sunshine blog award

look what i got today. :)

These are the rules for this Sunshine Award:

1. Put the Sunshine Award on your blog and/or within your post.

2. Pass the award to 12 other bloggers.

3. Link the nominees within your post.

4. Let them know they received this award by leaving a comment on their blog.

5. Share the love and link to the person from whom you received the award.


Jeannette Siciliani (from her 'scraps of my life' blog) left me this lovely note on my blog post on 4/22/10.
"Love this quote on your beautiful card, and I love that you are my friend. Thank you for your kindness, love and friendship. Thank you for the inspiration, and creativity that you share. You are amazing to me, and always brighten my day. Please check my blog, I wanted to brighten your day by giving you the Sunshine Award. {{smiles} and Hugs}}"

i am so not worthy of this award when i've been seeing it float around other blogs this week. i don't stand a chance among the talent of these other bloggers and am humbled by j's kind comments to me. she is a wonderful and very special friend to me though we have never been able to meet face to face yet.

i have to nominate 12 people to receive this Sunshine Award though there are a bazillion more that deserve it as well. in no particular order:

adriana
alisa
ann
becky
blythe
brenda
courtney
edie
elizabeth
linda
lorie
tammy

diva inspiration challenge

i'm still having computer issues. i wasn't able to check the picture for this inspiration and had to go by the notes i had taken a while back. i should have used more white, but i do like the card anyway and hope you do too. you may see the inspiration here.

i need to practice with the ink to the dots from the impressions folder. just a few too much on the base.

Saturday Sketch Challenge

it's sketchy saturday time again. check out the sketch on the diva site here.

this is a very busy weekend for me. a chocolate tasting last pm and tomorrow and helping chip cater the regional women's gymnastic meet today. i bearly had time to turn around. anyway enjoy my card and then skip over and see what adriana did as well.

have a great weekend. :)

diva inspiration challenge

ok, it's inspiration week on the diva blog, however i have no idea what inspired this strange card.

the picture is of bunnies and soft blankets and very soft colors. my 3d ribbon flowers and unknown across the bottom are waaaay out there. oh well. at the time it seemed to work for me. the white cs was run through the big shot texturz plate and then the ribbon attached with crystal effects. kind of foofy.

my husband, chip, wanted to know how i was going to get it in an envelope. haha.

stop by udi and see the lovely creations of my other team members. :)

i stamped

i was able to spend one day last weekend stamping with two of my friends. what fun. i made these cards for a meeting next week as a door prize. hope ya like them. you'll see that there are a few dups in different colors. we liked the card so well that i played around with other colors. (the celery and orchard one is my favorite and looks stunning in real life, not so washed out)

these are vertical cards but they refused to cooperate when i tried to upload it. i'm sooo tech challenged.

diva sketch challenge

i had hand surgery last week and i am not quite up for posting yet. please skip over to adriana's blog for her creation.

diva inspiration challenge

can you believe we'e a week into april already? where did the first three months go?

this week's inspiration picture is a perfect spring picture: tulips
you may find the inspiration here.

i used the colors of the picture for my card this week. i needed a sympathy card for a friend and incorporated it into the sketch. melon mambo, rose red, lovely lilac, garden green and certainly celery make up my card.

stop back on saturday for the sketch challenge.

diva sketch surprise challenge

happy easter and spring. wow! the weather is beautiful here in sw michigan. the flowers are starting to come up, the grass is getting greener and baby animals are starting to be born. this is my second favorite time of year after autumn.

here is today's sketch on udi.

















i totally screwed up doing this sketch, but i like it anyway. hope you do too.

enjoy the coming of spring and after you look at my card be sure to skip on over to adriana's blog to see what she made for today.

diva inspiration challenge

i love the coming of spring with all of the new growth and baby animals being born. the weather is balmy and you get to air your house out after the long winter. what fun.

maria picked a picture of a cute little chick for us today on udi's inspiration challenge.

i love the peep set in our catalog. i don't own it, but have borrowed my friend's for the past several years to create a series of peeps every year. check back on saturday for the sketch challenge to see another one.

my little peep is dressed in her easter best. doesn't she look cute?

diva sketch challenge

happy spring! i love this time of year when we start to see new growth on the trees and flowers are starting to bloom. we already have some baby horses just down the road from us as well. can't wait for the baby goats and lambs too.

