ME? GUEST DESIGNER??

Yep! I am finally able to let the cat out of the bag! I am a Guest Designer for Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps for the month of September! I KNOW! As Elaine on Seinfeld would say, "Get OUT!"!! Click HERE to see their BLOG where you can find tons of inspiration from their designers and also where I will be posting my items using their stamp sets, too!

Each month Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps (SNSS) asks two artsy fartsy people to come in and use their stamps and share their love for the Lord! Well, let me tell you, I am more than excited to have the honor to work with SNSS! I LOVE LOVE LOVE their Christian-Inspired stamps (especially those by Chris Dickinson, I will be showcasing these a lot!), you just don't see enough spiritual-based images and sentiments around, in my opinion! OH, and you can put all of those rumors to rest that clear stamps don't ink well, too! SNSS is the company that changed my opinion about that! The coverage is AWESOME and the quality is top-notch!

Oh, the other September Guest Designer is THE one and only lovely Dawn Lusk! I know Dawn from SCS! {Hi DAWN!}

On to even MOREEEE exciting news! Tomorrow Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps is hosting a one day blog hop with all of their designers and I get to play along, too! The Blog Hop will be featuring two NEW mini-stamp sets SHOWN HERE and they are only $5.63 each! I have the adorable PENGUIN to share with you tomorrow, he's so cute to color, I had fun playing with him yesterday and he really got me into the wintery-mood wanting to pull out all those warm cable knit sweaters!

Well, that's the BIG NEWS! I hope to see you all back tomorrow for the blog hop! Until then, don't forget to check out the previous post below to see the sneak peeks of WHIMSIE DOODLES' new set coming out tomorrow!

HAVE A WONDERFUL MONDAY!

Whimsie Doodles NEW RELEASE!!

Whimsie Doodles is releasing another great set on TUESDAY! Here's a sneaky peek at just a few of the images in the set that will be available HERE Tuesday morning! Don't you just love the font in the first card's sentiment?? Oooooooo, it is sweeeeeet!


OH, and maybe I should explain my card... or did you 'get it'? By My Side = sidetable? HAHA! I thought it was cute! I love my little "ROOM" complete with wall paper and red carpet! LOL! OH, and did you think of the sentiment as a frame on the wall? Well, that WAS what I was going for, hopefully you all got it!

I used my COPICS for coloring and my trusty exacto knife to slice these images off the paper ever so neatly! Gotta love these thick lines!!

Be sure to check in tomorrow for the BIG ANNOUNCEMENT that I have been ever so secret about! I know at least I am excited about it, I hope you will be, too!

Enjoy the rest of your evening!

More Sneak Peeks!

The sneak peeks of the September issue are up over at SheetLoad of Cards. The new issue will be available for FREE download starting Tuesday, September 1st!!

I posted sneak peeks of the cards I have in the issue yesterday, but thought you would enjoy seeing a few more here...

Back soon with a Whimsie Doodles SNEAK PEEK of the new release set! Can't wait to show you what I came up with!

Have a great day!

I can't wait!

The NEXT issue of SheetLoad of Cards is coming up on SEPTEMBER 1st!! These are some of the sweetest images and will surely have you saying AW through the whole e-zine!

Make sure you come back on the 1st of September to get the link to the full projects of these images below, you will really enjoy them! ALSO, I will be a part of a BLOG HOP, too, on Tuesday featuring one of my favorite stamp companies, too! Can't tell you that info yet, though! It is being kept on the 'down-low' until the big announcement!!

WHATTTTTT 'big announcement'? Well, I can't tell ya! That's what makes it SOOOOOOO BIG! HAHA! BUT, I am UBER excited for September to get here, I WILL tell ya that! I just made out my September schedule early this morning and each and every DAY is PACKED full with a new blog post! So get ready for September to be swinging and chock full of new creations and information right here on my blog!

