My Hearts Aflutter (OTWC #50)

It's Friday and I'm officially on my way to Florida!  I'm probably hearing the words "Are we there yet?" come out of one of the mouths of my kids.  We're planning activities to help keep them entertained and we have a DVD player, but I still think it is inevitable that I will hear that phrase.  Well, another Friday means another Off The Wall Craftiness challenge.  Kim has done it again - this week's inspiration doesn't disappoint.

 

Fantastical spring-like colors!  I decided to go with a tag this week.  A few weeks ago I received some stamps from Unity and I hadn't had a chance to ink them up yet, so I put them to work on this tag.

Does it have your heart all aflutter?  It does mine.  This is officially marking my pages in the books I will be reading during our travel time.  I do appreciate you visiting today and hope you will give these gorgeous colors a try.  Remember you have two weeks to get your project done and if you use Wilson Designs stamps (be sure to let Kim know you did), you will be entered to win twice.  Have a great weekend!

Do You Remember Friendship Bracelets? (PDCC #75)

Well, do you?  I can totally remember days of sitting on the bus with floss pinned to my jeans as I weaved and knotted those bad boys into many a bracelet.  I'm pretty sure at one point I sported bracelets most of the way up my arm - and sadly, it was a symbol of just how much you loved your friends. :)  Oh, the things we did back in high school that seem so childish now.  With the impending 16+ hour trip coming up, I remembered these little gems as a time-consuming venture and thought it might be fun to teach my 7-yr old how to make them for during our travel.  Of course, I had to do a search on the internet to refresh my memory and found THIS great site with instructions.  Once we got into it, I remembered how fun it was to put these together, so I decided to make one for my Play Date Cafe project this week.  Here's this week's super trendy and hot colors:

I went a step further and decided to make this into a little gift, so I created a fun bag out of some clear vinyl and made a tag to make it pretty.

 

Here's my 4-yr old sporting the bracelet (well, it actually ended up being more of an anklet as I got a little carried away and made it too long).

This week's sponsor is WPlus9, and boy do they have some great product!  Dawn was kind enough to send us a set to use AND she is this week's guest designer as well; please stop by her blog and let her know how much you adore her.  I've used WPlus9's very first die-cut for my tag and the set that coordinates with it "Brothers & Sisters".  To create the flower background on the tag, I stamped the outline image and cut out the center to create a mask.  The flowers are from the "Poinsettia Patterns" set which I am in LOVE with - it's so versatile.  My daughter and I have a little container all packed up with floss to create away on our trip.  I can't wait to share what we make after the trip.

As always, you can find more inspiration by visiting the rest of the design team.

Colleen Dietrich

Julie Murray

Sarah Anderson

Ruby Mcguire

Savannah O' Gwynn

Andrea Ewen

Fiona Shultz

Michele Gross

Tracey Kuzniak

Libby Hickson

Jinny Newlin

Killing Time

This week is moving slow.  I'm excited.  I needed to kill some time.  So, I decided to participate in a few challenges.  This first card was created for the All Stamping Tech Challenge over on the Splitcoaststampers Technique Tuesday forum (whew, that was a moutful).  We were to use one of their new stamps.  I chose to use "Petite Posies" for mine.  I love that TT has stamp sets for $2.99...that way you aren't breaking the bank to get a cute little stamp.  Say hello.

The next card is for the current Color Cue challenge at WPlus9.  Last month, I was blessed to win their stamp release and have been having so much fun with them (Thanks Dawn!)  I wanted to make sure that I played along this time.  Plus, I have been seeing some really beautiful creations throughout blog land using these colors.  I had to give it a go.  I inked up the "Brothers & Sisters set and "Poinsettia Patterns (for that flower).  Plus, I used their new die.  Here's the winner:

(you're definitely gonna wanna click the pict for a closer look)

I'm trying to make it all like Spring up in here, especially since Puxatawney Phil was completely full of it...6 weeks till spring my butt!  Hope you enjoyed taking a look today.

