A New Addiction!

Happy Monday everyone!!!

Sorry I have been gone all weekend. I had the privilege of meeting so really great friends this weekend up in Wisconsin!!!!! I was so, so excited and nervous at the same time! I swear it is like going on a blind date. You have talked on the phone a million times, but you still worry if they are going to like you, if you meet their expectations and if the conversation will still flow when you are sitting across from each other! Well let me tell you it was better than I even expected! I had a fantastic drive up, cold but sunny and then the hotel I stayed in was super nice! I can't wait to go back so I can try out the pool! Then of course the stamping time at Archivers flew by. At first I thought to myself, 6 hours seems like an awful long time. Hope I don't run out of things to do! But let me you it wasn't nearly long enough! I needed something like quadruple that amount of time!! I laughed so much and talked so much my stomach and voice actually hurt! It was just the best! I am so sorry to have it over! Of course now I am trying to convince Jason to get a transfer to Wisconsin so that we can all be closer!! Anywhoo her is a picture of the four of us (Jessica, Jenn and Heather) at the end of the night! Obviously I did not get the pink shirt memo! LOL!


The only down side to my trip was being away from Jason and Izzy all weekend! I am thinking that possibly we can do it again in May and that we could take a long weekend and make it a family thing. Also too, then I would have a little bit more time to hang out! LOL! I did get a report though that Izzy had a very good time with Daddy and that they ran errands and read a lot and played! Jason also cooked all her favorite foods and it sounds like she got away with a whole bunch of stuff she wouldn't have with mommy but hey that is what Daddy time is for right! LOL!

Now that I have bored you with my adventures this weekend, it is on to my card and my new addiction! So I have found that not only do I love sketches but I love to do the sketches designed by kids! Of course you know that I participate in Madelynn's sketches (she is only 8) but lately I have been getting some really great sketches from some of my other friends' kids!!! I just cannot believe the talent that is out there!! These kids come up with the most unusual and fun ideas and the best part is, it is such a challenge to incorporate all the elements!!

Well my good friend Heather, who had a crazy busy week last week, asked me to help her out with the Etsy Challenge she was issuing. She told me she was going to challenge everyone to make a card using her now 7 year old daughter Piper's sketch! I of course was in the moment I heard sketch!!! And boy was it a great one! Challenging but great! I just love all the different elements and layers!!!


Can you believe the talent this little girl has!!! Wow, wow, wow!!!! So I decided to color up this little gardening girl called Lida In The Garden from Papilio Stamps that I received as a RAK from my good friend Maria. She is just the sweetest and most talented person!! I really, really appreciate them! And boy are they fun to color! Anywhoo, I colored her in using my copics and then cut her out! Following Piper's sketch, I layered on orange, green and blue card stock along with some paper from Basic Grey's Off Beat collection. I cut out ovals using my nesties and ran my white piece through my Spots and Dots embossing folder and then sponged over it with pumpkin pie ink. To create the criss crosses, I criss crossed green with brown polka dot ribbon and some twine (I am so addicted to my twine lately!). I then tied bows in the corners and attached two gardening charms to make the darkened in portions on the sketch. I added some black rhinestones to each side but ran out of room to add them to the top. To finish the card, I stamped my sentiment from Rock the Farm by The Greeting Farm to the lower right hand corner and sponged over it with my pumpkin pie ink! I just love the fun feel to this card!

Well that is it for me today!!! Don't forget the Pink Cat Challenge going on now on the PCP forum and Storage Units, Ink and More's March sets are now available!!! I am telling you this has been one awesome week so far! Thanks for stopping by! Lots of smiles!!!

Quick Post for Today!

Happy Sunday everyone!!

Hope your Sunday is going well so far! Today, the temperature was actually pretty nice outside, a little windy, but nice. The unfortunate news is, it is suppose to start raining, and then turning into freezing rain later tonight. I heard that tomorrow's high is only going to be in the twenties!!! Yikes! Not looking forward to that.

Well, I didn't get a whole lot of stamping in today, but that is okay, I was able to get a lot more shopping done and was even able to visit with our neighbors. It was really nice. Izzy had a blast shopping because we went to the bookstore. That is her second favorite place to go, following the library. Do you see a pattern here? It is only in second place because at the bookstore, there isn't a special shelf that she can take books on and off of. Lol!

Like, I said, today's post is relatively short. I have just a real quick and simple gift idea to share today. My neighbor Beth and her two sons, helped and we created these adorable cookies in a jar. I know this is an old gift idea, but I still think it is a good one, especially when you decorate it up all cute!

Isn't it cute!!! And the best part is the boys did most of the work after I came up with the initial design!! Alright, so we started off by filling a quart canning jar with the ingredients. The recipe can be found here. We found though that you probably need the wide mouth jars, otherwise, not all the chocolate chips will fit inside! And nobody wants less chocolate, am I right!! Next we created the "cookie" on the front by cutting out a piece of kraft card stock with my nesties and stamping the chocolate chips from the SU! set Oh So Sweet! I then rubbed close to cocoa around all the edges to make the cookie look done!! I stamped the letters with a letter set I picked up at the dollar spot at Michaels. The cookie is mounted on a piece of red card stock I cut out with my nesties and accented with a white gel pen. I created the belly band around the jar by printing off the sentiment, "Nothin' Says Lovin' Like Somethin' From the Oven" and adhered it to a piece of red card stock. To continue the cookie theme, I stamped some cookies using my Cookie Stubby from Stamps by Judith. To complete the jar, I cut out fabric circles with my pinking shears and tied a pretty holiday ribbon around the top! It was so much fun and the boys had a really good time!!

Well, I am outta here. Need to get to the grocery store before the big storm hits!! Hope you have had a great weekend!! Thanks as always for stopping by!

A Thank You, A Little Bit of Christmas, and A Card I Am Super Proud Of!!!

Happy Wednesday everyone!

Ugh! It has been a super gloomy gross day here today! So yucky! It has misted and rained all day and now they are predicting snow. I feel bad for Jason that he has to go into work tomorrow, but he has an important meeting. He has assured me though that he will be working from home on Friday!!! Yeah! I can hardly wait!

Speaking of things I can hardly wait for, tonight is the release party for MFT stamps! I am so excited! I think I need all three stamp sets they are releasing! The sneak peeks have been so cute and the little paper dolls set is called Isabelle, well in honor of my Isabella I need this set! Lol!

