I'm SO SO sorry!

I know it's been nearly two weeks since I've posted, and I truly feel terrible about this, but the last two weeks have been nothing but CHAOS & it doesn't show any signs of letting up any time soon. I don't want to be a downer and share all of my sad woes here, because I want this to be a cheery place for my online friends to visit. So for now, while I'm waiting for a free minute to craft and share, enjoy visiting My Desert Cottage - Karen hosted a "Where Bloggers Create" party last week & you may find an idea for improving or defining your creative space. The list of everyone that participated is in the right side bar - I think she said there's 150 blogs to visit (can you believe that?!?). She's listed them alphabetically, so just dive right in.

I'll be back just as soon as I can.

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

Hurry! Sale ends 20July

I REALLY loved the TAC Bag that I ordered in late May. Nearly 40 stamps in my order for one fantastic low price! I highly recommend getting at least one extra sheet of Creative Cling for every bag that you order - it comes with one 8.5x11 sheet, but I couldn't get all of the stamps on one page, there were so many.

(NOTE: Not every bag will have the same amount or sizes of stamps. Each bag contains 1 sheet of creative cling, and a mixture of current and discontinued stamps. Shipping & tax extra. No limit on number of TAC Bags that a customer can order!)

Oh, before I forget...our e-Commerce sites are up & running safely again, thanks to Technical Support working their magic, so you can order online in complete privacy & security. Click on the ad above to be taken to the TAC Bag & some really great bargains. I'll be back later tonight with some new projects, so until then, Happy Shopping/Crafting!!

Win $1000!

This is totally worth the second post for today! Nilda's first goal was met so quickly that The Cuttlebug Spot is having another contest - "The Journey to 1,000"! They are trying to reach 1,000 followers by the end of July and need your help. To enter all you have to do is go to their site, sign up as follower and complete a few easy steps and you could win a $1,000 gift certificate to Custom Crops (www.CustomCrops.com)! GO NOW and check it out at The Cuttlebug Spot!!

Made a couple of cards last night...

Sorry I've been away from the blog for a couple of days. *sigh* Tummy issues, again! I can't tell you how much I'd LOVE to find something that I can eat with some sort of CONSISTENCY. grrr! I've had no issues with chicken until this week. Not sure if it's because there's some added stress right now, or this sudden onset of high temps we're now having, or what, but a single breaded chicken patty (baked NOT fried) put me down for almost 2 days!

I finally felt human enough late last night to put together some cards. I've been itching to put this one out since my stamps arrived Thursday afternoon. I've been doing "cutesy" cards that I can color lately. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE doing them, but I wanted to show you the "artsy" & "elegant" side of The Angel Company. I did this card on a black pre-made base with Galaxy Gold Brilliance Ink from Tsukineko. I used my classic oval Nesties and punched out some black cardstock & a gorgeous goldish tan for some layering. The pine branches and phrase are from a set called "Good Timber" & there are two more stamps in this set that I can't wait to show you tomorrow!
A close-up of the quote from JW Marriott...
And the full effect of the card. It's so much prettier in real life!! When Chris came in last night and saw it, I actually got a REAL compliment! Not the usual, off-hand, "That's nice Honey, but everything you do is nice" (this is all said as he NEVER looks at the project but stares intently at the knives listed on eBay). *ROFL*

This card was made for a birthday party that he's attending this evening. I wasn't sure what her interests are, so I took the retired set, "Oh How" along with two colors of ink (a sky blue, and a medium teal) and layered the stamps. Simple and fast - my favorite combination!
The simple sentiment inside is from the set, "Ordinary Greetings."
Well, that's it for me. Chris is getting ready to leave for the evening and that puts me in charge of these wild hooligans! *LOL* Thanks for stopping by and have a great rest of your day!!

Oh, WOW!

This has GOT to be one of the strongest songs that I've heard in a LONG time, so I thought I'd share it here. PLEASE feel free to share it with a Politician to make sure they're listening...



Can I get an AMEN?!?

4 cards 4 you!

I managed to get 4 cards made this weekend - 2 Saturday, 2 Sunday. We didn't do much for the holiday, just hung around at home. While my guys were either on their computer or playing their hand-held games, I sat nearby coloring images and making cards. Here's what I managed to put together:

This darling little Tilda Butterfly is from a previous image swap. Her face & hands are colored with COPIC markers (E00, E02, & YR02), the rest of the image is colored with colored pencils and OMS. The sentiment is from The Angel Company's "Little Cupcake" & punched with my EKSuccess large oval punch, then colored lightly with colored pencils; background paper from Paper Pizzazz, mounted onto a lilac pre-made A2 card base; pink mat from DCWV Spring mat stack; flowers from Prima; charm from jewelry section of Hobby Lobby; rhinestone brad from Hobby Lobby; glitter on Tilda's wings done with Sakura Stardust glitter pen; & dark pewter Dew Drops.

