Challenge #17--LOVE

     Each Sunday FCD by Pamela issues a challenge for the design team, it is our choice to participate or not. These challenges are designed to help with getting our mojo going when we run into a "dry" spell....today's challenge could have been written specifically for the card I finished yesterday! How often does that happen?? Not very! What do you think?
     Valentine's Day is just around the corner and this card is perfect for a special friend, a spouse,  any other family member, a Thank You or Just Because. The stamp set is called Got Chocolate, see it HERE.  Check out all of Pamela's designs; take a look at the NEW releases,  there are some excellent choices and even better values!
    Hope you enjoyed today's post, keep warm and enjoy the rest of your weekend. Thanks for stopping by!

particulars: stamps  FCD by Pamela
                water color pencils/marker
                All Night Media liquid embossing
                nestibilities
                ribbon 
                corner punch
             glitter

Sugar Creek Hollow

     I am so excited to be able to share this card with you today!!! The Sugar Creek Hollow Design Team and I have been working hard behind the scenes creating cards to share with you for the Grand Opening. We couldn't resist holding back!! We want to share with you just a preview of what is to come.
     For this card I used two images; Vintage Flowers and Decorative Frame. After printing I very lightly sprayed a mat fixative, it was dry within about 5 minutes, you can also use your heat gun to set the ink. Then I water colored the flowers using pencils and markers, keeping the colors muted to preserve the gorgeous vintage look. Some distressing with Distress inks and looked awesome! The punch is one of Martha Stewarts and the Bible verse is also an available image at Sugar Creek Hollow; with the additon of the tiny cross it was all finished.
     Want to earn this digi (you chose which one you want the Vintage Flowers or The Decorative Frame) for FREE? Become a Sugar Creek Hollow Follower. Be the 150th or 200th follower and you will receive a FREE digi of your choice!!!
Deadline is February 7th at 10pm eastern time. The winner will be announced on
February 8th Preview Week!

Please visit the rest of our lovely team by clicking on their links listed here:
Design Team Coordinator: Joseline http://stampinwithsimplicity.blogspot.com/

Kristina http://reflectionsofahappycrafter.blogspot.com/
Cheri http://thepaperfreak.blogspot.com/
Cassandra http://www.altered-for-him.blogspot.com/
Cassie http://fortheartofit.blogspot.com/
Joan http://j-jcreations.blogspot.com/
Stephanie http://stephaniesstampinspot.blogspot.com/
Marsha http://stampingdownsouth.blogspot.com/
Dani http://countyourbeautifulblessings.blogspot.com/
Suzi http://mrsweyremaster.blogspot.com/
Loretta http://lovetocreate.blogspot.com/
Donna  you are here!
Sarah http://creationsbysarah.blogspot.com/
Tracy http://primitivepaper.blogspot.com

Guest Designers
Kelly http://sandcastlestamper.blogspot.com/

Linda http://thefunkiejunkie.blogspot.com/

Sweet Blog Friend Award

    I received this award from one of my dear online friends, Shelly Schmidt. Not only do I count her as a friend but she is a design team member with me at FCD and a sistah in SBS29. How sweet is that!!
    I am to choose 10 things that make me happy, then chose 5 other Bloggers to share this award with.
    10 Things that make me happy:
           1 My growing relationship with God
           2 My dear children who are all grown up
           3 My darling daughter in law
           4 The two most precious boys ever- my two grand sons!
           5 My husband
           6 My Dad
           7 Creating and sharing my craft/FCD, SCH, SBS29, CPC
           8 Caring for my horses
           9 The pups who share my life
          10 The amazing people I have met that share my faith and my craft
I am not finished yet but am only allowed to list 10! Let me just add that my cup runneth over!
     OK, now I am to share this sweet award with 5 others:
             1 Dina        she has inspired me with her art!
             2 Tracy      starting a new digital stamp site/filled with faith
             3 Shirley     I love Shirley's work!
             4 Beth        TJ buddy, love her work!
             5 Ann         A dear friend who is very talented!

Ladies, your "it", here's what you need to do!

Next, I am to:
1. Copy and paste the award on your blog.
2. List who gave the award to you and use a link to her blog (or hyperlink).
3. List 10 things that make you happy.
4. Pass the award on to other bloggers and visit their blog to let them know!