i love todays sketch from udi's sketch challenge. it fit the bill nicely for my card.

when i first saw this adorable little bunny stamp in the mini i knew immediately what i wanted to do with it. of course, i wanted to use a different type of greeting, but settled for 'happy easter.'

i love the card though and of course, had to use my big shot . . . again. i don't know what i ever did without it before. :)

enjoy your day and go see what adriana has made for the sketch.

diva inspiration challenge

it is inspiration challenge day again on udi and it's all about spring, butterflies and pinks and blues. so i went a little crazy with the whole thing though it is really pretty in real life.

pixie and pretty in pink along with bashful and ballet blue were used for the entire card. a teeny bit of white ribbon and some butterfly antenna finish it off. the textures are from the big shot on the top note and butterflies. i love my big shot!!!

the shimmer white/alcohol mist finishes off the card.

diva sketch surprise challenge

this week's sketch challenge on udi included a surprise. this week we were to use our pretties kit. i really don't use mine as often as i should so i'm glad there was a surprise added.

i love certainly celery. i think it is one of those colors that will go with any other color in our line. i added orchid and pretty in pink to go with my card this time. you can't tell by the picture, but the butterfly is spritzed with white shimmer paint for some subtle bling.



the picture to the right shows the detail of the butterfly.

these pictures were taken in the same place, only the position of the camera changed. sorry for the color differences. it is very pretty in real life though.

skip over to adriana's blog to see what she created for us this week as well.

diva inspiration challenge

daisies are such pretty spring and summer flowers. i love their simplicity. with that said, check out the inspiration on the diva site. i used the flowers and colors for my card this week. i kept it very very simple and did everything with the big shot and punches. the card itself is black with the green, white and yellow accenting it. the flowers have actually been laying on my table for several months. i had two sets for another project a while back and have finally put the second set to use.

hope ya like it.

diva sketch challenge

i made this card like two weeks ago and forgot i even had it ready to post. the sketch above is from the udi sketch challenge. i pre-posted because i'm in grand rapids doing a women's fest for my chocolate business. (see the link on the right) i knew it would never get done if i waited until the week of the challenge. i've never done one of these before so it will be something new, but i do know that it will be over ten hours on my feet both friday and saturday. not good when you have a bad disk in your back.

i hope you enjoy my card today. skip over and see what adriana has done for you this week.

diva inspiration challenge

i'm thinking spring with today's inspiration picture on udi. shamrocks, longer days, chip's birthday, etc. that's what march is about to me.

so, i made a very green card today. hope ya like it. after seeing the preview the picture looks rather washed out. it is very pretty in real life. i'll have to work on my photography. :P

diva sketch challenge

i broke my computer on tuesday, but fortunately already had my pictures posted for this week. hopefully i won't be too long without it.

i hope you enjoy the sketch this week and what the rest of the team has created. you may go to adriana's blog here.

have a great week. i think spring is in the air.

diva inspiration challenge

hi. i wasn't sure i would be able to share a card this week. i broke my computer tuesday and our friend is working on it right now. i thank God for friends that don't care if i go into their house and use their stuff.

check out this week's inspiration on udi here. i love ice cream. for my first eleven years my parents had a soft serve ice cream stand. bet you wish you could say the same. since those years i have become an ice cream snob. i know, not me right? haha. don't even take me near a dairy queen. . . yuck.

anyway, i was in the flower mood so i incorporated the colors versus the actual picture. hope you like it. xoxox

as for the other picture here, that is farkle. he was soooo helpful while i was making my card. he was helping with the bling brads.

diva sketch surprise challenge

for this week's sketch on udi there was a surprise thrown in again. we were to use rub ons on our creation. i didn't have anything current, but did use some of the snowflake rub ons from the holiday mini. since we are still getting snow here in michigan i decided it would be ok.





i used melon mambo, pretty in pink and black to make my card. a little pink bling finishes it off.

now, skip over to adriana's blog to see what she made this week.

have a great weekend.

diva inspiration challenge

this week's card was very difficult for me to do. it had to be perfect!!! because it was for one of my bff's, lori. her mom died earlier this week and her funeral was yesterday. while i wouldn't normally use red on a sympathy card i decided to make the udi inspiration work for me.

you wouldn't think such a simple looking card would be so hard. i must have ripped and re-did several parts of it before i was satisfied with the result.

the flower was inked with red and black and then i used a blender pen to pull some color into the image. i sponged the edges of the ribbon a bit to finish it off.

thanx for stopping by. :)

mermaid or whale?