And speaking now of Izzy, the potty saga continues! She went in the potty again this morning! I am so proud of her. I have figured out that as long as I have a good supply of reading material in the bathroom she will sit there long enough to go! I should write a book, I will title it "The Importance of Bathroom Reading Material in Potty Training Your Child". Doesn't that sound official! Of course I can only come up with the one tip, but maybe I could just print it so large that it would fill up 150 pages!

Alright, alright, I will get to the cards! My first card is a card for my best friend Tracy! I know I talk all the time about how wonderful she is, but it is true! I am so lucky that I have her in my life! Izzy adores her and pretends that Tracy is calling her all the time and Izzy has excellent taste in people so you know what I say is true! lol! Anywhoo, I incorporated two challenges into this card, the first was A Spoon Full of Sugar's challenge which was to create a thank you card and the second was for Papertake Weekly, which was to use one ribbon, two rectangles and three round objects in your card. Forcing me to come up with my own sketch aren't they!

I love these colors!! I used the ones from the DP. I really wish I had bought a couple more sheets of this. Boo to me! Okay so I stamped the image Kitty by Sugar Nellie on a piece of white card stock and colored her in with my markers and copics. I then mounted her on a piece of black card stock and DP. To create the background, I layered on DP, blue card stock and green card stock. Down the side I ran a piece of black ribbon and tied a bow. I stamped the sentiment from a Hero Arts stamp set and cut it out along with a piece of black with my nesties and placed it just under the bow. To finish the card, I popped off the main image and added three green brads underneath. The sentiment on the inside will read, "For always being there for me." I hope that she likes it.

My next card, isn't a card, but a homemade treat box. Our challenge this week over at Pink Papery Studios was to create a homemade gift item. Well I have been seeing lots of cake shaped boxes out there and have always wanted to make one. I was too lazy to actually look up the directions, so I just pieced one together myself. It turned out okay, but I think next time I am going to look for some.

I figured that you could fill it up with some homemade candy and hang it on the tree, or if you really wanted to a piece of cake! LOL! I started this project off by creating the cake box by cutting out three different strips of green paper. I adhered them together in a triangle shape and then cut out the bottom using the same green card stock. I then adhered the bottom piece. To create the top, I cut out another triangle and attached white paper that I punched with my scallop punch around the edges. To decorate the box, I attached red and green card stock to the top along with some Christmas DP. I added red brads in groups of three on the sides and then drew in the holly leaves with my gold glitter pen. To make the tag and hanger, I punched two holes in the top of the box and threaded through a red ribbon. I printed off Girl Decorating Cake by Pink Papery Studios on a piece of white card stock and colored her in with my markers and copics. I then layered her on a piece of red card stock and a piece of green card stock along with a piece of Christmas DP. I used my nesties to create the scallop. I added three green brads and an eyelet to run my ribbon through. I think this would make a great gift. Do you think if I gave it to someone that they would fill it up with homemade candy and then give it back?

Okay, I am not going to try to be shy or modest on this next card! I am so proud of myself!!!! I created a card that not only has white paper on it, but the white paper is the main element!!!!!!! Can you believe it! I was really sweating bullets on this one, waiting to see what it would turn out like, but I really like it! This card was created for today's Watchadoin' Wednesday Challenge over at SUInk and More. The challenge was to create a 90% white card with just a splash of another color. I used today's Sketch Challenge over at SCS for the layout!

See, I told you the card is mainly white! So, I started this card off by stamping the tiny chef girl from Kiss the Cook by SUInk and More on white card stock and a piece of Christmas DP. I then colored her in and paper pieced her together. I mounted her on a piece of DP. Following the sketch I layered DP and sparkly white paper that I ran through my cuttlebug snowflakes embossing folder. I shifted the girl to the other side since she was pointing to the right. I cut out snowflakes from white card stock and DP using my cricut machine and placed them behind the image. I added a festive ribbon and rhinestones to balance everything out! I am so proud of this card! You have no idea how hard it was for me not to put other colors in there!

Well I am outta here for tonight! I don't want to miss the party. Have a great evening! Thanks for stopping by!

Ornaments, Hot Chocolate and Cupcakes!!!

Happy Sunday everyone!!!

It has been so nice to be at home again. Izzy has played and read with Jason all day and I have been able to stamp again. Gosh it feels good. I really missed it. The only bad thing is that I am behind on all the challenges I like to participate in. :(

I was so exhausted last night as was everybody else. Izzy and I took naps when we got home and then Jason and I went to bed at 9. There is nothing quite like your own bed. I guess I am getting old. I used to be able to sleep about anywhere, but every year that passes it gets harder and harder to get a good night's sleep outside my bed.

Well the reprieve between Tuxy and Izzy is over. They were so excited to see each other for about an hour last night and now they are back to irritating each other. Izzy gets really mad whenever Tuxy sits on her blanket that she has been dragging around and then Tuxy gets mad when she yanks it out from under him. I don't know what to do with the two of them. I really hope we have some nice weather this week so that they can get outside and burn off some energy.

Which reminds me, we woke up to snow this morning!!!! It has all melted now, but it was completely covering the ground at 7 this morning. Our first snow of the season and boy was it beautiful!!! I love the snow!! The flakes were huge coming down!!! Gorgeous.

Which brings me to my cards!!! I actually have three Christmas cards today. (It is safe now since it is after Thanksgiving!) Two of them use non-traditional holiday colors and the third one is super traditional. I am really getting into the spirit of things.

The first card I want to share with you today is a card I made for Jen Del Muro's Sketch For You To Try Challenge over on her blog I {heart} 2 stamp. I just love Jen's sketches. They are always fun and creative.

When I saw this sketch for some reason I instantly thought the circle would be cute as an ornament. I have been seeing lots of Magnolias sitting on ornaments and when I found this Pink Gem design I knew she would work perfectly for this too! I started this card off by stamping Winter Mimi by Pink Gem Designs on white card stock and coloring her in with my copics and markers. I then cut her out and set her to the side. To create the ornament I cut out a piece of purple card stock with my nesties and embossed it with my swirl embossing folder. I then cut a strip of yellow card stock and ran it through with my swiss dots embossing folder and attached it to the middle. For the hook and cap I took a piece of gray card stock and ran it through my branches embossing folder, cut it out, attached it to the top and then added a metal swirl. I then assembled the card using purple and yellow card stock with DP following the sketch. I tied a green ribbon around the middle and popped off my image. I just love this layout it is so fun and festive!!!

My second card uses one of the beautiful images from Whiff of Joy. These are so amazing and fun to color. All the details in the stamp make for a very sophisticated image. For this card, I used Secret Crafter's Saturday Challenge which was a sketch this week. I loved all the layers on this sketch. Layering paper is one of my favorite things to do!!!

