plenty of room in the forest. ~ Chuck Swindoll
I have two brothers and a sister. When I sit and think about how we were all raised by the same parents, living in the same house that we all grew up to have different interests and different careers. My older brother loves Star Wars and is a technical support analyst. I think it's awesome because he trouble shoots ALL of my computer issues and is always willing to help his little sis out! My sister is always willing to sew something for me or crochet me some flowers when she is not busy working as an accountant in the office of the Auditor General of Canada. She is pretty much a braniac, she walked out of university with that job! She's basically the triple threat...smart, beautiful and funny. (Did I mention she's my best friend?) My younger brother can kick my butt at any video game imaginable and just graduated from university this past spring with a health sciences degree. I call him whenever my nurse husband isn't at home to answer all sorts of medical related questions, and he too is willing to help his sister out (while laughing at my self diagnoses). And then there's me. You obviously know what I love to do if you visit my blog often. I also have two degrees that are collecting dust in the back of my bedroom closet. I could be a journalist, a teacher, a gerontologist, a historian, a researcher, the sky's the limit (that's what you get with a triple major and a lot of hard work!) But I traded it all in for my two sweet things that need their Mom at home right now. (Although I should mention none of my siblings have children...yet!) We are ALL so different. I was totally inspired by the quote and my siblings to make this card. Speaking of which, if any of you are reading this, I am totally the beaver on the end shaking all I've got!

I used the Silly Fun digital image for this card. When I saw it, it made me smile and it totally fit with the quote! I usually only enter my cards into one or to challenges, but today I am going a little crazy! I am entering it into six anything goes challenges at Paper Play Time, Come and Get It, Digi Doodle Shop, Inky Impressions, Simon Says Stamp, and Sweet Stampin'. I think it also fits the theme for the friendship challenge at The Crafty Pad, Sew Many Challenges background paper challenge, and Creative Craft World's challenge to add a sentiment. And don't forget the original challenge was for Karen's Doodles quote challenge!
Thank you for joining me today on my blog. I really am pleased with this card and am thankful I can share iti with you. I think regardless of our differences, we have to appreciate all we have to offer one another and the other people in our lives. Differences can be challenging when planning and similar personalities can bump and spark from time to time, but in the end, there's love. And plenty of room in the forest.

Thank You

2011-10-28T08:15:00.001-03:00

It has been so cold here. Yesterday on the walk to pick up my son from school, my youngest and I needed to put on winter hats and mittens! And today I was listening to the weather forecast, and they are calling for snow on Sunday. I am not sure if I am ready for the snow! It seems a little early to me...but then maybe not. Want to hear a funny story?

My older brother has a birthday in May. It was always so beautiful and sunny and warm on his birthday. My birthday is in November and it ALWAYS snows. Every single year for pretty much my entire childhood, the first snow was always on November 2nd. The year I turned twelve, I was a little mad. I said, "WHY does God always make it snow on my birthday and never on Aaron's? It is just not fair!" Well, I think God has a sense of humour. That year, on my brother's birthday in May we were picking up trash by the side of the road as a part of a school community help project...and wouldn't you know it, it snowed! And on November 2nd, it was freezing cold, but not a flake. I don't think I am going to be so fortunate this year!
All the snow talk has gotten me down, so I needed to make something bright and cheerful with no sign of winter and all the drudgery it brings (remember, I live in Canada where it snows half of the year - you get pretty tired of it after the first three months!). I think this cheery card does the trick!

I made this card using the Jargon Mix set from Clear Dollar Stamps. I love how bright and happy these are. I am entering this into Charisma Cardz anything goes challenge.It is a pretty simple card, but I wanted the lace to look like the valance in my kitchen window. (Maybe I was hoping someone would buy me flowers?) It does the trick to cheer me up, though!
Thanks for stopping by my blog today. Have a wonderful weekend!

Happy Birthday Puppy

2011-10-25T08:36:00.000-03:00

It's a rainy Tuesday here this morning and still pretty dark as I type this. I have a busy morning volunteering at my son's school book fair today so I need to make this a quick post. I just thought this was a really cute image and needed to make a card with it!

I used the adorable digital image Puppy Surprise from The Stamping Boutique. In hindsight, I should have coloured it lightly with white, cream and grey because he looks like my sister's adorable puppy Bjorn. I am going to have to do that and send it to her! I am thinking you could easily use this for a Christmas card, too. Maybe it will be their Christmas card for this year....oooh, the wheels are turning now!
I am entering this card into the Everybody Art sketch challenge, and the Send A Smile 4 Kids challenge this week to make something for the girls. Well, I had better run or I will be late for the book fair! Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Penguin Cupcake

2011-10-24T06:00:00.000-03:00

My son will be six in a little under two weeks. It is so hard to imagine because it feels like just yesterday he was a little baby just being born and I was a new parent. Now he is in the first grade and is smart, funny and so much fun to be around. He is currently obsessed with penguins. He thinks they are so cute and funny, even though he has never seen a real penguin before.

Today's challenge at Karen's Doodles is to make a card with embossing, and I thought this particular embossing folder would go well with this fun image called Penguin Cupcake. Can you tell who will get this card on their birthday?

It is not really all that boyish, but his favourite colour is purple so I don't think he will mind. He's not tapped in to all that sort of stuff anyway, and for that I am glad. I just love how happy these little critters are! So much fun! Be sure to join us over at Karen's Doodles challenge blog!
I am also entering this into the Be Happy challenge at Pile it On, the layering challenge at Totally Paper Crafts, Charisma's embossing challenge, and the from nature challenge at Stamps R Us (hey, penguins are a part of nature are they not?)
Thanks for stopping by my blog today! I have a lot planned for today, including some crafty time with a friend, so I need to run. See you soon!

