Do you Wanna Build a Snowman?

We've almost made it through half the week. lol It was a long day today, so I'm pooped. I forgot and only had one coffee. Then I broke my pour over coffee dripper and now I have no way to make coffee until Amazon brings me a new one. Hopefully no one is injured by my grumpy self tomorrow. Ha!!  I drive by Dunkin on my way home from dropping Laila off at school, so I figure I'll be visiting there tomorrow and Thursday. MUST HAVE THE COFFEE. 

I saw that we are supposed to have some cooler weather next week, so I made a snowman card. (Also, for you, Andrea. Thank you for sharing your snow picture with me.) Now it won't be cold enough for snow or anything, but 60s is great for here. It's been too hot lately.

Now I'm off to have a hot chocolate with a lot of marshmallows and read my book. :)

Fall Rabbit

Happy Sunday! I hope this finds everyone safe. The weather has been awful all over the place lately hasn't it? Goodness!!  I did take some time to stamp during our rainstorm yesterday. It wasn't even supposed to rain, but...  lol I used this cute, and free, digital stamp along with the sketch at Cheerful Sketches, the inspiration at TIME OUT Challenges, and the theme at Creative with Stamps.

   

I got in a distressing mood today and I kinda wish I had left it all clean. Can't undo that, right? lol Oh well. I can always remake it and leave the distressing stuff off. Do you ever do that? Think that might look good? ...and no! Why did I do that???

I won't have much time to craft this week. I have to volunteer at the school for the first three school days and then Jason will be home on Thursday. He is working an extra day on Friday, so I guess that will be my day to play. Or to catch up on chores. Dang laundry...it never ends!!

This past Friday I took the two neighborhood cats and got them spayed/neutered and their vaccinations. I still have the female with me to let her heal more and man! She's a sweetie pie. I'm still raising a few butterflies here and there as well. We didn't have a lot of Monarchs in the spring, but they are around more now.

And just in case anyone is wondering what Laila's into right now. lol

Cupcake Inspirations: Rainbow Unicorn

Happy Friday! (I think?) It seems difficult to know what day of the week it is now that school's out. :) We do have a lot of appointments that help keep me on track, but I depend on my phone to alert me to those. I managed to stamp a bit this week, but it's been in short sessions. I enjoyed coloring this cute image from Craftin' Desert Divas for the Cupcake Inspirations challenge. I had bought the image a while back and it seemed like the perfect time to try it.

I don't own much of gold anything, so my unicorn is rainbow. I guess I need to add in some Copics to color gold. Hmm...  

This is what happens when my phone can't help me remember things.  Ha!  Thankfully her instructors were okay with her not having her pants for a day. Oops!

We've been learning all about Italy this week. We've colored pages, made a little book, watched videos, and to finish up, we took a trip to an Italian bakery today. It was fun. Next week we are learning about Mexico! 

Sick Birdie

Hi guys! How's everyone doing this weekend? This card is pretty fitting for ours. I made it for my dad, but Laila looks about like that poor bird about now. Of course she gets sick for spring break, right? lol Ugh!!!   Oh well. We'll have a slow start to the break and hopefully she'll feel like something fun by the end. I want to go visit the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin so bad! 

This is the other sweetie who is recuperating at our house. This is Little Lady's mom. Our neighbor still never had her spayed, so I took the money I earned from blogging from the past 3 years (a whopping $100) and added to some money I'd saved to help her. I knew it was about time for her to start up a third litter and neither she nor our neighborhood needs more kittens. This one girl has turned into 6 cats or more already. It's crazy. Now I have to work on getting the kittens she's had taken care of. She's been such a great house guest, but I can tell she's anxious to be back out where she can roam. I'm keeping her one more day and then she can go.  I'm hoping she'll stay on our porch a lot like she had been.

I'm off to love on her. She can't stand me being in here and not petting her. lol Have a great week!

...and more Dirty Cards

You guys!  I am still stamping, but I'm tired!  I keep telling myself I don't have to finish them all, but then I find myself making a list of what I need to work on.  lol  I have about six more left, so Jason swears I can do it.  We'll see. :)  This card was a fun one.  I made background with Distress Oxides that I didn't need, so I die cut this pretty Stampin' Up! butterfly from it.  I kept the background simple so it would be the focus.  The embossing paste adds interest without taking away from the pretty colors of the oxides.

