Count down

 

Halloween is over and that means we are on a slippery slope to Christmas. This is my busiest time of the year. I have just finished my Halloween cards, Thanksgiving cards need to be finished and then the biggest holiday of all- Christmas!

Right now though, I am going to focus on Thanksgiving. Normally I make about 35 Thanksgiving cards. I made a Thanksgiving card for each of my staff to tell them how grateful I was for each of them, but since I no longer and working and have a job I am down to 12! I wonder if any of them will miss their cards this year?

 

 

Today starts a new challenge at Cupcake Inspirations. A fun color challenge, that at first I was skeptical, but love the card I made! Brown, tangerine and sky blue.

My card today features "Fairy Tale Florals" by Altenew.

I used an easy water color technique from Therese at Lost in Paper.

In case you didn't know Cupcake Inspirations is looking for DT members. Please see this post for all the information! The Sweeties are a great group of gals to work with! Lots of fun and inspiration!

Meanwhile, join in our new color challenge at Cupcake Inspirations. You have two weeks to play along!

Flowers and Bling

 

 

 Today is the second week for our combo challenge at Cupcake Inspiration with our friends at Double Trouble. This is a super fun challenge. Flowers and bling?!!? Come on stampers, an easy one.

But if you are stuck check out the tic-tac-toe grid at Double Trouble to give you some ideas.

  

My card uses the center grid, "summer, flowers, and  diecuts.

 
Today's card features the well loved and inked Altenew stamp set, "Best Mom". The background, "thanks" is a VERY old HA stamp set. No longer available. Sorry.

When you enter our challenge this week, be sure to run over to the Double Trouble Challenge blog and see what their co-coordinating challenges are, so  you can link up with them as well!  The more aspects of the challenge you do, the more entries you will receive to win their prize! 

You have two weeks to play along! I can't wait to see what you create!

Yay for the red, white and blue!!

 

If you are living in the States, you will be celebrating our country's independence. My birthday is on the 2nd, so I plan a 3 day celebration that goes right into July 4th. When I was a kid I always told people I was born on the 4th. I wanted to be a little firecracker. Well all I can say I may not have been born on the 4th but I am still a firecracker!!

I took this weekend off from all things school and decided to do what ever I wanted which is stamping!! My hubby and bestie both got me lots of new stamping stuff including all of the Altenew inks, which are fabulous. For my card today I used Altenew's ruby red and sapphire inks.

It has been a month since I last blogged!!! Yikes, where does the time go?!!? I decided to check out some of my fav challenges to inspire me. Several were hosting red, white and blue challenges and since it is the 4th, I decide to join in with a patriotic card.

I am entering this card at CAS-ual Friday and Curtain Call for their red, white and blue challenges.

CASology's theme is the word "row". I went rather expected with my card. No surprises.

A new challenge for me is Cards in Envy. They want cards that can be sent through the mail!! Love that idea. Today's challenge is "stripes"

Sometimes the most simple card takes awhile, today's card was no exception. Getting the rows of stripes straight and not smudged and then adding the stars evenly. It took 4 tries.

So check back again this week, I hope to share other cards I have been working on over this holiday weekend.

May showers bring June flowers?

Yesterday was a free day for me. I spent it with my bestie stamping. The fun thing about stamping with a buddy is you get to use their stuff!! I "borrowed" her Altenew Botanical Gardens set. I stamped every darn piece and embossed with gold and watercolored the images with bright sunshiney colors. I then die cut the images and had fun placing them in a pleasing design.

playing with placement

 

 

My buddy Pat looked at the finished card and laughed. She said that is soooo not you. Where did this come from? She is right. I am more CAS and whimsical. This classic and elegant creation my have come from an alter ego.

We have had so much rain this May that I am hoping it will bring June flowers. Because of that I am entering this card the Time Out challenge.  The there is: 'May All your weeds be wild flowers'.

I am also entering this card at The Card Concept .

Sunshine brings flowers and my flowers are sunshiny colors, so why not enter this classy and elegant card!

 

 Done playing, time to get back to work! The pharmacology and pathophysiology of reflux and Barrett's esophagus. Woo hoo!!

Happy Birthday Kim!!

Happy Birthday Kim!! Wishing you a fabulous birthday!!

Everyone check out the Linky party that Kylie at Happy Little Stampers is having for our fabulous friend and designer at her blog. Join in the fun and wish Kim a wonderful birthday!

Butterflies at Laura's Loft

Well it is a busy week for me in blogland this week! Lots of stuff happening. Today I am sharing with you a card that I made using Altenew's Painted Butterflies stamp set that I ordered from Laura's Loft.

What with Jonas going through my neighborhood a wee bit of spring in the form of butterflies is a welcome reminder that spring will be bursting out before you know it.

I stamped the butterflies with the Altenew mini cubes- "cool summer nights", "shades of purple" and "summer afternoon". These inks go on flawlessly and smoothly. The colors blend together perfectly. If you don't have any they are a MUST HAVE new ink!

To add a wee bit of interest, I shaded each butterfly with a some colored pencil. A bit of shine with a glitter pen and each butterfly pops!

So if you want a bit of spring like me, head over to Laura's Loft and find your springtime! 

Blog Hop at Laura's Loft

Hi Everyone!! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday! I usually lose my creative mojo right after the holidays- to much crafting like drinking can pay a toll on a girl's creativity. But like any good hangover cure (we all have one- mine is LOTS of OJ!!) an awesome blog hop filled with inspiration is just what I need to kick start my mojo!  

