Thinking of You!

Good Morning!  Hope your day is going great!  If it isn't I'm praying that you feel God's presence.  After going to the gym this morning I came home and checked my emails and my facebook.  It was a childhood friends birthday yesterday so she had lots of posts...all wishing her a happy birthday but also letting her know that they were praying for her.  I realized that she had recently lost her husband...and that this was probably her first birthday without him.  She has been heavy on my heart all morning (even though I haven't seen her in thirty six years).  I love facebook for that reason...it reconnects people.

So today I decided to make a Thinking of You card and I LOVE the way it turned out!  I followed a sketch from the sweetest thing's - Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge.  Take a look at the sketch...you have a day left to submit your creation!

Here is the sketch...

...and here is my card for the challenge!

The colors I chose are Coastal Cabana, Crushed Curry, Whisper White, Old Olive and Basic Black.  I used the Boho Blossoms punch (obviously one of my favorites), the Bird Builder punch, the Petite Petals punch, the flower from the Itty Bitty Acents punch pack and the 1/2" and 3/4" circle punches.  I used the Large Polka Dots embossing folder, the Circle Framelits and the Essentials paper piecing pack. The sentiment is from the Occasions for You stamp set...don't you love it!?!?  I added a little bling by using the 2013-2015 In Color Sequin Assortment.                                            

I don't usually share scripture, although I am a devout follower of Jesus, but today I want to share the verse that my friend very graciously added to her facebook this morning.  If you are sad, lonely, discouraged, lost....may you find comfort under His wings!

Psalm 91:1-4

"He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High, will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, 'My refuge and my fortress, My God in whom I trust!' For it is He who delivers you from the snare of the trapper and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with His pinions, and under His wings you may seek refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and a bulwark."                                                                                                                                                                                    

Terrific Treats!!!

GOOD AFTERNOON!!!! Yes....afternoon...it's 3pm my time and I am just now blogging!  I had an awesome anniversary yesterday!  We went to the coast to be the heat, had a wonderful lunch at the The Banana Hut, went to my favorite scrapbooking store Scrappers Edge, walked on the beach in Ferndale, enjoyed a beautiful drive home and arrived to a delicious dinner prepared by my wonderful children! They hung lights in my trees, had mood music playing.  It was delightful!!!  I am so very blessed!  I'm sharing just a couple of photos...I won't bombard you...but I LOVED it and HAD TO SHARE!

The atmosphere.....

...the delicious dinner....

and dessert!  Delightful!

...and now for a project...

 

I made these using the All Abloom Designer Series Paper Stack assortment of

4 1/2" X 6 1/2" designer paper!  They are such a FUN gift to give someone and best yet...you don't have to do any cutting!  The paper is gorgeous...and that is just eight designs.  The stacks come with forty eight pieces of double sided paper.  That's enough to make forty eight of these adorable tubes for only $6.95.   I filled mine with chocolate kisses...but you can use anything...add a cute tag and you are finished.  It takes just minutes!  Give them a try...if you have any questions, just ask on my blog or email me!  I LOVE THEM!!!

...to finish...I am sharing the weekly deals for this week with you!  HAVE FUN!

The art of being happy lies in the power of extracting happiness from common things. 

~Henry Ward Beecher

I hope you find time to create today...it makes me happy!

 

TWENTY FIVE YEARS!!!

Happy Anniversary to me!! YEP....I celebrate my 25th wedding anniversary today!  I am so blessed to have a husband who supports me, encourages me and confronts me (at times).  So today I am sharing the card that I made for him!  It's simple...but says it all!  I hope he loves it....like I love him!

I used the Hardwood background stamp and the heart is from the Peace, Love & Cupcakes stamp set and the sentiment is from the Good Greetings set.

The colors I chose are Real Red, Baked Brown Sugar, Whisper White and a bit of Daffodil Delight (for the flower center).

The flower was punched with the Boho Blossoms punch.  I also used the Heart punch, the Word Window punch and the   punch.  I ran the Real Red cardstock through my Big Shot in the    embossing folder.  I finished it off with a few candy dots, some ribbon and a clip.

LOVE the heart shaped clip and the new cotton ribbon!

 Always add a flower! (actually there is a flower there when you stamp...I just wanted to add dimension!  I love this sentiment because....