Blogaversary Winner

Hi All.  I know this is way overdue, but just a super quick post to let you guys know that I did pick a winner for my blog candy and she has already received her prize and is happily playing with her new goodies.  Congratulations to Donna!  Thank you to everyone who entered and for all of your lovely comments.  You all are so sweet and make this blog thing so worth it.  Thanks for helping me send off my first year in style!

A Runner's Revelation

Recently, I have taken up training for a 5K.  Ok, so I’m not ACTUALLY signed up to run in one, but I’m training for one.  That might seem pointless to you, but my entire life I have been deathly afraid of running.  It all started when I found out I had exercise-induced asthma; the panicky, out-of-control feeling of an asthma attack scared the snot out of me.  But, I always wanted to be able to run because it is free, so incredibly good for you, burns fat like crazy and you can do it anywhere.  So, when my friend mentioned a program that eases you into running 3 miles, I figured it might be worth checking out.  I am now on Week 8 out of 9 weeks of my program.  I am running a full 28 minutes (soon to be 30) without stopping.  I have never once quit.  Trust me, there were many times that I REALLY wanted to quit and that my legs just didn’t want to go

As I was running last night, people that were driving by kept smiling and laughing at me.  I thought maybe they thought I was adorable or something, but then I realized that they were getting a good chuckle out of the shirt I was wearing that said “Proud to Be Awesome”.  But, that’s beside the point.  As I was running, the thought occurred to me that I was giving this running thing everything I’ve got.  I saw a goal and have pushed furiously towards that goal without stopping.  I was going to do whatever it takes to get there.  Then, I thought about my Spiritual life and that of others and I became sad.  Why, you ask?  Because, here I was pushing forward, sacrificing me physically, but when it comes to growing me spiritually and sacrificing my life for God, I only give it half an effort.  Why is that?  Why can I give my all to running, but I don’t give my all to God?  I have really been pondering this since the thought first occurred to me.

I think it begins with the goal.  In the case of running, I know that by sticking to it, I will see results in my weight and inches lost and I will feel better about myself (in hindsight, that is such a vain point of view).  But what about our spiritual growth?  What is the goal there?  Check this out:

“Don’t you realize that everyone who runs in a race runs to win, but only one runner gets the prize? Run like them, so that you can win. Everyone who enters an athletic contest goes into strict training. They do it to win a temporary crown, but we do it to win one that will be permanent. So I run—but not without a clear goal ahead of me.  So I box—but not as if I were just shadow boxing. Rather, I toughen my body with punches and make it my slave so that I will not be disqualified after I have spread the Good News to others.”  1 Corinthians 9:24-27

A permanent crown - that sounds like quite the reward to me.  Nothing is more permanent to me than heaven.  Oh, how I long for the bliss of it.  I long to meet Jesus.  I get all giddy just thinking about it.  That’s the reward –eternity in bliss.  It’s hard for our puny little human minds to fathom and I think that’s why we struggle to run the race.  We can’t see it, feel it, hear it or touch it; out of sight, out of mind.  We go about our daily, extremely overstuffed lives without even a thought about eternity…and well, if you aren’t focusing on the goal, then you aren’t really training, are you?  That’s why it is so important to PUT GOD FIRST in every action we take, every thought we have, and every situation we face.  Problems and decisions become much easier to take on when we ask ourselves how it will affect us or others in eternity.  Everything we do on this Earth is meant to give God glory in one form or another.

Here’s another thought.  Last night was probably the worst night ever to try and run outside.  Facing 30 mph winds while trying to run is a daunting task.  I thought about that invisible force pushing against me.  It was incredibly frustrating and almost had me in tears at times, but I kept going against that difficult obstacle.  In the end, I faced it and overcame it and probably built up endurance along the way.  But, I sure couldn’t have done it alone.  I prayed for God to help me move on and for strength to keep those legs moving; granted, a snail could have probably passed me at the pace I was going, but to me, it was still running.  Knowing God was there to help me was comfort enough to keep on going. 

