Insta Love

I made this card using the Insta Love stamp set from Your Next Stamp, I paper pieced the camera with papers from My Mind's Eye-Love Me 6x6 collection, stamped and colored the hearts and glossed them over, the grey and white strip is washi, blue polka dot paper is from my stash and I put a blue gem in the middle of the lens.

I hope you like it!!

I would like to enter the + YNS challenge-sketch or photo inspiration, my card is based on the sketch.

+The Pink Elephant-ATG

+Through the Craft Room Door-ATG

+Artistic Inspirations-ATG

Open-Minded Crafting Fun...a new challenge blog!!

Hi everyone, I'm excited to announce that I have been asked to join the DT over at a new challenge blog called   Open-Minded Crafting Fun,  I am being featured today (so cool, as it landed on my birthday!!!) so please come check it out and see what we have in store for the 2014 year.  We have a lot of wonderful sponsors and a lot of wonderful designers, plus two amazing ladies who are the brains behind it all!!

                                              
                                Challenges start January 4th, hope you will all come and join us!!!

It's my party and I'll cry if I want to.....

Actually, I'm not really having a party.  I am having a birthday though and I do feel a little like crying.  It's not that I'm getting older....cuz really every birthday should be celebrated!!  I mean, it's one more year that we are alive, one more year that we have spent with family and friends, one more year creating memories and having life lesson type experiences. And in all honesty, I really don't feel like crying, at least not at this exact moment....give me a few and that might change!    ;)

What I'm kind of bummed about and a little down about is that there are some things/goals in my personal life that I wanted to have done by now and instead of reaching those goals, I've done a 180 and gone in the completely opposite direction.  I'm a little mad at myself, disappointed, but yet hopeful at the same time.  I'm hopeful that in a couple days I can leave 2013 behind, not that it was a bad year (it wasn't), but maybe I can leave my emotional baggage/bad habits/bad health/sometimes bad attitude and leave it all in 2013.

I'm not really a big "RESOLUTION" type person, I tend to get discouraged easily when I don't see results fast enough...especially when it comes to weight loss.  UGH!  That is the worst and that is when I throw my hands in the air and give up.....well giving up has only gotten me heavier and more unhealthy.

So..........as much as I do not care to make resolutions, I am going to make a commitment to myself to celebrate the progress.  Celebrate the baby steps, celebrate the small victories and realize that with each step I come that much closer to seeing and having a healthier attitude, healthier body and a better outlook on life.  Hopefully along this journey, I will also learn to be a little nicer to myself.

My hope, prayers and wishes to all of us is to have a blessed and prosperous New Year, to look forward to 2014 with hopeful anticipation and to have lots of love and laughter.

To all my blogland friends, thank you for stopping by and leaving love, thanks for all your sweet comments and for sharing my little space on the blogosphere.    Love to  ya all, have a safe and happy New Year!

Winter Kisses

Hi blog friends, I hope everyone enjoyed their Christmas holiday, I know that I am still enjoying my holiday break.  I ended up taking some time off work when my son came for a visit and just decided to keep taking a few more days off, so I don't go back to work until Jan 2nd...YAY!!!  I can't tell you how much I needed this break and this time just to be home.  I'm dreading going back to work and not only because I will be buried with work but just because I really do enjoy being at home!  

I've been doing a lot of reading, some coloring and catching up on some netflix.  I'm now done with the series I was watching, so if anyone has any other suggestions, please share!!  :)

I made this card with an image and sentiment  from Simply Betty Stamps, I kept it simple, colored with copics, used some washi tape, a border punch, snowflakes and a doily.  I think she is such a pretty snow fairy.

These are the challenges I would like to enter:

+One Crazy Stamper-Winter/Holiday

The Pink Elephant-ATG #231

2 Creative Chicks-Christmas/Winter

Color Me Creative-Winter/Holiday

+Your Next Stamp-sketch or photo inspiration

Believe in the Magic

I love this adorable little fairy!!  I colored her during a Color Along with Kristy of Some Odd Girl, and colored in Christmas colors, I think she turned out so cute.  This is my first attempt at making a card that is completely out of my normal style by adding a lot of bulky embellishments, I'm not sure....but I think it turned out pretty cute.  I did make this a 6x6 card, but I decided I don't want to give it away and will add her to a canvas that I can use for a home decor item.  

I would like to enter the following challenges:

+Paper Playtime-Winter Fun

The Pink Elephant-photo inspiration

+Sister Act Card Challenge-ATG

2 Creative Chicks-Christmas/Winter

+Fairies Challenges-Christmas

+One Crazy Stamper-Winter/Holiday

+Oozak-something old, something new (new-silver leaves and white sprigs, old snowflake stickers)

+Marker Pop-Happy Holidays

+Color Me Creative-Winter/Holiday

+Simon Says Stamp-Bling it on....glitter, gems, stickles

Smile!!

                                         
               Here is another card I made using Photo Kaylee from Some Odd Girl, I kept this simple, I colored with copics, used various pattern paper and the frames are from Lacy Labels cricut cartridge. The word Smile is also from the Photo Kayless stamp set.  I just love how cute she is and was fun to color up.

I would like to enter these challenges:
An Inky Situation-Stripes, JFF
Pile It On-P is for ....pictures, polaroid
+Through the Craft Room door-ATG
Artistic Inspiration-ATG

Scribbles White on White challenge

Scribbles Designs Challenge #12

Shades of White...

White... snow, snowflakes, snow people, winter,   
White is everywhere...

So our Scribbles Designs Challenge to you is to 
make a card or project using 
Shades of White...