{I know... I know.... THAT's kinda hard to believe since my creations have been slacking since the whole ankle-saga, but I am really inspired to get back into the groove with all of the excitement that September is bringing me!!}

See ya'll tomorrow with another Sneak Peek (BUT A FULL CARD for all to see!), but this time from the one and only WHIMSIE DOODLES new release set coming out on September 1st! Can't wait to show you my ADORABLE card, it is so creative (even for me!) and right up my designer-alley!

Enjoy your day!

WOW

Is it the weekend already?? WOW! It was seriously a BUSY LONG week! I have been getting some DTeam stuff done for Sept. 1st releases and debut days! OH, and did I mention a BLOG HOP?? YEP, I will tell you about that one on Monday!

Back SOON with something new!!

Whimsie Doodles Sketch Challenge REMINDER!!

Just wanted to remind everyone that they have a chance to win some WHIMSIE DOODLES digi images just by playing along with this months challenge SHOWN HERE! Again, here's my take on the sketch shown below! Make sure you follow the easy peasey directions for your chance to win some FREE DIGI's of YOUR CHOICE!!!!!!!!

Choose from all of the digi's shown in the Whimsie Doodles STORE HERE!! Make sure you play and post your link to the Whimsie Doodles BLOG by Friday 8pm eastern!!

Make it a super day!

Shout Out to AMY STAMM!

Here's a sweet card that my friend, AMY, dropped by and gave this to my hubby outside last Thursday after I got back from taking Josh off to college. I really thought this was a pretty card using pastels with the stronger bolder colors of burgundy and pea-green. Isn't the layout a nice one, too?

Thanks, AMY, for brightening my day with your smile, even though I didn't even see you! Check out Amy's blog, she always has some great decorating ideas and she also sells UPPER CASE LIVING, if you don't know what that is, then checking into her blog is a MUST!

See ya'll tomorrow!

SheetLoad's SSS edition is LIVE!

It is time for the August edition of Simple Special Stunning at the SheetLoad of Cards blog, featuring samples by Barbara DeBose.

Each month one of our artists will share three different cards that use the current layout. Each card is a "step up" from the previous one, but they are all fabulous.

It is a good way to show how SheetLoad is geared toward papercrafters of all levels.

Here are some sneak peeks to whet your appetite...

Great SSS creations, Barbara!!

Whimsie Doodles Sketch Challenge

Whimsie Doodles is holding their August SKETCH CHALLENGE beginning today! Go to the Whimsie Doodles BLOG HERE and see the sketch and details on how to enter! I used some Basic Grey patterned paper that actually fit the sketch, believe it or not!

I was lucky to have found this paper so I could save some time so I could finish getting ready to take Josh to college on Tuesday! LOL! I used a Whimsie Doodles past image HERE with a new sentiment found in this digi set HERE. I love how you can just re-use and re-size digital images! SO SO SO Versatile!!

I know I keep repeating myself, but honestly, I never really gave digital images a chance! UNTIL, that is when, I found Melyssa's ADORABLEEEEEE turtles, bears, fish and other images! She is so creative and I love her style! Being able to mix older images with new release ones is FABULOUS; just another reason to go digital!!

I added some stickles to the flower centers and paper pierced the scallop at the side. The turtle and sentiment are Copic colored (of course!) and I used a nestibilities die for the scallop circle.

Make sure you play along by next Friday to win these digital images below OR ANY TWO OF YOUR CHOICE!! How's that for a PRIZE??



I hope you play along with this month's WHIMSIE Sketch Challenge!

See y'all soon!

Josh's Farewell pics! {sniff, sniff....}

This is another post that is mostly for my long distance family that wasn't here to see Josh off to college. SO, if you aren't interested, just tune back in tomorrow to see the NEW Whimsie Doodles Sketch! It is awesome and one you surely don't want to miss!

Now on to the send~off!

Here's me and Josh... {{ NOTICE I AM NOT CRYING! }}


Below is my Hubby, Josh's step-dad. I am not sure if he is happy to see him heading to college or not. Those college fees are going to kill us!
Ok, here's three of KayLee... NOT taking Josh's leaving well at all!