By now, you can probably see where I’m going with this.  As we are running the race of life, we face many invisible and unknown obstacles.  Some of those are so pressing and difficult; they have us waving the white flag of surrender.  We question, why God?  Why so hard on me?  But, as 1 Corinthians 9:27 says, “He is toughening our body with punches so that we are not disqualified”.  God wants us to join Him in the kingdom of heaven and he’s going to put things in our path to make us stronger and to help us refocus on the goal.  Just as I didn’t see results in the first few weeks of running, we don’t always see the results during our hardest struggles.  It takes lots of practice and training to become the most effective servant that God wishes us to be.  Just as I trust my legs to keep working and moving, we must trust God to be in control of our circumstances and situations.

I’ll leave you with this thought.  Ask any runner and they will tell you that if you stop running even for a short period of time, your next run will be one of the most difficult to complete.  It takes regular and disciplined repetition to continue being a runner.  The same applies to our Spiritual lives.  Take a short break from going to Church, reading your Bible, saying prayers and you will find yourself losing sight of the goal.  You will sin and make big mistakes.  It is necessary to train daily in the disciplines of Christianity to be the best servant of God.  With hard and regular training, it is easier to reach the goal.  With a regular focus on God, it becomes easier to follow Him.

p.s. training for a 5K is very uncomfortable and difficult, training for the life God wants us to have is also very uncomfortable and difficult. :)

Wilson Designs April Release

Up, Up And Away

I'm not gonna mince words this week - my brain is on overdrive trying to make sure I'm ahead on all of my posts before my vacation gets here.  Plus, I'm trying to get everything in order FOR vacation.  You should see all of the food I picked up to take with us for the week.  I think our vehicle is going to be busting at the seams!  But it will be sooooo worth it.  Anyway, it is time for this week's Play Date Cafe challenge.  This week's color story is from our Ruby and I have to say she picked a gorgeous inspirational photo.

Of course, you had to know with white as one of the colors, there was going to be lots of white space on my card for this week.  Lizzie Anne Designs is our sponsor and they very generously provided us with a bunch of stamps to choose from.  With summer just over the hill, I couldn't resist those balloons - it made me think of warm breezes and bright, sunny skies!

A pretty simple card this week.  The hardest part was that sentiment - I had to mask off a few of the words with masking tape to get the multi-colored effect.  You'll want to be sure to try for  this week's prize - a $40 stamp set from Lizzie Anne Designs.

And, be sure to stroll on over to Taylor Usry's blog this week to see what amazing talent she is showcasing.  As usual, you can always find loads of inspiration at the rest of the PDCC team's blogs.

Libby Hickson

Jinny Newlin

Colleen Dietrich

Julie Murray

Sarah Anderson

Ruby Mcguire

Savannah O' Gwynn

Andrea Ewen

Fiona Shultz

Michele Gross

Tracey Kuzniak

 

Thanks for stopping by today!  Have a great day.

All Buttoned Up

A super quick post today (since I hardly ever post on Sundays and am usually knee deep in Churchy stuff) to share two projects for this week's Tuesday Trigger at Moxie Fab World.  When I saw this week's photo, I couldn't resist - it was speaking my button language.

I loved all the neutrals, so my first attempt was to mimic the neutral tones and to use that pop of teal.  It's a pretty literal interpretation.

While I was creating this first card, I had another idea pop into my head.  I was also thinking about the challenge this week at the CREATE:blog to use at least 10 buttons.  I kept the neutral in this one by using that kraft and I used the new Hero Arts "Type" stamp to create those rows (like the buttons in the photo).

This is one of my favorite cards to date - I can't help it, those buttons, as the sentiment says, just make me smile!  Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

What's Up Gnome Girl? (OTWC #49)

TGIF!!!! This has been the slowest week ever.  I'm glad it's finally the end of the week.  Although, I must say that I have enjoyed the beautiful few days we've had this week.  It was nice to breathe in some fresh air and to get a bit of sun on my face.  Two weeks have passed and that means another Off The Wall Craftiness challenge.  Take a look:

I have determined after this week that I just don't have enough colors of ink!  I'm sure no crafter has ever had that thought, anywhere.  I really had to get creative with my supplies this week to do some of these challenges.  And in the end, my green and yellow still ended up being more muted.  Boo, me.  Awww, well, close is better than not close.  Take a gander at my card using these colors.

