A Blog Award!

How exciting is this.... a blog award that came in today! The award is from Ms. Plum (Gunn), one of the blogging world's most talented card makers. Gunn and I were recently on the same design team for Sugar Creek Hollow vintage digi stamps. I love her work - so many details on her cards that keep you just gazing away at them. I learned much from her and admire her greatly. Thanks so much Gunn!

Now the rules in accepting this blog award are to tell 8 things about me that you probably don't know and then pass along the award to 8 other bloggers that I think are fantastic! Isn't that part fun?!! So let's get started:

1. I am a full-time working mom, employed by a top automaker for nearly 30 years now. My responsibilities are managing public relations for the company in the area of environment, energy and biofuels.
2. I have two wonderful children and they are good kids. I'm so proud of them. My son is a freshman in high school and is currently the top freshman swimmer on the varsity swim team. My daughter is in 7th grade and is also a darn good swimmer and ran cross country this past fall. Both of my darlings are A students and they do it on their own with very little, if any, prompting by me or my hubby to get their studies done.
3. I've been married for 17 years and my husband is an educator. He now runs a private school with grades K-8. He is wonderfully supportive of my crafting addictions!
4. I have 3 siblings - 1 sister and 2 brothers - and they all live in Michigan. My oldest brother lives as far north in Michigan as you can get (Upper Penninsula, Copper Harbor area), my youngest brother is a pilot with Delta airlines and my beautiful sister who is so outgoing and kind. My two sisters-in-law are incredible creative crafters too and I really admire their talents.
5. I have two nieces and one nephew - I absolutely adore these children and look forward to the time we spend together.  My youngest niece is already getting the rubber-stamping addiction!
5. At one time we had 8 pets in my household - a dog, two cats, two hamsters, a guinea pig, one bunny and a fish. Thankfully we are down to one adorable dog - a West Highland Terrier named Tillie Mae - and my daughter's bunny who is named Thumper.
6. I have dabbled in many different crafts over the years including cross stitching, knitting, beading and sewing. I love rubber-stamping and card making probably the best overall.
7. I am short at 5 feet tall and my kids now are taller than me.
8. I am a graduate of Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana and still love cheering the Boilermakers on!

Now for the best part - passing along this blog award to 8 other talented people. They are:

Heide

Judi 

Emma 

Linda 

Wedgie

Julie

Nancy

Kathie

The rules for receiving this award are:

• Thank and link back to the person who sent this to you.
• Share 8 things about yourself
• Pass this award on to 8 bloggers
• Contact those bloggers and tell them you sent them this award.

 This is kind of like Christmas again with me being Santa!  What fun! Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Sweet Sketch Wednesday

It's the last Sweet Sketch Wednesday challenge of 2010 - my how the year has flown by! We have the most wonderful sketch this week by Arlana Patten. I just know you'll want to try your hand at this sketch and enter our challenge!

Our sponsor this week is Jodie at Bugaboo Stamps. These darling, whimsical stamps are so fun to color. The Grand Prize winner this week will receive 7 digi stamps from Bugaboo. Thanks Jodie for your generous sponsorship this week!

For my card, I've chosen "Turtle Love" from Bugaboo. I was anxious to get a start on Valentines Day cards and this cute little turtle is the perfect image for that.

I've used Copic markers to give this image color and paired it with papers from K&Co that I picked up last year in mass quantity! I used Nestie oval and scallop oval dies and a Stampin Up scallop edge punch to achieve the details in the sketch this week.

I sure hope you'll find some time to play along with us at Sweet Sketch Wednesday this week. We love to see the wonderfully creative cards that are entered each challenge. In the meantime, visit our talented design team blogs to see their inspirations for you - that will be enough for you to get your mojo going for the challenge!  Looking forward to seeing what you create with this sketch!

Thanks for stopping by!

Merry Christmas

This one photo sums up the meaning of today and my thoughts.  Merry Christmas everyone!

