Some stamping…

Hello friends.  I’m kind of taking a little break from stamping.  Things just seem so topsy-turvy lately and I’m spending time going back and forth with my husband, driving three hours one way to my Dad’s home and getting his house packed up, then the weekends we are at home I’m busy getting things done that I’m falling behind on.  And winter is slowly but surely KILLING me, so I’ve got the blahs and am just so tired when I get home.  So I asked my wonderful design teams to give me a little break, and they all graciously agreed.  So, you may see me around here or you may not for awhile.  But I hope to be back again soon!  (OK, reading that it sounds like a TON of whining… sorry, but thanks for indulging me for a moment!)
Last evening though, I had a little down time and decided I needed some stamping therapy.  This first card is really simple, but it was just an idea I had after seeing this darling card last week…

I used my new, not-yet-used Die-Namics Rose with Overlay die from My Favorite Things!  I cut the rose out twice from bright pink cardstock and once from white cardstock, then glued all three layers together.  Added the sentiment, and done.  SUPER simple, but was just something I wanted to try after seeing Cristina’s cute card.
The next card uses another not-yet-used stamp from MFT… I just had to have this cute Pure Innocence set.

I inked up the Close Knit stamp set and colored with Copics, then used the MFTWSC161 sketch for this week as inspiration for the layout.  Didn’t turn out quite like I wanted…I couldn’t make the circle element work on the lower right as the sketch calls for, but regardless it was nice to have some stamping time last night!  :)
Well, if you read this far, thanks a bunch for stopping by today!  I appreciate it!

Kitchen Sink Monday on Thursday

I’m chasing my tail this week, and not making any progress!  I made this card on Saturday, meant to blog it on Monday but now here it is Thursday…  Will I ever catch up?

Here is used the Multi-Step Guitar stamp set from Kitchen Sink Stamps to make a simple, and I guess a little masculine, Valentine!  My guitar was stamped with…
#1 – Memento Peanut Brittle (stamped off once)
#2 – Memento Desert Sand
#3 – Memento Rich Cocoa
#4 – Memento Espresso Truffle (boy I could go for a truffle right now!)
If you hop over to the other Kitchen Sink Crew members blogs, I’m sure they had inspiration for you too, back on Monday!  :)
Lynn McAuley
Connie McCotter
Lisa Somerville
Thanks y’all!

Color Throwdown #275

Wanda is in the drivers seat today for Color Throwdown #275 with these colors inspired by a photo from a Virginia winery!  Why don’t you get inky with us today and give it a try?
I got some new goodies in the mail on Saturday (thanks MFT for the uber-fast shipping!) so I made my card for today with new Die-Namics…

The second I saw the new Die-Namics Centerpieces Framed Lovebirds I knew I’d have to have it!  It was perfect for these colors, I think!
Stop by the CTD blog for all the challenge details, and check out inspiration from the rest of the Throwdown team…
Barbara Anders
Broni Holcombe
Joan Ervin
Lori Tecler
Melody Rupple
Monika Davis
Vickie Zimmer
Wanda Cullen
Linda McClain, January Guest Designer
Julie Smith, Guest Star Stamper

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Remembering 2013 Recipe Swap

Linda has some fun lined up for us for the first Catered Crop Recipe Swap of the year… a chance to review all of our favorites from last year.
Honestly, 2013 wasn’t the greatest year for me.  My stamping suffered greatly from a lot of stress I was dealing with at my former job, and I even took the month of May off from stamping completely.  My Mom was also diagnosed with breast cancer for the second time early in the year (and is thankfully winning the battle!) and then my Dad unexpectedly passed away on December 4th.  Don’t get me wrong…. I have many, many blessings in my life that I’m very grateful for, but all in all I’m glad to see the end of 2013.  It was a difficult one. 
I didn’t really think I’d find a lot of favorites on my blog, but I did end up with a good selection.  Rather than choose one favorite from each month I just decided to pick my faves and leave it at that.  :)  So here ya’ go… my 2013 favorites.
From January, these Valentine tea lights made with stamps and Die-Namics from My Favorite Things…

The newly-learned chalkboard technique was something I loved to do during the past year, and this Sweetness of Friendship card with stamps from Flourishes is also one of my favorites…

In February, I used some newly acquired stamps and dies from My Favorite Things on this card that was for my sweet friend Gretchen.  She was in need of a pick-me-up and this card was just the ticket….

And some more new stamps and dies from MFT were used to create this card…

In April I had the distinction of being the Guest Designer for My Favorite Things’ new release and this Spring-themed banner I made was definitely a favorite…

In June, I was inspired by a card from Lisa Johnson and created my own version here with stamps from Kitchen Sink Stamps.  And my BFF Barbara Anders shared a bounty of sequins with me around this time, which turned into another favorite for me in 2013…

In June I rejoined the design team at Kitchen Sink Stamps just in time for a great new release, and this card showing some paradise was a favorite…

The annual Dare to Get Dirty challenges over at Splitcoaststampers are always a bunch of fun, and this card using some new stamps from Wplus9 Designs I created for one of the challenges was pure joy to create…

Any Color Throwdown challenge with shades of blue makes me want to pull my hair out, as I just don’t work well with blue, but I was pleasantly surprised when this card came together using a variety of stamps from MFT, Hero Arts and Impression Obsession.  This card was sent to my Aunt Linda in Ft. Wayne who also unfortunately passed away this past year.  She was my Dad’s youngest sister, and my Dad died four weeks to the day after she did.  :(

Sunflowers have always been a favorite for me, so this card was a shoe-in for a 2013 favorite, using Kitchen Sink Stamps…

This past year was when I discovered A Day for Daisies digital stamps, and got lucky enough to join the design team!  This sweet card for Color Throwdown #264 was definitely a favorite…

In October, there was another great new release from Kitchen Sink Stamps, and this wonderful Multi-Step Bicycle stamp set was an idea that I came up with, so any card made with this fantastic bike image is a favorite of mine…

Every now and then, a card comes together and you just think “oh, YEAH!” because you’re so happy with it, know what I mean?  This card using a digi from A Day for Daisies was one of those happy moments…

And finally, another new company I discovered this past year was Reverse Confetti.  I just fell in love with this coffee stamp set they released, and just loved this card I created with that set…

So, there you have it… my favorites from 2013.  If you’d like to show off your favorites too, stop over at the Catered Crop blog and leave a link so we can see yours, too!
Happy weekend, and thank you for stopping by!

