Tulip Thanks A Bunch!

Good morning and happy Saturday! I'm so glad the weekend is here. Hope you're all enjoying it where you are. It's cloudy here and we're supposed to have severe thunderstorms this afternoon. Not looking forward to that!

I decided to play around with my Cricut and the Walk in my Garden cartridge, just to see what I could come up with. I've probably used it the least of all my cartridges, and didn't really know what all was on it. I made this card using Martha Stewart and Bazzill cardstock. And of course, I used my favorite MS punch for the white lace border. In order to cut a bunch of tulips, instead of just one, I used the border feature. For added dimension, I cut another band for the top of the flower pot (use shift), and mounted it on foam tape. I think I'm going to use this cartridge a lot more now, after seeing what a sweet card it made.

Have a wonderful, restful weekend, everyone!
Blessings,
~M~

I got a Blog Award!

Hi everyone,
I'm so excited. I got this Lemonade Stand blog award from Karen at oh4theloveof.wordpress.com It's an award for bloggers that show great attitude and gratitude. Thank you so much Karen for honoring me with this award! Karen has a wonderful eye for color and creates absolutely, the most beautiful cards. Be sure to check out her blog! You'll be so inspired by her wonderful work!
The rules for this award are:
* comment on this blog
* cut and paste the award logo and use it on your blog
* nominate 5 to 10 blogs that you feel show great attitude and gratitude
* link to your nominees within your blog post
* comment on their blogs to let them know they received the award
* link back to the person who gave you the award to shown your appreciation

The blogs I'm nominating are:

Angela's blog http://www.designsos.blogspot.com/

Shelly's blog http://www.shelscreations.blogspot.com/

Helen's blog http://www.tomorrowstreasure.blogspot.com/

Elizabeth's blog http://www.doodlemama.com/

Trish's blog http://www.chloecards.blogspot.com/

Please check out the blogs of these lovely ladies. You'll find them all very interesting, informative and inspiring!

Thanks again Karen! You've made my day!

Blessings,
~M~

Monkey Smile

Good morning! Another grey, gloomy day, but I had no headache last night and got a good night's sleep. I made this monkey card before going to bed, so maybe that had something to do with it. I downloaded this adorable monkey from dustinpike.blogspot.com He is soooo cute, that I just couldn't resist him. It was my first time to color a digi stamp with Martha Stewart markers, so he's not perfect, but with practice, I hope to get better. I used SEI paper, Bazzill cardstock, and ribbon from American Crafts. I cut and shadowed the word SMILE from Cricut cartrige Walk in my Garden, and adhered it with pop dots for added dimension.
Have a good Thursday and thanks for stopping in!
Blessings,
~M~

"Ugly Headache" Card

Hi guys,
Today is cloudy and grey, which fits this card. I couldn't sleep last night (headache) and made this ugly card at 2 am. I'm going to call it my "ugly headache card" because it's dark and gloomy, and painful to look at...lol! Anyhoo, I'll try to do better next time. Have a good Wednesday, everyone. Only 2 more days and it's the weekend again. Yea!
Blessings,
~M~

Dustin's Thank You Bear

Good morning! It's going to be hard to go back to work after 3 days off, but it's a short 4 day week. I've been back to dustinpike.blogspot.com and downloaded another digi stamp. Isn't he cute? This time I used MCPT instead of the markers, and got a softer look. Which do you like best? I like both looks. I think it depends on the stamp and the card, as well as, the colors you are using. It's nice to have options!
Have a great day everyone, and thanks for peeking in!
Blessings,
~M~

Thank You

Hi guys! It's going to be a very hot Memorial Day here, and we may get some rain. We're going to the river this afternoon, just to relax a little. Hope you're all having a great day with family and friends. I found this video on Youtube, that I wanted to share with everyone. And I want to say thank you to my Dad, who served his country in the Navy and the Air Force, and who has now gone on to glory. Thank you to my DH, who served in the Air Force, and my dear brothers-in-law and nephews, who served in the Navy, Air force and Army. And thank you to all those men and women whose names I do not know, and faces I'll never see. You've kept our country safe and free. For this, we say,"Thank you"!
Blessings,
~M~

