Be Inspired #25

Time for another one of Beate's Inspiration Challenges! Today's was tough for me because of the muted colors. Instead of using the colors to come up with my card, I started with the color blocking. I decided on Kraft, Baja Breeze and So Saffron for the colors. As far as the branches, this was the only tree/branch image I own that I thought would work. It's from the Frightful Night set from Taylored Expressions. Never thought you'd see this tree in such a serene setting, huh? LOL I added Cotton Candy Stickles to give the hint of pink leaves. The sentiment is from the Absolutely Fabulous set.



Don't forget to stop by and see what Beate, Danielle Lounds, Dawn McVey, Jennifer Buck, Silke Ledlow and Susan Roberts have come up with for this challenge. I can't wait to see! Thanks for stopping by and have a great day! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps-Frightful Night (Taylored Expressions), Absolutely Fabulous (SU); Paper- Kraft (PTI), Baja Breeze, So Saffron (SU); Ink- Burnt Umber (Palette); Accessories- paper piercer, duo satin ribbon (May Arts); Finished card measures 4.25" square

Happy Birthday, Savannah!

I can't believe that 5 years have passed since this picture was taken. I still remember this moment like it was yesterday. I couldn't believe that this little package was mine. Coming from a large family, I was used to holding babies and always having babies around. It was such a different feeling knowing that this baby wasn't going back to mom or dad in a couple of hours because WE were the mom and dad this time. We are so blessed to have you in our life. We love you, our first little bug. Happy 5th Birthday, Savannah!

Savannah's Hoedown

Here are some photos of Savannah's birthday party from this weekend. She decided on the Cowgirl theme all on her own. She picked that hat out first at the party store. It has a princess crown attached to the front (of course!) and it lights up. I kept trying to talk her out of the hat because I didn't know if we'd find an outfit to match it, but she wasn't giving in. :) We went to the Halloween store and wouldn't you know, they only had ONE cowgirl outfit in the whole place and it was her size AND pink! What are the chances of that? If you've been visiting my blog for a while, you know that Savannah has a severe peanut allergy. Due to this, I can't always order a cake that will be safe for her. . .and even if I can, I just don't trust it. I'm too nervous, so I prefer to make my own since I'll know EXACTLY what went into the cake. The last couple of years, I've made it very easy on myself. I make Rice Krispy treats, but mold them into whatever "theme" I need. (Do you remember Arwen's Sandcastle rice crispy cake?) The first rice crispy cake I ever made was for Savannah and it was a Dora cake. For Savannah's Cowgirl party, I decided to go with a cactus. I made the marshmallows green with food coloring and then made the treats as usual. They are so easy to mold into the shape you need and no slaving over the oven and trying to "decorate" for the occasion. They cut up easily and EVERY piece goes. . .no leftover cake!

As you can see from the pictures, everyone had a great time. . .especially the birthday girl! She LOVED being a part of the magic show. . .and the magician even came complete with his own "ten gallon hat!" LOL All of the kids got a cowboy hat and bandana, candy that they busted out of the cactus pinata, and they got to decorate a picture frame with cowgirl-themed stickers and stars. They took their picture frames home, but we took pictures of each of the kids with Savannah and when we send the thank yous, we'll send their picture so they can put it in their decorated frame. It did rain in the beginning of the party, but it wasn't too bad. The kids still got to play on the playground and run around and have fun. All in all, a big success! Thanks for letting me share!

