Happy Campers!

My husbands nephew and his wife just bought a camper about 3 weeks ago. Last week, the free digital from Bugaboo was this image. When I finally quit laughing, I printed it out and made this card. It just could not have been timed any better than this.

Actually this is the second card I've made with the image. The first one was done with a lot of pinks and I just was not satisfied with it. I like the more red, white, and blue, "picnic" or rustic look to this one a lot better. I think the layout was one of the card sketches from SCS a week or so ago.

I used Real Red, White, and Brilliant Blue card stock. The DP is from Paper Studio (the red and white check) and from CTMH (the blue dots). The image was colored with markers and Prismacolor Pencils. The sky and grass was done using chalk.

The sentiment on this card could just not be more true!!! I don't know about anywhere else, but in Texas we have mosquito's and we have them BIG!!!!! I could tell you a few "big mosquito jokes" but I'm sure yall don't want to hear me ramble on!

Thanks for stopping by.................
Lynn

Hugs and Hope

Several months ago I discovered a blog that has so many wonderful creations on it and is such an inspiration to me every day of the week - Jaydee Stamping. When I first discovered this blog, an offer for some blog candy was on it. When I say blog candy - I mean BLOG CANDY too! A BIG SHOT was the candy! I've been wanting one for SO long!!!! Jaydee was having a card drive for two charity organizations and you had to make some cards for either one or the other - or both organizations. So I thought, hey maybe I can do this! One of the two organizations was called Hugs and Hope for Children. That's the one I searched first and oh my......I think I was in tears by the time I finished reading about this organization. After reading about the children, I completely forgot about winning the Big Shot and immediately started making cards. The stories about these children will make you so sad, yet let you see how brave they truly are. No, I didn't win the Big Shot - but it didn't matter. I felt like I was putting a smile on a child's face by sending them a card.

These are a few of the cards that I will be sending out this week to Hugs and Hope for Children. Check out their site and if you have time in your busy schedule, make some cards for them. They need all the smiles they can get.

A special "thank you" to Jaydee for not only her wonderful blog, but for helping me discover

Hugs and Hope for Children.

Thanks for stopping by......................
Lynn

Bouquet for Mother's Day

This is a bouquet of flowers for all the mothers out there! I know it's a bit early for Mother's Day but I wanted to wish each and every one of you a beautiful day.

This image was printed out - then printed out again - and then again! I first colored it in the yellow/orange with my Copics. Ok, it looked pretty good. Then I colored one in the light pink with my Prismacolor pencils. Hey, it looks pretty good too. Now, let's try the Copics again - so I colored the darker pink one! WOW! They ALL looked pretty good. But I only needed one card! So I decided to use all three for the bouquet! I "popped" up each flower a little higher using dimensionals to give it some depth. The flower image was a free digital from

Jessica Lynn Original that you can find here. This is only the 2nd time I've used my Copics and the image was so nice to practice my coloring on. The sentiment is from Tenny Tiny Wishes by SU. I used White and Pixie Pink card stock. The DP is from some I had in my stash. I also added a tiny bit of glitter to some of the petals to give it some oomph!

Thanks for stopping by...............

Lynn

Sending Fuzzies

Now I don't normally post two projects in one day - however, I saw this sketch at Clean and Simple Stamping and was so surprised! I had made a card with this layout last night - before they ever posted the sketch!! Strange. I'm posting it tonight though because if I don't start cleaning this house soon (like tomorrow), the dust is going to cause the floor and furniture to cave in!!

I had recently seen a card on SCS using this little worm and saying and just thought it was so cute. I don't remember anything about the layout that was used. I used Real Red and White cardstock and some unknown DP that I had in my stash. The worm is from Bugs and Kisses (SU) and the sentiment is from Everyday Sayings (Hero Arts). I stamped the worm and then stamped it again, cut it out, and popped it up on dimensionals.

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend. Keep me in your thoughts as I'm having to clean house!!

Thanks for stopping by..................

Lynn

Yorkie Box

Ok, this is the poor man's version of the Ghiradelli box - it's called the Yorkie Box! I love Ghiradelli chocolate and even buy it on occasion, but if you can't afford it then you go to the next best thing - that's York Mints. Yum, Yum! I dearly love those little things. I keep telling myself they are fat-free!!

I found the pattern for this little box at Tracy's Craft Room. She had added some large flowers to her boxes and they were so cute. I decided to go with the Oval All stamp set from SU and the oval punches. I used Chocolate Chip and Love you Much DP. I added some little rhinestones in the corners on the top because the person that will receive this loves the bling.

Thanks for stopping by...............

Lynn

Autumn Days

No, it's not autumn yet! But, I just got this new Autumn Days set from SU and could not wait to try it out. Also, a blog group I'm in (Eyelets, Ribbon, Paper...Oh, My!), was having a challenge this week and we had to use ribbon as our inspiration for the card. Well, HELLO.....Look at this gorgeous ribbon! I'm just a little crazy for plaid and when I saw this ribbon at Wal-Mart, I went wild - I bought several rolls of it! (I noticed this week, they have more in.....YES!) The colors just scream "Fall" and this stamp set is a perfect match for it.