Recently, in a large city in Australia, a young, thin and tan woman
appeared on a poster in the window of a gym.

The poster said, "This summer, do you want to be a mermaid or a whale?"

A non-mermaidish middle-aged woman, responded publicly to the question
posed by the gym.

* * * *

To Whom It May Concern,

Whales are always surrounded by friends (dolphins, sea lions, curious
humans).

They have an active sex life, get pregnant and have adorable baby
whales. They have a wonderful time with dolphins stuffing themselves
with shrimp. They play and swim in the seas, seeing wonderful places
like Patagonia, the Bering Sea and the coral reefs of Polynesia .
Whales are wonderful singers and have even recorded CDs. They are
incredible creatures and virtually have no predators other than humans.
They are loved, protected and admired by most people in the world.

Mermaids don't exist…

If they did exist, they would be lining up outside the offices
of psychoanalysts due to identity crisis. Fish or human? They don't have
a sex life because they kill men who get close to them, not to mention how
could they have sex? Just look at them ... where is IT? Therefore, they
don't have kids either. Not to mention, who wants to get close to a girl
who smells like a fish store?

The choice is perfectly clear to me:

I want to be a whale.

P.S. We are in an age when media puts into our heads the idea that only
skinny people are beautiful, but I prefer to enjoy ice cream with my family,
a good dinner with someone who makes me shiver, and good wine and *
chocolate* with my friends. With time, we gain weight because we
accumulate so much information and wisdom in our heads that when there is
no more room, it distributes out to the rest of our bodies. So we aren't
heavy, we are enormously cultured, educated and happy.

Beginning today, when I look at my butt in the mirror I will think,

“Good grief, look how smart I am!¨

diva sketch challenge

it is sketch time again on udi. i am posting the sketch because we are trying a new thingy this week. sort of a round robin connecting the next blog from the diva list. hopefully you'll get to see all of the creations this way without jumping back and forth.

i embossed the medallion with versamark and classic bashful blue ink and then cut out. i ran the black through the big shot with the texturz plate inked in white. it gives it a very subtle background. i like how it turned out. i added a bow and some bling and called it good.

you may see what adriana made for the sketch here. have a great weekend.

diva inspiration challenge

i'm totally not into the whole teddy bear thing, but loved the picnic idea and ran with it for my card this week from the udi inspiration challenge. what better way to celebrate and bbq/picnic than with ants. :)

i used my small oval punch and 3/4" circle to make my ant and just criss crossed the red and white for the table cloth. doesn't it just crack you up! i also made my own letters. if ya turn it upside down it says 'bqq.'

have a great day. xox

diva sketch surprise challenge

why would you make the challenge right before valentine's day to be your least favorite color family. yuck. oh wait, i did that over on the diva blog. someone needs to fire me. oh well, we all know that earth elements are my least favorite colors. i love the 'original' colors of nature but to try and duplicate them just doesn't cut it for me.

well, i made the card, but totally screwed up the sketch. i was so focused on the color thing that i didn't pay too much attention to the scallops on the edge. oopsy. too late to change it now.

anyway, enjoy your valentine's weekend. chip and i are spending the weekend in chicago catching up with friends and our son, gordy.

i'll get refocused next week. :)

diva inspiration challenge

isn't this the cutest little house? i love the little heart on the door. this is what inspired me for the challenge on the diva site this week.

it's almost valentine's day and the roses and sprinkled hearts whisper romance. i made the original of this card several weeks ago for a swap and decided to duplicate it for the challenge. the colors were a fit (though i softened them) and the heart qualified as well.

take a look at the inspiration picture and see what ideas pop into your head.

diva sketch challenge

i love this sparkly dsp in the occasions mini. there is so much you can do with it. i love that you can make a whole card using the dsp and not stamp an image. i chose a couple of flowers for the focal point and added a couple of bling brads as well. hope you like it.


of course after i was done and it sat around for a week i decided it needed just s smidge more. let me know which one you like better cuz i'm not sure myself. you can find the original sketch for this card here.