I DO LOVE US!!!!

Let the wife make the husband glad to come home, and let him make her sorry to see him leave.

  

~Martin Luther

Pictogram Punches

Good Morning....Happy Monday!  Hoping you all had a wonderful, relaxing weekend...maybe with a project or two to do...but not much more...'cause IT WAS HOT!!!  We are bracing for an even hotter week this week....praying for no fires in our drought ridden little mountain town (actually our entire state)!

I have a busy week this week.  Today I am headed down the mountain to set up my booth at a great store in Redding called The Crafters Mall (The Sewing Room).  I am VERY excited about this new endeavor!  It is also my 25th...YES...25th anniversary this week and my son, Seth turns 21.  SO MUCH TO CELEBRATE!!!

I wanted to share with you a card I made this weekend using the Pictogram Punches stamp set.

 

I absolutely LOVE the new In Colors!  Here I used Berry Bliss, Lost Lagoon, Hello Honey, Crumb Cake and Whisper White.  

The Hardwood background stamp really added a rustic feel to it! 

I have always been delighted at the prospect of a new day, a fresh try, one more start, with perhaps a bit of magic waiting somewhere behind the morning!

J. B. Priestley

HAVE A DELIGHTFUL DAY! 

Oh BROTHER!

Good Saturday to you all!  Well I didn't get this posted yesterday, but I did get it made!  I reached my goal of putting a scrapbook page together each day!  This page goes with the family page I created Thursday.  I LOVE how it turned out!  It feels GREAT to be scrapbooking...I have been ADDICTED to making cards and 3-D items thus no time taken to scrapbook.  NOW TO FIND A BALANCE....because....I WANT TO DO IT ALL!!!

I used a different sketch...but it all comes together with the circle, stars and colors.  I haven't done my journal writing yet..but will today.  I just LOVE IT!   

Here is the sketch that I used...give it a try when you have time! 







...below are my two pages side by side...a FINISHED LAYOUT!

I hope you find some inspiration here!  You can use it for scrapbooking or card making!  I'm going to have a balanced weekend...time for family...time for chores and time for creating!  Praying that you have a wonderful weekend too!  Now I'm off to make breakfast!  Thanks for stopping by!!

STAY COOL!!!

FAMILY

Gosh.....a VERY LATE post today...I had a girls morning with Kathryn today!  It was just the two of us...so we played with the puppy, had breakfast, ran errands, enjoyed an ice cream cone together....we are still going to make bread....but first things first...I MUST POST!

My goal is to scrapbook a page every day....HOPING...HOPING...HOPING!  I am finding that using sketches really makes the whole process go faster!

For today's post I used this sketch....I did have to change it just a bit because my photo is vertical!

I am a traditional scrapbooker...it is FUN and RELAXING for me!  I do love the new Project Life products that Stampin' Up is offering and do plan on incorporating that quick and easy kind of memory keeping to my traditional scrapbooking.  STAY TUNED!  

For this page I chose to use Early Espresso, Crumb Cake, Bermuda Bay and Whisper White.  I used the Epic Alphabet for the title (LOVE IT) and the Remember This (Project Life) stamp set for the sentiments.  I also used the new Star Framelit and the 1", 1 3/8" and 1 3/4" circle punches.  The washi tape on the top is from the Every Day Adventure Project Life accessory pack.  This page is for my son...but I had to add some bling...a few rhinestones, pearls and glimmer paper!  I really like how this page turned out.  I have a few other photos from this sitting that I want to use to make it a two page lay out!  COME BACK TOMORROW to see how it turned out!

I also have a couple of cards to share with you today!

I wasn't planning on sharing these card with you...wasn't sure how well I liked them.  They are from my SUNFLOWER week last week.


But then...I started looking at them 

 

 ...and their simplicity made them beautiful!  I LOVE the rich colors...they look like paintings!  I am thinking I will do a smaller version and turn them into coaster!  Come back to find out how!

I used the Work of Art stamp set....AGAIN...for both of these cards!  It's a FANTASTIC set...VERY VERSATILE!


Have a wonderful rest of your day!  Thanks for popping in!

“Reflect upon your present blessings -- of which every man has many -- not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.”
― Charles Dickens

FRIENDS!

