YAY! Winter is Over!

Confession is good for the soul, or so they say. Therefore I'm going to confess. I've been hoarding the designer paper I used on today's card since January. I fell in love with it and purchased one piece of each while I was in Wisconsin visiting friend. Then I got home... you know where this is going, right? I kept looking at it, drooling a bit (remember I fell in love with this paper) and just couldn't seem to persuade myself to use it because once I did it would be gone.

I'm pathetic.

I finally decided the time was right to use it... though I did almost chicken out at the last minute. Yep, I'm pathetic!

But spring has sprung, winter is gone, and it's time to enjoy some outdoors... so it was time to use the designer paper and also time to use the AMAZING stamp from The Project Bin's Summer Fun stamp set.

I'm sorry for the  things I said when it was winter.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!


Supplies Used

Stamp Set: The Project Bin Summer Fun stamped with Memento Potter's Clay Ink

Papers: Recollections Black and White and SU Crushed Curry CS and DP from the Doodlebug Flea Market Camp Happy Collection 

Embellishments: Eyelet Outlet Glitter Enamel Dots

Sweet Birthday Wishes

What's not to like about dots, stripes, and gingham, right? The combination seems to scream fun. Add a sweet sentiment and an adorable image and it's party time.

And the party includes party hats and cupcakes... so it just doesn't get any better than that, right???

I made this card for the 

Gingham Challenge

at

Craftaholics R Us

I hope you'll participate in the challenge!

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Supplies Used

Stamps: CC Designs My Cupcake Twila and Penny Black Sweet Wishes stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink and colored with Copic Markers

Papers: Recollections Black and White and SU Rose Red CS and DP from my scrap file

Embellishment: Gingham Ribbon from an unknown vendor

Personal Challenge 2018 - Week 22

This is the 22nd week of my personal 50-week States of the Union Challenge. Each week I research one of the 50 United States (in the order they attained statehood). I share tidbits of information about the state here on my blog and I create a card that is inspired by something about that state.

This week's state (the 22nd one to attain statehood) is...

Alabama

Date of Statehood: December 14, 1819

Alabama once had wooden roads. The Pratt Cotton Gin Factory in the 1840s needed a reliable route along the Alabama River, so owner Daniel Pratt used pine logs cut in half with the flat side up to act as a pathway that stretched four miles long.

Though Rosa Parks’ refusal to move from her seat on a Montgomery bus helped spark a prominent civil rights movement, she wasn’t the first to take up the issue. Claudette Colvin, 15, refused to move to the back of a public transport nine months prior, on March 2, 1955; Colvin was tossed in jail. One possible theory as to why she didn’t get more recognition is because Parks, an adult, may have been perceived as more appropriate to help advance the cause than a teenager.

One area post office takes the whole inclement-weather pledge very seriously. A route in Magnolia Springs is made up entirely of mailboxes situated riverside. It takes postal workers in a boat more than four hours to service 180 homes along the 31-mile stretch.

The Monroeville courthouse where novelist—and future Pulitzer Prize winner—Harper Lee watched her father practice law got a facelift after To Kill a Mockingbird made Lee a national sensation. It’s now a museum devoted to the book. Visitors can often catch a dramatization of the trial with local actors.

Albertville, Alabama, is the fire hydrant capital of the world.

Two Alabama residents made the first-ever 911 call on February 16, 1968. The local telephone company in Haleyville installed a first-responder system based on Federal Communications Commission (FCC) recommendations for a national emergency line. Alabama Speaker of the House Rankin Fite called U.S. Representative Tom Bevill. It wasn’t long-distance, though: both men were in the City Hall building at the time. 

When Miss Baker became the first monkey to survive a space expedition in 1959, she was hailed as a hero in Huntsville. When natural causes claimed her in 1984, a graveyard plot was set up outside of the U.S. Space and Rocket Center. People sometimes leave bananas on top of her tombstone.

Shelby County Habitat for Humanity holds the record for the world's fastest home building. The house is located in Montevallo and only took 3 hours, 26 minutes and 34 seconds to complete from start to finish.

Scottsboro is the ultimate destination for unclaimed travel baggage. The city is home to the massive, department-store sized Unclaimed Baggage Center, which is where lost luggage gets routed after all attempts to locate owners have been exhausted. The goods are then sold, thrift store-style, to customers. (In case you were wondering, only one traveler has ever bought an item that turned out to be theirs to begin with: a pair of ski boots.)