It's a MONARCH!  lol I got a newsletter from Inspired by Stamping and they send out digital freebies on it.  One month is was this one and I was so excited.  I finally got it printed up and used it for a challenge.  We are still raising and releasing them.  We had a lull, but the mommas have been in the garden like crazy again lately.  Most of our releases have been female as well, so maybe they'll come back.  

I didn't love this one. I fussed over it, but I couldn't get it to turn out like I'd imagined.  The background is Distress Oxides and the arrows are from my Cameo.  

I figured it was a good time to start teacher cards.  Simple, but I like it. I need more stamps for teachers as these are the only two I have!

And finally, one of my favorites.  I made the background with shaving cream, reinkers, and a stencil.  So fun! If you haven't tried that technique. go to Splitcoast and check out the tutorial.

I'm hopping off to go get ready for Game of Thrones!

Dare to Get Dirty continuted

A little blast from the past here.  I love cone flowers.  I have them in my garden and I end up with a ton of pictures of them when we go to the arboretum.  I missed getting this set when it was current, but a sweet friend sent me hers because she knew how much I love the flowers.  I thought the silhouette of them would look pretty on a yellow and orange background.  And, remember Tiny Tags? Now that was another favorite of mine and I added some of those too.  That's one set and punch I'll keep for sure.

The other night before I went to bed I made a few backgrounds and left them to dry.  This was one of them.  I was pleasantly surprised when I woke up and saw how it turned out.  Hopefully it reminds you of a beach?  lol  That big huge acrylic block from Stampin' Up! comes in handy for backgrounds sometimes. I tapped on two blues and two browns of distress ink, spritzed it, and laid it on watercolor paper to try.  Doesn't get much easier than that!

Oh look! More cone flowers.  lol  Power Poppy had this beautiful digital stamp, so of course I needed it.  Since I had Tiny Tags on my desk, I used the friends stamp to add a little sentiment. I am really liking digital stamps lately, but my printer gets a bit grumpy about it.  I need to make sure the next one we get has an option to feed the paper differently.

We went school clothes and shoe shopping today.  I can't believe it's so close!  It does start later here on the 28th, so a little while longer at least.

Dare to Get Dirty Day Something or Other

I'm back!  This card here totally derailed my creativity.  I struggled forever to find a layout that worked and tore it apart several times.  I had to color the girl a couple times.  It almost made me give on the challenges, but I'm back in the game now.  :)  I love this sweet little image.  Perfect get well card for a tea lover.

I've been trying to play with my watercolors a bit more, so this one is pretty simple.  A watercolor wash and then the die cut and sentiment.  I decided to add some sequins because I have so many!

I woke up at 5am today and couldn't go back to sleep. I figured I'd come color a bit.  I ended up with this card.  I love these little critters and it's been ages since I'd used them.  I don't have a lot of birthday cards for kids, so this will be gladly added to my stash. 

And finally this guy.  I don't have a clue about steampunk, but I found this image and thought it would be the closest to my style that I'd find.  It was fun and HARD to color, but I did it!  Whew!

I'm off to shower and then head out to the doctor.  It's a rainy blah day, so maybe I'll get more cards made when I get back.  :) 

Power Poppy Get Wool Soon

I didn't get a very good picture of this one, but I had already mailed it by the time I figured that out.  :)   One of my friends, Fran, is a knitter and also a weekend coffee buddy, so I thought this image from Power Poppy was perfect for her.  I was a little intimidated by it, but I think I did okay coloring it.  She send me a text yesterday that she loved it and her husband wanted to frame it, so that was nice to hear.

Laila and I went to the part yesterday and I did some cleaning, so no new cards so far this week.  I was worn out and went to bed early yesterday.  I did get my new card kit from Simon Says Stamp, so I'm hoping to ink up that tonight.

