Cool Day Bear

I thought I'd share the one card I was able to get a good picture of today.  I have several others that I just can't get photographed well, but the sun is finally coming out so maybe in a couple more hours!  That rain we've been having makes it tough to get a decent picture.   This card is for the MFT Card Challenges sketch challenge.  I am so in love the polar bears from Cool Day.  I am totally using them for cards all year so that I have some winter cards to mail out. I failed on getting Christmas cards mailed, so I'm going to switch to just making winter ones.  Surely I can get those sent since I have 3 months to do so. lol

I hope everyone had a good holiday.  Ours wasn't so great, but it is just normal for things to be that way lately.   Laila is having a lot of issues and it just makes things frustrating and difficult.  I am putting her in play therapy next month and we are doing an evaluation through the school to see if there's something there they can help with.   She is almost more than we can handle these days and we've found that it's not just us. The teachers at Mother's Day Out have a hard time as well.   We go and get her from there early now because it's too much for them to keep her all day.   I'm at a loss, so fingers crossed that the professionals can help.  Most people say she's just really really smart, but it's much more than that.   Sigh. 

Santa was still good to her and she got a train table.  She loves it and has played and played.  It keeps her busy and the tantrums/screaming aren't quite as frequent while she's playing.  I am hoping it will allow me to catch up on the house since I'm so behind and it's making me nuts.   I am ready for the tree and pine needles to go away!   I don't know if we'll do a real tree again or not.  lol  SO, MUCH. MESS.  

Okay, I'm off to finish up my bit of cleaning and figure out what we will be having for lunch.   I hope you are having a good Monday! 

I Chews You

Finally getting this poor card posted!  I made it last week and didn't like it so I kept looking at it and then finally pulled it apart and changed it up some yesterday.  I've had a migraine today and have barely felt like doing anything, so here it is the evening!   This is from a cute set from Two Paper Divas called I Chews You.  Is it not the cutest?!  I love gumball machines!   I couldn't get a good picture for some reason, but I think you can still see how adorable it is.

How cute are these two?   A rare moment of them being nice and not fighting!  I swear they are siblings!

Happy Mail

Greetings!   Pardon any typos.  I'm typing with a puppy "helper" and it's not easy.  lol   Today is our new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches.  It's a bit different, but I swear I wasn't drinking when I sent it in.  Ha!  For my card I made one using this cute new bear from Stamping Bella.   I needed a card to give our mailman with his cookies I got him so I thought a bear holding a letter might be cute for that.  He works hard delivering the Amazon Prime packages we get a lot, so why not be nice to him, right?  :)  He saves me any trips to the store for things by bringing them.

See?  Kinda crazy, but you can interpret it many ways so give it a shot!  :)  You can do it!  

I'm off to watch an episode of Private Practice before Jason gets home.  It's my new Hulu addiction.  I think I'm up to season three now.  

Bloom Wildly

I am so behind on stamping and posting.   I have been so exhausted lately.  I think it's to the point that I need to go have some blood work done to make sure nothing is off.  I did manage to use this gorgeous watering can from the last Two Paper Divas release.  It is called Bloom Wildly and I think that's just a perfect name and a great motto for life. The sentiment is from Everyday Sentiments 3 and there are so many great ones in that set!

Laila got to ride in the car cart at the grocery store when we went to get all our Thanksgiving fixings earlier this week.  Can you tell how much she LOVED it?  lol  So silly.

Off to get a coffee so I can stay up until a reasonable hour.  I don't think 4pm is a time for bed even though I could easily go to sleep!

Moon Cat for FMS

Happy Wednesday!   It's Freshly Made Sketches day and I'm sharing my card with the fabulous Amy's new sketch.   It's a great one again and I think you'll enjoy creating with it.   I know I did.  I had this adorable Penny Black stamp for a while now and decided to ink it up and color it for the challenge.  I love cat stamps almost as much as coffee stamps, so this one makes me happy!

There are many ways to interpret this one and the design team has some great ideas for you!  Be sure to check those out!   Happy Stamping!   

