SC234 Because I Care

Hi~ I hope your Wednesday is a happy one so far! I'm slowly getting back into life a day at a time, and it feels good to get some challenges done. Today's card is for the SCS Sketch challenge.. I haven't used my 'One Of A Kind' set in a while and it popped into my mind when I saw the sketch today. It's always fun to layer up this flower with pretty papers and punches! Let me know what you think~
Thanks for stopping by, and keep smiling a lot! :)
Hugs and Smiles~
Denise

Stamps: One Of A Kind, Best Yet
Paper: whisper white, old olive, raspberry tart dsp
Ink: black Archival, old olive, regal rose
Extras: paper piercer, oval and 3 flower punch, cuttlebug, half pearl stickers, dimensionals

Sketch For You To Try

I really love Jen's sketch this week- it feels so good to do a challenge! I pulled out my 'Dreams Du Jour' stamp set since I haven't used it in a while. I think it's cute for this sketch- what do you think?
Well that was quick, I'm off to dreamland now~ Thanks for stopping by, and sweet dreams to you tonight!




Stamps: Dreams du Jour (SU)
Paper: Whisper White, old olive, pretty in pink, raspberry tart dsp
Ink: black Archival, pink pirouette, regal rose, kiwi kiss
Extras: ribbon, half pearl stickers, Stickles, cuttlebug, paper piercer, square scallop punch, dimensionals

Hi!

Hi everyone!
I can't believe how long it's been since I've posted! Our cruise was AWESOME! I'll post a few pics at the end of this post. It was really hard to come back to 'reality' ~ I actually went through some 'post vacation blues' for a while, and I lost my creative mojo. I'd sit at my desk, look at my stuff, and NOTHING! But I check out all of your awesome creations EVERYDAY, and you remind me why I love this craft so much! You guys really and truly amaze and inspire me!!
Well, it's now Spring Break, I've had some time to myself and guess what? I got some mojo back!! I sat down the other night and made 3 cards! It also helps that my dear friend and stamping buddy, Pam, lives 3 houses down, and talk about inspiring-- she really needs to get her blog up and running so she can share her amazing talents with you guys too-- Ya got that MDF?!!!!



Anyway, I was looking through an old Stampin' Up! catty, and fell in love with this color combo- Sahara Sand and bashful blue. (it reminds me of the beach!) So I pulled out my Bloomin' Rose and came up with these.
I used the Swiss Dots folder with my Cuttle Bug, all three cards have faux stitching, and of course there's tons of Stickles involved, because I LOVE sparkles!
Okay, now maybe I'll check out some of my favorite challenges to keep the juices flowing! :)
As promised, here a few pics from our trip-- hope you enjoy!
(Ours is the BIG ship!)
Thanks for much for stopping by, and keep smiling!!
Hugs ad Smiles,
Denise

Life is Good!

Happy Monday!
Well, I got my snow day!! Right now the kids are fighting and I wish they were in school!! I can't believe I actually got two cards done.
The first is Saturday's Cupcake Challenge at Taylored Expressions. I used my Sarah Kay's Picnic of Daisies stamp and water colored her onto water color paper using my ink pads and a water brush (and a couple of markers). I got a little 'button happy' here!




My next card is from this week's sketch at Our Creative Corner.
My dear friend and stamping buddy, Pam got the Top Note die, so I made a bunch of them in different colors of card stock. I stamped the tree from Thoughts and Prayers onto a Sahara Sand Top Note using markers. The sentiment is from Make it Count, it's stamped on Sahara Sand cs in choc. chip ink, then punched out with an oval punch. The smaller part of the sentiment is stamped in Certainly Celery ink on very vanilla cs, then punched out with a small circle punch and popped up with dimensionals. The rest is pretty self explanatory.
Before I go I wanted to mention that Deena is celebrating her birthday today and she's having a party, check out what else she's been celebrating- she might even have some goodies to give away- go check it out!!
That's it for now, thanks so much for stopping by, and don't forget to smile a lot today! :

Hugs and Smiles~
Denise

Daisies for You
Stamps: Picnics of Daisies (Sarah Kay), One of a Kind (SU)
Paper: Not Quite Navy, So Saffron, Very Vanilla, Green Tea dp, water color paper
Ink: black archival, baja breeze, brilliant blue, barely banana, close to cocoa, choc. chip, certainly celery
Extras: markers, water brush, blender pen, buttons, lacy scallop punch (MS), cuttlebug embossing folder

Life is Good
Stamps: Thoughts and Prayers, Make it Count (SU)
Paper: choc. chip, very vanilla, so saffron, green tea dp, Sahara sand
Ink: choc. chip, certainly celery
Extras: oval punch, butterfly punch (MS), button, half pearl stickers, lacy scallop punch, top note die, markers

Hope Happens Baby!

