A Cherry on Top

Oh my goodness!  What a wonderful blog award to receive!  This is from my good friend - and a sweetheart of a gal - Dawn at Dawn's Craft Place.  Be sure to stop by and visit here.  She is filled with inspiration and you will absolutely love her artwork!

The rules for this award:
1. Thank the person who gave this award to you
2. Copy the award and put it on your blog.
3. List three things which you love about yourself.
4. Post a picture you love.
5. Tag five people you wish to pass this award on to.

The things I love about myself and a favorite picture:

1. I think I am a pretty good mom.  Oh yes, there have bumps and snags in the road, but all in all I think that I shared loads of love and all things good with Shane.  In turn, I have learned so much from this kiddo of mine and every day I cherish the bond we have.
2. I also think I'm a pretty good wife.  There is nothing in this world that gives me more pleasure than making my husband happy!  Last night he taught me to bait cast.  It took a little time for me to learn the concept (I've always been a bobber and worm fisherwoman), but when I reeled in a 15" northern, I think he was happy as can be!  I'm a pretty good cook, too, so he is always pretty happy about that!
3. I love that God gave me the ability to teach people in paper crafting.  I am basically a pretty shy person (really - I am), but when it comes to teaching, something inside me comes alive! 

This is one of my favorite pictures!  It was taken in Tuscany at a very old vineyard.  We were about to leave (after a FABULOUS traditional Tuscan meal - and loads of different wines and grappa) and my CTMH friend, Sara, grabbed our camera and took this.  It's a bit out of focus, but that adds perfectly to the charm of the photo and the region.

Passing it on:

1. I would toss this right back to Dawn.  She is supportive, inspiring, and such a fabulous person!  Thank you, Dawn for sharing yourself with me - I appreciate you!
2. Kim at Memories in Thyme is amazing!  She is tender, sensitive, and such a genuine person.  She believes in me as a mom, wife, teacher, and individual.  Thanks so much, Kim!
3. Laurel at Seabrook Designs is incredibly talented.  She doesn't know this, but I have grown as a paper crafter because of her!  Have you seen her work?  Stop by because she will knock your socks off!
4. Jamie at A Happy Scrappy Place is just awesome!  I have admired her work for so long!  As I've watched her work on different company's design teams, I have picked up so many tips to help me be a better teacher!
5. Karen  also deserves this award.  She is so sweet and has the most fabulous smile!  I love her CTMH artwork - and she has given me an enormous amount of encouragement over the last couple of years!  One or two words can make such a difference and Karen knows just what words to choose to offer encouragement.  I also admire that she added another business - Must be Charmed,  Check it out because it's really fun!!

Happy

I saw a lot of challenges in Red, White, and Blue this week, so that is what this particular card is about.  It's such a pleasure to work with these patriotic colors!  This card fits a few challenges - CARDS, Heart2Heart Challenges, a challenge from Sharon on the design team on Sketches4All, and I took this week's sketch from Inspirational Card Sketches. 

Items used:  CTMH White Daisy, Cranberry, and Outdoor Denim CS; Reminisce dp; CTMH A Little Bit of Everything stamp set; CTMH flower, button, waxy flax, ribbon, brads; Martha Stewart stars

Como Park

I hope everyone is having a wonderful Sunday!!  This layout is using a sketch from Page Maps, and it is for the June layout on Sketches4All.

I have used all American Crafts products for this page.  I so seldom get to use pinks and the other girl colors - this was fun to make!!

While I had my American Crafts scraps and embellishments out, I thought I'd use them to create this birthday calendar.  There are six flip pages on this Maya Road base, so I put two months on each one. I'll finish this off by typing lists of birthdays and adding it on the backside of each flip page.  All items are American Crafts except for the silk ribbon and Maya Road base.

Exciting News to Share!

I have some fabulous news that I want to share with you.  I have been invited to be on two more design teams, and I can't wait to start showing you work from those teams!

The first is Sassy Lil' Sketches.  I absolutely love the sketches and inspiration I find on this blog, so I am thrilled that I will be a part of the team!  I start this team in August, so that's when you'll be seeing Sassy Lil' Sketches reveals from me!

The second team I am joining is Sketches4All.  This is a super-friendly forum that offers challenges for the beginner to advanced.  I will not only have a presence on the forum, but I will be hosting challenges twice a month.  Every 1st and 3rd of the month, you will have the opportunity to play along for the chance to win a RAK! 

I hope you'll join me in these journeys and participate in the challenges.  I think it's going to be great fun!!

I am Thinking of You

I wnated to put a quick card together before I leave for work this morning.  I am always working on cards for OWH, so this is another one for the box!