TPD Halloween Cupcake

I started this poor card days ago but just managed to finish it today.   One of the Hope You Can Cling To challenges was all about ombre, so I made a fun purple background with that effect.   For some reason, (Halloween?) I decided to pair it with green.   Don't you think this would be a fun birthday card for someone with a Halloween birthday?!   I love this Large Cupcake set from Two Paper Divas and find myself reaching for it way too much.  I love to color it!   Melissa and Gayla really did a great job on this set.  :)    I paired it with a sentiment from Banners #2.


I've been out of commission for a few days.   Laila has a cold and isn't sleeping so it's been rough going.   I think I was awake most of Sunday night and what I did sleep was in her floor and her recliner.  Boy does that make you feel old and broke down the next day.  lol  She did better last night and Jason as kind enough to take over night duties and give her meds.  We've had to watch her fever to avoid any febrile seizures.  Two is enough and I hope we don't have to see her go through one again. In fact, this time of day it is usually the highest so I'm off to do a check and see if it's time for more medicine!  Have a great week and I hope to be back to stamping more soon!

Harry Potter Rocks!

One of my former coworkers is a huge Harry Potter fan like myself, so I looked around online to find a digital image to make a card for her.  Bugaboo Stamps has a bunch of really cool images based on different books and this is the one I ended up getting.  I LOVE it!  Now I need to go get more of them!   :)  Professor Snape for sure and maybe some of the Wizard of Oz ones for a friend who loves that movie!  It's it fun to personalize your cards for the person you are sending them to?  I love doing that!

I don't think you can tell, but I added some Crystal Effects to his glasses and some Wink of Stella to the stars.    I can't wait to go mail it!  She lives near me, so it should get there pretty quickly.  

My little stamping buddy crashed out on me while I was working on my card.  :)    Everyone seems to be feeling some better, but Jason did catch whatever it is I'm fighting off.  I feel some better today, but I still am not 100%.   My mom comes soon, so I hope we are all feeling better so we can enjoy her visit!

Sparkly Coffee

When I saw the new challenge at Sparkle and Shine I knew I wanted to play along.  I don't get to do as many challenges as I used to, but I enjoy it when I can find time.   I haven't played along with this one yet, so I'm happy to finally get to do that.   :)   I love this coffee set from Create a Smile stamps and thought it would be a fun way to show off some green!  I'll probably add a little Starbucks gift card and send it off to a friend.

Today has been a good day.  Laila is still fighting a fever, but she's been playing and eating okay.   I hope she can sleep well tonight and kick whatever it is that's causing her to be sick.  We'll be giving her medicine all night again, so it will be another long night for us.   I'd rather do that than take a chance of another seizure though.   I was told they usually stop being at risk for febrile seizures around age five, so I'll be happy when we get there.   Here's her in her dance clothes on Monday.  So cute!  :)

You're Spectacular

I'm a bit late with my Freshly Made Sketches post, but I did make a card!  :)  Jen T. made a fabulous sketch that I had to find time to play along with.  Thankfully my card came together quickly and easily.  I love this fun stamp set and coordinating dies from My Favorite Things.  So much fun, especially for folks like me who wear glasses.

I had a bit of fun with my glasses.  I covered them in Crystal Effects and then sprinkled black glitter on top.  They are sparkly and so cool in person!   I love using black and white sometimes for a card, so I stuck with those and only added a couple rhinestones for some bling.  

Yesterday was one heck of a day.   Laila had Mother's Day Out and I was super excited to have some time alone.   I did for a few hours, but then the school called to tell me she had a seizure and I needed to come quickly.   I got there in time to ride with the ambulance to the ER.  It was a febrile seizure and after testing, we still have no idea what caused her to spike a fever so fast.   The doctor said it was probably viral like the last one she had a couple years ago.   We were up and down all night making sure she was okay and she's her usual self today.   It's funny how fast kids bounce back..and how slow adults are to feel like it's all okay again.   

