The Gift of Love

Not very long ago I met a sweet Hawaiian girl over at PCP; Linda was debating starting a blog and she finally did along with her sister Kyoko. She truly loves stamping and sharing and I'm glad to be able to enjoy her creations! She was kind enough to bless me with the "Gift of Love" award. Thank you Linda!

I am supposed to share this with 5 other wonderful bloggers and wow - that's a tough decision to make! I would love to share this with the following gals who have been a blessing to me lately and that I am so happy to be able to share something we all love: stamping/crafting!!

Rebecca

June

Nancy

Anita

Mrs J

Jacquie

Cuttlebug Spa Weekend Winner

I have the winners of my lavendar goodies from the Cuttlebug Spa Weekend hosted by the Cuttlebug Challenge. Thanks so much to everyone that joined in and shared the love of the little green 'bug with us! I'm sorry it's taken until FRIDAY to get this posted! Geesh! Bad blogger!!

Here is the first winner:

Kelli said...
Lavender is very calming, great flower choice!

and then for the second set:

Christi said...
I love your cards! Especially love the turtle drawing your little guy did!

Congrats ladies! Email me your address and I'll get your prize package out to you! My email is:

casserole14 at gmail dot com

Maggie, owner of Cuttlebug Challenge, will be posting winners for the daily giveaways tomorrow! One of which is my bangle bracelet giveaway!

Thanks again! I am truly honored that so many of you would stop by for a visit, take the time to comment and follow! I'll be spending some time over the next few weeks to visit each of you!

Have a beautiful weekend ladies!

Monochromatic In Color

Another 2 weeks have gone by and it's time to show you my card for the latest challenge between Rebecca and I. Be sure to go see her card - it's awesome!!

I suggested that we create a monochromatic card using our favorite In Color (as they will be retiring soon! WHY SU???? WHY????) Oh, sorry! This is actually the first time that I've just fallen HARD for an in-color. Actually two of them. Possibly even three. Pink Pirouette and Baja Breeze are my favorites. I'm growing fond of Kiwi Kiss too, although I'm not sure that I'll really miss that color. Rebecca added the use of metal to the challenge and it was set! Here's my creation:

The base is randomly stamped in Baja Breeze with a vintage PSX stamp. The verse is stamped on a white label (#2 maybe) and popped up. The butterflies are punched from some metal sheets I had left over from a Ten Second Studio class last month.

Easy. But I hope you enjoyed it! Feel free to share your own monochromatic card using your favorite In Color (or any color if you don't use SU!) and metal. Leave me a link here so I can see it!

Have a beautiful day!

Thursday Thirteen: Things I Could Live Without

Last week my list consisted of 13 things I wouldn't want to live without (here). So I thought this week I would list 13 things I COULD live without!

1. junk email

2. spiders

3. yellow squash

4. commercials

5. cable tv

6. daylight savings

7. propaganda

8. new stamps

9. paper!

10. runny noses

11. excessive taxes

12. rising gas prices

13. slow drivers

Wow. This list isn't near as interesting as I originally thought it would be. Either there is not much I could live without or I have a really bad memory at all the things I worked on in my head all week!

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!
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Flutter By Wednesday: 10 Minute Inspiration

Good morning girls!! It's time for another Flutter By Wednesday! This week Danni provided us with a gorgeous photo to use as inspiration. It's so pretty and has the look and style of a professional photo!

We also have a guest designer this week - Kerry Donovan-Casey. Great to have you Kerry! Be sure to check out her creation for this week and leave a comment for her!

Our featured team member this week is Kim!! I ♥ her! Recently found her through a shared love of PMS and just am thrilled to be working with her weekly each week! Stop by her blog and leave her some love!!

Isn't it beautiful!?! I think that flower is called a coneflower. I have one that grows in my garden. Yes - one! I'm not that talented at gardening and truth be told, I'd rather stamp or read than pull a weed! LOL!!

I wasn't sure what direction to take; inspiration challenges are so open and can go in so many directions. But I wanted a quick card as my bed and a movie are calling my name!


This card didn't even take me 10 minutes! The base is an odd size - it's about 3 1/2 x 5 1/4. Just a little scrap I had left over from another card - not from my TT card yesterday although it is the same color. I embossed it using the leaves folder and then sanded it. Of course, there isn't a lot of distinction as the cardstock is SU. However, I kept at it and the embossing did lighten up. In fact, it has a really cool suede like texture. I don't know if you can really pick up on it in the photo below or not.

