A Sketch From The Greeting Farm

I have a sinus infection right now so I'm not doing any stamping since it hurts to lean forward. This is a card I made the other day. The Greeting Farm blog is doing 12 days of sketches and I really really wanted to try to do them all but I'm in so much pain right now.

This is a super old Greeting Farm digi, I don't see it on their site anymore so maybe it's retired. The sketch is by Cindy Haffner. The DP is Me and My Big Ideas. The flowers are Prima and the brad is Making Memories.

Have a great New Year's everyone!

GetSketchy Giveaway

Over at the GetSketchy blog, they are giving away some yummy yummy Basic Grey! Eeeek! I love me some Basic Grey! So, go on over the THIS post and check it out!

Also, if you wanna tell them I sent you over, that would be AWESOME! :D

Do the H{ippity} Hip Hip Hop!

So, if my title sounds familiar then you must be a mom. :) It comes from the show on Nick Jr called Freshbeat Band. But that has nothing to do with my post or card. I'm just silly.

Ok, here's my card for today using the SCS CAS challenge from last week. I used the Ippity Devoted set for this card. Now, I'm not super into making religious cards, you've probably never seen one from me but this set just speaks to me. Maybe because it has my late Grandpa's favorite verse in it. And also because the images are SUPER cute! I also used the MME paper that is offered through Ippity. Let me know if you want me to get some for you, it's SUPER cute!

Alright, don't forget to go back to the Ippity blog to see the entire list of people participating today!

Royal Monday Technique: Spotlight

Are you ready to start this week off with a Queen Kat Designs royal hop? If you just stumbled in today, go back to the QKD blog to start the hop. It's a fun one this week! We are doing the Spotlight technique. What you do is punch out an area of your image that you want highlighted, color that part and leave the rest of the image uncolored. It draws the eye in to your focus.

For my card, I used The Koi Pond stamp. Do you see how the technique really pulls the focus onto her pretty face? Not only that, but if you are intimidated by an image, you can use this technique to color a little bit. So, now you have NO excuse when it comes to buying these awesome mermaids!

And check out the sales at the Queen Kat Designs shop!

40% off QKD Stamps
40% off on all Past Kits
FREE Name & E-Mail stamp with purchase of any custom stamp
(Good today through12/31/09)
(Excludes the separates line & personalized & custom stamps)

Now hop on over to The Queen Kat shop! And pick yourself up some AWESOME sale items!

WIS Challenge: Metallics

Don't forget to check out my new challenge over at the Whimsical Ink Sorority blog! This week, the challenge is to use metallics! You can go HERE to enter and read the details! There's a prize up for grabs, so please play along!

For my card, I used the beautiful Nivia! She's so pretty. I used her a couple of weeks ago for the CAS challenge, giving her tan skin and black hair. She looked like me then. But today, with her brown hair and light skin, she looks like my WIS sister Shannon, doesn't she? This is a simple card, I'm working on my Copic coloring skills since I got some for Christmas/my birthday. The metallic paper is from DCWV. The ribbon is from Micheal's. The flower is a Prima with a generic dew drop in the center.

Also, can you see the difference in my coloring? I got some more Copics this week, a birthday present from me to me. I am having a lot of fun discovering about them and playing.

Happy Sunday everyone!

EtsyInspired #68 ~ Gypsy Rose Handbags

This week's EtsyInspired shop is Gypsy Rose Handbags. This shop has a bunch of really beautiful bags! She specializes in camera and laptop bags. What really draws me to this shop is the fun and trendy fabrics that are used. She has everything from understated to cute critters. My favorites are the ones with mixed patterns. Now, I have a DSLR camera since I used to be an assistant wedding photographer. DSLRs are all the rage right now, so this shop offers a really stylish way to tote around your camera.