Good morning everyone!  WOW...what a difference the weather is for us today.  It has been so HOT and not cooling off at night...but yesterday...we had some nice downpours of rain and today it is so much cooler!  Heating up for the weekend though.....I NEED AIR CONDITIONING in my workshop!

Today I have a card to share with you that I am submitting into two different challenges.  One challenge is the Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge  and the other is The Paper Players    So I have a sketch and a theme that I followed!

Here are the challenges...

...and here is my card

The sketch is really FUN...you can do so much with it!  I can't wait to look at all of the challenge cards to see what folks came up with!  

The really challenging part for me is the MONOCHOMATIC theme.  WOW...that was really tough!  I choose Lost Lagoon, Soft Sky and a base color of Whisper White.  The stamp set I used is Feel Goods...it has some really great quotes.  I used the Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder...my go to folder...added some Bakers twine and a Designer button and I was finished.  

SIMPLE AND CLEAN CARD!

Give these sketches a try!

....BUT WAIT....THERE'S MORE!!!!

Yesterday I shared a scrapbook page with you.  Today I have another one!  I a going to try to do a scrapbook page EVERYDAY  - (or at least five days a week)...boy that will help me get caught up!  

I followed a sketch for this page...unlike my own beach creation yesterday. 

SKETCHES make things come together much quicker!!

Here is the sketch that I follower.  I don't always do one photo pages...

....but in honor of our NEW PUPPY, Millie, I did.  I LOVE how it turned out!
It's all Stampin' Up too! 


 

FUN at the BEACH

Hey there EVERYBODY!   It's a BEAUTIFUL day here in Weaverville....cool this morning...SUCH A RELIEF!   Today I am going to share a scrapbook layout that I created yesterday.  I started scrapbooking many moons ago...when it was just stickers!  My style has definitely changed throughout the years...and I LOVE it!  I must admit that I never really used Stampin' Up product for scrapbooking.  Today's layout is 100% Stampin' Up product...it was difficult for me...especially because I wanted to add embellishments....but for today...100% SU and I LOVE how it turned out!

This is a layout for Adam's scrapbook....The "Love this Day" card and journaling card are from SU's Project Life.  I love the sun...I used Crystal Effects on the very center.   I adore the sandcastle...I made it using the Spiral Border Punch.  Here are a couple of close ups!

I'm thinking I wanna play with the Crystal Effects!  

Weekly Deals

We hope you enjoy this week's Weekly Deals!
 

	Calypso Coral Celebration Add-On Kit Item # 133431 Regular Price: $9.95 Discounted Price: $7.46
	Celebration Basics Kit Item # 133007 Regular Price: $14.95 Discounted Price: $11.21
	Curly Label Punch Item # 119851 Regular Price: $16.95 Discounted Price: $12.71
	Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border Punch Item # 119275 Regular Price: $15.95 Discounted Price: $11.96
	Pumpkin Pie 3/4" Chevron Ribbon Item # 130015 Regular Price: $8.95 Discounted Price: $6.71
	Crushed Curry 3/4" Chevron Ribbon Item # 130019 Regular Price: $8.95 Discounted Price: $6.71
	Bitty Banners Big Shot Die Framelits Item # 129267 Regular Price: $14.95 Discounted Price: $11.21
	Summer Happiness Kit - Digital Download Item # 130076 Regular Price: $9.95 Discounted Price: $5.97

JUST A REMINDER

ENJOY YOUR DAY! 

For the Birds

Good Morning!  I hope you had a wonderful weekend!  Mine was a FUN filled event!  

My husband and I went for a 60 mile bike ride through wine country, starting in Healdsburg.  We LOVE Healdsburg...it's a wonderful little town!  The bike ride was fantastic....the last 20 miles were kinda tough though! 

....and we brought home a new member of our family!  We named her Millie!  She is a yellow lab...and we ADORE her!  She is so much FUN.  Adam and Kate, my two youngest children, are finding that she is a lot of work too...but worth every bit of it!

ONTO TODAY'S POST! 

I guess I should have made a card with grapes or a puppy...but no...I made a birdhouse!  I used the Hardwood stamp to make the birdhouse, cut a triangle roof from designer paper...added some bling, ribbon, a bird (of course) and some flowers....and here is the result!