FCD Blog HOP: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Good Morning and Welcome to Firecracker Designs Blog Hop!

     Our challenge this month is to Celebrate the New Year by finding a new way to use an old product; for some reason this caused me all kinds of difficulty. I racked my pea sized brain for days trying to come up with something that would be appropriate....I rummaged through all my stuff and wound up reorganizing. (can we say procrastination?) This didn't do anything but put me closer to the dead line and increase my anxiety. LOL Finally I hit upon an old kit I had for a project that would "reduce" the need to make more than one, it could be "reused" over and over again and is "recycled" year after year! What, you may ask can do all this?  Tada, a Perpetual Calendar! This doesn't set you free and send excitement running up your spine?  Hmmm, maybe after you see the way it turned out you will change your mind!

      This is the cover, I just love these colors and you will recognize my very own little chickadee from A Little Bird Told Me. My little chickadee (no pun intended) is stamped with versamark and Adirondack ink then clear embossed. After cutting it out I distressed the edges, then used gold ink around the edges. The oval was pressed into versamark and UTEED, this was done another three times, it began to crack when slightly bent. This technique is called "cracked glass", to help it appear older I rubbed Distress Walnut Ink in the cracks. Satisfied with the way it looked I went ahead and mounted it on the two other oval mats. This particular layout is from Mojo Mondays week 122 but I couldn't post it because I was saving it for today!!
     Let's look at some more views!

 

     I chose three months to share, all stamped verses are from FCD, stencils were used for each month and the small leaves you see on Oct.'s page are also FCD.

      I hope you have enjoyed my contribution to the Reduce, Reuse and Recycle challenge now it is time to hop along to MELISA's and see what she has come up with.

Thanks so much for playing along today. Be sure and read the information below about our circular blog and the goodies you may have a chance to WIN!!!

*********************************************

The official start time of this Hop is Friday, at 8:00 AM (EST). If you arrived early, please be patient as all the links may not be live yet.

This is a “circular blog hop” where the only beginning is wherever you start!!  You will know you are at the end of your blog hop when you’ve come back to the blog you’ve started from!  (It’s not a huge circle…so it should be easy to remember where you started.)

The winner will be chosen from a mystery blog hostess that we don’t even know who it will be until the hop is over…so that’s why you’ll want to leave a comment on EVERY blog, so you don’t miss out!

**To find out if you’ve won… you will be contacted by Pamela via e-mail (so be sure to leave it with your comment.) and you can also find out on Pamela's blog after the blog hop ends on Monday at 8:00 PM (EST).
Now to continue the circle you will need to hop over to MELISA's and keep going around until you have come back to where you've started! Good Luck!

particulars:
     stamps FCD's by Pamela
       paper - Club Scrap
       ink - Tim Holtz Distress
             Adirondack
             versamark
       tools - Nestibilities, Utee, stencils, stickers
    

REMINDER! Pre-Sale at FCD

Reminder!!!

Pamela is having a Pre-Sale on new sets, you save because the rubber hasn't been ordered yet, but this special sale ends Jan. 21st.  Hurry, over to get your sets ordered and SAVE!!!
Here is a preview, for larger images go here!!

Hope is the thing with Feathers

     Here's my little bird again! This time he/she was stamped on a transparency, colored on the opposite side with gel pens and mounted on vellum then on creme card stock.  I entered her in two challenges at SCS, IC215 and CAS49.
     The branch on the stamp was modified by adding the leaves and another piece of branch. The only reason I did this was because of the Inspiration piece I chose for challenge IC215. Here is the inspiration piece. I figured adding the leaves made sense.
     This is from the stamp set "A Little Bird Told Me" from Firecracker Designs by Pamela.  
      Hope you like the way this one turned out!
    
