BC133 - Love Grows

Edited to add that this challenge also fits one on the Clearly Delightful blog

Hello and Happy Friday!  Can you believe we've already concluded the first week of a New Year.   I've been sick for most of it having come down with Bronchitis just shortly after Christmas and no chance for medication until the 4th since my doctor was out of town.  I'm slowly starting to feel better but am so tired from all the coughing and just in general not feeling so chipper.              This week the Blogger Challenge is a SKETCH challenge.  If you're like me these are always fun to do because they give you a jump start on your card creating.  I think this one is really fun and lends itself to some great ideas.

For this card I chose to do a Valentine theme.  I recently purchased several $1 stamps (Inkadinkado) at JoAnn's and they are just so cute I had to start using them.

Isn't this little bunny sweet.

Since I'm trying harder this year to use up my Designer Paper in a more efficient manner I picked up some of the scraps left over from this card and went with the same color scheme.  I colored my bunny with Prisma Color pencils and paper pieced the heart.

The sentiment is from the same set only I left off the two little hearts that were on both sides and just used the (Love Grows) portion.  I hope you like this one as much as I did making it. 

Don't forget to check out all the other BC members blogs and see how they used this wonderful sketch.  If you would like to try this sketch yourself leave a link so I can check out your card.

Card Stock: Bermuda Bay, Melon Mambo, Barely Banana, Textured Green (Bazzill), Whisper White & DP by Basic Grey (Lemonade line).

Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, Prisma Color pencils

Other: Lace Punch MS, Heart Brads (source unknown), Word Window Punch,

Heart Embossing Folder.

absc009 - Love Blooms

    CLICK HERE TO SEE THIS WEEK 3CT Card:

           Hello & "Good Day" to you.  It's time once again for this weeks Annabelle Sketch Challenge.  I really liked this sketch.  You're in for a treat today as I am showing a "sneak peek" of some new Annabelle Stamps and products.  These will be released on January 15th and you're going to love them.

The set I'm previewing is called, (Flowers With Love) and features several different flowers that are whimsical and fun along with 5 Sentiment stamps for various occasions. I chose the Large and Small Rose images to use on my card. 

For my card I decided to use some patterned paper from Basic Grey (Eva) and based my colors off the paper.  My card base is Basic Black layered with Old Olive.  I stamped the Rose repeatedly on Watercolor Paper and watercolored the roses using Regal Rose, Rose Red and Old Olive ink pads and an Aqua Painter.  I stamped 3 seperate roses and cut them out and mounted them over the top of three of my roses.  I added a punched piece of Pretty In Pink, some ribbon by (Heidi Grace) and the designer paper.  Then I used the small rose image and the Love Blooms sentiment along with some new Sprinkles (Blackcurrant 3mm) and one Pink Heart (also new to the Annabelle line) and mounted these using circle Nestablities Dies. 

So now be sure to stop by the Annabelle Blog and see what the other DT members have created with this sketch.  You never know there might be some more "sneak peeks" of the new stuff.  You can also participate in the Sketch Challenge by using the Mr. Linky link on the Annabelle Blog.  We'd love to see what you come up with.

3ct46 - I resolve...

Hello!  It's time once again for the 3CT Challenge.  This week's theme:      New Years Resolutions.  We were to create a card that reflects our NY Resolution.  At first I was going to put up a picture of a "blank" card since I generally do not make resolutions.  Instead I tend to make (goals) or (plans) which I hope I can follow through on throughout the year.                For this card I chose something that I really feel is an important part of my life.  I want to strive to be more steadfast and to have a pure heart so that I can show others that my faith is real.                                

I picked out my stamp and then the Designer Paper (Basic Grey - Lemonade) and then decided on using this weeks MojoMonday sketch.  I prettymuch stuck to the sketch as close as possible except my sentiment panel may be a little to far to the right.  

Details:  Stamps: Verve Stamps: Psalm 51:10

Butterfly Image (Inkadinkado - Best Friends)

Card Stock: Bermuda Bay, Melon Mambo, Basic Black, Barely Banana and Whisper White

Designer Paper - Basic Grey

Other: Punch - MS Lattice Arch, 3mm Blackcurrant Sprinkles (Annabelle Stamps), Nestabilitie Dies, Distressing Tool and foam mounting tape.

Be sure to drop in on Kerry's Blog and the other DT members blogs to see what they have created for this challenge.  We'd love to have you play along.