I used Old Olive, So Saffron, Very Vanilla, and Chocolate Chip paper. I inked up the pheasant with Chocolate Chip and colored him with markers. The "wheat" in the background was stamped in So Saffron. I did a little masking, sponging, and paper piercing on this card.

Thanks for stopping by..............

Lynn

In Real Life

Do you ever make one of those cards that you get through with and think it's just WONDERFUL, FANTASTIC, and GORGEOUS??? I mean, you get everything just RIGHT with this card - it's centered right, no smudges, and is just perfect in every way! And then you spend 20 or 30 minutes getting "just the right picture" of it.....then look at that picture and go UGH!!!!! So you go back and spend another 20 or 30 minutes re-taking the picture of that wonderful card - and when you look at it, it still looks AWFUL!!! Well..........this is one of those cards. It really looks SO MUCH better in real life.

This is for a new CAS challenge (in fact this is their FIRST challenge) - it's called CAS-tastic.

"Anything goes" for this one and I wanted to do a Father's Day card that is coming up soon - hence, this card. I used the Noble Deer image from SU and it was stamped in Close to Cocoa. The paper I used was Close to Cocoa and Very Vanilla. The sentiment is from Teeny Tiny Wishes and was "framed" using the Word Window and the Modern Label punches. I did some sponging around the image and then "popped" it up on dimensionals. This was very quick and easy and REALLY does look better in real life!!!

Thanks for stopping by...................

Lynn

Chilling Out

This sketch was found at PPA38 and what a fun sketch it is! I like the clean and simple look of it too. A fun card to make - especially with summer almost here!

This little guy is part of the Wild About You set from SU and I have never used him until now. I've used all the rest of the images several times, but never this one. He was stamped with Archival Black from CTMH. This gives a really black image and I like to use it for a lot of things. The paper is Real Red, Black, and White. The sentiment was computer generated. I used the Swiss Dots embossing folder, dimensionals, the Scallop Square nesties, Word Window Punch, and of course, the Bow-Easy.

Thanks for stopping by................

Lynn

Let's Party!

When I saw this free digital image from Bugaboo, I just could not quit laughing! I actually know a lady that looks exactly like this. I'm serious! I mean she has the same hair style, glasses, and everything......even dresses a little funky at times! So I guess this is in her honor.........

I used Certainly Celery, So Saffron, Pretty in Pink, White, and Tea Party DP. The sentiment is from Lots of Thoughts (SU) and was stamped with Pretty in Pink. The layout is a sketch from Sweet Stop Sketches #51.

Thanks for stopping by...............

Lynn

Relax and Enjoy Your Day

I picked up this cute little House Mouse image at Hobby Lobby last week and when I saw the sketch at Stamping411, I knew what to do with it! This is a simple sketch and I'm all for "simple"!!!! Doesn't this look like the most relaxing thing in the world? Nothing better than sitting in a pile of bubbles!
I used Ballet Blue, Pretty in Pink and Tea Party DP. Ms. Mouse is colored with Prismacolor pencils. I didn't add any Liquid Glass to the bubbles, but probably will. I think it'll give it a little more oomph!

Thanks for stopping by.............

Lynn

Seeing Stars

Just a very quick "clean and simple" card for FTL85. The stamp set are swirls in various sizes that I purchased at Wal-Mart last year. I have no idea who made them. The sentiment, of course, is Well Scripted from SU. Now the stars................I thought they gave it a nice "touch". These are from Martha Stewart and I think they are actually stickers - but look like rhinestones. There were some blue ones and aqua ones in the package. The patterned paper and the ink used is Brocade Blue.

I'm going to miss some of the SU colors that are retiring - like this Brocade Blue and the Ballet Blue. I'm thrilled that the Baja Breeze is coming back. Do you think that maybe blue is my favorite color!!!!!

Thanks for stopping by.................

Lynn

Original Idea?

I used to work with an older gentleman who often made the comment - "I haven't made a mistake since 1957" (and then he would just die laughing)!!!!! Well I feel like I can relate to this as sometimes I feel I haven't had an original idea since about that long and wouldn't know what one was if it knocked me in the face!!! Anyway, on to this card...............

I'm pretty sure this idea came from someone but I really don't know who had it or where I saw one similar to it. Wherever I saw the idea I don't think they had used the Vintage Vogue set from SU though. So, does that make mine an original????? I'd like to think so as I really like how the card turned out. The sentiment is Well Scripted from SU - such a nice set to have. I used Rose Red, Pretty in Pink, White, and some unknown DP that matched it pretty good. The flower was stamped, then cut out, and popped up on dimensionals.

Nothing fancy with this card, but it will make a nice "Birthday" for someone.

Thanks for stopping by....................

