Smarty Pants House Mouse

This is the new House Mouse of the Month stamp named Smarty Pants. Great little image for back to school don't you think?

I used some of my new curry ribbon and paper to set off some turquoise and plum papers...a pretty bright combo!

House Mouse and Friends Monday challenge is suppose to be back tomorrow after their summer break...Yeah!!! I have missed all their talent.

Card Details

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Stamps: Smarty Pants HMJR1078 (Amanda), sentiment is a Studio G

Cardstock: Pkum, Turquoise and Curry all SU!

Ink: Memento Black and copics

Misc: border punch, SU! ribbon, SU! punches, dimensionals

So Many Years...In One Yesterday!

So Many Years...In one Yesterday

This week's challenge on 3 Clover's Thursday Challenge is to use photos on your creation. What perfect timing for me. This past week was my parents 60th anniversary and I had this card mapped out in my brain for weeks! This fun fold card has always intrigued me- so of course I finally had to jump on the band wagon and give it a try! There is a tutorial on SCS here.

I used some of my wonderful Parisian Breeze Specialty paper now retired from SU! (another sad face).
As you can see, I am the only girl child in this group of yah-hoo's! The front pic is a more current pic and the older pic is from 1961 I think! I think I might have been about 5 in the second pic! It looks like the photographer got at least 4 of us looking at the camera at the same time...quite a feat!

My techie son helped by printing the pics in a sepia tone for me as well as printing out the words I used in the punched oval in brown for me! I guess this card has two creators! Thanks Matt!

The medallions are stamped on theSU! DP and then cut out and matted on the brown and cut out again, some pearls added and then it was all added onto the card with dimensionals. I used the last of my Hero Arts pearls on this card...just the right touch.

This is by far one of my favorite creations...and my parents loved it!

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Stamps: Simple Thoughts-Memories by Clear Stamps, words are computer generated

Cardstock: SU! Parisian Breeze

Ink: Memento Rich Cocoa

Misc: SU oval punches, Hero Arts pearls, SU choc chip ribbon

Cherish Everyday! La-La Land Crafts Challenge #2

On to challenge #2 at La-La Land Crafts blog ! I chose to use Sitting Lala for the challenge this week...Stitching! I love to sew on my cards, but I don't do it often enough. I am so glad for the challenges that make me fire up my machine. Hmmm...I seem to faintly recall that I have started a Christmas quilt for my little grandson...Gwamma better get crackin'!

My card was inspired by this week's From Courtney's Closet Challenge. #54. Little Cupcake is wearing the sweetest little cherry patterned dress--- and you know I can't resist cherries! (and polka dots- right Libby?) If you have never joined in on Libby's Little Addiction challenge...you are missing out! It is so fun to watch her sweet babies (Carter and Courtney) grow up before my eyes.

The DP and ribbon are retired product from Stampin Up (sad face).

You can't read the little chipboard sentiment, but it says Cherish Everyday.(thanks Irina!)

Now if you have never visited Irina's blog, you will be totally inspired by her wonderful creations. Irina is the owner of La-La Land Crafts store. I have been a follower of Irina's blog for quite a while and that is where I read about her La-La DT call. This has been a lot of fun for me and I want to thank Irina for this opportunity! Don't forget to visit her personal blog, Everything Paper Crafts.

Count Your Rainbows!

I made this first little cherry card for this week's From Courtney's Closet Challenge #54. (card #2 to be posted Wednesday!) Although not the color scheme of Cupcake's dress, it does have cherries!

This was a pretty easy card to make, so not much 'splainin needed! I love SU! ribbon, it matched this DP so nicely!

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Stamps: Inkadinkadoo Sentiment

Cardstock: SU! cardstock Rose? and Certainly Celery, DCWV cherry DP

Ink: Rose and Celery markers

Misc: Hero Arts pearls, nesties, SU ribbon

Blog Candy winner!

The winner of my Sweet Rosie stamp from La-La Land Crafts is Charlene!

If you have never been to Charlene's blog, go take a peek at Paper and Ink Playground! Charlene has many, many wonderful creations...and she is a good cookie baker too!

Don't forget my Blog Candy!

Don't forget to leave a comment to win my blog candy for this Sweet Rosie image from La-La Land Crafts. I will draw the winner on Sunday night. Just leave me a comment HERE. That is all it takes. If you are a follower and leave a comment, I will enter your name twice! Be sure to let me know! Leaving a comment on this post will not enter you in my drawing.