                                                                                                                                          

CIC40 - Let's Party

           Hello friends!  Here is my very 1st card of this New Year and I'm happy to say it's for the Hope Stamps Eternal Cupcake Inspiration Challenge (here by known as CIC).  Aren't these cupcakes pretty?  They come to you from Creative Cupcakes.  Who wouldn't be inspired by these lovely confections. 

My inspiration came from the colors, the presents, confetti and the party feel of these cupcakes.

I had started out to use some patterned designer paper that I thought would go perfectly with the cupcakes but plans went awry and after several attempts I decided to go a different route with my card.

Instead I chose to use the Birthday Script Embossing Folder.  My card is based on the Mojo Monday 117 sketch from last week only I made a long card & used my presents in place of ribbon.

The stamp set I used is from Inkadinkado (BirthdayFun-97716). 
Other details:  Inks: Regal Rose, Tempting Turquoise, So Saffron, and Basic Black.
Card Stock:  Regal Rose, Rose Red, Tempting Turquoise, So Saffron and Whisper White.
Accessories: Scallop Punch (SU) Paper Piercing Tool, Glitter (Art Institute) Brads (Pink Hedgehog Paper Crafts, Foam Mounting tape and Circle Nestabilitie Dies.

Don't forget to visit Hope's Blog and check out the CIC challenge.  Why not give it a try yourself.  You are not required to use Cupcake stamps and this year Rachel is doing something different with the challenges and a Prize might be involved so go check it out.

BC132 - Happy New Year 2010!

HAPPY NEW YEAR - 2010!!!

Hopefully you had a great New Year's Eve and didn't "party to hearty" so you're able to enjoy the start of a new decade.

For today's Blogger Challenge the theme is of course New Years or Celebrations.  Since I did a celebration card for the 3CT (see post below) I decided to go with a New Years theme for this card.

My biggest problems is that I don't own any New Years themed stamps.  I did have this sentiment stamp from SU and then paired it up with a Confetti stamp out of a Birthday set by Inkadinkado.

I chose to use some old SU Designer paper that I still have hanging around in my paper drawers and based my colors off of the paper.  I "goofed" a little in that my background piece is Tempting Turquoise instead of Taken with Teal but it worked out okay.

So the basics are:  Stamps: SU and Inkadinkado
Card Stock: SU - Tempting Turquoise, Taken with Teal, Pretty in Pink and Regal Rose. Designer Paper - Retired SU- (Loves Me)
Ink: Regal Rose, Chocolate Chip
Ribbon Originals - Retired-(Flirty)
Other:  Nestabilitie Rectangle Dies, Blossom Sprinkles(Annabelle Stamps),
Large Star Punch (SU), Small Star Punch (source unknown) and Cotton Candy Pink Glitter (Art Institute).

Looking forward to sharing with you in the coming New Year.  -  Thanks again for visiting my blog this past year.

3CT46 - It's Time To Celebrate

Hello and welcome to the last 3CT Challenge of 2009 - Wow this year seems to have flown by for me (what about you?) - For our challenge this week Kerry chose the theme: New Years or Celebration.  -  My card can be used for either a New Years card or a Celebration card.  I just love the bright, cheery colors and hope you do as well.

This card is also being used for Hope's Cupcake Inspiration challenge this week.  Aren't these delightful cupcakes.  So festive and bright.  Perfect for a celebration.  I went with the colors as my inspiration even though I used red in place of the pink on the cupcakes.  The paper I chose is from: Imaginisce - Baseball Diamonds/Let's Pretend collection.

My focal image is from Whiff of Joy.  I think that little mouse is just so charming and adorable with it's colorful party hat. I stamped the hat twice and cut one image out and mounted it over the other with foam mounting tape. The image was colored with Prisma Colored Pencils and I highlighted the circles with Spica Glitter Pens.

The sentiment is a Rub-On from the Chit Chat rub-ons by Stampin'Up!

I added a small punched star, 3 Chili Sprinkles and some Lime Green ric-rac to complete my card. 

Don't forget to stop by Kerry's blog and check out the other DT members cards.  Be sure to leave some comment lovin' and help ring out the old year and ring in the new.

As we draw to a close the year 2009 I'd like to take a few minutes to thank all my Blog Readers and Friends for stopping by my blog this year.  I have really enjoyed sharing my cards/projects with you and look forward to doing so in 2010.  You are a BIG part of my life and I truly appreciate each and every one who comes, leaves comments and supports me as well.  Thank you again and may you have a safe & Happy New Year's Eve.

