"Think Pink" card and publication!

I made this card at the weekend - it's for a couple of challenges over on Splitcoast Stampers: the weekly sketch challenge on the MFT forum, and an "oldies but goodies" challenge to use some of the older MFT sets AND no patterned paper (yikes!) - so here's my card using "Think Pink" :) The two friends, the sentiment and the ribbons are all part of the set, which you can check out here. I figured this was a good card to make for National Breast Cancer Awareness Month (October).

I also got an advance copy of "Just Cards - Volume 11" from Scrap & Stamp Arts yesterday - and I have 6 cards in there! Yahoo! One of them is another "Think Pink" card - and you can see part of it on the top left corner of the cover photograph :) I looked through the whole issue last night and it is filled with great card ideas!

TCP Tuesday :)

It's TCP Tuesday again...and this week Ana is filling in for Leigh with the sketch challenge. Hop over and check out the fabulous sketch! Hope you can play along :) My photo is a little dark, but it does show the shine of the paper and the Stickles, so I hope you can get the idea of how festive the card looks...

I used TCP's "Singing Pooches" stamp :) The patterned paper is by SEI ("Poppy" collection), and the foam snowflakes are from my kids' craft stash!

Have a fantastic day! Time for me to go and get ready for work...

Let's Go for a Walk

This is week 3 of the "Who's That Girl?" challenges that I'm hosting with Laura over on the MFT forum of Splitcoast Stampers. My card was made using the "Let's Go for a Walk" set with some paper by Basic Grey (Urban Couture collection). I also used my flower punches to make a layered embellishment for the top corner after coloring the image with my Copics.

Have a fantastic Monday! I'll be back tomorrow for TCP Tuesday :)

Driving to and from the gym this morning...

So proud!

This is very cool - my super blogging friend and fellow TCP DT member Karrie has had some of her owl sketches made into rubber stamps by Odd Bird Planet :) I got mine a few weeks ago and finally got the chance to ink them up this weekend while working on Tracy's sketch challenge! I also used The Cat's Pajamas' "Happy Everything" sentiment.

Karrie, I am so very proud of you! Way to go!! :)

Magical Christmas

Here's another card made with the new stamps I showed in yesterday's post :) I colored the image with colored pencils and blended it with Gamsol (odorless mineral spirits) before adding some silver Stickles glitter glue. Patterned paper by American Crafts...

What are your weekend plans? On Saturday Iain and Nattie are going to check out the location of the 6th grade outdoor lab (the 6th graders go away for a whole week in October!) and Jamie and I will stay home - hopefully I can get a little stamping done to prepare for my MFT and TCP challenges early next week! I also have some magazine submissions to write up :) Not sure what Sunday holds for us yet, but we've all had a very busy week so I won't be upset if we hang out at home together...

Have a great weekend, whatever you're up to!

Did you see this?

Alma has a special deal for the new stamps released today - just $39 for 3 sets of Clearly Swanky Stamps! That's a savings of $15 through October 10. Get your Kitty Kat Pack right here!!

A Very Fairy Christmas!

Check out these fairies coming tomorrow from TCP! I have thoroughly enjoyed working with these ones...they are tons of fun for coloring, as you can see!

Just one day to go....

and then The Cat's Pajamas will release the 3 new sets of stamps :) This ATC was made with the new Halloween set - isn't the little witch sweet??

(Patterned paper and ribbon by Cosmo Cricket)

WE HAVE A BLOG CANDY WINNER!!

Here we go....

Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:15
Timestamp: 2008-09-25 06:00:28 UTC

This means that the winner of the "Aaargh! Piratey!" blog candy is Linda!! Yeah, Linda!! CONGRATS!! I'm so excited for you! I know you love to make cards as much as I do, so these stamps are going to be put to a lot of use! Enjoy!

Shiver Me Timbers!

Just 3 days until the release of 3 new sets of stamps from The Cat's Pajamas :) The rest of the DT gals and I have had tons of fun with these sets; you'll see on Friday (and probably through the sneak peeks) that there are some exciting new additions to the TCP line! Yeah! And just in time for the holiday cardmaking season :) The card on the right is another one from the "Aaargh! Piratey!" set; the patterned paper is by Cosmo Cricket (the "Haunted" collection).

