Quick Blog Candy Link

'K! This is for all you gals that love playing with your markers...Copics, SU!, Tombow, Prismacolor, Marvy...did I forget anyone? *LOL* Bumblebee Creations is giving away a fun set that, like I told her, has my Copics hand just ITCHING to color those wonderful images...RIGHT NOW! Go HERE and enter to win. Good luck!!

2 cards, 1 box, 1 challenge, & 1 award

*ROFL* How's THAT for a title? Yup, that's everything I've got in store for ya today, so it's gonna be a long post, AND this is what I get for not posting for two days!

First up, the cards. This is a freebie image that I downloaded from Squigglefly. I colored it with my Copics, used a diamond nesting Coluzzle to cut it out after I rotated the image 90degrees for a different look, and distressed the edges. I used two antique copper brads to mount it to the red cardstock (8.5"x5.5" sheet, folded in half). The chipboard "hi" is from the Jukebox line of Thickers by American Craft.This one (below) is a Valentine's Day card with a more masculine feel. I literally made it entirely out of scraps that were laying on the table in my cardmaking carnage. *ROFL* Finished size is 4" square.

This little box (2 pix below) is something that I picked up at Ben Franklin last month. It's the first box I've ever covered with paper - usually I slap acrylics on & do something with my decorative painting. It measures 4.5" square & has a cute little accordion album inside (I'll show THAT part of the project later this week when it's complete). I had 2 coordinating scraps of paper that I used for the box itself. On the lid I did a Cuttlebug tag in a lovely robin's egg lightweight chipboard that came in an envelope of CDs (thanks Sharron!); a brown rub-on from Heidi Grace; a swirly rhinestone from that set I picked up at Wally World; an antiqued pewter brad from JoAnn's; a bit of twill tape with a staple; two adorable crocheted flowers (thanks again, Sharron!); some Frosted Lace Stickles in the flower centers; a dragonfly charm outta my copious button collection; and two antique coat buttons (a final thanks to Sharron!) with linen thread in their centers. I'm really pleased with how it turned out.



My challenge came originally from Deb, then I got the "snowball treatment" and got smacked last night by Maw and Sharron! I'm feelin the love now!! *LOL* The rules for this challenge are - Go to where you store your photos on your computer. Go to the SIXTH folder and pick the SIXTH photo. Post that photo on your blog along with a SHORT story about it. Tag SIX people and leave a comment on their blog or email them letting them know you chose them. Here's the photo that I ended up with:This was taken Mother's Day 2005. That's all 3 of my munchkins (then ages 2.5, 8.5, & 10) attacking their Dad in the backyard. I was up on the deck (11 feet off the ground - YIKES!) watching all the chaos. It was one of those rare times when they all wanted to do the same thing & actually had fun doing it! Just HAD to capture that on camera!! *LOL* Now, it's my turn for tagging. Think I'll get:
1. Kristine
2. Holly
3. Di
4. Vicki
5. Calv
6. Joy


The award comes from my Canadian "sister from another mister" - Kristine. Isn't it cute? It's, I assume, for making lemonade outta the lemons that are handed to us in life & I love it!! Here are "Da Rules": 1. Put the logo on your blog or post. 2. Nominate at least 10 blogs which show great Attitude and/or Gratitude! 3. Link to your nominees within your post. 4. Let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog. 5. Share the love and link to this post with the person from whom you received your award. So, my ten would be -
1. Andrea
2. Sharron
3. Calv
4. Charlene
5. Maw
6. Vicki
7. Joy
8. Di
9. Holly
10. Lisa

'K! That's enough for me today!! Thanks for stopping by & have a great rest of your day!!

Happy Friday to you!!

Well, nothing for me to share today - no time. It's the boys' "early out" at school & I'll be leaving in about 15 minutes to pick them up. I do, however have some blogs for you to check out - they're all giving away blog candy between this weekend and next. There should be PLENTY to keep you busy below.

Please DO NOT enter here...you must go to the blog offering the candy to win it. There was some confusion over the last couple that I posted & for that, I must apologize. In the future, I will be clearer about who is offering the goody stash. Again, please follow the links & follow the rules of the blog owner giving away these yummy treats.

1. Pinkpuds
2. Katys Bloggeroo
3. Debby at Scrapjourney
4. Kim at Crafty Makes
5. Stamping Stuff
6. Caryn at Glitter Me Silly

Thanks for stopping by & have a great rest of your day!!

