Chocolate, Coffee & Cards Challenges ~ Summer Days

So sorry this post is late.  I have been pretty busy doing things for my Pop.  At last, he is settled in and is doing pretty well.

This fun challenge at CC&CC is perfect for the beginning of summer.  It's all about things we love to do in the sunny days of this season.  Our great sponsor Eureka Stamps gave us some super adorable images to use.  Mine is called Fishing Boy.  I made a nice background for him and his fishing pole.  I added a real fishing lure of my Pop's, minus the hook, lol.  I gave this card to him for Father's Day.

We sure would love to have you join us and show us what you enjoy doing on your summer days!

CREATIVE KNOCKOUTS!!!!

I am SO HAPPY to announce that I am on a new DT!  It is a SUPER challenge blog called CREATIVE KNOCKOUTS!  I an so proud to be a part of this FAB group and look forward to a wonderful creative time with them!

My first challenge theme is "Make It Masculine", and our sponsor is 

Doctor Digi House of Stamps.

I really got a kick out of this cute character, Beach Bum Bob!  He reminds me of guys I used to see all the time hitch hiking around  the Big Island, lol!

We would be so happy to have you join us at Creative Knockouts for this FUN challenge!  Come see their super blog and meet the awesome, talented DT!

My New Love!

Since I left Hawaii 4 years ago to care for my Pop here in Phoenix it has been so hard without my cats.  I had to leave them behind.  We lived in a very rural area with no main highways and they were free to roam, and roam they did!  If I had brought them here to a busy neighborhood, I am sure they would not have survived.  Cars were nothing to them and I know they would have gotten hit.  I never would have forgiven myself for that, so I found them good homes in our neighborhood.

NOW, I have finally gotten a NEW BABY!!!  His name is ZAZU and is 9 weeks old.  What a little lovie fur ball he is!  He follows me everywhere, is always wanting to cuddle and hug - 

MY KIND OF CAT!

He has taken quite an interest in my card making too, lol!  He loves to watch my Silhouette when it is cutting.  Just adorable!

It is so GREAT to have a sweet kitty again!

A Personal Note

Hello friends.  I am sad to report that this past week and a half has been a very difficult one.  My Pop went into the hospital on Thursday the 12th of June.  He has suffered another "mini stroke" and it has left him very weak and tired.  He told me it was time and he was ready to make the transition to a nursing facility.  He is to the point that he needs more care than I can give him at home, even with the assistance of his aid twice a week.  So on Wednesday the 17th he entered his new "home".  It is a very nice place, cheerful, lovely staff, nice grounds and will give him all that he needs.  He is getting settled in, but I know it will take some time for him to come to terms with all of it.  As a child having to do this for a parent, it is something that none of us would want, but has to be done.  It's been 4 years since I moved here to Phoenix from Hawaii to care for him.  Part of me is relieved, the other half is so sad.

Scrapper's Delights Challenges

Hi there, welcome to my little bit of blog land.  Today I have a card that was for our challenge over at Scrapper's Delights.  Our theme is to use a sentiment - any occasion or message is great!  It can even be one word!

The image I have used is CU Angel Digi 4

and she was a delight to do.  I wish the picture would show her wings better.  It's hard to see the glitter embossing.  I colored her with my Copics and used a die cut frame and then added the feathers, pearls and "Cherish".

We would be delighted to have you join us for this fun challenge.  Come take a look at the lovely cards the DT have created and be inspired!

Chocolate, Coffee & Cards Challenge #66 ~ Black & White + 1 Color

Time for another great challenge at CC&CC, and this time it is with the wonderful A Day For Daisies.  Their images have such a distinctive look, and I love that look!  So choose a color and join in the fun!  The prize is a $12 gift certificate to use on their blog, FUN!!!

I went for a different type of image for this challenge, not a person!  I used the image called "Canned Pear".  My one color is lime green.

