A Birthday Party on a Tree Stump

I have posted this card over at Creative Clear Stamps today. I am their guest designer for the big first birthday bash. The image I have used on my card is from one of their newest releases, Make A Wish. These two friends are so sweet, getting together to share a birthday celebration. Chocolate cake is the best, don't you think?? This set also includes six different birthday greetings; you'll find one that's perfect for every card! How do you like the way I staged my photo? Like my DH and I tell each other, "You come up with a good idea every now and then!" By the way, this is NOT the stump of the tree that fell on our house during Hurricane Ike!!

Hope you all have a wonderful Saturday,
Betty

My First Easel Card

I have been saying that I would do it for a long time now -- make an easel card. I've admired all the ones my stamping buddies have made and now, thanks to City Crafter issuing the challenge, I have finally done it! The image is from Isabella's Sketchbook, where the challenge is make any kind of a project with one of her digi images. Don't have one?? Get a freebie by joining her group at PaperCraft Planet. Pretty pastel colors were used, as per Paper Play Challenges. There is an excellent tutorial on Splitcoaststampers for the Easel Card and it is not at all difficult to make. Give it a try if you haven't yet (however, I may have been the only holdout!!)

Till next time, Betty

Sassy White Pearls

My title indicates some of the challenges I used to make this card. The sweet image is from Sassy Cheryl's and her challenge was to use white on white; only the image could have color. Colors used are from Color Dare 66; Ruby Red, Pumpkin Pie, Kiwi Kiss, and Baja Breeze. I used Stampin' Up inks and a blender pen to color this precious image. My white cardstock was embossed with Sizzix and Cuttlebug embossing folders and I used Nestabilities Labels Eleven to cut out the image and the dotted mat. Next I added ribbon and pearls. The pearls are for the challenge at Annabelle Stamps to (guess what????) USE PEARLS! I'm hoping this little guy doesn't have to hang out on the line too long before he gets dry -- I'm sure someone is missing him!

Betty

Lilies

This is my second card to post today (hope you'll take a look at the first one, too!) The image of the lilies can be yours free from Nina May at There's Magic in the Air. Sue Walsh is hosting the challenge this week to use this lovely image on a card. I colored it with Stampin' Up markers and the sentiment is from SU's Vases in Vogue. The layout comes from Crazy 4 Challenges. Their challenge is to CASE one of eleven cards posted by their creative design team. I'm sure you'll find one that is calling your name!
This is the card I CASEd; it was made by Lynda Benden. I fell in love with the image and that scalloped border with the bling in between each scallop. Finally, this card is being entered in the Dare U 2 Digi challenge since I have used a floral digi image as my focal point. But the floral could be a patterned paper, embellishment, or a punch too!

Enjoy your day,
Betty

Happy Birthday

Creative Clear Stamps is still having Birthday Fun. Check it out! This card is made for their sketch challenge #5 and the color combo is from The Play Date Cafe Challenge #26. The sentiment is one of the birthday greetings from "Make A Wish", one of Creative Clear Stamps' new releases.

Hope you have (or had) a wonderful day!

Betty

Hopping with Creative Vision and Creative Clear Stamps

HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY CREATIVE VISION and Creative Clear Stamps!!
We have been celebrating all week and having lots of fun!


There is a free Digi for CCS Blog Followers on the CCS Main Blog.
Just email Laura at creative-vision@hotmail.com and put Wednesday in the subject line. She will email you today's free digi!


Be sure to visit the CCS Blog tomorrow- Thursday April 29th!
We are playing a blog version of "LET'S MAKE A DEAL"!
at 7pm Central Time.

Everyone who plays with us tomorrow, gets a chance to WIN the grand prize of "free stamps for a year", and other prizes! Game winners will be announced on Friday, on the CCS Blog. (ONLY CCS blog followers can play and win)

We encourage you to HOP HOP HOP along with the rest of the CCS Design Team! Become a CCS Blog follower (if you are not already - cause only CCS Blog followers are eligible to win prizes) then hop the blogs, and post a comment on each blog for your chance to WIN PRESENTS! A total of 6 PRESENTS will be given away!! Winners will be announced tomorrow on the CCS Blog! Thanks for celebrating with us, and enjoy the rest of the hop!!