So, what's been going on here? Well...

• work is great - I really love working in the kindergarten class for 2 of my 4 hours at school. The kiddos are so eager to learn and are just so enthusiastic about being at school; it's all new and exciting to them. The teacher has welcomed me with open arms, and I learn a lot from her each and every day about kids' learning skills, development, and how to teach these little ones!
• I finished one of my 2 required math classes! Woo hoo! I have a 2-week break until my next math class (I decided to get them both out of the way at the same time), so I plan on making the most of the next couple of weeks :)
• tonight the kids and I went to Math Night at school...the kids in kindergarten, 1st grade and 2nd grade all got to learn new math-oriented games to play at home which will in turn help the kiddos practice and learn their math facts. We also visited the book fair which is always popular in our house...we came home with a huge bag of new books and Jamie and I read his new "Spiders" book at bedtime.
  

TCP Tuesday - Stamp Challenge :)

Hi there! It's TCP Tuesday :) And this week it's my turn to host the Stamp Challenge...so I've decided we're going to use stamps with images of the most fabulous cat - Sprinkle!! Yep, pull out any TCP stamp featuring Sprinkle and get busy creating!! The keyword for uploading to Splitcoast for this challenge is TCPTUES26...and remember, you might get lucky and be chosen as the next Swanky Stamper! Leave a comment here with a link to your card so that we can find your creation and feature it in Alma's Holey Moley Monday slideshow!

While you're visiting, jump over to Alma's blog right here and read about the sweeeet deal she'll have on the 3 new sets being released on Friday. In addition to the Pirate set there will also be 2 other sets of brand new TCP images! Yeah! You will be wowed by these ones! Keep checking in here and with the other members of the DT (blogs linked over on the left) for sneak peeks throughout the week!

For my TCP Tuesday card this week I used the Cat and Flower stamp from TCP. The patterned paper is by We R Memory Keepers and for the scalloped edge I used my new "Threading Water" punch :) And the layout is from Tracy's weekly sketch challenge on her blog...check it out here!

Who's That Girl? Monday Challenge

I'm hosting Week 2 of the "Who's That Girl?" challenges over on the MFT forum of Splitcoast Stampers...this week I challenged stampers to use the "Time for the Bubbly" set, the color blue, 4 brads, and 1 piece of ribbon. The stampers are definitely rising to the occasion!

For my card I used patterned paper by Die Cuts with a View, Copic markers and a piece of ribbon from my stash. The brads are by Basic Grey.

Stop by tomorrow for TCP Tuesday - and don't forget to add your comment to my post from Saturday for your chance to win my blog candy! :)

Getting to know me (and you!)...

I found this on Janet's blog...I filled in my answers - feel free to copy and paste on your blog with your answers so that I can learn more about you! Enjoy! The theory is that you will learn a lot of little things about your friends that you might not have known!

