Julie's Second Blogoversary Blog Hop! It's HERE!

I've been blogging now for 2 years, and oh, how my life has changed.  Online friends, Facebook, design teams, challenges -- I had none of this before my blog.  Now it's all a part of my daily life.  To celebrate it all, I've gathered some of the friends I've made, and we're celebrating.  The theme?  Friendship! Of course!

Here's the hop order, in case you get lost along the way.

Julie - http://muddypawsinkyfingers.blogspot.com/2014/03/julies-second-blogoversary-blog-hop-its.html

Rebecca - http://www.bloomingpink.blogspot.com/

Brenda - http://centralnyscrapper.blogspot.com/2014/03/julies-blogoversary-celebrating.html

Paula - http://scrapaddictsattic.blogspot.com/2014/03/happy-happy-blogoversary-julie.html

Kary - http://karyg.blogspot.com.au/2014/03/julies-blogoversary-blog-hop.html

Erin & Ruth - http://celticcrafters.blogspot.com/

Miwa - http://miwannascrap.blogspot.com/2014/03/julies-blogoversary-celebration-of.html

Angeline Choo - http://scrappyscrappy.blogspot.com/2014/03/julies-blogoversary-blog-hop-friendship.html

Chris- http://thriftysisters-chris.blogspot.com/

Regina   http://reginaeaster.blogspot.com/2014/03/so-lucky-to-have-friend-like.html

Kathy - http://www.upinthenightwithkat.blogspot.com/

Donna  http://createdbydonnak.blogspot.com/2014/03/julies-blogoversary-friendship-hop.html

Gwen -  http://windchimesandlilacs.blogspot.com/2014/03/fwf-julies-blogoversary-hop.html

Rachel -  http://kitchentablescrapper.blogspot.com/

Polly - http://pazasproductions.blogspot.com/2014/03/julies-blogoversary-blog-hop.html

Lucy http://littlescrapsoflucy.blogspot.com/2014/03/julies-blogoversaryfriendship-hop.html

Corrie - http://corriescrafts.blogspot.com/

Mary - http://www.mkbugs.blogspot.com/

Maria - http://riacreations.blogspot.com/

Karen - http://karey2005.blogspot.com/2014/03/friendship-blog-hop.html

And, here's the prizes you can win:

2 $10 gift certificates from Unity Stamp Company (donated by Unity!)

3 sets of winner's choosing from The Cutting Cafe (donated by Regina Easter)

A ribbon bundle from 3 Girl JAM

Timeless Twine -- Rainbow Party Pack (donated by Timeless Twine)

Close To My Heart Stamp Set

Close To My Heart Stamp Set

$15 Gift Certificate from Pinque Peacock (donated by Jessica Shelton-Buffa)

Embossing folders (2)

 2 $25 Gift certificates for My Scrap Chick store (donated by My Scrap Chick)
Websters' Pages 6x6 Sweet Notes pad, an embellishment set and a Websters Pages Stamp set, plus a Unity Cloud background stamp -- donated by Lucy Evans
A background stamp from Flourishes and 3 Aqua markers -- donated by Ruth & Erin Carnes

Now, for my projects:

The first one, I'm also posting on The Pinque Peacock blog today.  I have 2 friends that I try to get together with several times a year for some quality "girl time."  We've got a few days planned next month.  We gather ourselves and our 4 legged friends, find somewhere that lets us have all of us, and just enjoy each other's company.  I made this card to honor that friendship.

I used a Unity stamp set, "Vicki, Catherine, and Leica Girls", coloring the image with Copic markers, using hair color and clothing choices that match our styles.  Papers are from Authentique.  I love the Blue Jeans papers.  And that 3/4 inch fabric covered button from Pinque Peacock is the perfect match!

The ribbon is from Really Reasonable Ribbon.

Project # 2 --

This may look familiar.  I made a card very similar to this.  My BFF saw it on my blog and commissioned me to make her a 5x7 framed art piece just like the card.

Again, I used a Unity Stamp Company stamp set, "Choose Joy with a Heart", heat embossed with white embossing powder. There's some Umwow Studio Chipboard on it, Tuxedo Black Timeless Twine, and Carta Bella Wildflowers 12x12 papers.  The frame is one that my BFF got at a thrift shop for me.  She knows I use them for projects, so she collects them for me.  Now, she gets one of them back! 

And, the final project is another card, with a sentiment I really like. It seemed perfect for today's hop, and the friendship theme...

The sentiment is from a Unity Stamp Company sentiment kit, "Here's My Thought".  I love the Unity sentiment kits, they are so versatile! This card uses Carta Bella Alphabet Junction paper, UmWow Studio chipboard that's been heat embossed, and a flower that was crocheted for me by an online friend, Sharon.  She made a whole bunch of these little lovelies for me and gave them to me when I met her in person this summer!