Isn't it so cute!!! Love, love, love this image. Okay, enough gushing. I started this card by stamping Willow With Hot Chocolate by Whiff of Joy on a piece of white card stock and colored her in using my copics and markers. Then, following the sketch, I layered on green and red card stock with three different kinds of Christmas DP. I added some green ribbon and red brads to the side and stamped the Merry Christmas sentiment from Sugar Nellie and cut it out with my nesties. I then adhered it to some red and green card stock that I cut out with my nesties. I can't wait to give this card to my sister who loves hot chocolate. I think I am going to scent it with my Hot Cocoa scent from Pink Papery Studios. I really think it will be the perfect finishing touch!!!

My final card is a very non-traditional Christmas cards The colors are non-traditional, the image is non-traditional and even the sentiment is non-traditional, but I wanted to create a card for Izzy to leave out for Santa. I used Taylored Expressions Cupcake Challenge for the layout.

Doesn't it look so yummy!!! I even put glitter on the cupcake!!! Love it! Okay, I started this card off by stamping a cupcake from HeroArts clear stamp set Cupcakes. I then colored it in with my markers and copics. I added a touch of glitter pen to the frosting to add some sparkle. I then cut it out using my nesties and following the sketch layered on green and pink card stock along with three kinds of Christmas DP. I stamped the sentiment and popped it off the bottom. To finish the card off. I added rhinestones and pink and green ribbon!!! This is just a too fun card!!

Well I am off to weed through my e-mail. I can't believe how much comes in after you have been gone a couple of days!! Thanks as always for stopping by and have a great rest of the weekend!

Thanksgiving is Almost Here!!!!

Happy Wednesday everyone!

Yeah, Thanksgiving is almost here and I can hardly wait!!! We are going down to Arkansas tomorrow and should arrive just in time to eat dinner. I timed it that way on purpose. lol!!! Just kidding, it will just take us awhile to get down there. The good thing is the roads are pretty clear if we go down on Thanksgiving day instead of the day before so we usually make pretty good time.

I hope Izzy makes it down there okay. It is a long time for her to be in the car, but we travel a lot so she should be fine. We are leaving Tuxy here, it just makes it so much easier. He is always so anxious and it is out in the country so there are several stray dogs that run around. Tuxy has a hard time with other dogs so you have to be with him constantly.

Well Izzy has loved it that Jason has been home all day. They were outside almost the whole time. Izzy loves it when Jason walks her around the yard or just sits out there with her. She no longer has eyes for Mommy if Daddy is around. Oh, quick story, Jason said this morning he pulled out the carton of milk and Izzy went over and open the tupperware drawer and pulled out her cup!!! She's a genius!! (Okay, I am biased, but still!) She is so observant and really catches onto things quickly.

Well onto the cards. I have two cards to post today. I actually made more, but I am scheduling them to post while I am gone. Unfortunately, none of my relatives have the Internet, so I am going to be deprived of all my stamping friends while I am gone. Never fear though, I have some great cards scheduled to post tomorrow and Friday. (We will be back on Sat.)

My first card is a challenge card for my DT work with Pink Papery Studios. Every week one of the girls on the design team issues a challenge. This week's challenge was to create a Thank You card since it is Thanksgiving. Well I knew I had the perfect image.

Isn't it cute! I am going to give it to Tracy. She is house sitting and watching Tuxy while we are out of town. I started this card off by printing off Sydney by Pink Papery Studios on white card stock and coloring her in with my copics and markers. (Love the digi stamps!) I added the pattern to her chair. (It was supposed to look like the chair was tufted, but it didn't quite work so I decided the chair could just be patterned. lol! I then layered her on brown and orange card stock. Next I layered on green, brown, and orange card stock along with two kinds of DP. (I didn't use a sketch!! Go me!!). I then popped off the main image. The sentiment was printed off on my computer and popped off the card. To finish the card, I added three green brads in the corner and wrote on the inside, "like hot chocolate, all warm and comfortable! Thanks for being my friend!" I really hope Tracy likes it. She is such a special friend.

My second card for today is a card for SUInk and More's Watchadoin' Wednesday Challenge and today's Sketch Challenge over at SCS. The challenge at SUInk and More was to create a Christmas Card using non-traditional colors (i.e. not red and green). Well I have been hoarding this pink, flocked gingerbread paper for forever, waiting for the perfect card to use it on, and here it is!!!!

I love this stamp set!! I know I use it all the time, but it is so versatile! Alright, so I started this card off by stamping the little girl with the stripped stockings from Kiss the Cook by SUInk and More on white card stock and colored her in using my markers and copics. I then stamped the little mixing bowl, colored it in, cut it out and popped it off her hand. I adhered her to a piece of teal card stock and a piece of brown card stock. Following the sketch, I layered on my gorgeous piece of flocked paper, brown paper, teal paper and DP. I added a wide brown and pink ribbon across the middle and tied a bow. I then stamped the gingerbread man which I picked up from Archivers over the summer in the Hot Spot (sorry I don't know who the stamp designer is) and colored it in. I then attached it to the bow with a metal curl. I just love the festive feel and the simple design.

Well I am outta here for tonight! I need to finish packing and doing laundry. Thanks for stopping by and all your wonderful comments! Have a great rest of the day!

Can I Get a Whoop! Whoop! I Made a Non-Christmas Card ...

Okay and a couple of Christmas Cards!

Happy Tuesday everyone!

Only a couple more days until Thanksgiving! I have noticed though that a few of the neighbors have started to decorate their houses for Christmas. My parents already have their tree up and they are putting my sister's up today. I haven't even thought about it yet. I guess that we will probably do it next weekend, that is usually what we do it. I wonder what Izzy will think about it. Last year she really didn't pay attention to it, so who knows what will happen this year.

Well, I think we are going to try to head to the library this afternoon. I am getting a little tired of some of her books, so it will be nice to pick up a few new ones. Izzy loves to go. She really enjoys the little book rack that she is allowed to pick up books from. Hopefully that will put her in a little better mood. She has been a little grouchy today.

So let's get on with it! My cards that is and one of them is not a Christmas one! Who's proud of me?!!

My first card for today is a card I created for my niece using Paper Take Weekly's Sketch Challenge. This was a really fun sketch. It had so many layers and my niece loves purple so I knew that this would be perfect for her.