1. What time did you get up this morning? 8:30am
2. Diamonds or pearls? Diamonds - but just little ones
3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? "Fly Me To The Moon" 3-D with Nattie and Jamie this afternoon
4. What is your favorite TV show? The Amazing Race (Season 14 starts in a week!)
5. What do you usually have for breakfast? Recently Kellogg's "Smart Start" cereal and my Earl Grey tea :)
6. What is your middle name? Don't have one
7. What food do you dislike? Creamy, cheesy sauces (it's a texture thing...)
8. What is your favorite CD at moment? The older Matchbox Twenty CDs
9. What kind of car do you drive? Infiniti QX56
10.Favorite sandwich? Ham, cheese, and Branston Pickle (a British addition to sandwiches!)11.What characteristic do you despise? Dishonesty
12.Favorite item of clothing? Jammies!
13.If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go? Alaska
14.Favorite brand of clothing? I’m not brand sensitive!
15.Where would you retire to? I'd stay here in the mountains for summer and fall, then go to the beach for winter and spring! LOL! I can dream, right?
16.What was your most recent memorable birthday? December 2006 when I turned 35; we had a huge snowstorm after driving home from my surprise trip to the spa, and we were so grateful to have our new car which was better equipped for getting us home in the deep snow!
17.Favorite sport to watch? Ice skating
18.Farthermost place you are sending this? n/a, since this is a blog post
19.Person you expect to send it back first? I bet Patti and Sue will play along!
20.When is your birthday? December
21.Are you a morning person or a night person? Morning person...once I'm out of bed :)
22.What is your shoe size? 9
23.Pets? Dog - Tasha; Cats - Pickle, Sally, Aspen, Bailey
24.Any new and exciting news you'd like to share with us? I get my first paycheck this Friday! Woo hoo! Taking hubby out for dinner :)
25.What did you want to be when you were little? An interpreter
26.How are you today? Doing well; had a great weekend and am ready for work tomorrow :) 27.What is your favorite candy? Cadbury's Dairy Milk Chocolate (the proper kind, made in the U.K.)
28.What is your favorite flower? Carnations
29.What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to? None in partcular right now...just going with the flow!
30.What are you listening to right now? The dishwasher
31.What was the last thing you ate? A mini candy bar with the cup of tea Iain made me earlier tonight
32.Do you wish on stars? No
33.If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Periwinkle
34.How is the weather right now? Cold and dark - it's about 40 out there tonight
35.The first person you spoke to on the phone today? Didn't speak to anyone on the phone today!
36.Favorite soft drink? Sprite
37.Favorite restaurant? A place in San Francisco called the Indian Oven
38.Real hair color? Brown with 75% gray... :(
39.What was your favorite toy as a child? Coloring books and a set of new markers!
40.Summer or winter? Fall :)
41.Hugs or kisses? hugs
42.Chocolate or Vanilla? Vanilla :)
43.Coffee or tea? Tea all the way!
44.Do you want your friends to email you back? Absolutely - I want my blog friends to play along!
45.When was the last time you cried? On the first day of school - it happens every year :)
46.What is under your bed? Cat fur, dog fur :)
47.What did you do last night? Stayed home, had bacon sandwiches for dinner and watched TV with Iain and the kiddos
48.What are you afraid of? Cancer
49.Salty or sweet? Salty
50.How many keys on your key ring? 2 - car key and house key
51.How many years at your current job? 1 month as a paraprofessional; 4 years of design team work
52.Favorite day of the week? Saturday :)
53.How many towns have you lived in? About 8
54.Do you make friends easily? No, I wish I did though...

Summit Lake

These photos were taken yesterday at Summit Lake, not far from the top of Mount Evans. It was 44 degrees there...no wonder the kiddos look a bit chilly! :)

Drive to Mount Evans

We went for a drive to the Mount Evans area yesterday; it's only about 45 minutes from our house so it was perfect for a day trip with the kiddos. The photo on the left was taken about halfway there - you can see there's snow up on the highest mountains! The photo on the right is when we were almost at Summit Lake; the lake behind Jamie is called Echo Lake. Summit Lake is as far as cars can go after Labor Day.

It's time...

for some more new releases from The Cat's Pajamas - I made this clock with a kit from Kaiser Craft (an Australian company) and used a bunch of the images from the new "Arrrgh! Piratey!" set that will be released on Friday :) Aren't they great??? The other DT gals have also created some amazing pieces for you to see throughout the week, so check their blogs too (linked over on the left).

And, it's time for BLOG CANDY!! I have a set of these stamps for one lucky winner - and all you have to do for a chance to win is leave a comment in response to this post...telling me your favorite time of day to craft (keeping along with the clock theme here)...so, what are you waiting for? Good luck!!

You have until midnight MST on Wednesday 9/24 to enter.

Arrrrgh! Piratey!

Did you know...that one week from today there will be some more brand new releases from The Cat's Pajamas? Yep! 3 more sets of fun and fabulous stamps - and I hear there will once again be some BLOG CANDY up for grabs, courtesy of Alma :) So stay tuned...I'll be back this weekend with all the details - and the sneak peeks will begin!