Laura
Betty CCS Guest Designer (that's me!)
Olga
Jenny
Shelly
Chelsea

I'm honored to a guest designer for this celebration! My card is stamped with a new set from Creative Clear Stamps, Make A Wish. I love Red Velvet Cake -- maybe these two friends will offer us a slice! Now, hop on over to Olga's site; bet she has something pretty to share!

Be sure to check in tomorrow at the CCS main blog,
Betty

Thinking of You

The sketch for this card is from the Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge. Flower image from Gina K. Designs stampTV kit, Spring Mix. I won't be long winded today -- this morning I had a root canal and a permanent cap put on the tooth that has been giving me problems the past few weeks. Numbness is gone now and it's not feeling to good -- don't I sound pitiful!!! Olga, forget about Bill and come take care of me!!

Betty

Oh Goodie!

Well, I have discovered that rodents like cupcakes!! (did you see my last post?) I found this cute digi image from Nina May at Paper Cupcakes and wanted to make another card for City Crafter's Cupcake Challenge. I used the sketch from Card Patterns. I can just see this cutie pie rodent (is than an oxymoron??) quivering with excitement, staring at that cupcake with the yummy icing! Makes me want to go pull out the Betty Crocker cake mix!

Betty

A New Challenge Site

This is my second post today. I hope you will scroll down and see my first card too! This one is for a new challenge site -- City Crafter Challenge Blog. Their first challenge is to use a cupcake. The image is from Phindy's Place. Check out her site over on Papercraft Planet. I found the quotes at finestquotes.com. Normal MacEwan said "Happiness is not so much in having as sharing." Leonard Nimoy said "The miracle is this: the more we share the more we have." Ain't it the truth!!

Betty

Flowers Just for You

Hope you enjoy this card as much as I do. It was made for Annabelle's Sketch Challenge with a flower stamp from Gina K. Design's stampTV kit, Spring Mix. Unfortunately, I'm too late to enter the challenge but I just love these colors and the buttons from my collection match perfectly! Ribbon is Offray. I used the frames that were left from cutting out nestabilities ovals to mat the flower. Hope you all have a blessed day!

Edited: I just found out that I'm not too late for the Annabelle Stamps challenge! Thanks, Sue!! You can enter too; there's plenty of time left!! Check out their sketch!

Betty

Can't Seem to Get Enough Butterflies!!

Hello All!
I'm here with a card I made for Sassy Cheryl's Sketch Challenge. The butterflies were made with a Martha Stewart punch and the gorgeous design bordering them comes from Pam Lefors Designs. If you like these "edgies", hurry on over to her store; they're on sale right now -- 3 stunning designs for $2.39. Card stock is Perfect Plum So Saffron (embossed with Sizzix' Argyle folder), and Whisper White by Stampin' Up. Sentiment is from Gina K. Designs, Take Flight, and is cut out with a Nestabilities Ribbon Tag Trio 2, secured with satin ribbon. Once I have this posted I need to "fly away" myself on a few errands! Hope you'll come back again!

Betty

Sunshine and Flowers

I have two cards to share with you today, my friends! Hoping this first one will bring a little sunshine into your day. The sketch is courtesy of Card Patterns and the color combo comes from Just us Girls. Image is from Sassy Cheryl's (if you haven't joined her group over at Papercraft Planet, you need to -- she gives out the cutest freebies for each 100 members!) and last but not least, I was able to make the sun rays thanks to a tutorial by my friend Geri. I think they all worked together to make a sweet and lovely card that makes me feel happy just to look at it!

My second card is a CASE from a tutorial at the Operation Write Home blog. I heat embossed the flourish from Stampin' Up's Baroque Motifs in gold and cut out the vellum flowers with a Sizzix Embosslit from SU and attached with gold brads. I used two different ribbon tags Nestabilities and blue and gold ribbon to attach to the card. I've become a follower of the OWH blog and my goal is to send a batch of cards to them several times this year.

Hope you have a day filled with sunshine!
Betty

Soar......