Isn't she sweet!!! She really reminds me of Kelsey. I started this card off by stamping Pickin' Apples by Sugar Nellie on white card stock and coloring her in with my copics and stampin' writer markers. I then added some white gel pen to highlight the apples. Using the sketch as a guide I layered on dp, green card stock, teal card stock and purple card stock. I popped off the main image and added some purple rick rack and flowers that I cut out with my Cricut machine. I placed teal brads in the center of the flowers. For the sentiment, printed it off on the computer and then adhered it to a piece of purple card stock that I used my corner rounder on. I just think this is the most precious image.

Alright, alright, the next two cards are Christmas cards. But I have a good excuse. I am not only making my Christmas cards, but also some for my mom and my friends. So see, I need quite a few. That's my story and I am sticking to it.

My next card is a card I created using the Mojo Monday Sketch Challenge over at Poetic Artistry. I always love these sketch challenges because they are so creative and different.

Isn't this sweet!!! I love this cute little Santa Girl. I started this card off by stamping Sadie Santa from All That Scraps on a piece of white card stock and colored her in using my markers and copics. I went ahead and drew in the tree behind her and then colored it in. I created the Christmas light border by stamping the lights from Christmas Time by Penny Black around the image. I then colored it in and added some silver gel pen to the lights' bases. Following the sketch I layered on green card stock, red card stock and Christmas DP. For the borders and the top and bottom I punched out white paper with my goo punch and added a little bit of glitter. I stamped the sentiment on a piece of white card stock, drew on the candy canes and colored them in. To complete the card, I added three brads to the top. It is so fun and festive! I just love it.

Now on to my final card for today. This one is just so elegant. I love this little image. It reminds me of when I was a kid. I used to have a faux, white rabbit fur muff that I would wear everywhere. It always made me feel so grown up and sophisticated. For this card I used this week's challenge over at A Spoon Full of Sugar which was a sketch.

Isn't it so elegant! It just screams old fashioned Christmas to me. Okay, so I started this card by stamping Lizzie With Muff by Whiff of Joy on white card stock and coloring her in with my markers and copics. I added touches of gold glitter pen and regular glitter to highlight her outfit. I cut her out along with a piece of red card stock and a piece of green card stock using my nesties. I added white dots to the scallops with my souffle pen. Following the sketch I layered red card stock, green card stock and three different Christmas DPs. I added a green ribbon to the bottom and two red brads to the top. I am so pleased with this image. I don't even know if I will be able to give it away this Christmas. Lol!

Well I need to go get ready for the library. I think we single handily pay the librarians' salaries with all the fines we pay for over due books. Have a great rest of the day! Thanks for stopping by!

Christmas, Christmas and Kisses!

Happy Monday!!

Monday's are always difficult around here. Izzy is getting used to it being just her and I during the day and Tuxy mopes around in the mornings, and I am grouchy because Jason isn't here. Too bad he can't work from home, huh! Maybe I could take it up with his boss. I am sure they wouldn't miss him, right? I mean I know there are only 5 of them in the department, but isn't five a crowd? Lol!

Well we had a little bit of excitement this morning. I had the back door open because it was so pleasant and Izzy and Tuxy just love to go back and forth. Well I was cleaning up the breakfast dishes when I looked down on the floor and saw a bee. (That tells you how nice it has been). Well its' little stinger was a out a little bit. I first thought that maybe it had stung Izzy, but she appeared to be fine and Tuxy looked okay, so I tried to shoo it outside but it was gone. Well about ten minutes later I look down again and it is crawling on the floor again, but this time it looks almost dead. I went ahead and killed it and threw it in the trash. That's when I saw Tuxy limping. The poor thing had been stung in the paw. Well he wasn't comfortable lying anywhere so I went and got his bed. Well guess who climbed in it first? Izzy!! I couldn't get her out of it. By this time though, Tuxy was feeling better, so it all worked out in the end.

It was also a really busy, but fun stamping day for me! I got so many projects done; all of them sketch challenges. I can't help it, I am completely addicted. I just love the challenge of picking out the papers that will work together and the stamps that will fit the sketch. Ohh, I am excited just thinking about it.

Well here is the first card. It is for Sketch No. 23 over at the Sketch Saturday website. I just love all the circles in the design. I combined it with the Design Team Challenge over at Pink Cat Studio to use a Christmas image with non Christmas colors.

Isn't it sweet!!! I started off by stamping Lilly and Snowman from the Lily and Tweet set by Pink Cat Studio on white card stock. I colored them in using my copics and my markers. I cut them out using my nesties and applied some liquid applique and glitter to resemble snow. Then I mounted them on some blue glitter paper. Following the sketch, I added more glitter paper and some Christmas DP. I placed white ribbon behind the images and tied a bow. I went ahead and placed a snowflake button and some diamond brads, around the card to give it even more bling. I just love the non-traditional colors. I think I might save this sketch for future use!

My second card is for a new sketch challenge that I just found called Magnolia Vs. Stampavie! Doesn't it just sound exciting!! Well I saw that this week's challenge was a sketch challenge, so I knew that I had to try. The rules are that you have to follow the sketch and use either a Magnolia stamp or a stamp available at Stampavie (which includes Rachelle Anne Miller stamps).

I love, love, love this sketch!

I can't wait to give this to my friend. It is so sweet and girly. I started off by stamping Lily-Springtime by Rachelle Anne Miller available through Stampavie. I colored her in using my copics and stampin' write markers. I then mounted her on a piece of red card stock, a piece of DP and a piece of blue card stock. Next, I layered my card following the sketch with DP and red card stock. I added some blue ribbon and tied a bow and popped of the main image. Instead of the flowers, I cut out some butterflies from some DP I had and placed them around the half circle. I printed off the sentiment on the computer and mounted it on a piece of DP and red card stock. I then added a couple of more butterflies. The inside will say, "Just for You!!, Love Izzy". I know that Tracy will love it!

My final sketch challenge I decided to turn into a tag for a really great gift idea. My neighbor Beth and I have been trying to come up with some really creative gift ideas for Christmas. (It never hurts to start early.) We have been toying with the idea of making Soup in a Jar. Well today, I was searching out on-line and located a recipe that looked really fun and easy. I have been wanting to use my Kiss the Cook set by Hanna Stamps again and when I saw this week's Mojo Monday Sketch Challenge over at Poetic Artistry (This was my first time playing along), I knew I had it. I know everybody will really love them. Who wouldn't love something that is basically already made?

Here is a close up of the tag.