Happy Friday all!
It's been a busy week trying to get back into the swing of things after vacation week. I wish I had more time to keep up with all of the fantastic challenges I love to participate in, but I sneak a few in when I can. I have a notebook sitting on my desk, and everyday I check out the different challenges for the day and either write or sketch them down~ so they're always here if I ever want to catch up!
I was able to get in this week's color challenge at SCS. At first the colors scared me, I don't usually go very bright (chicken!), but I really like the results! This is also the Mojo Monday Sketch for this week~ I LOVE Julee's sketches, definitely one of my favorite challenges!
I do have one more card to post today, it's for a friend at work who will be having a baby boy in about 6 weeks. This is one of my favorite House Mouse images ever! I colored the shoes using my Soft Sky ink pad and a water brush. The color is so soft and delicate, perfect! I cut out one of the shoes, and the little guy on top, and popped them up with dimensionals~ I'm a cutter and a popper! I added some Stickles to the laces and sentiment, but it's hard to tell in the pic.
Anyway, that's all for now. Thanks so much for stopping by, have an awesome day, and don't forget to smile a lot! :)
Hugs and Smiles~
Denise

Hope Happens
Stamps~ gemstone birds (Inkadinkado), hope happens (SU)
Paper~ white, pumpkin pie, kiwi kiss, summer sun
Ink~ black Archival, choc. chip, pumpkin pie, kiwi kiss
Extras~ lacey scallop punch (MS), primas, rhinestones, Stickles, brad, cuttlebug folders, dimensionals

Baby
Stamps~ house mouse, lovely labels (SU)
Paper~ choc. chip, white, green tea dsp
Ink~ black Archival, soft sky, close to cocoa, choc. chip, baja breeze
Extras~ ribbon, Stickles, circle and scallop punches, dimensionals

Winter Smile

Happy Monday!
I don't usually say that, but I'm on vacation for a week, so HAPPY MONDAY! And, yes I DID enjoy a relaxing TWO cups of coffee this morning! The kids have been playing outside with the neighbors most of the day and I have to say, I really haven't done much of anything! I've checked out my favorite blogs and galleries,and made a card for Beate's weekend sketch~ oh yea- this is a vacation!!
I'm quickly going to share it with you because I really should get SOMETHING done around here!
I love this image from Whiff of Joy, and it's pretty cold up here, so here is 'Winter Smile'. I stamped her in black Archival ink onto water color paper, and colored her with ink pads, a water brush and a blender pen. I added some Fruit Punch Stickles which I wish you could see better. The sentiment is a Heidi Grace rub-on on white cs, punched out with a 1 3/8" circle punch. I inked around the edge and outlined it with more Stickles. I added the MS snowflake punch with a dimensional, Stickled some more, and added a button in the center.
Well, that's it for now, thanks so much for stopping by~ and don't forget to smile a lot today!! :)

Hugs and Smiles~
Denise

Stamps: Whiff of Joy
Paper: pretty in pink, choc. chip, white, pink pirouette and water color paper
Ink: black Archival, close to cocoa, choc. chip, pink pirouette, pretty in pink, rose red
Extras: Fiskars circle cutter, circle and snowflake punches, cuttlebug folder, Stickles, button, white gel pen, dimensionas

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

Hugs and Kisses

Happy Tuesday!
Remember me?? About a month ago I started having computer problems (don't ya hate that?) but FINALLY, things are back to normal. I've so missed blogging and my favorite challenges~ it feels a little overwhelming trying to get back in the groove, but it feels sooooo good too!! I can't wait to find out how my blogging friends are doing and what you're all creating!!
My card here is a valentine for my daughter. I used Monday's mojo sketch for this one. I absolutely LOVE Whiff of Joy stamps, and this little angel is just perfect for a valentine don't ya think?
Before I go I wanted to share a few pics of my yard with you~







Oh so pretty and OH SO COLD!!!! And now it's time to curl up into my nice, warm bed!
Thanks so much for stopping by, and don't forget to smile a lot!
Hugs and Smiles~ Denise

A message from the fam, and introducing Bailey!!