Still sad......

NOT getting over it....

Isaac wasn't a fan of him leaving either.....

But he took it better than KayLee.....

And here's the surprise.... I thought Eli would be more upset that his PS2 buddy was leaving. But, then again, I should have known. He had a baseball bat and ball in his hand the whole time. Nothing makes him happier than that!

Here's a cute family pic of the kids!

This is us caravanning out of town... I looked back through the van and took this pic of him at Bretzville.

Josh just HAD to get that computer up and running, first thing... duh.

YEP, he's online and about to check email, then facebook, then my blog... (yeah, right!)

I wasn't sure if the first picture was very good or not when Scott took it, so we decided to take one of ourselves before we left!! This one is cute, huh? I am gonna put it on his facebook for all of his friends to see! HAHA!

Well, he must have survived his first day away today. No emergency phone calls yet! LOL! I am still 'down' about him being away but am happy for him, too! I love you, Josh!

Don't forget to come back tomorrow to see the WHIMSIE DOODLES SKETCH!!

Enjoy your night!

Back to School with Eli and KayLee; 2009-2010

This is the first of two personal posts. The one of Josh's college-send-off is next. My hubby and I have exactly ZERO family/relatives where we live, so these posts are for them, really. A blog saves you so much money on printing out pictures to send!

If you want to skip these, just tune in tomorrow for the next paper-post...

Eli began his 2nd grade year and KayLee her 1st grade year last Friday. (They are 12 1/2 months apart for those still continuing to read! LOL!) Sorry, fam, for the late posting, I have been busy with getting Josh prepped for college... Here they are entering their school!

It is a tradition for Scott to sit with the kids in front of the entrance and have their picture taken!
Eli is ready to meet Mrs. Yarbrough!!

And KayLee is ready for Mrs. Guthrie to come and take her to class!

They've had five days of school and so far, so good. Homework with KayLee will be easy this year since it is the exact curriculum as Eli had last year. And, I knew last year that she could do Eli's work even THEN, so this will be easy for her. And, Eli is doing extremely well, since he can read at a 4th grade level (at least)with difficult words and lengthy sentences and can still remember his addition/subtraction from last year. He's gonna fly by the rest of 'em! Well, at least I hope he does!

Stay tuned to see the next post of Josh heading to IUPUI!! If ya don't want to see it, then check in tomorrow morn for the next paper-posting!

See ya in a minute!

Update

Hi PEOPLE!!

Let me shout out a HUGE THANK YOU to everyone for the prayers and emails of support! They worked! I barely cried on the way back from Indy yesterday at all! (YEA!!) I think Josh couldn't get rid of me fast enough, though! HAHA!

I will post pics of all the kids later today; I need to get my camera out of the van, but it is raining like crazy, so being on crutches, I think I will wait until later when it brightens up. I also have some Design Team deadlines and a birthday present to make for KayLee to give tonight at a skating party, so the day is gonna be full, but I will get to the pictures as soon as I can.

A special {{THANK YOU}} to my girlfriend Amy, who came over this morning and gave me a sweetly written card (HANDMADE OF COURSE!!) to help me get through the "loss" of Josh to college! It made me cry! I will post her gorgeous card on Saturday for you! The layout is great and you may want to CASE her on it. Thanks, Amy!

Catch you guys later!

SheetLoad & Shortcuts!

SheetLoad of Cards is also a sister-company of SHORTCUTS! Have you heard of this STORE? It features some awesome prices on G stamp sets, it also sells the ever-so-popular clear/pre-scored cardblanks and other items such as this one below! My card incorporates the Shortcuts GIFT CARD HOLDER! This handy little piece of high quality, heavy cardstock comes pre-scored and diecut ready for gift card insertion!

I made this fun, wintery little card using some past SUP! DSP and based the sketch on the August Sketch at SheetLoad of Cards! CLICK HERE for your free downloadable issue!