I started this one out by masking off a space for the sentiment and then stamping those happy little shroomies from the Wilson Designs "Gnomebody Like You" set to create a background.  I removed the mask and stamped "gnome girl".  The happy birthday is a rub-on from a BasicGrey card kit.  The frame is from my newest set from WPlus9.  I started my little gnome girl out as colored with watercolor pencils, but I didn't feel like the colors matched well enough, so I paper pieced some clothes over the top of her (reuse and recycle, right?).  Unfortunately, she looks like she could use a sunny vacation.  For some reason, my colored pencil makes her look albino.

Thanks for stopping in today.  Let's see what you guys can do with this color combo.  You have two weeks to give it a try and if you use Wilson Designs stamps, you will be entered to win twice.  Take care and have a super duper weekend!

Star Light, Star Bright (PDCC #73)

What's up homies?  Another day, another dollar (that's the right phrase, right?).  If only I had a hundred dollars for every day...........sorry, I drifted off into dreamland for a minute there, it's Thursday and even though that doesn't mean another dollar, it DOES mean a new challenge at The Play Date Cafe!  We've got a great one for you this week.  It's what I like to call "fresh", no, not in the make-out kind of way, more like the "I feel good when I see these colors and want to frolic through fields of tulips" kinda way.  You'll see what I mean, just look at the picture:

Are you in tulip land now?

No?  Well, how about if I told you that this week's sponsor is Denami Design and that they are generously providing the winner with a $25 gift certificate to their store?  Did that do it for you?

 

Still not feeling it?  Alright, I can see that you are a hard one to please.  How about I just show you my card.

That should get you all starry-eyed!  I thought a fun shaped card would be great for this week's colors and do you spy that fun little elephant that has seen a lot of ink in my studio lately?  Yep, there he is in the background; a great stamp from Denami.  Along with the Denami sponsorship, Paulina Nakamura is kicking things up a notch with her own beautiful work as our guest designer this week.  Please send her some love.  And just for fun, here's another card that was inspired by this week's colors - I made it for a pub call.

As always, our design team will be sure to knock your socks off with their amazing work.  Stop by their blogs and tell them how much you love them too.

Michele Gross

Tracey Kuzniak

Libby Hickson

Jinny Newlin

Colleen Dietrich

Julie Murray

Sarah Anderson

Ruby Mcguire

Savannah O' Gwynn

Andrea Ewen

Fiona Shultz  

Thanks for stopping by today.  Now, go find some flowers and drift off into dreamland -------->

A Post For the Heck of It!

I was feeling like a post might be in order for the day, so I thought I would share.  I have been busy getting items and lists around for our Florida vacation - of course, all that does is make the days drag by because I want it to be here, like NOW (and I've set it up to meet my teamie from the PDCC, Savannah O' Gwynn).  So, I need to try and take my mind off of it.

Over the weekend, my husband and I attended a vision retreat.  You go away to a hotel for the night and spend your time poring over questions that have you pondering the ways God has blessed you in the past, what your goals and values are for your present, and how you can incorporate those according to God's will for you in the future.  Our most important goal is to instill the value of God into our children's lives.  So, we have decided to try and sit down with them in the mornings before school to do devotionals.  I searched online and found a website that seems sufficient, but I'm open to any suggestions you guys might have.  As a result of last year's retreat, we have a "Night Out" with each of our kids, so they gain valuable one-on-one time with us.  They really look forward to those days.  Toby and I are also going to try and incorporate a date night "at home" every Friday.  For those of you with young kids, I'm sure you can relate to how difficult it is to find a quiet moment with your spouse.  Once the kids are off to bed, we will sit down and have a snack together and do some sort of activity (all while gazing into each others eyes, ha!)  We will take turns planning what that activity is.  Overall, it was good to sit down and really ponder what is important to us and how it plays out in God's plan for our lives.  If you ever get the chance to do one, I would highly recommend it!

