Pretty Pastels!

This week's challenge at Phindy's Place Challenge Blog is Pretty Pastels. I was so excited about this because I just bought myself a new paper pack (okay I bought 3 of them) "Sweet Pea" by the Paper Studio and guess what, it's all baby/pastels! When I bought the papers, I also bought these nifty flower embellies. I just couldn't resist putting them all together with this adorable image from Phindy's Place!

Hope you enjoy my card!

Aha! A second entry this week!

Well ladies and gentlemen, I've done it! I've made a second card tonight for the Phindy's Place Friday Challenge Blog!! WOO HOO!! I guess "buttons" really is an easy theme!

See, this is how it all happened, I took the kids to Hobby Lobby today. I bought some papers, some embellies, some new watercolor paints, even some new paint brushes. Well, they were all sitting here on my table and I though, hmmmm...I should try out my new paintbrushes! So, I decided I had to paint (using my new paints of course) this adorable little boy from Phindy's Place. Well, I can't paint without picking out papers first. I just happened to buy papers today that would go so adorably with him. Then I remembered that I bought these cute little button brads, they went so well together I just had to make a card with it all. The only parts of this card that aren't brand spankin new are the cardstock and the ribbons, okay, and the digi but I've barely used him!

Hope you enjoy my second entry this week!

Christmas in July!

Well, I've managed to make a card for the second week in a row, I'm quite proud of myself! I made this Christmas Card using a Phindy's Place Image - I just love "Nana's Pies". She looks like everyone's image of the perfect grandmother!

The challenge this week at Phindy's Friday Challenges is to use buttons - how easy is that?

Hope you like my card.....

And another one....

Here is another Phindy Card! Wooo Hooo - 2 in one week - can you believe it?

This card for Phindy's Friday Challenge is a Christmas card. It's a pretty simple card but, at this point, I can't be too picky!! I'm just glad I got to craft!!! I used "Giving Girl" I just love her!

I'm trying....really, I am!

Do you ever feel like your priorities get in the way of your fun? Well, that seems to be the way my life is going at this point! Between work, the kids, and the house, there seems to be very little time left for me and when there is any, I'm exhausted!!

Regardless, I did manage to make some cards this week for Phindy's Friday Challenge. I'm sooooo excited!

Here's my first card - I hope you like it! Isn't this little Phindy girl soooo cute with her big bouquet of flowers??

Crafting really is my therapy....

I'm sad to say that I have realized that I have not completed and posted a card in almost 2 months. This is NOT because I haven't wanted to craft, it's because life got in the way. This week, between prepping for a family reunion, Father's day planning, a teething 11 month old who now has ear infections, etc. etc. etc.....I FORCED myself to sit down and make a card. Guess what happened.....I felt better! I was calm and relaxed and crawled right into my bed and fell asleep - it was GREAT!!!

The moral of my story: Don't let life push the important things aside - regardless of how minor those things seem!

This card is for The Phindy's Place Challenge Blog. This week their challenge was all about water. I just love little "Splashy Sienna"! I paper pieced her dress and I'm loving her in little polka dots. The flower embellies are from a prize I won somewhere along the lines, can't for the life of me remember where or when (I told you I've been busy!!!).

So, here's my card with Phindy's Sienna....I hope you enjoy it!

I guess I just like to work under pressure!

Hello all,

Here it is, Thursday night and I'm once again, just finishing up my card for this week's Phindy's Challenge - yes, the deadline is only a few hours away! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Anyway, I'm exhausted so I'm going to keep this short and sweet.

This card is for 2 challenges:

Phindy's Place Challenge Blog: Paper Piecing - the hardest part about this was deciding which wonderful Phindy image to pick - she has sooo many (and just a hint, if you head over to her shop right now, you can find a sale going on in her "random surprises" category)

For Fun Challenges: Go Green (not the color) - This week, they are sponsored by Phindy! I LOVE that - 2 chances to win Phindy images in one week!! So, for the Go Green challenge, I used all scrap papers, I figure it's one of those reuse/recycle things!

Sneaking in under the wire!

Well, another crazy week but I just HAD to enter Phindy's Challenge this week. I've been going through withdrawl again! I just can't take this.....I NEED more hours in the day (preferably with the kiddos sleeping).

So, this week's card is for a few different challenges:

1.) Phindy's Place Challenge Blog: Color Challenge: Purple and Teal....I just love these 2 colors together but of course had a hard time finding the papers I wanted to use. This adorable little chicky is called "Chick a Boo", isn't he cute? You don't need to use a Phindy Image for her challenges but, with so many adorable images, how can you not?

2.) Top Tip Tuesday: Open Challenge........I just love an open challenge!

3.) Kaboodle Doodles: Thoughts of Spring/Easter........I'd say this card is pretty Easter-ish!

