Something New - Home Edition

My brother-in-law just moved into his new downtown condo. He has been looking so forward to this and Husband and I couldn't be happier for him. For the occasion, and so the first pieces of mail he gets are not all bills and junk, I made him this card.

I used a Stampin' Up set Right at Home for all my images with the exception of the heart on the interior which is Simon Says Stamp. I stamped the chair in Memento Tuxedo Black ink and colored Primsacolor pencils. Isn't it CUTE?!?! I can hardly stand it.

My card base is kraft and I used SU Real Red and Basic Black cardstock. I glossy-accented the television screen though you can't really tell in the picture.

For the inside, I stamped the same image in Versamark and used a sentiment from the set in Versafine over the top. The hearts (from SSS) are in Real Red ink.

Thanks for looking! Hope this finds you happy and healthy.

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:

Less is More # 156
613 Avenue Create #56 - Anything Goes
Created with Love #74 - Anything Goes

Something New - Marriage Edition

So a lot of the challenge blogs that I follow were doing "something new" themes for the new year. I really liked the idea and so I have started making cards with that in mind. I figured since I haven't been keeping up with my Make-a-Card Monday resolution, I would get a jump start now. This is the new marriage/love creation.

This is a Studio G dollar stamp from Michaels. I stamped it in Versafine ink and added a Real Red heart die cut covered in Christmas Red Stickles. Finished it off with my new favorite embellishment, the sequin! :)

Thanks for looking! Hope this finds you happy and healthy.

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:
Freshly Made Sketches #121
The Pink Elephant #235 - Love
Glitter N Sparkle #69: Bling It Up

Snowflakes (CIC245)

Our sponsor this week is Stamp and Create!

Stamp and Create is generously offering a $25 gift certificate (WOW!!) as our fabulous prize to our randomly drawn winner!

Thank you for sponsoring this challenge!

Here is this week's inspiration cupcake. Our challenge is SNOWFLAKES.  

Edible Snowflake Wafers from Lakeland

Here's my take...

You're probably wondering why I used the "Tiny Dancer" image from Stamp and Create when this is a SNOWFLAKES challenge. It is because my eldest daughter danced for the second time in her dance school's New York Nutcracker Ballet and next year my other daughter will be dancing in it as well. I saw this image and thought what fun I could have making them little notes of encouragement on performance day. Not to mention thank you notes and such for their teachers.

I colored my images using Prismacolor pencils and mounted it on Stampin' Up's Bashful Blue and Almost Amethyst, respectively, cardstock. The sentiment is Small Script by SU as well. My bigger panel is embossed with a Cuttlebug folder and then I added Diamond Stickles to each and every snowflake. I know the lighting is bad (we are in the middle of a storm) but it sparkles beautifully. I didn't put anything on the inside because I figured I would use the space to write a note to the girls. I think they'll love it. :)

Thanks for looking! Hope this finds you happy and healthy.

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:

Challenges 4 Everybody #37 - Anything Goes
ABC Challenge - D is for Dazzle
Scribbles Designs Challenge #13 - Sparkle It Up
Addicted to Stamps and More #79 - CAS
Sweet Stamps #153 - Anything Goes
Crafting by Designs - Girly Girl
Brown Sugar #78 - Embossing
Sister Act #41 - Anything Goes
Cute Card Thursday #305 - So Sweet

Adventures in Running: Half Marathon #2

So, I did it. I won't beat around the bush. I ran 13.1 miles yesterday.

If you read my Adventures in Running posts, then you know that I haven't been feeling quite like myself. I was determined to finish this race; it was like I needed it to continue recovering from this most recent bout of depression. My meds seem to be on track, and I have a new doctor. I go to therapy every week, and I really do seem to be getting a bit better everyday.

I couldn't let the things I had no control over keep me from completing my half marathon. Like I said before, it seems like an important piece to my continued recovery. :)

The weather was awesome. In fact, pretty darn perfect for a run. The crowds were amazing, chanting and cheering. The run wasn't as easy as I was hoping it would be but that's okay. It felt that much better crossing the finish line.

