Thursday, April 29, 2010

Sweets for my Sweets....

Yesterday gave me something to show for all my work on Tuesday.  I didn't get this posted yesterday, but did get it made and in the mail to my SCS pal, LJ!


This is for her Sweet Shoppe Swap.  The image is from Treehouse Stamps - was a freebie I picked up a bit ago.  The paper is from the Paper Studio, the ribbon is from Offray, the cardstock is from CTMF and the glitter is sugar coating from doodlebug studios ( I love this stuff; and I dislike glitter normally)!

Hope everyone has a great Thursday...must get going to see what is new in my little blog universe.
Huggz,
April

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Well, so much for good intentions.  Yesterday was just one of those days...I accomplished a lot, but had nothing to show for it.  So today I am showing you the card I finished first thing this morning!

This is for Sheena's Embellishment Swap over at SCS.  I signed up for two spots - one in ribbon and one in pearls.  The pearl set has been done, but.... I had problems integrating ribbon for some reason, but I LOVE how it turned out in the end!


The image is Cafe Scarlette from Bugaboo Stamps.  LOVE HER!!  The CS is from Stampin' Up! and the DP is from a paper stack from Big Lots.  I colored Charlotte with Copics (skin) and BicMark-Its (the rest); and the sentiment is from CTMH, stamped with Momento ink.

Hope you enjoy this card; and have a Wonderful Wednesday!
Huggz,
April

Monday, April 26, 2010

TGI MONDAY!

No, the title isn't wrong.....I am happy to say that we survived dog-sitting the week of our Spring Break!!  But, I now have more reasons not to have a pet....lol.

I can now get back into my crafting groove!

First up - it's Monday which means that Squigglefly has a new challenge out.  It is to use blue and green!  How great is that??  I used an image from Squigglefly - and, you know the rest, everything else came from my scraps....I hand wrote the sentiment ~ seems more personal to me!!


This card also fits the Scrappy Ho's Challenge.  We all know that April Showers bring out all sorts of friends, snails and turtles included!!

Hope everyone has a Marvelous Monday - see ya tomorrow!

Huggz,
April

Friday, April 23, 2010

It's....Friday!!

Finally!

How could this week have gone on soooo loooong?  I think it must have been the lack of sleep one night that threw me off for the rest of the week.

Before going to check on the house we have been "sitting", I did get to make a card!!  This is using the freebie I "earned" with a progressive giveaway at Designed2Delight.  I think this is such a cute image and want to thank them for the chance to earn it!!



The paper is all from Colorbok (Target for 99cents), the image is colored with Copics and, like I said, from Designed to Delight.  The sentiment is by Stampin' Up and was punched out and popped off with foam tape.

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Happy Earth Day

Well, it has been a long day!  My DH was having chest pains and to admit that is scary enough, without spending 8+ hours in the ER to be told he had strained a muscle.

But, I finally have a card to post. 

Nope, doesn't fit any challenge, isn't for a swap, didn't have any true inspiration for it....

Just made a card with a freebie and it made my day better!

Without further ado, here it is....


Everything is out of my stash....can't really say I am re-using any of it, just not throwing away good scraps.  The image is from Sassystudiodesigns and was, like I said, a freebie! 

Hope to find my mojo tomorrow and get some great cards cranked out for a few swaps....I have it in my head to get ahead of my game in my swaps, because I want to host my first one at SCS and think I'll need all my wits about me!1

Have a great night, and
HUGGZ,
April

Monday, April 19, 2010

Happy....

I have been lax in posting here....ugh...family sometimes gets in the way of the fun stuff.

But, here I am with three new pictures for you!

The first is a birthday card for Kim at Squigglefly!  The challenge this week is to make a PINK birthday card!!  WOOT WOOT!  Here is mine.  I used their precious hummingbird freebie clored with Copics, the sentiment is SU! and the ink is CTMH.  The ribbon was given to me and the pink paper (I never can remember the correct name) is also Stampin' Up!


This second card is for a swap over at SCS.  Sheena is hosting a "For the Love of Embellishments" swap and this is my pearl submission!  The digi is from Designed2Delight, colored with Copics, the dp is Colorbok, from Target's scrapping aisle.


