One Nation Under God

Happy Fourth of July to all of my American brothers & sisters!!!  

Enjoy the day with your family & friends 

and

remember to pray for our troops who fight for our freedoms every day. 

 

Huggies & Sweet, Sweet Blessings to you  ~♥♥♥~

Lavender memories

This is a card I made for my daughter's best friend who recently lost her mother.  She is like a daughter to me (she calls me "Mama Sharron") and loves purples & pinks so I thought this was a fitting card to show her how much I care.  It's always so hard to lose a loved one but we know that she is in a much better place & she's comforted by her memories of her mom. 

For my card I used simple lavender & purple cardstock & ran the lavender cs through my Vagabond machine.  This was my first time using a new Cuttlebug embossing folder by Anna Griffin called "Poppy".  It also came with an embossing border that I used for the side panel.  The flower is a Recollections floral embellishment from Michael's.  I distressed the embossing & edges with DI 'frayed burlap' and finished it off with satin ribbon & a little bling.  I think it gives it a more vintage feel.

I'd like to enter my card in the following challenges:
Challenges 4 Everybody:  #23 Anything Goes
Pile it on:  #25 Vintage
Ladybug Crafts Ink TLT challenge:  Flowers & Ribbon
LEJ Designs Challenge Blog:  #58 Add some texture (embossing)
Divas by Design:  Distressing
Pollycraft Challenge:  #1 Anything Goes
Scrapper's Delights Challenge Blog:  'S' is for Sympathy card
Crafty Catz:  Pick and Mix (Anything Goes and Embossing)
Sister Act Card Challenge:  #12 Card ~ Anything Goes
Totally Paper Crafts:  #172 Flowers and Bows
Craft Lovin Challenge Blog:  #2 Anything Goes
One Stop Craft Challenge:  #231 For a Friend
The Hobby House Challenge Blog:  #1 Anything Goes


As always.........thank you for taking the time to comment & leave some love.

Huggies & Sweet, Sweet Blessings to you  ~♥♥♥~

A Timeless Father's Day card

Happy Father's Day to all the Daddy's who deserve special treatment today...........especially my hubby Frank who is the best Daddy in all the world to our three children as well as to our grand kids.

This card was made using a Tim Holtz Timepiece Clock as the focal image.  I love how jute just seems to go perfectly with the Kraft paper.  The clock represented my Timeless love for my hubby.  We've been married almost 40 years (next month) & I'm so very blessed that he is my best friend.

I used some Recollections brads that resemble screws & the paper was from two 6x6 paper pads by My Mind's Eye called "The Sweetest Thing" and "Follow Your Heart - Be Amazing".  My hubby likes the more simple style so I tried not to add too much to it.  He loved it.

I'd like to enter my card in the following challenges:
613 Avenue Create:  #24 Anything Goes or for a Male
Challenges 4 Everybody:  #22 Anything Goes
Dream Valley Challenges:  #59 Father's Day / Male Theme
Hobby Cutz Challenges:  #8  Masculine and/or Father's Day
Joanna Sheen Challenge:  Father's Day
Pan Pastel UK Challenge Blog:  #24 Male Theme
The Squirrel and The Fox:  #46 Use Something Metal
Craft your Passion challenges:  #166 Father's Day / Masculine
The Pink Elephant:  #203 Father's Day
Anything Goes Challenge Blog:  #94 Father's Day
Mema's Crafts:  June ~ Anything Goes / Father's Day
Get Inky! Challenge:  #6 For Boys and/or Men
Lexi's Creations:  #92 Father's Day
Clear It Out Challenge:  Male card / Stash item:  Metal (brads, clock, spinner)
Creative Card Crew:  #38 Metal (brads, clock, spinner)
Creative Craft Challenges2:  #12 We love you, Dad (Father's Day)
Cuttin and Stampin Challenges:  #23 Father's Day
Scrap-Creations:  Father's Day
Papertake Weekly Challenge:  Hello Boys (Male cards)
Top Tip Tuesday:  #103 Masculine
Tuesday Throwdown:  #151 For a guy
Ladybug Crafts:  June - For the men in my life

Thanks for joining me & I hope your honey is having (or did have) a FABulous Father's Day! 

