Fun & Happy News!!!

Any of you who read my blog regularly know how much I LOVE Melanie Muenchinger's stamps. She is a wonderful artist and illustrator!! It has been the hardest thing I've had to do in quite some time... but about two weeks ago Melanie wrote me and asked if she could send me her new "Sporty Accessories" stamp set and if I would be her Guest Designer for the next month... and, of course, I couldn't let anyone know until Gina K's Release Party! My first thought was "Ha! ME?? a Guest Designer??? No way!!!" After about 30 minutes of sitting at my desk holding my hand over my mouth I finally shouted..."YESSSS!!!!!" (Fortunately I was alone at work... LOL) I am so honored to be working with Melanie to show you what I come up with using her set. She is always so supportive and encouraging. I MUST tell you how I "met" Melanie... as it were... online. I surfed over to Splitcoast Stampers for one reason or another... and was looking through a link and Melanie's avatar caught my eye. Well... her avatar happened to be a picture of her... smiling... with red lipstick on. You ever see someone and just think... "WOW, what an awesome smile?" Well...that's what happened. I had come to the conclusion one day last summer while on small 3-4 day trips with my kids (dad couldn't go as he had started a new job and didn't have vacation time yet), that when I saw someone I felt deserved a compliment I was going to give it to them. So... I did. I sent Melanie a small private message stating I had seen her leave a comment on a link and couldn't help but notice she had a beautiful smile! Now don't get me wrong... it felt kinda weird doing it since I didn't know her at all!! But... when she replied back with a sweet thank you... I knew I had done the right thing. THEN.... I decided to look through her Gallery!! Ooooops... NOW what have I gotten myself into??? LOL Honestly... Melanie truly inspired me to make my cards better than I ever could have thought they might be. I followed her blog and I can't tell you how much inspiration she has given me. I've even actually drawn a few things in myself on my cards and eeeeek where did THAT come from??? I'm NOT an artist by any means, but Melanie can make you use what you have and try things you thought you'd never imagine yourself trying. I hope I can live up to her keen eye and I do her stamps justice. But mostly, I am HONORED she gave ME a chance. Thanks Melanie!!!

Pretty in Pink

Last night I wanted to make a card that was VERY special for my niece who just graduated from High School and is on her way to the KC Art University (or whatever it is... LOL). Her graduation party is tomorrow night and I had decided that I wanted to make her card in pink since it IS her favorite color. I initially thought I'd do her school colors (maroon and gold) but... she's such a cute little thing and pink just makes her, ya know? Again... I had originally thought I'd go with a contemporary sort of graduation card.. stamps of caps and gowns and diploma's, etc. And, once again, it just didn't feel right with her. So... in thinking if over I decided NO one can have too many delicate, soft things in their lives, right? Especially girls!!! Hee Hee I have to give a shout out to Selma Stevenson who got me started with all this flower coloring AND... honestly... Selma GAVE me the white dotted Swiss background paper as a "thank you" for helping her with her blog! Isn't that sweet??? She actually went to BUY me the embossing folder but they were sold out at her location so she did a bunch up in white and mailed them to me to fill in until I got my folder... awwwwww, she's just a sweetheart! So, even though this card is for my niece... I'm dedicating it to Selma... a GREAT person to learn how to work with flower stamps from! My little butterfly (don't miss it... it's almost unnoticeable)was punched from vellum and I just added a few streaks here and there with my Stardust Pure Glitter Pen from Gina K Designs. I LOVE this pen... I can't believe how nicely it puts just a touch of shimmer on cards. You know those places where glitter is just to much. It wasn't long ago I started even considering "zuuuzhing" (hee hee - stole that from the Fab Five) up the inside of my cards and I can say I rarely do a card now without making the inside pretty as well. Again.. a big shout out to Jessica Fick for giving me the idea and inspiration! But this time... I decided to do BOTH sides of my card. Mostly... I wanted to stamp a light verse that I felt was so appropriate a quote for a graduate. But... I didn't want her to miss it either... so I bordered it with some pink gingham. I hope she likes it. It's gonna be a HUGE party tomorrow night... live band and all the Mexican food you can eat!!! Woohoo! After Gina's Release Party tonight, and then the graduation party tomorrow night... I MAY very well need the WHOLE weekend to recuperate! LOL See you all tonight, I'm sure!! Be ready to shop!