Sweet Fairy of Flowers

The team at A Day for Daisies is sharing the newly release fairies and flowers for January again today, and we have a new challenge for you to participate in, as well!
Here’s my card using the Sweet Fairy of Flowers image…

Our new challenge today is to use yellow, so I was sure to color my fairy in her finest yellow dress.  I added some major glitter to her wings, and paired her up with some of my favorite October Afternoon papers.  I added the computer-generated sentiment using Kimberly Geswein’s Makes You Stronger font. 
Be sure to stop over at the ADFD blog for all the challenge details, and so you can play along!  We’d love to see what you create, and maybe all that yellow will bring some sunshine to our frigid winter!?!
Stop and see what the rest of the team created today, too…
Arielle Gordon
Broni Holcombe
Danielle Kennedy
Juliana Swanson
Mila Popova
Sherry Eckblad
Thank YOU for stopping by today!

Color Throwdown #274

Hello stamping friends… time again for another Color Throwdown challenge this week with Vickie as our hostess.  Vickie’s been inspired by the frigid cold weather to stay indoors and dream of redecorating, so this inspiration photo today fits the bill!
And speaking of bills…. here is my card!

This Tiddly Inks image has always been a favorite of mine, and when I noticed that I already had one printed and ready to use, I decided to just run with it for today’s card.  I kept it simple… still struggling a little to get back into stamping, but it’s a start.  The sentiment I used comes from the Multi-Step Rubber Ducky set from Kitchen Sink Stamps.
Be sure to stop over at the CTD blog for all the challenge details, and play along with us!  And see my Throwdown sisters for more inspiration…
Barbara Anders
Broni Holcombe
Joan Ervin
Lori Tecler
Melody Rupple
Monika Davis
Vickie Zimmer
Wanda Cullen
Linda McClain, January Guest Designer
Thank so much for stopping by today!

Ducky Birthday

Hello friends… it’s me again, with no mojo but I’m trying!  :)
I have a sweet friend with a birthday coming up soon.  She’s not real girlie, so I thought she’d like a bright card with this cute ducky from the Multi-Step Rubber Ducky stamp set from Kitchen Sink…

I picked up some Simple Stories paper on what will probably be my last visit to Archiver’s this weekend… just love the bright colors, and those chevrons!  For the layout, I used the Retro Sketch #96 for this week and placed the sentiment down the left side instead of adding embellishments.
Want some more Kitchen Sink Stamps inspiration today?  Stop and see…
Maria Colosimo, owner
Lynn McAuley
Lisa Somerville
Connie McCotter
Julie Masse
Thanks for stopping by today!

Thank You Fairy Much

Hello friends… I’m back, still trying to gradually get back into the stamping groove, so I have a card to share with you today using a new image from A Day for Daisies!  Please allow me to introduce to you, Fairy Bug Sky…

My sweet fairy was printed on Copic Xpress It blending cardstock and colored with Copics, then I added some shimmer with a glaze pen, some gold sequins and a few spritzes of Heirloom Gold Perfect Pearls.  I computer-generated the sentiment using the Makes You Stronger font from Kimberly Geswein.  Because my mojo still feels like it’s missing, I just kept the layout kinda’ simple here, and added a bit of lace to dress up the Authentique papers.
Be sure to stop over at A Day for Daisies Club Kit page today and check out the new club options for 2014!  There are great deals to be had if you’re a big ADFD fan, and can’t get enough of these wonderful images!
And be sure to stop and see the rest of the ADFD team members for more whimsical fairy creations…
Arielle Gordon
Broni Holcomb
Danielle Kennedy
Juliana Swanson
Mila Popova
Sherry Eckblad
Happy Friday, and thanks for stopping by today!

Color Throwdown #273

Hello friends, and Happy New Year!  Our Color Throwdown challenge resumes today to kick off 2014, so I hope you’ll stop over at the CTD blog and check out these colors I chose for today, as well as some exciting announcements we have to share.
I have had to work pretty hard to motivate myself to get back to stamping again this week… the past month has been difficult and I appreciate the handful of you who took the time to leave comments on my last post with condolences.  It meant a lot to me!  My card for you today is quite simple, and is actually my second attempt at trying to make something with these colors… the first one was terrible.  But for now, simple is the way to go until I can get back to routine and find my mojo.

I stamped my sweet Pure Innocence biker girl and colored her with Copics, then just simply matted and added a piece of chevron turquoise Washi tape to finish the card.
Again, please be sure to stop over at the Color Throwdown blog and join us this week!  And be sure to check out my Throwdown sisters, including a new team member…
Barbara Anders
Broni Holcombe
Joan Ervin
Lori Tecler
Melody Rupple
Monika Davis
Vickie Zimmer
Wanda Cullen
Linda McClain, January Guest Designer
How’s that for a fantastic line-up?  Thanks for stopping by!