Help for a Very Special Lady

I know many of you out there in the crafting blog world know of Karen (Krafty Karen).  She has been going through a really rough time in the past few years, and could use a little help.  If you go here to Wendy's blog, you can read about Karen's ordeal.

As a way to help raise money for some medical proceedures, Karen has been selling some card kits on the Paper Craft Kits (or Paper Creator for the UK) stores.  These kits are absolutely adorable, and only $1.50 (£1.00 for the UK).  They are digital, and come with papers, instructions and the images already colored.  All you would need to do is print them out, cut them and fold.  Of course, you can always add your own touches with embellishments and glitter!

If you're interested in taking a look at the kits, here is the USA store and here is the UK store.

One of the things I love most about this crafting community is how caring everone is, and how everyone bands together when times get tough.  Hugs for everyone!

Come to the Dark Side...

We have cookies.  =D I've always loved that quote.  Ok, now that I have your attention...

Are you a fan of Simply Betty Stamps?  You should be!  Betty has *fabulous* images in different styles.  Yes, most of what you see from her on my blog are the ones that are both creepy and cute (skulls *everywhere*!!)...'cause those are my favorite...but she also does really sweet images (like Jude and his crew) and some really fun ones (like the recent Christmas release). I promise!  You should go check her out.

You know what else you should do?  (LOL, sorry I'm being so bossy today...)  You should join the new Simply Betty Stamps group at Paper Craft Planet!  Why, you ask?  Well, besides being a group of AWESOME and funny girls, you could get a free image!  That's right...when the group reaches 500 members, Betty will give THIS image as a freebie!

Squee!!  Is she not adorable?!?  Look at her cute little kitty...and her fun little doll..and all the pretty pretty skulls...  LOL 

Ok, so I hope you join the group!  We're going to have a blast, and I'd love to see you there...

Thanks for stopping by, and we'll see you soon!

CDAC Progressive Challenge

Crafter's Digital Art Center (or CDAC) is having a progressive challenge!  What's the grand prize?  A fabulous set of 12 Copic markers!  How cool is that?  When I heard about this, I definitely wanted to join in.  Here's what you do:

Go to CDAC here and join up (if you're not already a member).  CDAC is a fabulous place with so much to learn and such a great community...you definitely won't be disappointed with your membership!

After signing in, join the Progressive Freebie Challenge here, then follow the directions. There are some GORGEOUS images for this first section of the challenge, and you only have until 8/31/11 to get the first images free, so hurry up!  Don't worry, though...if you miss the first deadline, you can still buy the images for $1 to play along!

So, here's my first card for the kick off challenge.  I used this adorable image by Whoopsi Daisy. Isn't she CUTE?!?

Paper is from Kaiser Craft's Magic Happens collection.  Flowers are from a blog candy I won a few months ago.  Gems are from Recollections.  The image was colored with Copics, then highlighted with Stickles on her belt and flower in her hair. Sentiment was printed using Word and the background paper for the sentiment is from FreeDigitalScrapbooking.com.

Well, there's my first one!  I printed out the images forever ago, and meant to have the cards done weeks ago.  Now...time's almost up and I've FINALLY completed my first one. LOL Hopefully I'll have time to put together a couple more before the next session starts! =D

Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you will join in the fun!

Happy Birthday!

Man, there are a lot of birthdays coming up!  It seems like everyone I talk to has a birthday or a family member/friend with a birthday in the next few weeks.  That makes this week's Happileigh Scrappin' challenge just perfect.  This week was Happi Sister Chris's turn to pick the challenge, and she wants to see birthday projects, in honor of her son's upcoming birthday.

I used the adorable Sea Turtle, which you can find here.  I copied and pasted him twice, and changed the angles on all three turtles for some variety, and colored them with Copics.  The sentiment is my own, printed out using Word.  All papers were edged with light blue chalk ink.  The colored bubbles and seaweed are stickers I found at Target.