MFT Sketch Challenge - and Hearts Galore!

Today's card is one I made to cover two MFT challenges :) It's for Frances' (StampOwl's) sketch challenge and for tomorrow's "Oldies Plus Goodies" challenge to use the "Hearts Galore" set from MFT :)

Patterned paper is by 7 gypsies; brad by Die Cuts With A View.

Today I'm working until 1, then heading to the gym, and off to the doctor's for a quick visit for some prescription refills. And tomorrow - the kids and I have no school!! The teachers have a training day, but the rest of us get the day off :) And I will be...STAMPING!

A busy week for animal viewing :)

Look who's stopped by in the last couple of days! We noticed that the fox's colors have changed; he/she must be getting a winter coat :) We see a fox nearly every day, around the same time. Last night he/she jumped over the edge of the deck (you can see it on one of the photos) and came right up to the sliding door! The deer are so pretty; there were 9 all out in the yard together the other day when I took these photos! Mostly grown females but also several youngsters.

Have a fantastic Wednesday!

TCP Tuesday!

Hi everyone! It's time for a color challenge :) Katie is our Hostess with the Mostess this week, and you can check out all the details on her blog. Since the colors screamed "Fall" to me, I picked one of TCP's Halloween images for my card - it's called "Ghostly Sprinkle". The "Spoooky" sentiment is also a TCP stamp...isn't it fun??

I hope you can play along this week and get in the mood for Fall with the rest of the TCP DT gals! Don't forget to check out their creations too...their blogs are listed over on the left. Happy Tuesday!

15 years!

Iain and I are celebrating our 15th anniversary today! We got married on September 15th, 1993, at the Queen Street Registry Office in Edinburgh, Scotland. Our wedding was very small, just a dozen guests. The wedding was originally planned for December of that year but we brought it forward when Iain got offered the job in San Diego. Within a couple of weeks after our wedding, we were living in sunny California! A great way to start married life :)

Since we got married, we have:

• lived in 2 countries (U.K. and U.S.)


• lived in 4 states (CA, FL, MA, and CO)


• lived in 12 apartments/houses (yikes!)


• had 7 pets (6 cats, 1 dog)


• had 2 healthy kiddos


• had our ups and downs


• had lots of fun!

Who's That Girl? Challenge

Laura and I are so excited to bring you the first week of our regular "Who's That Girl?" challenge! This week we're challenging you to use MFT's "Rain or Shine" set - and to add some bling! The challenge will be held at MFT's Forum on Splitcoast Stampers - and if you're going to upload to the gallery there, be sure to use keyword MFTWTG1 so that we can find your work :) For my card, I used "Rain or Shine" along with patterned paper by SEI ("Citrus Kick"). My bling is Stickles and rhinestones! I colored the image with colored pencils and blended the color with Gamsol (odorless mineral spirits).

Have an awesome Monday!

Thank You, Shirley!

Check out the blog award I received from my blogging friend Shirley!! If you haven't visited Shirley's blog before, take a hop over there and say hi - she has the most beautiful cards, and always takes great detail shots of her work :) Tell her I sent you!

And....I would like to pass the award on to some of my favorite fellow bloggers: Noelia, Maria, Karrie, and Janet. Enjoy, ladies! :)

New Challenges :)

Hi there, I wanted to let you know that the MFT Design Team is going to be hosting some challenges over at the MFT Forum on Splitcoast Stampers :) The fun starts this Monday, September 13th. I'll be teaming up with Laura Canale on Mondays - we'll be hosting a different "Who's That Girl?" challenge each week. And other MFT gals will be hosting challenges on other weekdays, so you're bound to be able to find something you can play along with!

Mondays: Play along with Who’s That Girl?
Tuesdays: Find out more about MFT crew and fans on Thread Starter Tuesday
Wednesdays at 9pm EST: Chat it up MFT style!
Thursday: Get a little sketchy
Friday: a little Oldie PLUS Goodie

MFT Sketch Challenge card

I made this card for this week's Sketch Challenge at the MFT forum on Splitcoast Stampers :) I used the new "Chamomile" image from MFT, and patterned paper by Sweetwater. The flowers are Primas.