And now, for how to win the prizes, please follow this blog, "like" my Facebook page (it's NEW!), visit every stop on the hop, and leave comments there.  The prizes are hidden along the way.  You never know which blog will have a prize.  If I can get to 100 "likes" on my Facebook page, I will pick another winner - this will be for a giant box of 12x12 scrapbook paper, ribbon, twine, embellishments, a Unity Stamp Co grab bag, and whatever else I can fit in the shipping box.
I want to thank each and every one of you, my friends, for hopping with us, and a special thanks for my friends who went to the work of making a project to hop with me.  Where would I be without my friends? I treasure each of you!

Thanks for hopping with us, have fun, off you go to the uber talented Rebecca's blog.

A Love Story -- for Pinque Peacock and Friends With Flair

Woohoo, it's Friday! and it's my day to post on the Pinque Peacock  blog.  I love Fridays!  I love it when I can post for Pinque Peacock AND combine it with my Friends With Flair post -- they're a GREAT match!

I used several Pinque Peacock products on a card I made today, and 2 different Unity stamp sets.  First, let me show you what I created....

This card uses the Unity Stamp set "Handmade Valentines" .  I used it to make the background.  The Kraft mini bag is from The Discount Hut @ Pinque Peacock.  I used the bag as a pocket, and decorated it up with a small Layered Garden Beauty from Pinque Peacock.  The hearts washi tape is from my stash.

When you pull out the tag, I used another Unity Stamp Company stamp:

The sentiment is from a Unity Stamp of the Week, "A True Love Story".

Valentine's Day may be over, but it's never too late to let someone know how much you love them.  I know just who this card is going to!

A Fun Friday, For Sure!

Hello, blog friends.  I'm having two great Fridays in a row.  Last Friday, my husband's birthday, we were celebrating in a small town on Lake Superior.  Today, I'm leaving shortly for a girl's weekend in the woods in Northern Wisconsin.  My two BFF's and I have rented a house, signed our souls away so we can bring our dogs, and we're spending the weekend with just the 3 of us and our 4-legged friends.  If the dogs do anything to the house, we may just as well buy the property for the size of the damage deposit we've put down!

Time has been short this week, but I did manage one card with a Unity sentiment that I'm going to share with Friends With Flair.

I found this adorable witch at the Silhouette Online Store here.  As soon as I saw her, I knew what sentiment matched her perfectly.  And, it's a Unity one, of course!!

 

 

I used October Afternoon Witch Hazel 8x8 paper on the background of the card, a spider web embossing folder to emboss the oval, cut out with a Spellbinders die.  The sentiment is part of a Unity Itty Bitty stamp called "You Witch!" The ribbon is from 3 Girl JAM.  Both ribbons are from the Harvest Bundle.

I will not have internet access again this weekend.  Once again, I apologize for not visiting your blogs.  Next week, I'll pay you a visit, I promise!  I miss all the inspiration when I don't!

Have a great weekend, everyone!

 



A very special Friday!

Hello, and happy Friday! Today is my husband's 55th birthday.  We met when he was 24 and suffering from a brain tumor.  We started out our life together thinking life was precious and not knowing how many years we'd have together.  We'll celebrate our 30th anniversary this December.  We now know without a doubt life is a gift.  So is love, and every day we have together!

We're celebrating his birthday by getting out of Dodge.  The dogs are being kenneled (something we never, ever do -- bad things happen when we kennel our dogs, but that's a story for another day), and we're heading North to Lake Superior. We're hoping for some nice weather to enjoy our favorite lake together (but the forecast is for 2 days of rain mixed with snow. Oh well!). We're taking today off of work to get an early start, making a 3-day weekend of it.  Off we go on a little adventure, celebrating life and love!

I've made my husband several different birthday cards that I'll give him throughout the weekend.  You'll be seeing them in the next few weeks.  Today, I'm showing you a kinda goofy one I whipped up, saving the fancier ones for later...

 

I cut this out on my Silhouette, using some old DCWV birthday papers I've had FOREVER.  The candles are sorta 3D, sticking out from the cake.  Inside, I stamped a Unity sentiment:

 

 

I framed the sentiment with a couple more birthday candles.  One of them covered up an ink smudge ;)

 

I have a couple more cards to share with you also.  This week, my 26 year old nephew was diagnosed with Leukemia.  He is facing a month of hospitalization and chemo.  I made what I'm guessing is the first of several cards heading his way:

 

 

I used the Unity/Susan K. Weckesser Autumn Grunge stamps on this card, stamping the leaves randomly, and in different Fall colors.  The sentiment is from Close To My Heart.

I made another one almost identical to it.  Those of you who know me, know I often make 2 cards the same.  This one went to a co-worker recovering from carpal tunnel surgery.

 

 

I added a little bling to this card, since it went to a "female" recipient. I was also liking the way the fern-like leaf stamped, so stuck primarily to that one on this card.

I promised my husband this weekend is all about him.  I don't know that I'll have a chance to visit all your blogs like I usually do, so forgive me if I skip a week.  I also don't know if we'll have internet access where we're going.

