Bear Hugs

I'm still creating!  I made this background yesterday and finished up a card today.  Maybe my mind block has taken a hike and I can get back to regularly making things without forcing it. This was for the current Pin Sights Challenge from Ellen Hutson. I used my distress oxide inks to make the background. It had been a while since I played with those.

Isn't that a happy color scheme? I love how bright and fun it is. We actually own those popsicle makers. :)

Just a couple Christmas things. Laila brought a gift home for us and it was this cute ornament that they made at school. I appreciate that her teacher took time to do that for the parents. I also wanted to share her picture with Santa. I thought the PTO did an amazing job with the setup for those. I love it!

Now I'm off to make dinner. I've been fighting a headache all day, which I'm guessing is weather related? It is going to be cold in Texas soon. I don't know the last time we were in the 20's here. Brr!

All Inside the Challenge

I got this set a few months ago and I just love it. The bear is so cute and I love that the die cuts his arms so he can hold stuff.  I saw the current challenge at Ellen Hutson and thought it would be fun to play along.  I know we are past the fall season, but I just went with the inspiration. :)

Isn't that a pretty inspiration board to work with? I thought it was. There's so many things you could do with the colors and textures. 

The school had a holiday craft market yesterday and one of the fundraisers for the PTO was pictures with Santa. I can't wait to see how hers turned out. After the event the school opened up the cafeteria/gym and showed The Polar Express. I got to help serve the hot chocolate for that.  She had a blast and was so well behaved. I was proud of her. :)

Pin-Sights All Dressed Up

I'm here! I stamped today, but got behind and didn't get to do my picture/post until tonight.  I got this cute new bear from Ellen Hutson yesterday and thought I'd use him for the current Pin-Sights challenge. It's he cute??  I love that the dies cut his hands so he can hold stuff.  Such a cool idea! I made this one for Laila, but I also have a cool accessories set for him that works for the holidays! I can't wait to play with that!

Now I have to run and work on some laundry. I'm so behind these days. I thought I'd have so much time to do things once school started, but it sure doesn't feel that way.  I am having some issues with my depression again, so that might be part of the issue. That's one reason why I wanted to make a card or project every day this month. That helps sometimes.  I need to get back to walking every day as well. Depression sucks because you know what helps, but finding the motivation to do it is a whole other issue. Just keep swimming though, right?

Mixing it Up with Avery and Ellen

Entering the Ellen Hutson Mix It Up challenge at the last minute.  I came in to organize my desk last night and ended up playing around and making the image panel.  I used the Essentials by Ellen Bold Blooms and Avery Elle Butterflies and Wonky Stitched dies.  It's a happy card I think.  I haven't been in the best mood this week, so it was helpful to create with cheerful colors.  :) Now fingers crossed I get randomly picked for the prize as they have a new gardener lady stamp set that I NEED so bad. Because I don't have enough stamps already, right?

Laila had her five year checkup today.  Now did that happen???  Her doctor was even surprised that she was that old already.  She had gotten a lot taller since her four year.  She had quite a spurt in a year.  She gets mistaken for an older kid all the time because she's so tall. That is part of the reason we decided not to hold her back another year. I hope we made the right decision.  We'll see in couple weeks I guess.  Meet the Teacher is in a week! Yikes! 

I'm off to figure out dinner (no clue!) and play animals with Laila.  She got some of those sponges in a capsule that you put in water and watch them grow today for being so good at the doctor.  Now we are going to make up a game with all the animals and food they turned into.  No idea about that either, but she wants to play, so...

Hope you are having a good week!

Feeling Blue?

It's Wednesday and time for a new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches.  I'm the hostess this week and I have a pretty simple sketch.  I like the idea of simple ones that allow you to fill in with what inspires you.