I sent this to my daughter and her husband for their 4th wedding anniversary this month.  The date is the 19th, but I sent it early so that Travis could see it before he went to Alaska.

Be sure to go see the lovely cards the DT have done for your inspiration, they are REALLY amazing!  You'll be sure to get your mojo working when you see them!

New Hydrangea Die Cut Set

Don't you just love it when you get a new item to craft with!?!  Using it for the first time is sooo exciting!  I really enjoyed playing with this item.  It is a die set from Impression Obsession of a hydrangea.  I have always loved that flower as it reminds me of my childhood.  They grew so beautifully at my Aunts house.  They reminded me of big pom-poms!

I had to punch a LOT of the tiny flowers, lol!  I used 3 colors of lavender to give it a bit of dimension.  I really like how the flower came out!  I know this die will be used again and again.

Thanx so much for stopping by.  I hope you have a wonderful week.

This card is entered in the following challenges:

Fairytale Stampers ~ Flowers, must use s stamp or digi

Storyteller ~ Summer Flowers
The Kraftyhands Challenge Blog ~ Floral Fancy
My Time To Craft ~ No Design Paper
Totally Gorgeous ~ Embossing
We Do Doobadoo ~ Different Shapes
Craft For The Chic ~ Sunny & Bright or Flowers (runs all of June)
Fussy & Fancy Friday ~ Outdoors
Creative Knockouts ~ Die Cut/PunchFrenzy

Layer It Up at Scrapper's Delights!

We sure would love to see your creation for this challenge at 

 Crafter's Delight! 

You can go crazy with all the layers you want, lol.  I think maybe I should have done a few more, but there are 6!

The image is called "Autumn Nymph", but I chose to do her in 

Spring - Summer colors.  I added a nice "dusting" of sparkle on her wings with glitter embossing, and then lots of rhinestones!

We look forward to seeing you at Crafter's Delights!


This card is entered in the following challenges:
Imagination Crafts Challenge Blog ~ All That Glitters
Sparkle & Sprinkle ~ Glitter, Embossing or Flocking Powder
The Paper Nest Dolls Norway ~ Sparkle, Glitter, Bling
Try It On Tuesday ~ Feminine and Fancy
Handmade Harbour ~ Pretty
A Song In Your HE[ART] ~ Gift Of Wings

Off To Alaska!

We just received some GREAT news!  My son-in-law, Travis, has been out of work for some time, and it has been very tough.  He just got word that he was hired to go to Alaska for the summer!  He will be working at a fishing lodge as their head chef.  We are overjoyed!!!   I wanted to send him a special congrats card, and here is what I came up with!

I did a side step card and made the cut file for the chef.  I saw the cut file some time ago and wanted to down load it, but for the life of me I couldn't figure out where the link was to buy it!  So I kept the picture and made my own!  I also made the fishing rod, the menu board and fish.  The other embellies were stick on's.  But I did add the "Alaska" part of the sign.

For those of you who might be interested, here is a link to the 
Togiak River Lodge.

Entered in the following challenges:

Ruby's Rainbow ~ One For The Boys
Simply Create Too ~ Father's Day Male
Fussy And Fancy ~ Outdoors
Creative Knockouts ~ Summer's Coming
Rhed and Rosie ~ No Flowers
C.R.A.F.T. ~ Paperpiecing

Chocolate, Coffee & Cards Challenge #66 ~ Embossing

I so enjoy working with Bugaboo images!  They are my very favorites!  So many to choose from for any occasion.  They are our sponsor for this fun challenge at CC&CC.

I am using Scarlette Party, I love her!  I did two types of embossing; a file for the background paper and then heat embossing on her dress, both done with Frantage!  Yes, I am still hooked on that product!  Have a look.

We would love to have you join in on this challenge.  Come see the GREAT cards our DT have don for your inspiration.  You won't be disappointed!

