Over the Top Award

I received this award from my blogging friend Sue at Sue's Rubber Stamping Adventures Thanks dear heart! Sue's rubber stamping is an adventure and I encourage you to visit her because she has a lot of great things to share. I always have a wonderful time visiting and I know you will too. And, before I could acknowledge and comply, what to my wondering eyes to behold! I'm awarded "Over the Top" by Suzie Q! Her "Craft Creations and a Little Monkeying Around" is a delight -- visit her blog and read her answers to the questions posed for this award, and you'll see what great humor she has as well! (for example, Q No. 27 -- "What you are not wearing") Ah, but now on to the specs of this award.

In this award, you are asked to pass this on to 5 others, post on their blog to let them know, and answer a list of questions in ONE word.

1. Where is your cell phone? Lap

2. Your hair? Dyed

3. Your Mother? Amazing!

4. Your Father? Smart

5. Your favorite food? Mexican

6. Your dream last night? Stamping

7. Your favorite drink? Milkshake

8. Your dream/goal? Stamping

9. What room are you in? Studio

10. Your hobby? Dreaming

11. Your fear? Fear

12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Studio

13. Where were you last night? Studio

14. Something that you aren't. Working

15. Muffins? Yes (please)

16. Wish list item? decluttered

17. Where did you grow up? Michigan

18. Last thing you did? Stamped

19. What are you wearing? Jeans

20. Your TV? Off

21. Your Pets? Weineramer

22. Friends? Cherished

23. Your Life? Happy

24. Your Mood? Hopeful

26. Vehicle? 4-wheels

27. Something you're not wearing? Shoes

28. Your favorite store? Food

29. Your favorite color? Blue

30. When was the last time you laughed? Today

31. Last time you cried? Yesterday (sad movie)

32. Your best friend? Husband

33. One place that I go to over and over? YMCA

34. Facebook? Daily

35. Favorite place to eat? Home

The five people I would like to pass this on to are: Susa, Dani, Julia, Annie, visit all of these creative ladies for great stuff. And, Elaine who is a new blogger and has some wonderful things to share.

and more Thanks!

Two more thank you cards for our Heroes! When I am in the designing mode, I always end up with extra elements -- extra images, shapes, bits of cardstock, papers, and ribbon. Mostly I set these aside probably never to use them again. This time a new challenge: Make those into cards too! So that is why I am still working on the theme of the thank you cards for Heroes.

The camo background is from a Stampendous stamp, and the netting you can guess is from produce netting (my always recycling nature), other stuff includes a Sizzix pieced flag with a bamboo skewer for a flagpole, and a cuttlebug embossed panel.

This one is simple and clean in design and makes me very satisfied to use as a thank you except that there is a "little glitter" behind the acetate window (couldn't resist) -- so I will duplicate this one sans glitter.

Stamps: Stampin' up!, Comotion; Sizzix, brads, EK Success corner punch, pop dots and a bit of ribbon.

The challenge here is to keep making cards to send to our Heroes (Operation Write Home) - and especially for our troops who are away from home during the Holidays -- let's remember to give them special attention.

The Path

"The path to a friend's house is never long" for a challenge to make a shadow box card. These cards are a delight to make and if you haven't tried one, here's a tutorial from Splitcoast Stampers. The challenge is inspired by 1 Corinthians 13:12 (King James Version): "For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known." and interpreted for a shadow box challenge by the talented Peggy Sue Turner. More details on this challenge and to see the wonderful creations by the design team visit Stamping Sisters in Christ. The home scene was stamped on blue card stock, heat embossed, areas bleached and then re-colored with watercolor pencils. The outer frame was easy peasy with my favorite Sizzix and yellow seed beads for the flower centers. The delight of the shadow box is that the recipient receives it flat in an envy but when it is revealed, it stands on its own to give great dimension into the scene. I'm making a path to my friends' houses (blogs) today -- won't you come along?