Huggies & Sweet, Sweet Blessings to you  ~♥♥♥~

Birthday card Tim Holtz style

My oldest son's birthday is this coming Sunday and I just couldn't wait to make him a card using this Picture Wheel Sizzix Alterations Tim Holtz die that I just got from JoAnn's.  I spent a whole day just looking through pictures to find some that represented his 38 years of life.......from birth to becoming a doctor.    I think he'll get a big kick out of it.

I used a lot of Tim Holtz products on this one.........the embossing folder, film strip, spinner, gears and of course the die cut.  All distressed with black soot Distress Ink.  The small checkered cardstock came from a pad of paper from Graphic45 (calendar).  I had just a wee bit to play with but I liked how it tied everything together.

I'd like to enter this card in the following challenges:

Clear It Out Challenge:  Theme: Male cards / Stash item: Metal (grommets & spinner & staple)
Creative Card Crew:  #37 Punches/Dies (Picture Wheel diecut)
Creative Craft Challenges 2:  #11 For the Fellas
Papertake Weekly Challenge:  Anything Goes with the Option:  Non Square card
Love to Create Challenge Blog:  #68 Special Guy in my life (my son)
Melonheadz Friends:  Male inspired creations challenge
Mema's Crafts:  June's Challenge "Anything Goes"
Pause Dream Enjoy Challenges:  #11:  Use Foam Tape (behind Picture Wheel & under corners)
Country View Crafts challenge site:  #4 June ~ Die cuts
Ladybug Crafts:  June ~ For the Men in your life (my son)
Sandy's Crafty Creations:  June ~ Anything Goes with the twist of Embossed Background
Scrap It Girl:  June ~ Use your Dies
The Crafting Cafe:  June ~ One for the Boys
The Cupboard Trilogy:  #12 Birthday (my son)
Crafty Creations Challenges:  #225 One for the Boys
Simon Says Stamp Challenge:  Masculine


Huggies & Sweet, Sweet Blessings to you  ~♥♥♥~

Graduation 2013 card & pic

My youngest granddaughter, Shaye, is graduating from High School today.  Oh my........where have the years gone?  She is such a beautiful girl.......both inside & out.  Seems like only yesterday that she was dressed in her cute little bee costume for Halloween......buzzing around.  LOL  Today will be a mixture of happiness and tears...........joy and pride.........and lots of love all around.

Big Congrats to my beautiful Shaye!!!

This card was the fastest card I've ever put together thanks to Jolee stickers.  It looks so much better in person & all sparkly than it does here. Sometimes pictures just don't do justice.

Thanks for joining in my happiness.

Huggies & Sweet Blessings to you  ~♥♥♥~

Hope, Soar, Dream card

I want to wish my oldest granddaughter a HAPPY 23rd BIRTHDAY!  It's been awhile........okay........more than awhile......since I've made a card & I really thought I'd lost my cardmaking mojo.  My dgd loves owls & dream catchers so when I found this image online I knew I had a winner.  I changed the color to black & white to compliment the papers I wanted to use.  I pondered over this card for quite some time but when I remembered that she has a black & white polka dot blouse that I love.........I just had to use the matching papers.  The spinners & tickets are from the fabulous Tim Holtz.  The rest is from my stash that's been feeling very neglected lately.  LOL

You'll be seeing another card from me soon as my youngest granddaughter is graduating from High School on May 22nd.  Where do the years go?  I can't believe how grown up my beautiful granddaughters are becoming.

I also want to wish all the Mothers out there a most Happy Mother's Day!  I pray that you have a joyous celebration with those you hold close to your heart.