I used a card sketch from PageMaps that is featured on the sketches4all forum for June.

I used Fancy Pants paper, stickers, and ribbon.  The sentiment is from my favorite CTMH set - TLC.

Enjoy your Saturday!!

Toddler Fun

I have been working on a layout today, and I still don't know if I am happy with it.  I love the pictures, but I am just not crazy about something in the layout.  If I knew what it was, I would fix it!! ;)  These are pictures from nearly 20 years ago, and I didn't have the luxury of digital prints back then.  I am just so happy to have these pictures and to have put them to another set of legacy pages!  What you have in this post are simple pages - and that's okay, too!

I based my layout on the Let's Scrap sketch for the week.  Such great sketches at this site! I think this is a fabulous place to find inspiration and sketches - amazing work at Let's Scrap!  I also noticed while I was working on it that it will work for the color challenge for Frosted Designs.

I have used Tinkerin' paper from CTMH.  I purchased this paper knowing that I didn't like it so much, but that it would be great for little boy pages. I buy paper that is suitable for my pictures.  I love that paper I don't necessarily like challenges me and helps me grow.  After nearly two decades of paper crafting, that is important!  I've used the Level 1 kit, so all the stickers are included.  I added some Making Memories Giggle Kids dots, CTMH buttons, and I put glossy accents over the word "fun" to make it pop.

I have got some news that I am busting at the seams to tell you, but I can't just yet!  Look for that annoucement on Sunday!! 

Another Sketch from The Scrappiest

As long as I was working with The Scrappiest sketches, I thought I'd try working on Sketch #70, too.  I have been going in and out all day - such a gorgeous day!  I was gardening this morning and finishing off the last flower bed I had to work on.  So I'd scrap a little, garden a little.  All days should be this lovely!

I also incorporated another challenge into this layout from Graphic 45.  Their challenge was to use papers from their Transatlantique collection.  Such fabulous papers!!  I used pictures from when we were in the port of Malta on our Mediterranean Cruise.  The streets were so quaint in Malta.  Everyone had a gate between their heavy door (and these were some heavy doors!) and the screen door.  The ladies open their screen door and lean on the gate to chat with neighbors.  How wonderful is that?!

I created one paper flower from the Graphic 45 papers.  The crepe ribbon is from Tattered Angels and I misted it with Tuscan Sun and Coffee Shop glimmer mist.  The rose is also from Tattered Angels and is one of their new irresistible glimmer chips.  I've sprayed Coffee Shop glimmer mist on that and then painted with clear rock candy crackle paint.  Oh, the crepe ribbon and handmade flower also have crackle paint on them.  The luggage, words, and stamps were cut from paper.  In order to give the luggage a more realistic look, I put glossy accents on the straps and edges.  Fun, old fashioned paper that suited these pictures well!

Quiet Winter

This is my 2nd post for the day, so be sure to scroll down and check out the reveal for Skethes in Thyme!

This layout may seem a bit peculiar for the beginning of summer, but I had this lovely picture to scrap.  This is the view from living room window - and how lovely is it to wake up in this serenity!  I used sketch #69 from The Scrappiest for this page. 

Ihave left my layout quite simple because the picture needed to be the focal point.  I've used TPC Studio and Reminisce papers and matching ribbon.  The letter stickers are from CTMH, and I've covered them with a bit of prisma glitter.  The buttons and photo hanger are also from CTMH. 

Sketches in Thyme Reveal!

It is time to show you a new Sketches in Thyme sketch!  This week we are using a Scrapiopath sketch for you to play with.  I think you will enjoy this challenge!  I know you are going to like what the other Sketch Mavens designed for you.  Stop by Sketches in Thyme to see what everyone has been up to and be sure to share some love!  Don't forget to play along.  The Mavens love seeing your work!!

For this layout, I used My Family paper from Fancy Pants Designs.  The chipboard covered circle is a dimensional element from CTMH, and the brown scalloped circle is from Bazzill.  The flowers are CTMH paper flowers and chipboard flowers covered with Fancy Pants paper.  Such fun boy colors!

Heart2Heart Challenge

And, wow, was this a challenge for me!  (But, boy, do I really love that!)  The challenge over at Heart2Heart is to use the CTMH colors tulip, black, and buttercup.  Yes, such lovely colors, but I just didn't know if I'd be able to swing it.  Here goes!

All items used are CTMH.. The background is an argyle stamp from a promotional CTMH set, and I stamped it in all three colors.  The sentiment is the stamp set A Little Bit of Everything - love that one!  To give them a little more interest, I've put Liquid Glass on the paper flowers. 

Have to go to work tonight, but I'll be back tomorrow with some more artwork!