I'll leave you with this watercolor card - thinking of you!  I love using my watercolor pencils.  I used Staz-on to really make that black pop.  I'm really giddy about the next few months.  We found out last night that baseball/softball season starts in April.  I can't wait - I LOVE being a cheerleader for my kids.  Hope you have an amazing day filled with blessings.  Remember, today is the last day to enter for my blog giveaway as well - spread the word. :)

Technique Tuesdariffic!!

(If you are looking for the Denami Floral Frenzy Blog Hop, click HERE.)

It may come as no secret to you that I'm sorta in love with Technique Tuesday stamps.  Last summer I attended several workshops using their stamps at CKC.  That was the first I had used them and let me tell you there was no turning back.  I love the style that Ali Edwards puts into her stamps and I love her sentiments.  I started to frequent their forum over on Splitcoaststampers (which is uber awesome because they always have fun giveaways and contests).  So, imagine my excitement when Teri Anderson (who is super sweet and amazingly talented) asked me if I'd like to be a guest stamping tech for the month of March.  I couldn't say yes fast enough.  Thank You Teri and Technique Tuesday for giving me this opportunity!  That brings me to today's post.  These are the projects that I'm sharing over at SCS in the Technique Tuesday forum.

Let's start with this guy:

This card uses the "Loving Words" set by Ali Edwards.  Don't tell my dirty little secret, but I actually got the idea for those hearts from a pair of underwear that I own.  Yeah, I can't wear those with white pants!  I added a bit of glossy accents over the top of the solid hearts to give it texture and interest.  How about this fruity and summery card?

I absolutely loved the polka dotted fruit in the "Fruit Stand" set - I had to have it.  Can you tell I was dreaming of summer days?  I added the seeds with a black marker and again put a bit of glossy accents over the top.  I love the twill tape from TT because you can stamp on it as I've done with my sentiment here.  The black sentiment is from the "Simply You" set.  So, let's just roll right along.  This next project is a bit different than the rest.

This card uses the "Time Flies" set.  Can you believe this cute little set retails for only $2.99?  I love that TT has several sets at that price - it doesn't break your budget and you still get a great set.  To create this I tore a strip of paper and used it as a mask on the bottom.  I then stamped text and those clocks in brown.  I sprayed glimmer mist over the entire thing (it got a little thicker than I had hoped) and let it all dry.  I removed the mask and stamped the sentiment and added the clock with wings.  Now, onto my favorite project - a great gift for anyone.

Lemon COOKIES and with a cute tag!  I searched all over the web until I found a recipe that was both visually appealing and delicious (although I wasn't paying attention and put too much food coloring into the frosting and now it is more orange than yellow).  They taste kinda like Mexican Wedding Cakes but with a tart twist.  The tag again uses "Fruit Stand" and also a thank you from "Loving Words".  The white strip is actually glittery and I added a touch of glitter to the seeds of the lemons.

Well, I hope you enjoyed taking a stroll down Technique Tuesday lane today and that you will stop into the forum over at SCS and take a peek.  I promise it is loads of fun!  Have a great Monday.

Denami Floral Frenzy Blog Hop

 Hey Peeps, happy Sunday to you!  About the time you are reading this, I will be in my happy place worshiping Jesus!  I love Sundays!  What could be better on a Sunday than a fun blog hop filled with fanciful florals and Denami stamps.  This is my first blog hop with Denami.  Are you ready to be uber inspired?  I hope so because there is bound to be inspiration along the way.

Here's the little ditty that I've created for you today using Denami's larger elephant rubber stamp:

There's quite a few paper lines going on in here, some MME Lush, Cosmo Cricket Togetherness and a Lizzie Anne designs.  Those little flowers were re-purposed from a card I received in the mail (no, it wasn't hand made!)  I thought this would be fun for a little girl - maybe even a first birthday.

Here are the list of participants for this hop, if you want to see them all, you should start back at the beginning (Paulina's blog; there are prizes up for grabs), otherwise, go on ahead and click the next person in the list to view their work.