Savannah's Birthday Treats

Today is Savannah's day to bring in treats at school, and it's also her birthday celebration in school. Besides the "healthy" snack she's taking in, I wanted to send in something for a birthday treat. I was blog surfing this past week and found this ADORABLE treat holder on Angie Kennedy Juda's blog. When I made them this weekend, I had to make up my own measurements since she didn't have that listed yet, but I saw today that Angie put up an awesome video tutorial! My version ended up being a little bigger than Angie's, but I was going by the size of the little bags of Skittles I was putting in them. I started with a 3.5"x6.5" piece of cardstock and scored at 2", 3" and 5.5". I put a piece of sticky strip inside the holder so that the bag of Skittles wouldn't slide out. To hold them closed, I put a staple that is covered up by the bug. I'd probably use velcro or something like that if I weren't doing it for kids, but I know they'll probably tear it open to get the candy anyway. (GASP!) LOL So I made 26 of these and they really did go very fast. So, follow the link above to see Angie's video tutorial, and you can make them a little smaller like hers or a little bigger like mine. . .or a size all your own to fit the treats that you want to use! :) Thanks for stopping by today! Have a great day! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Bugs and Fishes (Paper Pretties), Bugs and Kisses (SU), Hugs and Kisses (Cornish Heritage Farms); Paper- Pure Poppy (PTI), Basic Black (SU), white (Georgia-Pacific); Ink- Onyx Black (Versafine); Accessories- 1" and 1 1/4" circle punches, scallop punch, Real Red marker (SU), lollipop ribbon; Finished treat measures approx. 3.5"x2.75"

Sweet Friend

Here's a card I made using Taylor's Cupcake Sketch from this past Friday. You can't really see too well in the photo, but the cake is all glittery. I used the Birthday Boy Key Ingredients for this card and some of the Halloween Key Ingredients as well. Since I wanted the sentiment to fit on the small oval, I had to ink up one word at a time and stamp it.

Savannah's birthday hoedown was a huge success yesterday. The only bummer was that it poured down rain for the first half hour or so, but it worked out because that's when the magician was doing his show, so the kids were all contained under the shelter. We took lots of pictures, so as soon as I upload them to the computer, I'll share some of them with you! Hope you're having a wonderful day! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Birthday Surprise (Taylored Expressions); Ink- Tuxedo Black (Tsukineko); Paper- Birthday Boy and Halloween Key Ingredients (Taylored Expressions), white (Georgia-Pacific); Accessories- paper piercer, brads, ribbon, glitter from Birthday Boy Key Ingredients (Taylored Expressions), small oval punch, Old Olive marker (SU), Copic markers; Finished card measures 4.25" square

Whiskers

I don't know if I mentioned this before, but Paper Pretties is in the process of switching from clear stamps to rubber. Here is the first new rubber stamp you can purchase, Whiskers! She's available today at Paper Pretties! These new stamps will be mounted on a foam cushion with cling. Isn't she just adorable? Just when I think a Sophia is the most adorable, another one comes out that's my new favorite! LOL

Don't forget about our Prettie Pajama Party on October 1st starting at 8pm EST! I'd LOVE to see you there! Also, you still have time to enter the Cutie Pie Contest! Just upload your card to the Paper Pretties gallery under Cutie Pie submissions to be considered. The winner will receive Whiskers, Howdy Girlfriend, and Falling For You Sophia. Thanks for stopping by today! I'm off to get ready for Savannah's Birthday Hoedown! :) I'll share some pictures later! Have a great day! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Whiskers (Paper Pretties); Paper- DCWV, Basic Black (SU), white (Georgia-Pacific); Accessories- Really Big Brads (Hot Off the Press), black satin ribbon (May Arts), Copic markers; Finished card measures 4.25" square

Happy Mail!

My sweet, sweet friend Carolyn (Cammie), belongs to a group on SCS that challenges each other on a weekly basis. One of their challenges is to pick an SCS member with a "unique" sign on name and make a card for them. Cammie chose me, CharmWarm and challenged the group to make me a card with a homemade charm on it. I have LOVED receiving these cards in the mail. They are ALL gorgeous! The first is Cammie's with the rainboot charm. . .adorable!

The second card is from Charlene Merrick (LilLuvsStampin). Aren't those colors just beautiful? So happy and bright and I LOVE her butterfly charm!