I loved the colors this week over at Play Date Cafe:

I sat down this morning to make a card with just plain cardstock (that's something you won't find from me often!), and here is my result:

I made the butterflies blue by misting white cardstock with sapphire glimmer mist.  Then I stamped the butterflies over the paper with black archival ink.  They are sparkly (if you click on the card, you will see it closer) because I sprayed the stamped butterfly then with iridescent gold glimmer mist.  This is a very simple card, but I like how pretty it turned out.

Love this Child

A lot of my layouts have been going straight into my books without sharing.  These pictures are so doggone cute that I just had to share.  There is nothing like a cute little baby belly!!

For this layout, I used quite a varity of product:

• 3 Bugs in a Rug paper
• CTMH Olive and Cocoa CS; White Daisy paper flowers; New England Ivy buttons; Twitterpated My Stickease & Buttons
• Thickers letters
• Little Yellow Bicycle word "love"
• Fancy Pants sticker
• May Arts ribbon
• Mark Richards gems
• Butterfly from Just Chillin' Slice card

Camping Weekend

Jerry and I went camping for the weekend, and we had a great time!  Miss Chanel #5 went with us, and she was such a good girl!  There were so many other dogs barking, but she didn't join in.  True to her beagle self, she kept her nose to the ground and sniffed out every smell she could!  I am going to get to creating tonight, but here are a few camp pictures in the meantime.

Hiking on the banks of the Mississippi River:

Chanel commanding the boat:

Jerry spending some time fishing on Saturday evening:

Buggy About U

It's time for the June challenge over at Adornit.  I love their papers, and I think a lot of them are quite nice for little boy pictures.  I ordered the June challenge kit (isn't it nice that they put together a kit?), and I received it this morning.  I had the perfect pictures for this paper, so I was able to sit down and put it together loosely based on the sketch that came with the kit.  (That's also a bonus - you get a sketch!)

Now I think I had the cutest little blond boy around.  Yes, I know I have told you that before - but I think it holds true!!  (I am not a biased mama at all, am I?)  These pictures were taken 20 years ago when Shane was just a little diaper butt. I am so glad that I didn't hurry to scrap anything.  I just love looking back and working with these pictures!

On another note, have you been to Heart2Heart challenges?  I was so happy to find out I was in the Friday Five this week!  It is a CTMH challenged-based blog, and if you haven't been there, check it out!  Some amazing women run the H2H.  You'll be inspired!

Tomorrow is a New Day

This my second post for today so be sure to scroll down and look at the Sketches in Thyme sketch!

I saw that the challenge at StuckOnU Sketches has to do with embossing.  I am always ready to emboss, so I thought I'd give it a try!

In order to achieve this mixed look, I stamped this lovely Hero Arts stamp in Versamark.  Versamark allows a little time, so first I sprinkled CTMH Olive embossing powder where I wanted it.  Then I did the same with CTMH buttercup.  Once you put one embossing powder on the image, it will not pick up another color.  This technique is form Stampendous, and is called painting with powder.  I wanted some resist in the background, so I rubbed over the whole image with Wild Honey distress ink.  The phrase is from Unity, and I also embossed that in CTMH Olive.  Now if I had thought twice, I would have put a Father's Day sentiment on the card.  Evne though this has a flower on it, the colors are lovely for a masculine card.

Baby Robin - Sketches in Thyme

There is a new sketch over at Sketches in Thyme today!  Even though it's not my turn to show you an example this week, I wanted to share a layout to remind you of the challenge.  Head on over and give it a try!

Here is the sketch this week from Scrapiopath along with my take on it:

As you can see, I flipped the sketch and kept straight lines.  But it's recognizable all the same.  Just a little note from me - always feel comfortable doing what you want with a sketch.  These are your legacy pages, so you have to like the finished work!!  Anyway, we have had a lot of fun nature in our yard this spring and early summer, so I wanted to capture some of that for this year's scrapbook.  These are pictures of one of the baby robins I was telling you about in an earlier post.  By this time, the mama robin had left and the new bird was sitting in the shrub.  It's hard to test your wings alone and fly!

Items used:  Basic Grey Origins; CTMH black cardstock, bitty sparkles, sticker and paper butterflies; Elle's Studio tag; Mark Richard black gems; American Crafts Thickers; Bazzill flowers; random ribbon

Take a Walk With Me in Our Yard

The rain has finally stopped after a week.  It was good heavy rain, so everything has grown so nicely outside!  I thought I'd bring you on a little trip through my yard.  We'll start in the front yard:

This is the Wisteria vine that the greenhosue told me would never grow in MN climate.  That was 4 years ago.  I think the Wisteria proved the greenhouse wrong!