I will put up more pictures when they are made available to me but for now...

Thanks for looking! Hope this finds you happy and healthy!

I don't know snow...(CIC 244)

Our sponsor this week is Freckled Fawn!

Freckled Fawn is generously offering a $15 gift card as our fabulous prize to our random winner! 

Thank you for sponsoring this challenge!

Here's is this week's inspiration cupcake.
Our challenge this week is to use the color combination sage, cream, and mist. 

Snowman Cupcakes from Simply Cake

Before I give you my take, let me just say that I wouldn't know what to do with myself in the weather some parts of this country are experiencing. I grew up here in Houston and we have two seasons, hot and hotter. I hope everyone out there is safe and warm. :) With that being said, I have to laugh when I use snowmen on my cards because I can't remember the last time I built one.

I used Stampin' Up cardstock and, honestly, I am not sure of the exact color names. They were the closest I could come to the challenge colors. I'm also not a "cream" kind of girl so I used white. That's one of the things I love about our challenges; they're really open to your own interpretation. I stamped SU's Six-Sided Sampler with Versamark ink and used clear embossing powder to create my pattern. Decided to try this "quilting" trend everyone is beaming about. I like the trend but not quite sure about my version. :) I colored my snowman (from SU's Snow Buddy set) Prismacolor pencils after stamping him in Memento Tuxedo Black ink. I added Diamond Stickles for my snowflakes.

On the inside, I used the same set to create a little tag using my Fiskars Hexagon punch. Here are some closeups.

 Thanks for looking! I hope this finds you happy and healthy.

I would like to enter this card into the following challenge:
Mod Squad - Snow
Robin's Fetish Challenge Blog #195 - Winter Cards

Cupcake Challenge!! (CIC243)

Our sponsor this week is 2 Cute Ink! 

2 Cute Ink is generously offering TWO of their images as our fabulous prize to our randomly drawn winner! 

Thank you for sponsoring this challenge!

Here is this week's inspiration cupcake and the challenge is SPARKLE.

Crystal Cupcakes by Elisa Strauss of Confetti Cakes 

These digital images are from 2 Cute Ink's latest release and are available right now! 
Aren't they ADORBS?!?!

I colored my image with Prismacolor Pencils and layered it up with papers from the Fourteen collection by Crate Paper on a Kraft cardstock base. I used my Nestibilities circle dies for all the circles. I made the sentiments on my computer. On the inside, I used the scrap paper left from the front of the card and the SU Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp with Real Red ink. I added my sparkle with Christmas Red and Diamond Stickles.

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:

Creative Card Crew #52 - Anything Goes
Creative Craft Challenges 2 #26 - Anything Goes
Creative Moments #33 - Anything Goes
Simply Create Too #52 - Anything Goes
Card Makin' Mamas #78 - Anything Goes
2 Creative Chicks #10 - Anything Goes
Sweet Pea Stamps - Anything Goes
Challenges 4 Everybody #125 - Anything Goes

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:

Sister Act #39 - Anything Goes

Addicted to Stamps #77 - Use markers, pencils, or crayons (I used Prismacolor Pencils.)

Stampin' Royalty # 209 - Birthday

Both of these cards were done almost the same way but I used paper from Crate Paper's Party Day collection. :)

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges...
Crafting by Designs - Birthdays
Friday Mashup #142 - Birthday
Penny's Paper-Crafty Challenge #159 - Anything Goes

Thanks for looking! Hope this finds you happy and healthy.

Something New?

So, I have a mommy friend who just got her "mommy makeover" (lucky ducky) and so I made her this card...

So, you've probably guessed the 'Something New' that we are celebrating are new boobies!! Hee, hee. That makes me laugh.

I used a set from There She Goes Stamps that is appropriately named, Nice Rack. I stamped the moose in Versamark and embossed him with Stampin' Up black embossing powder. I cut out my image with my Nestabilities circle dies and layered them up with popdots. I added some ribbon from We R Memory Keepers 'Sew Ribbon - Grey'. The cardstock is all from SU as well. Their neutrals are just great.