I used the Snow Capped Tree image and the LET IT SNOW ticket...I tried to keep the colors more subtle and focus on the white.....it's harder than I thought!!

I colored with copics, used some snowflakes, white ribbon, white sequins and embossed the background with my cuttlebug. 

 

I hope you like my card and please come join us for our new challenge!

I would like to enter the following challenges:
+Through the Craftroom Door-Anything Goes
+Cupcake Inspirations-photo inspiration
+Great Impressions-Use glitter/sequins
+Allsorts-Snowflakes
+JO's Scrap Shack-Winter
+Crafty Little Fairies-Let It Snow
+Moving along with the Times-Winter Wonderland

Picture Perfect

I have LOVED this image/stamp from Some Odd Girl from the moment I layed eyes on it, and this week, I finally got my hands on it!!  I made a couple cards with this image, I will post the other one tomorrow.  I just love it and she totally makes me happy.....I wonder if it's because at one point in life I wanted to be a photographer for a travel magazine and just travel where ever the winds took me and take amazing pictures along the way.  I think maybe yes!! 

Anyway, here she is, colored with copics, I used glossy accents on the camera, her shoes, and the polaroids. I also added stickles to some random dots on the pink paper but it's a little hard to see.  Added a flower, gem, and some bling along with some line work.  She's just a cutie!

I would like to enter the following challenges:

Pile It On-P is for....pictures and polaroid's 

+Crafty Catz-ATG

+Sister Act Card Challenge-anything goes

+Little Miss Muffet-You've been framed

+Through the Craft room door-Anything Goes

Artistic Inspirations-Fav colors/anything goes

+Glitter N Sparkle-Show us some blue

Have an Ice Day!

Wow..I tell ya what, we here in the Southern Utah desert have an some ICE DAYS lately.   Last weekend, we got hit with more snow than I think we have had in decades and definitely more than I've ever seen while living here most of my life.   I know those of you who have snowy winters normally kinda laugh and say what's the big deal, it's 6 inches of snow....but for us, it gets crazy.  Mind you, we have NO equipment for snow, usually when and if it does snow, it doesn't stick on the roads, this time......it stuck and stayed.  We were told to stay home if we could and they called off church because of a SNOW DAY.  We live here precisely because of the mild winters.  The gorge between St. George and Las Vegas was completely shut down for more than 12 hours and people were stranded.  Kinda scary!

Anyway off of the weather and on to the cute card I made using this adorable penguin, it  and the sentiments are from SKdigis, you can find it HERE.  The snowglobe cut file is from My Scrap Chick and the snowflake is from The Joys of the Season cricut cartridge.  I colored with copics, used snow icicle stickles for a snowy glittery effect.  I hope ya like it!!

I would like to enter the following challenges:
+YNS-picture inspiration
+Paper Playtime-Winter Fun
+Crafty Catz-ATG
+JO's Scrap Shack-Winter fun
+Crafy Little Fairies-Let It Snow
+Simon Says Stamp-Snow
+Bitten By the Bug2-Winter, snowflake and snowglobe cut with cricut

A Christ Centered Christmas

This post is a little different from my normal crafty posts or a random post with pics of my daughter.

 

This video is "O Come, Emmanuel" from The Piano Guys.  The Piano Guys live in my hometown and I went to school with Paul Anderson, who is behind the scenes a lot, but is making his way out to the front at times and it's fun to see the growth and success they have reached.  They are amazing, their music and videos are moving and you can see the pure joy on their face when they perform. 

 

Please enjoy this video and check them out on youtube...they have TONS of videos and all are amazing! 

 

 

 

The reason for this post is to  help put me in a different "spirit of Christmas" this year and maybe touch someone else at the same time.  With all the stories out there of the killings and injuries involving shopping.....SHOPPING of all things!!   Who would have thought shopping would be dangerous?  The Black Friday frenzy is getting worse year by year and I know that for myself, I'm trying to focus more on what Christmas means to me, instead of making sure that I buy everything on my list.  In fact, I would love it if I didn't even have a list....but I don't think I can get away with that!!  ;)

 Anyone who knows me, knows that I don't like big crowds or lots of traffic, so I tend to stay away from any kind of shopping around Thanksgiving weekend anyway. 

 

At church, I'm part of a committee that plans activities outside of our normal Sunday worship hours and this past activity was all focused on having a Christ Centered Christmas and how to go about doing that.  We had a lesson and a darling live nativity with some of the cutest little wise men, angels, Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus.  Also, we had some crafts that were focused on the nativity with the title "Wise Men Still Seek Him", it turned out great and I think it put a different focus on Christmas for those attending.  My mom also gave us a 25 day countdown to Christmas all with scriptures, songs, and stories centered around Christ and his birth, unselfish service and gratitude.  I know that for me, putting Christ in the center of Christmas will be my goal this season. 

 

I hope that however you celebrate Christmas, you have a safe and enjoyable time, surrounded with friends, family and lots of love!

With Sympathy- Remembrance Challenge

We are at mid-way point with our Fancy Folds/Remembrance challenge over at Scribbles Designs Challenge and hope you will come join the fun.  I used the image Flower Doodle 5 and absolutely LOVE it!

  I printed it out twice, colored it up and cut out the flowers and popped them up with dimensionals.  I also used orange stickles to add some sparkle.  I colored with copics, used some twine and washi tape.  the inside has a yellow polka dot print.  I'm not so good at fancy folds, but I'll get there!! ;)

I would like to enter the following challenges:

Simon Says Stamp-ATG

Paper Playtime-ATG