Operating on the heart was a rare and dangerous business when Luther Hill took a scalpel to a wounded 13-year-old boy in Montgomery in 1902. Thought to be the first cardiac operation in the United States, Hill sutured a knife wound in the heart while his patient was knocked out on a kitchen table.

Here are some unique Alabama laws...

You must have windshield wipers on your car.

It is considered an offense to open an umbrella on a street, for fear of spooking horses.

It is illegal for a driver to be blindfolded while operating a vehicle.

Putting salt on a railroad track may be punishable by death.

It’s illegal to wear a fake mustache in church because it could cause laughter.

In Alabama, it's considered a felony to participate in bear wrestling.

It's illegal to play dominoes in Alabama on Sundays.

It is illegal to impersonate a person of the clergy.

I've decided to go with this bit of Alabama information for my card's inspiration... Alabama was the first state in the nation to recognize Christmas as a legal holiday (in 1836). The US as a whole didn't acknowledge it as such until 1870.

Thank you for stopping by my blog today!

Supplies Used

Image: Whipper Snapper All Tangled Up stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink and colored with Copic Markers

Sentiment: Stampin UP! Merry Christmas stamped with Catherine Pooler Midnight Ink

Paper: Recollections Black, Red, and White CS and DP from the Paper Studio Winter Wonderland Paper Pad

Special Features: Imagine Crafts Pico Embellisher and Stickles Glitter Glue

Embellishments: Foof-a-La Buttons and Ribbon from the Thrift Store

A Mighty Cute Mouse

My friend Barb came up with the idea for a group called Challenge Your Stash and I jumped at the chance to participate. Each month (on the 28th) we all create a card using only the things we already own - no shopping allowed - based on the theme of that month's hostess.

This month's hostess is Pansy (c-mouse on SCS) and she has  challenged us to use a mouse somewhere on our card.

I'm pretty sure there must be some story behind her SCS name but I've never thought to ask her what it is. Now I'm quite curious.

I was going to use a Mickey Mouse stamp that I own for my card but at the last minute i decided to go with one of my many Whipper Snapper stamps.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Supplies Used

Stamps: Whipper Snapper The Big Cheese and Age Doesn't Matter stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink and colored with Copic Markers

Papers: ArchiversKraft and Recollections Black and White CS and AMuse Studio Polka Dot and Recollections Bold Basics DP

Embellishments: Brads from an unknown vendor

Time for a Coffee Break

You may have noticed (if you come to my blog very often) that I mostly use A2 designs for my cards and rarely do fancy folds or unusual shapes. There is a good reason for that. I have a difficult time photographing any cards that don't fit the A2 format. So I just don't make them.

But... yep, there's that little word that stretches me from time to time... BUT... the new International Art & Soul Challenge is...

 Nothing Square or Oblong.

Did I mention this theme really stretched me!?!?!?

What's a crafter to do? Think outside the norm and let creativity be the norm. Oh, and having a wee little coffee break doesn't hurt either.

Here is the inside of my card:

And there's definitely no time like spring/summer to take a break, so this card seems to fit the Summer Coffee Lovers Blog Hop theme, too.

I hope you'll get creative and participate in the challenges, too!

International Art & Soul 

May 27 - June 9

Theme: Nothing Square or Oblong

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Supplies Used

Stamp/Die Set: Stamps of Life Coffee4two stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink and colored with Copic Markers

Papers: Recollections Kraft and White CS

Embellishment: Recollections Enamel Heart

Treat Me Like a Queen

I just got back from a trip to London, England. An AMAZING trip... that included seeing some sights around London and working alongside some ministries going on there.

I found the people to be very friendly, the food was delicious, the weather was gorgeous (it didn't rain at all while we were  there), and maneuvering the public transportation enabled us to see a variety of places in the city. That along with our feet. Yikes! We sure walked a lot. Most days we walked between 5 and 7 miles, which is a lot for someone who generally doesn't get much exercise.

One of the highlights for me was going to Buckingham Palace... the guards were quite impressive, even if they didn't have on their red coats and big black hats.

The Queen was there, too. The flag was flying proudly, signifying her presence. We didn't catch a glimpse of her, but really wouldn't have expected to. It still was impressive just knowing she was there.