To play along with this challenge, all you have to do is find any item in the Gypsy Rose Handbags shop to be inspired by. Make any creation that you would like to and post a link to the EtsyInspired #68 post on the EtsyInspired blog. Post your creation by next Friday, Jan 1 noon Pacific time to be entered in a drawing to win! Also, please remember to credit where you got your inspiration from and please mention this challenge. Can't wait to see what you made!

This week, we have an awesome sponsor! Unity Stamp Co! Woohoo! I love Unity! I'm sure you all know that! They offer deep etched red rubber that's cling mounted. They also have the CUTEST designs! The giveaway this week is one of my favorite sets! It's called Everyday Adorable.

Here's my project for this week. It was based on THIS bag. I love the bright colorful pattern. I made a gift card holder that I found on the Hero Arts blog by Jennifer McGuire. I used the Devoted Ippity set (available in my sidebar.) The DP is Me and My Big Ideas. The ribbon is from Michael's.

Please check out the DT:
Ashley (that's me)
De
Emily
Heather (on a break)
Jackie
Joy
Kelly (Dec Guest)
Kerry
Lee
Shannon
Tiffany

Merry Christmas!!

From our family to yours. We hope you all have a WONDERFUL Christmas full of joy and laughter. Hugs!

SPCC#28

Here's a little Ippity card I made for the current SPCC color challenge. The colors are pumpkin pie, bordering blue, and almost artichoke. I don't have these colors so I tried to come as close as I could.

The butterfly is from Ippity's Devoted and the sentiment is from Ippity's Simply Home (both available in my sidebar.) The DP is Basic Grey Eskimo Kisses. The ribbon is silk and from May Arts. The bling is Darice. And the Stickles on the butterfly are Orange Peel.

Joy is in the Little Things

(This post will be ALL chit chat, just a warning)

The other morning, I was just in a bad mood. I was dealing with Shingles, the kids were sick, and one of the dogs had an accident in my kitchen. I was sitting at my computer, trying to get things done with the baby next to me. Brady was off with DH. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Brady coming in and out of the room. This is something he does a lot so I pay him no mind.

Then I hear little giggles. I look over and this is what I saw. Parker in a pirate hat. Brady had come in and put it on his head. But wait! There's more. Brady was holding DH's iPhone and trying to take a picture. And tell me how you could resist not smiling when something like that happens?

Someone once told me that some of their GREATEST moments as a parent took place without them interacting with their kids at all. They would just watch as the kids would play and explore together. The kids find joy in each other and as a parent, that's the GRAIL. Those little giggles that they won't even remember will stay with me forever.

Here's the next picture. Oh, I forgot to tell you, Brady likes to walk around without a shirt on, like Daddy. :) Brady was trying to show Parker the pictures on the phone. Someday, he'll learn how to actually take the pictures. I can't wait to see what he captures of their play time!

So, as I sit here at 1am, feeling rather sorry for myself because these past few months have been rather rocky, I put up this post. To find joy within the little things. Because I am blessed. Because this (drama) too shall pass and I can't let it get in the way of my "little things."

Blog Candy

Go HERE to check out Samantha's blog candy and enter! Seriously, look at all that stuff in this picture! She's giving away this and more!

Here's some more candy links for ya:
Lacey
Hayward69

My First H{Ippity} Hop

This is my first ever Ippity hop! YAY! I'm excited to show you my project even thought it's a bit late in the month for it. I just got my Ippity stamps not too long ago and I am in love with them!

I made this project for the Ippity DT call which I (sadly) didn't make. It's an advent calendar using a mini muffin pan. Isn't that a fun idea? I found it online when looking up DIY advent calendars. You can put a little piece of candy or some fun little party favor type toy in each cup for your kids to find. I used my Marvy punches for this project and all the DP is from the DCWV Christmas stack from last year. And the stamps are from Kissmas and Mistletoe. (You can buy them from me in my sidebar to the right.)

Thanks for stopping by and if you just stumbled in, go back to the Ippity blog to check out all the blogs on today's hop! Happy Christmas week everyone! Woohoo!