Here's the particulars:
   stamp-FCD by Pamela
   ink-versamark black
   various colors of gel pens
   Club Scrap paper
   ribbon from Walmart
   Martha Stewart punch
   Nestibilities
   transparency from Staples

Welcome

     Try as I might, I cannot get a really good picture of this card, the watercolor just doesn't want to show up very well. So, we will just go with what we have!
     Red and chocolate brown with a sort of light turquoise?  What is this woman thinking?? I don't have a clue; but when I got the stamps colored this is what happened, I am not responsible...LOL!  Who would have thunk these colors would go together, certainly not me, however they seem to work.
     All stamps are from FCD by Pamela, the stamps used are from the set A Little Bird Told Me. I just love this set, hmmm, I may be repeating myself! Entered challenge #SC10 at Sketch Girls!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    OK, now let's talk some exciting news! Pamela is having a Pre-Sale!! For all the particulars you need to go HeRe!  You will note, these are pre-orders...you are getting the discount because the rubber hasn't been ordered yet. You will also note, this is a short sale! What a tremendous offer, I hope you will try and take advantage of it before they go to the regular price!! Go on, go over and take a look!


   Glad you stopped in to take a look around! Hope you have enjoyed yourself and found some things to your liking!  It is time for me to go to the barn and tuck the horses in for the night. After the haying and watering I am going to read for awhile, maybe look for something worth watching on TV.  Hope you all have a serene and lovely evening! Hope you will visit again soon!

particulars:
     paper/beads - Club Scrap
     stamps - FCD by Pamela
     watercolor pencils
     Martha Stewart border punch
     Nestibilities
     ink & misc - versamark, Memories black, crystal clear, pin from stash, ribbon from stash

With All Your Heart...

     Here is another of the beautiful digital stamps from Sugar Creek Hollow to whet your appetite. If you haven't already done so, go to the site, become a follower and become eligible to win a prize during the Grand Opening! Which is by the way, March 1st!

     This layout was for challenge #32 from Paper Take Weekly Challenge. Check out their site! This is my first time to participate but I will be going back!

     Sorry folks but it is really late (at least for me) and I have a bugaboo of a day tomorrow so I will list the particulars and hit the sack! Thanks for dropping by; I would love for you to leave any comments you may have! Happy Thursday! Good night!

particulars:

     Sugar Creek Hollow digi stamp

     K & Co paper

     Nestibilities

     ribbon- Walmart

     Cuttlebug photo corner dies

     Tim Holtz distressed inks

     Bible verse computer generated 

     black gems from stash

Sugar Creek Hollow- stay tuned!!

Good Morning!
     I am so excited and honored; no wait, I am so ecstatic and humbled; OK, actually I am feeling all those emotions! Why? Because Sugar Creek Hollow will be opening on March 1st and I get to play with their stamps as a Design Team Member and introduce you to this new digital site! This is what many of us have been waiting for.....vintage and primitive digital stamps! Couldn't you just drool thinking about it!  Well, hold in that urge, I want to share a card with you!

    The stamp is "Forever" and includes the flourishes, the Bible verse was added by computer. You can do "masking" with digital stamps just like rubber stamps except digitally it is done by adding "layers". I am crazy about this stamp, it has such potential and can be used in so many ways!

     Now, that you have seen an example here is the very best part! Sign up as a follower so that you won't miss out on any Grand Opening festivities. You'll also see how you can win a $50 gift certificate to the store. Now, what could be better than that!!??

Click here and take a look! More to come soon!!

thanks for stopping by!

Jenny's Coat Technique

     This adorable little chickadee is from Firecracker Design's set "A Little Bird Told Me". You know me, I am all about nature; birds, animals, trees, well you get the picture! This set caught my eye quite a while ago and Pamela was kind enough to let me play with it this month! You will see more of this set as the month goes on!
      For great deals on stamps of all kinds check out FCD's by Pamela! She has an amazing selection, plus digitals and gift certificates. The prices here are more than competitive; you will astounded! Shop and Save!!!!
     This technique is called Jenny's Coat; this is one of the newest techniques from Technique Junkies. If you haven't ever visited their site you may want to check it out! You can join and every other month you will get a newsletter with new techniques, full instructions, and a list of supplies needed to achieve the results. Not only that but as a member you can go online and get visual tutorials for all the techniques! How's that for fantastic??!!
     Ok, to the card.....I stamped the bird with versamark (oops, to get all the details on the technique you will have to visit Technique Junkies).  I made the card for a color challenge from Christian Paper Crafts. Designer paper is from an old Basic Grey design, the base card is some white cardstock from my stash, not sure who made it, and of course Nestibilities were used for the ovals. I used one of the oval dies to draw the lines around the oval for more depth, the white gel pen just brought out some of the definition of the bird.
    I hope you enjoyed looking as much as I did making this one. A very simple card with a pretty big impact! Leave me your thought!
    Thanks for stopping by!!