I t think that was just the nudge I needed to ink up an Art Impressions stamp that I have owned for quite some time yet had never used.

Don't treat me any differently

than you would the Queen.

Her dress is paper-pieced:

I hope you'll do some paper-piecing this week so you can participate in the 

Sweet Stampin' Challenge...

May 26 - June 1

Theme: Paper Piecing

Here's the inside of my card:

One more thing about my trip to London. My friends and I had front row seats at the Royal Wedding. Okay... so it was in the airport with a big screen television. But still... I got to watch Prince Harry marry his bride while in London! How cool is that!?!?!?

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Supplies Used

Stamp: Art Impressions The Queen stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink and colored with Copic Markers

Paper: Recollections Black and White and SU Purely Pomegranate CS and DP from my scrap file

Embellishments: AMuse Studio Rhinestones and K & Co. Flower

Hanging Out the Wash

Eyelet Outlet has some new products! How fun!!! There are an assortment of new BRADS which can be seen HERE.

And.... drum roll please....

Eyelet Outlet now has clear stamps! Check them out HERE.

Sooooo... if you haven't check out the Eyelet Outlet online store recently, you definitely need to do so.

I used some of the new brads on my card today, a card that was inspired by the gorgeous weather we've been having lately. My mother would say it is perfect weather for hanging out the laundry.

Eyelet Outlet Products Used:

Dress Brads

Jeans and Tee Shirt Brads

Pastel Rabbit Brads

Skinny Washi Tape

Here's the inside of my card:

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Supplies Used

Eyelet Outlet: Dress Brads, Jeans and Tee Shirt Brads, Pastel Rabbit Brads, and Skinny Washi Tape

Papers: Recollections White and SU bashful Blue and Early Espresso CS, AMuse Studio Clouds DP, and other papers from my scrap file

Dies: AMuse Studio Clouds and MFT Grassy Edges

Embossing Folder: Darice Clouds

Embellishment: SU Linen Thread

Please note: the sentiment on my card was computer generated

Sweet Friendship

Friends are such a joy. They make us smile, cry with us when things go wrong, and encourage us when we are disheartened. We can giggle together over secret jokes and seem to understand each other even when others don't.

Like Proverbs 27:9 says, A sweet friendship refreshes the soul.

I love this stamp from The Project Bin. It is part of the #bff stamp set.

The font on this stamp is just gorgeous, as are the little bits of greenery.

The Proverbs 27:9 stamp doesn't have the little rose on it,

as you can see from the stamps below:

I added the tiny rose from The Project Bin's hand made stamp set:

I also used a stamp from the hand made set on the back of my card:

Here's the inside of my card:

Thank you for stopping by my blog today!

Supplies Used

Stamp Sets: The Project Bin #bff and hand made stamped with Memento Tuxedo  Black Ink and colored with Copic Markers

Papers: Recollections White and SU Regal Rose and Wild Wasabi CS and DP from my scrap file

Embellishments: Eyelet Outlet Black Pearl Strip

Dropping You a Line

I'm not a fisherman. In fact, the last time I went fishing was in the 6th grade. It's funny how up until that moment, I loved going fishing.... well, I loved hanging out with my Dad. But.... (there's always a but in these kinds of stories) that was the summer my Dad told me it was time for me to skewer (my word, not his) my own worm onto the hook and take any fish I caught off of the hook. My fishing days were over at that point. Ewwwwwww!

That is NO fish tale.

I do love a cute stamp though, and this Whipper Snapper stamp is an adorable one.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Supplies Used

Stamps: Whipper Snapper Hooked Worm and Dropping You a Line stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink and colored with Copic Markers

Papers: Recollections White and SU Dapper Denim and Early Espresso CS and DP from the Colorbok Nature Lover Paper Pad

Embellishments: Heart-Shaped Brads from unknown vendors

Personal Challenge 2018 - Week 21

This is the 21st week of my personal 50-week States of the Union Challenge. Each week I research one of the 50 United States (in the order they attained statehood). I share tidbits of information about the state here on my blog and I create a card that is inspired by something about that state.

This week's state (the 21st one to attain statehood) is...

Illinois

Date of Statehood: December 3, 1818

And guess what??? Illinois just happens to be where I live!