As you can see below, the gift card insert fits just perfectly! You can choose to leave it white, adhere some scrapbook papers to it, or just stamp it like I did below using the 'In the Spotlight' stamp set. I then papered the inside of the card to jazz it up, even more!

I hope you enjoyed learning about this item! Please head over to the Shortcuts STORE and browse through all of Alicia's wonderful items! Her prices are awesome and her service is 2nd to NONE!

{Personal request: Please say a prayer for Josh, as well as for myself, too. I am coming back without him today after dropping him off up at college for his first year of freedom/away from mom! I am sure I will be a wreck! Wish me luck, and him, too! THANK YOU!}

Enjoy your day!

ONE DOWN, three to go....

Here's a pic of my JOSH. He and I are on the road as I type (I pre-scheduled this post!). One last trip up to Indianapolis to leave him up there for college at IUPUI (Indiana University/Purdue University at Indianapolis). Classes don't start until next week, but he wanted to get familiar with the campus and hopefully make some friends and get settled a bit.

Hard to believe that my first born, who I have had with me HALF of my life (he's 19, I am 38) is going to be non-existant in our home. It is going to be very hard without him, to say the very least. Especially for me. Having an adult around this summer has been such a blessing for me. Someone to have ADULT conversations with, keeping me from being consumed by the Disney Channel or Spongebob and just simply helping me through these past couple of weeks since I got stuck on crutches. His endless days of vacuuming, doing the dishes for me and helping me feed the kids lunch are over; LUCKY HIM! LOL!

Poor PEPSI (our new puppy) is going to be LOST without Josh. With myself on crutches, the walks will now become extremely limited in length and few and far between! At least this is just temporary until my ankle heals!

I know Josh is VERY excited to leave the nest and feels he is going to do very well and succeed at IUPUI. He's turned into a fine young man and I can SO see him being a CEO some day like he aspires to do! IF you knew how smart he IS, it would amaze you!!

Well, wish HIM luck and say a prayer for ME that I make it through without sobbing all the way home! HAHA!

I am proud of you, my JOSHI!!

GO JAGUARS!

Inspirational Challenge

This past Saturday at SplitCoastStampers, they had an inspirational challenge posted. You were to go to THE CURIOSITY SHOPPE and find something to base your card off of. I chose THIS LINK HERE (shown above) as my form of inspiration. What do you think?

I basically used the lower 2 rows and switched out the bottom left corner for the top right corner in the wall hanging above. I coordinated the brown dotted leaf with the brown dotted ribbon and tied it all together using navy for the sentiment and the frame around the six squares. Split Coast ALWAYS has the best challenges! Let me know what you think! OH, and check out The Curiosity Shoppe, it is a fun little store to browse through!

Hope you are ALL doing well!

Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps!

I have told you about Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps before and how much I LOVVVVVE their clear stamps! And I love that they promote Christian and Inspirational stamps! There just aren't enough of those in the stamp world, in my opinion!!

{NOTE: I have even MORE exciting news about Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps, but can't tell ya for a couple of weeks! SO HOLD TIGHT and I will let you know as soon as I can!!}




UNTIL THEN, Click on the image above to learn more about the August '09 sponsor at SheetLoad of Cards - Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps!

Get Sketchy's FIRST Challenge!

GET SKETCHY has their first sketch challenge out! Here is my take on their first sketch! Using the 6x6 WYSTERIA Basic Grey paper line (available at PRECIOUS SCRAPS!!) and a new stamp by Stampin' UP! in the 'Hard to Say' set, I got this card made up while the kids were enjoying their first day of school on Friday!


At first I wasn't sure if I liked this paper-set, but NOW I really LOVVVVVE IT! The cool colors are delicious and make me wanting MORE!!!!! They have a nice subtle richness and the muted hues are just so beautiful!

Be sure to go to GET SKETCHY and leave them some love and join in on their first Sketch
Challenge!!!