What the Wisteria does is invade everything.  Here it is climbing the house:

The hops vine also loves the wet, humid weather.  It has taken over the little flower garden in our backyard!

Everything under the deck is growing beautifully.

This is the huge tree on the edge of our backyard that I will not let Jerry trim.  It's a pain for him to mow under, but it the very tree that truly clinched the deal when we moved into this house 9 years ago.

We have about an acre of woods, so I'll bring you through the area that has a path:

4 years ago, Shane had many of his graduation pictures taken in our woods.  I would love to get him back to take some more!!

Hope you enjoyed your little walk through our yard!

Happy Camper

I am an insomniac.  Do you share that problem with me?  I am plain envious of my husband because he can fall asleep the instant his head hits the pillow - lights on, television blaring.  But not me!  I can be as exhausted as can be (and I was last night), but no hope for quick sleep.  Sooooo, on these nights, I head into my craft room to create!

I had seen this idea on the Bo Bunny blog.  I thought it was just the best thing ever for my husband, so I put one together tonight.  I used a tackle box-type container from JoAnn's.  The paper and embellishments are from the Bo Bunny Roughin' It line.  It's filled with Jerry's favorite things - peanut M&M's and trail mix.  Should be a nice addition to the family room (or I should say his outdoor-themed man cave!).

Sending You a Little Happy

Quick post today using some Unity Stamps.  These stamps are from kits of the month - such a great deal!

I used CTMH white daisy, indian corn blue, and honey cardstock and did a lot of layering.  For inks I used Ranger faded blue jeans and wild honey.  I used a Ranger foam blending tool to get the two different colors on the stamps.

Enjoy your day!  I am off to teach some kiddos a mini album at Camp Creativity!

Back Online and I've Got a Couple of Cards to Share

I did not have to wait long for my power cord - yippee!!  What on earth would we do  without our computers?  I missed all of you and I can't wait to check out your pages to see what you've been up to!

I am loving my new Brave Girl stamp set from Unity.  Here's a couple more cards I made with that set:

I wish I could say I have gotten a lot of paper crafting done in the last couple of days, but I have been working.  Busy, fun days!  I have a day off on Wednesday, so I am looking forward to sharing some more work then!

Lots of Pink

At least a lot more pink than I am used to working with!  There is a challenge over at Play Date Cafe using some colors that I am not accustomed to working with.  I guess this week is all about true challenge for me!

I combined these colors with the sketch from OCC Sketch Blog:

Items used: Bo Bunny Petal Pushers; Petaloo Color Me Crazy flower; Unity stamps; May Arts ribbon, Stickles

I was truly inspired to do this other piece of artwork from a sketch I saw on Inspirational Sketches:

I love this sketch because it leaves the crafting world wide open!  I grabbed an Art Blanche clipboard from my stash and covered it with Bo Bunny Petal Pushers.  I built two flowers using paper, Bazzill flowers, Imaginisce flowers, and brads.  The chipboard phrases are Melody Ross, and the ribbon is May Arts.  Truly quick and easy!

Both of these pieces actually fulfill the challenge over Our Creative Corner, too - creations showing what summer means to you.  Summer is all about the flowers to me!

A Few Cards to Share

I have been working on some cards for OWH, and I thought I might as well squeeze in a few challenges along the way.  The first one I'll be showing you is a card for American Crafts.  The challenge is to use 2 or more American Crafts items.  I've used Dear Lizzy patterned and fabric paper, Thickers, and an embellishment from the I Do line.  The fence and banner are from the fabric paper, and I just cut them to size.  I put Ranger glossy accents on the rose to give it some shine.

The next card is a sketch from Clean & Simple.  I do have trouble in this area, so I always say this is a great challenge for me!  I've used the new Brave Girl stamps from Unity for this card.  I think this is a great stamp set for pages and cards.  The cardstock and patterned paper is CTMH, and the ribbon is May Arts.

The last card is my take on the CPS sketch for the week.  I really wanted to use a couple more Brave Girl stamps.  That border is Fiskars Upper Crest punch, the paper is CTMH, and the ribbon is May Arts.

How has your week been?  It's been very rainy here, but it is a welcome rain to our grass, plants, and trees.  I start teaching a new class at work tomorrow using Hero Arts and Glimmer Mist.  Take a peek here to see the cards I'll be teaching (Colorful Creations).  As always, I am VERY excited to be able to teach new ideas!!

I haven't been feeling the best this past week.  So I haven't been in my craft room too much, but rather saving the best of me right now for my husband and work.  All things pass though, so I quite certain that in a few days I'll be up to par again!  Keep checking my page because I've got some new products in my craft room that I'll be creating with in the days ahead!