Isn't it fantastic!! Don't laugh, those are buttons in the jar! I didn't have the ingredients to actually make the layers in the soup so I had to improvise! Oh, maybe somebody would like a jar of buttons; something to think about. lol! Okay so I first started off by using my new rectangle nesties to cut out two pieces of Christmas DP and a piece of green card stock. Next I stamped the girl from Kiss the Cook on a piece of white card stock, and two pieces of Christmas DP. I colored her in and paper pieced her together. I then mounted her on a piece of green card stock following the sketch. Instead of the stars, I stamped the salt, pepper and star dust on white card stock and colored them in. I mounted them on a piece of green card stock and popped them off the page. I finished the front of the tag by printing off the jar title and mounting it on a piece of green card stock that I stuck three rhinestones on. On the back of the tag I placed the heating instructions. For the lid of the jar, I used my nesties to cut out a piece of green card stock and a piece of Christmas DP. I tied a satin ribbon around the lid and added the tag. I really think this will be a hit in my family.

Here is the recipe.

Minestrone Soup Jar Mix

Ingredients:

¼ cup red lentils

¼ cup green split peas

¼ cup barley

1/3 cup beef bouillon powder

2 tbsp. parsley flakes

3 tbsp. onion flakes

1/3 tsp. thyme

1/3 tsp. pepper

1 tsp. basil

approximately ¼ cup alphabet macaroni

Minestrone Soup Jar Mix

Directions:

In a two-cup jar, layer from bottom in the order given, then seal the jar.

Include these instructions on your gift tag:

In a very large saucepan combine 8 to 10 cups of water, a 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes, and soup mix. Add 2 chopped carrots, and 2 to 4 chopped potatoes (optional: 2 cups chopped cabbage). Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for one hour or until peas are tender. Enjoy!

Thank you so much for stopping by today! I hope your day was as beautiful as ours! Thanks as always for the wonderful comments! They really make my day!

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas and Rain or Shine!

Happy Sunday!!!

It couldn't have looked any less like Christmas here today! It was another beautiful day; the sun was shining, the temperature was perfect and we gained an hour. All in all a perfect day. I love Daylight Savings Time in the Fall, I just hate it in the Spring. I wish we could gain an hour in the Fall and the Spring, although that may mess things up a bit.

Well take a wild guess what I did with my extra hour today! I stamped! Good guesser. Jason even took Izzy to the grocery store this morning so that I could have a little time to myself. Isn't he a sweetie? Boy did I stamp. I did 3 cards for four different challenges! Can you believe it? I only have two of the cards to share tonight, because I ran out of daylight! I'm not used to the time difference.

Izzy has loved having Daddy home this weekend as she always does and guess what she wanted to wear to the store this morning? Her bee costume! I have started a monster I guess. Oh and Jason has informed me that she is obsessed with marigolds now. She smells each and every one and carries around the blooms that have fallen off. I asked Daddy where she would have learned this love from (I hate marigolds!), and supposedly Daddy has no idea. I have my suspicions though.

Well on to my cards! The first card I am going to share today is a card I created for Taylored Expressions Cupcake Challenge. It is a Christmas Card. I already caught some flack from Jason about it not even being Thanksgiving yet, but I am trying to get a jump start, at least that is what I told him. I am not the only one though. There is a radio station here in St. Louis who has been playing Christmas songs nonstop for the last couple of weeks and will continue to through the end of the year. (This is a little much even for me!) See Jason, I am not weird!

Isn't it sweet! I bought this set back in August and haven't inked it up yet. I know crazy! It is super cute, I just hadn't found the right layout for it yet I guess. Well I started off by stamping the sundae glass along with the penguin top and the straw from Merry Muffins by Eclectic Paperie on a piece of white card stock. I put the penguin a little higher up and drew in more ice cream. (Who doesn't love more ice cream!) I then colored it all in with my copics and a few stampin' write markers. I am getting more and more comfortable with the copics. I then drew in the table top on the bottom and colored in the background. (I wound up really disliking it, so I cut it out again, mounted it on white and left the straw sticking out. Much better!) I added some crystal effects to the glass and straw and then added some liquid applique and glitter. Next, I pieced the card together following the sketch and used my swiss dots cuttlebug folder and my snowflake folder to create some texture. I layered on the main image using Christmas DP, red card stock and green card stock and popped the image off the page. I stamped the sentiment on a piece of white card stock and then cut it out using my circle nesties. I also cut out a red circle and a green circle. I free handed a cherry (Yes, that is what that is supposed to be) and cut it out. I added a "stem" using some brown ribbon and tying a knot at the top, and popped it off the page. I can't wait to give it to my cousin-in-law at Christmas. She is totally addicted to penguins so I know she will love it.

My second card if for one of my new favorite weekly sketch challenges. (If I am honest though, I really love them all). Jen Del Muro posts a Saturday Sketch Challenge every week that is always so fun and creative. This is actually my third time participating and every week it is more and more fun to come up with a creative card following the sketch.

Here is my card.

I just love all the dark, rich colors. Who knew I like purple so much? I just picked up Rain or Shine by MFT Stamps yesterday at The Inkspot. I have been waiting and drooling over it for awhile and immediately had to ink it up. After I stamped the girl on whisper white, blue card stock and DP, I cut her out and paper pieced the image together. I then decided that it was too plain so I free handed the background scene with my ruler, copics and stampin write markers. I can almost see her walking down the street. I then layered her on a piece of DP and a piece of blue card stock that I cut out with my NEW rectangle nestabilites. YEAH!!!! I cut out another strip of blue card stock and punched it with my Martha Stewart edge punch. I added a green ribbon and layered it on some DP. I popped off the stamped image and cut out two circles of DP and black card stock that I then cut into an umbrella. I stamped the sentiment and layered it on the bottom using my edge punch again. I can't wait to give it to my friend Beth. She is always motivating me to go to Curves and I guess I want to return the favor. lol. Just kidding. She is a wonderful friend and I don't know what I would do without her.

Well I am shutting it down early tonight. I am crossing my fingers that Izzy will maybe sleep in tomorrow. Have a great rest of the weekend. Thanks as always for stopping by!

Cookies For Santa Kit and Izzy Wore a Costume!!!

Happy Saturday everyone!

I hope every ones' Saturday was as beautiful as ours. It was absolutely gorgeous here today. The sun was out, it was in the seventies and there was a gentle breeze all day. Izzy got to play outside and we even went to the park for a little while this afternoon. It was just wonderful.

I had a busy day, but didn't really get too much stamping in. I did get a bunch of great ideas and bought the rectangle nestabilities finally. I had to wait for my November budget to kick in. I am still waiting on the final verdict of whether or not my stamps will also double as toys and increase my budget. I don't think it is going well so far.

