A Sweet Little Notecard

Here's a quick little notecard Iwhipped up with some of my yummy papers and ribbon from i {heart} papers. I paper pieced the cupcake with Love Dots for the frosting, and Diamonds and Pearls for the paper cup and background. The stamp is from Inkadinkado's Birthday Cupcake set, and it's tied off with some of the lovely brown/pink satin ribbon. I just needed a blank notecard today, so I opted not to put a sentiment on this one. Oh, and I used an old TECC sketch as well. I hope you like it!

I also want to share another book that I finished recently:

Here is a brief synopsis of the (non-fiction) book:

Michael Patrick MacDonald grew up in "the best place in the world"--the Old Colony projects of South Boston--where 85% of the residents collect welfare in an area with the highest concentration of impoverished whites in the U.S. In All Souls, MacDonald takes us deep into the secret heart of Southie. With radiant insight, he opens up a contradictory world, where residents are besieged by gangs and crime but refuse to admit any problems, remaining fiercely loyal to their community. MacDonald also introduces us to the unforgettable people who inhabit this proud neighborhood. We meet his mother, Ma MacDonald, an accordion-playing, spiked-heel-wearing, indomitable mother to all; Whitey Bulger, the lord of Southie, gangster and father figure, protector and punisher; and Michael's beloved siblings, nearly half of whom were lost forever to drugs, murder, or suicide. By turns explosive and touching, All Souls ultimately shares a powerful message of hope, renewal, and redemption.

One of reviews listed on the back cover says something about how if you loved Frank McCourt's Angela's Ashes, you'll also love All Souls. Before I started reading the book, I thought that was a pretty lofty claim. I've read (and loved) Angela's Ashes... I can't imagine anything coming close to it. By the second chapter though, I was totally engrossed, and now that I've finished, I have to agree. The two memoirs are very similar, and equally enthralling. I was amazed at what all I learned about South Boston, and the things that were going on there in my lifetime - things I didn't even realize were happening. Granted I was miles away in Wisconsin, but still. Things were sure covered up well to not be sprawled all over the front pages of the country.

Anyhow, if you enjoy reading non-fiction/memoirs, I would highly recommend it!

Enjoy the day,

A Year of Cupcakes

Taylor is celebrating the one year anniversary of the Taylored Expressions Cupcake Challenge! Each of the cupcake sketch samplers has designed their own sketch to celebrate. I'm featuring Stephanie Hargis' sketch challenge. You can check out the sketch on her blog and find out about the prize you can win by participating!

Don't forget to check out Taylor's blog, the anniversary celebration headquarters, for all of the sketch challenges as well as an AWESOME grand prize for one random winner who participates in ALL 9 sketch challenges! We hope you'll help us celebrate this yummy occasion!

I was thrilled when Taylor asked me to help with the anniversary celebrations! I hope you'll play along! Cindy Lawrence and Michelle Barnett are also featuring samples with this sketch, so click over to see what they came up with!

Taylor also had this super cute badge made for anyone who is chosen as the Featured Cupcake Sampler on her weekly challenges. I'm honored that I'll be able to display it on my sidebar (this is the card that won me the honors back in August, if you're wondering!).

The cupcake stamp I used on the card is from Inkadinkado's Birthday Cupcake set. The DP is from the Washington Apple collection by Stampin' Up!, on a base of Bashful Blue with Pumpkin Pie ribbon.

Enjoy the day....and a cupcake!

Who? Me?

I made this quick card for a good friend who has a birthday coming up (tomorrow - nothing like waiting until the last minute, eh?). I used to work for her back in my retail management days, and she has always been so much fun. I know she'll love this card, but the first thing she'll probably say is that she'll never stop coloring her hair and let it go grey like that. lol! :o)

This stamp is part of a set by Inkadinkado. The little rabbit I used to make this card is in the same set, and I picked it up at Michael's. The base of the card is actually a semi-opaque plastic card base that was among the goodies that my summer sister Lorie sent me in my final package. I'm fairly certain I've been forever banned from the ranks of any future sister swaps for a number of reasons that I won't mention here :o), but maybe she'll take pity on me and let me redeem myself next summer so I can play with the cool kids again. I also have to give a little shout out to Kimmie, who sent me the cute double flower embellishment awhile back. Thanks, girls!

