Happy Halloweeeeeeeen!!

Hi again!! Well...it's Halloween and we're getting ready for all the little trick-or-treaters!! (I hope we don't have too many goblins...I would love to get into that candy myself! LOL!) Anyway, being the weekend and all, it seemed only right that I make another card! No sense making a Halloween card tho, since I've already mailed all of those out! So I decided to make another Christmas card! This one features a darling little image from Lili of the Valley Stamps. I absolutely love these little images...each one is cuter than the last!! I actually followed a very clever sketch by Bev Rochester and will enter this card in the LOTV Challenge # 71 HERE.
Here's a very artistic side view! :-) And another view...this one of the inside. Here's my recipe:
Cardstock: Cranberry Crisp, Always Artichoke, & Very Vanilla (Stampin' Up)
DPs, ivy leaves, & sentiment "tickets": Holly Jolly set (from My Mind's Eye
Flower Soft: Christmas Green
Fun Flock for the fur trim on his hat
Stickles, Spica pens, and Ribbon & Pearls: my stash
I used Copics to color the image...but I lost track...I stopped counting after 45! YIKES!!! The markers were flying fast & furious!! LOL!

So that's it for today...next up...hmmm...maybe another holiday card featuring Tilda! We'll just have to wait and see! Thanks so much for stopping by...and as always, thank you so much for your kind comments! Have a beautiful week!! Pat

Holiday Pink & Pearls

Hi friends...it's the weekend. YAY!!! That means I get to hang out with my sweet hubby AND it means I get to spend some time in my craftroom...YAY again! Here's a cute little Christmas card that I just finished and wanted to share with you. I chose some really beautiful DP from October Afternoon called "Sing the Carols" that I picked up at a local craft shop in town. I just love this design...actually, it's double-sided...with music on one side and pink with ivory snowflakes on the other side...so it's perfectly color-coordinated! I thought it would be perfect for Totally Tilda's "Pink and Pearls" challenge HERE. I used a sweet little image...some of you may recognize her...her name is...TILDA (teehee)!!!! Actually she's called "Vintage Tilda" and is from the "Very Merry Little Christmas 2010" collection. I have Tilda sitting on top of a "Magnolia" Christmas Ornament...both images can be found at Magnolia-licious. Don't you just love Tilda's freckles?!! I do!! Perfect little angel kisses on the bridge of her nose...er, that is, if she actually had a nose!

So here's the rest of the "recipe" I used in making this little card:
Cardstock: Very Vanilla & Cherry Cobbler (SU)
Lace square, circle, & snowflake dies: Nestabilities
Snowflake punch: Martha Stewart
Snowflake edge paper punch: EK
"Merry Christmas" sentiment: SU
Inside Christmas sentiment: Just-Rite
Stickles & Polar White Flower Soft
Ribbon, pearls, and flowers: my stash
Ink for sentiments & edging around image: Cherry Cobbler from SU
Copic Sketch Markers (see photo below) I should also tell you that I spent nearly all day trying to figure out how to get the cute little watermark (available from Whimsy Stamps) on my photos. No, it's not really a difficult process...for most humans on the planet Earth...but for me...another major accomplishment. YAY ME!!! So...I hope you enjoy this little card...and, as always, thanks soooooo much for stopping by for a peek! See you soon...Pat

Winter Fun at LOTV Stamps...

Hello again...I'm back with another holiday card!! I know it's not even Halloween yet...but I need to get started on holiday cards!! I used the traditional red & green for this little card with a bit of aqua and peach thrown in to go with these yummy "Candy Cane Christmas Collection" DPs from Stampin' Up! I chose the most darling little Lili of the Valley stamp. I am soooooo in love with these little girls & boys! This particular one reminds me of our youngest granddaughter, Mia. We call her Mimi...you may recall from earlier posts that Mimi likes to wear tutus!! So...oh, wait, a quick sidebar here...I just found out that Mimi took a trip to the hospital's ER after sticking a pea up her nose! YIKES!!! I'm sure she's ok...although I think I'll call her today and see what motivated her to try out that new little trick!!

But I digress...the card...I'm actually entering this little darlin' into this week's LOTV Challenge. The theme is Winter Fun!! I think this fits!!
Here's my recipe:
Cardstock: Garden Green & White from SU
DPs, fabric, & button: SU
Copics: see photo below; plus I used E21, 00, 000, 0000 for skin
Ribbon & rubies (LOL...just kidding): my stash
Nestabilities Round Lace Die with silver Holiday Ribbon woven through it
Frosted Lace Stickles & Polar White Flower Soft for snow & falling snowflakes
White fun flock: for the pom pom on her hood Thanks so much for stopping by and for all your sweet comments. I love hearing from all of you. Until next time...happy crafting!! Pat

Guest Designer for 7 Kids...