Now it's time to head on over to the Happileigh Scrappin Challenge Blog to see the projects from the rest of the Happi Sisters.  Remember, you do not need to use a Happileigh Scrappin' image to enter....but we'd love it if you did!  =D  If you don't have any Happileigh Scrappin' images, you can visit the shop here.  As always, it's buy three get one free!

Thanks so much for stopping by, and we'll be seeing you soon!

Back to School!

Gosh! Sorry I haven't been on much...life has just been so crazy busy!  I guess it's just summertime.  Friday I went all day to our state fair with my mom and a couple of her friends....

Then today Wy and I spent all day at Vallyfair, a local amusement park:

Not a lot of time for crafting...but I did fit in a little bit! Wanna see....?  =D

It's that time of year again...all the kiddies are headed back to school.  In honor of that occurrence, Tiddly Inks challenged us to create a bookmark.  Now, I've never created a bookmark before, so I was kind of excited.  I've been seeing a lot of corner bookmarks around Blogland in the past few months, and I've always wanted to try making one.  So, I decided to find a fun tutorial and try it out.  (The tutorial I found is here on Split Coast Stampers.)

And here's a close-up of just the bookmark:

I used the adorable Schoolgirl and Extras, colored with Copics, Spica markers and STICKLES!  =D  The sentiment on the side of the book says "Never judge a book by its cover."  I think that's good advice for everyone, but especially the kids.  Sometimes at a young age it's too easy to go along with the group and make snap judgments about other people...I thought this would be a nice little reminder to give everyone a chance.  =D

Well, I'm pretty happy with how this turned out.  (Trust me, the skirt looks much better IRL. LOL)  I'm really excited that I tried this, and I can't wait to make another one.

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by!  We'll see you soon!

Spring is Here!

Or at least it is in the Southern Hemisphere....so that's the new Digistamps 4 Joy challenge for this fortnight!  If you live in the Northern Hemisphere like me...you're just heading into the end of Summer.  But you can remember Spring, right?  It was that one day a couple of months ago?  (Or at least it only felt one day long! lol)  One little twist, though...we want to see at least one handmade flower on your project!

Aaaanyway....here's my card for the new challenge!

I love the image I got to play with this week: Butterfly Belle. I just think she's so gorgeous!  I love all of the flowers in her hair.  I colored the image with Copics, then colored the flowers in her hair with Souffle pens.  I colored the butterfly with Glaze pens, then cut the image out.  (Let me tell you...fussy-cutting that hair took a few minutes! LOL)  The paper behind the image is from Stampin' Up. The green background is from DCWV's Ciao Bella Hello Beautiful stack.  The tag is from Dana's Inspirations.  The sentiment I printed in the center of the tag.  The flowers were made by quilling.  This was my first solo attempt at quilling...and I loved it!  (I had only done it once before...one flower on one card in a class.)  The butterflies were made from a couple of different punches.  Unfortunately I couldn't tell you where the punches were from.  (In my first ever crop, before I had very many tools, a very nice lady saw how much I loved her punches and let me go crazy punching out a ton of butterflies.  I've held on to them ever since, and have FINALLY used some!)  I decorated the butterflies with Copic markers (for the brown bodies) and stickles.

Well that's it for my card!  Sorry my post was so long!  I just now realized how much I was typing. LOL  Why don't you head over to the Digistamps 4 Joy Challenge Blog to check out the projects by the rest of the DT?  They are some *fabulous* creations, let me tell you!!  Remember, you do not need to use a Digistamps 4 Joy image to play along, but if you do......you could win the DT's Choice Award (and a $6 voucher to the store)!!  How cool is that?  TWO chances to win!

Hope y'all come play along with us!  Talk to you soon!

Happy Halloween! Wait...What Month Is It?