BC131 - Christmas Greetings

Merry Christmas!
Today I'm sharing a couple of Christmas Cards as the Blogger Challenge Theme this week is: Christmas.

First is a simple card I made using a Tree Punch and some fun paper by Cosmo Cricket.
Don't you love how the MS Loopy Punch matches the loops in the DP.  I also sprayed the card with Gold Shimmer Spray (home made) and added some faux jewels and twill ribbon.

Next up us a card made using Dimensional Stickers.  Not sure of the source.  Paper is by DCWV.  Also used Silver Cording.
Sentiment (Hero Arts).

Keeping this short as I know everyone is busy with holiday celebrations.

I want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.  Thank you all for visiting my blog and for leaving such nice comments.

Peace & Joy to All! -  Ida

BC130 - Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer

Happy Friday! - Yes I'm actually participating in today's Blogger Challenge. I've skipped a few of the challenges this month due to just not having enough time to fit everything in that needs to be done before Christmas. Since I needed a card to send to my daughter I decided this weeks sketch challenge would fill that need quite nicely. I have of course "flipped" the sketch so that I could use the adorable deer image from The Greeting Farm (Forest Friends) stamp set.
Coleen (my granddaughter) just loves singing Rudloph The Red Nosed Reindeer so I decided to make this little guy into (Rudolph). The image was colored with Prisma Colored Pencils and blended with Gamsol. I added a Chili Sprinkle for his red nose.
Stamps: Greeting Farm
Sentiment: SU
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Prisma Color Pencils
Card Stock : Old Olive, Ruby Red, Bashful Blue and Whisper White. DP from Basic Grey-Eskimo Kisses

Other: Snowflake Embossing Folder, White Craft Pad, Snowflake Brad (Making Memories) Glitter, Olive Sprinkles (Annabelle Stamps)

Don't forget to check out all the BC members blogs (click on the icon on my sidebar) and leave them some comment lovin' - It's the holidays so give them some good cheer!

Also if you'd like to check out some Christmas Photo's of Coleen/Santa, Snow & a Reindeer click here:

Till next time...Hope you have all your shopping completed. I still have shopping left to do, maybe a little baking and of course wrapping all the gifts. Whew...the holidays wear me out, but I love it!

absc007 - Greetings of the Season

Hello and welcome to the Contest addition of Annabelle Sketches.  This weeks sketch is an easy sketch to follow and yet you can do so much with it.  You will note with my card that I did add a little extra element to the focal piece (creative license) but I think it works.

For this card I used the (Holly Branch) stamp set.  Let me tell you when I first saw this set I wondered what was I going to do with it since it had so many stamps of just Holly and Berries and some sentiments.  Would you believe it's been one of my favorite sets to use this Christmas!

I started out by picking out the paper that I wanted to use.  It's a piece of Basic Grey-Figgy Pudding (Pepperberry) which I believe was last years collection.  Next  I stamped the sentiment which I masked off so that I could put one word under the other as this stamped is all one long stamp.  I used Bravo Burgundy Ink which matched the berries in the designer paper perfectly.  Then I added the small holly stamp to the four corners and colored them with Prisma Colored Pencils.

 I wanted a larger Holly piece as well so that's when the idea to use a circle punch element on the focal piece came to me.  For my "bling" element I chose some Silver Sprinkles (aren't they festive looking).

Other items used: Card Stock: Bravo Burgundy, Cool Caribbean, Kiwi Kiss, Shimmery White and DP by Basic Grey.

Ink: Bravo Burgundy, Memento Tuxedo Black and Prisma Colored Pencils.

Punch by Martha Stewart Crafts

Old Olive Twill Ribbon

Silver Sprikles and Foam Mounting Tape

Don't forget to stop by the Annabelle Blog and check out the other DT members cards.  Don't forget to leave some comment lovin (we do appreciate it) and try this sketch out yourself.  Remember there is a PRIZE up for grabs!