How's your week going? I worked some extra hours at the school on Monday and Tuesday while the teachers did some testing on the kids. I am really enjoying working there, and have had some super-positive experiences helping kids with different things :) The principal also asked me to represent the paraprofessionals on the school development committee, so I'll be attending my first meeting tonight to learn more!

Fall is definitely in the air here...temperatures are fluctuating a lot! One day we'll be in the 70s and the next we can be in the 50s! Earlier this week (I think it was Monday), the high was just 44 degrees! I checked back at my photos from last year to see when it started snowing. We got a dusting of snow on 10/7/07, and then the following week there was another storm where we got several inches...so the first snow of the year isn't far away...

I hope you have a great Thursday! Catch you all tomorrow!

TCP Tuesday!

Yep, it's still Tuesday here :)

Jen is our Hostess with the Mostess this week, and she selected a gorgeous photo for our Inspiration Challenge this week. Click here to see the photo and all the details! Today was a long, busy day for me but I'll be posting a card tomorrow. In the meantime, don't forget all the other TCP DT ladies' blogs linked over on the left...as always, the team has come up with some amazing creations!

ETA: here's my card :) Another one with the fabulous clear birthday stamp sets from TCP :)

Happy Monday!

I hope you had an awesome weekend :) I got some time to stamp, and made a card for Tracy's sketch challenge...I used a set from My Favorite Things called "Merry Christmas?" - the greeting inside reads "Wishing you a Stress-Free Holiday Season", which is something I think we can all relate to when the holiday season rolls around!

The patterned paper is some Arctic Frog paper from last year that I found in my scrap stash...and the appletini drink is sparkling with some Stickles glitter glue ("Eucalyptus").

Have a great Monday! I'm off to get ready for work now :) Stop by tomorrow for TCP Tuesday!

Almost a year with us...

Bailey (on the left) and Aspen (right) have been living with us for almost a year now! They have been no trouble at all (apart from the usual fun-to-watch kitten mischief!)...I just wish they didn't grow so quickly!!

Chill Out...

A nice, relaxing card for today made with one of the new Annie LaPoint images from MFT Presents...

I paper-pieced the bathtub, colored the image with Copics and then inked the edges of the image. The flower brads are by Making Memories and the patterned paper is from the "Blue Hill" collection by Crate Paper.

Have a fantastic Saturday!!

Three Peeps Challenge :)

Here's a monthly challenge I'll be taking part in, along with my fellow TCP DT member Karrie and TCP Swanky Stamper Linda! We decided that each of us will come up with one thing that we all have to include in our card or project. This month I decided we'd use some of the fabulous new birthday stamps from TCP; Karrie wanted us to use the color turquoise; and Linda wanted us to add one of her favorite embellies - bling!

Sooooo, here's my card :) The stamps are from TCP's "You Say It's Your Birthday" set and patterned paper is by K & Company.

Branch Out!

It's that time of the month again...time for brand new stamps from My Favorite Things! There are several sets this month, including some for Halloween, some for the holidays, and the set I used for this card :) The set is called "Branch Out" and is very versatile because the branches and leaves are separate stamps, and there is a variety of leaves for different seasons! Check out the set here :) The sentiment reads "Autumn is a second Spring where every leaf's a flower"...

Thanks for stopping by!

It's Tuesday!

Which means it's time for another TCP Tuesday challenge :) This week's Hipster Hostess is Leigh, and she has a great sketch on her blog for us this week...

I made my card with one of the brand new sets from TCP. The set is called "You Say It's Your Birthday" :) I used some Basic Grey paper ("Stella Ruby") and decided to add some buttons instead of the ribbon on Leigh's sketch. Have fun playing!

Take Joy in the Little Things...

I hope you are enjoying the long weekend :) I have been doing some stamping and some school work, and having fun hanging out with Iain and the kiddos. I love the sentiment on this card: "Take joy in the little things." It says it all!!

Butterfly and sentiment stamps by Verve Visual; patterned paper by Basic Grey (Scarlett's Letter collection).