If you know me, you know that I loooove Halloween.  For me it's never too early to start getting ready.  My friends and I are already planning our costumes. =D  Every Halloween and Christmas I like to make little treats for my coworkers.  (There's only 6 of them in my department, so it doesn't take too long. LOL)  I decided to get a head start this year, and now I'm finished with the Halloween ones!  They're just waiting to be filled with candy.  (Mmmm...Halloween candy is the BEST!)

I used a Sizzix box die and my Big Shot (looove it, thanks ma!).  It took a few tries before I figured out the correct way to fold and glue them shut.  I also had a little bit of a paper issue (didn't realize I had to cut one part twice, and I ran out of one of my papers) but figured out a way to make it work, as Tim Gunn would say.  =D  All of the images are from Simply Betty Stamps and were colored with Copics and Glaze pens, then cut out with my craft knife.  I added embellishments from the Basic Grey Eerie collection and gems from Archiver's.  Then I lined all of the fronts with Stickles.

Here's a close up of all six.

Thanks for stopping by to take a look! We'll be seeing you soon.  =D

Challenges:

Simply Betty Challenges: Treat Containers

Simply Betty Challenges: Anything Halloween

Papertake Weekly: Dies to Die For

My Time to Craft: Here Come the Girls (all but the fifth box)

Incy Wincy Designs: Anything but a Card

Aly's Sunday Challenge: Halloween

Crafty Sentiments: No Sentiment (all but the second box)

Mmmm...Halloween Candy....

The lovely Linda B is giving away some FABULOUS candy!!  Take a look:

Nom nom nom!  =D  Looks delicious.  Why don't you head over to her blog to take a peek at the list and maybe sign up to win?  Good luck!  ; )



Monday, Monday (La Laaaa, La La Laaaa)

LOL  I don't know if any of you know that song...but it's been stuck in my head for hours.  Just thought I would like to share.  Aaand, if you do know that song.....it's time for it to be stuck in YOUR head.  You're welcome. =D

Well, you know what Mondays mean....a Happileigh Scrappin' Challenge!  Woot!  This week was Happi Sister Mandy's turn to choose the challenge, and she wants to see some Girly Girls.  That's right...anything goes as long as you have a girl on the project.

I used Leigh's adorable Tea Party set, which is one of my favorite Happileigh Scrappin' images.  (It has everything!  Pretty hats, bows, teapots, flowers...) It was colored with Copics and Glaze pens, and edged with chalk ink.  The sentiment is from TLC Creations.

Now, remember...you do not need to use a Happileigh Scrappin' image to play along, but we would love it if you did! Just in case, here's a link to the Girly Girl section of Leigh's store.  =D As always, it's buy three images and get one free.  Such a great deal!

Why don't you head on over to the Happileigh Scrappin' Challenge Blog to see the rest of the Happi Sister's projects?  They are fabulous, so you wouldn't want to miss them...  =D

Thanks for stopping by, and I hope to see you playing along!

P.S. I'm also entering this in the Corrosive Challenges: Girly.

Fangtabulous

Hello, hello, hello!  It's time for another Tiddly Inks challenge, and I"m really excited about this one.  Christy just released a few vampire images, and they are AWESOME! I just had to get at least one.  Now, the new challenge is to Inch My Way Along. 

To be perfectly honest, I stole was inspired by Larissa's treat box.  It was just so darling, I had to try.  I had never created a box with my Martha Steward Score Board before, so I was excited to do something new.

Aaaaand a shot from the front so you can get the full glitter effect.  =D

I think the image is about 2" high, so about 1 1/2" wide.  It was colored with Copics.  I printed the sentiment on my computer with a fabulous font called Demons and Darlings.  (I just LOVE this font!) As soon as I saw Larissa's treat box, this sentiment popped into my head...and I just had to use the vampire image.  =D  The paper with the dripping blood is from Marah Johnson's Breathless collection.  (I completely love this paper...probably my favorite of the collection.)  The bats are from my stash. I know they came from Archiver's, but I don't remember what companies.  When I was done with the box, it still needed just a little something...so I added red Stickles all around the edges.  (When in doubt...add glitter! lol)  I really love how it turned out.  I wish you could see it IRL....soooo sparkly.  =D

Ok, well thanks for stopping by!  We'll see you soon for another post!  =D

A Card for Ryan

If you haven't heard yet, there is a call to send cards to Ryan, a sweet and caring man who was in an accident this past April.  You can read more about Ryan and his accident here. 