Lynn

Pleasant Surprise

Well, I had a nice pleasant surprise this morning! Christy, over at Lone Pine Designs sent a Blog Award (Ms. Brightside) my way!!! Is that nice or what! Check out Christy's blog - you will be amazed at her work.......

Now on to the award.....I have to list 10 things that make me happy, 5 pieces of trivia about myself, and then pass this on to five fellow bloggers. So, first of all......10 things that make me happy:

1. Family

2. Friends

3. Grandchildren

4. Faith

5. Crafting

6. Rambo (my little doxie)

7. Smell of rain

8. Friendly smiles

9. Warm weather

10. Gardening and fishing

Ok, now we go to the 5 pieces of trivia about me:

1. Retired and just LOVING it!

2. Never skipped school (now is that not the SADDEST! LOL)

3. Lived in Panama for a couple of years - very interesting country

4. Taught swimming and sailing when I was younger

5. Love to do crossword puzzles and sudoku

And now, last but not least, I get to pass this on to five fellow bloggers. This was VERY hard as I love so many blogs. Be sure and visit these lovely ladies and see the fantastic work they they do.

1. Shelly - My Creative Rumblings

2. Lesley - Lesley's Little Bit of Everything

3. Susan - Susan's Day Off Creations

4. Tami - Team Gingerbread

5. Cindy - Cindy's Creative Crafts

April Showers..........

Yep, that's what they say - April showers bring May flowers! We haven't had that many "showers" yet this month but we do have a lot of flowers right now. It's nice to see leaves back on the trees, green grass, and yes, flowers! I think Spring has sprung!

The layout for this card is from MoJo Monday #133 and the "theme" (showers) is for the Stamps R Us Challenge blog. Check this one out - there is a new challenge on the first of each month and yes, you have an entire month to post your project.

This image is Singing in the Rain from Stampabilities. The paper I used is some unknown blue from a textured mat pack from ColorBox, white, Certainly Celery, Pink Pirouette, and some DP from the Good Neighbors pack. The image was colored with Prismacolor Pencils. I really didn't like the buttons but needed something there to stay "in tune" with the sketch and brads or flowers just did not look right.

Thanks for stopping by.....................

Lynn

Black amd White CAS

I never realized exactly how many shades of white there were! Serious! On this card, we have white cardstock, white ribbon, and white (with black) DP. I really think all three "whites" are different.........Weird! This is probably the very first truly all white and black card I've ever made. I get one almost completed and always end up adding some type of other color to it. On this one, it was all I could do not to put a different colored brad in the center of that little flower. Anyway, I like how the card turned out - with the exception of all the different shades of white. I think that shows up more in the photo though than it does in real life!

This was for the SCS CAS61 (Monday) - Just mainly a sentiment. I don't have any "newlywed" cards made up so decided to use this simple sentiment from Teeny Tiny Wishes. The little flower was made with the scallop punch from SU. I punched out 10 of them - in alternating black and white prints - scrunched them up a bit and placed the brad in the center.

Thanks for stopping by.....................

Lynn

My First Attempt

I have said - I will NEVER do it, there is just NO way, WAYYYY too expensive, what a WASTE of money, I probably couldn't figure out how to use them anyway..................COPICS!!!!

Well, I broke down and bought a few the other day - not many for sure, but a few to see if I'd like them. I think it will take ALOT of practice before I could ever get used to them (at least learning how to do shading with them), but they do appear to be very nice markers. I actually colored this image with a couple of the Copics (first attempt) and also SU markers.

Is this a "country birthday" or what! Maybe it's that gingham paper and ribbon. Anyway, the image was a free digi from Sliekje and the sentiment is SU Well Scripted. The layout is for Stamping 411 #145 sketch. A very basic sketch that I guess you could either add a little or add alot to.

Thanks for stopping by......................

Lynn

Lupinus Texensis

In other words...........the Texas Bluebonnet! This is the State Flower of Texas and it grows wild from about the middle of March until May. This is a close-up photo of one but you can see literally thousands of this wonderful flower along the roadsides in Texas. Acres upon acres of nothing but solid bluebonnets - and of course, other wild flowers as well....in such wondrous colors of pink, yellow, purple, etc. Some say the bluebonnet got it's name from the pioneer women whose bonnets were shaped like the petals of this flower.

I hope everyone has great Easter tomorrow and just a fantastic weekend...........

Thanks for stopping by..........

Lynn

Baja Bird

I saw this layout (or at least something similar to it) on ICSketches and decided to try it. I got this entire card completed and decided I DID NOT like it.........but then, after looking at it for awhile I decided I really did LIKE IT! Go figure............Anyway, here's the card.

The reason I titled it "Baja Bird" is because the blue cardstock I used was Baja Breeze. I also used white, Kraft, Chocolate Chip and Parisian Breeze DP. The bird was punched out (and then popped up) with that bird punch from SU. The "branch and leaves" are from the SU die, Little Leaves. I also used my Swiss Dots embossing folder and the Labels 3 Nestabilities. The sentiment is from Teeny Tiny Wishes from SU.

Thanks for stopping by.................

Lynn