Well my first and only project for today is actually a few projects all in one. It is what I am calling a Cookies for Santa Kit. I think it would be a lovely gift to give someone who has small children. Inside the bucket is a bag of marshmallows, a tin of hot chocolate, a box of cookies and a recipe card. All the recipient needs is a mug and a plate and they are all ready for Santa.

Isn't it cute. I will describe each individual part separately since different stamps were used for different sections. First though the bucket itself is a dollar spot find from Target. (I just love, love, love that place.) I then cut out a length of white satin ribbon and threaded through some paper ornaments with "Santa" written on them. The ornaments were made with my Cricut machine along with the letters. I used red card stock, pink metallic card stock and Christmas DP. I then added the black brads and some little gingerbread buttons I had. I then stuffed some silver tissue paper in the bottom for all the artifacts to rest on.

Next I made the marshmallow bag. I started off by taking a cellophane bag and stamping the snowflake from Baby It's Cold Outside by MFT stamps all over the bag using stazon ink. I then filled up the bag with marshmallows. To make the tag at the top I cut out a circle of Christmas DP using my nestabilites and cut about a fourth of it off. I then cut out another circle from white card stock and stamped Snowflakes by Penny black in the center. I mounted it on the larger DP circle and left it hanging over the edge. I then added a snowflake charm to the top and folded the flap over to seal it.

For the cookie box. I started off with a plain white candy box and filled it with some delicious cookies. (If I am honest, this really is the most important step!). Next I stamped the image Mimi in Sleigh by Denami Designs on a piece of white card stock and colored her in with my prisma color pencils and some glitter pens. I added a little bit of diamond stickles to her "fur" and then added a little more glitter while it was still wet. I mounted the stamped image on a piece of Christmas DP and then onto a piece of dark Green DP. I stuck the image on the top of the box and tied a dark red ribbon around the outside. I then placed it inside the tin.

The hot chocolate tin was next and was so fun to make. I started off with a round clear lidded tin. I placed a piece of Christmas DP around the tin and then cut a piece of pink metallic card stock to go the in the middle. Before adhering it, I stamped the three mugs from Hot Stuff by MFT stamps on the pink strip in an alternating pattern. I then stamped the plain mug on a piece of Christmas DP along with a red piece of card stock, the polka dot mug on a piece of DP and a green piece of card stock and the crisscross mug on another piece of DP and a fuchsia piece of card stock. I then paper pieced the images all around the pink strip and adhered it to the tin. For the tag, I started off by stamping the sentiment from Baby Its Cold Outside on a piece of white card stock along with the little cup and saucer. I colored the cup and saucer in with my prisma color pencils and added a little liquid applique. I made a tag shape and mounted it on a piece of Christmas DP and a piece of metallic pink card stock. I added a black eyelet and threaded though a pink grossgrain ribbon that I tied it around the lid. I filled a cellophane bag with hot chocolate and placed it inside. I went ahead and printed off the heating instructions for the hot chocolate and placed them on the bottom of the tin. For this part I used my nesties and my Xyron machine.

Last but not least was the recipe card for White Chocolate dipped Oatmeal-Cranberry Cookies. I simply printed off the recipe on my computer and cut it in half. I then mounted it on a piece of DP,\; one side has the ingredients and the other side has the baking instructions. I stamped the cookies using my Cookie Stubbie by Stamps by Judith and added the snowflake charm in the corner. I am telling you, if I were Santa, this is what I would want left out for me.

Now on to Izzy and her costume saga. Yesterday afternoon I was talking to my neighbor and she asked me to bring Izzy over to show them her costume. They didn't celebrate Halloween this year because it fell on the Sabbath. I told her I definitely would if I could get her to wear it. So that night after it had gotten dark, I asked Izzy if she wanted to wear her jacket. (The bee costume is basically a jacket and pants). She said yes and I pulled if out of the closet. I had one arm in before she realized what it was and started to grump. I went ahead and forged through getting it all the way zipped before she really started to cry. That is when the miracle happened. The doorbell rang and there were trick-or-treaters there. Izzy got so distracted by them oohhing and ahhing over her that she forgot she was even wearing the silly thing. Well the stinker wore it the rest of the night and even asked to wear it again today. Ahh to have children. And here she is.

Well thanks for waiting up for me to post tonight. I know it is pretty late. Thanks again for all the wonderful comments. I really appreciate them. And as a bonus here is the recipe for the Craisin cookies.

White Chocolate-Dipped Oatmeal-Cranberry Cookies

1 cup butter or margarine, softened

1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 Tablespoon vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups Craisins

1 1/2 cups pecan pieces

1 1/4 cups uncooked quick cooking oats

12 oz white chocolate baking bars--coarsely chopped

3 Tablespoons shortening

Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy; gradually add sugars, beating well. Add egg and vanilla, beating until blended. Combine flour & next 3 ingredients; gradually add to butter mixture, beating until blended. Stir in cranberries, pecans, and oats. Drop dough by heaping tablespoonfuls 2 " apart onto lightly greased baking sheets. Bake at 375 degrees for 9 to 11 minutes. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

Microwave white chocolate and shortening in a medium-size microwave safe bowl on high 1 minute or until chocolate melts stirring once or twice. Dip 1/2 of each cookie into melted chocolate, letting excess drip back into bowl. Place dipped cookies on wax paper; let stand until firm.

I can attest to how delicious these cookies are!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Happy Halloween and My Little Angel!

Happy Friday and a Happy Halloween!!!

I can't believe it is already Halloween! I am really looking forward to seeing all the kids tonight. It is supposed to be a beautiful night, so I think we will be giving out lots of treats. I don't think Izzy will be dressing up though. First, she is still afraid of her costumes and secondly she seems to have come down with the same thing I have. Poor baby her little nose has been running all day and she is falling all the time. She hasn't been too grouchy though, just super loving.

Well I have some news about Izzy, we have started potty training!!! I am so excited. She hasn't actually gone potty in the potty chair yet, but she has the whole routine down. She even brought in some reading material this morning and sat down. I wonder where she learned that from, Daddy? I am really proud of her though. She has caught on really quickly. I think next week we will actually try to get her to go. I am a little concerned though because she likes to stick her hand in the bowl after she gets up. Hopefully that will stop. EWWWW!!!

Oh another piece of good news. I have been selected to be this weeks Star Stamper over at MFT! Can you believe it!!! It is a new program they are starting featuring customer's cards. I am so honored!! Have you seen some of the incredible creations the MFT ladies create? I am just flabbergasted that I am included with them! Thank you!