Happy Tuesday evening!
These are our beautiful children Brandon, Olivia, Ashley, Ryan, and Michael in the back. They wanted to wish you all a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
I hope your Holidays are going wonderfully! Ours have been really nice! I am glad they are winding down now though. I want to get back to a normal routine and just relax! I don't know about you, but I am NEVER ready for anything. I mean~ every party I went to this season I was putting things together and wrapping at the last minute (this is no different than any other year by the way). I should be in The Book of World Records for 'Biggest Procrastinating Living Thing'!! REALLY!! It's one of the things I dislike the most about myself.
ANYWAY....
I have a couple of cards to share with you, but first I want to introduce you to the newest member of the Bernardoni family~ this is Bailey!


Some friends of ours have a cat that had a litter~ long story short- we have a new kitten! Bailey is named after one of our favorite holiday characters~ George Bailey, from 'It's a Wonderful life'.




Come to think of it, I've never introduced you to Jack, named after the Great Jack Sparrow of 'Pirates of the Caribbean'. Jack is my big, beautiful Maine-Coon boy~ THE BEST cat in the world!! He was a bit taken-a-back and a little upset, but look how he is coming around to this cute little guy! I can tell they are going to be the best of buds!
Okay, on to the cards!

The first one is from Saturday's Inspiration Challenge on SCS, and it's also the Mojo Monday sketch from last week. Splitcoast's inspiration was from MacKenzie-Childs~ I chose this charming plate for the soft, delicate look, it reminded me of Stampin' Up!'s pretty Bella Rose dp which I thought would be perfect for my Lizzie with Muff stamp from Whiff of Joy. I water colored her with ink pads and a water pen, cut out her image and adhered her to my card with dimensionals. I added faux stitching with a paper piercer and a white gel pen.

The next card is from this week's Mojo Monday sketch, and the first Sweet Ebony @ Sugar Nellies challenge using lime and black colors in our projects. The closest I could come to 'lime' was my Kiwi Kiss from SU. I used my 'Picnics of Daisies' stamp from Sarah Kay, and the sentiment is from SU's 'Always'. Again I water colored the image with ink pads and a water pen~ isn't she cute?!
Well, this post has taken more time than I thought it would, so I'll say "Good night" for tonight. Thanks for stopping by, and keep on smiling! :)
Hugs and Smiles~ Denise

Two Sketches and a birthday gift!

Happy Tuesday!
My birthday was Thursday and I wanted to thank all of you who sent b-day wishes, hugs and smiles~ WOW!! And look at what my sweet hubby gave me-- another WOW!! There were also some beautiful roses included, and my kids had a gorgeous bouquet delivered to school! I don't know much that could top all of that! (Maybe a b-day call from Johnny Angel?!) ;)



My last post was a bit of a downer, I know, but thanks for listening and all your thoughts and prayers. I'm amazed at all the beautiful, caring people I've "met" here in blogland~ very special friends~ thank you from the bottom of my heart!
I do have a couple of cards to post tonight. The first is a thank you to my sweet hubby for my CUTTLEBUG! You'll notice I used my new toy for the first time on this card!
I stamped these 'Happy', smoochin' House Mice in black archival ink and colored them with ink pads and a water pen, and of course added Stickles for sparkle. This is also the sketch from Jen's Sketch For You To Try Saturday.


For the next card I used the sketch from PCP, and the colors are from Wednesday's Color Throwdown. Recipes are coming up!
Thanks so much for stopping by, I'm going to hit the hay and sleep in tomorrow~ the first day of vacation! Don't forget to keep smiling a lot!! :):)
Hugs and Smiles!
Denise

'Happy' Recipe:
Stamps: house mouse, it's all good (SU)
Paper: white, choc, chip, tangerine tango, kiwi kiss
Ink: black archival, tangerine tango, close to cocoa, choc. chip, mellow moss, always artichoke
Extras: Circle and scallop punches, white gel pen, cuttlebug, primas flowers, button half pearl stickers, Stickles

'I Love You' Recipe:
Stamps: whiff of joy, PSX
Paper: white, choc. chip, pink pirouette, riding hood red, bella rose dp
Ink: black archival, versa mark, riding hood red, barely banana, close to cocoa, choc. chip
Extras: Stickles, water pen, buttons, ribbon, white gel pen, paper piercer, Stickles, white ep, cuttlebug, half pearl stickers