Have a great weekend!

 



Aaaaaah! Friday!

It's Friday -- and that means  Unity's "Friends With flair". This is my favorite post of the week.  This is my time to make whatever I want -- no need to stick to an assignment or theme.  I don't have to use a particular product or link to a certain company.  All I have to do is ink up one (or more) of my favorite stamps and just have fun.  Yeah.  I love Fridays!

I've had this little chipboard banner by Maya Road sitting on my work desk, left over from another project.  It's been needing to go on "something".  I saw a card at Simon Says Stamp, and inspiration struck! As is often the case with scraplifted ideas, I took an idea, ran with it, and made it my own.

 

 

I used some orange Claudine Hellmuth Studio acrylic paint on the chipboard banner, then a small piece of paper from the Lawn Fawn "Into the Woods" 6x6 collection, tied with a little natural twine for the banner.  There's some more "Into the Woods" paper down the side of the card.  The stamped image and sentiment are from one of the first Stamp of the Week's last Fall called, "Nuts but I Love Ya".  I stamped them both with Close To My Heart Cocoa ink.  The sequins are also by Lawn Fawn.  The woodgrain washi is from my stash.

Can you see the pretty leaves in the background?  That's my back yard.  I LOVE this time of year!

Have a great weekend, everyone!



It's Friday, It's Fall, and it's Friends with Flair!

I keep thinking, one of these weeks I'll miss linking up to FWF, but here it is, the end of September, and I'm still keeping my New Year's resolution of linking up every Friday.  We'll see if I can make it all year.  It's getting tougher and tougher! Anyone else got a long FWF streak going?

I had a little spare time Wednesday evening, so I wanted to make a card for this week's FWF.  I decided to try some things I don't normally do.  Namely -- CAS, embossing, working with textured cardstock, and using my distress inks.  So, I set about getting inky and having fun.  Here's what I came up with:

 

 

I used two different Unity sets on this card:  Susan Weckesser's "Autumn Grunge" (LOVE these leaves!) and "Grateful Hearts".

I used a piece of Bazzill textured cream colored cardstock for the base.  I embossed the leaves using Ranger gold embossing powder. Then, I used various distress inks throughout the card.  The sentiment was stamped with Close To My Heart desert sand ink.  The bling is from my stash.

I mailed out the card to my BFF, thanking her for having me for dinner last week when I was at conference, and letting me play with her Golden Retriever puppy! So fun!

Hope you have a chance this weekend to create some of your own "Fun Fall memories."

 

I'm entering this card in the My Sweet Earth Create to Live September Challenge





Inspired by Sunflowers for Friends With Flair

Happy Friday, everyone! I hope you've had an enjoyable week.  We've been working short-staffed at work.  No, I've been working short-staffed, so I'm very glad for the weekend.  I hope to catch up on some rest and some crafting this weekend.
I painted some sunflowers last weekend, and they've been sitting on my craft desk.  I had some other things on my desk I put together to make this card:

The "Fall" word shape is a cutting file from The Cutting Café, found HERE. It comes with a word shaped card also. I cut the word shape out on my Silhouette. The sunflower stamp is a retired one from Close To My Heart.  I used Creative Inspirations Paints in Mellow Yellow, Sunshine, and Mocha Latte on the flowers, and Evergreen, and Emerald on the leaves. The "Celebrate" sentiment is from the Unity set I use the most, "Happy Everything".
Papers are by Little Yellow Bicycle, Acorn Hollow (both 12x12 and 6x6 papers).  I used two different colors of Viva Décor Pearl Pens on this card -- Sunny Yellow and Copper.
I hope you enjoyed my Fall inspiration.
Do you like pirates? Looking for some inspiration for the upcoming Halloween season?  I'm hopping tomorrow with the Pinque Peacock Artists and Creators and I'd love it if you'd stop in for a visit.  I'm showcasing Unity stamps again.  And, there's prizes to be won!

I'm entering this in the following challenges:  Creative Inspirations Paint -- Inspired by Fall

Sister Act Card Challenge -- anything goes

D.L. Art Thankful Thursday -- anything goes

 

 

A winner for Friends With Flair!

Happy Friday, everyone! And a long weekend for those of us in the U.S.  Yea!  Craft on!  I hope to spend at least some of my extra day off with ink on my fingers.  Can't wait!

I had some blog candy to give away on my blog last weekend, and I decided to save the winner until today, since this is the post with the most readers all week.  I used random.org to select the winner from comments on the Joy's Life blog hop post.  Comment #26, Sue D, said, "This turned out amazing!!".  Sue D, I have your email address, so I will be in touch!

Now, onto today's card, using the Unity stamp set, Gossip, Hot-Flashes & Crazy.  I'm at that stage in life where this card in real life hits a little close to home, but that's why it's so fun:

 

 

Yeah, I'm afraid so.  You gotta admit.  It's pretty cute, though, hunh?

Enjoy your weekend!