The third picture is my submission to Scrap that Poetry #14 based on the poem, April, by John Greenleaf Whttier.  The pictures were recently taken when I "HAD" to go fishing....Does anyone HAVE to go fishing??


Hope you enjoyed your time here today~ check back tomorrow for more chatter from me ;-)

Huggz,
April

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Thankful it is Thursday!

I am having a great day~
While the sun isn't actually shining, the temps are in the mid to upper 60's and the Spring flowers and trees are in bloom.

I had three challenges and accomplished two of them this afternoon.

The DT over at Inktegrity issued their Hump Day Inspiraton #7.   I used the recently released bag of popcorn from the "Ticket Please" set, on the front of an invite to the movies for some of my son's friends....  His birthday is coming up in June, so I am getting a jump on these!  When I finish them up, the inside will use the ticket that says "You're Invited!" as a border around all the details of the party.  This is just one of the many ways to use the ever versatile digi-stamp.  All materials for this card are from my scraps....lol


The second challenge I did this afternoon was issued by Sketchy Thursdays; and they used a 'prompt' from Who's that girl #7.  I figured that I might as well combine the two - I rarely craft anything directed at myself, so why not try this?  It was a lot of fun - all be it, out of my comfort zone.  The papers are from Colorbok, the stamps are from The Greeting Farm; using CTMH ink!  The butterflies are only adhered to the page by one wing, to give a more flutter-y affect!



Thanks for checking in on me today, see you tomorrow for Fantastic Friday!
Huggz,
April

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Happy Day

It is amazing to me that it is Wednesday already!!

Where is my week going?

If you have been reading what I write here, you know that I am trying to use up every scrap I have - or every paper I have in my stash and haven't touched in forevah!  I do buy for when I work on swaps, but for the most part, all of the challenges I work on use things I have in my craft space!

Today's card is no different - I have had this paper and not known what to do with it - I have a son, and rarely use 'girly' colors.  Therefore, I have has a lot of pinks to use for my challenges.



This card fits:
SFC #44 - the sentiment is from Squigglefly's Inside Out like and required DOODLING.  All the gold is drawn in with my favorite pen!
Tuesday Morning Sketches #41 - rather than a sketch this week, Melissa wanted SOFT HUES, FLOWERS and RIBBON.
365 Cards - was challenging crafters with white space.
Pile It On - asked you to "Say it with words", so, no image.

This concludes my submissions for the Spring Hop going on at Pile It On, 365 Cards, Practical Stampers, Sketchy Thursdays, the Cuttlebug Spot, and Scrap that Poetry.

I am sure this is just the first of many times I will be stopping by these sites to get some wonderful inspiration.  I am not sure anyone every thanks the people behind these blogs, so - HATS OFF TO ALL OF  YOU!

On a side note, I am feeling very blessed to have 'found' a Cuttlebug at a great price and can't wait to pick it up and start using it!


EDITED TO ADD:
This also fits the challenge over at the Crafty Ho's ~ to use only pastels....

Monday, April 12, 2010

Monday, Monday

I am going to be just under the wire with this one!

But, wanted to get these posted for the current challenges that I am submitting them for! ;-)

My friend Jeanette, Forest Ranger on SCS, is such an enabler....she told me about Pile It On, a challenge blog that encourages you to make a project that fits their challenge and as many other current challenges as you can....hmm... Can you say "ENABLER"?

This first scrapbook page fits Sketchy Thursday CHALLENGE for a blog hop that is happening this week.  Read all about it on their blog!


This second page qualifies for Practical Scrappers Challenge, Scrap That Poetry #13 Challenge, and The Cuttlebug Spot Challenge.

All of these challenges are part of their weeklong Spring Hop.....I will be working on the other projects later this week.  Am hoping to enter all six of the sites challenges so that I qualify for the grand prize....who doesn't like prizes. 

Best of all, I am working outside my realm this week and stretching my skills....that is what this is all about!

Huggz,
April

Saturday, April 10, 2010

Am I Bugging You??

It was a normal start to the day....my son got up, trying oh so hard to not wake me....but my internal 'mommy-dar' just knows when he gets up.  At least it was after 7am today.  The rest of the morning followed my daily pattern - checked my email, the local newspaper, did my daily crossword puzzle on line, be-bopped over here to see if anyone posted anything exciting....