diva inspiration challenge

i love this week's picture on udi for the inspiration challenge. i know winter is only half over but i'm ready for a touch of spring and this bouquet does it for me.

i embossed the image with black, sprayed it with water and then floated around some re-inkers to color the image. it is beautiful in real life. i also sprayed it with white shimmer paint mixed with alcohol. my little bumble bee is just about to pop a squat to suck up some necter.

hope ya like it. check out what the rest of the inspiration team did also.

diva sketch surprise challenge

i'm such a bimbo. i didn't even read that we were to use a line image stamp for today's diva challenge and went ahead and made this card. but, i love it and that's all that matters. so for today's sketch you get two cards. ;)










i used 'sense of time' for this second card. the picture really doesn't do it justice. the images are embossed with suede and cut out. don't know why i picked such an intricate image to cut. just possessed i guess. except for the cutting this really is a quick card to make.

blog award

i am honored to be given a blogger award by my dear friend, elizabeth. though she lives in florida, she is close to my heart in many ways and i cherish her friendship.

of course, if you receive these awards there are always rules to go with them, so:

1. Copy and paste the award on your blog.

2. List who gave the award to you and link to her blog.

3. List 10 things that make you happy.

4. Pass the award on to other bloggers and visit their blog to let them know!


1. my family ~ genetic, environmental and community - you know who you are. :)
2. my church ~ another kind of family that i couldn't live without.
3. my friends ~ near and far. you have been there for me so many times, in so many different ways.
4. my cats ~ an endless source of entertainment for me.
5. my books ~ nothing further needs to be said here.
6. my health ~ despite my body starting to fall apart, i am otherwise healthy
7. stamping ~ without which i probably wouldn't have this blog or the friends that come with it.
8. photography ~ though i'm not that talented i have taken a few good shots.
9. dove chocolate ~ here's hoping that i can spread the happiness and make some $$$.
10. my God ~ i have so many blessing in my life and He is always there to catch me when i'm down and cheer me on when i'm up.

Here are just a few of my favorite blogs:

Janine Tinklenberg ~ stamps, paper, scissors
Alisa Tilsner
Jeannette Siciliani ~ scraps of my life
Selene Kempton ~ stamp a little fun
Brenda Weaver ~ sweet paper treats
Tammy Fite ~ stamp with tammy

diva inspiration challenge

it's inspiration thursday over at udi. those chocolate cupcakes look so yummy. i wish i had some. :)

instead of making a cupcake i chose to use the colors of the picture to make my upsy daisy card. after i stamped the image i moved it over just a smidge to give it a shadow effect. even with the browns used, i think this card comes across as feminine because of the ribbon and eyelet border accents. this could also be used as a masculine card by changing the eyelet punch to the scallop punch or tear the edges and replace the bow with some eyelets.

be sure to take a look at the rest of the team's creations. have a great day.

diva sketch challenge

today there is a very simple sketch on udi. i used some of our new designer series paper and our new felt flowers. aren't they just fun. check out my other team mates' creations too.

have a great day.

diva inspiration challenge

thanx leonie for saving everyone's neck from cramping. you rock!!! xoxo



oh my gosh, i am having some serious issues today and my brain feels like it is falling out the back of my head. i tried numerous times to get this pictures verital and there was no cooperation on the camera's part. so tip you head if ya want a good look at it. so sorry!!!

i made this card for a swap and when i looked for this week's inspiration i was thrilled that it fit the bill as well.

i love this new vintage vogue set. it has so many possibilities.

anyway, hopefully my next post won't have the same photo issues. oopsy.

diva sketch challenge

it feels like forever since i've posted. the last month has included five deaths of friends and family ~ four within twenty four hours ~ two major surgeries for loved ones. and two trips to illinois within days of each other. i'm ready for a bit of down time. wow.

anyway, you can find this week's sketch at udi. this card used the 'charming' set embossed and then covered with one of our window sheets. it looks very elegant in real life. there is also a small embossed butterfly mounted on top of the window sheet. hope you like it.

diva sketch challenge

i love the sketch found on the utah divas international blog. i used puns from the past and the dsp reminded me of old mattress ticking (alot of you might not remember it, so i'm probably aging myself by saying it ~ haha

i added a bit of polka dot ribbon to match and give it an updated look. hope you like it.

thanx for stopping by for a peek at my blog.