Fairy Tale Birthday

2011-10-22T16:33:00.000-03:00

Today was a gloomy day, and I needed a little pick me up so I decided to make some cards this morning. After a dance a long, a game of hide and go boo, putting together a puzzle and making the kids lunch and supper - I am finally getting a chance to post it!

I love the adorable Jelly Park stamps. I think they are so cute! I just purchased a few new ones but haven't had a chance to print any of them yet, so here's a card I made using an image I had already printed and coloured. Isn't it adorable?

I made this card for the current Jellypark challenge to use an image that is wearing a costume. I also am entering it into the Friday Mashup challenge to use twine. How cute is this little knight? My kids LOVE the Backyardigans, it is one of their favourite shows. If you have never heard of it before, it's about these five little preschool aged creatures whose backyard changes into whatever their little hearts can desire and imagine up. One of the episodes is about a brave knight who travels from one kingdom to another to deliver a message to the king. They love to sing and dance, so there is ALWAYS a song running through my mind. Right now it goes a little something like this...

We're knights, that right!

With smarts and strength

and guts and might!We're never ever rudeWe're always politeOur knightly skills are out of sight!
I can not tell you, there is ALWAYS a Backyardigans song for every situation. It's quite comical, really. And what makes it even funnier is that my husband and I will spontaneously break out into song when the kids are in bed. Oh dear....
Anyway! Thanks for stopping by my blog today. It appears my little knights (who are currently singing this song) are done supper and ready for a bath so I have to run. See you soon!

Cupcake Bakery

2011-10-19T09:53:00.002-03:00

I have been a bit under the weather the last few days. Yesterday I was in bed most of the day, so I am a bit late in posting this - but better late than never, right? I have an acquaintance who just opened a cupcake bakery so I made this sign for them in the colours of their store. I used the Cupcake Bakery digital image and it could not be more perfect!

Here's more of a close up view. I love the adorable image. It is so cute!

My birthday is in a few weeks so my husband has ordered a cake from them and I am really excited. It is going to be so awesome! I wish it was my birthday today! Okay, maybe not...still can't really taste anything and wouldn't want to eat a delicious cake when I can't taste it. Speaking of birthdays, don't forget to check out my birthday blog candy.
Don't forget to check out The Stamping Boutique store today, there is a one buck sale today only where all of the Christmas and Winter images are only one dollar! Thanks for stopping by my blog today! Have a wonderful day!

Animal Antics

2011-10-17T08:31:00.000-03:00

"Rainy days and Mondays always get me down..." That's the song that is going through my head right now as I look out my window on this rainy Monday morning. I am not going to let it get me down, though, because today is a new challenge at Karen's Doodles challenge blog!
Our theme this week is "animal antics" and there are tons of cute images that could reflect that in the Karen's Doodles store (which, by the way, is having some domain issues right now but Karen is working hard to get it back on track). It was hard to choose what to use for this week's challenge, but I just loved this cute little bookworm image called Reading Is Fun.

I love to read and am hoping that my boys will love to read as well. Last week before school, my oldest chose to read while waiting for his ride to school instead of playing with lego or dinosaurs or some other activity. I was so excited and proud of him as he is just learning and still struggles with a few words. I just keep telling him how exciting it is to read about new adventures so I hope he will have that love for reading too.
If you love Karen's images (and I know you do!) then why not leave a comment on this post for a chance to win a gift certificate to her store and some others as well. Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Clear Dollar Stamps Blog Hop ~ Happy Fall, Y'all!

2011-10-16T12:00:00.000-03:00

Are you ready for a blog hop? We're hopping with the Clear Dollar Stamps design team today with a blog hope theme, "Happy Fall, Y'all!" I love fall - it is my all time favourite season. I live in Canada so I get to experience the beautiful leaves changing colours. Right now from where I sit I can look out the window and see a stunning tree full of red and orange leaves, as well as a beautiful yellow tree as well. It's so nice to see!

If you are coming to me from seeing the fabulous card on Jan's blog, then you are on the right track! If you are just joining us now you will want to start at Lori's blog, the owner of Clear Dollar Stamps.
I used one of the newly released sets (just yesterday!) called Autumn Critters. I love them, they are so much fun and so cute, too! I love the fall colours on this card and the crocheted flowers that my sister made for me - it really looks like autumn, don't you think?

Now you are going to want to hop on over to the lovely Stacy to see what she has in store for you. Before you go, please leave a comment! Not only do I love reading your comments, but if you leave a comment on every blog in this hop you might win the grand prize of $25 to spend on digital images! (And we JUST had a new release, so you know you want them!)
Thanks for stopping by my blog today! Happy hopping!

New From Clear Dollar Stamps!

2011-10-15T12:00:00.000-03:00

It's new release day at Clear Dollar Stamps! Today there are several new digital sets released that you are going to just love! It was so hard to choose only a few to showcase on my blog today since they are all awesome! You can check them out when you visit the store, and you can also see ALL of them on the Clear Dollar Stamps blog!

The first set I am going to share with you was designed by Laurie Wilson. It is called Spider Greetings and I think it is so cute!

Normally if I were to come across a spider, I would scream and find someone else to kill it for me. I don't mind spiders outside, doing their job as God intended. But to see them in my shower or somewhere else in my house? NO THANK YOU! However, if I found a spider as cute as this, I think I'd keep it! I made my set with a bit of a Halloween flair since it is close to Halloween, but I think it would be great for any day!