Dustin's Dragon Birthday

Hi! I've had a busy Saturday, as I'm sure all of you have too. Went to Walmart earlier to pick up a few things and I checked out the new Sharpie and Bic markers on the advise of my friend, Angela over at designsos.blogspot.com She has started giving tips on new products and said give these a try instead of the pricier Copic markers. I picked up a set of 24 color, fine tip Sharpie's for around $17.00, and I came home and tried them out on this little dragon birthday card. It's a digital stamp I downloaded from dustinpike.blogspot.com I've been using MCPT, but thought I'd give the markers a try to see how they compare. I love the vibrant colors and the "coloring" was very fast and easy. Thank you Angela for the great tip! I'll be using these markers a lot. Have a good night everyone and thanks for checking in!
Blessings,
~M~

Video Tutorial #4 Cricut Grad Card

Hi guys,
Are you ready for a 3 day weekend? I sure am! We don't really have any plans, as it may rain. It will just be nice to maybe get a little rest.
I've gotten 4 graduation invitations in the past 2 weeks, for 3 nephews and 1 niece. I decided to make these black and white cards for the boys, but have to come up with something a little more girlie for my niece.
Have a wonderful holiday weekend everyone, and be safe!
Thanks for stopping by!
Blessings,
~M~

A little birdie birthday

Hi! Hope you all had a good day. It was actually hot today...feels like summer! I've got just a minute before I have to fix dinner, so I thought I'd post this little birdie card first. I love this little stamp...it's so cute. I used DCWV patterned paper and Bazzill cardstock. I really like blue and yellow together. It's so cheerful. Have a good night and thanks for stopping in!
Blessings,
~M~

"This is the day..."

I know...I've already posted a card today, but I just made this one, and thought I'd go ahead and post it. I LOVE this blue and brown combination, so look for it again, LOL! Have a great evening!
Blessings,
~M~

Nine Patch

Good morning!
Looks like we're going to have another gorgeous day. Hope the good weather lasts through the Memorial Day weekend. We'll probably go to the river. What have all of you got planned?
Seems like I've been doing a lot of pastel cards lately, so I decided to use some bolder, deeper colors this time. I also wanted to try paper quilting. This is a variation on a nine patch square. It was very quick, easy, and a lot of fun. I inked the edges to give it an aged looked, like an old quilt. I think I've broken out of my pastel rut...lol!
Have a wonderful Wednesday and thanks for peeking in!
Blessings,
~M~

Sweet as the Flowers in May

Hi guys!
"April showers bring May flowers", and the flowers are blooming and very beautiful right now. It's a gorgeous day today, and I've got to get to work...sigh!
I'm still loving my Martha Stewart cardstock, so here's another card I made using some of the pink. I'm really excited about the fact that I was able to use one of my Fiskars embossing plates on this card! I was so tired of trying to use that little stylus to emboss, and it never turned out right either. I have a Sizzix Big Shot, which works the same as a Cuttlebug. I found a video by debbysdares.blogspot.com on YouTube that showed exactly how to use my Big Shot, a silicone baking sheet and my Fiskars embossing plates. It works great! Thanks Debby!
Have a great day and thanks for taking time out of your busy day to stop by!
Blessings,
~M~

Video Tutorial #3 Quick Card for Dad

Hi guys,
It's Friday again...YEA!

Here's a quick and easy card for Dad. It can be used for Father's Day or his birthday.

Have a great weekend and thanks for stopping by!

Blessings,
~M~

Butterfly Wishes

Good afternoon,

It's deary, gloomy and rainy out today. A great day to stay in and make cards or scrapbook! This should be called my Martha Stewart card...MS cardstock, MS pearls, and I used my favorite MS punch. Love these blues and greens together, and there's just enough black with the sentiment, to "anchor" the pastel colors. The butterflies were cut with my Cricut, using the Paper Pups cartridge.

Have a good night and thanks for coming by!

Blessings,
~M~

Video Tutorial #2 Cricut Purse

Hi guys! It's a beautiful Tuesday and the sun is so bright, that it's blinding me. We've had so much rain and cloudy skies, that my eyes can't adjust to all this sun. I hear more rain is on the way, so I'd better enjoy this sunshine, right? We made these little Cricut purses in the workshop last week, so I thought I'd make one for my 2nd video tutorial. They are so cute,and easy and fast to make. You could make lots of these to keep on hand for those little gifts, or make a bunch for a girl's slumber party. They'd also be fun to give when you have a get-together with your girlfriends. Just a fun little project!