"Hobo Stew" Card...

I recently did a card challenge from StampTV which required us to make a card using nothing but scraps! No cutting could be done. We could use anything in our "stash" that was lying around but absolutely no cutting other than the base of the card could be done. Well... HOW was I to know I had so many THINGS lying around that would even resemble a finished card if put together!!!??? Oh boy... do I need to make "Hobo Stew" cards EVERY week! LOL To begin with... I found the yellow dotted Swiss background and decided then to try to use a black background card base. AND... honestly.... I had THAT too sitting in my basket of A2 card bases that I fold and keep whenever I start a new card. Then I went on a scavenger hunt. I found the scalloped oval and thought I wasn't seeing right when I noticed it was yellow... and when I took it over to the dotted Swiss paper I jumped... woohoo.. what were the chances?? LOL Next I ran across the white dotted Swiss piece and held it for awhile thinking if I could... I'd use it. Last, I found the rose from Melanie Muenchinger's A Year of Roses that I remember coloring and for some reason didn't like how it turned out. Not sure I do now either but... hey... it worked with the card. After layering the rose I looked down and saw two scap punches I had made with my new Martha Stewart punch for the "purple owl" card and later decided to use a different shade of green. Sooooo... that too was a "leftover" of sorts. It was then I decided to go ahead and use the white dotted Swiss piece to somewhat add some separation from the scallop and card bg. Now on the inside... I searched thru my yellow scraps and found the piece I wanted but realized it didn't leave any margins at the ends. But... this was all about scraps, right? So I went ahead and glued it to the inside just as a "see... I DID use scraps.. because I'd always cut a margin" example and then decided to add a bit of lace which was lying in my ribbon scraps bag. WAH LA! A decent card and all because I cut and store and leave things lying around for that "rainy day"! LOL It worked! Have a great day!

Always Remember...

I did this card awhile back using Gina K's "Not Forgotten" set and Rupa's "Guiding Light". My intention was to emboss the card using my Nestabilities but... I just haven't figured out how to do that without actually cutting the paper. *sigh* Practice, I guess. All in all, this did not turn out as I wanted but I did want to make a card for my ex-mother-in-law. She lost her husband a year ago and I know EVERY Father's Day will be hard for her. She said she's been through a whole year of "holidays" now since he's gone so it should get easier. Truth is... "I" know she will feel a void even still. She and I are still so very close and I worry about and think about her often during holiday times. I'm not great with my Copics yet and DEFINITELY need some help on water... LOL But you cannot blame a girl for trying... I don't quit easily! LOL The inside of the card I used the simple rope image from Rupa's set and thought it was plenty. Tom (my ex-father-in-law) loved to fish and this set just seemed so appropriate as well as simple... much like he preferred life. Here's to memories of our lost loved ones. God Bless.

Whooo's Birthday is it????

Good Friday morning!!! I have to start this post with a side note... I opened my blog to see what I had already loaded and what I hadn't and realized in doing so... I have HIT 1,000 visitors to my blog!!!!! Woooo Hoooo!! Honestly... I don't know if MY visits add in there so if they do... hee hee... I'm the 1000th person here! LOL But seriously... I never thought I'd have a blog that I post to regularly at all... and I never thought I'd get anywhere close to 1,000 people looking at it!! Now... to get you people to add yourself as a "follower"!! LOL Hey.. ya gotta have a goal, right?? On with the birthday card! I made this card using Asela's Framed Friends. I have to admit.. when I first saw this set I thought... "Oh wow... nice designs, but I'm soooo not an animal person!" But you know what???? I HAD to get it once I saw Asela make a card with it using a PINK OWL!!!! LOL I LOVED it! And hence... my PURPLE owl! Anyone who knows me knows how I've always loved purple. Anyone wanna know how I ended up loving purple??? LOL To bad... I'm GONNA tell you anyway! LOL Well.. because.. it's DONNIE OSMOND'S favorite color!!!! LOL LOL Oh yeah... I loved Donnie Osmond! LOL And truthfully... he's still kinda cute... white teeth and all!! Ha Ha! Soooo... LOL I loved the purple owl.. then I thought... OH google eyes!!! When I first added them I thought they kinda made him look like he had on glasses. I added the branches because I couldn't wait to use my new Martha Stewart punch I've been seeing everyone else using on StampTV. It's an awesome punch! The "To Whooo" I free handed as I didn't have a stamp that said just that and I wanted my Purple Owl to talk! Hee Hee

