You Simply Sparkle - for Aloha Friday Challenges

It's Friday, and it's time for a new challenge at Aloha Friday Challenges.  For the next 2 weeks, we are being sponsored by We Are 3 Digital Shop.  Bonnie has been kind enough to make a set of papers just for this challenge.  You can get them for free if you make a Christmas project and link up at Aloha Friday Challenges, or she is selling these paper in the We Are 3 Shop for only $1.  Aren't they beautiful?  I think they are perfect for any summertime project!  The papers are called Honeycomb, and I created this card with them:

This adorable bumble bee image is from QKR Stampede.  I colored up the bumble bee with Copic markers.  The sentiment is from a stamp company, Market Street Stamps, that is no longer in business.  

I used this week's sketch from Sketch Saturday to create this card.  Here's the sketch:

I included a couple of stick pins on this card so I can enter it in this month's Crash Your Stash challenge at The Outlawz. 

I hope you join us at The Aloha Friday Challenges the next 2 weeks.  There's a Christmas in July theme going on.  Join us and get  these beautiful papers for free!

I'd like to enter this in the following challenges:
Sketch Saturday -- challenge #569
Outlawz Crash Your Stash -- stick pins
QKR Stampede -- ATG
Outlawz Festive Fridays -- ATG

Home is Where Love Is -- for The Cutting Cafe

Home.  It's such a great place to be.  So, when given the opportunity to make a house shaped card this week for The Cutting Cafe, I decided to make just that. 

This is the "House-shaped Card" cutting file, available in the Cutting Cafe store. 

The designer paper is a piece of Echo Park card stock.  All other card stock is from Close To My Heart.  The bird on the nest stamp is from Market Street Stamps (no longer in business). The sentiment is a stamp from Close To My Heart. I cut the leaves out with a Tim Holtz die, then colored them with various Tim Holtz distress inks.  After raking the yard the past 6 weekends in a row, I'm hoping our house won't look like this again for quite awhile!

I'll give you one more view of this charming House-shaped card -- 

Please visit The Cutting Cafe blog on Nov 7 to see the rest of the creations from this incredibly talented design team.  Leave a comment and you could win 3 sets of your choice from The Cutting Cafe store.

I'd like to enter this in the following challenges:

Sister Act Card Challenge - ATG

D.L. Art -- Nov Linky Challenge

Word Art Wednesday -- ATG
The Outlawz Monday Challenge -- Fall Colors

It's a Celebration!

Hello, and happy Thursday!  I have a birthday card to share with you today.  My cyber friend Donna, whom I first met on the Pinque Peacock design team, is celebrating a birthday today.  The 3 Girl JAM team has hijacked the  blog to help her celebrate her big day.  I made this card in honor of Donna and her special day.

That's one big birthday cake, sending sweet greetings Donna's way!

The cake pedestal is sitting on a layer of 3 Girl JAM distressed lace and Purple Passion ribbon from the Royal Bundle.

I created the background with a stamp called "She Sells Seashells" from Market Street Stamps. The cake die is from Die-namics.  The "Happy Birthday" sentiment is from Unity Stamp Company. All cardstock is from Close To My Heart.

Donna, I couldn't fit 50 candles on this cake, but age is only a number!  Enjoy your day, Love!

Its Friday, the middle of the month, and Friends with Flair!

Here we are, smack dab in the middle of November.  It's been so cold this week that if I didn't have a calendar in front of me I'd think it's December or even January.  Just a prelude of what's to come!

I so love Fridays and linking up to Unity's Friends With Flair.  And I love spending time throughout my weekend visiting all of the blogs that are linked up.  Such talent and inspiration!  Oh, what fun!

There's a story that goes with today's card.  One of my staff members has had an aging dog that she knew wouldn't make it much longer.  Well, last Sunday was Eddie's day to cross to the Rainbow Bridge.  She called me Sunday evening, too distraught to come to work on Monday, needing one more day to mourn his loss before facing everyone.

When I got home from work on Monday, I made her this card in memory of her English Bulldog, Eddie:

 

I used a new Darice embossing folder to get the paw print background, then painted some of them with Chocolate Creative Inspirations Paint. 

This was the first Phyllis Harris stamp I ever bought, and it's still my favorite.  You'll find it in the Unity Store here.  It's called "First Love".  I colored the image with Copic markers. The sentiment is from a Market Street Stamp set.  It's also one of my favorites, and my "go to" quote for situations like this one.  The paw with wings stamp is part of the MSS set.

Don't forget to check out the Unity Store for this weekend's new releases.  I love the Snow Peeps! I need to get going on making some Christmas cards with them!  OK, I'm off to visit my FWF blogs.  Can't wait!

FWF- A Special Card for a Special Lady

It's Friday already!  This week went particularly fast, even though I had to work on Monday.  The end/beginning of each month is much busier with my job, but it does make the time go faster!

Those of you who regularly visit FWF and have been with me for awhile, do you remember this picture?

Two of my good friends and I took 3 of our Golden Retrievers on a 3 hour road trip to a fund raising walk for a Golden Retriever Rescue Organization that we are involved in.  That was last October.  Annie, the dog on the left, had bone cancer, needed her front leg removed, but walked the walk just fine.  Annie let nothing slow her down!  Not cancer, not blindness.  Not, that is, until her cancer returned.  Last Thursday, I got an email that had the header, "Sad news about Annie".  I started to cry before I even opened the email.  I told my husband, "I think Annie's gone.  I'm not going to open this."  Well, of course, she was gone whether I read the heart-breaking news or not.  Those of you who are dog lovers know.  Annie is the "only child" to Janelle and Tyler and she was their world.  In honor of Annie, and to show Janelle and Ty some of what I was feeling for them, I made this card.

The Golden Retriever Stamp is a Unity/Phyllis Harris stamp called, "More Blessed to Give".  It seemed appropriate, since Annie was all about giving.  As you can see in the picture, Annie's face was getting white, so I made the Golden on the card with a similar face. And, like most Goldens, Annie liked to have something in her mouth -- usually a tennis ball.  But a teddy bear would work, too.

 

 

I used Fancy Pants Park Bench 6x6 papers on this card.  The sentiment is from a Market Street Stamps set called, "Pawprints on our Hearts". I used 3 Girl JAM crinkle ribbon from the Celebrations bundle, woven together, and some Queen and Co. embellishments. The Golden, of course, is colored with Copic markers.

 

Here's a close up of the sentiment that fits Annie so well. 

And, a close up of the woven ribbon and embellishments.

 

I would love it if you would come back tomorrow.  I will have posts for All That Stickles, I'm participating in the Get Inky! Stamps first EVER blog hop celebrating National Repeat Day.  The hop starts tomorrow and goes through Sunday, and I'll have a post tomorrow for the launch of a new challenge blog, the Craft Lovin' Challenge Blog hosted by Tabitha's Designs and the My Crafting Channel.

 

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Simon Says Stamp blog -- anything goes

Sister Act Card Challnege -- anything goes

D.L. Art Thankful Thursday Linky Party -- anything goes

3 Girl JAM Challenge -- anything goes

 

A new discovery, a new challenge

I recently discovered Market Street Stamps and decided to enter their challenge this weekend.  They're based right here in Wisconsin, so they gotta be good, right?  They had some new releases this weekend, so they're celebrating with a sale all weekend.  Check it out.  They've got some cute stuff.  My favorite is this doily stamp.  It is so intricate, yet stamps so crisply.  I find myself reaching for it repeatedly. The paper is a 6x6 Studio Calico Memoir Collection pack.  I made this card for a Mother's Day card swap I'm participating in.  I hope you enjoy it.