I kept the inside simple with another image of the moose. I really think she will get a kick out of this. :)

I would like to enter this card in the following challenges:
Sunday Stamps #66 (Missed the challenge but thought you might be interested anyway.)
Crafty Calendar Challenge - Let's Celebrate
Heck of a Challenge - Something New
MilkCoffee Challenges - Celebrations
Gem of a Challenge #110 - Something New
A Creative Romance - Something New
The Paper Girls #47 - "Wishful Thinking" (Haven't we all wished for new boobs at some point?)
Inky Impressions - Something New
Divas By Design - Let's Celebrate
Fab N Funky #198 - Let's Celebrate
One Sweet Challenge: January - Black and White (and Gray)

I had an extra image so I threw this card together with the supplies I was already playing with. I used another of the sentiments..."Moosing you." Man, that's adorable. TSG had the cutest stamps.

I would like to enter this card in the following challenges:
Addicted to CAS #29 - Die Cuts
Pile It On #1 - Just Because
Freshly Made Sketches #118


Thank you for looking! I hope this finds you happy and healthy.

BIG NEWS!! (CIC242)

I have been asked to join the Cupcake Inspirations Design Team! Yea! I'm so excited. This is my first challenge in this new role and CIC's first challenge of the year. I hope you will join in. :)

Our sponsor this week is Stamping Scrapping!

Stamping Scrapping is generously offering the Spellbinders Layer Creator Basic by Cindy Echtinaw Designs as our fabulous prize to our random winner! 

Thank you for sponsoring this challenge!

Here is this week's inspiration cupcake and color challenge. 

Inspiration Cupcake: Sparkling Cider Cupcakes from Life Made Simple

Here's my take...

I was really attracted to the "lights" in the background. I used a kraft cardstock base and my cream layer is embossed with my Cuttlebug Swiss Dots folder. I used sequins from Lawn Fawn and My Style Stamps to create my own "lights". I covered Macaw DIY Thickers in an un-named gold glitter (from Terri) after attaching them to my card front. The inside is super simple with just a Teeny Tiny Wishes sentiment stamped in Stampin' Up's Chocolate Chip ink.

I also made these versions because I liked the card so much. :)

Dear Lizzy Primrose Thickers in gold

Shoebox DIY Thickers covered in glitter

 Thanks for looking. Hope this finds you happy and healthy!

I would like to join these challenges:

Creatalicious Challenges #58: 2014 Wishes
Crafty Hands Challenge Blog #5: Anything Goes
Come and Get It Challenges: Something New (I have never used the DIY Thickers.)
C.R.A.F.T. Challenge #240: Anything Goes
Creative Card Challenges 2 #26: Anything Goes
Drunken Stampers Bonus Challenge: New Year's Day
Simon Says Stamp: Something New
Glitter N Sparkle #66: Anything Goes
Great Impressions January Challenge: Use Something New (I used my DIY Thickers.)

New Year's Resolutions

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

So, I believe that if I actually put my resolutions in writing (and send them into the world wide web) that I'm more likely to follow through with them. :) And here they are, in no particular order...

*Make-A-Card Monday post, every Monday
*Run at least 3 times, and attend 1 strength class, a week
*Join a design team (hopefully, one will want me :))
*Take every opportunity to be a guest designer whenever it arises
*Attend a monthly girls' night out
*Kill the Simon Says Stamp Monthly Card Kit by the last day of the month
*Send the cards I make to the people I make them for
*Focus and work on not getting overwhelmed (How do you eat a whale? One bite at a time.)
*Volunteer at the kids' school as often as possible but know when to say "no" too
*Complete the Dallas Half Marathon (hopefully, with some family and friends there too)

I would love to know what your resolutions are. Please share. :)

Going to go see if the New Year's Panda brought us anything. Do you have a New Year's Panda?

Thanks for looking! Hope this finds you happy and healthy.