For this card, I have used the following supplies:

Stamps/Images: Spider Greetings CDS

Cardstock/Paper: Bazzill, Echo Park

Inks/Markers: Caran D'Ache Pencil Crayons with Odourless Mineral Spirits

Accents/Tools: Prima Lace, American Crafts Halloween Brads, AnnaBelle Sprinkles

The second set that I am showcasing today is called Christmas Cuties and it was designed by Deedee Anderson. In true Deedee style, it really puts a smile on your face, doesn't it? And just in time to get some Christmas cards done!

I am going to have to make some cards with that Penguin, since my oldest son really loves penguins right now! But I thought today that I would take that adorable snowman and make a card with it. I really love snowmen, it is my favourite winter decoration. I have a bunch of sweet snowman decorations but I don't put them out, which is so sad. But with two boys under the age of six, breakable decorations are not a good idea! I am sure that in the future I will be able to have them out again...maybe. If not, I will collect them to put out when they've moved out of the house in fifteen years. Until then, cute cards will do!

For this card, I have used the following supplies:

Stamps/Images: Christmas Cuties CDS

Cardstock/Paper: Core'dinations, Bazzill, Echo Park

Inks/Markers: Prismacolours, Triart markers, Bic Mark Its

Accents/Tools: Offray Ribbon, American Crafts Brads, (and adorable crocheted flowers my sister made!)

I hope you love these sets as much as I do! You can visit the rest of the digital design team to check out what they have made using these sets and some of the other sets released today. Here are the links to their blogs:

Linda Anderson

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog today. Make sure you stop by TOMORROW for the next Clear Dollar Stamps blog hop for your chance to win an amazing prize! You are not going to want to miss out. See you then!

Burn Brightly

2011-10-13T11:00:00.002-03:00

It's a dreary day here today. I am thankful that it is fall and not winter because at least on a day like today you can look out the window and see beautiful colours. I wish it could be fall all year round! I don't really mind the rain, it is better than the S word I don't want to mention (because it will be here before we know it and probably at the end of the month). Yuck!

On a rainy day, it is always fun to get a little crafty! The rotten weather and the grey skies inspired me to make this adorable card using the Little Light Bulb dollar digi from Meljen's Designs. I think it is so cute and fun!

I know it is pretty simple but sometimes less is more, don't you think? I made this card for the Meljen's Designs challenge to use some ribbon and paired it with my sketch from Let's Capture Our Memories this week.

This is my second post for the day, I guess I am on a roll! Don't forget to check out my birthday blog candy before you go. Have a great day!

I Love Quirky!

2011-10-13T06:00:00.000-03:00

I love quirky things. They make me happy. It's good to be different, isn't it? I have come to appreciate quirky more since having my oldest son. He is currently in the middle of being diagnosed with autism and it is easy to tell that he is different from the other children his age. He's kind of quirky and I love him! Sure, some days are challenging, but he is so fun and such a joy to us, that we've come to cherish the quirky things. He makes us laugh daily!

Laurie has been designing a lot of quirky critters for Doodle Pantry lately and let me just tell you, I love every single one. I have a little wish list of all the quirky animals I want to purchase! The card I made today features the Quirky Ostrich. I used a precoloured image that I printed out when my printer decided it wanted to work properly (speaking of quirky) and then matched some papers I had with it. I love how it turned out, even though I think it's still missing something...

So what do you think it's missing? I am thinking a piece of ribbon somewhere. I love ribbon...my husband keeps telling me I overuse it. I'd slap a piece of ribbon on a male card, no problem at all if it weren't for him. Here is a regular conversation in our house when I am working away...
Me: So, what do you think? (Holds up card)Hubby: Cute! But...what's with the ribbon?Me: What do you mean?Hubby: Isn't it a boy card?Me: Yeah....so?Hubby: You can't put ribbon on a boy card. Ribbon is girly.Me: (freaking out slightly) Well what am I going to put on it then? WHAT?!Hubby: I dunno, don't ask me...buttons?Me: (sighing deeply) Yeah...I guess. (Proceeds to finish the card, sans ribbon).Me: Okay, so what do you think now?Hubby: Looks great, babe. But it's missing something...Me: RIBBON?!Hubby: (long sigh) It's your card...do whatever.
It's nice to have a supportive husband. Fortunately, he holds me back from adding too much ribbon! I think this is missing some ribbon, though. But I am still at a loss for boy cards! If you have an idea on manly embellishments you want to share, click here for a chance to win some blog candy and help a girl out!
I am entering this card into the Doodle Pantry challenge this month - when you play along you get the Quirky Penguin set, which I can't wait to use since my son is penguin obsessed right now. And to be honest, I love Doodle Pantry so I am always happy to play along in their challenges! I am also adding it in to the Craft Your Passion challenge to make a card for any occasion, and the Crafty Cardmakers anything goes challenge.
Thanks for stopping by my blog today and putting up with my long winded blog post! Don't forget to leave me a comment, I love your comments! Have a great day!

You Rock My World & Birthday Blog Candy!

2011-10-12T11:12:00.001-03:00

Yesterday I mentioned that my oldest son was looking forward to being Spiderman for Halloween. I am sure he will look cute, but I am really excited about dressing my youngest son up to go and visit the people in the nursing home. He wants to be a rockstar. It was so easy putting his costume together. He already had a faux leather jacket, ripped jeans, and the perfect shirt. All I had to do was buy a funky purple wig (or a green one that he already owns, he can choose that day), some fake bead necklaces, and some ribbon to tie around his toy electric guitar. He is going to be cute!

I was thinking of his costume when I made my card using this fun stamp from The Stamping Boutique called Max. It totally reminded me of what he might be like when he is a teenager if he continues on with his love for music!