ABSC006 - Seasons Greetings

Greetings everyone from the Frozen Pacific Northwest! It's another chilly day here with the high expected to only be around 27. Brrrrr.... It's time for the newest Annabelle Stamps sketch. This week I actually followed the sketch pretty closely this week. I did move my sentiment over just a bit as I thought it looked better centered under my image. This weeks I chose a set that isn't a Christmas set and yet can be used as one. (Swirl Tree). I stamped the tree image on Very Vanilla card stock and colored it with Prisma Colored pencils. Then I stamped all the little packages and cut them out and mounted them on the tree with foam tape. I added snow to the tree with white liquid applique and some dazzling diamonds glitter. I also added red grosgrain ribbon and a snowflake brad (Making Memories).

The sentiment is from the (Holly Branch) set and was stamped with Tuxedo Black ink. I used Chili and Olive sprinkles for my "bling" on this card.

Card stock: Old Olive, Ruby Red, retired DP from SU.

Don't forget to visit the Annabelle blog to see what the other talented DT members came up with for this sketch. Why not give it a try yourself and leave us a link (Mr. Linky) so we can see your creation as well.

3CT - I'll Have a "Blue" Christmas without you

Hi! - I missed last week for the 3CT Challenge but had a bit of time today so I whipped out this little number.  Okay maybe that's stretching the truth a little but I did manage to finish a card for this weeks challenge.

Cards with (Blue, White & Silver) as the color scheme.

I bought a set of (Foam) stamps ages ago (like 2-3 years) and finally used one of them.  I've been meaning to get some paints/brushes and experiment with the stamps but so far that hasn't happened.  So instead I stamped this row of trees with Versa Mark ink and then embossed them with Cobalt Blue Embossing powder.  Next I ran a thin line of glue (Quikie Glue Pen - Everyone should have one of these) and added some sparkly snow with some Dazzling Diamonds glitter.  Then I added silver sprinkles to the tops of the trees.  Aren't they pretty!  I mounted this piece on Brushed Silver card stock.

My next layer is Whisper White embossed with the Snowflake Embossing Folder and I added designer paper by (Paper Pizazz - Christmas Tidings).  I tied it altogether with some White Satin ribbon, silver cording and a silver snowflake charm. 

I love how it turned out and hope you do as well.  Don't forget to check out the other 3CT Design Team members cards on Kerry's blog or their personal blog and leave them some comment, "Lovin!"

Have a wonderful day.

CIC36 - Magic Hat

I've missed the last few weeks doing the Cupcake Inspiration Challenge over at Hope Stamps Eternal but I'm happy to say that I'm back this week with a card for the challenge.  Hope chose these delicious and delightful Holly Cupcakes from, Pink Cake Box to spark your creativity. 

When I saw them I just knew I had to try and get a card ready since I had just found the perfect piece of  Designer Paper while digging through some scrap paper just a few days ago.  It's a pattern I've had for some time and I have no clue who the maker is (sorry about that) but I really thought it would work well for the challenge.

Next up I picked out my image.  I love this snowman image by (Print Works - Frosty)

It makes me smile.  I decided to highlight the hat image so I stamped it twice and them cut out the hat portion with a circle Nestie Die.  The image was colored with Prisma Colored Pencils.  I added Frosted Lace stickles to the snowman and snowflakes and highlighted the holly berries on the hat with a Red Spica Glitter pen.

Details:  Card Stock: Garden Green (SU)  Textured Red & Olive Green (Bazzill), Designer Paper (source unknown), Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Martha Stewart Punch, Chili Sprinkles (Annabelle Stamps)

Be sure to stop by Hope's blog and check out the wonderful cards by her Cupcake "Sweeties" team and the Guest Designer this month, my friend, Elena (The Red Haired Girl)  -  Then why not give this challenge a try yourself.  It can be "addictive" and oh so much FUN!

Peaceful Wishes

Here is a card I recently did for a "Holiday" swap on another group I belong to.  This group uses mainly Stampin'Up! products. 
I didn't have a lot of "current" SU DP so I had to be a bit "creative" so my partner could show her customers the card I made.

What I did was take an old retired piece of SU Christmas Designer Paper (Dashing2007) and added strips of Chocolate Chip cs to come up with a pattern that resembles the current pattern (Merry Moments).

The piece that Dasher is stamped on is from, (Tall Tales)

I stamped Dasher on the DP with White EP and added the Peaceful Wishes sentiment (Chit Chat rub-ons) which I might add I am finding these are fantastic to use, they go on so easily without having to press super hard.

My card base is Chocolate Chip layered with Textured Real Red cs, striped DP,
The tag was done with Old Olive, Textrued Red cut with the Scallop Punch, a strip of Chocolate Chip and circles (3/4" and 1/2") punches and the Crop-o-dile for the center.