The third card is from Cindy Motherway (Mothermark). I just LOVE red, white and black together. . .and those dangling heart charms are just the cutest, aren't they?

The fourth card I received is from my dear friend and fellow Dream Team member, Tosh. I just adore this card. It's so cute and I just LOVE the colors. The flower charm is PERFECT! By the way, Tosh has an AWESOME blog candy giveaway going on right now! If you haven't visited her blog, you don't know what you're missing! She is an amazing talent. . .go see for yourself! :)

The last card I received from this challenge is from Frances Byrne (StampOwl). Isn't this card adorable? Look at that fabulous coloring! The little heart charm that Frances made has "charmwarm" in the center of it. . .what a sweet touch!

This card came from Beate. . .sweet, sweet Beate. Isn't it just gorgeous with all of the coloring and highlights with a white gel pen? It's a 3x3 little work of art and I just LOVE it! (but I love everything Beate makes!)

Thank you ALL for the happy mail! You made my week! Each day I'd go to the mailbox and leave it with a big smile! Thank you SO MUCH! Big HUGS!

Beate Weekend Sketch #59

I just LOVED today's sketch from Beate. My card ended up totally different than I had imagined. I kept wanting to add some things, but my husband stopped me. LOL I used the Happiness Always Hostess set. The butterflies are stamped in Tangerine Tango and Chocolate Chip, with emerald rhinestones added to the body. I stamped the grass from the Inspired By Nature set on the background. For the sentiment, I inked up portions of the sentiment at a time and stamped it in order to fit on the circle. Make sure you stop by and see what Beate, Cambria, Jenn, Laurie, Lori, MaryJo and Sharon have created using this sketch! Thanks for stopping by today! Tomorrow is Savannah's birthday party, so I'll be running around putting the finishing touches on everything! Hope you have a wonderful weekend! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Happiness Always, Inspired by Nature (SU); Paper- Kiwi Kiss, Chocolate Chip (SU); Ink- Tangerine Tango, Kiwi Kiss, Chocolate Chip (SU); Accessories- paper piercer, 1 3/8" circle punch, scallop circle punch (SU), rhinestones, polka dot organdy ribbon (May Arts), Chocolate Chip marker; Finished card measures 4.25"x5.5"

September Blog Hop

It's time for the September Papertrey Ink Blog Hop! The challenge this month was Heartfelt & Homemade Holiday. . .to make something holiday inspired. When the holidays come around, there are always LOTS of people I want to give a little something to and can't afford to buy individual little gifts, so I LOVE little ideas like this. Here is a mug I bought at the $1 store. In the mug, I filled a cello bag with a packet of Swiss Miss Hot Chocolate, 2 peppermints and a handful of tiny marshmallows. Nothing too extravagant and everything but the hot water and a spoon is there for someone to enjoy a hot cup of cocoa! I tied the bag closed with some wide grosgrain ribbon. I stamped "Just Add Water Stir & Sip, Enjoy" (from Holiday Treats) on the tag. Then I stamped snowflakes from Snowflake Serenade on acetate and embossed them in gold. I punched them out with coordinating circle punches and then attached them with gold edged ribbon at different lengths so they'd cascade down the mug like snowflakes falling. A very simple and inexpensive gift, but very festive!

Make sure you visit the Blog Hop Forum to follow the links to everyone's project ideas for this challenge! It's sure to be lots of fun. I can't wait to get more gift-giving ideas! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Holiday Treats, Snowflake Serenade (PTI); Paper- acetate, white, gold; Ink- Versamark, Pure Poppy (PTI), Onyx Black (Versafine); Accessories- Tiny Tags Cuttlebug die (Provocraft), wide Real Red grosgrain (SU), gold detail embossing powder (PTI)