Gee.....it's been months since I entered any challenges so I'd like to enter the following:

A Gem of a Challenge:  #79 Things with wings (owl)
Crafts 4 Eternity:  #123 Tic Tac Toe (Distress Inking - paper scraps - 3 tickets)
Creative Corner Challenges:  #18 Things with wings (owl)
Simply Create Too:  #37 Anything goes
Sister Act Card Challenge:  #6 Anything goes
C.R.A.F.T. Challenge:  Happy Birthday theme & Blog Hop
Charisma Cardz Challenges:  #18 Black & White plus one color (kraft)
Simon Says:  Things with wings (owl)
Whimsy Stamps Challenge Blog:  #59 Anything goes
Clear It Out challenges:  Anything goes theme / 2 or more patterned paper

Thanks so much for visiting with me today!

Huggies & Sweet Blessings to you  ~♥♥♥~

Happy May Day to you

I hope you're enjoying May flowers!  

Wouldn't it be lovely to wear a hat filled to the brim with flowers.

Huggies & Sweet Blessings to you  ~♥♥♥~

The beauty all around us

 We're enjoying such beautiful weather here in Southern California

and our gorgeous Roses are all in full bloom.

The aroma is absolutely delicious.  

I hope you're enjoying something beautiful today in your part of the world.

Huggies & Sweet Blessings to you  ~♥♥♥~

Our thoughts & prayers........

Our thoughts and prayers go with those who were touched by the events in Boston today.  

Words cannot express the emotions that fill my heart today.

May you know the comfort and peace that only God can bring.

Thank you, Abby, for sharing this.  

You can visit her lovely blog at Little Birdie Blessings.

Blessings & Comfort be yours  ~♥♥♥~

Have a Blessed Easter!

 May your Easter be filled with God's love & the love of family, friends 

& those you hold dear to your heart! 
~ Enjoy these vintage images ~

Huggies & Sweet, Sweet Easter Blessings ~♥♥♥~

Happy St. Paddy's Day!

 

 May your blessings outnumber
The shamrocks that grow,
And may trouble avoid you
Wherever you go.
~Irish Blessing

Huggies & Sweet, Sweet Blessings ~♥♥♥~

Shocker.....a card!

Now don't fall over from the shock.......but I actually have a card to share............gasp!  lol  I don't know why I struggled so much with this one.  Guess it's because I normally don't make masculine cards.  But when I searched through my myriad of patterned paper...............as soon as I laid eyes on this one it screamed.....PICK ME, PICK ME!  So I did!  LOL  I wanted to put it onto black cardstock but it just kind of laid there............flat.  So I thought of pairing it with the kraft paper & it just came alive.  Then the jute tied it all together nicely (parden the pun....lol).  And I cut some Nestie squares to clean up the corners.

This card is for my hubby Frank's birthday on Sunday.  He normally likes CAS (clean and simple) cards although he told me that he loves any card I make for him..............aaaawwww...........but I know what he really likes best..........lol.......so I had to really restrain myself from adding any more pizzazz or doo-dads to it.  I wanted to put a button on top of the knotted jute but then realized that I liked the looks of the knot all by itself.  I guess there's hope for me yet to make more CAS cards.   

We're having a big party for the lucky guy. We all feel like we're the lucky ones to have him in our lives.  He can be a "pill" at times..........but he's our "pill" & we wouldn't have it any other way.  By the by......Frank & I will be celebrating our 40th anniversary in July.  OMGosh......did I just say "40th"?????  Oh my, my.........I'm feeling ancient.  LOL

Thanks for joining me today & I hope to be crafting more & more now that I'm exercising.  I'm trying to get myself into better shape so my back won't keep going out on me.  My daughter's boyfriend is a certified personal trainer so he helped Frank & I get started on a healthier 2013. We do it together so we keep each other motivated. Truth be told.........I truly hate to exercise but he's given us very manageable exercises to do every weekday.  I can already tell the difference.  YAY!