I love how our crafting community bands together when times get hard.  Everyone I've "met" here is so loving and kind, and is ready to jump to the aid of everyone else.  It's really inspiring.  Of course, when I heard about this card call, I had to participate.  It's such a good cause, and to bring a smile to even one person is definitely worth it.

Here is the card I made for Ryan:

I used the adorable Bo from Tiddly Inks.  I colored him with Copics, and added a little bit of white Souffle pen for shine. Papers are from Making Memories.

Please, do run over to Meredith's blog to take a look and perhaps create a card to send to Ryan yourself.  Keep in mind, the address on the blog post is no longer the correct address.  Ryan is moving buildings, but Meredith will post the new address as soon as she gets it. 

Thank you so much for stopping by!

I am also entering this card in the Cards for Men Anything Goes challenge.

A DT Call

There is a DT Call going on over at the Critter Sketch Challenge blog!  

Woo hoo! You know how much I love sketches!  =D  When I saw the DT Call, I just knew I had to apply.  On top of the DT Call, the Critters are having a wedding challenge, so I thought I would combine them.  I hope that's ok!!

I used a sketch provided by the Critters.  (I'd show you...but I think to see it you need to apply to the DT call!)  The image is from one of my favorite digi stores...you guessed it!  Tiddly Inks!  I just love this little couple.  It reminds me a lot of the Precious Moments statuettes everyone used to collect when I was a kid.  I colored the couple using Copics, then covered the veil with crystal Stickles.  I used a Spellbinders die for the background, edged with chalk ink in chestnut roan, and hand stitched to the background.  (I'm having so much fun with my stitching tools!!)  The background I embossed with a Stampin' Up folder...I just love this vintage wallpaper look.  The paper was actually a little bit bigger than the folder, so I had to emboss it twice.  Luckily I was able to line up the embossing on the sides.  The ribbon in the corners and the pearls are from Michael's Craft Stores, and the flowers are from a blog candy I won a few months back.

Well, thanks so much for stopping by!!  I'll be working on a number of things this weekend, so I'll be seeing you soon!  =D

Challenges:

Critter Sketch DT Call

Critter Sketch: Wedding

The Pink Elephant 112: Stitching

Cute Card Thursday: Weddings

Fab 'n' Funky: Stitch in Time

There's Magic in the Air: Pink, White and Brown

Papertake Weekly: Bingo I used Free, Pearls and Blooms...or Pearls, Ribbon and Free  LOL

Whimsy Blog Hop

Hey y'all!  I just wanted to let you know about the Whimsy Inspirations Blog Hop going on right now.  I just did the hop, and it's amazing!  Lots of gorgeous projects, and 7 chances to win.  If you want to hop along, click the picture below...it'll take you to the first stop.  Have fun!!

Keep it Cool....

Good morning everyone!  It's time for another Happileigh Scrappin' challenge, and this time it was MY turn to choose the challenge.  Woo hoo!  I decided that since August is usually so very hot....we should keep it coooool.  That's right, we want to see you using only cool colors (hair and skin not included).  In case you're not sure what the cool colors are (versus warm colors) here's a color wheel that has been divided into the two categories.

My card got to pull double duty this week.  Not only is it my DT card for this challenge....but it was also the card I gave my grandmother for her birthday today.  (Happy birthday grandma!!)

I just love this Bird with Flowers image.  I colored it with Copics and then added Stickles to the wings and flower centers.  The inside of the card says "It's your birthday!"  My grandma loved it, so that was very cool.  =D

Now that you've seen my creation, jump on over to the Happileigh Scrappin' Challenge Blog to see what the other Happi Sisters have designed.  Remember, you do not have to use a Happileigh Scrappin' image to participate....but we would LOVE to see you use one!  Plus, if you do use a Happileigh Scrappin' image you get entered into a special extra drawing for Happileigh Scrappin' projects.  That's TWO chances to win!  