Country Girl

This Saturday, we're having a birthday party for Savannah. She'll be 5 on the 30th. . .FIVE!!!! I can't believe she's going to be five already! Anyway, she wanted a "cowgirl-themed" birthday party. She even has her own cowgirl outfit to wear to the party! LOL I made her this little cowgirl mini card set as an extra little gift. She's always writing "notes" or drawing pictures for everyone, so I knew she'd appreciate a little card set of her very own. . .especially if it went with her birthday party theme! I used the Cowgirl Sophia stamp from Paper Pretties (which, by the way, is back in stock!). I can't wait to see her face when she opens it! Thanks for stopping by today and have a great day! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Cowgirl Sophia and sentiment (Paper Pretties); Paper- Really Rust, Baja Breeze, Chocolate Chip (SU), white (Georgia-Pacific); Ink- Onyx Black (Versafine); Accessories- Copic markers, Scallop circle punch, 1 3/8" and 1 1/4" circle punches (SU), ribbon (Crate Paper); Finished card measures 3" square, box measures 4 1/2" square

Prettie Wednesday

Two weeks ago, Jana challenged us to make a monochromatic card. I really like monochromatic cards and I don't make them often enough. I decided to go with Pink Pirouette and Regal Rose. I used today's Sketch Challenge at SCS for the layout. I colored Angel Wings Sophia with an Aquapainter and added Cotton Candy Stickles to her wings and bottom of her dress. The backgrounds were made with the Welcome Baby Cuttlebug folder. Angel Wings Sophia is the Stamp of the Month Club stamp for October from Paper Pretties. If you'd like her before anyone else, you have until September 30 to sign up for the Stamp of Month Club. This card is on its way to Joni. Hope she likes it! Make sure you check out the other Prettie Girls creations for this challenge! (Julie , Jana , Danielle, Jodi , Jackie, Joni, and Carolina .

We're having our next Prettie Pajama Party on October 1st starting at 8pm EST. We hope you'll join us for the challenges, the chatting and all around fun! This month's Cutie Pie contest has started as well, and you have until the 30th of September to enter it too. Just upload your creation to the Paper Pretties gallery under Cutie Pie submissions to be entered!! We can't wait to see what you've come up with! Thanks for visiting today and have a great day! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Angel Wings Sophia (Paper Pretties), Many Happy Returns (SU); Paper- Pink Pirouette, Regal Rose (SU), white (Georgia-Pacific); Ink- Regal Rose, Pink Pirouette (SU); Accessories- Apricot Appeal marker, Regal Rose wide grosgrain(SU), Cuttlebug Welcome Baby folder (Provocraft), paper piercer, Cotton Candy Stickles, circle punches, Aquapainter; Finished card measures 5.5"x4.25"

Gettin' Krafty

Have you been checking out the Verve Blog? The Divas have been posting their creations for the September Project Parade Challenge, Gettin' Krafty. . .to use natural fibers. Today is my turn. I LOVE Kraft cardstock! I usually use it in a very "clean" way, but for my card, I decided to "dirty" it up a bit. I sponged the edges of the cardstock with white craft ink and distressed the edges of the focal piece. I added hemp twine tied through the buttons. I think the overall look of this card is very earthy, which is very different from my usual style (at least I think so) :)

Wanna get Krafty, too? Just upload your creation to THIS POST no later than noon on September 30th. If you upload to SCS, please use keyword VVPP06, so we can all drool over your Krafty loveliness! A random participant will be drawn on October 1st to receive $15 in Verve Bucks to spend at the Verve Stamps store! Good luck and go get Krafty! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Birthday Surprise (Verve Stamps); Ink- Whisper White Craft (SU), Onyx Black (Versafine); Paper- Kraft (Papertrey Ink), Certainly Celery (SU); Accessories- clear buttons (Foofala), white gel pen, paper piercer, hemp twine; Finished card measures 4.25" square

Be Inspired #24

I just LOVED today's Inspiration Challenge. Aren't those glasses cool? I used the colors from the images for my inspiration. I even "snuck" in a little blue with the duo satin ribbon. I used the Bugs and Blooms set from Memory Box for the flowers. You can find this set at Stamper's Dream. The sentiment is from the Thoughtful Florals set from Verve Stamps. I'm sending this card (and a few others) to caregivers, and it is also my entry into Carolyn's Heart To Heart Blog Candy Giveaway. If you haven't read about it or entered, follow the link and find out about it! Wouldn't you like to make someone's day with your card AND be eligible to win over $1000 in stamping prizes?