Make sure you head on over to StampTV on Memorial Day, the Designers start sharing "sneak peeks" and I hear there are lots of COOL stamps coming out next Thursday.

Have a great Memorial Day weekend and remember someone you love with a smile.

Stampin' Out Alzheimer's!

I want to share some information about a very special project with you today that involves some of my Paper Craft Planet friends. Jen Tapler, from Jen Tapler Designs, and Susanna Boyd of Card of the Week are hosting a 7 day stamping and scrapbooking event to help raise money and awareness for Alzheimer's Disease. Alzheimer's Disease is currently the 7th leading cause of death in the United States. It is a fatal, progressive disease that slowly robs a person of their precious memories.We are involved in the memory preservation hobbies - so what better cause for the papercrafting community to join together to support? The site, Stampin Out Alzheimers.ning.com, will feature a variety of challenges, contests, classes and more in different paper crafting categories (stamping, cardmaking, paperscrapbooking, digi scrapping, hybrid, etc) - with prizes donated by over 30 generous sponsors. It's set up as a "Pay to Play" community.For a small donation (any amount will do), you'll get permission to join the online community which will be up from May 25 to June 1st. 100% of these funds will be donated to the Alzheimer's Association to help with their efforts to provide and enhance care and support for all those affected by this heartbreaking disease.The site isn't "live" yet - it will open soon and the events will begin on Monday. For a quick link to join and make a donation, check out the widget in my sidebar.Check out the video on Paper Craft Planet's home page for a special mesage from Susanna and more about the event by clicking here. I'd LOVE it if you'd share the badge (see it on the sidebar on the left? just click where it says "add to site" and it will give you the html to copy and paste) on your blog and help us spread the word! We'd like this to be the largest community fund raising effort in the stamping and scrapbooking space. Please help. You'll help us raise awareness and money for Alzheimer's.

"You're In the Navy Now...."

I had so much fun working with Carolyn King's Nurse Feelgood the other day and as I was sitting at home thinking (I was SUPPOSE to be listening to my guests - I had a PartyLite candle show at my home... LOL) and I came up with turning her into a little Navy Gal. Her shirt was just perfect for the uniform!! It didn't take much to turn her hat into a "sailor's cap" either and making a tiny flag to cover the heart that is on her shirt was easy peasy! I can think of all kinds of way to alter this little "nurse". I'm sure you could too! "The Best" comes from Melanie Muenchinger's stamp set called "The Best Things in Life" and the inside's "I'm really proud of you!" came from Gina K's "Kindred Greeting for Kids". Also, I am soooooooooo in love with the new paper I ordered from The Paper Temptress and though it's hard to actually cut it up... LOL... I find I am thinking of more ways to use it. It's just gorgeous paper. I haven't yet cut my Velvet Touch paper though I can't resist running my hand over it every time I sit down at my craft table. How sick is that??? LOL I already have one thought in my head for using it though so keep watching for it. Today though, I felt it was a day to be proud. Proud of our servicemen and... personally... proud of my TWO nieces!! Yes... my nieces. The oldest one, Christina, (my namesake and godchild as well) is graduating from college in New York and receiving her Bachelor's Degree in Creative Writing. AND... she got accepted to a Master's college to further her degree in writing which she is thrilled about. My other niece, Ashley, (the one who shares my daughter's birthday and whom I think gave my daughter her younger "attitude"... LOL) is graduating from High School and has been accepted at an Art Institute in Kansas City! My sister HAS to be so proud to have raised such wonderful girls. They were "my babies" and I spoiled them rotten before I had my own kids. And I admit... I still spoil them. *smile* One more thing... Gina K Designs will be releasing new stamps at the end of next week. Be sure to check out StampTV and Splitcoast Stampers for previews and her release party posts. It's a good day!