Other items used: Tag Corner Punch, Flower Fusion, Playground Button, Linen Thread, Pearls (Pretties Kit), Red Grosgrain Ribbon, White EP

absc005 - Helen Celebrates Christmas

Good Morning! - It's time for the latest sketch for Annabelle Stamps (absc005)
This week I have taken a few "liberties" with the sketch. Hopefully you'll be able to see the general idea as I explain my process for creating this card.

First I wanted to use the image, Helen from (Helen's Party) so you could see that it can be used for cards other then Birthday type cards. I wanted to add the present and also create a Poinsettia flower embellishment for the (bow like piece on the sketch). This meant "flipping" the sketch and moving the focal image to the right since the flower embellishment would have been right next to the present had I followed the sketch as is shown. Are you with me still...I know it confused me but I like the end result.

I paper pieced Helen's Clothes and the present. The Poinsettia was done using 5 Petal Punch.

Don't forget to check out the other DT members blogs for the Sketch cards. Also I believe you still have time to get in on a chance to win $20 Gift Certificate to Annabelle Stamps Store if you participate in the sketch challenge absc004 from last week.

Card Details: Stamps: Helen's Party & Holly Branch (inside sentiment)
Card Stock: Ruby Red, Bashful Blue, Old Olive,Pretty in Pink, (SU), PTI Select White and Designer Paper (Eskimo Kisses, Basic Grey)
Ink: Palette Noir Black, Bashful Blue (Sponged Around Helen)
Other: Prisma Color Pencils, Gamsol, MS Loopy Punch, Sprinkles (AS), White Liquid Applique, Dazzling Diamonds Glitter, 5 Petal Punch, 1/2" Circle Punch, Rectangle Nestabilitie Die

absc004 - Peace on Earth

Let There Be Peace on Earth and Let it Begin With Me.

Hello everyone today is Thanksgiving here in America so we are celebrating with a wonderful Turkey dinner and giving thanks for the many blessings we have.

It's also the very first Annabelle Stamps Sketch Contest...Every week there is a Sketch challenge on Friday but the last Friday of the month is the "Contest" sketch and there is a wonderful prize available so you don't want to miss out by not participating in the challenge. You can find all the details on the Annabelle Blog.

For my card today I chose to "flip" the sketch. For this card I used the Holly Branch stamps set. This is a really "versatile" set that can be used in so many different ways. I stamped the sentiment first with Ruby Red ink and colored over part of it with a Basic Black marker. Next I stamped one of the Holly Branches with Versamark ink and embossed it with Detail Silver EP. I stamped another Holly Branch the same way on Whisper White cs but cut that image out. The images were watercolored with ink pads and an Aqua Painter.
I also added some light spatter using the Itty Bitty BG stamp set from SU and Baja Breeze ink stamped off once before stamping onto the white card stock.

Card Stock used: Whisper White, Maroon (Bazzill), My Minds Eye DP-The Merry Days of Christmas line and Parisian Breeze (retired Specialty paper from SU)
Other: Silver Sprinkles (Annabelle Stamps), Martha Stewart Loopy border punch, Word Window Punch(SU), Foam Mounting Tape

3CT41 - So Thankful

HELLO AND HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL MY (American Friends)
Today is a day we set aside to, "Give Thanks" for the things we are grateful for. I am most thankful today for my faith in Christ and my family. I have included a couple of fall photo's of trees I took here in town and hope you enjoy them.
May your day be filled with wonderful Blessings.

Don't forget to visit the other DT members blogs and tell them how thankful you are for them sharing their art work with you. God Bless

Card Details: Stamps: Leaf - Stamp Oasis
Card Stock: Always Artichoke, More Mustard, Ruby Red, Elegant Eggplant
Other: Designer Paper: Autumn Traditions
Punch: Martha Steward, Circle Nestabilitie Die, Paper Piercing Tool, Signo White Gel pen, Ruby Red brads, Cuttlebug Embossing Folder, Claret EP, More Mustard and Always Artichoke Grosgrain ribbon, foam mounting tape.

BC126 - Giving Thanks

HAPPY FRIDAY! - Boy am I "thankful" that the week is over. It's been a bit rough trying to get everything done amidst everything that has been happening here this week. One of our cats, (Harley) developed some problems that have kept me pretty stressed out. You can read about it here if you are interested.