Thanks for stopping by today!

I know there are a lot of blogs out there and I am thrilled that you come visit me!  

Have a MARVELOUS MONDAY! 

Wheelbarrow FULL of SUNFLOWERS

Good Morning!  FAB Friday to you all!  It's the last day of my SUNFLOWER theme...(you might still see a few more throughout the summer and fall though!)  

On Wednesday I started a new group down the mountain from me!  It was a wonderful group of ladies!  I know them already and ENJOY them so very much!  While there...a dear friend showed me a needle point pattern which inspired me to create this card...THANK YOU Kathy!!!

There are so many possibilities....

I just LOVE how it turned out!  That Hardwood stamp is amazing!  OF COURSE I had to fill my wheelbarrow with SUNFLOWERS that I punched with the Boho Blossoms punch.  Adore that little bird that I punched with the Bird Builder punch!  

Thanks for stopping by today!  ENJOY YOUR WEEKEND!!!

"SHE LAUGHED OUT LOUD AND EXPLAINED THAT WAS A SUNFLOWER."       ~Dan Monnat~

Sunflower Power

Good day to you all!  Today I have another SUNFLOWER card to share!!

I used my Blendabilities on the grass (or hill) and the stems.  The flowers are from the Polka Dot Pieces stampset...I stamped the large one in Crushed Curry then punched it out...stamped it again in Early Espresso and punched its center out and then cut a starburst from the Starburst framelit for the center.  The smaller flower I stamped directly on the Whisper White cardstock and added a button center.  The sentiment is from the Ray of Sunshine set.  SIMPLY CUTE!

DID YOU KNOW?

The head of a sunflower follows the path of the sun as it moves throughout the day.  It is a chemical inside the plant called auxin that makes the flower do this!

 

 "Keep your face to the sunshine
and you cannot see the shadow.
It's what sunflowers do."
~ Helen Keller

GORGEOUS SUNFLOWERS!

WOW!!! I have the most amazing SUNFLOWER cards to share with you today!  I am so excited.  I saw this technique in a group I am in...using napkins.  I have used this technique before on cardstock for a Christmas card...but decided to try it again.  

 I was inspired by this napkin card, it was made using a napkin (can't wait to do this at a workshop)!

.....and here are my two cards!  I LOVE how they turned out!!!
  

I used the Work of Art stamp set to create this SUNFLOWER!  I used Hello Honey Ink for the flower, then sponged Early Espresso for the center, and Pool Party for the background.  When the ink was dry I stamped the entire piece of cardstock with VersaMark, covered it with Heat and Stick powder and heat embossed it.  I then sprinkled it with Dazzling Diamonds glitter and used my heat gun again to secure the glitter.  With this technique, the glitter STAYS PUT!

I really LOVED the look of this card before I added the glitter, so I decided to make another one.  It kind of looks like an oil painting.  LOVE IT!

 ...and here is the inside of the card!

DID YOU KNOW?

One sunflower can have up to 2000 seeds. 

 This charming and delightful yellow flower is one of the best flowers that you can gift to someone who is in need of a friendly pick-me-up. Put a smile onto someone’s face with a bunch of sunflowers.!

 

.....MORE SUNNY SUNFLOWERS...

Last night at my workshop we made these cards!  We used the stamping off technique to make three cards...each one lighter in color!  I had so much fun!  I REALLY ENJOY MY LADIES!!!  

We used the stamping off technique to make three cards...each one lighter in color!  I had so much fun!  I REALLY ENJOY MY LADIES!!!  

Stamping off is when you ink your stamp once...and in this case I stamped three time (I had the Whisper White cardstock already cut to size)...it's a great way to save on ink...lol...and you can quickly make three cards!  I stamped each petal individually with the Work of Art stamp set.  I did the stem the same way...using the same stamp set!

I wanted to also share what I did with the Burlap Ribbon...I used it in the center of one of the flowers and as twine!  I was so excited to discover this....it looks so cool!

 Thank you for coming by today!  

I love what I do...and I love sharing it with you!

 

 “it’s a smile, it’s a kiss, it’s a sip of wine … it’s summertime!” 

― Kenny Chesney