School's Out For Summer!!!

Well... not for a few more days... but almost!! My kids are so excited and I bet yours are too! They have ALL these things they HAVE to do this summer. Fun things, of course.. and then there's always the... "I'm sleeping in!" mornings that seem to be the biggest thing lately... LOL My daughter, Emily, can be quite the handful so I really think her teacher deserves a bit more than just this card and trust me... we'll work on that. But in the meantime... I made this cute little card with Carolyn King's newest set called... Nurse Feelgood! Imagine that... it's not even a "teacher" set!!! This set is just to cute. The nurse can be made, as you can see, into just about any other woman you'd like. Simply cut off her hat! I could have changed the heart on her shirt but decided to leave it because honestly... she just loves her students so much. She told me the other day... "No matter how rough a year it's been... I always cry the last day." I found that almost impossible to believe because besides MY daughter... there was a child in her class that I observed while accompanying them on a field trip that I would have lost my mind over if "I" had been his teacher this year! LOL So... sometimes... you have to see "other" kids to realize... maybe your kid isn't as bad as you thought. And honestly... she's not so bad. She's just stubborn and to smart for her own good. I am hoping she gets a "tough" teacher again next year because she needs to always be challenged. Surf on over to Gina K Designs and check out Carolyn's Nurse Feelgood.. she also has the good nurse's hubby (or so we like to pretend... LOL)... Dr. Feelgood. Remember to thank a teacher, because of them you can read this!

From Kitchen to Craft Room!

I have to say, that Gina K sure does a great job with those StampTV videos! And you gotta love it when she saves you money too!!! This last week Gina showed us how to use ALUMINUM FOIL in our Cuttlebug to emboss and make a striking card with!!! I LOVED it!! She suggests you use the "heavy duty" foil but I actually had just bought a large roll and used the regular strength. Just use it carefully so as not to tear it. I used Gina's metallic paste to rub over the embossed foil before adhering it to my card front. The butterfly and words are from the Take Flight set. I'm still working on blending those Copic markers so bare with me. I can't promise "perfect" but I can promise I'll do my best and keep trying. LOL

On the inside I used the Tropical Flowers set and again used another technique that Gina demonstrates on her "thumping" video. I'm hoping tomorrow to do something I've never tried before, so stay-tuned. And uhh...wish me luck. Hee Hee

Snail Mail?

I had such a nice weekend. Nothing to exciting going on... no rush to do this or that with the kids... just kinda slow and uneventful. We did drive down to our lake home in Missouri to help prepare for the Memorial Day weekend coming up, but even that was just relaxing and fun (even got some shopping in... hee hee). I had lots of fun Saturday evening just "messin" with my stamps and getting some challenges done that I needed to post this morning. But... mostly... just making whatever my heart desired. I found I'm quite short on "Birthday" and "Sympathy" cards, so I thought I'd throw a few "generic" ones in my pile and save them for those days when I was caught off-guard and not ready for a birthday. This one is made from Asela Hopkins set called Framed Friends. It took me a long time to buy this set and I'm not sure why other than... well... I'm NOT a huge animal fan. Though we have two dogs (a yellow lab and a teddy bear dog) I am not crazy about the fur, the mess and the vet visits, etc. involved in keeping care of animals. Though I admit... I'm the first to run them TO the vet when they aren't well... LOL The wording "The best things in life... take time" are from Melanie Muenchinger's set "The Best Things In Life"... a VERY versatile set with just about every occassion covered in it. Plus... I spotted Asela posting a card she had done with this set on StampTV where she colored her owl in PINK!!!! YIPPPEEEE... I'm all for pinks! LOL So I decided why not... I can have fun with this too! I'll post my owl later this week for you to see. But today here's my snail! *smile* Isn't he cute??? I originally thought of using this card as quick "snail mail" note to whomever (yes... I am still one that writes letters and notes from time to time instead of e-mailing)... but then I thought... hmmmm kinda would fit as a birthday too... my kids can hardly stand the wait for their birthday THEN to wait and open presents!!! Oh boy... such a long long wait no matter what it is. I thought this might just be appropriate for a kid too. Check out Gina K Designs to see all of the cute "Framed Friends" Asela has put in this set. I am totally in love with them ... finally!!! LOL "worth waiting for", definitely!