This week the blogger challenge theme is : Giving Thanks - We all have so much to be thankful for and sometimes we just don't realize that it's the "little" things that we need to be grateful for.
I started out this morning trying to create a card and it took me all day because of numerous phone call interruptions, picking up our cat, picking up Coleen, etc...and also not being completely satisfied with the first card I made. I've posted both cards here even though I don't really care for the first card.

My second card I'm happy with. It's actually a (case) of this card by Karen Giron. I like the layout and think this one turned out fairly decent.
The other card is okay but there is just something about it that felt a bit "simple" to me and not at all the look I was hoping to achieve.

Be sure to check out the other BC Members Blogs (Click on the Icon on my sidebar) and also check out this weeks Annabelle Sketch - see post below. Next week a PRIZE is being offered so you'll want to check that out as well.

Details: Stamps on Long Card: Falling Leaves-SU
Ink: Ruby Red
Paper: Pumpkin Pie, Ruby Red, Kiwi Kiss (SU) - Textured Dark Teal by Bazzill and Designer Paper by Cosmo Cricket.
Other: Black EP, Punch (SU), Brads-Ruby Red, Ribbon-Pumpkin Pie Striped Grosgrain, Metal Label Die (Cuttlebug)

Details: Stamps on Standard card: Give Thanks (Hero Arts)
Ink:Palette Noir Black, Prisma Colored Pencils
Paper: Pumpkin Pie, Ruby Red, Blush Blossom, Textured Teal and DP Cosmo Cricket
Other: Leaf Punch and Scallop Punch-SU, Sprinkles (Annabelle Stamps)Paper Piercing Tool.

absc003 - O Come Let Us Adore Him

Hello! Welcome to the latest Annabelle Stamps Sketch Challenge.
For my card this week I chose the stamp set, (Wise Men) from the new Annabelle Christmas line. I stamped baby Jesus with Versamark ink and embossed the image with Black EP and then watercolored it and punched it out with an Oval punch.
Then I layered this onto Sage Shadow cs and embossed the sentiment with the same black ep and the star with Gold Fire Opal EP and added a jewel to the center of the star. I added small scalloped photo corners and mounted this to Brushed Gold cs.

My card base is Always Artichoke cs layered with DP by DCWV Christmas line. I embossed a piece of the Always Artichoke with the Swiss Dots Cuttlebug embossing folder and added punched pieces of the brushed gold card stock. My embellishments are Dew Drops because I didn't have any of those fabulous sprinkles in the correct color I needed but do check out all the fantastic colors of the Sprinkles that are available on the Annabelle Stamps store.

Don't forget to visit the Annabelle Blog to see all the other DT members card and try the sketch out yourself.

Have a great weekend.

3CT40 - 'Tis The Season

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas....but in a "Non-Traditional" way.
Welcome to this weeks 3CT Challenge - Create a Christmas themed project with NO
Red or Green. Sounds pretty simple right?....Not so much when every single piece of Christmas DP that I went through seemed to have red or green in it somewhere. Then I hit upon this piece of Heidi Grace paper sitting in my drawer that I bought last year and had yet to use. I love this color combo together and it's certainly not traditional at all.
I chose to use Snowboard Fluffles (Stampendous) for my focal stamp. I colored Fluffles using Prisma Color Pencils and added a touch of shimmer to the snow with a Silver Spica Glitter pen and a fuzzy ball to his/her (does anyone know what sex Fluffles is?) hat. It started out White but I dyed it with a Night of Navy ink pad as I didn't have the re-inker. I embossed some Creamy Caramel cs with the Snowflake Cuttlebug Embossing Folder and brushed it over a Craft White ink pad then added a strip of ribbon (American Crafts) don the middle. Next up I added the sentiment (computer generated using Lucinda Handwriting font)and added the snowflake brad covered with Frosted Lace stickles to complete my card.

Card Details: Stamp: Stampendous
Card Stock: SU-Night of Navy, Creamy Caramel, Whisper White, DP by Heidi Grace
Ink: Palette Noir Black, Night of Navy, Prisma Colored Pencils, Gamsol
Other: Ribbon (American Crafts), Snowflake Brad (Making Memories), Spica Glitter Pen, Frosted Lace Stickles, Pom Poms

Now head on over to Kerry's Blog and check out the fabulous, fun and festive creations made by the other DT members and don't forget to visit their blogs and leave them a little "comment lovin'" - Have a Great Day!