3 Clover's Thursday Challenge #27-Planes, Trains and Automobiles

This week on 3 Clovers Thursday Challenge #27...Planes, Trains and Automobiles! I really had to look for a good stamp for this challenge. When I rediscovered this retired Stampin Up set while rifling through all my stamps...I knew this would be my choice. It is my Dad's birthday soon and we both have a love for old cars.

This month there was a "cruise in" in our town where old cars drive around town and show off their stuff. Everyone grabs a chair or a sidewalk curb, a Pepsi, and sits in the warm evening air to watch the cars cruise by all evening. My Dad, Mom and I took our lawn chairs this year and had the best time. My Dad and Mom showed me a car similar to what they brought me home from the hospital in..... and many, many more stories of their travels through life! My Dad will be 79 this year and who else can claim they chopped off the top of a 1936 Ford with an ax to make it a convertible and used apple boxes for car seats. I told him to remember that story when any of his grandkids do something stupid...maybe they inheirited a little craziness from him LOL!

And today is my Mom and Dad's 60th anniversary! Holy Toledo!

Not much here to tell about...a pretty simple card. I did dig out my Heidi Swapp edge distresser and used it on several layers of cardstock.

Card Details:
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Stamps: Antique Auto's (retired Stampin Up)

Cardstock: SU! Choc Chip and Very Vanilla, DP by Paper Adventures

Ink: Memento Rich Cocoa

Misc: Sixxiz alphabet from current SU! catalogue, Nesties, Su! taffeta ribbon, Heidi Swapp edge distresser

Flower Power!Meet Rosie from La-La Land Crafts...and blog candy!

I am so happy to show you my first challenge project for La-La Land Crafts Weekly Wednesday Challenge as a member of the Guest Designer Team for the new stamp company La-La Land Crafts. Our first challenge is Flower Power and anyone can join in! The only requirement is that you have at least one flower on your card or project! Now, that is pretty easy don't you think?

For my project I chose to make this cute box from a challenge I found online. Now, I can't find the darn challenge again...I have lost it! If you find it...let me know and I will post a link for you all. I hate that when that happens.....

You can read more about the Flower Power challenge on the La La Land Crafts blog HERE.
If you add your card to SCS, please use the keywords LLWWC1 or La La Land Weekly Wednesday Challenge.

If you choose to participate, here is what you can win on the blog.

- The Top Three will receive buttons for their blogs.

- The Winner of the challenge will receive a 25% discount at the online store in addition to the button.

- To kick off the Challenges, everyone who participates in the first challenge will be entered into the drawing for a FREE Window La-La stamp.

For my blog readers I am going to offer up a new La-La Land stamp too.....Sweet Rosie (02004).
Follow the link to visit Rosie! All you have to do is leave me a comment(and if you are a follower and leave me a comment, you will get two chances)! You have until Sunday night to enter (that's when I will be home from celebrating Cole's birthday)

I hope you have enjoyed this project and will join in for the very first La-La Land blog challenge!


Here are the details for this project:

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Stamps: Rosie with Bird (02001) by La-La Land Crafts , sentiment is a Studio G Clear Stamps series 7

Cardstock: Pink Passion by SU!, Dp is from The Paper Company-Green Mini Flowers

Ink: Memento Black and copics

Misc: downloaded template for box, Martha spooky fence punch, misc flower brads, misc ribbon, SU! ribbon punch

Cole's Turning two! Penny Black invite

I call him "baby boy" when I talk to his mama on the phone, but really, he is growing up so fast! He is not a baby boy anymore but a funny little walking, talking moving machine LOL!

I have been busy making the invites to send for his 2nd birthday celebration and finally finished them up and put them in the mail...whew.

Cole loves anything to do with balls. When you are around him, you have to be on your toes so as not to get hit with one flying through the air. It can be a little "ouchie" if you don't pay attention LOL.

This is another of my Michelle B inspired scenes. I just love her creations! I tried to keep this simple enough so that I could make 12 of them pretty fast.

I colored with copics and sponged the sky with Baja Breeze ink from SU...I am so sad that color is gone...I loved it! I also used the SU! retired cloud stencil. I drew in some more grass on the sides of the image and then cut out the hedgie with my nestie and matted it on several colors and then added it back on with dimensionals. The hat, lady bug and mitt are also on dimensionals. His mama wrote up a cute little ditty for the inside about coming over to play ball with Cole...cute!

I can't wait till I get to see the little bugger next weekend for his celebration...I will be sure to share a pic or two! You will me amazed at how he has grown!