• Paulina Nakamura
• Ayana Posadas 
• Wendy Elliot
• Michele Gross
• Andrea Matthews
• Lisa Petrella
• Laurie Willison
• Kristy Smith 
• Pattie Goldman
• Jinny Newlin 
• Tammy Hobbs 
• Sue Lelli 
• Ruby McGuire 
• Libby Hickson 
• Nicki Scheck 
• Julie Murray 
• Colleen Dietrich
• Dana Seymour 
• Jaclyn Miller (you are here)
• Christina Maclaren 
• Karen Baker 
• Tracey Kuzniak 
• Ruza Rebel 
• Linda Nomura 
• Katie Brooks 
• Tina Covington 
• Debbie Marcinkiewicz 
• Carol Hartery 
• Karen Larkin 
• Tenia Nelson 

Friday Frenzy

You are probably thinking that you should see an OTWC post here today, but remember that it is running for two weeks now, so you have another week to use those gorgeous colors and to get your projects done.

Today is a super busy day for me.  My husband and I are going to be going to a "vision retreat" this weekend.  It's one of those things where you go and plan your next year according to goals, God's plan for you, and values.  We did it last Feb and just loved it.  I'm really excited to have an evening away with just me and the hubs, but I'm leaving my children in the hands of my 12-yr old niece.  I'm freaking out about that a little bit, but I know she's got lots of experience (and we have two big dogs to help out).  Anyway, Mount Laundry is calling me all day and I need to prepare a list of to-dos for her and a place for her to sleep.

So, are you ready for this?  I have TWO cards to share with you that are NOT for a design team or for a challenge!!!  They're just for fun.  Ok, well I didn't make them specifically for either of those, but I am going to enter this first one into the Moxie Fab World Stamping with Shimmer Sprays challenge because it fits.  I actually made these for an order for a friend.

Now your day is complete, right? :)

A few other notables before I go.  Firstly, the Wilson Designs release winner was chosen from my blog, hooray!  Jocelyn, you are the lucky winner of a brand new "gnomebody like you" set.  Please email Kim your information to claim your prize.  Also, my team mate at The Play Date Cafe, Michele Gross and the PDCC challenge owner, Julie have teamed up to launch a brand new challenge called CAS-ual Fridays.  I can hardly contain my excitement.  Be sure to read all about this fun new challenge HERE and they are looking for a design team as well.  Lastly, I am taking part in the Denami Floral Frenzy blog hop on Sunday.  So, be sure to check back here for a Sunday surprise and lots of inspiration.

That's a wrap.  Have a happy Friday and remember to be praying for all of those poor people in Japan.

Wishing For Summer (PDCC #72)

(Don't miss the Wilson Designs Release Day post!  Please scroll down to the previous post to take it all in!)

I can't even describe how much I wish Summer was here.  All week long I've been dreaming about our vacation to FL in a few weeks (dancing a super bronzed goddess jig right now).  We've been looking at books and activities online to try and decide what we will do while we are there.  Honestly, it's already a bit overwhelming.  I really just want to spend every single day sitting on the beach getting super fried and enjoying the WARMTH on my skin, letting all of my duties and responsibilities of life just melt away.  But, alas, that wouldn't be fair to my kids who deserve this vacation more than anyone else.  They have been such good sports during our financial turmoil - eying items at the store and looking at me with puppy eyes saying "It's too expensive, isn't it?".  I have longed for this day to be able to spoil them rotten and now that it's here, I thank God for bringing us to this point having learned so much.  He has indeed been faithful to us.

Along with dreaming about warm summer breezes and sipping Coronas, I find myself reaching for the brightest colors in my stash to use in my projects.  This week's Play Date Cafe colors are perfect!  They are so bright and cheery and I really enjoyed using them.

I dug deep into my memory bank this week to pull out an old technique that I haven't used for a while - chalking!!!!  I love how soft and gorgeous it comes out.