I am entering my card ABC and One Stop Craft's anything goes challenge, the Stamptacular Sunday distress it challenge, the Pile it On just because challenge, and One Stitch at A Time challenge that is being sponsored this week by the Stamping Boutique. You might also want to check out this week's Stamping Boutique challenge to make a card for someone special.
I didn't want to make this card too grunge, so I used my traditional bright colours and then thought about what I could do for embellishments. I really need to get some new boy embellishments, so I thought it would be fun to have a little contest for some blog candy!
My blogiversary is in a few days AND my birthday is coming up, so I am giving away a $10 gift certificate to purchase some digital stamps from each of these awesome stores!

These are all companies that I design for and love working with, so I thought it would be fun to celebrate in that way! All you need to do to be eligible for one of these three prizes is to leave a comment on this post telling me what your favourite boy embellishments are. Extra creative ideas will get two entries! I will draw for the winner on my birthday, Wednesday, November 2nd. (Wow, that is only three weeks away!)
Can't wait to see what your ideas will be. Thanks for visiting my blog today!

Happy Halloween

2011-10-11T11:49:00.000-03:00

My oldest son is really looking forward to Halloween this year. Every year he and his brother get dressed up and go over to the nursing home where my husband works to put smiles on the faces of all who live and work there when they parade around looking cute and not so spooky. This year, he will be dressing up as Spiderman and he can not wait! Halloween has been on his mind for days and days!I made this Halloween card today Autumn Friends Color from Clear Dollar Stamps. I love the bright colours on this! I printed the image out a few weeks ago when my printer was actually working well for me (I think it is time to buy a new printer!) and I love how it looks when it is all put together, don't you?

I am entering this card into a few different challenges. My Time to Craft, Clear It Out, and Everybody Art all have Halloween challenges this week. Not much longer left until Halloween! (Which I love, because my birthday is two days later).

Thanks for stopping by my blog today! Have a great day!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-10-10T07:20:00.003-03:00

Happy Thanksgiving Monday to all my Canadian friends! I wish I could say I am sleeping in this holiday Monday, but my husband is working and my boys were up before 5 a.m. I wish I knew what to do to get them to sleep in a little longer, but that's life!

Today is another challenge at Karen's Doodles challenge blog, and I am so excited to share my card with you today. The challenge this week is distress it, and I loved stepping out of my comfort zone to distress. I like clean, bright cards so it was a stretch for me but I had fun and I still managed to get the bright colours in there, too!
I have used the Fall digi for this card. One of the things I love so much about Karen's Doodles is that I can relate to her images so well. This card makes me think of my own little guys playing in the leaves. Last year for Thanksgiving, we were at my parents house in Ontario and the boys had the chance to jump in a large pile of leaves. It was so nice to be there and see the kids enjoying the fall. I wish we could go back and visit them again! This digi reminds me of those moments.
I hope you will join our challenge today! Just hop on over to the challenge blog to play along. Speaking of challenges, I am entering this into the Stampin' Sisters in Christ anything goes challenge and Stamptacular Sunday's distressing challenge as well. Thanks for visiting my blog today!

Pumpkin Pie

2011-10-06T18:59:00.000-03:00

I have been without internet access for 24 hours and it has made me realize how much I love and appreciate (and possible overuse) the internet! I have been going through withdrawals, and let me just tell you, I am glad to be back!

This coming weekend is Thanksgiving weekend here in Canada, and it is one of my favourite holidays. Seven years ago Thanksgiving weekend, I married a terrific man who I love more every day. I love having our anniversary the same weekend as Thanksgiving because I am truly thankful for him. He's a great man to be married to! We always have a special meal to celebrate Thanksgiving, and of course, we will be having pies. I purchased pies for the weekend instead of making them because I wasn't sure I would have time...but as a special anniversary treat I am going to make a homemade pumpkin pie (my favourite!) without telling him. He will be thrilled!

I wanted to share with you this card that I made using the Pumpkin Pie digital stamp from The Stamping Boutique. It is a perfect image for this time of year, don't you think?

I usually only make pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving and Christmas, so I will have to pull out the old Betty Crocker recipe book and take a look at the recipe. I really do not make pies often and they always taste delicious, but they always look kind of sad, really. I am sure it will be delicious anyway!

I am entering this into the Digital Tueday challenge to make something for a party or celebration. Thanksgiving is definitely a celebration! Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Halloween

2011-10-03T05:00:00.000-03:00

It's another rainy Monday here, but we have some nice fun in store for you over at Karen's Doodles Challenge Blog, so I guess you have to take the good with the bad, right? Today we are challenging you all to make a Halloween card. I don't usually make many of these, but I love the way this one turned out.
I love seeing babies dress up as pumpkins. My oldest son was supposed to be here in time for Halloween the year he was born. We weren't planning on doing anything special but I saw this adorable little pumpkin hat and bib for him for when he arrived. He was due on October 23rd and he never came until November 4th. So we completely missed that one! But this adorable, adorable little Pumpkin Baby makes me feel better about the whole thing!

How cute is this baby, anyway? I just love it! I had some of the awesome Echo Park papers from last Halloween that I could not pass up, even though I don't do much Halloween stuff. Hey, you can use tehse colours for other things too, right? I love Echo Park!
I am entering this card into a few different challenges. The Pink Elephant's Trick or Treat challenge, Crafty Cardmakers and Craft Your Passion's anything goes challenges, and also Pile It On's do it for fun challenge.
I hope you will be able to join us at Karen's Doodles Challenge Blog today. I'd love to see what you make. Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

2011-09-29T07:47:00.000-03:00

I just wanted to share a quick card with you this morning. I made this card using a sketch I created at Let's Capture Our Memories. You can check out the blog here to play along if you'd like. I will admit I put this together really fast, but it's so easy when you have coloured images!