And, the first thing I noticed is that today is Scrappy's Birthday.  While I am sure she doesn't remember this, she was one of the first people to 'be nice' to me on SCS.  I have tried to follow her daily crafting and more often than not, can't....BUT, her blog popped up first on my reading list this morning and I am so happy that it did!

Why you ask?

Well, it lead me to Bugaboo Stamps, which was having a blog hop today.  While I subscribe to their blog too, sometimes I don't get the time to read everything I follow....lol

But, after following their hop and ending at the Catch the Bug Challenge Blog, I decided to pick up their freebie this week and enter their challenge.  Here is my card, featuring their ladybug in a jar.



This a a standard size card with a white base, some buggy paper out of my scraps, some black glitter paper from Colorbok,  a piece of generic red ribbon, and a computer generated sentiment punched out with an SU! punch.  The image is colored with my Bic Mark-Its, and I also used the red one to mark the edge of the sentiment.  I did make the top of the bug jar silver, with a gel pen.  As a final embellishment, I added three white metal dots to hold the black glitter paper in place.

Thanks so much for stopping by!
Happy Birthday to Scrappy and big huggz to all my friends,
April

Friday, April 9, 2010

Friday Night Frenzy

I'm always up to a good challenge and tonight was no different!  My SCS friend, LJ, told us about a challenge she entered tonight at KL Stampin N Scrappin for a 1-2-3 Card.  This card needed one image, two designer papers and three embellishments. 

Sounds easy, right?  Did I mention by midnight tonight?  Well, I have been meaning to make a birthday card for my friend's daughter; so, I used this opportunity to do just that!



The image colored with my Copics is from Pollycraft, my two designer papers are from Close To My Heart, and my three embellies are some gold brads, a paper flower and a dragonfly brad.

Thanks for taking a look and I hope to 'see' you all tomorrow!
Huggz,
April

Phew

What a week!  I am so glad that it is over!  Let the weekend begin!

I did promise a post yesterday, but my DS needed the computerfor some homework....and of course, I didn't have a picture to go with a post, so it is a day late!

You don't mind, do you?

Here is my other recycled project for the Crafty Ho's Challenge.  This is for my DH's uncle.  He is an avid fisherman - actually catching fish instead of just telling 'fish stories'.


The water is recycled Easter grass; it is in a plastic container that held shortening.  The image is WeeHenry that I colored for a swap and "lost" when I cleaned up my area.  The tree is made from the stub on my DS's pencil which no longer has an eraser and various scraps of paper, cut into circles.  I had originally intended for the tree to be something else (was actually supposed to look like something all together different).

I should have some computer time this weekend - hope to see you then!
Huggz,
April

**EDITED TO ADD
The directions for making the topiary tree can be found here.  It was actually easy once I got started, despite how difficult I thought it might be....

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Crafty Ho Challenge

The Ho's have really done it this time....offered up a challenge that hits home.

I am on a mission to use up the bits and pieces that are stashed all over my craft area.  The Ho's put out a green challenge ~ to reuse or recycle in your project.  This is a card I made with all recycled pieces.  The card base was cut wrong originally, so I repurposed it here.  The pink card stock has mis-printed digis on the side that is adhered to the base.  The left front is from a card someone gave me over the weekend (I was aghast, they BOUGHT it!) The sentiment is also from the same card.  It was mounted on a piece of light blue that was originally miscut in size.  The ribbon was a scrap that my GF gave me already cut into various lengths.  The brads, which don't match, were leftovers that have just been sitting in the corner of my three drawer organizer.  Oh, and the butterfly which is popped up on dimensionals was cut from another card (also store bought, from my secret pal at Church).

Bet you really want to see it now, huh?
Okay, here it is:


I am not quite happy with this, think I should have distressed the edges of the butterfly.  Probably will do that after I am done here....

This is only one project I have done this week, but you will have to wait until tomorrow night to see the centerpiece I made for my uncle's birthday. 

Huggz,
April

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Terrific Tuesday

Tuesday morning was horrendous!  Life babysitting a 17 month old can be harrowing at times. UGH.  Just think potted trees becoming unpotted (in seconds) and lamps being pushed over (while in timeout).  To say the least, it was a looooong morning!

