This & that...

Hi friends!

I hope your weekend has gone well so far.  I have been absent from blog world for a few days (thank you to those who commented and emailed to check on me!).

On Friday afternoon, my kids accidentally left a gate open and let our dog, Maia, out.  She ran down the street and disappeared, and we spent the rest of the evening searching and waiting for her to come back.  It was a long night, and my plans to make cards for some challenges that were ending that night were understandably forgotten.

We spent Saturday putting up posters around the neighborhood and calling local shelters.  It was such a relief when we got a phone call around 3:00 saying that Maia was safe, and we are so happy to have her back at home.

Maia is one of the sweetest dogs you could ever meet, though she is not the type of dog that wants to be in your face all the time.  She is incredibly tolerant with my kids, and really, is there anything more important than that?  But I didn't realize just how much she meant to our family until she was gone.

I even promised not to call her smelly for at least the next 2 days.

Here's my sweet girl enjoying a spot of sun, which she just happens to be doing right now as I type.

Okay, on to other things.  Recently I received a couple of awards that I need to pass on.  I am terrible about posting these, so I apologize if you have given me an award in the past that I did not acknowledge here on the blog!  The hardest part for me is passing it on to just a few of my friends, because I don't want to leave anyone out.

The first award is the Stylish Blogger Award, which I received from my new friend, Suzanne from The Card Yard.

I am supposed to share 8 things about myself and pass the award on to 8 stylish bloggers, so here goes:

1.  In my life before kids, I was a biologist studying early development in fruit flies.  Many of my days were spent dissecting the ovaries out of a bug the size of a pencil lead.

2.  My first semester of college, I was a vocal performance major.  I stayed active in the university chorus and individual voice lessons throughout college, but I haven't sung for years.

3.  For one winter term in college, I spent 2 weeks in Puerto Rico studying coqui frogs.  There were rats in our field station and ants in our cereal, but it was the most exciting adventure of my life, and I'd do it again in a second.

4.  I read just about anything I can get my hands on concerning nutrition, and I have given up eating sugar and grains.  I've considered starting a nutrition and fitness blog to chronicle my journey, but I haven't decided if I want to tackle it yet.

5.  I am a staunch advocate for environmental protection and education on climate change.

6.  I have always been a tomboy, have absolutely no interest in fashion, and I rarely wear makeup.  But I love my daughter's girly nature and find that I can't resist buying her pretty things.

7.  My absolute favorite season is fall.  I love everything about it, except that it is followed by winter.

8.  I love to crochet, mostly afghans, but I have to be careful not to aggravate my carpal tunnel.  I find it incredibly meditative and a great way to keep my hands busy while I'm watching TV.

I'd like to pass the award on to these 8 lovely bloggers:

1.  Kasia C.--The Nature of Crafty Things
2.  Andrea M.--Work in Progress
3.  Karen B.--The Bald Dragonfly
4.  Diane Jaquay--Peaceful Lane
5.  Smita--Kreativity and Me
6.  Kim Singdahlsen--Joyful Creations with Kim
7.  Karen T.--Luv to Stamp
8.  Marisa--Rosemary Reflections

The second award I have to pass on is the Cherry on Top Award, from my sweet friend Yuki.

For this award, the directions are to:

1.  Thank the person who gave it to you.  Thanks again, Yuki!

2.  Post the award on your blog.  Check!

3.  List three things you love about yourself.  I am very independent.  I am a loyal friend.  I love to learn new things.  Okay, a bit generic but I've already shared some facts about me above, so I'm running out of ideas!

4.  Post a picture you love right now:  Definitely this one of my son, Will, who surprised me a few days ago by writing his name.  He *loves* the letter W.

5.  Pass this award on to 5 people:

     1.  Nance--Canopy Crafts
     2.  Lindsay--Note to Self
     3.  Jessica--The Paper Parade
     4.  Jean Martin--Stampin' Scrapper
     5.  Nerina--A Creative Inkling

Enjoy, ladies!  And I won't be the least bit offended if any of you decide not to post the award or pass it on, as I am notoriously bad about doing it myself!

Okay, time to get out and enjoy some of this beautiful spring weather.  I hope to be back with a card very soon!  Enjoy your Sunday!

CR84FN22 & WMSC #41

Hi there, friends!  I'm back to share a set of mini cards I whipped up this afternoon while my little guy was napping, an increasingly rare occurrence around here!  I combined this week's colors at CR84FN and the sketch challenge from Waltzingmouse, which is to create mini cards.  I always include a little thank you note with my Etsy orders, so it's good to have a stash of these on hand!