If you don't have any Happileigh Scrappin' images yet, you can visit the store here. As always, it's buy three images get one free.  Plus, for this month you get the following image free with any purchase!

Hope to see you play along!  Thanks for stopping by.

Let's Get Fancy!

Goooood morning!!!  It's time for this week's Stamp-N-Doodle challenge.  This week want want to see some fancy folds.  There's tons of fabulous tutorials out there, so go ahead and try something new!  =D

This week the DT was able to play with this adorable Polar Bear Family image.  Of course, the first thing I think of when I think of polar bears is snow and ice!  (Actually, the VERY first thing I think of is Coca Cola, but I didn't have any Coke papers. LOL)  I decided to make a spring card, following a tutorial I found over on Split Coast Stampers. I got to use my snow flake punch from Stampin' Up for the first time, so that was definitely fun.  =D

Well, now that you've seen my project, head on over to the Stamp-N-Doodle Challenge Blog to see what the rest of the DT has created!  Remember, you do not need to use a Stamp-N-Doodle image to participate, but we would sure love it if you did!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Happy Birthday, Olivia!

One of my good friends at work has the most adorable little daughter, Olivia.  Well, Olivia is turning 4, and I just had to make her a card.  (I remember when she was born...my how time flies!!)  I recently did a Hello Kitty blog hop with the lovely Cely at Hawaii Paper Party, and that inspired me to make another Hello Kitty card for Livy.

I am just having so much fun with these Hello Kitty dies!!  I created the numbered background paper with a "4" stamp, and edged the flowers to make them stand out a bit more.  I know Livy loves Hello Kitty, so I'm hoping she loves her card.  =D

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Challenges:

Crafts and Me #47 - Make it Count

If You Can Read This...

...Thank a teacher.  I always loved those bumper stickers.  One, because I really like to read, and two, because I always really liked my teachers and tried to let them know how I appreciated them.  (Ok, ok...I didn't like ALL my teachers.  Calculus is just no fun.)  

So, this week's challenge at Tiddly Inks is to Thank a Teacher.

When I saw this quote by William Ward, it reminded me so much of some of my favorite teachers.  I knew it would be perfect with Tiddly Inks' Schoolgirl.  I combined her with Books and typed the quote around her.  Schoolgirl is colored with Copics.  The books were colored with Copics, Spica markers and Glaze pens.

Thanks so much for stopping by.  See you soon!!

Challenges:

Tiddly Inks - Thank You Teacher

Amber's Crafts and Stuff - Back to School

Cute Card Thursday - Clean and Simple

Steampunk ATC

As some of you know, I belong to a group at my LSS that meets monthly to swap ATCs.  This month the challenge was Steampunk, and let me tell you...I was pumped!!  I am just loving this style, and I've been having such a great time finding steampunk everywhere I turn around. =D  The cards made by the other members of the group were just amazing (stop by Songbird's Nest in the next few days...gorgeous!!), and I wish I could show you how awesome they are.  However, you will just have to be happy seeing mine!

The stamp is a new one I got from Michael's.  I just love how the gears and springs are designed to look like flowers and stems...or at least that's what I see when I look at it.  =D  I embossed the stamp onto my cards using copper embossing powder.  (Keep in mind...we have to make 20 identical cards for our swap.)  I edged the cards using Distress Ink in Vintage Photo.I then used my BRAND NEW Cropodile (LOVE IT!) to punch eyelets around the edges.  I realized that the back of the eyelets were pretty sharp, and I didn't want anyone to hurt themselves (or other projects) so I decided to attach a second layer of cardstock to the back. Because the eyelets were so close to the edge, glue just wasn't going to be a viable option to attach the cards...the edges would still be separate.  So I decided to hand stitch the edges.  For a finishing touch, I added a jump ring with some old copper chain to the upper corner.