**Card details:
DCWV "the All Dressed Up matstack" glittered DP
Nesties (Classic Squares Large and Deckled Rectangles Large)
Jute, black, white & kraft cardstock & silver balls all from my stash
"Happy Birthday" was computer generated using "Asia" font

Until next time............

Huggies & Sweet, Sweet Blessings ~♥♥♥~

Hi Everyone!  I just wanted to pop in to say Hello and let you know that I haven't fallen off the face of the earth. Just things going on & annoying health issues that have made it difficult for me to craft.  But hubby's birthday is next Sunday so I'm making him a card.  Shocker!  LOL

I also changed my blog yesterday.  It was a bit too "busy" for me so I went back to this lovely background & tweaked my header in PSE.  Sooooo whatcha think?

Hope all is well with you & yours and I'll be seeing you soon to share my card.

Huggies & Sweet Blessings ~♥♥♥~

Friendship is a sheltering tree

This is my first card for the year 2013. Can you believe that it's already the 13th?  (I know....I'm a little slow.....lol) This is also my last Design Team card for the Clear It Out challenge blog.  It's been a wonderful 6 months on the team & I've made some wonderful friends.  Thank you, Laura, and the team for being so awesome & welcoming to me.  I wish you all the very best for 2013.

The challenge theme for this challenge is CIRCLES.  Can you find my circles?  (if not.....I think you may need some eye glasses....LOL).  The stash item is ANYTHING GOES.  Our sponsor is Digi Darla Designs & I've used "Birds in tree" to showcase my card.  You can find it HERE. It comes as a standard black line drawing so I played with my Print Shop Elements 6 program.  Can you see the cute little colored birdies?  Well this was my first time "painting" my picture in PSE6......it happened as a 'happy accident' as I was playing around with my image.   (I really need to spend some time learning all the cool things I can do with that program.)

Anywho......the sentiment I used was perfect for this card.  It comes from Paulette at Create with TLC.  She has oodles & oodles of amazing sentiments.  Perfect for any card.  And guess what?  It was FREE.  How sweet is Paulette for giving away so many wonderful sentiments & graphics.  Thank you, Paulette!  I've cut out & layered my sentiment with my Nesties "Long Classic Scalloped Rectangles small" (boy that's a mouthful! lol) What would I do without my diecuts.

My stash item for this card is another glittery page from my DCWV matstack called "All Dressed Up".  I felt it went really well with the black & white trees as the background.

I'd like to enter my card into the following challenges:
Inky Chicks:  #1 Anything Goes
Creative Creations Challenges:  #1 Anything Goes
My Grafico:  #143 Anything Goes
Pause Dream Enjoy Challenges:  #1 Use Ribbon
Inky Impressions Challenges:  #92 Add a Sentiment
Penny's Paper Crafty Challenge Blog:  #109 Anything Goes
Simon Says Stamp Challenge:  Black & White plus splash of color
Totally Paper Crafts:  #149 Ribbon
613 Avenue Create:  #2 Anything Goes

Thank you so much for joining me today.  I always look forward to reading your sweet comments. 

Huggies & Sweet New Year's Blessings ~♥♥♥~

My 2012 FAVorite 6 Cards

Hi Everyone!  Can you believe we're already at the end of 2012!?!  Oh my goodness........where has the year gone?  As I look back through the year I notice that each & every one of my FAVorite cards has an image of a sweet little girl.  I guess it's 'cuz I'm really a little girl at heart.  ♥ LOL ♥ You can click on each card to be taken to the original posting of that particular card.  Thanks for looking!  It's been a fun year!

Thank you so much for following along with me this year.  It's been a year of many changes & unexpected blessings but the Lord has seen us through it all.
I look forward to sharing more with you in 2013.  May your New Year be blessed!!!

Huggies & Sweet New Year's Blessings ~♥♥♥~