Have a wonderful Tuesday!  I'm off to clean out the 'fridge.  Such a glamorous life!  :)

Stamps:  Power Poppy Get Wool Soon digital stamp, Stampin' Up! Watercolor Trio (sentiment)
Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, Ranger Caribbean Coast
Paper:  Neenah Solar White, 80 and 110 lb
Dies:  Avery Elle Wonky Stitched dies, MFT Stitched Mini Scallop Circles

Power Poppy Sunflowers

Just dropping in with a quick post.  This past week has been rough, so I haven't had much time to create.  I saw that Power Poppy was having a sale on some of their digital images, so I grabbed this pretty sunflower one.  I am so intimidated by their images, but I wanted to try one to see how it went.  I actually love it too!  It wasn't as hard to color as I thought it would be.  I have another one printed out to try again too, so you might see it again soon.  :)

Miss Laila is sick, so I'm off to snuggle with her.  She seems to be congested and coughing so much since she started school.  Last week there was a horrible week for her, so she may not be going for much longer anyway.  :(  We had a second appointment with the psychologist last week and she's now being referred for further testing.  It is getting confusing with one person saying they don't see anything, others saying they do.  I hope some testing will clear up things, but there's a four to six month wait for appointments right now.  Keeping sending lots of positive thoughts our way.  

Now off to snuggle!

Freshly Made Cat Christmas

Happy Wednesday!  We've almost made it though half the week.  Whew!  I know it's been a week here.  I hope yours has been better. Today I'm sharing my card for the new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches.  Our queen of shabby chic and layers, Narelle, is our sketch designer this week.  I love what she challenged us with as there are so many ways to use it.  My first thought was washi tape, but the image I picked out was big and didn't leave a lot of room for the vertical parts.  I think I still stuck to the sketch, just in a different scale maybe.  lol  

I don't know where I got the image I used for this. I had printed it off a while back and colored it, but my laptop has since crashed and I can't access my digital stamps to see.   It's adorable and I wish I could remember.  I hope Jason can rescue my digital files and they aren't all lost! 

Amazon was slow to ship the green binder that Laila picked out for her postcards, but we finally got it set up this week.  :)   Her favorite colors are green and orange, so we had to get one that color.  She wanted orange, but I didn't see one.  It's so fun to sit and look through the ones she has.  Thank you to those who sent one.  I hope I managed to reply to everyone who offered to do it.  

School is going okay for her so far, but she gets so upset and has meltdowns when she has to write.  She dislikes writing so much and it seems to make her days rough.  We try to get her to practice so she can be more confident and not get upset, but she just won't do it.  I'll have to do some research on things to do to help her.  She's leanring so much, but that part just gets her.  

Snowman and Cocoa

I'm running so behind with my stamping, but I wanted to be sure I used this adorable image that's the From the Heart Stamps stamp of the month.   I love snowmen and hot chocolate, so together they make my heart happy.   :)   If you haven't played along with their monthly progressive challenge, it's a great month to jump in and start since this guy is only $1.  What a deal, huh?   I'm really enjoying digital stamps now, so I love getting the new one every month!

Laila is feeling much better and not coughing much at all.  I'm so thankful because those nights getting up and down all night with her was wearing us out.   Of course now Jason is sick, so...  lol   I always have sinus issues going on, but I sure hope to avoid this yuck.  

Happy Birthday Bird

Well, I'm only like super late with my Freshly Made Sketches post.  lol Better late than never though, right?   Amy has such a fun sketch this week and I was excited to play along.  My brother is a St. Patrick's Day baby so I decided to get ahead and make his birthday card!   I used the fun bird stamp I got at From the Heart stamps because he cracks me up and my brother needs some laughs right now.

  

I am still struggling to create very much.  I think about it, but I just can't bring myself to go in my room and do it.  I might try to challenge myself to redo one of the Online Card Classes I've done in the past or even make a card every day in March to get myself back in the mode.  Or just color images for now and work on the card part later?  I don't know...   Laila is sick with a cold now so sleep is a bit rough.  I'm headed to take a nap now!  

Before I go, here's the newest member of our family.  His name is Pet (Laila named him).  lol  Laila LOVES him and he seems to like his new home in our 10 gallon tank.  :) 

Sweet Kitties

It's time for a new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches.  The sweet and funny Cindy H. is our hostess this week and I love the twist she put on what I initially thought was a simple sketch.  I almost forgot it and had to get creative.  I hope my bow is acceptable.  :)   My colors were inspired by the challenge at Cupcake Inspirations.  It's a new challenge I just found and I'm excited to join in!   The image is the Stamp of the Month from From the Heart Stamps.  