Good Luck...

Since my husband retired from the Navy after 20 years, I still find it hard not to get him "nautical" things. He doesn't mind though... he's very supportive of our troops and our country. One thing I learned from him was that anchors are a symbol of good luck. In fact, to this day, he wears a mariner's cross around his neck. Simply put.. it's an anchor with a crucifix on it. Always protects him and brings him good luck. THAT is important to me since he now drives semi for the post office and I worry about him traveling every night. He tells me, "Don't worry... I'm a professional... this is what I do!" LOL Ya ya... still... anything that keeps him safe is good by me! I made this a while back for a sketch challenge over on StampTV. I LOVE the new Nautical Netting at Gina K Designs. It's perfect for beach, water, or sea images and for most any type of "manly" card. I never did much with the inside of my cards until I got hooked on Jessica Fick's blog and now I almost NEVER do a card without prettying (is that a word?) up my inside. Hee Hee The stamp set is from Rupa Shevde's new "Guiding Light" set also available at Gina K Designs, of course!!! Have a safe and lucky day!!

A Sprinkle Here.. A Sprinkle There...

After watching Gina K's video technique on adding colored glitter to your card, I decided to give it another go. Gina used her Quickie Glue Pen and after I purchased mine I felt like it dried TO QUICK to do much with... let alone add glitter!! Well... she proved me wrong! It worked like a charm! Maybe I was trying to cover to much space... or maybe I was making dinner and came back to my craft table and "what the heck.. it's dry!"... hee hee. Nawww... I'm not sure what happened, but.. the Quickie Glue Pen was just awesome! I added some in the areas I wanted glitter... and sprinkled it on and WAH LAH!! Shinneyyyy!!! I decided to go with bright colors since my daughter is about as bad as me at wanting things bright and since it was Alicia K's. "Best Friends" set, I knew she'd just love the card and probably want it for her private stash. (I think that ends up being somewhere between her pile of junk next to the piano in her room and the pile of junk UNDER her bed! Anyway... she will love it. Try the Quickie Glue Pen when you want to add a little something something in a small space... it's great to get into those tiny areas. Have a bright day!!!

Make it Pop!

I was doing a card for Jessica Fick's Sketch Challenge on StampTV and after picking my DP and deciding on using Gina K's, Cuppa Joe stamps, I grabbed a piece of card stock I had already had in a bin. I usually cut my 8 1/2 X 11 card stock and fold the side I'm not using at the moment and stick it on my desk in a bin so that when I create a new card, I already have a stash of plain card stock cards to go without having to hunt for a piece that is A2 size. Well... needless to say... I grabbed the first thing my hand ran across that would go with the DP. Finished off the card and sat there... somewhat pleased with it. But... as I looked at it more I thought... "Wow.. this is missing the boat!" Sure... rose card stock went with the DP but... what makes it pop??? A more defined trim, of course!!! Gina's Base Weight Chocolate Chip!!!! That's it!! What WAS I thinking??? I didn't get rid of the rose colored one... no no... need to SHOW you how much of a difference it makes when you really chose the right colors to "make it pop"! Amazing the difference. So, I did another and this time, used that wonderful Chocolate Kiss! What do you think? Am I right... ehhh? huhh?? Oh yeah, baby! Chocolate makes it all good! *wink* Oh and the inside shows more of this wonderful DP.. it even has a coffee stain mark and drip!!! Love it!! Sorry the image is blurry... I don't know why my insides photograph that way! Have a groovy day!