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Stamps: Penny Black Field of Dreams 2365F, Batter Up sentiment--a great garage sale find and perfect for this PB stamp...Stamps etc. CRI-059

Cardstock: Real Read and Creamy Caramel both by SU!

Ink: Memento black, SU! Baja Breeze, and copics

Misc: Dimensionsals, nesties

3 Clover's Thursday Challenge #26-Techie Time

3 Clovers Thursday Challenge this week is Techie Time....now let me tell you...I am so MAD at Kerry...look what she has started! Kerry...what have you done to me???? I have a hard enough time resisting stamps but you have opened up a whole new arena of stamping.

KERRY...you are in so much trouble...oh wait...I think I have that wrong...I am in so much trouble! I have found some wonderful digi sites you might want to browse! I fell in love with Mo's digi's(Digital Pencil Too) from my very first siting! She has some wonderful little boy digi's as well as LOTS of others too. I bought this digi from her site HERE.

I have not really messed around with digi's before, so this was a learning curve for me. I had a digi project all completed when I found this digi a couple days ago. I ran home from work last night, downloaded it in just a few minutes and then tried to figure out how to resize it. I am not that techie and since I had to be out the door in 15 minutes (BUNCO night) I asked my son to resize it and print it out on some GP white and make the size about the size of a small apple. Pretty specific directions huh? Well, I got home well after 10...grabbed my small apple sized digi(s) and ran upstairs to play. La de dah...next thing I knew it was 12.30am! These images are just addictive and fun to play with!

I did not have any trouble with the printed image bleeding or smearing with my copics, but the images had been printed for several hours before I got to them so maybe that worked as well as heat setting the printer ink!

I am sure many of you have seen Dustin Pike's digi's! He has some of the cutest out there. Every Wednesday he shares a freebie on his site. I have always downloaded them, but have not sat down to work one up yet...I am sure that is going to change.

I suggest you hop on over to "the trouble maker's" blog and see what the rest of the challenge team came up with for this fun techie challenge! I think you will find a whole new world out there...I have...


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Digi Image: Patrick in the Pumpkins by (Mo's Digital Pencil Too), sentiment stamp by Studio G

Cardstock: Really Rust,DP by K& Company and Crate Paper Co.

Ink: Printed on the computer, Copics

Misc: Martha scary fence punch, small sisal cording, nesties


More Digi sites:



Listing of digi sites HERE.

List of Pro's and Con's to digi's HERE

Dan Fogelberg

Today I pay tribute to a man whose music gives me so much joy.

Daniel Grayling Fogelberg was born August 13th in 1951. He was given a gift that only few possess. I have listened to Dan's music from my teenage years and still listen to this day. I listen to his music when I am happy, when I am sad, when I am crafting, even when I am pulling weeds in 100° weather...his music is calming, soothing and inspirational to me.

Although Dan passed away in December of 2007 of prostate cancer, his music lives in me. Although I can not carry a tune, nor play one musical instrument...I can be inspired by music that touches me.

"You have been given the most sacred of gifts; you must be fearless now and follow"...Dan F.

I found these video's on You Tube and hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

Leader of the Band is probably by far my favorite. It is a loving tribute to his father, a high school band teacher. I always think about how much I love my Dad and Mom when I hear this song!

Believe In Me is just a flat out beautiful song.

Same Auld Lang Syne takes me back to the days of youthful lost love...a true story Dan wrote after bumping into a high school girlfriend in a grocery store while on a trip home to visit his family. Bittersweet.

You can read more about Dan his website here.

"...and he gave to me a gift I know I never can repay". Leader of the Band, Dan Fogelberg

La La Land Crafts Grand Opening Tonight!

Just a little reminder!


La-La Land Crafts will go live tonight at 11pm! The website will go live at 11 pm PST!

To celebrate the Grand Opening on the online store, Irina will be offering a 10% discount storewide!! This is a limited time offer! It will only last for the first 24 hours!!

Penny Black Saturday Challenge- a sketch

Penny Black and Basic Grey...what could be better? I love this Wassail DP by Penny Black...very classy stuff for this classy Penny Black critter don't you think? LOL

I uncovered my sewing machine (which reminds me that I need to finish Cole's Christmas quilt!) and did some sewing on this card. I love sewn cards but rarely use it on my cards...too lazy I guess even though my machine is about 4 feet from me...goodness- get with it Sue!