Simple, simple! Gotta love that! Be sure to use keyword FBW when linking up your creation at PCP/SCS. We'd also love it if you left a link to your creation in Mr Linky at Danni's blog so we can all check it out!

Before I leave, an update on my blog candy. I sat down a bit ago to draw the winners. WOW! I love that so many of you are fans of lavendar. I've always wondered why I'd seen other bloggers with a printout list --- and now I know! It's hard to count and scroll and make sure it stays accurate! So I'll be printing it out in the morning and posting then!

Have a beautiful day!!

Twinkling Tuesday: You're SSSPECIAL

Happy Tuesday girls! Did you have a wonderful NSD? It was a great weekend here! Thanks to all of you who stopped by and left a comment. I enjoyed every single one of them!!
For those of you that are new, today is Twinkling Tuesday, where the super talented Madelynn gives us a sketch. She's just 8 years old and already sooo talented!! Madelynn is back this week after letting her brothers take a turn in the spotlight. And oh, what a great sketch it is this week!


I created a sssweet card for my little man using the adorable snake from the Heartfelt Friends set at 2RedBananas. I have to tell you, this snake is the reason I picked this set. Isn't this just how you feel about your little ones --- you love them so much you could just swallow 'em up whole!

The challenge over at 2RedBananas this week was to create a monochromatic card and thus my all green card. (kinda like last week's TT card! what can i say - i like green!) Something is wonky with my lighting or my editing as the sssnake is mounted on the same Old Olive as the base and sentiment.

And Heather - this is for you. I know you asked me forever ago how I stored my buttons. It made me giggle because there is no rhyme or reason to them! Here are the ones that are super handy.

Be sure to visit all the rest of the Twinklettes to see their take on Madelynn's sketch this week. It's a talented bunch of girls and you'll be happy that you did! Christi is our featured Twinklette so be sure to leave her some love!!

Bonnie Sharp
Christi Thorsen
Darla
Debbie Lee
Heather
Heather Schlatter
Jacquie Peifer
Janna Hull
Jennifer Greco
Jessica Diedrich
Kim
Kimmie Doktor
Rebecca Ednie
Sandra McLean

I'll be back later to announce the winners of my Blog Candy from the Cuttlebug Challenge Blog Hop! Have a beautiful day ladies!

Cuttlebug Spa Weekend Quick Links

Here are some Quick Links for the Spa Weekend Event hosted by the Cuttlebug Challenge:

BLOG HOP post at CBC

MY BLOG HOP post

Here's a partial list of what you can win this weekend in addition to the tutorial prizes.

Bride Shopping Tags

Hello girls! Are you enjoying all the great inspiration over at Cuttlebug Challenge? If you haven't been by yet today, be sure to visit. Jennifer McGuire is joining us as our Special Guest Designer and has a great challenge for all of us.

Today Meda, Eva and I also created some wonderful wedding projects. Here's a little peek at mine!

This was very easy to create! It's a simple treat pull pouch. I found the little "like it" and "love it" tabs at Michaels in the bridal section. If you would like to create a similar project, here are some simple instructions for you.

Materials needed:

cardstock

assorted flowers

red liner tape

cuttelbug and embossing folder

glue dots

ribbon (36" in length is what I used. More than enough but I wanted to have lots to tie my bow. You could probably get by with 24")

1. Cut cardstock to 7 1/2 inches by 6 5/8 inches for the pouch. The insert measures 2 3/4 inches by 6 inches. Score at 2 inches and 5 inches on the long side.

2. Emboss cardstock. Apply red liner tape along the bottom outside flaps and along on of the short sides. Fold and close pouch.

3. Decorate outside with sentiment gem sticker. Flowers are created by layering silk flowers together. Use glue dots to assemble and adhere to pouch.

4. Adhere tags to insert using glue dots. Tie ribbon around insert with the bow at the top. Insert into pouch.

There is also a giveaway over on the Cuttlebug Challenge blog today. I'm giving away this beautiful pave bangle bracelet to one of our lucky followers! Be sure to visit the CBC blog and see the other projects and get entered to win! Think about how prettily it will sparkle at a special event - or while you craft!! ETA: The post at CBC is scheduled for 1 PM my time - and I goofed when I scheduled this! And it's showing 5/3 as the date. Sorry girls! I really thought Sat. was our day!