Well on to my Halloween cards! I really had a lot of fun creating these last few Halloween cards today. I am a little bummed though that it is over. I do have Christmas cards to uplift my spirits, so I am looking forward to that. I just can't wait for all the Christmas sets. Yeahh!!

Okay so here is my first Halloween card for today. This card was created for Challenge 6 over at Spiral Whisper. The Challenge was to create a card using one of the Halloween stamps. Well I just received Broomstick Milly and knew she would make an adorable card. Here she is.

I have been seeing a ton of window scene cards out on SCS and really wanted to give it a try. I started off by stamping Milly on a piece of whisper white along with a piece of Halloween DP. I paper pieced her together, colored her in with my stampin write markers and cut her out. I then cut out a piece of purple card stock and scored a 1/4" and a 1/2" in on each side and folded them back and forth so it would pop off the black card. I then cut a hole using my nesties and placed a piece of acetate behind it to create a window. Next I cut out different lengths and widths of green card stock and arranged them on the black card so that they would look like buildings. I aged them with a green copic marker and added windows with a black marker. I then cut out a circle from some very vanilla card stock and shaded it with a sponge and some summer sun ink and some apricot appeal. I then arranged them to create a cityscape. Next I adhered the purple window card stock to the top of the card and cut out a free hand tree out of brown card stock. I added some bark with my markers and then punched out the fence with my new Martha Stewart punch. I finished the card off by adding some Halloween buttons and three green mini brads. I am really happy with the way this turned out. I think Jason's parents will appreciate it even though it is coming a little late.

My second Halloween card is an idea that I have had for quite awhile but have never gotten around to actually executing. Since today is really the last day for Halloween cards, I knew this was my last chance. I'm calling this one "Never Rely On An Elf".

Isn't it cute? I just couldn't help myself. I bought this set from MFT a couple of months ago and just knew it would make a funny Halloween card. I am all about altering stamps to fit other occasions. I started off by stamping the rug, fireplace and Santa's legs from Home For the Holidays by MFT on a piece of whisper white. I then colored them in with stampin' write markers and copics and drew in the floor boards. I then paper pieced the wallpaper with some Halloween DP I had left over. Next I stamped the pumpkins and the sentiment from Kooky Kostumes by SUInk and More on whisper white and colored them in adding some cobwebs. I went ahead and popped off the pumpkins to give them some dimension. Next I stamped the little spider from Trick or Treat by Penny Black to the side of the fireplace. I finished the main image off by printing off the skull from CC Designs Digi Download Sweet Pea Halloween and the cauldron from Simply Sista's and Card Scents' Halloween Digi Stamps and coloring them in using my markers and copics. (I know I used a lot of different stamps, but I needed several small accessories to fill up the "room".) Next, following this week's MFT sketch challenge over at SCS, I layered on Halloween DP and purple card stock. I used my nesties to cut out the circle and my spider web embossing folder to create some texture. I finished up the card by printing off the sentiment on my computer and coloring it in with copics and some Halloween brads. I think it is funny. I can just see Santa getting all excited and heading out on Halloween instead of Christmas! I know my sister will appreciate it.

Now on to the last project for today. Wow have I been busy! This is a little angel box I created for Izzy. When she gets older I hope that she will fill it up with all those little special trinkets she finds and enjoys. This box is being submitted for the Cutie Pie Challenge over at Paper Pretties. They will be releasing their new stamps tomorrow evening and I can hardly wait.

Here is a side view.

This box is actually a little papermache box I found at Michaels for $2. I wanted something that would last. I started off by covering the box with some pretty Christmas DP that I just bought. I then cut out a piece of white card stock and stamped the sentiment from Angel Wings by Paper Pretties over and over in pink to create a background paper. I mounted it behind a piece of green glitter paper to create a little frame. Next I stamped the main image from Angel Wings on a piece of white card stock, a piece of white glitter card stock and a piece of deep red glitter card stock. I paper pieced her together and colored her in using my markers. I then cut her out and applied some liquid applique and more glitter to her skirt. I finished her off by adding some silver rick rack to create a little halo and popped her off the frame. I then punched out a tag of red glitter card stock using my new Sizzix die and stamped the sentiment on a piece of white and mounted it behind it. I added two black brads to either side and threaded through a piece of white ribbon. I added some snowflake brads to the box and closed the lid. I really think Izzy will appreciate it when she gets older. She is such a sweetie.

And here she is my little angel!!

I hope your Halloween is a good one. It is getting close to time here. Be safe and have lots of fun, I know I will! Thanks as always for stopping by!!

Sneaking in a Halloween Card and One More Get Well Card!

Happy Thursday everybody!


I am so happy the weekend is almost here! I can't believe tomorrow is Halloween! It doesn't feel like October should be over yet. I am not ready!!! It will be fun to see all the neighborhood kids dressed up and passing out candy Though. I doubt Izzy will be doing it, but there is always next year. I think it is supposed to be a really nice night. I hate it when it is really cold or rainy because then the kids are all covered up and you can't see their cute costumes.


Well Izzy seemed more content this morning. She seems to be going through a phase lately of not being content with anything. The Parents As Teachers lady said that it is probably because she knows the words but can't get them out. That makes sense, especially since sometimes I can actually hear her stuttering before she says something. Poor baby! Although, the grunting is driving me crazy!!!!!


She has really gotten into coloring lately. Yeah! A girl after my own heart. I actually sat her on my lap this morning and showed her how to color with my makers. She seemed really interested. She loves her little Aquadoodle pad and will lay on the floor and color with the pen. She also likes to color with her crayons, in fact I think it is one of her favorite toys. Which brings me to a point I am trying to make to my husband.


Yesterday when Melaina was over, both Izzy and her were rearranging my stamping shelf. Pulling out all the loose stamps and building with them and stacking and lining them up. It was their favorite toy. Now don't you think since my stamps double as kids toys that I should be allowed to incorporate some of the toy budget into my stamping budget? Who agrees with me?


Well today I am sneaking in another Halloween card before the big day. For the the last three weeks I have been participating in the Freaky Friday Halloween Challenge over at Sunflower Studio. This weeks challenge is a sketch challenge. It was really fun and different. Here is the sketch and card I came up with.