BC126 - A Blustery Day

Hey it's Friday and you all know what that means. Yep, It's Blogger Challenge Day.
Our theme this week: Happy Fall Y'All - Cards relating to Autumn/Fall.
This is one of my favorite seasons so I loved this challenge.

Before I forget don't forget to check out my post on the newest Annabelle sketch below this post. We'd love to have a few more people join in with us on the sketch challenge.

I chose to use an image from: www.ladybugandfriends.com by Joan Elliott but apparently it is not available right now as I could not locate it on their website.

The image was colored with Prisma Colored Pencils and cut out with a Nestabilitie Die. I computer generated the sentiment.

Card stock: Chocolate Chip, Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive and DP by KI Memories.
Ink: Prisma Color Pencils, Gamsol, Palette Noir Black ink.
Other: Swirls Cuttlebug Embossing folder, Small Maple Leaf Punch, Leaves (source unknown)

Don't forget to visit the other BC Members blogs to see their Fall creations.

I've also included a picture that I took of Coleen a few weeks ago. There was this gorgeous fall tree that we passed every day on the way to her pre-school so one afternoon I took her and got some photo's of her sitting in the yard with all these beautiful fall leaves around her.

DID YOU KNOW...that I have another blog? Yes, it's called (Wishes, Dreams and Other Things) - I haven't posted on it in awhile but there is a new post there with another picture of Coleen if you'd like to check it out. From time to time I will also feature some cards so it won't strictly be NSR. - I should also mention that this blog has Music on it so you might want to turn your speakers down if you don't want to listen to the music.

absc002 - I love Presents, How 'bout you!

Call me a kid at heart but I love getting presents. For those who think Christmas is only for kids, "Bah, Humbug!" - Yes I love opening gifts on Christmas morning and I hope that never ends. It's always so much fun to rip open the package to see what's inside.

It's time for the newest Annabelle Sketch Challenge. Let me just say last week we had a couple of players which was wonderful but I'd really love to see more people taking part so check out the sketch and give it a try. You can post your card on the new Annabelle Blog

This week the Annabelle Sketch Challenge was a real "challenge" for me. I just could not think of how I was going to incorporate that Triangular Shape into a card. In fact I even e-mailed Andrea for some help. She graciously showed me her card for the sketch but that still didn't help me think of any ideas. I went to bed that night and while trying to go to sleep the idea came to me to use presents to form a triangle of colorful packages. The next morning I set out to create my pyramid of presents and I had them all stamped and paper pieced and ready to be mounted when I decided to run the image through the Cuttlebug. Okay normally that would be just fine but I had already glued on all my (Sprinkles) except for the 2 larger ones with the raised bows. "Word of Warning" do not do this. It smashed those beautiful little sprinkles flatter then a pancake and ripped my pieced presents on top of it. (Insert Sad Face). I of course had to start all over but I persevered and am quite pleased with how my card turned out.

Details: Stamp Sets: Helen's Party (for the presents) and Holly Branch (Sentiment).
Card Stock: Handsome Hunter, Ruby Red, Whisper White and Designer Paper (DCWV - Holiday Christmas Collection.)
Ink: Palette Noir Black and Handsome Hunter
Accessories: Christmas Ornament Cuttlebug Embossing Folder, Large Corner Punch-SU,
Small Scallop Corner Punch-EK Success, Sprinkles-Annabelle Stamps, Silver Cording-SU

PLEASE check out the other DT members blogs and see what they did with this sketch.
Then try it out for yourself. It's a lot of fun!

3CT38 - Christmas Cardinal

Hi - Hope you all have been having a great week so far. I took a few days off from Stamping/Blogging this past weekend as it was the PBR Finals. For those of you who aren't familiar with the PBR (Professional Bull Riding) let's just say it was one exciting finish to crown a new Champion. Congratulations Kody - You deserve it!

Okay but now back to card making....This week the challenge for Three Clover Thursday is, (Birds and Bugs) - I don't own many stamps of bugs (icky creatures) but could have found some if I looked really hard. Instead I decided to go with Birds and do a Christmas card (hey, I need to start getting them made pronto!).