I have a pretty multi-colored dragonfly for you today. This Stampabilities stamp from the Paper Studio was stamped with StazOn Brown ink and colored with chalk, then cut out and popped up with pop dots. Circle base under the dragonfly was sponged with SU Brocade Blue ink. Card base is Stampin' Up's Close to Cocoa and the patterned paper is from My Mind's Eye, Simply Delightful. Sentiment is computer generated and cut out with SU Word Whisper punch. The sketch is from Creative Clear Stamps. Click this link and play in their sketch challenge -- you'll be able to see my card spotlighted for the previous week's challenge!

I was calling this a butterfly but as per the comments, I'm changing it to a dragonfly. At least we know it's flying!!! Thanks, guys!!

Betty

Tina's Color Challenge

I have a card to share with you today. Tina's color challenge at stampTV is to use royal blue, red, and yellow. My base card was embossed with Cuttlebug's D'Vine Swirl folder and the scalloped circles were cut out with Nesties. I stamped the butterflies on circles and adhered them to the inside of the card. Sentiment is from Gina K. Designs stampTV kit, Spring Mix. Butterfly stamps are from Studio G and Stampabilities. If I could do it over again the only thing I would change would be to adhere a Very Vanilla layer on the left side of the inside before I die cut the scalloped circles.
Cardstock & Ink: Stampin' Up Brilliant Blue, Ruby Red, So Saffron and Very Vanilla
Hope it's a great Friday for everyone!!

Edited: Thanks to my good friend, Kerrie, for suggesting that I enter this card in the Our Creative Corner Challenge to use butterflies! Butterflies have been catching my eye lately -- I've picked up a number of these lovelies -- must be that both butterflies and spring are in the air!!

Betty

Operation Write Home Make Someone's Day Challenge

This is a short challenge...and it's got a specific goal! Shippers for Operation Write Home need to keep up with the anytime cards as well as the wonderful grad and Dad cards...so we need your help in rounding out those boxes! What's an anytime card? Thinking of you, hello, birthday, love, miss you, anniversary, etc...as well as blank. All those non-holiday types.

To be eligible for the prize drawing, you need to do the following:
1. Include at least half anytime cards. (It can be all anytime cards if you wish.)
2. Include at least two AnyHero cards.
3. On your packing slip, be sure to write that it's for the Make Someone's Day challenge!
4. Ship early enough that they arrive on or before Monday, May 10th. And with the slow mail we've had lately, you may want to give it a few extra days cushion!
If you'd like to go that extra mile (though this gets no extra entries since it's no requirement), include a donation for shipping. That keeps these boxes heading out overseas to our heroes!

Marcy will be offering prizes! I had trouble getting the pictures to post so if you will just click on the link to Operation Write Home you will be able to see the prizes.

I got my cards ready today, in the box and ready to go to the post office. Hope you will be able to join me in this worthy cause. Just remember --
NO GLITTER!

Betty

Nativity Counted Cross Stitch

I did not make a card today so thought I'd share a picture of one of my first pieces of counted cross stitch. Actually my first piece of counted cross stitch was for my daughter's kindergarten teacher at the end of the school year. It was a Precious Moments piece and was too intricate for my first attempt. I did manage to finish it but swore I'd never cross stitch again. When we moved to Indonesia (my daughter was in the fifth grade by then) I met a sweet friend named Edee who started me off with a simple piece and I came to love counted cross stitch! Many years and many cross stitch projects later, it got to where I couldn't see well enough to do cross stitch and watch tv as well so I had to lay it down. Not too much later, I discovered stamping and cardmaking, so it was on to another addiction! Anyhoo, hope you enjoy this nativity and the sentiment about keeping a little of the Christmas spirit for other days!!