Hi friends...oooh...I'm so excited to have been chosen as a Guest Designer for this fortnight's challenge over at 7 Kids College Fund Challenge Blog!! The theme this time is an easy and timely one for me since my daughter's birthday is coming up the first week in November!!
Amy will be 38...which means I can no longer tell people I'm in my forties! LOL!! So...I chose some yummy DPs from Memory Box called "Spiceberry"...and then picked a delightful little image from Whiff of Joy called "Willow with Hot Chocolate". It seemed perfect for Amy because she is truly a "supermom" and is always doing things for everyone else and seldom takes time to just sit and enjoy even a few moments over a warm beverage! (Keep in mind, she lives in AZ...so cold weather hasn't hit quite yet. But still...she needs to relax once in a while!!) So, since fall is in the air over much of this country, I decided to go with a fall/winter theme.

Here are a couple of photos from the sides...
And, a pic of the inside of the card...you have to look hard to see the cute little "cup" charm... Here's my card "recipe":

Cardstock: Cherry Cobbler (one of their yummy new colors!)& Very Vanilla (SU)
Flowers: Prima
Pearls & Flourishes: from ZVA (Tab carries them at 7 Kids)
Sentiment: Just Rite Stamps
Ribbon & charm: stash
Copic Sketch Markers: E21, 00, 000, 0000 (skin); R20 (cheeks); G85, 82, 20 (sweater & sox); E07 & 02 (flowers in jeans); E25, 99, 33, YR21, 20, & E50 (hair); B05, 02, 00, 000 (mug); C5, 3, 2, 1, 0, 00 (jeans), and a little W3 to tone down some of the brightness in the sweater.

Thanks so much for stopping by...and a big, BIG THANKS to Tab and the Design Team over at 7 Kids College Fund Challenge Blog....it's always fun playing along with all of you uber talented ladies!! Pat

Sugar Bowl Challenge # 46....

Hi friends...I just got back from a conference in Chicago...it was such fun...Chicago is an amazing city...especially if you're a "foodie"! My sweet hubby and I ate at some of the most amazing restaurants while we were there...my fave was a place named "Tru". We had a 9-course meal...little tastes of all kinds of spectacular goodies...PLUS we had "pre-dessert", "dessert", and then "after dessert" sweeties!! Yum! Oh, and speaking of sweeties...here's my first card created in my new role as a "Sweetie" DT member for The Sugar Bowl Challenge!! Challenge # 46 is Marlene's sketch and theme..."for the boys"!
Now, I know, boy cards can sometimes be challenging...but get this, the prize (chosen by random drawing) is uber fab!!

* a 6-stamp pick'n'mix of Sugar Nellie Stamps (wait til you see some of their new, seriously irresistable Simply Sassy stamps HERE)

AND

* a set of Spellbinders "Eyelet Sqaures" Nestabilities!!

So you definitely do NOT want to miss this Sugar Bowl challenge!!You can find more info on this challenge HERE. I had such fun with this little Sugar Nellie image by Diane Duda called "Puppy Dog Tails". I think he's kinda cute!! You can get him HERE.

So...here's the rest of my card "recipe"...

Cardstock: Dusty Durango, Garden Green, Very Vanilla, & Black from Stampin' Up
DPs: Cosmo Cricket "Matilda" Collection
Ribbon: Dusty Durango and Garden Green button (SU)
Inks (background & edging): Garden Green & Not Quite Navy (SU) and Memento black
Copic Sketch Markers (see photo below)
Grass: Flower Soft Shamrock Green & Nut Brown
Sentiment: Stampin Up "Teeny Tiny Wishes"
Charm: Bunny Zoe's (I think) So, that's all for now...thanks so much for stopping by for a visit. I'll see you all soon...and best of luck with this fun "for the boys" challenge! Pat

Wooohoooo!!

Hi friends...I just needed to brag a bit! I entered that cute little card with Edwin choking, er...I mean hugging, Tilda into this week's 7 Kids College Fund Challenge Blog...and the card was chosen as one of the top 3!! Plus...and this is soooo cool...I've been invited to be a Guest Designer in the next challenge!! Thanks so much for visiting. See you all soon. Pat