But, on a more positve note, I did make the rounds to see what was going on in my crafty world....Designed2Delight digital stamps is giving away the cute digital stamp that I used for Melissa's Tuesday Morning Sketch #40


As I mentioned, the digi is by Designed2Delight; and is colored with Copics.  All papers, card stocks and ribbons came out of my scrap pile/file/heap.  The three little metal buttons on the top right are from WalMart....  The sketch was provided by Melissa ;-)

Thanks for stopping by and I hope eveyone is having a Terrific Tuesday!

Huggz,
April

Monday, April 5, 2010

It's Monday...

So, my inner clock has been off all weekend...DS didn't have any school on Friday, making me think it was Saturday....  Then, all day yesterday, which was Sunday, I thought (yep, you got it) it was Saturday.... Today, I have to keep reminding myself it is Monday.

I did a bit of card making this weekend, and promptly got up this morning and tore one of my cards apart.  No one is your worst critic, except yourself!

That being said ~ here is my card for Sew Many Challenges.  Here is where you can get all the details of SMC#10 which requires you to use some sort of fancy fold.

The tag in the lower left actually fits into the pocket on this spring fold card.  The image is (of course) from Sew Many Cards and was colored with Copics.  The little one brads are from CTMH and the larger brad and the paper came out of some leftovers that have been waiting for me to use them ;-)

Thanks for stopping by on this Marvelous Monday....see you all tomorrow!

Huggz,
April

Saturday, April 3, 2010

TGF Battle Week 2

So, it is Sunday....alright, I have an hour before it is Sunday; and Easter Sunday, at that!

Happy Easter!

Now, you are thinking...."April's gonna post a cute little bunny card today to wish us a Blessed Easter."
NOT!

Today I am going to show you an easel card that I submitted for our team, The Forest Farmers, at the TGF Battle.

This card uses the Mer-Ian image popped up in front of various waves.  He also happens to have been "caught" by his true love.  The sun is shining brightly, so Mer-Ian can't be too sad.



The deets - papers came from my scrap file, the image is my The Greeting Farm, the sentiments were done on the computer.  And lastly, I made the net from some soldering wire and a plastic net bag (no, I didn't have that laying around the house - I bought a set of 4 woodend spoons for 97cents to get it).  Btw, the sand and stones lay flat under the front of the card when closed.

It was a fun card to make and I truly hope you like it enough to vote for our team here.  You must log in before voting (commenting).  Voting runs from Sunday until Tuesday with the top 25 teams moving on!  If you have any questions, let me know!

Silly Saturday

I love Bugaboo Stamps!

I know - many of you are say "Who's stamps doesn't she like?"

Bugaboo gets right to the heart of the matter with their fun images and sentiments.

I used their new freebie image in Melissa Craig's Tuesday Morning Sketch Challenge.  You can see the challenge here.

Have to leave this short for now...DH and DS are ready to enjoy some sun!



Huggz, April

Friday, April 2, 2010

Friday Fits....

So, it is Good Friday.  Thanks be to God!

That being said, I had one of those days....lol

My DS had his BFF spend the night since there was no school....too bad they still got up at the butt-crack of dawn....
I love that the weather is breaking - BUT, I don't like 80's in the middle of summer, let alone the first couple days of April....
The boys wanted to go fishing....fishing? of all things. 

There was no way to get out of it, so I made the most of it and took my camera.
This little guy was enjoying the bright sunlight of the day!

Finally, we did get home.  I turned on the computer and found what I wanted to print so I could submit a card to Inktegrity's Hump Day Inspiration #5.  Got all of my prints sized like I wanted, sent them to the printer, and....nothing!  UGH, outta ink (how'd this happen??)!  So, like any industrious person (insert PIGHEADED) I copied all the files to my thumb drive and turned on the pc....
All that being said, here is my card on this Good Friday!

I must say that this set by Joni is a joy to work with!!  It has everything you need and no "reel" coloring to be done.  The images are from Inktegrity, the paper is by ColorBok, the three silver metal dots from Best Occasions, and the popcorn was colored with my Bic Mark-Its.
My BFF (who doesn't know I have a blog, because she is so much more talented than I) will be the recipient of this lovely card!

I hope to have a post tomorrow, Saturday; so see you then!!

Huggz,
April