Today is the January Blog Hop for Laura's Loft. This month's theme is "Love Grows Here". If you arrived here from Emma's blog, I know her creations inspired you! I can only hope I can do the same!

We are also showcasing a guest designer: Nico and Valentina. Please be sure to check out their work!

Sooooo onto my creations!!

I am just lovin' the new "girlfriend" collection by CAS-ual Friday has just released. See yesterday's blog post . Today I am featuring the "love ya" Fri-die. Be sure to check out Laura's shop for all of the new collection. I used my papers as the inspiration for the colors. I die cut the words and colored them with my copic markers. Sometimes it is just easier to let the papers dictate the coloring.

My first attempt at this card was with the words popped up on foam. It just looked liked I was trying to hard.

What do you think?

My next creation uses the "curtis" background and the "love ya" die again from CAS-ual Friday.

I inked the background with Ruby red and coral berry from the Altenew Red Cosmos ink collection. I added glitter to the center heart, because I just read online that glitter is another sure fire cure for a creative hangover!! I am feeling better already!

What is better in blog hop than some blog love as in a give-away!! Here are some awesome prizes that Laura is providing from the Loft!

Here are the requirements to be entered in the drawing for the giveaway.

TO ENTER:
1. Follow Laura's Loft on IG @InLaurasLoft, like the IG Hop/Giveaway post and tag as many  
    friends as you like but one tag per comment
2. Follow Laura's Loft store page on facebook https://www.facebook.com/Lauras.Loft.Shop
3. Leave a comment at each stop on the blog hop

We have a coupon code for you.   The coupon is for $10 off of a $75 or more purchase. The code is $10Treat.  

Don't forget there is a sale on Christmas stamps going on. All Christmas stamps and dies are 45% off. Please check out the sale page.  

Also- We have a coupon code for you.   The coupon is for $10 off of a $75 or more purchase. The code is $10Treat. 

Next on the hop is *********. Be sure to check out her awesome creations.

I know it it is easy to lose your way and you do not want to miss out on any of the fun, so here is a list of all the hoppers:

1. Laura  -  http://www.lauralscott.com/love-grows-here/
2. Deana Benson -http://www.designcreativelybling.com/2016/01/lauras-loft-love-grows-here-shop-and-hop.html
3. Jasmine Burgess -http://journeywithjasmine.blogspot.com/2016/01/love-grows-here-blog-hop-with-lauras.html
4. Robbie Rubala - http://inkedx2.blogspot.com/search/label/LL
5. Heart of Craft - http://heartofcraft.blogspot.com/2016/01/lauras-loft-hop-and-shop-love-grows-here.html (Emma)
6. Sue T. http://thecre8tivestudio.blogspot.com/2016/01/blog-hop-at-lauras-loft.htm6.
7. Kim- http://angeldreamcrafts.blogspot.com/2016/01/lauras-loft-dt-january-blog-hop.html
8. Linda Gorman-  http://dabblesbylinda.blogspot.com/2016/01/love-grows-here-with-lauras-loft.html
9. Lisa Bedigian - http://royalpumpkinart.blogspot.com/2016/01/love-grows-here-shop-hop-with-lauras.html
10. Valentina Dalmonte - http://valentinascrap.blogspot.com/2016/01/love-grows-here-dtlaurasloft.html
11. Nico Scrap- http://niccoloconduec.blogspot.com/2016/01/lauras-loft-blog-hop.html

 

CAS-Friday's "Girlfriend" release at Laura's Loft

Hi everyone! Today is the big reveal at CAS-ual Friday for their "Girlfriend" collection in their SOA (stamp of approval) box! We are SOOOO EXCITED be part of the release at Laura's Loft.

We are celebrating by having a blog hop featuring the various stamps and dies in this awesome collection.

Here is the collection- AWESOME huh?

You should have come to me from Emma's blog

 If you stumbled upon me be sure to go back and check out her creations!

My card today uses the "curtis background" stamp and the "love ya" fri-die. I stamped the curtis background using ruby red, coral berry and frosty pink inks in the Altenew ink set called Red Cosmos that I was able to buy at Laura's Loft.

Well if that wasn't enough inspiration please continue onto Kim's blog.

If you lose your way along the way, here is a list of all hoppers!

Laura- http://www.lauralscott.com/cas-ual-fridays-new-release 
Deana-http://www.designcreativelybling.com/2016/01/cas-ual-fridays-new-release.html
Jasmine- http://journeywithjasmine.blogspot.com/2016/01/cas-ual-fridays-new-release-blog-hop.html
Emma- http://heartofcraft.blogspot.com/2016/01/cas-ual-fridays-with-lauras-loft.html
Sue T.- http://thecre8tivestudio.blogspot.com/2016/01/cas-fridays-girlfriend-release-at.html
Kim - http://angeldreamcrafts.blogspot.com/2016/01/lauras-loft-dt-casual-friday-new.html
Linda G- http://dabblesbylinda.blogspot.com/2016/01/cas-ual-fridays-new-release.html
Lisa - http://royalpumpkinart.blogspot.com/2016/01/cas-ual-fridays-with-lauras-loft.html

After checking out everyone's creations, head on over to Laura's Loft and be one of the first to check out the entire collection and treat yourself and treat your girlfriend!!