I used the fabulous set Kitchen Clutter for this card from Clear Dollar Stamps. I love the image and the matching paper and the sentiment cracks me up too!

I have to run, busy day today. Thanks for popping by!

Happy Halloween

2011-09-27T19:53:00.001-03:00

I am a little later with my blog post today - it has been a really busy day! So, maybe Halloween is a month away right now, but that's okay. I don't really do Halloween cards often, but I loved this Witches Laundry Line image and it made me giggle so I had to use it! I think I will mail this card to my brother and his wife - they love Halloween and have yearly parties at their house where they and their friends dress up in different costumes.

I didn't over embellish this card (in fact there are none!) because I wanted this fun image to say it all. So I just used some papers and that was it! You can find so many awesome images at The Stamping Boutique like this one (there are more if you love Halloween!)
Thanks so much for stopping by my blog today!

2011-09-26T07:27:00.002-03:00

Good morning! It's a beautiful Monday morning here, although it feels like summer which I hate. There, I said it! Stop wasting my precious fall season with crappy, hot summer days! Haha! Not going to look forward to walking my son to school in this heat. Yuck!Today is another day for a Karen's Doodles challenge. AND I get to announce the winners from last week's post, which is fun! But first, my card for this week - our theme is pink and brown.

I used the adorable image Ride Em Cowgirl and I just love it! It is so cute, don't you think? Just now as I am typing out this post I have an idea for a card using this image and another great one from Karen's Doodles so I will have to whip that up to share soon!

Okay, now it is time to announce the winners of the two images I showcased on my blog for last week's blog hop! Drum roll please....and the winners are Scrapalajen for Christmas Tree Kitty and Babe O'Mara for Snowmen Carolling. Please e-mail me and I will send you your prize!

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Do Not Disturb

2011-09-20T12:29:00.002-03:00

I have another post for today since I took a guest design spot over at Tip Top Tuesday. Karen's Doodles is sponsoring the challenge there today which is "For the Kids." I created this fun sign that I thought would be perfect for any teenager's room.

I used the Computer Girl image for this project. This project was pretty easy to pull together, I painted a wooden plaque white and then just added my paper and embellishments. I love how it turned out!
I am entering into the anything goes challenge at Anything Goes Challenge, the Clear It Out Challenge to alter something, and the Digital Tuesday challenge to use people.
Thanks so much for stopping by my blog today!

Exciting News ~ The Stamping Boutique

2011-09-20T07:05:00.000-03:00

Good morning to you, my crafting friends! It is a nice, cold foggy morning here and I am trying to wake up so I thought what better way than to share some exciting news? I have been chosen to work on the Stamping Boutique design team and I could not be more excited. These images are just too cute!

Here is the first card that I have created using the adorable AJ the Chef digital stamp. I have a little guy who loves food and who loves to help me bake, so this image really made me smile. In fact, today we have plans to bake some cookies together, so it seems pretty appropriate, don't you think?

I have lots of fun things to share with you in store, so stick around and pop in again soon to see another card featuring stamps from the Stamping Boutique!

Karen's Doodles Blog Hop!

2011-09-19T04:30:00.000-03:00

Good Monday morning to you, friends! Today is a very special day at Karens Doodles Challenge Blog with the launch of some new Christmas images and a blog hop for your chance to win them. Exciting, isn't it? If you are just popping in now, head on over to the challenge blog and for the rules of the hop and a list outlining the order of the hop in case you get lost along the way.

Each of the members of the design team is showcasing one of Karen's fabulous new Christmas images and you will have a chance to win one on each of the DT's blogs as well as a chance to win the entire collection of images from the challenge blog. If you are joining me now from Ginny's blog, then you are on the right track.The image I'm showcasing is called Christmas Kitty. It really made me laugh! I don't have any cats because I am really allergic to them, but I thought this was funny and from what I hear about cats and Christmas trees...very true, too!

I know you are looking for my letter, so here it iS.

YOU CAN WIN ALL OF THE NEWLY RELEASED IMAGES! THAT IS A TOTAL OF 13, SO YOU ARE GOING TO WANT TO READ THIS CAREFULLY: Hop along to all of the blogs and leave a comment on each one, then enter the challenge this week to create a Christmas card using a Karen's Doodles Christmas image to play along (it doesn't have to be new one, there are tons of fun ones in the store, take a look!)

This is the last stop on the hop, so you'll want to head back to the challenge blog for full details on the hop and how you can win the entire collection!

Before you go, here's a bonus card I made using the same set that Elaine used, Snowmem Caroling. I thought it was too cute to pass up!

To have a chance to win these cute and funny digis, just leave me a comment below and I will choose a winner for each of these and will announce the winner on my blog next Monday.

Okay, now that is it for me! Thanks for stopping by my blog today. I can't wait to see your Christmas cards! (It's getting close to that time of year, I have already started making a buying gifts!) See you soon!

2011-09-18T12:00:00.000-03:00

It's blog hopping time with Clear Dollar Stamps! If you came to me from Stacy's blog and her fabulous creation, then you are on the right track! If not, you will want to start back at the Clear Dollar Stamps blog for the full details and complete line up.

The theme this time is to create using the new Tangy Trio line from Clear Dollar Stamps. I don't have any of the cardstock, ribbons or anything like that yet - BUT - I do have the fabulous Tangy Trio Leaves digital paper pack, so I had to use that.

When I first saw this wonderful paper, I knew I had to use this cute digital stamp set Monkey Business to make a girly monkey card. And I was very fortunate to be able to find buttons and ribbon in my stash that worked well with the papers (the photo makes the buttons brighter than they are, those orange ones match the Orange Whip products!)