Illinois is the sixth most populous state in the country.

Only two buildings survived the great Chicago fire, the Chicago Water Tower and Pumping Station.

In 2011, people in Central and Southern Illinois got so sick and tired of being overshadowed by Chicago -- which, they’d like to remind you, is not the capital of Illinois. They decided they weren’t going to take it anymore. The solution? Downstate politicians actually proposed making Cook County a separate state. Needless to say, that idea fell flat pretty quickly, given that roughly three-quarters of all Illinois residents live in the Chicagoland area.

For nearly 100 years, the fine folks at the Illinois State Fair have showcased a life-sized Butter Cow has been one of the most popular attractions at the Illinois State Fair.

Ronald Reagan’s famous childhood home is in Dixon, IL, but his birthplace is Tampico.

Before Abraham Lincoln was elected president he served in the Illinois legislature and practiced law in Springfield. Abraham Lincoln is buried just outside Springfield at Lincoln Tomb State Historic Site.

The first McDonald’s in history opened in Des Plaines in 1955. Now visitors can see the McDonald’s Store Museum within the original store. 

The ice cream sundae originated in Evanston. Ice cream sodas were prohibited on Sundays, so drug store operators started serving ice cream with syrup instead of soda on Sundays. Objections were made to christen the dish, so it became officially established as a “sundae” shortly after. 

Twinkies were invented on April 6, 1930 in River Forest, Illinois

Illinois is home to the world’s largest bottle of catsup.

There are more personalized car license plates in Illinois than anywhere in the country. 

The Chicago Post Office at 433 West Van Buren is the only postal facility in the world you can drive a car through.

The world’s largest public library is in Chicago. The Chicago Public Library features a collection of over two million books.

Metropolis the home of Superman really exists in Southern Illinois. They host an annual Superman Celebration. 

Elzie Crisler Segar, the creator of Popeye the Sailorman cartoon, was born in Chester, Illinois.

The Chicago River flows backwards. It’s one of the only rivers in the world with that trait. Each year it’s dyed green for St. Patrick’s Day. 

Morton, Illinois is known as the "pumpkin capital of the world." The state is the leading pumpkin producer and processor in the U.S.

The Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago is the nation’s oldest public zoo.

The world’s tallest man was born in Alton, IL. Robert Pershing Wadlow was 8’11”, weight 491 lbs and wore a size 37 shoe.

Here are some strange laws on the books in Illinois...

It is illegal for boys (but only boys) to throw snowballs at trees in Mount Pulaski, Illinois.

In Joliet, you can get charged with a misdemeanor for mispronouncing the town’s name as “Jolly-ette.” 

Downstate in Collinsville, you can be slapped with a $100 fine if your pants fall more than 3in below your hips.

Both Cicero and Evanston have laws prohibiting whistling at certain times.

Chicago citizens can be hit with a $120 ticket for having an improperly displayed and outdated city sticker on their car.

Law forbids eating in a place that is on fire.

In Normal, IL it is against the law to make faces at dogs.

In Decatur, it's against the law to drive a car without a steering wheel.

In Galesburg, no person can keep a smelly dog.

In Joliet, you must contact the police before entering the city in an automobile.

In Kenilworth, a rooster must step back 300 feet from any residence if he wishes to crow.

I've decided to go with this bit of Illinois information for my card's inspiration... Nearly 80% of the Illinois' land area is farm land.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!


Supplies Used

Stamp Set: Flourishes Country Roads stamped with Memento Rich Cocoa Ink

Papers: SU Early Espresso and Staples Ivory CS and DP from my scrap file

Embellishments: SU Ribbon and Brads from an unknown vendor

Cupcakes Chick

Carol is the May hostess of the Creative Card Chicks. She sent us a fun envelope of birthday goodies, including the oh-so-adorable Stamping Bella Edna with a Cupcake on Top that you see on my card. In fact, everything on my card was in the kit except for some CS for layering and the card base (Recollections Brown and SU Sahara Sand).

Carol's Kit Included:

Image (Stamping Bella Edna with a Cupcake on Top (and Sentiment, too)

Joann's DP

Embellishments from her stash

THANK YOU, Carol!


I colored the image with my Copic Markers, Gel Pens, and I added a touch of Stickles Glitter Glue to the wings.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!