I started these cards at the beginning of a 13 hour crop yesterday.  The cards were due today, but I thought there was no way I wouldn't finish.  How silly of me.  By the time it was all designed, embossed, punched and stitched...it had been at least 15 hours.  Crazy!  I was really happy with how they turned out, so they were definitely worth all of the work.  =D

Thanks so much for taking a look!  We'll see you soon!

Challenges:

The Paper Shelter - Real or Faux Stitching

Charisma Cardz Challenges #32 - Distressing

Do You Stack Up #32 - Emboss It!

Incy Wincy Designs # 106 - Something Old/Something New

(The old was the jewelry chain, the new was the stamp and the Cropodile)

Birthday Time

A coworker recently asked me to create a birthday card for her sister.  Her sister has pink hair, loves her puppy, and loves things to be bright and colorful.  With a little help from Sweet Sketch Wednesday's sketch # 114, 

I came up with this card:

The image is from Pollycraft, and it's Sonny Honeycloud's My Buddy.  It was colored with Copics, then I used the same Copics to color the flowers.  Papers are from Stampin' Up. Then I added bling.  Lots and lots of bling.  LOL =D

The Pollycraft challenge this week was Recycling. Well, you can't really see it unless you look closely, but there's pink lace around the middle of the card.  That lace used to be the lining on one of my tank tops. LOL!

I really hope she liked it!  I haven't made very many cards for non-family members...so those are always a little more nerve-wracking.  =D

Thanks so much for stopping by!  We'll see you soon.

Challenges:

Pollycraft - Recycle

The Cheerful Stamp Pad - Petals

Sweet Sketch Wednesday - Sketch # 114

Hello Kitty Blog Candy Winner

Hey y'all!!  Sorry I'm so late getting this post up...it's been a super busy weekend.  Well, let's get to the prize, shall we?  There were 33 entries in the blog candy, and the winner of the Hello Kitty Sizzix die is....

Number 29: Amy from Amy's Crafting Space!!  Congrats, Amy!  Please email me with your address at MissStarlaMae at yahoo dot com to claim your prize.  =D  (I used the Random Number Generator to come up with the winner...but I can't figure out how to get the picture into my post.  LOL)

Thank you so much to everyone who stopped by and left some love.  You are very much appreciated!

Bon Voyage!

**For the Hello Kitty Birthday Blog Hop, please scroll down.**

Happy Wednesday!  It's time for another Digistamps 4 Joy challenge...yay!  This challenge's theme is Bon Voyage.  We want to see a project depicting travel, vacation or something from a holiday destination.

Well, as soon as I heard about this challenge, I knew exactly what I wanted to do.  I've always wanted to take a vacation down in Louisiana for Mardi Gras.  I know a number of people that have gone, and they all had a blast.  Some day I will go.  Until then, I'll just do my Mardi Gras celebrations up here in Minnesota.

I got to use this lovely Digistamps 4 Joy image called Masked Lady.  I colored her with Copics, then added stickles to the feathers in the image.  I added some extra feathers and a little bling to really make the mask stand out. I printed the sentiment on the computer.  It says "Laissez les bon temps rouler!!", or "Let the good times roll!!"  Of course, I had to use the Bourbon Street sign, which was from my jewelry stash.  The beads are actual Mardi Gras beads that I cut apart to create a mini necklace.  The flowers were made with three separate punches.  

Ok, now you've seen my card, head on over to the Digistamps 4 Joy challenge blog to see what the rest of the team came up with!  Remember, you do not need to use a Digistamps 4 Joy image in the challenge, but if you do you could win the DT's Choice Award!

Thanks for stopping by!

Reach for the Stars!!