I hope you enjoyed this card. It was a bit difficult for me to find a spare moment or two to make it but I sooooooooo enjoyed the time I did get to spend crafting!

PS - Please forgive the picture. I know the centers of those flowers look a bit ugly, I didn't have time to let the glue dry on my glittered flower centers!

Crafting Withdrawl....

Hello everyone,

I have been going through crafting withdrawl. It's been a crazy few weeks and my papers, paints, scissors and glue have been calling my name but I've had to ignore them. FINALLY, this week, I got to play!! I decided to make a set of 4 cards for OWH. If you are unfamiliar with OWH, please check out my sidebar, they're a great group!

For this card, I used an adorable Phindy Image, "Never Forget I Love You". I wanted some bright papers because I'm really hoping that Spring is here to stay (well, at least until Summer can drag herself here!).

The card is for a few different challenges:

Kaboodle Doodles Challenge Blog: Let's Get Girly....between the papers and the eyeshadow and nail polish on this cute little elephant, I'd say this is a girly card.

Paper Crafting Journey: For the Ladies in your Life...Okay, I'm thinking this could either be to a lady or from a lady, either way, I just don't see it as a card that a guy gives to another guy....a lady has to be in the equation!

Phindy's Place Challenge: Humour - Make us Smile...Just looking at this image makes me smile. Adding the nail polish and the eyeshadow really makes me smile!! (not sure the make-up shows in the pic., there IS green eyeshadow and pink nail polish).

I dug out one of my older digis

Well, for this card I was stumped. Phindy's Place Challenge Blog has "Thinking of You/Get Well" as a theme this week. I wasn't quite sure what I wanted to do for this one. Sooooooooo, I went searching for a sentiment first. I found one that worked for the challenge and as soon as I read it, this sweet little digi came to mind. The sentiment says, "Until the sun comes out again for you, my umbrella is big enough for two." Don't they work nicely together? As usual, I colored this little guy with watercolors. I didn't know what to do with the raindrops and the puddles so I added some glue, when it dried it was clear and shiny which gives it a "wet" look. Kinda cool.

I then had to search for papers to use. Of course, I had to use one of my new paper packs, this one was from Walmart, relatively cheap, and I love the papers. Since this is an image that could be used for a more masculine card, I decided to go with papers that could be a little bit more masculine too. Since they have green on them, they can be used for the Creative Card Crew Challenge: Show us some green!

I've been slacking on making OWH cards lately. I checked out the OWH Stars and Stamps Challenge blog and found that their challenge right now is "Scallops". That's easy enough, I cut around my image with scalloped scissors and was good to go! Now I just have to keep building my collection of OWH cards so I can mail a box out!

Finally, I am entering this in the Scrap-Creations challenge. Their theme this week is an easy one: Anything Goes!! Gotta love that one!

Welcome Baby!

I'm so disappointed. I can only seem to make one card per week. The only real problem with this is that I seem to be buying more than one Phindy image per week - this is not working out mathematically! Either I need to start making more cards (with a 4 year old and a 7 month old, this seems impossible) or Phindy needs to stop making so many new Digis that I "HAVE TO HAVE"! Oh well, I guess there are other things I should be worrying about instead!

So, here's another one of my new little digis from Phindy's Place. I LOVE LOVE LOVE her!! Her name is Spring Bouquet. She'd make a great Easter or Spring Card but I've decided to make her into a "Welcome Baby" card since that's what I need for a baby shower this weekend!

Alrighty, I'm entering her into these challenges:

Stampin' For the Weekend Challenge - Springtime! - This one isn't exactly a Spring card but it is definitely a Spring Image!

Phindy's Place Challenge Blog - Oh Baby! - With all of Phindy's adorable baby/small child images, the hardest part of this challenge was to pick which image to use!!

"High Hopes"

Well I'm back with a last minute card. Okay, it's not last minute, I've been working on it for days, it is just that now I'm down to the wire and it's the last minute to get it posted to Phindy's Challenge blog!!

I'm not going to write much, it's late, there's no time...but..........I have to say, I LOVE the way this card turned out. I love everything about it, really, I do! I love the papers (new ones that fell into my cart on Tuesday), I LOVE the image (one of Phindy's Wee Babbies), I love the kite that I made with it's little string and tail with mini "ribbons" on it, REALLY, I love it all! I LOVE when that happens, when the final project is even better than I had imagined it in my mind. Okay, I'm rambling but sometimes I surprise myself and really like the way a card turns out - TRUST me, it doesn't always happen!!

I'll let you go, but, here are the challenges for this card:

Phindy's Challenge - A sketch by Anne-MarijeTop Tip Tuesda

y - Favourites Challenge - Well, I don't know if you could say this is my favorite embellishment sin

ce it's the first time I've ever made a kite embellishment but I LOVE the way it came out and so, it's my favorite embellishment!