The orange DP you see is by SU, and it's double sided, which is PERFECT for a clear card like this, because the inside looks as good as the outside! I love it! I'm also really happy with the way my coloring came out on this one. It seems like I'm hit or miss on the shading, and this one seemed to go well. Probably because they were small spaces. Small spaces are more copic friendly than large spaces.

I think I need a new winter blog banner. I'm not loving this one as much as I love my every day banner. I might need to work on that in my free time. BWA HA HA HA! Yeah, right. Because I spend sooo much time sitting around wondering what to do with myself! :)

Not much else to report. I'm off to work on the tree some more!

Enjoy your day...

Have You Seen Her?

...tell me have you seen her?

Ok, am I the only one singing this old MC Hammer song now? LOL! Sorry, I couldn't help myself. I love to quote lyrics whenever I can. ;o)

Anyhow! The "her" I am referring to is none other than Ms. Emily Weems. As you know, I am offering up some BLOG CANDY courtesy of i {heart} papers. One of the things I'm giving away is Inkadinkado's Christmas Character's set, and Emily has been ROCKIN' that set lately! The card she posted today was just too cute, so I asked her if I could share it with all of you! I was thrilled that she said yes, so here it is:


Isn't that awesome? I love it! You can check out her original post HERE, and you can see another great acetate card made with this set on her blog HERE. Go on and show her some love, she deserves it! And don't forget to enter my blog candy if you haven't already done so!

Since we're talking Christmas, I have to tell you that I splurged today and bought a new CD. It has been AGES since I've bought a new cd. I usually wait until I can get it for cheap on half.com, or at a used CD store. But I was at Target and noticed this new Christmas CD by Kristin Chenoweth. Kristin is on my favorite tv show, Pushing Daisies, and I just love her (she got her start in the original cast of Wicked on Broadway if you're wondering where the singing comes in). I had to buy it. I HAD TO! Christmas cd's are really hit or miss with me. I seem to either love them or hate them. There's no middle ground. Let me tell you, I LOVE THIS CD! OMG. It is sooooo good. Her version of Little Drummer Boy moved me to tears. Seriously, it's that good. You need it. Trust me.


I'm listening to it right now. I've been listening to it ever since I bought it. Yeah, I know. Whatever. ;o) On a side note, if you'd like a good laugh, check out this video clip of Kristin on Ellen recently. Ellen sent her into the gym on the lot to play a little prank on people. It's hilarious.

Ok friends, that's all I have for you today. Aren't you glad you stopped by? :o)

It's time for BLOG CANDY!

I am so excited to share some fun BLOG CANDY with you today! Kate over at i {heart} papers has graciously given all of her design team members some candy to give away, and it's my turn! Woot! Here's the loot (hey, that rhymed...):




You will win Inkadinkado's Christmas Characters stamp set, a bottle of Christmas Red Stickles, and three yards of this super cool metallic silver string. And just think, if you win, you can make super cute Christmas cards like this:

I used the silver string over white organdy on the top and bottom boxes, and the santa stamp from the set. Here is a close-up of "ho ho" (as my two year old would say):

I'll be you didn't know Santa shopped at Tiffany's, did you? ;o) I also used this set on my Very Merry Christmas card that I posted a little over a week ago. I just love all of these images and sentiments, and I know you will too!

SO!! What do you have to do to get the candy? Well, it's simple. Leave me a comment on this post telling me what your favorite Christmas movie is. I would also GREATLY appreciate it if you would spread the word about the blog candy on your blog, but I'm going to use the honor system for that requirement, so don't worry about having to link me up. I'll choose a random winner Sunday night and post the winner on my blog. If you don't have a blog, you're still welcome to enter, just make sure there is some kind of contact info in your comment so I know how to find you! THE CONTEST IS OVER. THANKS FOR PLAYING!

Today is also a CBC Challenge day. This week's challenge is chipboard. I had every intention of including a little chipboard on this card when I made it last night, but try as I might, I just couldn't find a good way to work it in. :*( Be sure to check out all of the other CBC Chick's blogs for great ideas of how to use chipboard though!

i {heart} paper supplies:
Christmas Characters Stamp Set
Metallic Silver String
Dorada Vista DP

other supplies:
Garden Green and Whisper White Cardstock
Adirondak Pitch Black Ink
Copic Markers
Dazzling Diamonds Glitter
Stampin' Dimensionals

Dude.