I'm a bit sad that I seem to only be getting one card a week made and posted.  I did go to the doctor last week and my iron and vitamin D are both low, so I started supplements this week to help with that.  I am guessing that's a HUGE reason why I've had no energy.   I hope the supplements help.  

Now if you don't see me post any after today, I'll be enjoying my Powerball win and hiding out!  lol

Deck the Halls Birdbrain

I am cutting it close to get my card posted for the From the Heart Stamp of the Month challenge. I made this last week but just haven't had a good chance to get a picture and edit it.  So... here it is!  Isn't that bird hilarious?!  He is loving those ornaments.   :)   I am enjoying this progressive challenge, so I can't wait to see next month's stamp!

Laila didn't quite get the 6-7 foot rule when picking a tree for the house.  lol  This one was her first choice!   She had a blast at the Christmas tree farm and loves our decorated tree.

Four more...three to go!

I'm still working on my Hope You Can Cling To cards!  Down to the wire!  lol  I have until noon tomorrow to finish my last three, so I'm thinking that MAYBE I'll make it.   Here are my last four that I did.  I've been playing around with watercolors and watercolor paper and just having fun with it.  Have a great weekend!   

And oh, if you are interested in getting an occasional card in the mail, leave me your address here.  :) 

 Challenge:  Rainbow

 Challenge:  Orange

 Challenge:  Pink Thank You card

Challenge:  Roses

Mosaic Sunflower

I'm a few days late with my Freshly Made Sketches card, but I did finally finish it!  :)  Jen B designed such a great sketch that I had to play along.  With Laila and I both being sick, it took me all week to do my image panel.  lol   It is also for a Hope You Can Cling To mosaic challenge.

So about my panel... The HYCCT challenge was to Google mosaic and be inspired by an image you found.   I found a beautiful image by artist Sharon Cummings and my card evolved from that.  I looked on Pinterest for a free digital stamp of a flower and was led to the one I used which was done by artist Linda Tieu.  I printed it out, die cut it with a stitched rectangle die. and used a Copic multiliner to draw in the background of circles.  I then colored the entire image.   It was a lot of work, but I really love how it came together.  I might do some cards like this more often as I can sit and doodle in the living room or kitchen.   

Laila and Sadie have such a sibling relationship.   They fight, they annoy one another, and then they play together.   It is adorable, but the fighting makes us a bit crazy, especially when they steal each other's toys.  

Snowman Hugs

Are you a big user of digital images?  I have a few, but I've been a bit unsure about them for the most part.  I found an awesome new-to-me website that had some adorable ones though, so I decided to give them a shot again.   It's called From the Heart and you should go check them out!  They have a monthly stamp challenge and a weekly sketch challenge, so I played along with the sketch challenge and made this cute card.  I absolutely LOVE it!   The snowpeople are so, so cute!!!!!!   They also work for the Hope You Can Cling To challenge about hugs.  :)  

I also played with the twist which was to do a clean-and-simple card with paper strips.  

Our little family project yesterday was to make pumpkin bread.  It was fun and it turned out so delicious!   Here's a link to the recipe we used.   Laila isn't feeling well today and has a fever, so we've only done a family walk and naps today.   Lazy days are good though, huh?  I just hope we can keep her temperature in check and avoid any febrile seizures.   Meds around the clock here we go!

CASE Study Flower

I loved the challenge at CASE Study this week, so I decided to play along and combine it with one of the Dare to Get Dirty challenges on Splitcoast.   I've fussed with this one for a few days and finally gave up and called it done.  I'm still on the fence about it, but I do love the colors.  ;)  

Isn't that a gorgeous card?!   I had to pull out my retired paper to use for the card base because it reminded me so much of the background on the inspiration.  Do you still have some of that paper?  I love it!  I wish I had bought a second pack to hoard use.  

My assistant.   ;)    We have had the WORST day today.   It has been so long and so full of crying.   I am mentally exhausted and hope she is easy to get to bed tonight so I can have a break.   I finally finished reading Game of Thrones and am ready to start the second book.  I need some quality time with my Nook.  

*If you like the flower, it's a free digital stamp!  You can find it here.