My stuff: Stampendous, Darcie, Bleach, Seed Beads, Sizzix, Watercolor Pencils

Lucky Ducky

I took the suggestion for the Sweet N Sassy challenge blog to use their Thursday Freebie Digi stamp to participate in the challenge to use Holly. While a duck seems to be an unlikely candidate for a Christmas Card, I waddled ahead by dressing this lucky ducky in a winter cap (liquid appliqué and cotton added) and scarf. He is set in a Sizzix frame that has been textured with a cuttlebug folder, embellished with the required holly from a sizzlet die, and red gems for berries. A little Art Institute glitter for a bit of sparkle and a pipe cleaner candy cane sets him to dreaming of a ducky Christmas as a Martha Stewart snowflake border punch and shimmery paper completes the border. My granddaughter will be the lucky ducky that will receive this in the mail next month. When my MFA son wasn’t looking I put the blue bow back on this card – he said it looked better without it. His rationale is that the duck already has a blue "bow” around his neck. What say you?

Thanks

It is Veteran's Day here in the United States and so today I made a thank you card. The Stamping Sisters in Christ challenge (No. 12) this week is to make a card for folks in the service -- either a thank you card directed to one of them or a blank card that they can use as a greeting to a friend or loved one. If you would like to participate, take this link -- there you will see some lovely work by the DT and also some important information about Operation Write Home and how you can share your talents with our troops. The approved card size is A2 and cannot have any glitter -- making it a bit more challenging as lately I have been making larger sized cards. But I did manage to get a lot of "stuff" on it (and with my son's approval). Because I couldn't glitter it up, I pounced a gold pigment ink pad on the star string and heat embossed with Northern Lights Embossing Power.

For a bit more interest, I continued the star strand on into the inside:

Stamps: Posh (All Night Media), Stampendous, Stampin' Up
Other stuff: Cuttlebug Embossing Folder, Northern Lights Embossing Powder,
Nestabilities, Sizzix, brads, and water color pencils


Thanks for dropping by --

I'm on a Roll

I'm on a roll - rolling the Cuttlebug that is. The challenge at the Cuttlebug spot this week is "fruity" -- the DT's lovely creations that are fruity and delicious are here. Since I just vacationed in Hawaii -- I'm still dreaming of eating those wonderful Pineapples. I had more stuff planned for this one and my MFA son told me "no more stuff." -- After he left for school, I tied on the little circle labels -- LOL.
So, here's one I made for my son's approval (without so much stuff) --and since it isn't so fussy, I think my special AZBIL will love it as he is from Hawaii. Happy Birthday Jeff!

Some of my regular visitors will be surprised that I can't come up with a fruity joke - so I guess all the creative juice has been squeezed out of me. Thanks for coming by -- please tell me you were here.

The pineapples and flowers are Sizzix, stamps - PSX, Comotion, Hero Arts. Other stuff, DeNami blue ice glitter, gold pen, Memories Brown Ink pad, Marvy Orange ink pad, watercolor pencils, Liquid Laminate, DCWV paper

Hound Dog

The Penny Black challenge -- No. 74 (this week) is to depict a song or lyrics of a song using a Penny Black image so I opened up my Penny Black drawer to see what stamp would sing to me -- and "Birthday Dog" -- sang "pick me!"

This was a perfect choice because a very special person was in need of a birthday greeting. The birthday dog is on the inside of the card and can be viewed from the oval window cut out with an exacto. My song is, of course, "Hound Dog" as sung by Elvis Presley. To see the excellent DT's tune depicts -- go here. And, while you are doing that, I'll just pop this in the mail to "Hound Dog", the birthday dog.

Stamps: Penny Black, Cornish Heritage Farms, Clearsnap (rollograph) Tools and other stuff: watercolor pencils, Sizzix, Marvy punch, celestial blue embossing powder, Cuttlebug embossing folder - words computer generated.