Scrap-Creations - Kids - I think Phindy's new "Wee Babbies" are just the cutest kids around! Well, I think her "Cuties" are pretty adorable too!! Oh, it's so hard to pick just one to use on a card!!!

I've got the blues!

Okay, I don't really have the blues but this card is very blue! I've decided that monochromatic cards are just not me. Then again, that's what the whole idea of challenges is, isn't it? To do something that you don't normally do. If it were easy, it wouldn't be called a "challenge".

Anyway, I made this card using an absolutely adorable digi from Phindy's Place. I love, love, love using her digis. The kids especially are just too adorable and look so real (not all cartoony). For this one, I paper pieced the had and outfit and then used watercolors over the paper piecing. I also printed out multiple images and used tiny bits of paper so I could raise up the stick and the bird to give the image a 3 dimensional look. I think it turned out pretty cool.

The sketch for this card is from the Happileigh Scrappin' Challenge. Sometimes it's so hard to come up with a different idea for a layout, it's nice to have a sketch challenge to use once in a while. I liked this one because they had 2 sketches, a simple version and one that was a little more fussy and showed you where to embellish. I followed the simple one but added my own embellies. Actually, the flower is one that I completely made myself using a circle punch. I just fiddled with the circles until the looked flower petal-ish. It was fun to make.

This card is for a few different challenges:

Phindy's Place Challenge Blog: Monochrome

Totally Paper Crafts: Do it with a digi

Stampin' For The Weekend: Monochrome

Stampin' B's Design Team: Use a Flower On A Card

Paper Crafting Journey: Anything Goes

Happileigh Scrappin' Challenge: Sketch Challenge

*This picture is horrible, I would LOVE to re-take it but I just mailed out the card. I probably should have checked the photo BEFORE doing that!*

Spring Friendships!

Hello all,

It's been a crazzzzzzzzzzzzy week here! While poor little Johnny is feeling much better, Mommy is still exhausted and trying to catch up on sleep! He gets to nap during the day, I have to work!

I did manage to get this one card done this week. I used a Phindy image, it really is, I swear! It doesn't look like a Phindy Image but that's because it's one of her "'lil Gems". I enlarged just one of the 4 garden gems and made that the image on my card. I then did a search for quotes about seeds and friendship and came up with, "Plant a seed of friendship;reap a bouquet of happiness." by Lois Kaufman. It fit my purposes perfectly!

This card is for a few different challenges:

Phindy's Place Challenge Blog: Spring is on the way!

Scrap-Creations: Spring Fever

Creative Card Crew (sponsored by Phindy this Week): Friendship

Grammy's 87.....well darn close!

Hello All!

Did you think that I'd let a week go without a post for Phindy's Place Challenge Blog? Not likely!!! Well, it almost happened this week because my internet just randomly went out - not good! Luckily, it was just a momentary problem and we're up and running again!

Well, this week's challenge is "Embossing". My own personal challenge was to come up with a birthday present for my soon to be 87-year-old Grandmother "Grammy". Now, she's going to be 87 on Saturday, she has everything she needs/wants, and has a house full of "stuff". What do you buy for her? She also has 10 living children and several grandchildren. The majority of the kids will get her a sweatshirt, seriously, how many sweatshirts can a woman own? The rest of the kids will get her gift certificates to go out to lunch with. Again, how many gift cards can a woman who gave up driving use? So, I was stumped. Then I remembered a Christmas gift that I had made for my boyfriend's grandmother, a picture frame. I was on to something there especially since Grammy has been complaining that she only has one picture of my son (he's now 6 months old!).

So, to "make" (I should say alter) this picture frame, I needed an image. I decided to combine two Phindy Images "Reading Chair" and "Big Sister at Work". I deleted parts of the Reading Chair image and added the Big Sister and her Baby Brother. It was the perfect for my two kiddos. I paper pieced the chair and pop-dotted the kids on the chair to give it a little bit of dimension. I used a Stampin' Up punch to make the flowers in the top corner and added "pearls" to their centers. The pearls are from a bracelet of Trinity's that Alex destroyed. (While lecturing her about being careful of her big sisters things, I was secretly doing the happy dance about getting more "stash"). I then added some foliage using the MS Branches Punch. Here's where the challenge comes in, I "gilded" some of the branches by embossing them with a copper embossing powder (sneaky way to incorporate the challenge). It gives that corner some shiny interest.

Hopefully tomorrow I will get the kids to cooperate so I can take a picture of Alex "reading" to Johnny to add to the frame. Though, with digital cameras, I could even get it done Saturday morning! Gotta love technology!!

Hope you enjoy my project....have a great weekend and can't wait to see what those girls at Phindy's DT have in store for next week!