Have a good day, everyone,and thanks for stopping by!

Blessings,
~M~

You're a hoot!

Hi guys,
Hope you all had a wonderful Mother's Day. Mine was great and actually started early. After the workshop on Thursday, DD and I went out to dinner and got to spend some time catching up. We don't get to do that very often, just the two of us, so it was very enjoyable. Friday, DD, SIL, DS, DH and I went out for lunch to our favorite Chinese restaurant, where DD gave me a beautiful bouquet of roses! Saturday, I got to see two of my grandsons, who gave me cute little cards they had made, and for my desk, a flower pot with flower pens they had made. It was just adorable! They are quite crafty, just like their mother (DD). Sunday, DH and I went to DS and DIL for what could only be described as a feast! It was delicious and we had chocolate cake for dessert...YUM! DS and DIL know how I love coffee, so they gave me a Starbucks Via Ready Brew coffee mug. Now I can have my coffee anywhere I go. It was a great Mother's Day, and I'm truly blessed to have such a wonderful, caring family.
God is good!
Today I decided to try a technique I've been reading about called MCPT...Magic Colored Pencil Technique. I had read you needed Prismcolor pencils (very expensive), and a product called Gamsol (low odor mineral spirits), which I can't find locally. I have EK Success colored pencils, and I found low odor oil paint thinner in the art supplies at Walmart. I also couldn't find the paper pencil stumps the technique calls for, so I used a cotton swab (Q-tip). I stamped my little owls and colored around just the inside edges with my colored pencil, then dipped my swab slightly into the Walmart artist paint thinner, and started "pulling" the color from the edges to the rest of the owls bodies, and it worked! They look just like they've been shaded and watercolored. Amazing, and I didn't have any of the "required" supplies. It might look better using them, I don't know, but I'm quite happy with the results I got on my little owl card. I'll be trying this again with larger stamps and other colors, and if they turn out as well as the owls, I'll continue to use my "counterfeit" supplies...LOL. Let me know what you think, and if you've tried MCPT. Have a great day, everyone!
Blessings,
~M~

Video Tutorial # 1 Sour Cream Container

Good morning, It's a beautiful, sunny day at last, and it's Friday! Yea! I had a great time at last night's card workshop. I've seen a sour cream container for holding candy or other goodies, on some other blogs, so I thought we'd make one in the class. It was the hit of the workshop. I think they liked it so much because they got to use the crimper. Since it went over so well at the workshop, I thought I'd make one for my very first video tutorial. Hope you like it and have fun making yours. Have a great weekend, everyone!
Blessings,
~M~

Remembering my Dad

Today, May 6th, would have been my Dad's 83rd birthday. He's been gone since 2004, and I miss him so much. He loved all kinds of music, from country to classical, Dixieland to John Philip Sousa marchs. He liked Tennessee Ernie Ford hymns. His favorite was, "In the Garden". I can't find it, but did find another one he liked, "Peace in the Valley". This is for you, Daddy.

Gingham and Pearls

Good morning,

Hope you all had a good weekend, had some fun, and got some rest. It rained here all weekend, so I stayed in, did laundry, some cooking and cleaning, and put card kits together for Thursday's workshop. I also made a card, and worked on my first video tutorial. I'm so excited! I hope to have it finished and ready to post in a few days.

Putting those pearls on this card was so aggravating! They're so tiny, and kept rolling away. I tried holding them with my tweezerbees, but that just caused them to go shooting across the room...lol! Anyway, here's the card, but I'm not very happy with it, and my photo is crooked. Does anyone know where I can find self-adhesive pearls?

Have a good Monday and thanks for stopping by!

Blessings,

~M~

AND THE WINNER IS...

Good morning Everyone!

Thanks to all of you who entered the contest for National Scrapbook Day. I just drew out the winning entry with 2 correct answers, and it's D'ployed Designs! Congratulations Angela! I'll be in touch with you to find out where to send your new Martha Stewart eyelet lace punch. This has been so much fun that I'm already planning to have another contest very soon. Also coming soon, Video Tutorials! I'm so excited about this. I hope to start posting the first one soon.

Hope you're all having a wonderful weekend and doing some serious scrapbooking or cardmaking for National Scrapbook Day. Have fun, and thanks again for playing along with the contest!
Blessings,
~M~