Two Paper Divas Encouragement

I've become a big fan of Instagram and have made some nice crafty friends over there.   One of them has been going through some issues similar to mine, so I wanted to make a little card to send her.  I used a few sets from Two Paper Divas:  Wanna Hang Out, Large Cupcake Accessories, Mason Jar Accessories #4.   I love putting images from multiple sets together to make a card.   :)  

Things have been going okay here so far this weekend.   I am feeling some better, just a little worried about some family members who are struggling/sick.   Laila has a stuffy nose and didn't sleep the best on Friday night, so we are all a little tired.  I'm thankful that tomorrow is a holiday and that Jason is off work.  I'm hoping we can all rest tonight.  

New House for Two Paper Divas

Feels like ages since I've posted!   The past week has just been crazy.   Laila is getting ready to start Mother's Day Out and a dance class soon so I've been getting ready for that.  I also did my first day of volunteering at the county animal shelter and that just wore me out.  My first day just happened to be one of if not THE busiest days ever there!   I was exhausted after I got home!    I did finally find time to make my Two Paper Divas card, but getting a picture and blogging it didn't happen quickly either.  More on that in a bit.  A good friend just bought a new house, so I just had to use the new My Neighborhood stamp set.  I also used a digital set of stamps called Everyday Sentiments for my congratulations.  Simple and cute!

Now on to why it's been an eventful week...

I saw this sweet girl in the kennels on Saturday and thought she was just the cutest thing.  Even though 73 animals found homes, she did not.   I thought about her and thought about her and yesterday we went to see her.  She's been a little sick this week, but I just heard this evening that she's feeling better.  Once she has been spayed, she will be joining our family.   I just couldn't stand the idea of her not making it out of the shelter and had to step up.   I know I can't do that every time I find a sweet dog during my volunteer time, but a life saved is always a good thing.  We are going to name her Sadie.  :)

Cupcake for Two Paper Divas

I'm pretty sure I will never be on time or get things done when I plan ever again.  lol   I'm finally sitting down to post my card for Two Paper Divas this week.  It was release week and they have some fun new stuff!   I needed a birthday card for my niece so I grabbed the new Large Cupcake stamp and colored it with my Copics to match a sheet of patterned paper.   I kept it simple as I really wanted the cupcake to shine.  It's so cute and yummy!   The sentiment comes from another set, Masor Jar Accessories #4.

I also made it to play along with another Dare to Get Dirty challenges at Splitcoast.  The deadline to enter is tomorrow and I'm bummed that I wasn't able to do more.   I did enjoy the ones I did make, so that is all that matters, right?

My parents sent Laila some money so she was so excited to go shopping.  She loves trains and picked this Thomas playset.  She had a blast with it and played and played.  It looked boring to me, but she loves it and that's all that matters.   I've been getting all her stuff together so she can start Mother's Day Out next month.  I am hoping we all benefit from her going two days a week.  Jason and I need a break and she is looking forward to playing with other kids.  I'm just not sure she quite gets that we won't be there.   I also signed her up for a little dance class.  Lots of new stuff!   :)

Sew Freshly Made

Welcome to Wednesday and Freshly Made Sketches.   Cindy L. is our hostess and I am in love with the sketch she created.   If you check out the design team blog, you can see why!  It can be used so many different ways and looks good in all of them!   :)  I combined it with another of the Dare to Get Dirty challenges and the Paper Smooches SPARKS challenge.

Come play along with us this week!   And mark your calendars for a big celebration on our 200th sketch!   It's only two weeks away!  

Two Paper Divas Strawberries

I'm so sorry that this didn't post yesterday.  I don't know what I did, but I messed up my post somehow.  I didn't notice until this morning and I haven't had time to sit down and redo it until this evening.  So, so sorry!    

This is my card for Two Paper Divas this week and it uses the Large Seed Packet stamp along with Seed Packet Accessories #1.  I wanted to combine my design team card with another of the Dare to Get Dirty challenges, so this one uses a challenge presented by Dina.   I don't know how many of the challenges I'll actually get done, but it's always fun to play along.

Stamps:  Two Paper Divas Large Seed Packet, Seed Packet Accessories #1
Ink:  Memento Black, Copics
Paper: Neenah Solar White, miscellaneous designer paper
Embellishments:  Stampin' Up! Daffodil Delight ribbon, $1 bin enamel dots

Yesterday was my sweet Eli's birthday.  It's hard to believe he would have been seven now.   It was a hot day, but we took him a balloon, some flowers, a new wind chime, and bubbles.   And tears.  Lots of tears.  

