Bet You Thought I Fell Off The Planet

I'm so sorry for such a long absence, mostly sorry for not letting you know that I was signing off for a while. I had to take a break from things. I got overwhelmed and depression took over big time. I lost interest in everything I love to do, walls went up with everyone I love and I pretty much isolated myself. It's amazing how alone you can feel while surrounded by people who love you. I'm slowly getting back to the things I love- sunsets, reading with my kids, snuggling with my Honey, laughing with my friends and creating to name a few. I won't be blogging everyday, but I do want to check in a couple times a week and hopefully get back into some of my favorite challenges on Splitcoast.
I do have some exciting news-- I'm going to be a grandma!! My daughter Ashley is having a baby girl in April!! After the holidays I'll be working on shower invitations and decorations, I'm really looking forward to it!
Thanks so much for stopping by.

Hugs,
Denise :)

Three cards to Share

I have three cards to share with you today. The first one is from this week's sketch challenge at SCS.

I love Stampin Up!'s Bella Rose dp, especially with black card stock!

Stamps: Sincere Salutations (SU), Inkadinkado
Paper: black, red, white, Bella Rose dp
Ink: black Archival, Versa Mark
Extras: Red glitter ep, oval punch, ribbon, paper piercer, rhinestones, dimensionals



The next card is a combintion of Taylor's sketch and Our Creative Corner's challenge, which is to make a card/project around your favorite embellishment. I'm lovin' my Cuttlebug, so I used the Swiss Dots, and Swirls embossing folders on my card.

Stamps: Think Happy Thoughts (SU), Impression Obsession (cupcakes)
Paper: regal red, pink pirouette, white, choc. chip, real red, dp (SU)
Ink: black Archival, choc. chip
Extras: markers, Stickles, CB embossing folders, ribbon, white gel pen, scallop,
circle, and lacy scallop punches, oval cutter, dimensionals



My last card is my dear hubby's Valentine. I used Mercy's Tuesday's sketch, and The Color Throwdown's challenge for this week.

Stamps: Always
Paper: very vanilla, choc. chip, pink pirouette, riding hood red
Ink: choc. chip, pink pirouette, riding hood red
Extras: half pearls, ribbon, Stickles, cb embossing folder, circle punch,
dimenionals

Thanks for stopping by tonight, I always love when you do!
Hugs and Smiles~
Denise

You Make Life Sweet

Hi and happy Wednesday!
I have been busy making Christmas cards and teacher gifts, and I have really slacked off on my favorite challenges and posting on my blog~ I'm not the best multi-tasker that's for sure! But I took a break to check out today's sketch challenge at SCS and dove right in! FUN FUN!!! I also broke in my new cupcake set from Impression Obsession~ YUMMY! I stamped the cupcake three times on kiwi kiss cs, and three times on white cs. I used the kiwi for the cups, and I colored in the white tops with ink pads and a water pen, cut them out and adhered them over the cups with dimensionals.
The white ribbon looked a little lonely so I added a red button with a glue dot.
Well, I think I'm pretty much stamped out for today~ time to get some sleep!
I hope you had a day full of smiles~ if not I'm sending you some now! Thanks for stopping by, see ya soon!
Hugs and Smiles~
Denise

Recipe~
Stamps: Impression Obsession
Paper: real red, kiwi kiss, white cs, EK Success dp.
Ink: black Archival, close to cocoa, choc. chip
Extras: markers, Stickles, ribbon, button, circle and lacy scallop punches, white gel pen, dimensionals

Catching Up On Challenges

Good Tuesday evening!
(First, today's date is Tuesday, 10/21/08~ I couldn't figure out how to change it)
Thought I would post some challenge cards that I haven't been able to~ I really need more time in a day! So I'm posting in between batches of cupcakes for Olivia's class in honor of her 9th birthday tomorrow~~ Mmmmm, it sure smells good in here!
Anyway, my first card is from Sunday's Featured Stamper Challenge at SCS. This week's FS is Emily, aka Ink-e. Check it out, she's 18 and super talented! I sure wasn't making cards when I was 18~ let's not even talk about what I was doing at 18. I chose this card for the challenge, it has such a fun layout.
Okay, I'm back from licking the bowl~
The next card is from Saturday's Inspiration Challenge at SCS, and it's from The Etsy Store, and artist Joom's creations. I chose this wonderful pillow, I love the aqua and white, right away I thought- White embossing on that lovely color. This is also the sketch for Our Creative Corner
I sent this one out to one of the SCS family of stampers, Vicky Gould, as her husband passed away suddenly a few days ago. My thoughts and prayers are with Vicky and her family.

My next card is from LAST week's Featured Stamper Challenge, Anne Ryan. I was unable to play and Anne is so sweet and talented, I didn't want to miss out! I chose this card from Anne's beautiful gallery. You need to change at least two things for a CASE, and I changed the colors, stamps, and I did faux stitching (it's the only sewing I do). I kept the layout the same because I love it!


Last card~ I PROMISE!! This is for today's Color Challenge at SCS~ pink pirouette, choc. chip, and kiwi kiss~ great colors!! I combined this with Monday's Mojo Sketch and came up with Birthday Wishes.
Okay, the cupcakes are cooled and it's time to frost! Hope your having a fantastic week~ and I hope you're smiling a lot!! :):) Thanks so much for stopping by!
Hugs and Smiles,
Denise

FS77 Birthday Mouse

Hi and happy Sunday everyone!
Today's Featured Stamper is Julia aka artystamper, over at SCS. This is one talented lady let me tell you!! I chose to case her adorable card 'Bitty Blessing'.