Thanks for stopping by to see my card! Your next stop on the hop is Barb's blog. She has got something amazing for you to see over there, so head on over right away! Oh, and before you go leave me a comment so you can have a chance at winning a prize.

See you soon!

New From Clear Dollar Stamps!

2011-09-15T11:00:00.000-03:00

It's new release day from Clear Dollar Stamps! It is always exciting to share the new releases with you - I look forward to it each month! This month's releases are amazing as always, but we have some exciting news to share too - my dear friend Deedee Anderson is no designing for Clear Dollar Stamps and she has two new sets in this release. You are going to LOVE her sets, they're amazing! (And so are the rest of the girls sets, really - how can you top them?)

The first set that I am going to showcase here for you today is a new set by Deedee called Sweet & Spicy. It's a really cute set, perfect for those fall cards!

I wanted to show more than one card today using this set to give you an idea of some different ways to use this set (and because I LOVE making fall cards!) My first card is a fun one, makes me think of the fall fairs that we have in this area. Last fall I tried my first ever candy apple, and my goodness it was good!

For this card, I have used the following supplies:

Stamps/Images: Sweet & Spicy CDS

Cardstock/Paper: Bazzill, Echo Park, Fancy Pants

Inks/Markers: Prismacolours, Triart markers, Tim Holtz Vintage Photo Distress Ink

Accents/Tools: AnnaBelle Twine, American Crafts Brads, (and an adorable crocheted flower my sister made!)

The second card reminds me of an amazing apple drink I had at Starbucks last year. I don't do Starbucks very often (hardly at all!) but my husband bought me a hot apple cider something there last year and it was cinnamon-y and delicious and my mouth was watering as I was making this card because I was thinking about it. It means fall when you can have a nice cup of hot apple cider, don't you think?

For this card, I have used the following supplies:

Stamps/Images: Sweet & Spicy CDS

Cardstock/Paper: Bazzill, Core'dinations, Basic Grey

Inks/Markers: Prismacolours, Triart markers, Copics, Bic Mark Its, Tim Holtz Vintage Photo Distress Ink

Accents/Tools: Bo Bunny ribbon, Offray ribbon, AnnaBelle sprinkles, Spellbinders Nestabilities Circle Die Cuts, Spellbinders Nestabilities Oval Circles Die Cuts

The next set I want to share with you today is an adorable one designed by Laurie Wilson called Birthday Fall Critters. They are so cute, I had so much fun with this set!

I love the owl, so I had to use it on my card. I have a friend who is owl crazy who just happens to be having a birthday this month so this card is already in the mail and on its way to her. She is going to love it!

For this card, I have used the following supplies:

Stamps/Images: Birthday Fall Critters CDS

Cardstock/Paper: Bazzill, Echo Park

Inks/Markers: Prismacolours, Triart markers, Bic MarkIts

Accents/Tools: Prima Flowers, AnnaBelle sprinkles

I hope you love these sets that I have shared with you. You can find all of the new releases at Clear Dollar Stamps and also on the Clear Dollar Stamps blog. You might also want to check out the amazing creations from the rest of the digital design team. Here are the links to their blogs:

Linda Anderson

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog today. Make sure you come by on Sunday for the next Clear Dollar Stamps blog hop for your chance to win some amazing prizes. You are not going to want to miss out! See you then!

Santa's Tree

2011-09-13T18:32:00.001-03:00

Just a quick post here - it is the middle of the bedtime routine here at our house and things are a little crazy. I am taking a quick time out because I forgot to post this earlier in the day! I made this card for the third birthday challenge over at AnnaBelle Stamps to use 2 of something starting with B. I used two buttons, and 2 pieces of baker's twine.

I used another one of my favourites for this one, a set called Santa's Star. It always makes me giggle with the reindeer's mouth sticking out, concentrating hard on not dropping Santa. So funny! I have had these papers sitting around for awhile, I bought them last year around Christmas time but it was a bit after Christmas before I received them so I have been hanging on to them to use this year. I love them, they're so fun!

Thanks for stopping by today, gotta run - I am starting to feel guilty for not helping my hubby put the kids to bed!

See you soon!

2011-09-12T06:00:00.000-03:00

It's a new week and a new day and a new challenge over at Karen's Doodles Challenge blog! Today's challenge is to use some gingham or checks on your card. I would love it especially if you would use an image from Karen's Doodles to play along in the challenge, I love them and it is so nice to see them being used!
Here is my card. I used the adorable Sailor Boy image for my card and then used a whole bunch of different blue hues. I love this little guy he is so cute! (Although now that I look closely, I totally went out of the lines on the boat - looks like my five year old coloured it and not me. Ooopsie!)

I have to run out the door now, time get my little man off to school! I hope you'll play along in our challenge today. Thanks so much for stopping by my blog! Love your visits!

Birthday Blooms

2011-09-10T14:27:00.001-03:00

AnnaBelle Stamps is celebrating their second birthday with a blog hop and a number of challenges. I am a past designer for this company, so I have lots of great sets that I thought would be fun to get out and play with again to celebrate along with them.
The first challenge is a recipe challenge to use a new, uninked stamp, 2 die cuts or punches, and 3 bling. I made this fun card with Lil Monster's Balloon one of my all time favourite sets. My unused stamp was from the Backgrounds by Design Numbers set. I have never used either the sentiment or the numbers from that set, so I had to give it a whirl! I used the Lagoon Sprinkles for my bling.

My next card is for the second challenge to create something with blooms or flowers. Another of my all time favourite sets from AnnaBelle Stamps is Ballerina Rose so I have used that one today and paired it with some darker papers. A little out of my comfort zone but I like it!