Betty

Flower Smiles

Good Morning Friends! Well I had a fun day yesterday -- 3 hours at the dentist office getting a temporary crown put on a tooth that broke off last week. It's a little achy now so I had to do something to take my mind off it. Here's the result! My card will be entered in three challenges -- Artful Inkables to use paint swatches, Flourishes April Challenge to use a twinchie (2 inch by 2 inch segment) that is the focal point of the card, and stampTV Inspire Challenge to make a card that will brighten someone's day and send it to them! My card base is Very Vanilla by Stampin' Up and all the colored layers are paint swatches. I really like the different textures -- the corner borders and the frames around the stamped images are a rough suede-type texture and I embossed the shiny paint swatch. The flower image and the sentiment are from Gina K. Designs latest stamp TV kit, Spring Mix and were stamped with Bordering Blue and Old Olive from Stampin' Up. I bought the rhinestones and ribbon at Michael's but am not sure of the maker's names.
I'm going to try to get a little sleep now -- till later,

Betty

There's Magic in the Air

Hey, everybody! I am back again; this is probably a record for me. I have been having a great time today with a bunch of different challenges! This card is for the color challenge at There's Magic in the Air and the sketch challenge 134 at Mojo Monday. And, since my sheep is all glittered and ready for a party, she is perfect for Sharri's Blast from the Past challenge at stampTV. Check in at There's Magic in the Air and pick up this sweet little freebie and play in their challenge. You'll have lots of fun if you do!

Betty

Not Quite Tie Dye

I have another card to post today. The sketch is for the Midnight Madness challenge and Melanie Muenchinger has challenged us to make a "tie-dyed" card at her blog, Hands, Head, and Heart. I didn't have a stamp that I thought would make a normal tie dye with the circles, but I got as close as I could. The background layer reminds me of tie-die with the splashes of purple. Card stock and inks are from Stampin' Up, Ballet Blue, Lovely Lilac, Brilliant Blue, and Perfect Plum. Stamp is Gina K. Designs, Wee Tees, Illustrator Melanie Muenchinger. The sentiment is Stampin' Up, So Many Sayings. The ribbon is Mega Roll Narrows, from Big Lots. Who knows, I may be back again -- look for me right here!

Betty

Bee Happy

Hello friends! The sun is shining today -- very appropriate for my card. The bee image is from Stretch 'N Bubbles -- I think she's taking a snooze out there in the sunshine. She's about to wake up though, and fly over to the Moxie Fab site for their sketch challenge and to stampTV for Sharri's Blast From the Past challenge to use glitter. Card base is Whisper White and the yellow layer is from my 12x12 paper stash -- it was so very bright that I had to pull out a layer of vellum to tone it down a bit! The Real Red layer was cut out with nesties and the sentiment is computer generated. A few little light blue rhinestones in the corner to match the "thought bubble" makes it complete!

Betty

Sketch With Creative Clear Stamps

Yesterday I posted a card that I made for a Creative Clear Stamps Sketch Challenge. Today I found out that I forgot to post it to their site! Lol, I may have to go back on HRT! My "rememberer" is not doing as good of a job at remembering these days! Okay, well I made a card for the new challenge that was posted today. Even made it with the same papers that I used for the card yesterday (in case you think it looks familiar!) The metal embellishment with the aqua stone is SpareParts by the Paper Studio, Antique Flowers Large. Kinda pretty, isn't it!! If you don't see my name over at the Clearly Creative Stamps blog, let me know, would you???

Betty

Sketch It; Use It

Morning, all! It's a rather dreary Saturday morning here, overcast and drizzling rain. Hope you're having better weather, whereever you are!! I made this card for two challenges; the sketch challenge from Creative Clear Stamps and a Flourishes challenge to "use what you bought"! I bought a paper pack at Big Lots yesterday titled Baby Boy by Pressed Petals but most of the papers in it can be used for any type of card. Had to open it up right away and use it (hence, the Flourishes challenge fulfilled)! Stamps are Stampin' Up, Take Three and Stampabilities by The Paper Studio, Botanicals & Birds. Inks are SU Apricot Appeal and Marvy Aqua Grey. The ribbon is Michael's and I cut out the sentiment with Nesties Ribbon Tags Trio. The circular element is a digi image that I printed out a while back and forgot who designed it and I can't find it amid all my digi files. Speaking of which, does anyone have a good idea for filing your digi images so that you can find one when you want it????? I'd love to know (inquiring minds, and all)!