Whimsical Ink Sorority Challenge: Buttons!

Don't forget to play along with the challenge I issued over at the Whimsical Ink Sorority blog this week! I made it a simple one since Christmas is rapidly approaching and I wanted everyone to still be able to play along. The challenge is to use BUTTONS! You must use at least three buttons on your creation.

This week, I used to beautiful Anemone for my card. Isn't she pretty? And she looks totally different as a blond, huh? That's one of the awesome things about Maigan's mermaid stamps, you can color them however you want and change their personality to suit your needs. The designer paper is Making Memories. And the buttons are just from my stash.

Remember, you don't have to use QKD stamps to enter the challenge, but you do get TWO entries into the contest if you do. Link your creations to the WIS challenge post by next Friday by 5pm to win.

EtsyInspired #67 ~ Kindly Noted

This week's EtsyInspired shop is Kindly Noted. This shop is ADORABLE! Their motto is "celebrating childhood", isn't that sweet? And celebrate childhood they do! They have a wide array of wall art made just for kids. Some of them can even be customized. And they have a little something for every kind of kid ie animals, vehicles, and words. You'll be sure to find just the thing for your little one's room in this shop! Beyond that, they also have calendars, family trees, and cards.

This week, Kindly Noted will be giving away TWO prints of the winner's choice as a prize! How cool is that? All you have to do to play is go to the Kindly Noted shop and pick anything you'd like to be inspired by. Making your creation and post a link to it on the EtsyInspired #67 post on the EtsyInspired blog. Please make sure to give credit of where you found your inspiration and mention this challenge in your blog post or gallery listing. We will no longer be accepting random entries without mention of the challenge in them. Have you link posted by Friday Dec 25th, noon Pacific time to be entered in to win.

This week, we also have a fun sponsor! It's FairyLand Dreams. They have really cute digi stamps and digi papers. They are offering up 3 digi stamps of the winner's choice as another prize! :) Check out their shop, they are currently having a Buy 2, Get 1 free sale.

This week, I made a little wall art myself for my project. Pretty fancy, huh? I was inspired by the Birdies Invitation Cards. It might be hard to see but there are little white birds on my layout toward the bottom. I used the Ippity set Straight From the Heart for this project. (You can purchase it from me, in my right sidebar.)

Please check out the DT:
Ashley (that's me)
De
Emily
Heather (on a break)
Jackie
Joy
Kelly (Dec Guest)
Kerry
Lee (not participating this week)
Shannon
Tiffany

FWF: Christmas Cards

Hello friends! Can you believe that Christmas is just over a week away? I most certainly cannot! I wanted to share a project with you that I made to try out for the Ippity design team. We should know today who has been chosen.

I used the Ippity set, Kissmas & Mistletoe. Super cute, huh? I also made a little matching tote to store these cards in. All the designer paper is Basic Grey Eskimo Kisses. I am in LOVE with this paper! It's gorgeous! The set uses Nesties Label 8. The ribbon is just from the cheapy floral area at Micheal's but I think it was perfect for crowning my sentiment. Sometimes you just need small ribbon. The Cuttlebug folder is Snowflakes.

Happy weekend everyone! :)

Softpencil Thursday: A Christmas Ornament

I am SO sorry I am late with today's post. Softpencil Thursdays are really one of my FAVORITE posts to do. My kids are STILL sick and my poor DH is sick. And I'm up to my eyeballs in stuff to do. Sigh... Please forgive me.

This week, we were to make Anything But a Card (ABC.) I got to use the wonderful Gorgeous Life digi stamp. Seriously, this stamp is so fun and versatile! I decided to make an ornament for my Christmas tree. As you can tell, these Mandalas lend themselves beautifully to the scalloped circle Nesties. :)

Please check out the design team, they are in my side bar. Also, to play along with the challenges and win, check out the Softpencil PCP group!

Want to Get me Something for Christmas??