The next challenge is on Monday and I hope to be able to play along with that one too. It has been far too long since I have played along in an AnnaBelle challenge, I am sad to say!

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

2011-09-09T07:19:00.000-03:00

Just a quick post this morning, it will soon be time to head out the door to walk my oldest to school. I wanted to share a sweet card I made using the lovely coloured set Garden of Life from Clear Dollar Stamps.

I love the purple flowers, they are so pretty. The whole set is beautiful, but I like the purple and the pink flowers the best! It makes a great friendship card, don't you think?
I am entering this into the last ever Stamp Something challenge - sad to see a great challenge blog go. I am also making it for the Stampin' Sisters in Christ challenge to use soft colours - all of these are very pretty soft colours, although my picture makes them look a bit brighter than they really are.
Gotta run! It's getting to be that time! Thanks for stopping by today.

Fishies

2011-09-07T08:14:00.002-03:00

Recently we purchased a fish from the pet store. The boys named it Terrance and it is happy in its new home. I figure he will continue to be happy, as long as my husband does not touch him. That sounds cruel, but it is really a funny story.
Once upon a time when my husband and I were dating, I had a beta fish (which, funny enough, is what we now own). My husband, who was my fiancee at the time, thought it would be nice to to buy my fish some other fish to be with instead of being all along in the tank. If you know anything about beta fish, they are extremely territorial and are known as the "siamese fighting fish" - you can't just throw fish in there with him. So he did a little research and purchased some new fish - I was delighted! They lived for a few days happily with my fish, and then he decided that it would be nice to have a filter in my tank so I wouldn't have to clean it so much with the heavy workload I was under in my last year of my undergraduate degree. So, he went ahead and purchased a filter, hooked it up and within fifteen minutes all my fish were dead! He tried again with a different filter, different fish, and again, they all died. I declared then and there that it wasn't going to work out to have fish in our household and dubbed him the fish killer. (All in a good laugh, of course!)
Fast forward to today. My husband does not so much as feed Terrance the fish, look at his cross eyed or even go near his fish tank. Even with the mishaps over fish in the past, he really is a keeper. I have been thinking about it and giggling over it since we got Terrance, so I was inspired to make this card. I love these adorable images from the set Finny Fish from Doodle Pantry (which is actually a freebie, so if you haven't tried digital images or even Doodle Pantry, you should go check it out!)

I think I will have to give my hubby this card for our anniversary next month. He truly is a wonderful man, I am so glad to have him beside me each day. I am entering this card into the current Doodle Pantry challenge, the Crazy challenge for spots and stripes, and Try it on Tuesday's monochrome challenge.
Gotta run! Another busy day today...it's definitely not summer anymore. Hope you have a wonderful day!

2011-09-06T06:00:00.000-03:00

Hi ho, hi ho, it's back to school we go! This is a busy morning in our house - it is the first day back to school and my little guy is now in grade one! It's hard to believe, really. Feels like he was just a baby yesterday. And then as if that is not enough, I have a preschooler too. We decided to homeschool him for preschool this year, so you can read all about my crazy adventures as I fly by the seat of my pants in Operation Preschool. It should be an interesting year!
One of the things that keeps me sane in the busy months ahead is spending time making cards or doing some other crafty things. I wanted to share a card I made today with one of the new images from Karen's Doodles called Backpack Boy.

I think this will be a common occurrence in our house this year (minus the dog, of course). Why is it that no matter how prepared you are the night before, it always seems to be a mad dash in the morning? Especially when we usually wake up between 5:30 and 6:00 a.m. so we should have plenty of time to get our act together. Making lunches, collecting up homework, making sure they're dressed in clean, matching clothing...oh the joys of going back to school!
I decided to enter this card into a number of challenges! So this is for the Inspire Me Fridays and Creative Card Crew challenges where anything goes, the Card Making Mamas challenge to use a digital stamp or papers, the Clear It Out back to school challenge, and the Pile it On challenge to use anything that starts with B (I used buttons!)
Well, I do not have a minute more to spend here as I need to get my son out the door and then back here to get my other son started for his first day of preschool. I hope it goes well, I must admit I am a little nervous! Thanks so much for stopping by to visit today!

Karen's Doodles ~ Anything Goes!

2011-09-05T06:00:00.000-03:00

Another Monday has arrived and with it, another challenge at Karen's Doodles Challenge Blog! This week it is a really easy one, too! Anything Goes! I am sure you can handle that one, right?

The card that I have made reflects how I have been feeling these last few weeks. There is always a crunch to get ready for back to school (which is tomorrow!) and the last week of August you are running around to and fro getting what you need and making sure your children are ready to go back! So you feel a little harried...thankfully, I have somewhere to turn when I am feeling overwhelmed!

I used Grocery Mom for this card. I just love this - it is totally how I feel most days! Even though my children are older, I can totally relate with this poor, haggard mother!

You can see the rest of the design team's amazing creations and all the information you will need to participate in the challenge for three chances to win some images of your choice at the challenge blog.

Te Quiero

2011-09-04T15:15:00.004-03:00

I love to make cards. I could make cards every day and be happy. But every once in awhile, it is nice to go back to your roots. My love for paper crafting actually started with scrapbooking, as I think it does for a lot of us card makers. My son had just turned six months and I was in a mommy and me class with him and we had a guest come, and it was a Close to My Heart rep who did layouts with all of us while the babies played with a bunch of the nurses that supervised the class. It was a lot of fun, and I was pretty much hooked. (Don't believe me? My first son's baby scrapbook is over 100 pages!)
I still scrapbook every once in awhile, but after filling a few albums I realized that it was much more fun to make and give away cards. I felt better about spending the money on the supplies if I could give them as gifts, or sell them to others who wanted to spread a little sunshine and give them to their friends and family. Still, it is nice to make a layout here and there.
I went out to a friend's house last night and a few of us were getting crafty together. It's nice to be able to do that once in awhile as well, it is a great break from the every day life of being a mom. I made a few cards and then packed up my stuff but the hostess convinced me to stay a little longer by showing me some fabulous papers from Echo Park. She even let me use them to make a layout. I just LOVE how this turned out!