Hellooooo blogger friends! Long time, no see! I can't believe I took two days off from blogging. It felt odd not to be crafting and sharing, but with Halloween tossed in there life kind of took over for a few days. If you'd like to take a sneaky peek at my little farmer and his cow, click on over to my family blog for pictures. I even went so far as to digi-scrap our evening, so I guess I did get a little crafting in after all! I'm VERY new to the whole digi-scrapping world, so don't go expecting anything phenominal... Seriously.

Ok, on to today's card. This little guy is from a set of witty stamps by Inkadinkado. I think it's called Birthday Characters? Maybe? I'm really not sure. I can check if you'd really like to know. Anyhow, I needed a masculine birthday card, and this is what I came up with. I stamped the "dude" with my Karen Foster Snap Stamps. I really wanted to add glitter to the bunny tail, but that just didn't seem to fit the whole dark masculine look, so I skipped it. Maybe I should still add it for a little whimsy? What do you think?

The DP is Basic Grey, from my Scarlett Letter pad. The base of the card, ironically, is basic gray, by Stampin' Up! Funny how that works.

Before I go, I want to direct you to some super cute cards made by my fellow i {heart} papers design team members:

Cathleen made a gorgeous pink wedding card here. You have to check out the ribbon/bow on it! To die for!

Lori made a super fun cupcake card. The colors and layout are just perfect... not to mention the cupcake DP she used.

I finally have the DT blog list uploaded on my sidebar, if you'd like to take a peek and see who all is on the team. I'm going to try to remember to continue to link you to specific cards as they are posted throughout the month.

I hope you all had a fun and safe Halloween!

A Very Merry Christmas

Yesterday I received some happy mail in the form of my first package from i {heart} papers. Woot! It was hilarious, because we had just gotten home from the grocery store, and both of the boys were crazy cranky, and I actually said, "Just hold your horses, Mama has to look at her new papers!" Yeah. As if they care.... or listened!

I decided it was only fitting that my first card for i {heart} papers used a sketch from i {heart} 2 stamp. ;o) You can see the sketch here. This is the first time I've ever done one of Jen's sketches, and I have to say I love it! Here is my take on the sketch:

Is that not the cutest snowman ever? I just love this card, and I think it might have to be one of my Christmas cards for this year. It's so cute, but soooo easy, which works well when you're mass producing. And check out the blue paper. I stamped the snowflakes so it looked like they were falling, and building up at the bottom. Fun stuff, eh?

I don't have a lot to ramble about today (shocker!), so I'll leave you with the ingredients. Be sure to check out the store if you haven't already, and remember they carry more than just papers!

i {heart} paper supplies
See Spot DP (red dotted)
Hickups DP (solid green)
Christmas Characters Stamp Set (Snowman, Snowflake, Sentiment)

other supplies

Cardstock: Riding Hood Red, Baja Breeze, Not Quite Navy, Whisper White
Ink: Not Quite Navy, Old Olive (sponged on green paper edges), Adirondak Pitch Black
Other: Narrow White Organdy Ribbon, Scalloped Punch, Button Bouquet, Paper Piercer, Copic Markers, Dazzling Diamonds, White DMC Floss (on buttons)

Birds Of A Feather

Well, the good news is that Henry is feeling better. The bad news is, I still haven't had time to stamp anything. BUT, I do have a new card to show you that I made last week and never got posted! I just love these Inkadinkado birds, and my blogger friend Denise was kind enough to send some to me. And by "some", I mean "about a hundred". LOL! I was so surprised when I got her envie! Holy man! It really was happy mail in its truest form. :)

The paper is more of Stampin' Up!'s Washington Apple line. I don't have a sentiment on this one, because I couldn't find one that fit right. I had one sentiment that said, "Friends come in all shapes and sizes."... at first I thought I'd use that, but then I decided against it because if I got that card, I'd be wondering what the sender was trying to tell me about my shape and size. LOL. So, for now it's a blank card. hee hee.

If you have a moment, click over to my family blog and check out the cute halloween goodies I made tonight!

And in honor of National Breast Cancer Awareness month, I'll leave you with this fun piece of flair I found on Facebook today...