Scrapper's Delights Challenge Blog

Time for some "TASTY" fun over at SDCB!  Our challenge this time is all about yummy things to eat.  An image of food of some kind must be used on your project; main image, background paper, etc.  The little darlin' I used on this card is from a new release group called "Fruity Babies".  My gal is Fruity Babies Watermelon, and she is adorable!  You can find her for purchase in the Scrapper's Delights Store.  I colored her with Copic's, cut her out and sat her on the pedestal of watermelon slices.  The slices of watermelon are from a cut file by My Scrap Chick entitled "Thanks A Melon".

I hope you join us for this fun challenge at SDCB, see you there!

Entered in the following challenges:

PDE Inky Party ~ Food or Beverage
The Squirrel and The Fox #70 ~ For the Girls
Lauralcraft - Dragonfly Dreams #5 ~ How Does Your Garden Grow
Whoopsi Daisy ~ Lots of Layers
Stamp & Create ~ Spring Colors (Bright and Fun)
Creative Cutting Challenge ~ Father's Day
Craftn Desert Diva's ~ Fun Folds
One Stitch At A Time #214 ~ Anything Goes

Birthday Cards

TGIF everyone!  Sure hope you have a great Memorial Day Weekend!

I had a busy time of it in May for birthdays.  In fact, I have 3 loved ones who all share the same birthday on May 30th!  Here are a couple of the cards that I made for them.

This first one is a cheerful easel card that was made from a cut file at My Scrap Chick that is called "Bird & Garden Gate".  It was cut using My Silhouette.

The second one is also a cut file that was a free one. I found it quite some time ago, but it had never used.  I have been an admirer of the lattice designs but have never done any of them.  I decided I need to get with it and try them.  

I'm glad I did!

FABULOUS FREE, YES FREE, CUT FILES!!!

For all my fellow crafters who love cut files for their Silhouette, Cricut, Black Cat, etc. here is a FABULOUS blog to see. Monica lives in Northen Sweden and is talented beyond belief! All her cut files are FREE and they are GORGEOUS! Go through her archives and you will find borders, frames, lace doilies, labels, lattice cut outs, 3D projects, anything your little heart could desire! It's a gold mine! AND take a look at her garden and greenhouse!!! This woman can design and build anything!. She uses a Cad system, and man, she really knows what she is doing! If you take a lot of files - it will be hard NOT to - be kind and leave a donation.  ENJOY!!!

 http://monicascreativeroom.se/

Take a look at some of the files she has!

These are 4 corner fold cards:

Chocolate, Coffee & Card Challenges #65 Use A TAG

Hello friends, it's time for another challenge at CC&CC.  This time the theme is Use A TAG.  You still have to make a card, and then incorporate a tag into your design.  I don't do tags very often, so I had a bit of a brain fade, lol.  I decided to just do a very simple one at the top of my image.  The image is from our sponsor, Scribbles Designs Challenges and is called
#632 Topiary 1

Thanx so much for stopping by, and I hope we see you for our challenge at CC&CC!

Scrapper's Delights Challenge Anything Goes

ANYTHING GOES!!!  It can't get much easier or simpler than that!  So no excuses, come join us and have some fun with our challenge.  Who knows, you may even win a prize!

For my card at Scrapper's Delights I used the ADORABLE image

"Summer Breeze 2".

Be sure to look at all the wonderful images they have available for purchase.

I used an embossing folder covered on one side with pale blue ink from a stamp pad to create the soft look.  Then I cut out the frame area with a die.  My image is colored with Copics and surrounded with a sprinkle of Frantage.  All the flowers were hand made from die cut pieces, and also the butterfly which is embossed with Frantage.  (I LOVE that stuff, lol!)

 

We look forward to seeing you for this fun challenge!

Mother's Day

Well, it sure has a been a really tough week and a half.  I have been fighting with a kidney stone and it has basically won.  I've been living on cranberry juice and Percocet.  Now its decided to just hide and wait!  I swear a kidney stone is more painful than giving birth!  Thankfully I had my important blog  posts scheduled, because I really don't think I could have gotten them done.