Cards to share

This little cutie is a b/w image from PC Crafter that I colored with my Copics - it's Rebecca Carter's "Teddy Bears" creatable. I mounted her on a pre-made card base that just happened to match her little flower (totally unintentional), used my Cuttlebug to do the scallop border at the top (I'm just now noticing that annoying little crease you sometimes get - OY!), the words "miss you" are from a Cuttlebug die, and the butterfly/swirly vine doodles I free-handed with a white gel pen. I also used the gel pen to go over the raised portion of the scallops - really made them stand out.

This is another creatable from PC Crafter, colored with Copics (Pat Olson's "Granny's Doodles" - sorry, it's no longer available). I put him on a kraft colored pre-made base, again with words & embossing on the Cuttlebug. I followed the old motto "K.I.S.S." (Keep It Simple, Silly!) *LOL*

And finally...yup! You guessed it! A kraft cardstock pre-made base, Cuttlebugged words & embossing, digital image from PCC colored with Copics (Colleen Perry's "Bearing All Seasons"), punched out with my Marvy pink mega circle scallop, piercing in the scallops, and a flower that I made with "inking mistakes" (I kept the papers) - used some floral punches, glued them together, then did a dollop of Gold Liquid Pearl by Ranger in the center.

If you want to see some really pretty Valentine's cards, that aren't in "traditional" colors, go down till you see the Cuttlebug Spot blinky (right hand side) & click it to go to Nilda's blog. They're having a challenge this week - there's a list of links to take you surfing for inspiration for your next project!!

Thanks for stopping by & have a great rest of your day!!

A cotton vest to share today

Look what I found this morning! I did this vest a few months ago and totally forgot to post it on here. I'm chalking it up to the kids being home! *ROFL* Two summers ago, Zim's Crafts down in Salt Lake City (no longer in business) had a clearance on these 100% cotton vests & I bought up everything they had. They're a Ladies size Large. I broke a few out of storage last summer and started playing with them.

For this one, I took the images from a book called "Fabric Inkin." I really like the "uncluttered" look of this piece. It's done in permanent fabric gel ink and machine washable. I have another one that I'll share this week that I painted. Now my dilemma...what to charge for this lovely...

(right facing)

(left facing)

Thanks for stopping by & have a great rest of your day!!

*sigh* It's Monday...

It's also a holiday, which means that the boys are home from school. The ultimate lesson in patience and tolerance is to have all three boys home at once (they have varying levels of ADHD). I have my middle and youngest son here with me. My oldest got up at 5am and went on a business road trip with DH. They should be back from Nevada in the next 2-3 hours. Couldn't do tons of crafting with the 6 y/o wanting me to constantly entertain him, but I did manage these:


These first two pix are of an adorable little stoneware crock and pumpkin from one of my favorite tole painters, Gail Eads, who has made the wonderful transition into graphic arts. I adore her sets & whatever I can't get at her site, I pick up from either Trina Clark's or DigiWeb Studio. You can see the Copics that I used, along with a Sakura Gelly Roll pen in white for highlighting. Laying it next to those caps gives you a pretty good idea of the size of the graphic.

This sweet baby in purple, is from Trina Clark's "Baby Daisy" line. I picked up the linework set, which appears to be no longer available, because originally my intent was to trace it onto some muslin and stitch up some cute little birth announcements for neighbors with new babies. I will definitely use them for stitching, but for now I thought I'd color the little cutie pie with my Copics (the Sakura Gelly Roll Stardust pen was for the buttons on her bum). I'm hoping that since Trina is in the process of putting things back into her store (she had a major system crash a few weeks back) that she'll bring them back out, because they really are to die for.

Well, that's it for me today. I may try to color my Squigglefly "freebie" hummingbird tonight while I'm watching the new episode of "House." Thanks for stopping by & have a great rest of your day!!

Another blog candy giveaway

*This giveaway closed 19Jan2009 - see post HERE*

One of my sweet hugsistahs, Deb, is celebrating. She's had her birthday, anniversary, and NOW she's giving away some blog candy - all this week. Here's what you're signing on for:
2 mini metal mailboxes (1 white & 1 Metallic Pink)
2 Window Nugget Tins
20 (4" x 4") Chipboard Coasters
20 (Embossed Scallops) 10 Riding Hood Red & 10 Pearlescent Pink
20 (Embossed Circles) White
* The circles & scallops were cut/embossed with Nestibilities dies.


What do you have to do to win? Not much!! :o) Just leave a comment on this post & I will use a random number generator to choose the winner. Easy Peasy!! :o) I will post the winner sometime on Monday.

Thought I'd share this before I run the munchkin to Kindergarten and come home to play for a little while. I'm pondering some more cards or dragging out the Bind-it-All and seeing what kind of trouble I can get into with it...