I chose the Cardinal Stamp from the retired SU set, (Christmas Cardinal) and stamped it on watercolor paper with Palette Noir Black ink and used various ink pads and my Aqua Painter to watercolor the image. Then I added a tiny bit of Crystal Effects to the berries and colored the birds eye with a Gold Glitter Pen. I cut this out with my Nestabilitie Die and then cut out (by hand)a slightly larger size in Handsome Hunter. My card base is Creamy Caramel layered with Ruby Red cs. The wonderful designer paper is from Die Cuts With a View (DCWV) Holiday Collection. The sentiment is from Annabelle Stamps (Holly Branch) set and was embossed with Topiary Tapestry EP(PSX). The punch is by EK Success (Double Morocco Lace) - Isn't it fabulous!
I added Felt Poinsettia (Hero Arts) brads by Queen and Company and Chili Sprinkles from Annabelle Stamps.

My sketch is from:

This is one of those cards that made me feel really good when I finished it and I hope you like it as well. Be sure to check out the other DT members blogs and leave them some comment lovin

It's A Sketch for Annabelle Stamps

Hello and Happy Friday! - Welcome to the very 1st Annabelle Sketch Challenge. You can find all the details here

It's also Blogger Challenge Day - Which I'm sort of "cheating" a little today since the theme this week is, Technique's and quite frankly I really didn't have time to find a technique and do a card for it. So I'm fudging a little since my card is Watercolored and that is a technique. We were also suppose to find links or give instructions on our technique but again that just escaped me and I'm sure you're all familiar enough with the technique and can "Google" it if you need further information.

For this card I used one of the new Christmas release sets from Annabelle Stamps called, Wise Men. I stamped the camels on watercolor paper and just watercolored one camel and cut it out. Then I stamped the Bethlehem image and watercolored it, masked it off and sponged in the sky. Next I stamped the star and the sentiment. All were stamped with Palette Noir Black ink and watercolored using an Aqua Painter and various ink pads.
The paper I used is from Basic Grey (Figgy Pudding line) from a couple of years ago. I also used a piece of Pumpkin Pie along with Old Olive and Garden Green.
The accents are Silver Sprinkles available from Annabelle Stamps.

You can give this sketch a try and post your creation on the new Annabelle Blog using the Mr. Linky feature.

Also don't forget to check out all the techniques from the Blogger Challenge group by clicking on the BC Icon on my sidebar.

I hope everyone has a great weekend and hopefully next week won't be so hectic and I can actually do the BC challenge like it's suppose to be done.

CIC31 - Love Bugs

Happy Hump Day! - Here is my entry for this weeks CIC over at Hope Stamps Eternal Aren't those the sweetest cupcakes you've seen in a long time. I mean look at those adorable little mushrooms and the pretty flowers and cute little ladybugs! - Who wouldn't be inspired by such charming cupcakes.

I took my inspiration from, The colors (Black, Red, Yellow, White), the Ladybugs and the circles/polka dots (on the mushrooms).
My image is from a current SU Hostess set - Love Bug. I chose some patterned paper (The Paper Patch) that I've had in my stash for years now and paired it up with Basic Black, Real Red and Yoyo Yellow and Whisper White cs. The bugs were colored with Prisma Colored Pencils. I added some yellow felt flowers (Maya Road) mini red brads (Queen and Co.) and some Polka Dot ribbon (source unknown). I also used a Cuttlebug Folder for the white Daisy Chain and added the Loopy Punch from Martha Stewart. I added a bit of shimmer to the bugs wings and antenna using Spica Glitter Pens. I love how fun and cheery this turned out.

I tried and tried to get a brighter picture of this card but just couldn't seem to do it so this one will have to do. It's really much brighter in real life.

I hope you'll give this challenge a try. It's really FUN and very Inspiring!

Halloween Cuteness

Well another Halloween has come and gone but I wanted to share some photo's with you.
The little "Witch" in the picture is my granddaughter, Coleen (Age 41/2) She borrowed our broom (which closes down to a smaller size) so she could have her picture taken riding a broom!

The "Fireman" is my nephew, Andrew (Age 3)
He wasn't real cooperative about getting his picture taken but this one wasn't to bad.

The "Lion" is my nephew, Timothy (Age 2) - His mom made his lion costume. The other people in the photo are his parents and my brother (The one hunting the lion)

It was a nice night for the kids but we barely had 35 show up. Most people take their kids downtown where merchants pass out candy so most of those who do show up are the older kids. We had 2 girls show up dressed in costumes that sort of looked like "hookers" and when they said, "Trick or Treat" I asked them, "What kind of tricks do you do?" You should have seen the look on their faces....PRICELESS!