I kept the cards simple so as not to overpower the smallish size of the cards (3.5 inch square).  Each one has a kraft card base with a woodgrain embossed panel of Spring Moss, Dark Chocolate, or Ripe Avocado.  I used strips of patterned paper from PTI's Green Tea Leaves collection.

The gorgeous label is from Waltzingmouse's Vintage Labels 18, stamped onto Vintage Cream cardstock.  I finally picked up the coordinating Spellbinders dies last weekend, and this is probably my new favorite label shape.  

The sentiment is from PTI's Mat Stack 1 Collection, and the leaves are from Turning a New Leaf.  I added a few random chocolate pearls for a little something extra.

Cardstock:  Papertrey Ink (Spring Moss, Dark Chocolate, Ripe Avocado, Vintage Cream), Bazzill (kraft)

Patterned paper:  Papertrey Ink (Green Tea Leaves Collection)

Stamps:  Waltzingmouse (Vintage Labels 18), Papertrey Ink (Mat Stack 1 Collection, Turning a New Leaf)

Ink:  Papertrey Ink (Dark Chocolate), Clearsnap (Lettuce)

Tools:  Spellbinders (Labels 18 die), We R Memory Keepers (Corner Chomper)

Accessories:  Michaels (pearls)

These were super easy to put together, so it's a great design for mass producing.  So glad I had a chance to play along with both of these challenges this week!

Thanks for stopping by tonight!  Have a happy Friday, folks!

The Play Date Cafe challenge #75

Hi friends!  I have one more quick post today.  I was determined to play along with this week's color challenge at The Play Date Cafe, especially since it is sponsored by WPlus9 Design Studio.  Here is the color inspiration:

The colors I used are SU's Baja Breeze and PTI's Melon Berry, and I repurposed some silver string from packaging I had saved.  I tried very hard to add more silver to the design, but it just wasn't working!

The large leafy branch is from WPlus9's Woodgrain Silhouettes Additions, stamped with Baja Breeze ink onto Baja Breeze cardstock.  I debossed the card base using PTI's Linen & Canvas impression plate to add a little texture.

The postage stamp and sentiment are from WPlus9's Spring Post stamp set, and both are heat embossed.  A strip of Melon Berry ribbon and three Melon Berry buttons finish it off.

Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! (Baja Breeze), Papertrey Ink (white)

Stamps:  WPlus9 Design Studio (Woodgrain Silhouettes Additions, Spring Post)

Ink:  Clearsnap (Frost White, Papaya Cream), Stampin' Up! (Baja Breeze)

Tools:  Papertrey Ink (Linen & Canvas impression plate), Spellbinders (square die)

Accessories:  Papertrey Ink (ribbon, buttons), Stampendous (embossing powder), silver string

Thanks for stopping by tonight!  Off to link this up before the collection closes.  Enjoy the rest of your night!

ColourQ #79 & JUGS sketch #78

Good morning!  It's another gloomy day here in the Northeast, but I have a cheery card to share for this week's ColourQ challenge!  This week I'm also playing along with the Just Us Girls sketch challenge for the first time.  Here's the inspiration:

As you can see, I rotated the sketch to put the focal element in the bottom left corner.  I also had to substitute PTI's Hawaiian Shores for SU's Bermuda Bay.

I debossed the top part of the Hawaiian Shores cardstock with the Woodgrain impression plate, leaving just a strip below the ribbon to stamp a sentiment, from PTI's Mat Stack 1 Collection.

The flower and leaves were die cut, then stamped in white with PTI's Delightful Dahlia.  I added some shading with matching Copics to give them a little bit of depth.

The finishing touch is a trio of black rhinestones, to highlight the sentiment and add interest to the top corner.

Cardstock:  Stampin' Up!  (Melon Mambo, Old Olive), Papertrey Ink (Hawaiian Shores, True Black, white)

Stamps:  Papertrey Ink (Delightful Dahlia, Mat Stack 1 Collection)

Ink:  Clearsnap (Frost White), Inkadinkadoo (Black), Copics RV13 & YG93

Tools:  Papertrey Ink (dahlia & leaf dies, Woodgrain impression plate), Spellbinders (circle & scalloped circle dies)

Accessories:  Michaels (ribbon, rhinestones)

I hope you'll play along with us this week at the ColourQ!  Don't forget to check out the rest of the DT samples, too.