Thanks for stopping by!

Oh, wow! You've got time, but hurry!

*This giveaway ended 21Jan2009 - see post HERE*

Three Clover Designs is giving away a chance at THREE fantastic blog candy packages! Check it out:
Read "THE RULES" to enter!!!

The Sweetheart Pack!

The foam mounted cling stamps that are included in this fun pack are from Alota. Here is a pic of them:

The Punch Pack!

Who has been on the look out for the Martha Stewart Valentine Punches? I have!! And I made sure to pick up extras for you too!



My Favorite Things Pack!!
Basic Grey 6x6 paper pack...ribbon...Star Dust Stickles...Angel Wings SHIMMERZ...the Snowflake border punch and a A Tilda Stamp by Magnolia!!!! (pictured below)

"THE RULES"

So here's what you gotta do...and you have to meet all 4 requirements or you can't be entered to win. (Nothing is really for free is it?! LOL!)

1. Sign up to receive email updates to my blog by clicking the little orange Feedblitz button to the right------>. OR if you prefer to read via Google Reader, click to "follow my blog", also to the right---->. Is your lovely little face already following? Or are you already receiving my blog updates via feedblitz? (btw- I can check the emails that already get updates...so no skipping this one!) Great!! Move on to number 2!
2. Spread the word!! It wouldn't be kind to keep these Yummies all to ourselves would it? So you gotta post to your blog that I have some great Blog Yummies and link to my blog. You don't have a blog? Then email yourcrafty friends to let them know! CC me the email. My email address is Crazy_4_Stamping @ Yahoo . Com (remove the spaces)
3. This one I can't check, so it's on you honor...Take the time to leave comments when you visit blogs. Even if it's a quick: "Great card!". It really means a lot to the blogger.
4. Leave a comment on this post by January 20th letting me know that you signed up to get blog updates and a link to your blog (or your email addy)that shows me you spread the word. I will check these...so no cheating! LOL
   

The first name I pick will get their choice of the three prize packs. The 2nd name I pick will get to choose from the remaining 2 prize packs and the third name will get what is left. I will announce the winners on January 21st and they winners have 48 hours to contact me. If I do not hear from you I will pick another name and everyone will move up one spot.

That's all you have to do!! She also says that she'll ship internationally (not sure why that didn't copy with the rest of the post). I think I'd be happy with any of them, but with these choices and three winners, it's gonna be a good one. Go get signed up!

Thanks for stopping by & have a great rest of your day!!

altered tin (w/ updated pix)

Well, I promised this project a couple of days ago, so here it is. It began it's life as a Pirouline tin (DH's is not a fan of "sweets" but with a pot of coffee, he'll tuck into a tin of these). He actually THOUGHT to bring it home to me when he emptied it, which is something that's practically unheard of. He even washed it out! I'm thinking that it's like right before Christmas when he was out shoveling the drive - trying to make the weather bad enough that he doesn't have to go into work. Weather was sunny and almost 50F here today so that backfired on the old man! *ROFL*

The tin's base color is this yummy burgundy color, so I decided to work with it instead of covering it up. I used my Marvy mega lever scallop punch (pink) for the lid & put a paper flower with copper brad and a filigree heart on there. The scrumptious rose printed paper is from that pad I picked up from Ben Franklin A&C a few weeks ago (paper on the lid is from the same pad). Another rhinestone "swirl" from Wal-Mart's craft section, a bit of lace from The Paper Studio (Hobby Lobby), some Terrifically Tacky Tape to hold it all together, and...DONE! Entire project took longer to think out than it did to execute!

Now...what to put in this pretty new tin? Choccies immediately come to mind, of course, but what else? My Copics maybe? I tested & it holds 22 of them. I really have another project in my noggin for those, so I'd rather not. Hmmmm....

Thanks for stopping by & have a great rest of your day!!

Had to share this!

I've mentioned before that I adore David Tennant. My first experience watching him was in the film "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" when he played Death Eater Barty Crouch, Jr. Last year, I was surfing on a lazy Saturday afternoon and discovered that BBC had brought back Doctor Who. I was intrigued.