7 Kids Challenge # 5

Hi friends. Happy Monday! Yes...I should be at work but I just needed to post this before I head into the office. I made this sweet little card for my mother-in-law. You may remember, she just celebrated her 91st b-day! She's busy swimming and line dancing and volunteering with Hospice. Plus, she belongs to a dance team that performs for people in nursing homes! I should have HALF of her energy!! LOL! But...I digress...back to the card... You may remember this little Tilda & Edwin image from the Autumn collection. I think it's called "Brother & Sister"...but, I swear, I never EVER got this close to any of my brothers when I was a kid! hehehe! Anyway...I thought they made a perfect Halloween image...they look just a wee bit frightened! I paired this image with Magnolia's Oak Tree image...and will enter it into 7 Kids College Fund Challenge Blog for Challenge # 5 HERE. Here's a close-up of Tilda & Edwin. Here's a side view (sorry, a little blurry)...I doubled up on my dimensionals to really prop Tilda & Edwin out from the card. I like the result. Inside & back of the card. Here's my recipe...
Cardstock: Stampin Up black
DPs: Cosmo Cricket "Matilda"
Spider web punch: Martha Stewart
Flowers, ribbon, & rhinestones: My stash
Sentiment: SU "Teeny Tiny Wishes"
Flower Soft: Autumn (leaves); Shamrock Green mixed with a little Nut Brown (grass)
Glossy accents: Tilda's "Mary Janes"
Here's a pic of the Copics I used. I will tell you that I used E21, 00, 000, & 0000 for skin; E25, 99, 33, & YR 21 and 20 for the hair; and E59, 25, 33, 99, & 53 for the tree bark. Thanks for taking time out of your busy day to stop by for a visit...and thanks for your comments...they mean so much to me! Have a beautiful day/night (wherever you are). See you soon...Pat

Another wedding card...

Hello friends...just wanted to share this little wedding card with you. I actually made it before we left on vacation. It was for one of husband's colleagues who got married earlier this month. I used an absolutely darling image from Lili of the Valley. Hope you enjoy it...and thanks for stopping by for a visit!! :-) Pat

Halloween for the Grandkids!

Hi friends...phew...I have just finished making 5 cards...one for each of our 5 grandchildren. Talk about a marathon craft-fest! You may remember that I was planning to take some Magnolia images and my Tim Holtz distress inks with me on vacation so that I could practice a bit. Well...here they are. Don't ask me what colors I used because I honestly didn't write them down...I was on vacay, after all! LOL! I used a variety of Halloween DPs as well...I mixed and matched Martha Stewart, Recollections, Cosmo Cricket, and Basic Grey DPs. I also used cardstock from Stampin Up. Then I added charms, rhinestone swirls, raffia lace, prima flowers, various ribbons, tulle, and a bit of Viva Pearl Pen. Of course I used a healthy helping of Crystal Stickles...and the spider web punch (by MS). I had such fun making these...and I must say, I'm pretty pleased with the results...so take a breath, grab yourself an adult beverage, and put your feet up...because this could very well be the longest post in the history of blogdom!!

This first card is for our oldest granddaughter, Emma. She's 11 and in 6th grade. But she still loves halloween! Emma's at that in-between age. You know...between little kid and teenager. We have such fun together. She's my best friend!!!

This one is for her sister, Sophia, who will be 5 in December. Soph likes getting cards...her mom told me that she's been known to draw noses and mouths on the Tilda's I've sent her! hehehe!


This little sweetie is for our sweet little Ava who is 6 and in 1st grade. Her favorite color is...ta da...ORANGE!! I think she'll like this little Tilda.

Here's a cute little Tilda "devil" for our darling little Mia. Mia will be 4 in December...and she is single-handedly giving her parents lots and lots of grey hair!! I find her antics to be completely entertaining. Oh...and her fave outfits are anything that include a tutu!!!


And finally, this last little card...Edwin...is for our one and only grandson, Brody. Brody is 6 years old and is in 1st grade. He is cute and funny and is absolutely his father's mini-me!! Brody loves Halloween as much as his dad! So, there you go...5 cards for 5 incredible kids! (Can you tell that I am completely in love with our grandkids?!!) Thank you all for stopping by to visit...and, as always, thanks for your comments. You're so good for my ego!! I'll be back soon...I have several projects in the works...but next time I promise not to be so long-winded!! Have a beautiful evening/day. See you soon...Pat

Guess what? I'm a Sweetie!!

Hi everyone. I'm back from vacation...what a fun 10 days with my handsome hubby!! Relaxation, great food, a bit of gambling, and a little jewelry shopping! Plus...the day before we left the Caribbean I found out that I had been chosen to be on the Design Team at Sugar Nellie's "Sugar Bowl Challenge Blog" HERE. How cool is that?!! I'm sooooooo excited and wanted to share it with my blogging buddies. I'll be back in a day or so with 5 Halloween cards for our adorable grandkids...with the images I painted with Distress Inks while I was on vacay!! See you soon...Pat