***If you're looking for the Hello Kitty Birthday Blog Hop, please scroll down.***

Gooooooood morning!  It's another lovely Monday, which means....a new Happileigh Scrappin' Challenge!  Yay!  This week's challenge is Multiple Folds.  That's right, get those scoring tools out and go crazy.  We want to see more than one fold, but other than that, it's open.  There are so many fun folds out there....I know you can do it!  =D

I used one of my favorite fancy folds called a Napkin Fold that I found here on Stamp ARTic. It looks super complicated...but it's actually pretty fun and easy!  I used a new release called Reach for the Stars.  Isn't that little tot just the cutest thing?  Colored with Copics (of course!) and then the stars were covered with Stickles.

Head on over to the Happileigh Scrappin' blog to check out the rest of the Happi Sisters' projects.  (Trust me...you do NOT want to miss them!  We have some talented ladies in this family!)  Remember, you do not need to use a Happileigh Scrappin' image to participate......but we would SURE love it if you did. Plus....if you do, you get entered into a separate drawing JUST for Happileigh Scrappin' image projects.  That's double the chance to win!  Also...every purchase this month gets this adorable image free!

As always, it's buy three get one free (in addition to the See You Soon Snail) so head on over to the shop!

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a great week!!!

A Recipe

***For the Hello Kitty Birthday Blog Hop, please scroll down.***

Good morning!!  It's time for another Stamp-N-Doodle challenge.  This week we have a recipe for you!  We want to see ribbons, die cuts/punches, and pearls! Easy, peasy, right?  =D

This week the DT got to play with an image called Yawning Otter.  I just love otters.  They remind me of kayaking in Santa Cruz, California...one of my favorite things to do!  The last time we went out there was an otter following us everywhere.  You're supposed to stay a certain distance away from the sea life when kayaking in the bay...but he could swim faster than we could row!  I'm sure other people had fed him in the past and he was hoping for a handout.  Still...he was just the cutest little thing!

Ok, sorry for the digression there!  Back to the challenge. =D  The image was colored using Distress Ink in Tea Dye, Broken China and Tumbled Glass.  (I know...no Copics!  Craziness.) I got to use one of my favorite edge punches, so that was fun.  =D

Alrighty!  Now that you've seen my card, head on over to the Stamp-N-Doodle Challenge Blog to see what the rest of the DT created.  Remember, you do not need to use a Stamp-N-Doodle image to participate, but we'd sure love it if you did!  If you don't have any Stamp-N-Doodle images yet, you can find some at the store here. See y'all soon!

Hello Kitty Birthday Blog Hop!

Aloha and welcome to our Hello Kitty Birthday Blog Hop!  It's Cely's birthday at Hawaii Paper Party and we're all celebrating by making Hello Kitty or birthday themed projects!  You should have arrived from the lovely Diana at DL. Art ...but if you've stumbled on this blog hop, please go back to Cely's blog at Hawaii Paper Party so you don't miss out on all the fun! 

Be sure to visit all of the blogs in the hop to be eligible for the Grand Prize!  All you have to do is be a follower of all of the talented ladies in the hop, leave each of us a comment, and go back to Cely's blog to link up with InLinkz and Mr. Blue Frogger!

Here's the lineup in case you get lost!

Donna at Kindred Kreations

Shar at My Time to Create

Kelly at Possibilities in Pink

Amber at My 3E Scrapbooking

Diana at DL. Art

Starla at You Could Be Wishing On a Star  <--------You Are Here  =D

Lori at Reflections from Granny

Before you move on...I've decided to give away a little candy in honor of Cely's birthday.  It's not much...but it sure does fit into the theme.  It's a Hello Kitty Sizzlets die!

All you need to do is leave a comment on this post before 11:59 CST Saturday, 8/13/11.  I will post the winner on Sunday!

Thanks for stopping by.  It's time to hop on over to Lori's blog (Reflections from Granny) for the final stop! Don't forget to wish Cely a happy birthday.  =D Aloha!

I am also entering this card in The Pink Elephant Challenge # 111 Butterflies

Christmas in...August?