You're thinking I'm gonna ask for some Copics? Nesties? Gorjuss Girls stamps? NOPE! If you are thinking about getting me anything for Christmas (or my birthday) I would like you to consider making a donation to Project 320 instead.

These amazing girls have ALREADY gotten enough money to build a well. Now, they want to build TWO wells. They aren't celebs or philanthropists, they are just moms who wanna make the world a better place and THEY ARE. That's what is just amazing me, they have ALREADY surpassed their goal.

When I was a little girl, I said that I wanted to save the world and over time my optimistic nature wore off and I became cynical. I thought that since I was just one person, I could no longer do that. But look at these six. One of them is a friend I've had for years. Just a regular person with a good heart and they have already raised enough money to give water to 390 people. If that's not saving the world, I don't know WHAT is!

And if donating to get that good feeling in your heart wasn't enough, they have a blog candy. For every $10 you donate, you get entered one time to win these AMAZING prize packs full of awesome handmade goodies! So, if you win, feel free to split the goods with me. And if you don't, you are QUITE welcome for the chance I've given you to take back that optimistic nature and start saving the world again.

Motivet's Blog Candy

Check out the adorable blog candy over at Motivet's blog. How cute are these images?

Emily's Blog Candy

So, I'm still not feeling well and neither are the kids. I'm not doing much creating but I'm around the blogosphere a little bit.

I wanted to tell you all about my friend Emily's blog candy. She's celebrating her birthday and her blogiversary. Pop on over to her blog and enter! It's awesome!

The Rusty Pickle Digi Blog Candy

The Rusty Pickle digi shop has some amazing Copic blog candy to be won! All you have to do it spend $10 in their shop to be entered to win. Go HERE for details.

Wanna Win a Box of Christmas Cheer?

Who doesn't? The Project 320 girls are at it again! They are giving away this awesome prize pack. All you have to do is spread the word about their wonderful cause, a dream to build a well. :)

If you're a regular reader on my blog, you already know what Project 320 is but if not, I'll explain. These amazing gals are trying to raise just $5000 to build a well in Africa. This one well would help an entire community in Africa. We really take for granted simple things like clean water. So, go back to Project 320 on Dec 14 because they are going to build a well and they need our help! They will be "raffling" off amazing prize packs donated to them by loving people. $10 will get you an entry into the prize pack of your choice.

Happy Sunday everyone!

Whimsical Ink Sorority Challenge: Bright and Bold

Did you all see the NEW challenge I issued over at the Whimsical Ink blog? It's a fun one! The challenge is to use bright and bold colors on your creation. How fun, right? Especially right now when most people are using wintery colors, it's a nice break. Please keep in mind that you don't have to use Queen Kat Designs stamps to play along with this challenge, but if you do, you get entered into the drawing twice.

For my card, I used to beautiful Evangeline. I colored her and then added some Fruit Punch and Orange Peel Stickles to her. Then I used some fun pink paper from my stash. It's summery, huh? Kind of like a little vacation. ;)

Now, please go HERE and play along with this fun challenge! One lucky person will get the mermaid stamp of their choice.

EtsyInspired #66 ~ Marmar

This week's EtsyInspired shop is Marmar. Ummm, talk about cute people! I know I say it a lot but I really really love this shop! The illustrations are so adorable and then to make them into jewelry really takes it to a whole different level. I am so in love with these little critters. They are as sweet as it gets! There's also fun tongue in cheek type stuff too for people who are a little more edgy. Plus, there's super fun zodiac stuff as well. This shop offers art prints, necklaces, earrings, bracelets, and rings. Perfect for gift giving, hint hint!

This week, Mark of Marmar has this adorable prize for you all to win. It's a Mother/Daughter Rabbit necklace set. SO cute! I wanna win but I can't. Have I told you guys how unfair that is?!? All you have to do to be entered to win is pick any item in the Marmar shop to be inspired by. Then make any creation that you'd like and link it to the EtsyInspired #66 post on the EtsyInspired blog by Friday Dec 18, noon Pacific time. Winners will be chosen that day.