These are actually shimmery chalks and I'm sad you can't see the shimmer in the photo.  Using the chalks washed out the tones of my colors a bit, but you can still see that they are there.  To create using chalk, you first stamp your image using Versamark (or your favorite clear ink).  Then, using cotton balls, add the chalk to your paper using a small circular motion.  The more chalk you add, the more intense the color.  When you are finished chalking, spray your paper with hairspray to help set it.  I have used "Spring Silhouettes"  from Wilson Designs who happens to be this week's sponsor and who also released a new stamp set this week.  Check it out in the post below.

Our guest designer this week is Julie Day, who's work I happen to adore.  I LOVE her project using this color combo.  Be sure to stop by her blog and leave her some love in a PDCC fashion!  Stop by my teamie's blogs too and share your enthusiasm for their work with them.

Andrea Ewen

Fiona Shultz

Michele Gross

Tracey Kuzniak

Libby Hickson

Jinny Newlin

Colleen Dietrich

Julie Murray

Sarah Anderson

Ruby Mcguire

Savannah O' Gwynn

Wilson Designs March Release Day

Guess what?

It's Wilson Designs Release Day!

Give a warm welcome to the newest stamp set from Wilson Designs;

Gnomebody Like You retailing for $12.99.

Don't you just LOOOOOOOOOVE it?  How fun are those little gnomies?  I can't get over their uber cuteness.  Don't they make an adorable couple?

Looks like a match made in heaven, right? :)  Nevermind my bad coloring skills.  I've also put that mushroom to good use again as a soft background.  I love all the fun little punny sentiments in this set too.

This set is also great for paper piecing.  I used my Cosmo Cricket Togetherness papers (yes, I still have a few bits of it left) for this bright and fun card.  Yes, I did get a little crazy with all of those sketches from the PC call.  This is another one...Peek-a-boo! 

See, I told you it brought out the kid in me - when I showed this card to my daughter, she said that that little guy is silly!  Perfect. :)  You know you want to go buy your own set over at Wilson Designs.  Don't forget to comment on all of the Design Team blogs for your chance to win your very own Gnomebody Like You stamp set!!

Amy

Kim

Tenia

Tammy

Wilson Designs March Release: Day 1

Are you ready for a little bit of woodland and a little bit of Spring all wrapped into one fantastic new set from  Wilson Designs?  Then you've come to the right place!!! 

Today's projects have a bit of woodland flair.  The first one is a mix-up card that uses one of the older sets from Wilson Designs combined with the new release:

Isn't it shroomalicious?  I paper pieced those little mushroom guys with some plain red paper and a few with some white spotted paper.  The plain red ones I added the white dots with my white gel pen.  The sentiment is from the "Everything's Owlright" set - definitely one of my favies.

This next project is super simple (you had to know that was coming from me) but packs a punch with its fun variegated colors.  Check it:

I have always loved creating my own backgrounds using stamps!  These little mushrooms are perfect for that.  Using my 1 1/4" circle punch, I punched those circles and stamped the little deer on.  Those buttons are actually vintage buttons.

I know the fun is already ending for today, but don't fret my pet, you can always come back and see more exciting projects tomorrow.  Make sure to leave a comment on each of the Design Team blogs for a chance to win.  Also, head on over to the website to see all of the fabulous sets already released. Thanks for visiting today!

Amy

Kim

Tenia

Tammy

Wilson Designs March Release: Sneak Peek

I must begin by telling you all how much I love you.  I have to admit that I was a bit hormonal yesterday and got a little out of control with my downcast post.  But, I got home from Church and was shocked at the amount of comments and how wonderfully supportive and encouraging you were.  You guys lifted my spirits tremendously and I want to thank you for that.  I have the BEST followers!!!

Today is a new day and a new beginning and I'm super excited that it's time for another new release from Wilson Designs.  This stamp set is so fun and cute.  It brought out the kid in me when creating my projects.  You won't want to miss all the fun going on here in the next few days.  So be sure to check back over each day for all of the fun peeks at this new set.