Be sure and visit Beate, Danielle Lounds, Dawn McVey, Jennifer Buck, Silke Ledlow and Susan Roberts to see what they've come up with for the Inspiration Challenge. . .I'm sure they're all fabulous! Thanks for stopping by today! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Bugs and Blooms (Memory Box), Thoughtful Florals (Verve Stamps); Paper- white (Georgia-Pacific), Dark Chocolate (Papertrey Ink), Tangerine Tango (SU); Ink- Tangerine Tango, Kiwi Kiss (SU), Burnt Umber (Palette), Onyx Black (Versafine); Accessories- paper piercer, Hodgepodge Hardware, duo satin ribbon (May Arts); Finished card measures 4.25" square

Abundant Silhouettes

This was for last week's Ways To Use It Challenge on SCS, Silhouettes. I used the Abundant Blessings set from Verve Stamps for the flower and foliage silhouettes. I decided to use a sentiment from Beautiful You, which happened to have a silhouette of a butterfly included. I added the black punched butterfly to go with the stamped silhouette of the butterfly.

If you haven't been checking out the Verve Blog, the Divas have been posting their Getting Krafty creations! You can play along and win $15 in Verve Bucks! Just post your creation to this post by noon on September 30th! Hope you'll play along! Thanks for stopping by! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Abundant Blessings, Beautiful You (Verve Stamps) ; Paper- Kiwi Kiss, Basic Black, Chocolate Chip (SU); Ink- Old Olive, Kiwi Kiss, Tangerine Tango (SU), Burnt Umber (Palette), Onyx Black (Versafine); Accessories- brads (Making Memories), paper piercer, scallop punch (SU), butterfly punch (Martha Stewart); Finished card measures 4.25" square

Heart to Heart Blog Candy

If you haven't read, please be sure and check out Carolyn's blog for her Heart to Heart Blog Candy! You won't believe all of the fabulous goodies that have been donated by stamp companies as well as your fellow stampers. . .all for such a wonderful cause! You have until Friday, September 26th at 8pm CST to enter. Best of luck!

Happy Owl-oween!

This is for today's Featured Stamper Challenge at SCS, to CASE E3stamper, aka Shannon Erskine at Hoppy Creations! I just LOVE Shannon's work and she's a real sweetheart on top of that! Congratulations, Shannon, on being Featured Stamper today! I chose to CASE this adorable card of Shannon's. I changed the stamps and colors and made this "Owl-oween" card using the Owl-oween clear set from Hero Arts. You can find it at Stamper's Dream! I covered the owl's cape and the spider and bits of the web in Martha Stewart's Brownstone glitter. Overall, a pretty quick and easy card! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Owl-oween Clear Set (Hero Arts); Paper- Really Rust (SU), Dark Chocolate (PTI); Ink- Onyx Black (Versafine), Whisper White Craft ink (SU); Accessories- duo satin ribbon (Darice), Brownstone glitter (Martha Stewart), Really Rust, Pumpkin Pie, Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa, Old Olive markers (SU); Finished card measures 4.25" square

Papertrey Projects

Here are a few projects I made for this month's Papertrey Ink Guest Star Stamper contest. I was lucky enough (and thrilled) to get an Honorable Mention on this first one! :) I saw this poem in a magazine once and wrote it down and saved it. I thought it was perfect for a quick little gift to give someone. Fortunately, the Betty Crocker Sugar Cookie mix fit inside an oven mit. . .the perfect packaging! The poem says: "We made a batch of cookies and ate just one or two,We started feeling guilty because they were for you. We went into a panic and ran right to the store. We bought a brand new cookie mix so you could make some more!"