I remember watching Doctor Who in the 70s as a kid on Friday and Saturday nights -- my parents would play cards with their friends and all of us kids would crowd around the tv to watch Monty Python's Flying Circus, Benny Hill, and if we could stay up late enough, the Doctor. Apparently, the Doctor was resurrected in 2004-2005 with Chris Eccleston (he was the villain in Gone in Sixty Seconds opposite Nicholas Cage). He only did one season, and the yummy David Tennant took his place and became the 10th Doctor since the series began in 1964. I'm totally addicted now! I HAVE to have my "Doctor fix" EVERY Saturday, without fail or my day is in ruin! *LOL*

David will only be in this role till 2010 when they replace him with Matt Smith. Not too sure anyone can replace David, though - he fit the role so nicely. In his bio, it's noted that he was saying at the age of 3 he wanted to be the Doctor one day. How prophetic, huh? This season, his companion is Donna Noble, played by Catherine Tate & while I really do prefer Rose (Billie Piper), Donna is a good fit for the feisty, quick-witted, enthusiastic Doctor.

I was flipping through fan videos on You Tube earlier today and ran across a skit that they performed together for Comic Relief -- it was an absolute riot & I wanted to share it with you. Be sure to listen closely, as Catherine when she gets warmed up is a verbal force to be reckoned with! *LOL* Only David, IMHO, could play off her so beautifully - their timing is impeccable! Enjoy!

(15Jan2009 NOTE: I'm turning the jukebox back on, so if you want to listen to this clip, be sure to scroll down & pause the music. Thanks!)



Thanks for stopping by & have a great rest of your day!!

Another blog candy day!!

Bev at All the Things I Love is celebrating passing the 100K visitors mark this past week - congrats! Couldn't have happened to a nicer blog. OMGosh, she is giving some of the yummiest candy out as her way of saying thanks. Look at what she'll be giving some lucky crafter:

"Up for grabs is:
12 x 12 pad Harmony papers by Anna Stemplewska in browns and blues (my fave combo)
1 tube Prima Essentials flowers
1 reel White raffia ribbon
A selection of double satin ribbon
A selection of white, ivory and cream lace
A selection of crochet flowers
Papermania ribbon brads
A Rachelle Anne Miller stamp
A pack of Valentines Buttons
A small bag of Twinklets (the glitter glass that I used on the acetate snowflakes that the wonderful Rach got for me xxxx)
A selection of gold triple pearl hat-pins
AND not shown in the picture (cos I'm sooooo thick skulled!!!) 1 metre of each (white and ivory) of the pull cord organza petals that pull up to make the flower as shown in the pic below (it's the organza petals behind the paper rose). Cos I'm sooo thick I will also add a bunch of the paper roses to the candy as well. DOH!! What a numptie I am "
BEV'S RULES:
"All you need to do is link my candy on your blog and leave a comment here when you have done so. I will draw the winner using a random generator on next Saturday, 17th January. I will post worldwide and this is open to ALL, so if you don't have a blog leave a comment on this post, if you're leaving an anonymous comment please make sure you state your name in the comment.
Check back on the 17th to see if you've been lucky!"

Be sure when you're there to peek around - she's got great ideas for craft room storage, beautiful cards...okay, I'm rambling...just go!

Thanks for stopping by & have a great rest of your day!!

Who wants some AWESOME blog candy?!?

I found about this from Sharron (thanks, Sweets!). Christie at Simple Finds is giving away a QuickKutz Silhouette and goodies to go with it - a $560 value. All you have to do is go over, leave a comment on WHAT you'd do with this wonderul crafting toy & put a link to her on YOUR BLOG. She's drawing the lucky winner's name on the 13th, so there's still some time left. Good luck!!

She's also got yummy product from Origins to giveaway, HERE, and Keen winter boots, HERE. I'm so glad I went over to her site, she's got something for everyone!!

Have a great rest of your day!!

My 5th award

I'm so ashamed! My friend Kristine gave me this award exactly one month ago today, and I've been so crazy with filling that huge sundae kit order, then busting out Christmas cards (made 116 of them in 4 days!), and my intermittent tummy health issues that I totally spaced passing it on to others. MIBAD!!

I don't have a project finished to share just yet (later tonight for sure) so for now, I'll do this. I was supposed to share 7 things about me that were Christmas related, but that hardly seems appropriate now, so I think I'll just share 7 things in general about me:

1. By nature I'm a very organized person, but this last year I've been slipping with the help of DH & kiddos and home repair problems. I'm going to get that back. I NEED to get that back for my sanity's sake!! *LOL*
2. I have a deep appreciation for all forms of art, thanks to my 7th grade art teacher, Mrs. Joanne Sheridan. She introduced me to using soft pastels, oil pastels, watercolors, acrylics, charcoal. She gave me most of the basics that I use to this day when I pick up a pencil or brush. I loved her so much!
3. I'm a music nut - I'll listen to ANYTHING - rock, jazz, blues, bluegrass, country, reggae, classical, gospel, soul, pop, swing, big band, you name it.
4. Hubby and kids think I should be providing the family's living by singing - they think I'm good, I don't. Simple as that. DH says my mother telling me as a teenager to "Quit killing the cat!" didn't help me much in this area (we didn't HAVE a cat...).
5. I RARELY pay full price for anything, especially when it's related to my crafting. If I can't get it on a deep discount, clearance, or use oodles of coupons, it stays on the shelf at the store & I find something else to fit my needs.
6. In High School I wanted to write romance novels. My 10th grade English teacher was my biggest cheerleader at the time. One of my Aunts was a member of NORA (Northeastern Oklahoma wRiters Association) & was getting me in, in spite of my age (you were supposed to be 18 to join). I even had a book started - nearly 5 chapters - let a girl read the book & never saw it again. Never tried again after that, either.
7. I don't make goals. Goals are rarely achieved. I make commitments - if you're committed to something, you're in it till the very end. It's easier to stay focused that way, I think.

Now to pass this on:
1. Sharron
2. Andrea
3. Charlene
4. Dixie
5. Kathe
6. Jenn

'K! Now that's off the ole noggin, I can focus on getting my roast in the slow cooker for supper tonight & finish this project. Just a small hint - it's a tin...

Thanks for stopping by & have a great rest of your day!!

It's Holly's fault!!!

*ROFL* Okay, OKAY, it's really not, but I thought it would be nice to blame, uh, I mean, give CREDIT to Holly for inspiring this card. {hee, hee, hee} I left a comment on one of her posts the other day about Valentine's Day cards and how they didn't HAVE to be red and pink (thanks for agreeing with me, GF!), and well...this one just kinda happened. I had some ideas for a card for a "friend" for Valentine's Day & the last thing I wanted to do was red or pink. Well, keeping in mind what I'd said to Holly, THIS is what I ended up with:

I started with a birch color pre-made base; took some vintage-antique-grungy blue polka dotted paper from a pad I picked up at Hobby Lobby (the PaperStudio line) & stitched it down with my sewing machine; an unfinished chipboard swirly from K& Co covered in white pigment ink from a ColorBox cat's eye pad; a tag I cut out on my Cuttlebug (inked the edges with Copic Brick Beige); an antiqued copper brad that I found at JoAnn's to anchor the tag; a bit of narrow lace from The PaperStudio down the side; some plain antique copper brads to go in the center of the paper flowers from KAISER (colored with Copics to coordinate with the label); AND a small piece of peachy-pink-vintage-grungy paper from the same pad as the polka dot and on top of the pink, finished with another Melissa Frances vintage label.

So, whaddya think? I guess it really doesn't have to be for Valentine's Day, either, it could really be an all-occasion, but that's what it was made for. Thanks for stopping by & have a great rest of your day!!

A card to share

This one is more of a "shabby chic" style, inspired by Bibbi (when I grow up, I wanna make cards like hers!). For this one, I used a kraft-color pre-made card as the base, took a strip of distressed/grungy striped paper from My Minds Eye Signature Series paper pad (got it at Ben Franklin for $10), cut a coffee-stained paper doily in half (other half is on the envie), inked the edges of the card and evelope with SU! Whisper White Craft ink, used some pieces from the "Wedding" line at Jesse James (the filigree and sugar coated hearts, and "loopy" sugar-coated flowers), stacked 3 white silk flowers together & attached them with an antiqued copper brad, a rhinestone swirly that I picked up last week from Wally World, and finally, the color inspiration for this card ~~ 3 vintage labels from Melissa Frances that I've had for a while. To me, it looks a little "bottom heavy" so I'm gonna have to work on balancing a bit. Oh, well! That just gives me something to look forward to - making another one!! *LOL* Think I might even break out the ole sewing machine and try my hand at stitching paper...

Thanks for stopping by & have a great rest of your day!!

Hunny Bunnys

Aren't they CUTE?!? The graphic I used is a b/w image that I colored with my Copics from Carolee Jones over at PC Crafter. It's an adorable creatable, called "Spring Bunnies 2". I put the little cuties with pop dots on a 3.5" x 7" piece of red heavy cardstock, folded in half. The white piece was just a scrap that I ran through the Cuttlebug, then trimmed the edge with a Martha Stewart punch. The "U" is from the "roller rink" line of Thickers & the floral heart is out of the Jesse James line called "wedding."

I've got a couple more that I'm working on - think rose, pale pinks, soft teal, powder blue, cream, and brown...

Thanks for stopping by & have a great rest of your day!!