White Christmas

The Penny Black Blog Challenge this week is White on White. I encourage all who visit here to go take a look at the Design Team's amazing contributions for this challenge. In the laundry room, I have no trouble with my whites -- but when there are so many yummy colors to be had in the studio, I had to wash away my desire to use colors -- though thank goodness the challenge does allow for the image to be in color. Most all elements are raised with pop dots -- except for the textured layers of snow. Because there is (subtle) shimmer to this card -- I am also presenting this to Our Daily Bread Designs Blog challenge "Show us the Shimmer".

Here's a better look at the shimmer:


Stuff I used:
Penny Black Rubber Stamp: "Aiming to Please" (scarf paper pieced)
5 different Cuttlebug Embossing Folders, Martha Stewart Snowflake Border,
Emaginations Snowflake punch, Sizzix tree die,
white satin Picot ribbon, shimmery paper,
crystal gems, Art Institute Glitter, mica powder,
asst. fibers, water color pencils, pop dots

All to show my dh that it takes a "Lot of Stuff" to make a card! Thanks so much for dropping by...please take a moment to tell me what you think.

Not a Cross Word

Happy Anniversary to my dearest cousin and her husband as they celebrate another great year together. They are so in tune with each other that they work several crossword puzzles in tandem each day -- Mary will work on one for awhile and then pass it to Jeff as he passes the one to her that he was working on. Together they solve all their problems -- and not a cross word between them. (oh, my son is cringing on that one.) And so this is my heartfelt greeting to them.

Stuff I used:
Sizzix die for tree, and a crossword puzzle that I worked on and then modified with a PSX alphabet and "Love." My very first ever punch -- the heart punch, leaf swirls - EK Success Corner punch, Cuttlebug embossing folders.

Let Me Make Something For You

Good friend and talented artist Sue has posted on her blog an offer I could not refuse. The rules are strict so please read them and if you would like something made by me just for you leave a comment at the end of this posting.

The first five (5) people to respond to this post will get something made by me.

This offer does have some restrictions and limitations so please read carefully:

1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I make. Whatcha get is whatcha get.

2. What I create will be just for you, with love.

3. It’ll be done this year (2009). This is my deadline to make something you for, it may be that you want to change this to some future time such as Easter 2010. Provided you make your commitment clear then no one will mind.

4. I will not give you any clue what it’s going to be. It will be something made in the real world and not something cyber. It may be weird or beautiful. Or it may be monstrous and annoying. Heck, I might bake something for you and mail it to you. Who knows? Not you, that’s for sure!

5. I reserve the right to do something strange.

6. In return, all you need to do is post this text on your blog and make 5 things for the first 5 to respond to your blog post.

7. Send your mailing address - after I contact you.

While you're at it, check out Sue's blog -- it is a favorite of mine and has a bounty of beautiful work to share.

This cat is where it's at

The last series of posts have been scheduled -- Remember this Aloha post? I am currently absent from my challenge participation and real time posting while I am doing the happy dance in Hawaii. When this posts, I should be on a plane towards home. Thanks for all your visits and lovely comments -- I will be anxious to get back home for more blogging friendship.

So glad

This is my first experience with a digi stamp. On one of my visits to my blogging friend Sue, I was lead to Mo's new digi challenge blogspot using digi stamps by Mo Manning. There I was lead to a "freebie" -- well, I took the freebie but wasn't in time for the challenge but felt responsible to post something since I took the image. I printed this charming image on purple cardstock -- because purple was in the challenge. The image is on foam mounts with an extra broom added for dimension. Other images are Sizzix. (But let me tell you this -- if you want to see the most ultra amazing project using this delightful image and better than that -- view a tutorial on how it was made, you must visit Mel.)


Though I have several Halloween words/phrases, I chose "I'm So Glad You're my Friend" (maker unknown) to be the most fitting because the little witch (Bella) and her dog (Bronte) are visibly good friends. And to Donna P and all my blogging visitors, I say "I'm so glad you're my friend."