The second project is a luminary treat bag. I thought they would make adorable "place settings" for a kid's Halloween party. When it was time to go home, the battery-operated tea lights would be replaced by candy. Savannah has claimed this one! LOL

The last project was a Fall/Thanksgiving card. I used the Martha Stewart branch punch that Julee made me buy! LOL Everything else about the card is pretty straight-forward.

Thanks for stopping by today! Hope you had a wonderful weekend! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Holiday Treats, Spooky Sweets, Year Round Pun (Papertrey Ink); Paper- Real Red, Basic Black (SU), Summer Sunrise, Kraft, Dark Chocolate, Linen Vellum (PTI), white (Georgia-Pacific); Ink- Noir, Burnt Umber (Palette), Real Red, Old Olive (SU), Summer Sunrise (PTI); Accessories- Martha Stewart border punch and branch punch, paper piercer, Nestabilities.

A Merry & Bright Frightful Night

Here is a card I made using Taylor's latest Cupcake Sketch and Jami's Challenge on the Stamp a Sweet Impression blog to use the tree from Frightful Night in a non-scary way! I used the "moon" from Frightful Night and stamped Christmas bulbs to put on the tree. I added some Alene's Glitter Snow to the tree to give it a more festive look. The paper is from the Christmas Glitter Stack from Die Cute With a View and some Red Riding Hood and Kiwi Kiss from Stampin' Up! I'd love to see YOUR version of the non-scary tree if you have this set! You can post your creation to the SCS gallery with 2 keywords (with a comma in between) - SASI, SASItree so we can all see them! Thanks for stopping by today! Have a wonderful day! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Frightful Night (Taylored Expressions), Merry & Bright (SU); Paper- Christmas Glitter Stack (DCWV), Kiwi Kiss, Red Riding Hood, Basic Black (SU), white (Georgia-Pacific); Ink- Red Riding Hood, Kiwi Kiss (SU), Burnt Umber (Palette), Onyx Black (Versafine); Accessories- brads and ribbon (Birthday Boy Key Ingredients, Taylored Expressions), Alene's Glitter Snow; Finished card measures 5.5"x4.25"

Beate Weekend Sketch #58

Another Friday, another Weekend Sketch Challenge! I used the butterfly from the Happiness Always set and a sentiment from Heart From the Heart. I thought it would work well with the band across the card. I decided to go with a bit of a funky color combination. I just LOVE all of the new In-Colors, but I usually stick with the same combination of colors. This time I changed it up. I was going to use just plain white on the "sentiment band" of paper, then debated about Kiwi Kiss, but finally decided to go really bright with Tangerine Tango. The butterflies are stamped in Onyx Black Versafine and covered in blue Stickles. I can't wait to see what Beate, Cambria, Jenn, Lori, MaryJo and Sharon have come up with using the sketch. Thanks for stopping by today and have a great weekend! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Happiness Always, Heard From the Heart (SU); Ink- Onyx Black (Versafine); Paper- Pacific Point, Baja Breeze, Tangerine Tango, Basic Black (SU); Accessories: paper piercer, blue Stickles, circle punch, lollipop ribbon; Finished card measures 4.25" square

She's Dancin'!

I just wanted to share with you that Savannah started dance classes this past week. She has been asking and asking to take dance for some time. Having been a dance teacher for quite a while, I remember what it was like with the 3 and 4 year olds. :) They were just darling, but it was more like "creative movement" than actually "dance". That's fine, but I just didn't want to start Savannah too early. Since she'll be 5 at the end of the month, I decided to take the plunge! She started ballet and tap and she absolutely LOVES it! I'm so happy because I really didn't know how she was going to do when it actually became something she'd have to "pay attention to" for more than 5 minutes! LOL She puts her tap shoes on a few times a day and practices her steps. It is just so cute! I was upstairs the other day and all of the sudden I heard some taps downstairs. Then I heard "brush toe heel" with the accompanying tap sounds. . .it made me giggle. I just love that she takes the initiative herself to practice. I hope that continues. Thanks for letting me share my exciting news with you! Have a great day!