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas....well, not really.  But it is in Blogland!!  If you follow me, you know that last week I made a Christmas tag for Simply Betty Challenges, but forgot to do the color part of the challenge (cranberry red, hot cocoa brown, snow white and teal).  Whoops!  Well, now I'm back, and I'm using one of my favorite images from Betty's new Christmas release.

Meet Judy Present!  Isn't she adorable?  She's part of the Sweet Gothic Kids Christmas line, which can be found here.  I colored her with Copics....of course. LOL The flowers I made using a tutorial I found at Tammy's blog here...she did the tutorial for Catch the Bug Wednesday this week.  Aren't they fun?  I was really excited to try it out!  The rest of the papers, gems and ribbon were part of my scrap stash. (The background paper and small flower look a bit green...but they're chocolate brown IRL.)

Well, this tag is a bit different from my last Simply Betty tag.  =D  (I did promise I would make a happy one next. LOL)   I'm pretty happy with how it turned out!

Thanks so much for stopping by!  We'll see you soon!

Challenges:

Simply Betty Challenges: Tag You're It

PaperPlay Challenges: Christmas in August

Totally Gorjuss: Christmas in July

Digi Doodle Shop's Best: Sketch

I'm a Ninja!

Ok, no I'm not.  I just thought it would be a fun title.  =D  I just wanted to say sorry I haven't been posting any new cards the past few days.  Our power was out for 12 hours on Monday due to some strong winds and big tree limbs. To entertain ourselves, hubby and I played Uno by candlelight for a few hours before bed.  It was a blast!!  It reminded me that as much as I love crafting and cardmaking...I also love my husband and should really spend some time with him.

A while back (almost a year ago!!) we had DVR'd a show called "American Ninja Warrior".  Ninja Warrior is this insanely hard obstacle course in Japan.  As of last season over 2,500 people had attempted to complete all 4 levels...and only 3 people had ever succeeded.  They've been doing this for a number of years.  Well, in 1993 they started having a competition in California called American Ninja Warrior.  People try out (last season 300 people tried out) and the top 10 are flown to Japan to attempt to beat the Ninja Warrior course.  (As of the end of last season no American has ever beat the challenge.)  Anyway, it's really fun, and the challenges are just insane...people falling all over the place crazy.  To get back to my story, we had DVR'd the entire last season.  So, for the past few nights we were finally watching the show.  It's so addicting!!  Luckily this season has already started (which we're also DVRing) so we have a few more episodes beofre we have to wait a week for each new episode to air. 

Tonight I should have an hour or two before hubby gets home.  I'll make a few projects (one of which is already colored) right when I get home so I'm done before he arrives.  =D

Thanks for listening!

Heads Up!!

Hey y'all! Just giving you a heads up...there's going to be a SUPER fun blog hop coming up on Monday.  Don't forget to check it out.....talented people, fabulous projects, kitties everywhere...there might even be some candy to win!  =D  You're not going to want to miss it.

**Help Needed**

****Edit: Thank you everyone for your help. I have come up with something I think will work. Thanks again!****

Hello all my blogland friends!  I am working on some ATCs in preparation for the 10 year annivesary of the events that occured in New York on 9/11.  I am desperately searching for a fire helmet digi (just the helmet, no person in it), ESPECIALLY if it is a FDNY helmet.  I have been scouring the internet, but am having no luck.  Do any of you know where a firefighter helmet digi might be found?  **Quick update** I am looking for a black and white image because, unfortunately, my computer is almost out of ink and I don't know when I will be able to buy more, so for right now every colored image I print is coming out purple.

Thanks so much for any help you can provide!

Mmmm...Candy!

The lovely Brenda over at Brenscraps is giving away some AWESOME birthday blog candy!! 

Fabulous, right?!?  You know how I love the Tim Holtz stuff!! =D  Head on over to her blog to check it out and for a chance to win!  (Also...don't forget to wish her a happy early birthday!  =D)