Not only that, but we have a wonderful sponsor this week as well! The Character Cafe is sponsoring. They have adorable digi stamps! So, one lucky winner will win THREE digi stamps of their choice! The Character Cafe has supplied the EtsyInspired team with some digis this week so you can see how CUTE the stamps are!

Here's my card for this week. These Night Owl Little Charm Earrings as my inspiration. I know it's a loose interpretation but I love penguins and they are both birds. :) I used Pax Penguin for my card. This card is also for the week's Taylored Expressions card sketch.

Please check out the DT:
Ashley (that's me)
De
Emily
Heather
Jackie
Joy
Kelly (Dec Guest)
Kerry
Lee
Shannon
Tiffany

FWF on a Gloomy Day

I guess, the weather has kind of sucked my mojo out of me. That and the shingles and the family issues. Enough sad though, I hope you all are doing well! :)

I made this super CAS card. I am not liking the colors anymore though, so drab. But yesterday and today are crazy days so I just don't think I'll get a chance to re-make anything. Anyhow, this uses the Ippity set Kissmas and Mistletoe.

Hope you all have a great day!

FWF Gonna Be Late

I'm sorry. I had a Christmas party tonight and I TOTALLY forgot that tomorrow is Friday. Whoops! I'll have my post up later on.

Softpencil Thursday: Favorite Christmas Colors

Oh Softpencil Thursday, how I've MISSED you! All sorts of stuff has been going on at Softpencil while I was MIA. I am so sorry I haven't been posting, I've been so drained with the family issues then the shingles. I was mostly just posting things I'd already made. But I'm back! :)

So, this week we were given We Wish You a Merry Christmas to work with. Isn't it cute? It reminds me of a Christmas photo card with the whole family standing out front. I love it! The challenge was to use your favorite Christmas color combo to make a card. I used traditional green and red.

Don't forget to check out the DT, they are in my sidebar to the left! There's so new people too! :D And to play along with our challenge, check out the Softpencil PCP group!

Exciting News :)

After tons of deliberation, I finally decided to sign up for Ippity Stamps as a consultant. I really needed a good way to make a few extra dollars and I'm hoping to have some home parties, do some events in my town, and maybe even some crops. Now, I haven't had much luck with home based business in the past but I am in LOVE with Unity Stamps, which I'm sure you know. So, from now on, you can buy your Ippity Stamps directly from me! Everything is in my sidebar to the right. :)

Here's a look at everything currently in the line. They are sooo cute! I love them!

Click photos to enlarge!

Our Christmas Card

So, I haven't been crafting lately. Well, not in the traditional way I guess. I did however design our Christmas card for this year. I just simply CANNOT mass produce that many Christmas cards. Plus, I think that people like seeing pics of the kids so I do a photo card.

I'm pretty much in love with this card. The pictures are by my friend Amy of Amy Leigh Photography. Well, except the one in the lower left hand corner, that was my step dad. Dustin did help a little with this card. But only a little. :)

Happy Wednesday everyone!

Project 320 One Sheet Wonder

First off, I need to give a BIG shout out to Sandra Wingate! I used her one sheet wonder template to make this charity card set and let me tell you, it made my life SOOOO much easier! So, thank you Sandra!

Remember how I posted about Project 320 the other day? This is the card set that I sent them for their blog candy. Get ready people! On Dec 14, they will start this AMAZING blog candy! A $10 donation to help build a well in Africa will get you an entry into the drawing. You can choose which prize pack you want to be entered for. It will be VERY exciting and hopefully, we can help the Project 320 girl reach the $5000 goal and build that well! :)

On a side note, I MUST toot my own horn again. Savitri Wilder's daughter M picked my card to be in her favorites from her last sketch. :) Thanks M! You rock! You can see the post HERE.