I did manage to get this card done today for my sweet Aunt.  I think she will get it on time if it goes in the mail tomorrow - at least I hope so!  It was a file from Silhouette I recently purchased.  I love  the flourish look, and I did it in her favorite color of cranberry.  I used a die cut to cut the roses and then put them together, and also the leaves.  The sentiment was also cut on my Silhouette.

Thanx for stopping by, and an early Happy Mother's Day to all the 
moms out there!

This card is entered in the following challenges:
Paulaholifield Crafts ~ Flower Power
Emeradl Faeries Challenge ~ Flowers, Ribbon and/or lace
Life In Details Challenge ~ Stitching
Cut It Up ~ Mother's Day/Die Cut
Amusing Challenge ~ Mothers
The Squirrel and the Fox ~ Mother's Day
My Sheri Crafts ~ #132 In Celebration of Moms

Chocolate, Coffee & Card Challenges #64 Circles & Squares

WOW!  Everyone really was in a Spring mood for our last challenge - SUPER entries!  Thanx so much for all your hard work!

This challenge at Chocolate, Coffee & Cards Challenges is a fun one too!  We are asking you to use Circles & Squares.  That can be your image shape or background, or your design in your papers you use or anything else.  Just be sure to use both!

My image I am using is called "Roadster Nikki".  She is adorable!  Check her out at Ladybug Crafts Ink, there is a whole series of images with her, so cute!

Hurry on over to CC&CC and join us for this fun challenge!
See you there!

SCRAPPER'S DELIGHTS CHALLENGE BLOG!

OH FUN!!!  I have been selected for another Design Team!  YEAH!!!  It is for the fab Scrapper's Delights.  It is not only a challenge blog, but also Scrapper's Delights offers ADORABLE digis and other products!  I am so delighted to be a part of this fun group and design with their FAB digis!  They offer several challenges; for new releases and also for their regular twice a month challenge.  I will be designing with the twice a month challenge team.

The new release challenges are on their main page.  Their you will also find the page that leads to their store! The twice a month challenges can be found on their "Current Challenge" page.

My first challenge with them is #21 Pretty Pastels.  I wanted to do something a bit different from all the embellies of lace, ribbon and flowers.  I went for a more simple design with this adorable digi called "CU Beach Boy Digi Stamp 1".  Here is the result.

PLEASE come check out this great blog!  For digis and goodies, and of course the fun challenges!  Be inspired by the SUPER DT too.

What a GREAT place!

New Craft Project ~ Tray Pendant

Hello there.  I have a new project to share that was inspired by my butterfly experience, lol.  I had bought the supplies at the scrapbook convention a month ago and had not used them yet.  I was thinking about how I wanted to use them and thought these images were perfect!  They are called "Tray Pendants" and are SO EASY to make!

1. Size a picture to your pendant shape leaving space around the edges

(I used my paint program then printed the pic)

2.  Use the special glue glaze on the top plastic piece and adhere

3.  Let dry, then trim off excess edges

4.  Put a jewelers glue spot in the tray piece

5.  Lay in your picture piece and VOILA!!!

I really love how they came out!

Then I decided to make a special little gift box for each of them to 

give to the gals.

So fun and so easy, and they make a GREAT gift!

Chocolate, Coffee & Cards Challenges #63 ~ Spring

It's been two weeks since our last challenge at CC&CC, so it's time to get on to a new one!  This time we are celebrating the arrival of SPRING!!!  I sure hope that wherever you are it is there or at least on its way!

Our sponsor for this fun challenge is Whoopsi Daisy.  They offer a lovely variety of digis, so sweet!  I used the image below from sheet #536.

We would love to have you join us for this fun challenge.  So stop by and be inspired by our great DT and show us your creations for Spring!

Happy Easter!

I really enjoyed making my Easter cards this year.  I had some new dies, stamps, SVG files and papers and it made for a FUN time creating.  Here are a some of them.