This Tilda is one of the images that Vicki from Stamped Smiles sent to me. I was in "autumn mode" most of the weekend, thanks to the summer heat (thinking about Fall keeps me cooler!), so I put this together. The base is a 5x7 K&Co in "wheat"; polka dot mat from DCWV Autumn mat stack; Bohemian strip was a gift from Sharron - the remainder of the strip is inside the card; images is colored with COPIC markers then raised with pop dots; Stickles in Diamond on Tilda's wings; & black glitter Thickers from American Crafts.

Another autumn-y card for ya. This one is on a white A2 base; Indio Plaid paper is from Frances Meyer; tag from K&Co; Gerberra Daisy image from The Angel Company, colored with COPIC markers & distressed with Ranger Ink in Frayed Burlap; twine for the bow; & pearl Dew Drops to finish the look. (I think this one is my favorite out of all that I made this weekend!)

And finally my angel card. On a 5x7 wheat base by K&Co; coral paper from My Mind's eye, stamped with VersaMark and a square spiral stamp; angel image is out of the set "Just Dream" from The Angel Company, colored with COPIC markers; accents on angel are done with Sakura Stardust gel pen; & the sentiment, taken from the internet, reads "All God's angels come to us disguised. - James Russell Lowell" written in Black Glaze pen by Sakura.

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday weekend. If you don't live in the States, I hope your weekend was relaxing! Thanks for stopping by & have a great rest of your day!!

The Drive for 500

Nilda over at The Cuttlebug Spot has a goal for this month - she is trying to get the followers group up to 500 members. If you love the Cuttlebug as much as I do, it's worth signing up to follow the challenge blog. I've been following her almost from the time she started up. They have TONS of great ideas. The current sponsor is:They're having a drawing on the 10th of July & Nilda has some simple rules to follow in order to join in on the fun. Please stop by & check it out.

I'll be back in a bit with some cards to share. Thanks for stopping by!

COPICs vs. OMS & Pencils

Around the middle of June, my blogging buddy, Holly, over at Hog Wild About Stamping, did a side-by-side comparison using a Tilda image to show the different effect you can get when using either COPIC markers or the colored pencil/OMS (odorless mineral spirits) technique. I really liked it because it's such a vivid visual, so I thought I'd do a version of it today for you. Here are my two cards, using an image from Mabelle Ortiz and The Angel Company, called "Dear Friend." COPIC on the left, pencils/OMS on the right...(to see the images a bit better, right click on them & select Open in a New Window.)

One 6"x12" strip of double-sided K&Co paper made BOTH CARDS. I used the floral on white pre-made A2 cards, then flipped over to the green side & punched two strips with my MS lace border punch. The buttons are antiques that Sharron sent me last year. I cut & embossed both images out with the 2nd largest die from my Nestabilities Classic Oval set, and chalked with brown around the edges. Both cards turned out very charming & just a little old-fashioned looking, I think.

This is the colored pencil/OMS technique. I really enjoy using it, because it gives the LOOK of watercoloring without the mess. The end result is very soft and very sweet.

And this is how it looks colored in COPIC markers, very close to the same tones as the colored pencils (flowers are a bit different). Still sweet-looking, but much more vibrant.

Personally, I really like both techniques, so my decision on which to use is generally based on the EFFECT that I'm going for. Which look do YOU prefer?

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

We Have a WINNER!!!

Good morning! Have ya been chompin' at the bit for me to get up and around? *LOL* I was going to use the Random Integer to draw names like some ladies do, but my middle son, Devin, begged me to "put 'em in a box or a hat & let ME pull the name Mom...please, please, please, oh PLEASE!" *ROLF* How can you resist a 13 yr old dancing around you saying THAT?!? Can I get a drumroll?

The winner is:
Congrats to Cindy Z!!!! Sweetie, I THINK that I have your latest mailing addy from our last PIF, but to be 100% certain could you e-mail me just to be sure? Thanks to everyone that left me love over the last week & celebrating my blog's one year mark. I hope that you'll continue to stop by for visits and I will definitely be doing another candy giveaway...I'm thinking around MY birthday.

I have a crafty post to share with you, so I'll be back in just a minute....thanks so much for stopping by!!!