Sweet Sketch Wednesday - SSW81

Only a couple more days before Christmas and I'm getting as giddy as kid about now! I love the final days and the hustle and bustle of getting everything ready for Christmas day. And speaking of acting like a kid, this card fondly reminds me of winter's past (way past!) where Christmas vacations were filled with hours and hours of ice skating with my friends.  This adorable image that brings back those memories is from Fresh Brewed Designs, our sponsor this week at Sweet Sketch Wednesday.

We have another wonderfully creative sketch this week from Arlana. I love the interesting look and the layers that this sketch has - especially with the oval inside the circle. We'd love to have you find a few moments and join the challenge this week. The grand prize winner will receive three free digi stamps from Fresh Brewed Designs - you don't want to miss your chance for that!

The image is called "Ice Skating Angel Cake" and I've used Copics to color her. The papers I've coordinated the image colors with are from Webster's Pages "Sweet Season" collection. I used Nesties to cut out the ovals, circles and the large snowflake which was sparkled up with chunky glitter. A few buttons and some stickles along the oval edges and trim on Angel Cake's jacket and hat are the finishing touch.

Get some more inspiration from my talented team mates at the Sweet Sketch Wednesday blog - you'll love what you see there.  Thanks for stopping by!

A Meowy Christmas at Sugar Creek Hollow

Oh happy Saturday! I am one week closer to a much needed vacation but so many tasks to complete before I get there. What a busy time of year. My day today will be spent shopping for those last family Christmas gifts - I really hope I can polish off those lists because I'd much rather spend tomorrow finishing my Christmas cards and enjoying a little hobby time.

Speaking of cards, today's another sensational Saturday at Sugar Creek Hollow. This card features the most adorable digi stamps called "Meowy Christmas" which includes the image and the sentiment. Isn't this the cutest? A perfect Christmas card for those cat lovers on your list. You can find the digi image here in the Sugar Creek Hollow Shoppe.

Though hard to tell in this particular photo, I started out recoloring the digi image to a shade of navy blue using my photo editing software. I glittered up her wings and the edges of my image panel with stickles. Her crown and details on the watch and her body were enhanced using a glitter gel pen. The vintage papers are from Bo Bunny "Midnight Frost" collection. A few rhinstone flourishes, a bow and some silky flowerettes and we're good to go!

Be sure to stop by and see the design team's Christmas card creations at the Sugar Creek Hollow blog. It'll be the inspiration you need for those last few Christmas cards you need to complete and get in the mail!  Thanks for stopping by my blog ... Meowy Christmas to you all!

Sweet Sketch Wednesday - SSW80

Oh my how this week is flying by...  It's midweek and all I can think of is all the Christmas shopping I still have left to do for my family.  My best efforts to get out and about have been hampered by the subfreezing temperatures and huge dump of snow here in SE Michigan that has just parallized everything. Two snow days in a row with no school for my kids - and two hour commutes to work for me!  Anyway, my point is that being all bundled up like the image in this card is a common sight in the past several days here!

 Here's the wonderful sketch this week at Sweet Sketch Wednesday. The image I've used is courtesy of Digi Stamp Boutique called "Winter Sophie". 

This week at Sweet Sketch Wednesday we welcome Digi Stamp Boutique as the weekly sponsor again. We love the creative and darling digi stamps available by Sally Ann through Digi Stamp Boutique and her generous gift of 6 free digi stamps to the grand prize winner of the sketch challenge this week.  

This cute image was just begging to be glittered up and that's what I did using Stickles to set off the hat and boot trim and the snow. I also used it on the edge of the image panel to draw some definition to this panel. The cap, scarf and mitten embellishments are from Momenta and coordinate perfectly with the KaiserCraft DP I used from "Christmas Carnival Collection". 

For more inspiration, be sure to visit Sweet Sketch Wednesday and see the other design team creations. We extend a warm welcome to you to join the fun this week in the sketch challenge.  Thanks for stopping by!

Sensational Saturday at Sugar Creek Hollow

Welcome to another Saturday showcasing the wonderful Christmas images at Sugar Creek Hollow. This week we were challenged to use Red and White colors only on our cards - perfectly fitting for the season! I chose to highlight two of the Christmas digi stamps in my card this week. This shimmery Christmas card was made using "Butterfly Angel" and "Winter Scene" from the Sugar Creek Hollow Shoppe.