Thanks for spending a bit of your day with me, friends!  Have a great one!

Moxie Fab World Tuesday Trigger: Farm Fresh

Happy Saturday!  Just popping in with a card for this week's Tuesdsay Trigger in the Moxie Fab World.  I don't always get a chance to play with this challenge, but I knew I had to make time for this one.  Here's the inspiration photo:

As you can see, I took the inspiration literally, copying the design and colors of the linen in the photo.  I stamped WPlus9's Mehndi Medallions along one side of the card base in Tangerine Tango ink.  The teapot and cup from PTI's Tea for Two and Additions are stamped in Pacific Point, die cut, and popped up on foam adhesive.

Cardstock:  Papertrey Ink (white)

Stamps:  WPlus9 (Mehndi Medallions), Papertrey Ink (Tea for Two, Tea for Two Additions)

Ink:  Stampin' Up! (Tangerine Tango, Pacific Point)

Tools:  Papertrey Ink (teapot and cup dies), We R Memory Keepers (Corner Chomper)

Accessories:  Papertrey Ink (Orange Zest button)

I really love how clean and fresh looking this turned out!  Such a great inspiration this week.  

Thanks for stopping by on your weekend, friends!  Have a great one!

CR84FN21 & Card Patterns #108

Hi friends!  I've got another last minute challenge entry tonight!  I am loving these colors and especially the inspiration photos from CR84FN this week.  I paired them with the current sketch at Card Patterns, which I turned on its side.

I love PTI's Distressed Dots patterned paper and hadn't used it in a while, so that was the first thing I decided to use on this card.  I cut a paper doily in half and inked it to match the Rustic Cream card base and give it a shabby look.

A Scarlet Jewel doily is layered with the Fillable Frames #10 label, stamped with a sentiment from Fillable Frames #4.

The paper roses from Michaels had leaves that weren't quite the shade of green I needed for this color challenge, so I peeled the leaf layer off and traced it onto Simply Chartreuse cardstock, cut it out, crumpled it up a little, then adhered the leaves behind the roses.

Some wrinkled seam binding and a few garnet pearls add the finishing touches.

All supplies from Papertrey Ink unless noted

Cardstock:  Rustic Cream, Scarlet Jewel, Simply Chartreuse

Patterned Paper:  Distressed Dots 

Stamps:  Fillable Frames #4 & #10

Ink:  Bravo Burgundy (Stampin' Up!), Antique Linen (Ranger)

Tools:  Fillable Frames #10 die, Doily Details die, Corner Chomper (We R Memory Keepers)

Accessories:  Scarlet Jewel ribbon, doily (Wilton), paper roses (Michaels), pearls (Queen & Co.), seam binding, thread

I'd better link this up before time runs out!  I hope you all have a great weekend planned.  Thanks for stopping by!

Totally Hues Challenge #4

So I am feeling just a little bit ill right now given the fact that it is snowing outside.  Seriously?!  And we may get 2-6 inches?  Someone wake me up when spring actually arrives!

Okay, now that I got that out of my system, how about a colorful card for Heather's Totally Hues Challenge?  I'm down to the wire on this one, but I just had to play with this fun combo.  

It took a lot of fidgeting with this card before I was happy with it, but I do love the result.  I die cut a flower "window" from Plum Pudding cardstock, then ran it through my Big Shot with the Polka Dots impression plate.  I stamped the matching Beautiful Blooms II flower through the die cut onto the white card base using SU's Melon Mambo ink.  That's topped with a Raspberry Fizz flower and Lemon Tart button.

The vellum strip is stamped and heat embossed in white with a sentiment from Ribbon Tails and embellished with a few green rhinestones that I colored with a YG17 Copic.  I scored lines just inside the edges of the strip and adhered it with a 2-way glue pen.

All supplies from Papertrey Ink unless noted

Cardstock:  Plum Pudding, Lemon Tart, Raspberry Fizz, white

Vellum:  stash

Stamps:  Beautiful Blooms II, Ribbon Tails

Ink:  Melon Mambo (Stampin' Up!), Frost White (Clearsnap), Copic YG17

Tools:  Beautiful Blooms dies, Polka Dots impression plate, Scoring Board (Martha Stewart)

Accessories:  Lemon Tart button, white embossing powder (Stampendous), rhinestones (Michaels), DMC floss

Time to run over to Heather's blog and link this up before the challenge expires!  Thanks for stopping by tonight, friends!