I actually just bought this stamp over the weekend and have been dying to use it. When I saw it all I could think about are those super organized women who have pictures on all their shoe boxes or who have a catalog of all their different wardrobe choices and I thought wouldn't it be funny if a witch was like that too?! I started this card off by stamping the Witch's Shoes by Stampendous on a piece of whisper white and coloring it in with stampin' write markers and my copics. I then mounted it on a piece of purple card stock and then created a frame around it using black card stock and a Martha Stewart edge punch. (I had to do this because I do not have the rectangle nestabilities. Don't worry though it is in my budget for next month!) I then popped it off the background following the sketch with some Halloween DP and some purple card stock. I went ahead and used my edge punch again on the bottom of the purple card stock to give it some visual interest. I printed off the sentiment on the computer and attached to the side with some purple card stock behind it. The card was finished off with three orange brads. I can't wait to give it to my mother for Halloween. Don't worry she is out of town and isn't able to read my blog, so it won't spoil the surprise to give it to her.


The second card is another get well card. The good news is that nobody else is sick, the bad news is that I am so indecisive that I can't decide which get well card I should send to our friend. I am leaning toward this one because it is just so cute.



Well I would love to take 100% credit for this card but I can't. I actually got the inspiration for this card from a first aid kit that Lauren Meader made. I found it on her blog a couple of months ago and have been thinking about it ever since. The woman is a genius! Well I started off by stamping Lilly from Dress Up Lily by Pink Cat Studio (love this set if you can't tell! Ohh and did you hear? They will be releasing more Bily and Lily stamps on Thursday November 6th. I can't wait to get my hands on them.) on a piece of whisper white along with the thermometer, hat and bag. I colored them in using my markers, copics and souffle pen. I cut out the different pieces and layered them on the main image. I then stamped the band aid box from Stamps by Judith on a piece of whisper white and colored it in. I layered the images on DP, white card stock, blue card stock and red card stock. I added faux stitching to the background (mainly because I am lazy and didn't want to get out my sewing machine last night) and popped off the two images. I added some silver brads and some ribbon to the side and printed off the sentiment "We Hope You Are On The Mend!" and stuck it inside. I really think I might send both because I just can't decide! Ohhh, maybe it will help her heal faster!


Well I am going to go lay down for a few minutes. I am back to feeling a little tired, which is really bad since today is so beautiful! Thank you all for stopping by!!

Pink Presents and Knock Knock!

Happy Thursday everybody!

My parents are coming in to visit today to see Isabella and to help get the party set up. I am really excited to see them. I haven't seen them since August so it will be nice to catch up in person. We talk almost everyday but it is not quite the same. Izzy will be glad to see them too, but it is actually Tuxy who will be the most excited. My parents have a wired haired dauchson who is getting older named Timber that Tuxy is nuts about. The poor thing, all Tuxy does is follow her around and torment her. But they are just like him and Izzy, Timber doesn't always walk away and sometimes actually seeks him out.

Well I have a quick and funny Izzy story to share. This morning while I was making breakfast she was pushing around her little stroller. (She loves it, she puts almost everything she owns in it.) Well all the sudden she starts "running" and pushing it at the same time yelling "Daddy! Daddy!" I have no idea why. I am usually the one who pushes her. But it makes me wonder what the two of them are doing on their walks alone that they take sometimes. Jason has already admitted to letting her have treats that I don't let her have when I am gone. I wonder what else daddy lets her do?

Well here is my first card for today. I actually made this card yesterday. It started off as the SCS sketch challenge until I cut the paper too small and I didn't want to waste it, so I decided to turn them into presents.

I think it looks so sweet. I just know that my niece Kelsey will love it. She is such a little girly girl and of course loves getting presents. My sister told me that she has started going to sleepover birthday parties now. I can't believe how old she is. She needs to stop getting older :(. Anywhoo, I started this card off by cutting nine squares of designer paper and mounting them on brown and pink card stock. I then tied 1/8 in. satin, brown ribbon around each one to make it resemble little presents. Next I stamped Lily - From the Heart by Rachelle Anne Miller on a piece of whisper white. I colored her in using my stampin' write markers and my copics (yeah!). I then mounted her on a piece of pink card stock and then a piece of brown card stock. I popped her off the background using some dimensionals and will be scenting it with "sugar cookies" before I send it out. I just know she will love it.

The second project is actually a simple box. I will be posting a tutorial tomorrow, mainly because I know that my other niece will want one once her sister gets this one. The story behind this is a long one but I am going to share it anyway. So it all started yesterday when I was looking through all the challenges. Wednesday seems to be a big challenge day and there are always a million I want to do, but I just don't have the time. There should just be more hours in the day. Anywhoo, I was out on SUInks and More's blog and was looking at the Watchadoin' Wednesday Challenge which was to make a treat holder. So I put that idea in the back of my mind because I needed to get done a few other things. Well this morning my best friend Tracy called me at 7:15!!! on her way to work. (Don't worry Tracy I still love you!) She had been listening to the radio on the way to work and I guess they were talking about Halloween Candy. She said she immediately thought of me and was wondering if I had the stamp set where the kids are all dressed up like candy. I said yes. She then said, wouldn't it be neat to have one of them coming up to a door. Well I immediately thought of the SUInk challenge and knew that I wanted to create a box where the door would open and there would be candy inside. Then I started thinking about how the pumpkin girl looks exactly like my niece Shelby and how there is a little weiner dog in the set who is dressed up like a hot dog! Well guess what, my niece has a weiner dog who is dressing up like a hot dog for Halloween!!! Can you believe it?! I am telling you it is fate. It is sometimes scary how much we think alike.

Well here it is!!

Here is a view with the door open.

Isn't it cute!! I can't wait to give it to her. I know she will love it mainly because there is candy inside, but you know beggars can't be choosers. I started off by making a simple box out of brown card stock. (As I stated earlier, I will be posting directions tomorrow. I then cut an opening for the door and added a piece of acetate behind it that I stamped with the sentiment from Kooky Kostumes by SUInk and More. I then stamped the little girl and dog from the set and colored them in with my markers and copics. Next I used my new Martha Stewart punch to create the siding and then outlined the door and top of the box with green card stock to create trim. I made a door out of strips of green card stock and cut a hole in the top to create a window. I went over all the green card stock with my markers to create weathering and dimension. I added two brown brads to the door to create a door knob and knocker. I then stamped the white ghost from Trick or Treat by Penny Black and hung it on the brad with some black thread. I added some stamped pumpkins from The Witching Hour by SUInk and More that I colored with my markers and popped them off. Lastly I made a light out of some black card stock and some scrap pieces of white that I colored in. I added my candy to the box and sealed it with my Halloween ribbon. I just know she is going to love it. I can hardly wait to give it to her!!!

Well the party is only two days away!!! I still don't have Izzy's costume done, but the sewing guru is coming in today, aka grandma!

So that is it for me today! Thank you so much for everyone's thoughtful and encouraging comments. It really brightens my day to hear that you like something that I love to do. Thank you!