I'm Gettin There...

I love this old man!! Hee Hee He reminds me of a fellow who lives across the street from our office. He comes over and talks to me often but... he can't HEAR me most of the time!! LOL He doesn't have any teeth and VERY little hair and he's just the cutest thing 'cause most of the time he sits and laughs at himself! LOL I always tease him about "getting lucky" and he just grins ear to ear. Of course, he can't even drive anymore but he gets the biggest chuckle out of it. A few years back his grandson got married in Hawaii and he was SOOOO thrilled to fly for the first time and when he came back... HA... you should see the picture he brought to laugh with me over... him standing between TWO hula girls! LOL He thought that was funnier than heck! So this card is not for him... but maybe someday I'll look at this stamp set and remember him fondly. This image is from Gina K Designs set, You Know You're Getting Old When... I used Tim Holtz Distressing Ink Pad on this and crumpled up my paper before rubbing it across with the ink. Not sure this is how it's suppose to look, but... I'll go with it for now. The inside message I pieced together from the stamp set. The words didn't come together that way... I just picked each one and only inked up the one I wanted... hee hee. Remember... we can learn a lot from the older and wiser!!

Hopes for Mom

I always try to make Mother's Day special for my mom in the best way I know how. And normally, that seems to be thru my writing. I'm not much of a poet, but I try from time to time and I was thinking about all those things you see and go thru with your children as a mother. Things I cherished and hoped my mom did as well. It's been so long since HER children were little ones that I thought it was a good time to remember all the "coos and smiles". So I wrote this about four different times, but hey... I DID get it done in time for Mother's Day. Though I think it could use some "tweaking", I went with it. I used stamps from Gina K Designs, specifically Asela Hopkins' new set, Friendship's Garden. I love the flowers she draws... they are just so gorgeous in just about any color. One of the best compliments I can get came from mom when she unwrapped it and said.. "Ohhh did you BUY this or make it???" Of course, she cried after reading it and I just couldn't help but think... as moms... I'm never sure we get thanked as often as we should. I think more than anything... it makes us feel good to know that even if no one else in the world cared, our kids knew what we did for them. And... I try very hard to let her know I did and still do. So, here's to mom, and I hope she had as wonderful a day as I did.

A Stamper's World

Gina K and StampTV has done it again!!! Lynn Mercurio, editor-in-chief, has outdone herself with this, the FIRST, issue of Stamping Lifestyle magazine!!! This issues shares many aspects of things us stampers contend with, think about and hope for in our normal daily lives. I mean, come on... WHAT is more important to us crafters then getting thru our every day lives and finding the time to look good, feed our families, and relax in a way that allows us more time to craft???? WOOHOO... it's craft time!!! Great recipes, tips on how to get your "mojo" back and more are shared in this great first issue. You are given the opportunity to read your FREE copy on your computer or, with warmer weather in the forecast, print it off, grab a class of lemonade and stretch out in the sun to read and relax. Get your copy today... it's FREE!!! Click here to see how much Stamping Lifestyle rocks!

Corals and Pinks and Butterflies, Oh My!

I love coral, I love pink and well... butterflies are so pretty and delicate. Reminds me of my mom. She's just precious to me and though I feel I make sure she knows it as often as I can... I can't help to think of some of my favorite colors when I think of her. My mom reminds me of everything soft, pretty and honestly, young... like a newborn butterfly. I hope when I grow older... (Ok WAY older than I am.. LOL)... I can only look as good and pretty as she is. So it was only fitting that I use Gina K's beautiful Peachy Keen Digital Paper pack which you can still get for FREE on StampTV. Her Peach Floral page reminds me of all of this. It has peach hues and there is a hint of pink in there. Obviously I used the first StampTV Class technique for creating the flowers... thumping. The butterfly from Gina K's set, Take Flight, I stamped and colored with my Copics and cut out and mounted with Mini Pop Dots. My ribbon looks like it came loose but I fixed and sadly my camera battery died just as I turned it back on to retake the photo.. but you get the idea. I hope all the mothers have a GREAT Mother's Day!! Enjoy your children for they gave us the honor of being their mom!