The "Winter Scene" image is fantastic on its own with many ways to highlight the sentiment. Here, I've printed it twice and popped up the sentiment off the background and then mounted that on a panel punched with a MS border punch.  Both the "Winter Scene" and the "Butterfly Angel" were colored red in my photoshop software and spritzed with a shimmer spray right after they came out of my printer.  The photo below shows the sparkly effect a little bit better.

I added stickles along the edges of both digi images as well as the background paper from Webster Pages. A few elaborate pearl embellishments and some lace and the card is complete.

Please wander by the Sugar Creek Hollow blog and see the other beautiful red and white artwork from the design team. There you'll get some great inspiration for creating your own vintage looking Christmas cards. And we welcome you to enter the challenge on the SCH blog with your own red and white creation.

Thanks for stopping by in this busy holiday season!

Sweet Sketch Wednesday

Happy Wednesday everyone! I had so much fun preparing for this week's Sweet Sketch Wednesday challenge.  Our sponsor this week is Tiddlyinks and I'm showcasing three images today from Tiddlyinks using this week's fun and versatile sketch at Sweet Sketch Wednesday.

We'd love to have you join us in the sketch challenge this week. One lucky winner will be selected as the Grand Prize winner and receive a $10 gift certificate to Tiddlyinks digital stamps!  Just make a card using this sketch and post it to the Sweet Sketch Wednesday site. Remember to add your comments at Sweet Sketch Wednesday to be qualified to win the Grand Prize and the Top Three recognition.  We love our supporters and welcome new participants. You'll love Arlana's sketches - particularly the one this week that inspired me to make three cards to showcase!

The first card uses this adorable Tiddlyinks "Penguin Hop". I love penguins and this one was irresistable to me, especially paired with my new "Flakes" paper from Crate Paper's Snowy Day Collection. I also used some leftover Cosmo Cricket "Jolly By Golly" papers from last year. The embellishment is a combination of a MS snowflake punch, Spellbinders snowflake die cut, a beaded spiral doo dag and lots of colored stickles! Isn't he a fun looking chap all glittered up?!  I thought so too!

My second sample showcases Tiddlyinks "Something Warm" snowman. Doesn't he look friendly glittered up and glistening?!

I've used the new Echo Park Paper's "Wintertime" here - it's soft blue and warm browns and reds were a perfect combination with this darling image.

And finally this sweet angel called "Watch Over Us" at Tiddlyinks makes a lovely Christmas card with her wings and halo so sparkly.

She's combined with papers from Kaisercraft's "Christmas Carnival Collection" which is shimmery and sparkly too.

Hopefully you've seen something here that prompts you to head over to our sponsor, Tiddlyinks, and check out the holiday images available there. Each of the images I've used are selling for only $1 right now. 

And I know you have to love the Sweet Sketch Wednesday sketch and the different looks you can achieve with it. So play along with us this week, won't you? We would love that!  Be sure to check out the other design team creations for more inspiration and samples of this sketch and Tiddlyinks images too! Links are on my left sidebar and at the Sweet Sketch Wednesday site.

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Sensational Sketch at Sugar Creek Hollow

Hi everyone! I am so glad it's the weekend! We're putting up our Christmas tree and decorations this weekend and I love the transition to the Christmas theme in our home. I also look forward to Saturday's when I showcase Sugar Creek Hollow and the beautiful vintage digi stamps they offer. This week we have a sketch challenge for you and if you enter a card following the sketch below you could be selected to win a free digi stamp of your choice at Sugar Creek Hollow.

Here's the wonderful sketch this week. Stop by the Sugar Creek Hollow Shoppe and pick up a freebie image if you don't already have an SCH image to use. Better yet, you can purchase this gorgeous Baby Jesus image there and use it like I have here with the sketch.

I love this image so much. It's a beautiful portrait of Jesus drawn by a young lady from Poland. When you see the image printed in real life it takes your breath away. Here I've mounted it in a Spellbinders Foliage Frame and added one of their Fancy Tags. The paper I've used is My Mind's Eye "Holly Jolly" and I like the non-traditional but vintage look it sets for this Christmas card.