also used: Tim Holtz distress ink in Walnut
                ribbon from stash
                pearls 
                markers

Deer One

     This beautiful little buck as well as the birch tree and the mountains in the background are stamps included in the "Little Things" stamp set from Firecrackers Designs by Pamela. Since I am such a nature buff this stamp set is right down my alley. Give me animals, birds, trees and flowers to play with and I am happy! If you haven't checked out Pamela's stamps, you are missing out! She has some of the greatest choices you will find anywhere!
     I made this card to enter into the SCS sketch challenge SC261. As it turned out it was eligible for a couple more challenges......yippee!!!
Christian Papers Crafts -Bible verse Thursday
ABC Challenge  - L is for Layering


     I stamped the deer then masked him; stamped the tree and mountains for the background. I used a rounded edge stencil for making the clouds, and various colors of watercolor pencils for the valley floor, a marker for the grass. After finishing I decided I wanted to pop the deer up so I stamped him again, colored him and UTEED him and then used the dimensional pop up's to elevate him. You will probably be seeing more of him as well as the mountains and other cuties that come with this set!!
     The sponged background mat was made by using blue masking tape and sponging on SU! inks in various shades of blue for one side and various shades of green and beige/tan for the other side. I used a cosmetic sponge this time, first time I have tried one and I was pretty happy with the results.
     Thank you for dropping in, hope you are all adjusting to the new year, I am having a hard time remembering to write "10" on my checks!! LOL  Please feel free to stop by anytime and leave you comments!!

Particulars: 
    stamps   FCD by Pamela
     sponged background with SU! inks
     watercolor pencils by Derment
     Nestibilities
     Cuttlebug corner dies
     paper crimper


Hugs!!

Sisterhood of the Stamping Bloggers #29

Good Morning All!

     This post is to introduce myself to all my new sistahs out there......

     I live in NC on a small farm, we have 4 horses, two dogs and lots of grass to mow! My husband and I have been married forever, at last count it was 44 years, yikes! That makes us sound old but it seems like only yesterday we were just starting out and raising our two children...they are now both all grown up and we have been blessed with great adult children and two amazing grandsons!

My daughter lives in TN and my son and his family live in CA. I know, I know, this is supposed to be about me but honestly they are such a part of me I cannot describe myself without including them.

     Ok, so what do I like, love, do, and etc? I am a child of God, I love my family, I love the farm and all the critters and enjoy the heck out of stamping and scrapbooking and most all paper crafts. Since I like the heck out of it, I guess you could define it as a "love"..so I love it! :)  My cards are used mainly for family, friends and church. I have been toying with the idea of selling them but haven't made that final step yet.

    I spend a lot of time cleaning stalls, wrapping horses legs, mowing grass, lovin' on my pups, and enjoying the nature that surrounds me on this farm which to me is a little bit of heaven.

     I am looking forward to getting to know each of you and sharing comments, techniques, stories and life's moments. Welcome to my blog to all my new "sistahs"!

Happy 50th Anniversary!

     This anniversary card was made for some dear friends of my parents. Not only have they been wonderful friends to my parents but when my Mom died they were right there for all of us, so I wanted to do something special for them.

     Club Scrap paper (from various kits) was used along with SU! vanilla. There is NO stamping anywhere, can you believe that? The Bible verse and "50 years" was computer generated, the ovals were made with nestibilities, the thin paper ribbon across the center and picture of the "couple" came from the invitation to celebrate their anniversary. Of course you "must" have pearls to set it all off!

 

     This is the inside of the card and finishes the verses started on the face of the card taken from 1 Corinthians 13: 4 - 13. I found upon finishing that I didn't have an envelope to fit the card......hmmm, has this ever happened to you? :)

     No worries, a piece of parchment paper, some scissors, red lined tape and an envelope is made to fit perfectly! The stamp on the front of the envelope is from Club Scrap. I hope they like it! I hope you like it too!

     Congratulations to our dear friends on their 50th Wedding Anniversay! .... and thank all of you for sharing the card with me!!!

     Happy New Year!!