The challenge this week over at Penny Black's Saturday Challenge is a fun sketch. I have missed the last few challenges, so I thought to myself...today is the day! Off to PBSC I go....

This card really doesn't need much explanation. The oval image is on dimensionals as well as the one little star on the oval image. The inside is finished with some of the solid olive DP with a little star inside also. The sentiment is by Penny Black .

Wonderful creations this week by their design team too!

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Stamps: Stamps by Penny Black --Shine on me! 1865F, ...love xmas 3760E (bought HERE from pbstamps.com)

Cardstock: Retired Baroque Burgandy, Basic Grey Wassail DP

Ink: Memento Black, copics, SU markers old olive and baroque burgandy for the sentiment

Misc: Nesties, sewing machine, dimensionals, stamp a ma jig to make the sentiment one line

La La Land Crafts!!!

Check out this sneak peek!

I am excited to finally share with you all that I have been asked to join as a member of the Guest Designer Team for the months of September and October for the new stamp company La La Land Crafts.

The grand unveiling of these new stamps will be August 12th with the La La Land Crafts Store website going live August 12th at 11pm that night. Be sure to be there...put on your robe and slippers and join us at 11pm!

You can visit their blog Here and read about the announcement!

Visit the blogs of the new Design Team to view some wonderful creations and see some great La La Land creations coming soon!!

Design Team:

Jane Matsumoto- Whoopsie Daisy

Sheila Lygo -Doubtfire Musings

Kim Yu-Kimbee's Creations

Maureen Wong-My C.A.S.E. Studies

Lisa Hjulberg-My Crafts Meow

Kathy Page-Distressed Stamper

Guest Design Team:

Karen Hoeve-Scrap Everything

Marcea Watkins-Marcea's Crafting Corner

Paul Ford-Crafty Blogocks

Kim Blakey-Poppy Petal Designs

and...lil ole Me!!!!

3 Clovers Thursday Challenge #25-Summer Bounty

The challenge this week on 3 Clovers Thursday Challenge is Super Summery! Make a great "summery" card!

I thought to myself...nothing reminds me more of summer than all the bountiful fruits and veggies growing in everyone's garden!

I used to can all sorts of fruits, veggies, beans etc when my children lived at home. I don't can anymore...except a batch of apricot pineapple jam here and there. I miss that yummy bounty!

On to the details of this super summery card:

I changed the layout of this darn card so many times and really thought about just throwing it out, but in the end...I think I like it...I really like it :-)

This is meant to look like an old time kitchen shelf full of freshly canned goodies. This kitchen wall has the old time flowery wallpaper, ruby red wainscoating and white beadboard on the bottom(made with my scorepal). I think you can see better detail by clicking on the card to enlarge.

I am glad I didn't give up on this card...I think it will be a favorite!

I hope you can join Kerry and all of her team in making this a fun challenge!

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Stamps: Canning Time G316 by Great Impressions, Sentiment is computer generated

Cardstock: More Mustard and Ruby Red, Misc SU! DP also

Ink: Memento Black, Image colored with copics

Misc: EK Success border punch, scorepal, dimensionals for the shelf, SU oval punches

Card Size: 5 1/2 x 5 1/2

From Carter's Closet this week!

My eyes are a wee bit tired after a long day at work...always seems you have to work so hard when you come back from vacation...sometimes it leaves you wondering if it was worth it!

I'm thinking these pics might be a wee bit blurry...or my contacts are...can't tell at midnight for sure LOL!

I made this cute little High Hopes card for this weeks From Courtney's Closet Challenge- Carter's Turn!

Now, of course I was just happily crafting away before I realized...DRAT...Carter has a dinosaur on his shirt, not a dragon....oh well...they both have spikey things so they must be related! Well I like it anyway...

I did pull out a couple of older sizzix dies to cut out the frames and a nestie label for the sentiment. (I used a cuttlebug folder to add some texture to the blue frame)The image was colored with Prisma's. It has been a while since I have pulled my pencils out...but I so love the effect and shading with prisma's and OMS.

I cut out a little wee bit of his tail so that is stood out over the frame also.

I enjoyed the change to Carter being the star this week...if you get a chance, go check out Libby's cute creation as well as this fun challenge.


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Stamps: High Hopes Gavin (image was gifted by my stampin' Sister...thanks H!), Studio G Happy Birthday Sentiment

Cardstock: Real Red, Bril Blue and some misc DP

Ink: Black for Sentiment and prisma's and OMS to color image

Misc: Sizzix frame dies, cuttlebug folder, Nesties, SU buttons