Enjoy the day!

So Sweet

It has been a few weeks since I've played with Taylor's Cupcake Challenge. I love her sketches, and have missed participating. I've just been so foggy lately with the sleep thing, I didn't know whether I was coming or going half the time... Not to mention I was so far behind in my reader I didn't even know what the sketches were until well after they were over. Oye. I'm all caught up on the reader now, and am getting there on the sleep as well, so hopefully things will start to get back to normal around here!

Anyhoo... Here is her sketch for this week:

I'm not such a big fan of all the white space on my card. In hindsight, I wish I had filled the space with some kind of background stamp in a muted color, but what's done is done, and it ain't bein' re-done! ;o) Oh, and I was doing the sketch from memory, and forgot to make my bow off center. Schvoops!

I'm just excited that I finally bought some cupcake stamps! I've been looking for some plain cupcake stamps that I LOVE for a long time, and really haven't found any that throw me over the top. If I love the image, the size is too small (see those Unity cupcakes below for an example). If I like the size, I'm not totally in love with the images themselves (such is the case with these... they have bigger stamps, which I like, but am not crazy about the jagged line drawings). These were half off at Hobby Lobby this week though, so I caved and picked them up.

Speaking of picking things up, did you see that there is a sale at Firecracker Designs? You can get 10% off your entire order by using the coupon code "SCS1". I placed a small order today for this German Christmas sentiment set and this Envelope Art set that is just too funny. Now I want to sign up for my friend Sara's swap and purposefully be late just so I can use that stamp. bwa ha ha ha! (Just kidding, Sara! ...sort of... ;o) tee hee) I am also loving this "Bummed Out?" set, but I didn't get it. I've been thinking about it all day though, so I could be placing another order any minute now. Oye. It's not good!!

So, what do you think of the card? Sweet, or sour? And how do you like that shiny new signature I made myself? Fun stuff, eh?

Details:
Stamps: Birthday Cupcakes (Inkadinkado)
Ink: Adirondak Pitch Black, Real Red
Paper: Bashful Blue, Summer Fun DP (Stampin' Up!), Whisper White, Real Red
Other: Stickles, Crystal Effects, Copic Markers, Blue Brads, Red Satin Ribbon

Ginger Rogers

Ok, can anyone tell me what company this image is from? I have no idea. (Edited to add: Thanks to Ramsey, I now know this is a Penny Black image! Woot! Thanks Ramsey!) I hosted a bella swap recently on SCS, and one of the swappers included a few images as a hostess gift for me. I posted on that thread, asking what company they were by, but never did get a response. I think she is super cute though, don't you!? And she goes perfectly with my Ginger Rogers stamp. I think that sentiment is one of the first stamps I ever bought back in 2001 when I started stamping... and this is the first card I've ever used it on! I *love* me some Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire though - I had to have it. I even have some of their old movie posters framed and hanging in my upstairs hallway!

I had no idea what kind of ink this image was stamped in, and being that there was only one image, I didn't want to run the risk of ruining it with my copics if the color bled, so I used my Prismacolors and Gamsol on her for the most part. Her dress, hair, and seat cushion are prismacolors, her skin is copic (Skin White), and so are the shadows, but I was very careful to not go over any black lines with my marker. Not as easy as it sounds! The legs of the stool and her earrings are Sakura gelly roll pens (silver and gold respectively). I also used SU's white gel pen to make the dots on the black paper, and a little pink SU chalk on her cheeks (the devil is in the details, right?!).

Recipe:
Stamps: Inkadinkado sentiment, Evening Glow by Penny Black
Paper: Real Red, Basic Black, Whisper White
Ink: Basic Black, Real Red (sponged edges)
Other: Sakura gelly roll pen (silver and gold), SU White gel pen, RibbonFX dotted ribbon, black brads, Prismacolors, Gamsol, Copic Markers

In other news, have y'all heard of High Hopes Rubber Stamps? They have some of the cutest images (and you know me, I'm all about the cute!). I just fell in love with them when Lorie used their giraffe stamp for this card that she submitted for my kid-cards swap a few months ago. Anyhow, they recently released some new stamps and you can win a set of them via blog candy here!

There's also AWESOME Hanglar & Stanglar blog candy available on Maya's blog, here!