For more inspiration from our fabulously talented design team see links below to the designer's blogs or visit the Sugar Creek Hollow blog and see their creations. Your eyes will be delighted that you do!

Tracy, Owner

Joseline, DT Coordinator

Mary

Marsha

Renee

Nancy

Stephanie

Cec

Joni

Donna

Julie

Ms Plum

Heide

Dawn

Thanks for stopping by!

Sweet Sketch Wednesday

It's another wonderful Wednesday - midweek or hump day and I can see the weekend coming! That also means it's time for another Sweet Sketch Wednesday challenge.  Our generous sponsor this week is Di's Digi Downloads and this image "Penguins Sleigh Ride" is one of my favorite digi stamps in Di's store.

The lucky grand prize winner in the SSW78 challenge will win 5 free digi stamps from Di's. All you have to do is create a card or project using the following sketch and enter it into the challenge at the Sweet Sketch Wednesday blog. Here's the sketch this week:

Isn't this a great sketch? This is the kind of layout that quickly becomes your "go to" design that you use over and over again. I do love the clean lines that make the image the focal point - it's perfect when you have a fussy image and equally beautiful to use when you don't want to use DP, rather just plain or textured cardstock. Arlana Patten, the Sweet Sketch Wednesday designer, is a master at these sketches!

This image reminded me of sledding with my younger brothers and sister when we were kids. The little tiny penguin would be my youngest brother Doug (10 years younger than me) so I think I'll send this to his family for Christmas!

I colored the image using Copic markers and added stickles to the hat trim and as the snow under the sleigh. The papers I've used are from last year's American Crafts "Merrymint" collection. My snowflake punches are from MS and for the three embellishments I layered a snowflake with a circle and stamped and cut out the candycanes that are layered on top.

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog! I love and appreciate all the comments you leave!

Sister's Birthday

Today is a very special day... it's my sister's birthday and this is the card I've created specially for her. Sis loves daisies and this Flourishes image of Gerbera Daisies is a perfect match for her.

I've colored the flowers with Copics and popped up the center yellow daisy and the butterfly for dimension. When I think of my sister, I think of blues and yellows so I did the flowers this way and then found this perfect paper in my stash that matched. It's "Umbria" from 7 Gypsies. The gorgeous blue and white pattern is "Bouquet Sky" by Creative Imaginations.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:
Artful Inkables (AIC34) - It's all about punches and dies (and I've used plenty of them on this card)
Charisma Cardz Challenge #47 - One for the Girls (cards made for women and my sister is a special woman-for that I should get two entries!!!)

Thanks for stopping by my blog and Happy Birthday Sis!

Vintage Postage Stamp - Sugar Creek Hollow

It's another Sensational Saturday at Sugar Creek Hollow! I hope everyone in the U.S. had a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends. Now as we turn our attention to the upcoming Christmas holiday, I've created this card with the lovely "Vintage Postage Stamp" digi image from Sugar Creek Hollow.  We have a challenge this week to create a card using faux wood.  You can enter the challenge at the Sugar Creek Hollow blog here.  Just use an SCH winter digi in your creation with wood or faux wood, post your entry at the SCH blog and the winner of the challenge will get a free digi stamp from Sugar Creek Hollow!

My card uses real cherry wood instead of faux - it comes as a 6x12-inch sheet from Creative Imaginations. It's very rich looking in real life and you can stamp on it like paper as I've done here. It makes such a statement with the Vintage Postage Stamp image which was colored in copics, and sponged with color. If you look closely at the photo above, you'll see that I added some gold to the lamp post with an art pen, some glitter as the lumination from the lamp and a bit of fresh fallen snow to the pinecone branches and the post itself. 

Soon all the lamp posts here in Michigan will look like this with the snow - it started snowing a bit today! I always love the first snow - it puts me in such Christmas spirit!  Hope you enjoy the rest of the weekend and please join us in this challenge at Sugar Creek Hollow.  Thanks for stopping by!