I thought the layout was just the cutest! You have to make at least 3 changes in a case challenge, so here are mine:
- COLORS
- STAMPS
- RIBBON
I started with a white card stock base. I stamped my image twice on white cs with chocolate chip ink. I colored my little birthday mouse with Close to Cocoa ink and a blender pen. Using colored pencils, I added some pale peach to his hands, feet, tail and ears, and a little pink in his cute cheeks. The streamers were colored with Certainly Celery and So Saffron inks and a blender pen. Of course this happy celebration needed some sparkle, so I added Stickles to the streamers and I put a little 'twinkle' in his eyes! I cut out his body and adhered it to the colored stamped image with dimensionals. I matted the stamped panel with So Saffron cs and adhered that to Certainly Celery cs, added brown ribbon and attached this to the white cs base. I cut my dp to size, scalloped the edges with my corner rounder punch, and added 3 green brads to one piece. I attached the dp with dimensionals. Finally, I stamped the sentiment with Choc. Chip ink, once on So Saffron and once on Certainly Celery. I Punched the Saffron image with a scallop punch, and the center of the Celery image with a circle punch. I adhered the Celery to the scallop with dimensionals, and added some Stickles to the candle flames.

Well, that's all for now, I think I'll go play some more! I Hope your day ROCKS, and don't forget to smile a lot! :):)

FS76 Birdie Birthday

Happy Friday everyone!
I've been trying to catch up on my challenges and it seems like I never will! I tend to overwhelm myself when it comes to this kind of thing-- there are so many fabulously fun challenges out there, and I just want to do them all- I wish I had the time!! I have a couple to share with you now.
The first is 'Birdie Birthday'. This was the Featured Stamper Challenge on SCS for Sunday, July 20th.
SUSIESTAMPALOT has one gorgeous gallery, and I chose to case her 'Flutterby Just Because'--
I love the colors she used so I basically kept them the same. I changed the patterned paper and the stamps. I also used an oval shape for the focal panel, and I scalloped the pink CS strip.



The second challenge is yesterday's 'Ways To Use It Challenge'. We were supposed to use negative shapes and spaces. I used the negative space from an oval cut behind my sentiment. I also used Tuesday's Color Challenge for my colors-- very vanilla, soft sky and river rock. I love how soft and pretty these colors are together. The design for this card is from Julee's

Ya see what I mean? Too many fabulously fun challenges!!
Thanks for stopping by, and don't forget to smile lot! :):)

Suspension Card

Happy Monday!!
Today's SCS 'try a new technique' challenge is a Suspension Card. I've never attempted such a card, and I almost chickened out, but I thought- "Why not?" Beate has a wonderfully simple tutorial on this technique here. There is a front and a back side to the suspended piece, so I posted two pics. I'd like to practice some more, but I think I'll enjoy making more of these. You use dental floss for the suspension and I only had Cinnamon- so mine is red.

Recipe: CS- wild wasabi, certainly celery, purely pomegranate, very vanilla
dp- pretty in pink
Stamps- Stampendous(balloons), Stampin' up!, think happy thoughts,
itty bitty backgrounds
Ink- choch chip
EXTRAS- gems, stickles, dental floss, ribbon, dimensionals

Thanks for stopping by and keep smiling a lot :):)

Obsession!!

Happy Wednesday!

Every morning the alarm wakes me up at 6 a.m. I hit the snooze button 2 times, then I get up, pour my coffee, and check out the daily challenge on Splitcoast Stampers. I link up, thank the host and check some Splitcoast replies on my e-mail. I see the amazing creations that have been made by so many talented people and I leave as many comments that I can before I have to hit the shower and get off to work. I then proceed to drift off, I don't know how many times durring the day, to what I can do with the challenge when I get home to my beloved stamping nook. Oh boy-- this is OBSESSION! But when I get home I have other responsibilities to tend to before I can sit down an play. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my family. I'm truly a very blessed person, I have so much to be grateful for- healthy children, a loving husband, family and dear friends--- the list goes on and on....

HOWEVER---- I am OBSESSED with Splitcoast challenges! They keep my mojo going, and save me from creator's block. Stamping and Scrapping give me just the outlet I need to stay sane in my sometimes very crazy, hectic, busy, messy-- but always blessed life!

And the challenge for today is.................... The Sketch Challenge!!! My FAVORITE :D

For # 183 I used the colors from yesterday's color challenge. I started with a purely pomegranate card base and pierced the corner. Panel #2 is white CS. Panel # 3 is BasicGrey DP matted with certainly celery. Panel # 4 is certainly celery sponged with chalks. I pierced the corner and stamped the sentiment. I added two Bloomin' roses embossed in white on wild wasabi CS. I water colored the flower with purely pomegranate ink, added Stickles for a little sparkle, then added
red knotted ribbon. Stamped 'Happy Birthday' sentiment, punched it out with a circle punch added some Stickles (of course), and adhered it to the card with a dimensional. I hope you like it as much as I enjoyed making it!

Thanks so much for stopping by, and keep smiling a lot:):):):)