I had a class over the weekend where we learned to make the watercolor backgrounds with a Stampin' Up!  Watercolor Wash background stamp and I loved how mine turned out.  I ended up using it for my card today so that I didn't lose it or spill something on it.  lol  I used Pool Party and Island Indigo, just tapped the pads on the stamp, and then sprayed it with water before I laid my paper on it.  I love the result.  Different amounts of ink and water give different results, so it's fun to play and see what you end up with!  I added some die cut flowers and leaves from my favorite Ellen Hutson dies that had been accented with Wink of Stella.  The sentiment is from a set from The Greeting Farm called Wood Friends. 

My little cowgirl.  We are starting a little homeschool curriculum and our first week is about cowboys/rodeos/deserts.   :)   

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

A Triple Shot of Hope

I took the day off from stamping yesterday, but got back to it today!   I am so behind on the HYCCT challenges that I'm not sure I'll be able to finish them this year.  :(   Sad face.  I'm trying, but it seems a bit impossible.  Anyway...  One of the challenges was to use the backs of your photopolymer stamps to make a card.   I thought this set from Ellen Hutson would be fun.  I stamped off and stamped the back to make the background for my flowers and leaves and then reversed the stamps to the correct side and stamped that full strength.   It's a super simple card, but I think it makes a nice thinking of you card.

The next challenge I worked on was all about relationships.   I thought about who might be at the cancer center seeking treatment for breast cancer and how they might have their children their supporting them.   I think it would be nice for the children to have a card for their mom, so that's the relationship I focused on.   I used the sweet Bear Hugs set from Mama Elephant because the images and sentiment are just the best.

And finally, this challenge was to make an encouragement card.  I thought the sentiment was perfect for that.  I hope balloons work too.  They remind me of the movie Up.  

One of the churches near Laila's MDO does a little pumpkin patch fundraiser every year and we always go.   We hadn't been this year since she's been sick, but we managed to stop by yesterday on our way home from picking her up.   She had such a good time and picked out this funky gourd to bring home.  Her favorite part though?  The see-saw!

Bold Blossoms of Hope

Another Hope You Can Cling To card I made this weekend.  Laila helped me out with this one.   We made some fun backgrounds together with distress inks and clear blocks.  She picked my color and I only got this one, so here's what I made.  lol Angie challenged everyone to use the wrinkle free distress technique and it really does make a pretty background.  :)

Laila and I are still sick, so it was another rough night of coughing for us and no sleep for anyone.  I went and got some different medicines for us last night but they didn't help much either.   I just hope we are getting close to the end of it all.  Her tests all came back negative for flu, strep, or anything bacterial, so I'm guessing we just have a cold virus.  Fingers crossed for a better night tonight!  Poor Jason is getting worn out along with us because he's the caregiver for us both and not sleeping either.

FMS 194 Mix It Up!

It's time for a new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches!   I took a lot of liberties with this sketch, so I hope Linda doesn't kill me!   I was planning on making a new card that followed it better but I just ran out of time.   So, you get my kinda-the-sketch card.  :)    (Love you, Linda!)  I wanted to play along with the current challenge at Ellen Hutson and this was my result.   I love it!!   The sentiment is from Paper Smooches Spectrum and the flower/leaves are from the Essentials by Ellen collection that is exclusive to the Ellen Hutson shop.  

I did try to add some twine, but it was making my card not quite as pretty, so I took it back off.  I hope I don't get booted from the team!  lol  

Last week we decided to go on a short road trip and ended up stuck on the highway in a bunch of traffic.   We were near this outlet mall that I'd never been to, so we stopped there to walk around for a while.   Someone has turned into a natural shopping at the ripe old age of three.  lol  She had a blast!   

Freshly Made Flower

Trying to get my head back in the game!   Today I am rejoining my lovely ladies at Freshly Made Sketches for our new sketch.   It's a great one from my friend Jen M.   She's a master of clean-and-simple and inspires me to embrace the white space! I used some new goodies from Ellen Hutson for my card.  I an in love with that flower die!

There are a lot of great interpretations of "any shape" on the design team and I just know we will get lots of creative entries!

She really liked this one. :)   She wouldn't give it back!