This is one of my favourite pictures of my husband and I from our vacation this summer. I actually took this picture while the boys were playing on the playground in the park at the campground and we were sitting on the bench watching them. It's such a nice picture, I had to scrapbook it! There are lots of elements on this page that are just us, so I really love it. I am going to go to the dollar store and get a scrapbook frame and hang it in our room. We celebrate seven years of marriage next month, so I might wrap it up and give it to him as a gift and then hang it up in our room - he's the sweet kind of man who would actually appreciate it, too. He's a keeper!
Thanks for stopping by my blog today. Come back tomorrow for another Karen's Doodles challenge, you are going to love what we have for you! It's a great challenge!
Have a great day!

2011-09-02T13:49:00.000-03:00

It's time for another Clearly Inspired challenge over at Clear Dollar Stamps today! This challenge is pretty easy to follow along, you just have to use your patterned paper! Easy peasy, right?
Here's the card that I made for the challenge. I used the Love Tweet Love set for this card. I think it is so cute! My husband told me it was more like a spring card or something, but I don't even care. I like it!

You can see what the rest of the girls who participated this week came up with for inspiration, and read more about the rules and what prizes are available on the Clearly Inspired blog.
Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Whimsy and Stars Studio

2011-09-01T07:30:00.000-03:00

Today is the first day of the new term for the fall and winter design team for Whimsy and Stars Studio. I have completed my term on the spring and summer design team, so I wanted to share some of my favourite projects with you as I say goodbye to a fantastic team!

Here they are, in no particular order.

The fall and winter design team has created some awesome samples showcasing the new releases that are coming on Tuesday, September 6th. You can see them on the Whimsy and Stars Studio blog here. It has been a fun time on this design team, and I am sad to go! Can't wait to see what the new team creates this term.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

You're Dino-mite!

2011-08-31T08:03:00.000-03:00

My kids are totally in love with dinosaurs right now! There is a show that comes on television at about 6:30 in the morning, called Harry and His Bucket Full of Dinosaurs. It's a pretty cute show, and the boys love watching it. I love that they love it too, because I can pop the TV on for half an hour while I wake up so I can actually function!

I had to buy this adorable little image from Jellypark. It is so cute and it totally reminded me of Harry and my kids and I just love it! It is appropriately called Dino Boy.

I made this card for the current Jellypark challenge to use dies or punches, which is also the theme at Crafty Creations this week too. And just for fun, I am entering this as a design team call project for The Stamping Boutique to show what I can do with digis (although I hope they'll look around my blog since it is hard to tell with just one card!)

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Beary Cute

2011-08-30T14:53:00.000-03:00

Just wanted to share a quick card today. I think this little bear is just adorable, don't you? It is from the set Beary Cute and it is only a few dollars to purchase it, so you could be making cards with it today! I know my card is pretty basic and simple and was a quick throw together, but I like it!

Today is the last day to enter the current Doodle Pantry challenge, but there will be another one in a few days, and Laurie has a bunch of new releases coming on the 5th which I am really excited about. I am sure they will be great! I look forward to release day at Doodle Pantry every month!

Thanks for stopping by my blog! See you soon!

Karen's Doodles ~ Sketch

2011-08-29T06:05:00.000-03:00

It's another rainy Monday! Hurricane Irene is rolling through my part of town - although I think it has now downgraded to a tropical storm. Still, lots of rain! I don't mind the rain so much if it means some time spent in my crafty area. If you're thinking the same thing, you're glad it is Monday because that means another Karen's Doodles challenge!

You can find the sketch here on the challenge blog. I was inspired this week when I was thinking that in just one week it will be the night before school starts for the year. My little grade one guy is looking forward to his first day! And with the start of school means the start of fall - hopefully! If you love fall images, you will want to check out Karen's new fall and back to school images here.

I love this adorable image, called Apple Harvest. It's just so sweet. I can't wait until apple season arrives. We live close to a few different apple orchards, and I plan to take my boys to one this year! (I say that every year, but for one reason or another it doesn't work out.) I am hoping this is the year it does.

I hope you will join us over at Karen's Doodles challenge blog for this awesome sketch challenge! Thanks for visiting my blog today!

Who Ate My Cheese?

2011-08-26T08:47:00.000-03:00

My parents just returned home from a vacation in Europe where they attended my cousin's wedding. They said while they were there, they ate a lot of cheese and bread (sounds good to me!) I asked what their favourite cheese was and my mom said they liked Swiss and Gouda the best. My cousins live in Switzerland, and they often visit Canada. Last year one of my Swiss cousins came and stayed with my family and she was so pleased to buy cheddar cheese, because apparently, you can't buy that there.

I was inspired by all the cheese talk to make this cute card with a set from Clear Dollar Stamps. Its's called Gouda Day and it comes in the coloured and the outlines. I am using the coloured version for this card. I also used some of the digital papers from the Yummy Cupcake set.

How do you like those crocheted flowers? My sister made them for me. I love love LOVE them! I hope she will make me some more. I have already used all the stars! Well, it is raining AGAIN so I am going to try to come up with something fun for the boys to do...off to check Pinterest!

Thanks for stopping by my blog today! Have a wonderful day!