It's All About The Markers

I have these wonderful Copic markers and I really haven't mastered them yet. I have applied with Copic to take their wonderful classes and will be doing so in August in Wisconsin. But until then... I am practicing. I decided to choose this flower from Melanie Muenchinger's set A Year of Flowers, as I figured the more area I have to "blend" with, the better my chances are getting it to look... decent??? LOL And... the wonderful background paper (Springtime in Paris) is from a FREE download Gina K gave to us when we purchased the Class Kit that Jessica Fick was teaching over on StampTV! I'm telling you... that Gina K gives away more things than you can imagine... I think we need to give a special "thank you" to the mother that raised this wonderful woman. Mother's Day IS this weekend, you know?! Hopefully, I'll get better with the markers and you'll keep coming back to see what "challenge" I've taken on THIS time. LOL Have a great day!!

A Special Thanks

I wanted to take a minute today to thank ALL of you who sent your congratulations on my being chosen for StampTV's Center Stage yesterday! I was so surprised to open my page and see a "congrats" posted and I had no clue! I hurried off to the Center Stage Forum and sure enough... there I was!!!! OH MY GOSH!!! I totally about cried! And I mean... tears were sitting right on the rim of my eyes and I fought back letting them drop! LOL I was so thrilled and yet... not really believing it at all!! LOL Gina K and her team are so generous... so sincere... so truly inspiring to me and I honestly have to thank them for so much. Because of them I've tried things I'd never think to try before. Copic markers... actually drawing some things on my own to use in my cards... and I've done a few "out of the box" things that just would NEVER cross my mind to do! Thank you, Thank you StampTV and Gina K. I love sharing ideas, getting help and making all the wonderful friends I've made on StampTV. I just can't say enough good things about it. You are truly denying yourself something if you don't check it out and hey... sign up... who knows... YOU could be the next Center Stage star!! P.S. Oh yeah... don't worry, they don't even make you stand up in front of a room full of faces looking at you thinking... "well... well... DO something!" LOL Join me... it's sooo much fun!!!

Storms a Brewin....

I originally did this card with my husband (from our kids) and dad in mind... so, since I couldn't decide WHO I wanted to give it to, it doesn't have anything on the front... yet. I'll get to it... when I decide. In the meantime... I just really really like this new set from Rupa Shevde called Guiding Light. One of the new releases at Gina K Design. I used the new jumbo round sponge daubers that Gina has in her store now to make the clouds, in real life they show up better. As you might have guessed, I'm not great with the pics of my cards. Some day I'll invest in a photo box... maybe... if you all can spare a dime now and then... LOL Kidding! I used my Copic markers to do the coloring on the lighthouse, rocks and roofs. I paper pieced the housing. These markers are cool but they do take some getting use to how to work them... blend with them and such. Now that I have them... I'd never part with them! I am sure you'll see many more cards from this set as it works for just about ALL the men in my family. Oh... I LOVE those screw head brads... don't they look so real?!

Cowboy Up!

I never thought I'd really get into horses much, but Out West from Theresa Momber has me playing with horses for the first time!! LOL And trust me... REAL horses and I do NOT get along! They know they are big... they know I'm only 5'1"... they know they can do as they darn well please when I'm in the saddle... and they DO!!!!! *Yikes!* No no... I'll just stamp them and say nice things to them on paper. Ahhh I feel so much better doing that. I don't know what I was thinking when I decided I could actually DRAW a bandanna.. but hey, I get points for trying, right??? Right???!!! *smile* Looks like a turnip to me! LOL You cannot believe ALL the COOL cards everyone is making with this set over on StampTV! And you thought us ladies only played with flowers and make-up! Ha! Stop over and check out all the goodies. Not to mention all the FREEBIES Gina K puts out there for us! She rocks! Bet she's not afraid of horsies... *snort*