Two Paper Divas Bee Happy

Today I am sharing a card using a new set I got from Two Paper Divas called Bee Happy.  It's so cute!!!  I loved coloring the hive and adding in my cute little bees.   I kept it simple to show off the hexagon embossing and my little bees hiding in that.  Buzz!   Now I have a cute little card I can send off to a friend this week!  Yay!

Someone isn't happy if a car leaves the house and she's not in it.   Yesterday I had to go grocery shopping and promised her a surprise if she'd stay home with daddy.   I have had a magnifying glass on my to-find list forever and the grocery store had one in the school supply section!  Perfect!   She has had a blast with it!   I love encouraging her to explore and learn.  

Simon Says Owl

Simon Says Stamp has a fun challenge going on right now.  It's for shaped cards!  I had this cute owl die in my stash that I hadn't used yet, so it seemed like the perfect time to pull it out.  It was pretty fun to put together and has already been claimed by Laila.  :)

She still loves carousels.   There was a big meltdown over it last week, but she had fun when she did ride it.   It makes me a bit motion sick, but seeing her smile and have fun is worth getting on with her.

Peppermints for TPD

Greetings.  Sorry it's been a while.  It's been a week of many changes and headaches and I haven't had a chance to get my blog posts written.   Today's card is from this month's release at Two Paper Divas and it's another Christmas in July.   I put the new and awesome Peppermints stamp in my Large Mason Jar and tied it up with a bow a button.   I had some candy designer paper in my stash and it seemed to work out perfectly.  The sentiment is from the new Holiday Sentiments set that you saw me use last week.  It is such a great set!

Laila had a big week that was both good and bad.   She's been doing great about using the potty and has earned some new Hot Wheels for her efforts.  She also got to have her crib made into a "big girl bed" and that is going well so far too.   The past three days have been super rough and left Jason and I both in tears, so I don't know what's going on with her.  I don't know if it's all the new changes or being three...  Just a difficult time for us all.  I'm dreading him going back to work tomorrow because if we have another day like today, I will probably go insane.  This too shall pass... 

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!   

Scary Owls for TPD

Happy July 4th!    The fireworks are starting here, so I wanted to get up post up in case my girl woke back up.   She was up super early today, so I'm hoping she will sleep through them.  Fingers and toes crossed!    I decided to do a little Halloween card with the new Hooters stamp from Two Paper Divas.   I got a bit out of control on this one.   I did my watercolor/distress ink background, colored the owls with my Copics, added Glossy Accents to the owls' eyes and the BOO!, and then added a bunch of stitched rectangle die cut mats.   It's probably too much, but it was fun!  :) And it's PURPLE!

 Jason and I aren't fans of watermelon, so we don't really buy it.   Laila has a book from the library about a watermelon-eating alligator (or crocodile) and she asked for some this week.  We got her one and she ate all of this piece.  She hasn't seemed to want it since, so I'm thinking it's not her favorite either. :)

Happy Independence Day to my American peeps!

Sailing Away (I wish!)

Happy Wednesday! And Happy July!   We've made it to the middle of the week and the middle of the  year.  Woo Hoo!  I'm happy to say that as yesterday was a super crappy day for me and my girl.  We survived, but man!  Those threes might just be worse than the twos and we just got started!  Anyway...  I'm the hostess/designer/thingamajigger at Freshly Made Sketches this week and I hope you like the sketch I came up with.   I did a wee bit (okay, a lot) of stretching of the sketch for my card.  My card kit from Simon Says Stamp came and I just had to use it!   It is such a fun one and I love how my card turned out!   I can't wait to ink it up again soon!

You can see all the elements of the sketch in my card, right?  Yeah!   lol  I love what the rest of the team did, so be sure you hop over and see their amazing creations as well.  

I'm pretty sure that blowing out the candles is Laila's favorite part of her birthday parties.  :)    She was quite happy that she got the strawberry cake she asked for.  Jason and I aren't the best cake makers, but we worked together to make her a homemade one.