Thanks so much for stopping by! I've so enjoyed your visits and comments and the little bits you share about yourselves with me!
Have a beautiful day!!

Banana Split: Wearing Stripes

Good evening! or morning depending on when you are reading this! It's still Friday night for me. (My blog hop post is directly below this one so when you finish here, just keep scrolling!)

I am so excited to announce that I am officially a banana - not just any banana but a RED BANANA!! 2RedBananas is a new stamp company that opened earlier this year and I have just really enjoyed the stamp lines that Jeanette carries as well as the other products! She had me at ribbon! Gorgeous, wonderful ribbons. I own a few yards of several. They make me smile. I need to not hoard them; I do know where to get more! LOL!! It'll be one of my goals for the next year!! When she asked me a few weeks ago to join the design team I was a happy girl! Smiled for hours and kept re-reading the email! I'm so lucky to be joining a fabulous bunch of girls and really look forward to working with them over the next year!

Every Sunday the Bunch issues a challenge - the Banana Split Challenge! It's fun and has zero calories! This week's challenge was to use stripes in your creation. I know the week is almost over, but if you get chance, link up your creation over at the 2RedBananas blog for a chance to win some My Mind's Eye paper!!

I used the Caring Critters set for my card today. Birds always make me think of my mother. She knows what many of them are and can even identify them just by hearing them. I was loading the washing machine this morning and my little man came running in from outside: "I saw a robin Mommy! I saw a robin!" We've had lots of robins around our house this spring.

My image was colored with my Prismacolor pencils and baby oil. Here's the entire finished card:

No bird soars too high

if he soars with his own wings.

~William Blake

I hope you soar this weekend!

I'll have another post on Saturday for the Cuttlebug Challenge Spa Event along with more blog candy so I hope you'll come back for that!

P.S. I've loved all your comments today! So many of you love lavendar and love the Johnson & Johnson Sleep Time lavendar bath for little ones too!

Cuttlebug Spa weekend: Relax, Rejuvenate, Be Inspired!

Happy Friday everyone!! It's finally time for the Cuttlebug Challenge Spa Retreat! We are kicking off the weekend with a blog hop! You've got all weekend to hop around so don't feel like you have to rush! Grab your beverage of choice, get comfy and enjoy. Do it all at once or space it out all weekend!

Here's what to do:
-- Grab the list of Blogs for the Hop found HERE
-- Leave a comment on each blog
-- "Follow" each blog
-- Each blog will have a spa weekend post with instructions, and a specific flower
-- Collect the names of all the Blog Hop Hosts and their flowers
-- Once done, email us at cuttlebugchallenge @ gmail. com to be entered to win one of the Spa Weekend prizes.


It's always good to take a moment to relax and rejuvenate! I chose Lavender as my flower because it is typically used to relieve stress and tension. And I think the fields of lavender growing in France are just lovely!



Ever since my little man was a baby, we have used the lavender scented bubble bath and lotion from Johnson & Johnson at bedtime. Lavender is believed to be soothing and relieve tension. I definitely think it helps him!

About 10 years ago I found some lavender scented linen mist and ever since then I love to spray my sheets with lavender scented linen spray/pillow mist. Just a light spray before crawling in bed. (It's a great trick for traveling too as I tend to have a hard time sleeping in a different bed.) That and a game or two of Sudoku and then I'm off to dreamland. You would think Sudoku would stimulate my brain; I think it's actually just a focused, easy activity and allows my mind to escape all the other stuff that builds up in it during the day! Without it I lay in bed thinking of all I wanted to get done and didn't and all that needs to be done the next day. And then of course I start stressing out about the sleep I'm losing!! LOL!!

You can find some more information here about other benefits of lavender.

Thanks for stopping by!! I do have a little treat to give away to TWO lucky readers!! Yep, TWO!! I love this stuff and want to share it with you! I'll be giving away a small bottle of Lavender-Vanilla Pillow Mist from Bath & Body Works and a small sachet of culinary grade lavendar, which you can cook with if you felt so inclined or use it in a craft project!

To win, all you have to do to win my prize is become a follower and leave a comment!

Cassie's Flower (that's me): Lavender (ETA: You only need the 30 flower names!)
Your next stop is: Jenyfur

Be sure to visit all the blogs - several of the design team have prizes to giveaway on their blogs and of course there are the big prizes over at the CBC blog!