Take a look at this month's teaser picture and see if you have a clue what this might be:

Be sure to stroll around to all of the other DT's blogs and leave comments for a chance to win this release. Then, come back tomorrow to view some cutesy cards created using this set.

Amy

Kim

Tenia

Tammy

Color Cue Poinsettias

I recently acquired some WPlus9 stamps and was really anxious to use them.  I've always drooled over the color combos that Dawn has over on her blog but never seem to find the time to participate.  I'm kinda swooping in at the last minute again, but just had to play since I got those new stamps.  I put to good use Poinsettia Patterns using this group of colors:

Since I had submitted a few cards for the PC sketch call, I had those sketches out on my desk and put one to good use (#41).

That's all for now - check back later today for the sneak peek at the newest Wilson Designs release.

Major Rejection

Today hasn't started well for me.  I've been dieting and I've hit a plateau.  My body is stuck where it likes to be and is being a real stinker about taking off the pounds.  In the last month, I've only lost 1 lb.  Yeah, I've had a few slips here and there, but nothing that warrants only a pound.  It's really frustrating for me.  It feels like I try so hard while others out there can eat and eat and eat and never gain a pound.  Why does God make us all so different?  I guess in reality, he makes us all different in all areas.  Some of us struggle with weight, while others of us struggle with illness; some struggle with friendships/relationships and others yet have trouble with addictions.  Everyone has something in their life that they view as their "I've got it bad" thorn in their side.  It's how we react to it that shapes us as a person.  I guess God is just teaching me to push on and endure this trial.  He always rewards us for our perseverance.

Something that I've been extremely rewarded by are the amount of publications I've had in the past year.  I recently submitted to the Paper Crafts Go-To Sketches call.  My heart sank when I saw that they had received almost 2800 submissions.  It sank even further when I saw that all of the sketches I had used were in the Top 10 most popular.  I knew my chances were pretty slim and sure enough, I didn't get one of those happy emails this time around.  But there were a lot of newbies (yea newbies), one of which was my team mate at The Play Date Cafe Colleen Dietrich.  I love that even though I wasn't selected that it opened the door of opportunity for someone else.  I remember how excited I was to receive that first acceptance email and am happy that others are now doing that same happy dance!!  That said, there are some rejects sitting in my photos folder to share with you.  Amber (Damask Love) has cleverly created a place to link up a bunch of rejects so that you all can see that even though they didn't make the cut, there are still some incredible creations out there.  Here's a few of mine:

 This one uses Sketch #65

And this one uses Sketch #39

Hop on over to Amber's blog and check out all of the other rejects.  You will definitely be inspired!  Remember that my giveaway runs until March 16.  Hop over to THIS POST to check out the details.  Thanks for popping in today.  Hope you are having a great weekend so far.  Be sure to stop by tomorrow as the new Wilson Designs stamp set release party kicks off!

Frame It! (OTWC #48)

I have been on some sort of mad scientist creative streak this week.  I just can't stop myself.  Nope, not cards.  Projects.  Just call me crazy craftin' mama!  Yesterday a hanging mobile and now today - a picture frame.  I decided to showcase this week's Off The Wall Craftiness colors on a cute little frame that I found at JoAnn's (and my cheap side managed to only spend a dollar!)  This week's colors are GORGEOUS and just cry Spring.

And my project that I am just in love with (it helps that its my favorite color):

To make this, I began by mixing paint until I got the shade of teal that I wanted (blue, green & white).  The frame was a brown paper bag texture, so I just painted over it and let it dry.  This week's sponsor is Donna Downey and she sent us these magnificently beautiful Unity stamps.  Using a flat sponge brush, I brushed white paint onto the stamp (yeah, I already abused my brand spankin' new stamps) and then stamped the frame.  I added the yellow pearls in the centers.  I stamped the text on cream paper and you can't see it in the photo but I also clear embossed a few flowers around the sentiment.  You could easily swap out the sentiment for a real photo and it would be a GREAT gift!  So easy, but so pretty.  I hope you are inspired!  Remember, you can always use Wilson Designs stamps on your project and be entered to win twice.