Nothin' Says Lovin'

This is the last card I made for our Prettie Pajama Party earlier this month. It was for the square card challenge. I LOVE square cards, particularly 4.25" square since they still fit in the normal invitation envelopes. I used the Sweets For the Sweet set from Paper Pretties. I also used the Argyle Cuttlebug Embossing folder. It added some nice texture. The sentiment is actually stamped on the inside of the card.

If you were able to take advantage of the big sale at Paper Pretties the last couple of weeks, there's MORE! Each week there is going to be a different sale and this week, it's 40% off Paper Salon products! Check the website for details! Thanks for stopping by today and happy shopping! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Sweets for the Sweet (Paper Pretties); Paper- white (Georgia-Pacific), Soft Sky (SU); Ink- Tuxedo Black (Tsukineko); Accessories: Copic markers, large oval punch, grosgrain, Argyle Cuttlebug Folder (Provocraft), paper piercer; Finished card measures 4.25" square

Prettie Wednesday

Two weeks ago, I issued a challenge to the Prettie Girls to make an ATC or Artist Trading Card. These little beauties measure 2.5"x3.5" and are a great way to collect little pieces of artwork for inspiration. I used the Simply Special set from Paper Pretties. This is on its way to Julie. Make sure you stop and see what the other Prettie Girls (Julie, Jana, Jessie, Jodi, Danielle, Jackie, and Carolina) have come up with for their ATC! I can't wait to see! Thanks for stopping by today and have a great day! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Simply Special (Paper Pretties); Paper- Pink Pirouette, Kiwi Kiss (SU); Ink- Onyx Black (Versafine), Kiwi Kiss, Pink Pirouette (SU); Accessories- Swiss Dots Cuttlebug folder (Provocraft), brads (Making Memories), Cotton Candy Stickles, horizontal slot punch (SU), polka dot organdy ribbon (May Arts); Finished card measures 2.5"x3.5"

Haunting

After my post the other day using the House of Haunts set, I received a comment from Sally Davis:

I love this card and am curious to know what you have done with the Haunting wheel. I am having a problem coming up with something that I like. Can you help????Thanks.

Well, Sally, here are a few cards I made using the Haunting jumbo wheel. I hope one or all of them inspire you in some way! For the first card, I just used a big circle stamp and stamped a big yellow "moon" behind the haunters.

For the second card, I sponged More Mustard, Pumpkin Pie and Old Olive on the cardstock. An easier way would be to use a brayer with a fall colored option ink pad, like the Kaleidacolor Autumn Leaves. . .I just didn't have my brayer and option ink pad handy. :)

For the third card I used a smaller circle stamp and just stamped different colored circles behind the "haunters" to give it a fun glow. Hope this helps, Sally! Thanks for visiting!

Happy Mail!

I have been terrible lately with posting RAKs that I've received. I apologize for that.

Here is an ADORABLE card I received a while ago from Amy Westerman. She won the Just So Hippy set I gave away as blog candy a while ago. She made me this card with it! Isn't it adorable? I just LOVE that patterned paper and how she used it on the hippo! Thanks, Amy. . .I just LOVE the card!

The second card came from Barb Schram. Isn't it just beautiful?! What an elegant and vibrant card! Thank you so much for thinking of me, Barb. I just LOVE your work!

The last card is from Rose Ann Reynolds. She said she was "going through her stash" one day and this card reminded her of me, so she sent it to me! How VERY sweet! You KNOW how much I LOVE it, too! Thank you, Rose Ann! You are such a sweetheart and I really appreciate my ladybug card! :)