PLEASE NOTE: I even incorporated the BONUS CHALLENGE of using Patterned paper! ALL SIX of these papers are patterned papers, none are cardstock, even the dark purple is a patterned paper from the Wysteria Basic Grey 6x6 pack!! OH, and the line of flowers is a continuous cut from an entire sheet of paper from the 6x6 pack, as well!

ENJOY YOUR DAY!

Debut Day!

Howdy, PEEPS! TODAY is the BIG DAY at Whimsie Doodles!! Melyssa released a bunch of new digi's today and here below are just a couple of cards for you!


First, using the CANDY MONSTER image, I made this card using the Stamping 411 blog's sketch for this week. Simple and balanced! GOTTA LOVE THAT! I Copic colored in my image and words and stacked some buttons for embellishing. The paper is one of the new Halloween paper sets by Stampin' UP! and tangerine tango orange. Since the sketch was simple, I kept the look 'simple' with minimal embellishing and minimal layering. I think it turned out nice!



And here's another card using the new YUMMY DOODLES cupcakes digi set just released by Whimsie Doodles. For this sketch, I used Jen Del Muro's from I HEART 2 STAMP blog.

Make sure you check out all of the Doodlelicious Design Team creations by checking out their blogs listed in my side bar at left! AND be sure to check out Melyssa's blog HERE too, to see a full listing with creations! You can go directly to THE WHIMSIE STORE HERE and purchase your digital downloads today!

Enjoy your weekend!

BOY FAIRY??

Well, OF COURSE there are BOY FAIRIES! I mean "HOW" do you think all of those girl fairies came about? Do you think they just POOF and appeared out from no where? I would think that some MALE persuasion is helping keep those fairy babies coming, right?

Then again, I guess they could just use their wands and make more fairies... and what female fairy wouldn't want more GIRLfriend~Fairies, opposed to male ones? Hmm... I'm gonna need to ponder this one.

Here's a WONDERFUL WHIMSIE DOODLES ToothFairy BOY that you can see HERE IN THE STORE, available for your digital downloading needs AND paper-crafting FUN!!! Perfect for scrapbooking or cardmaking or even enlarging and sticking in a frame! The papers are from a LSS, like PRECIOUS SCRAPS. Bev just got back from CHA and is soooooooooooon to be stocked with tons of new scrapbook supplies! If there is something you are needing, simply email Bev and see if she can help you out! She's awesome at giving you personal service and going out of her way to give you what you need!

Oh, and yes, I KNOW, my card is on the simple side. But I just couldn't make myself put any ribbon on this, thought it would make it to feminine for a boy-recipient. However, I HAD to bling it up with some GLITTAH. WHY? Well, wouldn't you be really let-down if you saw this little guy coming up from your pillow sham with your tooth and he didn't sparkle with Fairy Dust RADIANCE at least on his wings? Yeah, I thought so! It would be a MAJOR disappointment to me, at least! So, I did his wings and hair up niiiiiiiiiiiice with some Stickles (available at Precious Scraps, too!) and left the rest of him alone. This IS supposed to be for a BOY, you know!

See the 'purty' GLITTAH-detailing?

Don't forget that tomorrow is the big DEBUT DAY for more Whimsie Doodles Digi Images! I have a few great cards to show you and so does the rest of the Doodlelicious Design Team!! I can't wait to show you!! So, hope to see you back in the early morning!!

Hugs and Happy 1st Day of School to my Eli and KayLee! Pics later this afternoon!!

Have a great FRIDAY!

THE AFTER....

For those of you who are wanting to see the "AFTER" of the "BEFORE PIC" POST from yesterday, here you are!

She may look happy now, but let me tell ya, she nearly CRIED when she saw all of her hair cut off!

And, after all that, she gets a sucker!!!!

Miss Julie DOES have magic scissors and managed to cut off her mullet and make KayLee into a MINI-ME !!!! Well, she doesn't really look like me at all, she's the feminie-spitting-image of her father, but at least she has a short, cute hairstyle like mine!

At least for now.... until she cuts it again!