Betty

Told You I'd Be Back!

As you may have guessed, this is my second post for the day. All the dp in my card is from My Mind's Eye, Simply Delightful. The Blue Bayou background layer is from Stampin' Up and the card base is from my stash of 12x12 papers, cut to 5x5 for my card. The challenge, as well as the digi image, is from Stretch 'N Bubbles. So fly on over and "play with me" for their first challenge! They are also having a Blog Hop.

Edited: The bird image is printed on patterned paper, cut out, and sits up on pop dots! Did you notice how the patterned paper gave him a perfect eyebrow???? I couldn't have done that on purpose if I'd tried for a year! Thanks for reminding me to share this, Lori!

Betty

Annabelle Stamps Challenge

Friends, I must admit, I started this card for a challenge at Stretch 'N Bubbles but it took off on another trail than the one I started down and we found ourselves at the Annabelle Stamps Challenge in Australia!! What a detour; but we will return to Stretch 'N Bubbles later! I just love the colors of teal, turquoise and black -- and just look at the ribbon -- it is a sheer turquoise and it makes me giddy! I got a six yard (almost 5.5 meter) roll at The Dollar Tree for $1 (not hard to guess, right?) and I have to go back to see if they have any more -- love it! Stamps are from a set called Flourishes by Inkadinkado. This is the first time I've used so many of them together. I think it would normally be too busy, but because of the softness of the turquoise, it really works (for me, and I hope for you too!) Sentiment is from Stampin' Up, Kind Thanks. Hope you'll come back and visit me again!!

Betty

Sweet Babies

Hello friends!! I am finally feeling better today. My sinuses have been giving me fits lately. Gina K.'s latest challenge over on stampTV is for us to make a card inspired by the above photo by Anne Geddes. Who doesn't love her photos?????? When I saw the picture I knew that I wanted to make a onesie for each one of these cutie "twosies"! Card stock is Pure Luxury White and Lemon Drop by Gina K. Designs and the blue patterned paper is a digi paper from Gina K. The pink paper is by Stampin'Up while the striped paper comes from a K&Co paper pack. I stamped the onesie from Wee Tees by Gina K. Designs on the patterned papers and cut them out. The sentiment is from the new stampTV kit, Spring Mix. The tools I used were Nesties, Cuttlebug Embossing Folder Swiss Dots, scissors and sponge daubers!! Hope may card made you remember sweet days of babies and the smell of baby powder!! And if you know someone expecting twins, let me know!

Betty

JUGs Challenge 27

Have you made a card for the sketch challenge over at Just Us Girls? It's a fun sketch so get on over there and take their challenge! My card is made with Stampin' Up papers, Mellow Moss, Very Vanilla and the patterned cameo coral. The pretty green paper with ivory flowers and pink centers was in my stash of papers and matched perfectly. Martha Stewart butterfly punch and Gina K. Designs sentiment from the Spring Mix stampTV kit, stamped in cameo coral ink. Ribbons are Dashes, Dots & Checks and Basic.

Card for Blog Anniversary

Nina Brackett is having her first year blog anniversary -- Congratulations, Nina! Crafting in Croatia is a wonderful blog that I enjoy following! Nina has given us a CAS sketch challenge to make a card that might possibly end up being a prize winner! I used my new border punch by Martha Stewart, Tulip Garden. Don't those tulips look gorgeous up against this beautiful dark ribbon! It was a fun sketch and I'm looking forward to more years of blogging and crafting with Nina!

Spring Flowers

I really like this card -- there's no sentiment on the outside so it can be used for any occasion. The colors are red, kraft, ivory and my accent color is Always Artichoke. The color combo comes from Tina at stampTV. The sketch I've used is from Card Patterns, Sketch 57. My stamps are from the newest stampTV kit, Spring Mix. I cut the circles with nesties, except for the kraft one -- for that I pulled out the old Coluzzle so I could get just a small outline. The wide green ribbon is from Offray -- isn't it beautiful?? I love the leaves on it -- sort of a velvety feel. The red ribbon is a $1 roll from Michaels. Hope you enjoyed my card today and will stop back by again!

Betty